The Commonwealth Times; August 19. 2026 by VCU Student Media Center

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 @commonwealthtimes @theCT1

VOL. 73, NO. 1 AUGUST 19, 2026 THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY

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VCU Students face higher than average tuition increase SAL ORLANDO News Editor MAEVE BAUER Executive Editor VCU in-state undergraduate students are now paying 3.9% more on their tuition this academic year. In-state underg raduate st udents enrolled in 15 credits per semester are now paying $17,963 in tuition and mandatory fees, according to VCU News. Virginia’s average increase in tuition for in-state undergraduates is 3.2%, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. VCU had the second highest percentage increase in the state, behind Old Dominion University. Almost 80% of registered voters in Virginia’s July 2026 Commonwealth Poll believe that cost is too high to attend college in Virginia, ref lecting a 10% increase since the winter poll.

VCU Student Financial Management Center at Harris Hall on Aug. 18. Photo By Burke Loftus.

Tuition Increase Continued on page 3

NEWS

SPECTRUM

VCU POLL: Virginians express concerns over data center impacts

HOTPANTS finds its sound in Richmond rock scene

SAL ORLANDO, News Editor The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs released a new Commonwealth Poll on July 15 with results showing Virginians are pushing back against data centers. Nearly 8 in 10 registered voters in Virginia believe data centers should pay additional fees to compensate for increased electricity demands from facility operation, according to the poll. Over 70% of registered voters oppose data centers receiving sales tax exemptions that incentivize facilities in the state. Virginia leads the country in the most planned data centers, according to Pew Research Center. There are future facilities planned for Chesterfield, Henrico, Petersburg and Goochland. Mar y Finley-Brook, Professor of Geography and Global Studies at the University of Richmond and member of Data Center Defiance, said that Google, Meta, QTS, Chirisa and Tracts are all well-known entities in the data center landscape building in the Richmond area. DCD is a coalition in Central Virginia with the mission of protecting people and

the environment from the harms of data centers in the region. “They’re trying to squeeze as much as they can out of every locality, and it is always a sense of ‘If you don’t go along with what’s being demanded, they we will go elsewhere,’” Finley-Brook said. “So,

local governments feel a little bit over the barrel… I think they are misinformed about the risks.”

DATA CENTERS Continued on page 4

HOTPANTS lead singer and guitarist Mackenzie Roark performing at the Woodland Heights Tiny Porch Concert series on Aug. 16. Photo by Burke Loftus RACHEL NICHOLAS Assistant Spectrum Editor In a cit y full of creativit y and booming artistry, Richmond rock band HOTPANTS has spent the last few years finding their place in the city’s music scene, pulling inspiration from classic rock, indie and psychedelic music.

Sign at Chesterfield Google Data Center Open House. Courtesy of Data Center Defiance.

HOTPANTS Continued on page 14

Baseball Season Recap

Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making an improv show!

Why opinions matter — even the ones you don’t agree with

see [SECTION] page 8

see SPECTRUM page 12

see OPINIONS page 16

The Commonwealth Times

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Stories of the week

News

national: Jill Stein, a three-time Green party presidential candidate, is facing misdemeanor charges of assault and trespassing over her role in a 2024 campus demonstration against the genocide in Gaza. international: The Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is still at large, surpassing 5,000 cases according to the World Health Organization. This is the seventeenth and also deadliest outbreak of the disease that the Congo has seen, killing 2,320 people.

ELECTION 2026: What to know about the upcoming state election KAYLA MUÑECAS, Assistant News Editor Virginians will vote to decide who fills the state’s congressional seats, along with three proposed amendments to the state’s constitution on Nov. 3.

SENATE CANDIDATES

Democrat Sen. Mark Warner is on the ballot for the fourth time this year. Warner served as Virginia’s governor from 2002 to 2006 and is finishing his third term as senator. Warner’s campaign promises include lowering housing costs, ensuring universal healthcare and preparing for the “coming AI jobs crisis,” according to his campaign website. Warner is up against Republican Bert Mizusawa, a retired major general of the U.S. Army. Mizusawa's campaign prioritizes reducing the national debt, implementing a tax code with fewer brackets and protecting the Second A mend ment . M i z u s a w a s up p or t s simplifying the immigration process, but encourages legal immigrants to prepare for assimilation to American culture. Mizusawa formerly served as senior advisor to the CIA director and worked as a foreign policy advisor for President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. In 2018, he attempted to campaign by challenging Sen. Tim Kaine, but did not make the ballot.

Tuition Increase

Continued from front page VCU cited that the tuition increase covered mandated costs, which includes salary increases, student internships, security and service contracts, graduate stipends and military tuition waivers, per a previous CT report. “VCU has the highest percentage of VMSDEP-eligible students among Virginia’s public instit utions, w ith approx imately 6% of ou r in-state undergraduate population participating in the program,” Brian McNeill, a VCU spokesperson, stated in an email. “As a result, VCU also has the highest VMSDEP waiver costs in the state.” McNeill stated that VCU’s average net price has stayed flat for families earning under $110,000 per year since 2019, McNeill stated. “In 2024-25, the average f inancial aid awarded to full-time undergraduate students seeking assistance was $20,105,” McNeill stated. “That year, more than $328 million in financial aid was disbursed to approximately 17,788 undergraduate students at VCU.” VC U re cent ly e x pa nde d t he Transforming Federa l Work-St udy

DISTRICT 1 CANDIDATES

Shannon Taylor, a Henrico County prosecutor, is the democratic nominee for the first congressional district. Taylor plans to propose a ban on congressional stock trading, 12-year term limits for Congress members and pass legislation to reduce utility prices, according to her website. Republ ica n nom inee Rep. Rob Wittman will focus on creating jobs for Virginians through “pro-growth policies”, reducing the national debt and reforming the healthcare system to make it more affordable and accessible, according to his campaign site.

BALLOT MEASURES INCLUDE REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOMS, VOTING RIGHTS AND REMOVING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN

Democrat Incumbent Rep. Jennifer McClellan is seeking reelection, and is campaigning to protect reproductive rights and lower living costs. McClellan has made her opposition to Trump’s immigration and agricultural policies a central part of her political messaging. The Virginia GOP announced their nominee, Robert Murray, in a July social media post. Murray does not have a campaign website at the time of publication. Dr. Alex Keena, associate professor of political science at VCU, recommends that voters research candidates to make fully informed decisions at the polls. “ E s p e c i a l ly w hen it c ome s to incumbents, [researching] their voting records and what types of policies they’ve supported is a good idea,” Keena said.

Virginians will also vote to add several ballot measures to the state constitution this year. Ballot measures help solidify a piece of legislation, according to Dr. Keena. The General Assembly can overturn bills, which means amending the state constitution is a more permanent solution. Question one on the ballot would establish the right to reproductive freedom, which the Virginia Department of Elections defines as “the fundamental right to make and carry out decisions about a person’s own reproductive care with only certain, specific exceptions.” Question two would remove the defunct ban on same-sex marriage from the state’s constitution and prohibit the state from denying marriage licenses to two individuals on the basis of sex, race or gender. Although the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the 2015 case Obergefell v. Hodges, this amendment would serve as protection for marriage equality in the state. Question three would add a provision to restore the right to vote for individuals with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. Currently, convicted people must petition tothe governor to vote. “This is something that a single state

program, now admitting 150 students this year, according to VCU News. The Federal Work-Study aid program provides jobs to students with financial needs for school-related and living expenses. Participants can earn up to $2,000 dollars a semester. Valerie Sutton, VCU Federal WorkStudy Internship Coordinator, stated in an email that VCU maximizes its FWS allocation annually. “Reductions from the Department of Education in Federal Work-Study funding to VCU have occurred annually since Fiscal Year 2025, which impacts the overall pool of funds,” Sutton stated. “VCU is committed to FWS remaining a critical option to boost student access to career experiences, and has committed institutional funds in addition to the federal allocation for Fiscal Year 2027.” The Transforming Federal Work Study program aims to double the number of positions over the next three years, according to Sutton. “Eligible students who apply f ill positions at an exceptionally high rate,” Sutton stated. “The TFWS program achieved a 99% position fill rate over the past two years and remains on track to hit that benchmark again this year.” Marco Rivera, a second-year criminal

justice student who holds a work study position at the Institute of Transformative Justice through VCU work-study, the university did not make an effort to adjust work-study rewards to match the overall tuition increase. “I think since they’re def initely increasing the tuition, they should also definitely increase the amount of money that you get from federal work-study,” Rivera said. Rivera did not have trouble adjusting his schedule to include a job, but has struggled to adjust his budget to the tuition increase, sharing that he had to take a loan out this year to stay afloat. L i l l i e D o t s o n , a s e c o n d-y e a r international studies student, relates to Rivera’s struggle with the tuition increase. Dotson feels the rate at which in-state tuition is increasing is “bizarre”, especially with how high interest loan rates are, unable to find anything lower than 18%. Registered voters support expanding work-study opportunities, with 65% saying it would be a policy to help make college more affordable, according to the Commonwealth Poll. Dotson said the pay through this program does not scratch the surface of the cost of college. “I understand that the school is in a

4TH DISTRICT CANDIDATES

legislator, a single general assembly, can't undo,” Keena said. “That’s what happens when you put it in the constitution.” A l ice Zambrano Ga l legos, a Chesterf ield resident, said her focus this election season is on protecting reproductive rights, marriage equality and finding a candidate that will combat utility price hikes. “I think all three ballot measures are very important, but the ones that I’m looking at the most are reproductive rights and removing the same-sex marriage ban,” Zambrano Gallegos said. “My vote matters and I will always vote where freedom is maximized for all of us.”

difficult position,” Dotson said. “However, it’s truly difficult to wake up and find the motivation to continue going to school regardless of how much I want my diploma” Seli Mahray, a third-year nursing student, said she was unaware of the tuition increase and wondered why the numbers did not add up when she paid her bill. “I’m blessed enough to have scholarships and grants and obviously in-state tuition,” Mahray said. “The damage to me might not be as big as the damage to someone else.” Mahray said with the increased amount she pays to attend VCU, she wants to see better parking options, especially on the MCV campus. Christian Marasigan, a fourth-year computer science major, said that he wished VCU offered more aid with the increased money they receive from students' tuition. Several external scholarships, and a scholarship through the School of Engineering help him pay for school. “Being a fourth-year, I’ve k inda unfortunately just become numb to it [tuition increasing] in all honesty,” Marasigan said. “It’s known that VCU is a college that raises its tuition annually.” Tuition for in-state undergraduate students has gone up almost 15% since the 2022-2023 school year, according to College Tuition Compare.

The Commonwealth Times

Unionized workers reject contract offer from Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Illustration by Zoe Luis.

HARSHINI KANALA, Contributing Writer Workers at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden rejected their employer’s final contract offer after unionizing for increased wages and benefits since November 2024. The LGBG Workers United are the second group of LGBG workers in the US to unionize. Eligible staff voted to organize for “living wages, safer working conditions, better benefits, and a seat at the table where the decisions that affected our well-being are made,” LGBG Workers United stated in a social media post. “We are wrapping up a 2-year-long, $31 Million Expansion at the garden, but union-eligible garden staff (everyone but the managers) haven’t seen a raise in 2 years,” LGBG Workers United stated. As of Aug. 13, LGBG Workers United announced that they chose to reject the Data Centers

Continued from front page Google held two community open houses last month to discuss three proposed data center campuses in Chesterf ield: Project Peanut, Project Skye and Project Loch. “They [Google] just stood there and ran their mouths saying anything positive that they could without listening to what the people said and people came out hoarse from arguing back because they were so mad,” Finley-Brook said. Finley-Brook said participants at the open house were told claims that didn’t align with their lived experiences. “Google def initely doesn’t seem to listen,” Finley-Brook said. “They just come back with greenwash and it’s really lacking evidence. I study them all over the world, they come out with all of these claims, they’re not living up to it.” Courtney Bernhardt, a Chesterfield resident and DCD member, said her main concerns with data center construction in her community are the environmental impact and the noise that comes from

employer’s “last, best and final offer” and will “go through internal procedures and notifications before details and next steps are released.” The LGBG Workers United declined a request for comment from T he Commonwealth Times due to time conflicts. Singer-Song w riter Jesse Wel les, known for his folk protest songs, moved his concert at the garden to the National on July 15 in solidarity with the union. He offered refunds for participants who could no longer attend. “To the fans: we would not want to put you in a position to cross the picket line, we are sorry, " Welles stated in a social media post. “To the garden: pay a living wage or get lost. To the workers: never back down,” Emma Hunter, a fan of Welles, said she supports the union and believes employee wages should take precedence over the concert rescheduling.

“Ultimately, the person who disagreed [with me] is still a working-class person,” Hunter said. “We are still on the same side and our biggest pinch point right now… is just getting everyone to agree amongst ourselves that capitalism is the real enemy here. We need to do more than just call them out. We need to withhold our labor until we win.” Hunter said she believes striking is one of the most effective tools that workers have. “We as the working class may not have the capital, but we certainly have the numbers,” Hunter said. “Without us, the world stops and I want everyone to always remember that. We are just so powerful, more than I think people realize on a daily basis. Workers are power; you are power.” The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden did not respond to a request for comment from the CT. Some patrons of the LGBG shared an

email from the garden to Reddit, according to ABC News. “The recent news and press around the Garden’s negotiations with the International Association of Machinists a n d A e r o s p a c e Wo r k e r s U n i o n (Machinists) has threatened the very wellbeing of our Garden, your Garden, and thus the community,” LGBG stated in an email shared with ABC News. “The very place you love has unfairly come under attack based on misinformation.” LGBG reached agreement on 23 of the 25 articles in the proposed union contract through electronic and in-person meetings with the unionized workers, LGBG stated in the email. “The call for a boycott of the Garden by the Union doesn’t hurt the Union; it hurts the Garden, its employees, the mission and most importantly, the community,” LGBG stated.

them. She asked for the sites to commit to clean energy, scale back the size of their projects to have fewer water body impacts and install noise monitoring to hold themselves accountable. “Basically, I want them to be a good neighbor, not like any other industrial site on paper,” Bernhardt said. Bernhardt works for the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit that advocates for environmental law enforcement. “They [the county and the data center planners] don’t know how big the data center is going to be, they haven’t decided which cooling system to use,” Bernhardt said. “It’s almost like, you know, counties have to make decisions without a whole lot of information in front of them.” Over 2,500 people signed a petition to Chesterfield County demanding public disclosure of all negotiations, agreements and financial commitments with data center developers. The petition requests community input and seeks to end county engagement in non-disclosure agreements. Bernhardt wants people who are concerned about data centers’ impacts to pressure their government and not blindly trust they will do the right thing. Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Colonial

Heights, sent a letter to Gov. Abigail Spanberger urging her to establish an immediate pause on the approval and development of data centers in Virginia, according to ABC News. “Now that communities there have seen the consequences of that level of development, the industry is moving elsewhere in Virginia, including south along I-95 toward the Richmond region,” Sturtevant stated in an email. “I don’t want my part of Virginia to become the next Data Center Alley.” Sturtevant believes the best thing residents can do to fight back is to get involved before a project is approved. He said residents can push back by paying attention to z on ing appl icat ions, attending public hearings and asking officials about requ i red resou rces a nd funding.

“People also need to make clear that endless data center growth is not inevitable,"

Sign at Chesterfield Google Data Center Open House. Courtesy of Data Center Defiance.

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 Sturtevant stated. “The industry has gotten very accustomed to hearing ‘yes.’ Residents have every right to ask whether another project actually benefits their community and whether Virginia needs it at all.” Sturtevant introduced Senate Bill 552 last session, which the bill would have required site assessments and environmental reviews before data center projects could be approved, but failed “It makes no sense to continue approving more projects while that work is underway,” Sturtevant stated. “At the very least, the moratorium should remain in place until that work is completed. More fundamentally, Virginia needs to answer whether additional data centers are justified at all.” Sen. Mike Jones, D-R ichmond, announced a plan to file two data center bills in the 2027 session. The bills would ban local officials from signing nondisclosure agreements for data center projects and require public hearings and disclosure requirements for data centers. “The goal is to try to give residents and communities the opportunity to hear about what’s going on in their communities,” Jones said. Jones said data center developers are lobbying state representatives, creating an

obstacle for regulatory legislation. “Democrats need to step the f*** up and lead in this,” Jones said. “We’re allowing Republican legislators to lead the argument on this, and that shouldn’t be the case. That’s why you have democratic leaders in Virginia stepping up.” Nearly 20% more Democrats support requiring data centers to pay additional fees to offset electricity demands, according to the July Commonwealth Poll. “For the average Virginian, especially for the majority of the people I represent, they are impacted,” Jones said. “An eightdollar increase on a bill is going to make a difference.” Jones said that cities want to brand themselves as business-friendly when making deals with data centers. He believes there should be an expectation that they will be good neighbors by not depleting natural resources or raising the cost of living. “We have to ensure that families that are struggling to survive are not swallowed up in this,” Jones said. Spanberger intervened in a proposed $67 billion dollar merger between Dominion Energy — the utility responsible for the data center market in Northern Virginia — and Florida-based NextEra Energy,

according to a press release. She cited the intervention to skepticism of if the merger would be at the expense of affordability, existing jobs and clean energy in Virginia.

Sign at Chesterfield Google Data Center Open House. Courtesy of Data Center Defiance.

New VCU office looks to turn work experience into college credit MADDY THURBER, Contributing writer VCU’s Office of Prior Learning began an initiative that offers non-traditional students the option to turn professional experience into college credit. Students who may have worked in a professional sphere prior to the enrollment at VCU have the option to use that as credit toward an Interdisciplinary Studies diplomat. “Credit for prior learning pathways are built for nontraditional students, which VCU defines as students who are

married/widowed/divorced, have children/ dependents or who are military-affiliated), who have an abundance of professional experience that may be equivalent to some of the courses they would take at VCU,” Associate Director Mia Liadis stated in an email. Credit is available to adult learners with years of experience who are enrolled in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies. Mariah Crilley, VCU Assistant Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs stated in an email she quickly learned the value of adult learners. They challenged me to be a better

teacher by considering the deep expertise that all students, nontraditional or otherwise, bring to the classroom, and inspired me to develop a space that honored that expertise,” Crilley stated. Transfer Coordinator for Adult and Nontraditional Students, Tori Kesling said prior learning helps recognize when students have experience that already applies to a degree. Students interested in receiving credit for prior learning go through a process to determine if their previous experience qualifies. Eligible students can receive credit

by talking to their advisor, enrolling in IDST 452, submitting their portfolio, and earning up to 30 IDST elective credit. Credits are not guaranteed, but, IDST 452 is meant to prepare students to receive credit, according to the office’s website . Some course fees are related to the portfolio assessment, but 30 IDST elective credits are awarded at no tuition cost. “Data from the Council and Experiential Learning notes, nontraditional students awarded credit for prior learning (CPL) are 2.5x more likely to graduate and earn better grades than nontraditional students without CPL,” Dr. Liadis stated.

Illustration by Jayden Smirnova.

The Commonwealth Times

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Sports

Stat of the week

On Aug. 16, women’s soccer became the first VCU squad to play a game at the new VCU Athletic Village.

GAME RESULTS AUGUST 13 VCU WSOC - AT ELON LOST 1-4

AUGUST 16 VCU WSOC - VS NC STATE LOST 0-4

PRESS BOX: The WNBA and the Manufactured Eligibility Crisis BENNEY KOCH Staff Writer In recent years, the WNBA has become more popular than ever. That growth has brought more viewers, sponsorships and attention, but also more scrutiny and vitriol. Now, the league is at the center of a national political debate — should transgender women be allowed to play in women’s sports? I n d i a n a Fe v e r g u a r d S o p h i e Cunningham told ESPN that she wants to “protect women’s sports” and believes transgender women should not be allowed to play in the WNBA because of their sex at birth. This quickly snowballed. Supporters and protesters on both sides have appeared at games, players and coaches have been asked to weigh in and sports media have sought out transgender athletes to ask whether they could or would ever try to play in the WNBA. According to the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” The agreement does not specifically define whether that means biological sex, gender identity or some other standard. Enes Kanter Freedom, who retired from the NBA in 2022 after 11 seasons, announced that he planned to declare for the WNBA draft as a transgender woman. He argued that he meets “every single requirement” of the league because, as he sees it, declaring who you are is all that is required. Royce White, who only played in three games and scored zero points in his NBA career according to ESPN, followed hours later by saying he would also declare for the WNBA draft and that he “sometimes” identifies as a woman for purposes of basketball. Neither man is demonstrating that there is an existing influx of transgender women trying to enter the WNBA. Rather, they manufacture the eligibility question they claim to be exposing.

In April, a Hennepin County judge found that White had abused his ex-wife and teenage son. He was ordered to have no contact with his ex-wife for 50 years and his son for two years, according to Complex Sports. The judge found White’s family was “plainly in fear” and found several allegations of abuse credible. White denied the allegations and is appealing the ruling. The argument that White is entering the WNBA debate to protect women is null when a court has found that he abused his wife and child, exposing a larger problem within the debate. There was not a group of transgender women waiting outside the W NBA draft demanding roster spots. There was not a transgender player threatening the existence of the league. The current controversy was built around a hypothetical situation until two former NBA players decided to insert themselves into the narrative. A c o m m o n a r g u m e nt a g a i n s t transgender women play ing within women’s leagues is often framed around the idea that men will declare themselves women and enter women’s competition. But the actual transgender athletes being discussed do not fit that hypothetical. Julie Térat, a transgender French basketball player who has been asked about potentially entering the WNBA. She said that playing in the league would be a dream come true but does not believe she could compete at the WNBA’s skill level. Térat’s reality is much more accurate to transgender athletes as a whole than the hypothetical dreamed up by Kanter Freedom and White. Even at the college level, transgender athletes represent an extremely small portion of the athletic population. According to GlAAd, there are over 500,000 NCAA athletes, fewer than 10 identify as transgender. I was a transgender athlete playing softball at Rock Ridge High School in Loudoun County in 2023 and 2024, one of 42 approved transgender athletes across Virginia’s 131 school districts over

an 11-year period. After I was approved and made my team, I was at the bottom of the batting order and spent most of my time in the outfield. I was not dominating women’s sports, I was just another kid playing softball, middlingly at that. Between 2014 and early 2025, the Virginia High School League allowed transgender student-athletes to participate on teams matching their gender identity through a formal waiver and appeal process. Over those 11 years, the league received 48 waiver appeals and approved 42 of them, according to 13News Now. That system was not perfect. It could be frustrating, invasive and capable of closing the door for some transgender athletes. But it recognized that there was a difference between a transgender girl trying to participate in sports and a man making a political statement about gender. Following federal policy changes and executive orders, the VHSL changed its rules in May 2025, restricting participation in girls’ and women’s sports to students assigned female at birth. Now the WNBA must make its own decision. If Kanter Freedom and White are going to use the league’s lack of a specific definition to manufacture an eligibility issue, the league may have to create a clearer standard. If it does, that standard should be designed around the actual athletes who are seeking to participate — not the political stunt being created around them. One possible approach would be a formal eligibility process similar to the one I experienced as a high school athlete, where a transgender athlete’s gender is validated through an established process involving qualified professionals. Another could involve medical criteria for transgender women seeking to compete, like being professionally diagnosed with gender dysphoria- a requirement to undergo hormone replacement therapy. Neither system would be perfect. Any additional requirement could create barriers for transgender women or invasive

examinations that would also target cisgender women. But allowing two former NBA players to define the rules through a political stunt is worse. The WNBA has said there are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the league and has condemned badfaith efforts to use the issue to demean or marginalize others. The WNBPA has similarly condemned harassment of players and said the union will not be used as a political pawn. If new rules are necessary, they should be created for the transgender women who want to play in the WNBA, not for individuals fear-mongering to make a political point. The current debate is not evidence that transgender women are taking over women’s sports, it is evidence that the WNBA has once again become a stage for America’s culture wars. And if the people claiming to protect women’s sports are the ones manufacturing the eligibility crisis, the WNBA should be careful not to let them decide what happens next.

The Commonwealth Times

Baseball Recap: What Happened over the Summer DEVYNN ALSTON Staff Writer VCU baseball bounced back last year with a 38-25 record, a historic 21-game improvement from the year before. The Rams won the A-10 tournament, in part due to the team’s unprecedented power, hitting a program-record 67 home runs over the course of the season. The Rams’ championship run was highlighted by the first game of their championship series vs. the University of Rhode Island, with VCU winning 18-16 in a slugfest. In the second game of the series, VCU sealed the deal, winning the championship 9-1. This tournament win marks the program’s fourth win in six years. It was second-year head coach Sean Thompson’s first A-10 tournament win. Thompson said that the team’s resilience was a def ining factor of the team’s championship run. “You got to have the right people in the building and in the program,” said Thompson. Thompson, a former VCU player and the youngest coach in D-1 baseball, turned the program around through roster retention, smart use of the transfer portal and player development. The 2026 squad also will be remembered for its hit production, with three different players getting 70+ hits this season, a first for VCU since the 2010 season, according to VCU athletics.

The Rams’ season ended in a loss to East Carolina University during the NCAA tournament. VCU standout second-year Jacob Lee continued the dominance from his rookie season, earning an ABCA Athletic AllRegion First Team nod. Lee also won Most Outstanding Player in the A-10 tournament and was named to the A-10 All-Championship Team. Lee was not the only player who improved from season to season; other key players, such as third-year Nathan Kirkpatrick, second-year Cooper Campbell and Nick Flores, were major contributors to this team's success. “A little bit of talent, but mostly it was just the buy-in, the cohesiveness in our group,” said Lee. That cohesion carried VCU through a season that ended with an A-10 championship and a return to the NCAA tournament, giving the Rams a foundation to build on heading into next season.

Former outfielder Michael Petite celebrating at home plate. In July, Petite was selected in the 19th round with the 580th overall pick by the Seattle Mariners.

Courtesy of VCU Athletics.

VCU women’s soccer stays positive despite early season struggles

Monique McEnhimer, 30, dribbles away from the defense. Courtesy of VCU Athletics. BEN MARTINDALE Sports Editor VCU women’s soccer lost their home debut 4-0 against North Carolina State University at VCU Athletic Village on Aug. 16. The match comes on the heels of a 4-1 loss to Elon University in the team's season opener earlier this week. “I think a lot of things went right for us because we’re choosing the hard path,” said VCU head coach Lauryn Hutchinson. “We’re not choosing the easy path. We could come out there and bomb the ball, we could put ourselves in a position where we’re just trying to win a match, but at the end of the day we want to prepare for conference, so we choose the hard route.”

The two teams battled back and forth in the early minutes with neither team able to establish dominance. That changed in the eleventh minute when second-year forward Daisy Duda scored to put NC State on the board first. From that point, VCU struggled to find their rhythm offensively, forced on the back foot by an aggressive NC State offense. The Wolfpack scored again in the 34th minute to extend their lead to 2-0. The Rams fought back, seeming to gain momentum with second-year midfielder/ forward Jess Gotshall narrowly missing a shot on goal to end the half. Despite the deficit, VCU continued to fight hard at the beginning of the second half but eventually gave up a third goal at 61:02.

“Obviously these weren’t the results we wanted, but we did take a step forward as a team,” said VCU fourth-year defender Ishpreen Marwah. “We’re working on high pressing as a unit, we had opportunities to break NC State down and go on the counter. We definitely created attacking opportunities, so I’m super proud of that.” NC State would pile on one more goal in the 71st minute, winning the game 4-0. “We have to focus on the positive things,” said Hutchinson. “Yeah, it’s not the result [that we wanted], but the result is making a push to do really well in the conference tournament. I’m still proud of them. Obviously we still have a lot of work to do.” The Rams are off to a rough start this season, losing their first two games by a

combined score of 8-1, but for them, this could be an opportunity to prove what they’re made of. “Having to overcome adversity is a big thing and I think soccer teaches you how to do that as a team,” said Marwah. “We already know things won’t be as perfect as we want. The biggest thing for us is focusing on our mentality. If our mind is focused, then the way we play will be great as well.” VCU women’s soccer will try and earn their first win of the season on Aug. 20 at 12 p.m. when they take on the University of Delaware at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.

Men’s soccer in search of new identity ahead of season opener BEN MARTINDALE Sports Editor

VCU men’s soccer will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to make their 2026 season debut on Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The Rams have been a threat to win the A10 championship since head coach Dave Giffard took over the program prior to the 2010 season and have consistently finished between the top 15 to top 60 teams in national rankings. This year’s squad hopes to be no different, but first there are questions that remain unanswered. “We’ve got some unanswered things and some guys where maybe the data isn’t quite

out there yet,” Giffard said. “But we’re making progress each day.” The biggest reason for this lack of data? Injuries. “We’ve got five or six guys that have been out all preseason. They haven’t really trained or done anything due to injury,” Giffard said. “Unfortunately, those guys all happened to play in the same part of the field.” Despite t he inju r ies, t he VCU coaching staff has powered on, electing to use the unforeseen circumstances as an opportunity to encourage growth in players that typically wouldn’t get as much playing time. “The nice part is you’re really spending

time helping to bring the other players along,” Giffard said. “It’s not just 5 minutes here or 10 minutes there that you’re being focused on.” The Rams must also reconcile the loss of multiple talented players leaving college to enter the professional ranks following last season, including All-American and former A10 defensive player of the year, Moussa Ndiaye, who signed his first professional contract with Athletic Club Boise of USL League One. “I mean those guys [that graduated last year] went through fights,” Giffard said. “They were there when we were all green and just trying to figure out how to fight our way out of it. They had success, they

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Sports

had disappointments, they had all those things.” As of now, this year’s squad stands unproven, but according to Giffard, they’re still worth the watch. “You’re gonna see some really, really talented players and we’re gonna play one of the best three or four schedules in all of college soccer,” Giffard said. The 2026 season marks the first that VCU soccer will play home games at the new Athletic Village, tickets are free to the public, not just students, and all are welcome.

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On This Day

Spectrum

On this day, Aug. 19, Dogwood Dell held its 3rd free annual festival of Virginia Fiddling as part of Richmond’s Festival of Arts series. The day

Kylie, the founder of Honeycomb Haus, a floral design company is showing off an array of beautifully flowers at the Pollinator Palooza. Photo by Catt Brito.

Buzz-worthy day at Pollinator Palooza AALIYAH SHARROCK Contributing Writer What brings people together to learn about native plants, butterflies and bees? For the attendees of Pollinator Palooza, the answer may be as simple as curiosity or even a desire to better understand the ecosystems around them. That connection was on display at Pollinator Palooza located at Studio Two Three on Aug. 16, where educators, vendors and community members gathered to learn about pollinators, native plants and the relationship between people and nature. The free event offered visitors an opportunity to learn about pollinators,

explore native plants and interact with local businesses and educators. Yelena Avigail, an educator at the event, is a butterfly expert who showcased artwork, stickers and watercolor paintings while teaching visitors about moths and butterflies. “My favorite pollinators are moths and I think they are very misunderstood because people think that they are here to eat our clothes, but most beautiful moths don’t even have mouths,” Avigail said. One of Avigail's favorite pollinators is the snowberry clearwing moth, a daytimeflying moth that mimics the appearance of a bee. Visitors were also particularly interested in the Atlas moth at her booth.

The moth came from Southeast Asia and was raised through its entire life cycle before she used it for educational purposes, according to Avigail. Kirwin Patmon, owner of The Lit Bae Bookshop, stated the event offered a way to explore the relationship between nature and people’s everyday lives. Patmon runs a Richmond-based pop-up bookshop that travels throughout the DMV area and features books for the LGBTQ+ and Black community. There is a growing selection of nonfiction about nature that also explores how people interact with the natural world, according to Patmon. “I think because of how most pollinators

audience interactions and a live band providing music for improvised musical numbers. With no two episodes the same, each performance echoes the line “So Ferb, what do you want to do today?” with a twist of audience interaction. When audience members arrive at the theater, they write down an invention they would like Phineas and Ferb to build, said cast member Blake Vail-Rhodes. The director, Preston Bradsher, then picks two suggestions, which become the episode titles and the inventions. The show is PG and there is veto power for any inappropriate suggestions. “Our actors bring their own voice and interpretation to the characters, but when casting we purposefully prioritized casting

people who know the show very well,” VailRhodes said. Theater’s long history as a form of storytelling speaks to a fundamental human desire for connection, according to Vail-Rhodes. Experiencing stories through a screen can create a sense of distance between audiences and the stories they consume. “Movies get pretty close, but there isn’t a thing on earth like live theater,” VailRhodes said. There are two episodes per show, fol low ing the same beat format alternating between the characters Phineas and friends, Candace and Perry and Doofenshmirtz, said cast member under the stage name Zukini Lesagna.

are small, people think, ‘Oh, it’s just a bee,’ but without them we don’t live or exist,” Patmon said. Other vendors connected nature to their own creative work. Kimberly Griffiths, owner of RVA Petal Party, showcased jewelry, accessories and fresh flowers. She previously worked in horticulture and began preserving flowers in jewelry after combining her interest in plants with her love of jewelry. Griffiths said one of the most important things for people to understand about pollinators is how essential they are to everyday life. “People don’t know how essential they are to the world, we need them for crops and food as well as all the fruits and vegetables that we have,” Griffiths said. Kylie Newcomb, owner of Honeycomb Haus, focuses on creating bouquets and allowing attendees to make their own. She prioritizes native flowers and plants in her work as a florist due to her interest in connecting people with the land, according to Newcomb. Through education, art, f lowers and community conversations, the variety of pollinators featured at the event gave visitors an opportunity to learn about creatures up close and personal.

PHINEAS AND FERB TJ PARRILLO Contributing Writer Richmond’s Coalition Theater, located at 8 W. Broad St., wants to bring out not just the actors, but the audience’s creative side in their upcoming “Phineas and Ferb” themed improv show. “Phineas and Ferb” is not just about two boys navigating the boredom of summer, it is also about imagination and collaboration. W hen adapting any series from pre-recorded and scripted to live and improvised, one must consider the many trade-offs of the respective mediums. To elevate their source material, Richmond Coalition Theater uses features including

Illustration courtesy Zoë Luis.

“I feel like with any long form improvising, you just need to make two strong decisions, either physical or emotional and your scene partners will take care of it,” Lesagna said. These suggestions are not only a product of the audience’s imagination. On the back wall of the stage, a felt piece is used during a “quirky worky” song where actors place random velcro objects, turning the imagination into invention. Expect the hallmarks of the original show, including all kinds of inventions, evil schemes, parental hobbies and failed bust attempts, said cast member Sam Rizzo. The show will have performances on Aug. 21, Aug. 28 and Sept. 4.

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Performers at the 3rd annual International Dance Festival, held in Glen Allen on Saturday. Photo by John Brown.

Culture takes center stage at Richmond’s 3rd annual International Dance Festival SADIE PORTER Contributing Writer Traditional dancers from over 18 countries, spanning from India to China to Mexico, congregated at the Cultural Arts Center at Glenn Allen on Aug. 15 for the 3rd annual Richmond International Dance Festival as a celebration of diversity and community. From only representing a mere five countries at the first festival, to 16, to finally this year representing a total of 18 countries, the Richmond International Dance Festival has reached its largest audience yet. Culture Encounters presented the event — a nonprofit organization that aims to bring immigrants in the Richmond region together. The immersive experience includes community dinners, school visits and workplace programs. Amma Gatty, founder and executive director of Culture Encounters has seen

the changes firsthand, starting out as an art summer camp for kids before shifting its focus to the exploration of cultures. “The idea is for immigrants and locals to have spaces where they can truly connect and engage with each other,” Gatty said. As culturally diverse as Richmond is, ethnic groups are separate into their own communities, isolating different cultural groups, according to Gatty. The dance festival highlighted the importance of multi-cultural appreciation within the cit y of R ichmond with community members gathered outside in the summer heat to support their family and friends. “Every place has its own love language, whether that's through food, language, c u lt u re or da nce,” sa id Mat t he w Davenport, a festival attendee. Seeing people from all cultures and identities come together in one place and sharing how they celebrate is meaningful, according to Davenport.

This kind of event encourages people to tap into their own cultural identity and allows individuals to show their appreciation for other countries’ traditions, Davenport said. “There’s a lot of different opportunities for folks to kind of pick up a new hobby or learn something new,” said Christina Steward, a festival attendee. Eric Luu, an experienced break dancer of 15 years, represents breaking and was a returning performer at the International Dance Festival, not representing a specific country. From an early age, Luu had a lot of energy and was drawn to music, often dancing along and imitating moves he saw on television and the internet. He knew breaking was his niche after watching “America’s Best Dance Crew” and learning from a friend of his cousin. Since then, Luu has competed nationally along the East Coast as a member of his own dance crew, Mystical Space

Typhoon, while also serving as a judge at competitions and workshopping. “This year feels more exciting,” Luu said. Luu felt more confident in the promoters of the International Dance Festival this year due to having the Cultural Arts Center as the primary location with a more consolidated space, rather than the nondedicated event space used years before. “I think the work that culture encounters does, fills a space in Richmond that a lot of organizations try to do, which is to combine cultures and get people exposed to new types of thinking, new ways of living and about cultures that don’t usually get a spotlight,” Luu said.

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Hotpants guitarist and vocalist Billy Bacci performing at the Woodland Heights Tiny Porch Concert series on Aug. 16. Photo by Burke Loftus HOTPANTS they said has helped shape its sound. Roark draws from older rock and folk music, while other members bring influences from indie, noise and psychedelic rock. Bacci said his background is more rooted in indie and noise rock, including bands such as Pixies, while Moran brings an interest in improvisational music and Phish, along with other modern rock influences. The differences allow the members to contribute their own styles while still building around Roark’s songwriting. “We all know how to speak a common musical language, and our influences are so similar,” Bacci said. “And I feel like we know pretty quickly if it’s gonna click on a song or if it’s just worth moving on from.” “When we collaborate, it’s awesome because ever yone brings something different,” Bacci said. “Mackenize writes these songs that have like a central thesis and Matt has an amazing ability to just jump in an improv.” That process has allowed HOTPANTS to move between different sounds without worrying too much about where the music fits. The band can play alongside country, folk or punk acts because of the range of sounds they incorporate. Their first show together was as an opening act at the Camel, a local live music venue, where they opened for another artist. The space was packed from wall to wall, and it will go down as a night they won’t forget, according to the band. “I just remember feeling so electrified,” Roark said. “Like, there are so many people and they’re screaming for us. It kind of felt like walking on air afterwards.” Richmond has given the band space to branch out, helping them gain traction at the local and state level, although they are still working toward building a larger national audience. For now, HOTPANTS continues to grow within the city’s music community while developing new material and expanding its sound. For more information on their music and upcoming events, check out their website https://www. hotpantsband.com/shows.

Hotpants lead singer and guitarist Mackenzie Roark performing at the Woodland Heights Tiny Porch Concert series on Aug. 16. Photo by Burke Loftus ADVERTISEMENT

Although they gather ideas from a multitude of places, the band agrees that assigning a genre to their sound is not so simple. “People will ask us, ‘What kind of music do you play?’ I’m just like, ‘I don’t know,’” frontwoman Mackenzie Roark said. HOTPANTS formed after Roark released her f irst album in 2022 and wanted to bring the songs to a live audience. The band’s current lineup came together through years of connections between Richmond musicians, eventually becoming what Roark considers the “core of Hotpants.” Roark first met guitarist and bassist Billy Bacci around 2017 at an open mic event she was running. Bacci also previously played with drummer Drew Barnocky and bassist Matt Moran through another band they were in together. “Paint on it was a band that me, Matt, and Drew were in,” Bacci said. “We made three albums together, and I met Matt through his brother and Drew was playing for Mackenzie at the time.” When it came time to build the band, the existing relationships made the process easier, the answer later evolving into the group HOTPANTS. The name, a throwback to the retro term for short shorts popularized in the 1970s, took a bit longer for the band to settle on. Roark wanted something that captured the band’s style while also giving them a name they could incorporate into their stage presence. “I’ve been drawn to music from the ‘60 and 70s since middle and high school,” Roark said. “I think the rock genre is more home for me. It’s what I grew up listening to and the reason I wanted to start making music myself.” Roark remembers watching “School of Rock” in sixth grade and immediately wanting to start a band. The idea had already existed when she was younger, when she and her friends would talk about becoming musicians. Bacci also cited the movie as a source of inspiration, even having a hypothetical childhood band titled Space Dudes. The band members bring different musical influences to the group, something

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Opinions

Quote of the week

“You must change your life.” — Rainier Maria Rilke

Why opinions matter — even the ones you don’t agree with. KYLIE GRUNSFELD Opinions & Humor Editor During COVID, I found myself in a hyper-liberal bubble of the internet. My algorithms were consistently pushing videos made by creators who shared views similar to mine. It resulted in a very unbalanced perception of the average political alignment in this countr y, especially among people my age. Isolated as I was, when I went back to school after lockdown, I was shocked to find that my peers were actually a lot less tolerant than I expected. I did not know how to approach them with anything less than bewilderment, which would quickly turn to frustration. If I ever tried to have a genuine debate, I was at a loss. I had no earthly idea how their brains worked or how to deliver my own opinions in a way that was not, frankly, patronizing.

Henrico is addicted to AI Data Centers. Now their children pay the price. SHINY CHANDRAVEL Assistant Opinions Editor When I think back on high school, I remember flooding the football bleachers with my friends. I remember the sweat that would smudge our face paint as we cheered and screamed different chants. Most of all, I remember squinting across the brightly lit

Illustration by Ro Horner.

There is very little a person hates more than being patronized, especially during a conversation about society and/or politics. This goes both ways. Whether you are left-leaning, right-leaning or identify with neither side, the ability to understand is an important tool to have. When people chastise a publication for including an article written by someone whose opinion differs from their own, sometimes they forget that, just like in movies and television, depiction does not equal endorsement. Understanding opposing attitudes can be instrumental in strengthening your own belief system. I remember once in high school, a Latter-day Saints classmate of mine explained to me and a group of classmates the church’s belief system. Being nonreligious and a skeptic, it was definitely out of my comfort zone to listen to him go into detail about something so antithetical

to what I believe to be true. This interaction is very vivid to me not because he changed my mind in any way, but because I now understand something that I previously refused to. Before, offering up my attention felt like admitting defeat. But because I understand his perspective better, I feel more ready and able to engage in a conversation (or debate) with someone who shares the same belief system — or more specifically, one who weaponizes those beliefs to try and strip the rights and dignities from other human beings. In the same vein, when it comes to publishing the articles we do, our intention is not so much to convert or convince, but rather to introduce ideas and provide explanations. Why does this opinion exist? Where is it coming from? What life experience led to that perspective? Again, we do not endorse every opinion we publish, but for the reasons above, we still feel that they are worth reading. That

being said: if we ever receive a submission that is discriminatory, harmful or clearly done in bad faith, there is a line. It helps no one to platform opinions of people who have bad intentions or are spreading mis/ disinformation. VCU is home to a plethora of students from different ethnic, cultural and economic backgrounds. Therefore, it only makes sense that this paper and this section — made by students for students — would reflect that as well. I am not here to take a stance on which opinions are right and which are wrong. I am not even here to insist you agree with me after reading this. Only to say that though a given opinion may not be true to us, it is to the person who wrote it. By asking why, we may realize things we would not have otherwise — about the world around us and ourselves.

field to see the scoreboard light up after a game-winning touchdown. I remember turning the lights on in the locker room at the break of dawn before track practice. I remember helping my theater friends test each stage light and spotlight before their opening night show. These are the memories I made across my 12 years studying at Henrico County Public Schools. Each of these moments were made possible by a school system capable of affording its electric bill and utilities. I hope that the students of today and the students of the future will experience that as well. But, that same hope held by citizens of Henrico and the surrounding Greater Richmond Region has dimmed over this summer.

Henrico County has become one of many areas across the state and country involved in a torrid affair with AI data

center companies such as Meta and QTS. As of today, Henrico County leaders have opened their arms to 37 AI data centers, Illustration by Devin Smith.

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

clustered in White Oak Technology Park in Eastern Varina, with 17 more proposals ahead. Like most things, these centers come with a cost. This summer, Henrico citizens realized who would be paying: themselves. On June 26, County Manager John Vithoulkas emailed employees of Henrico County Public Schools asking them to turn off lights, unplug chargers and think again before turning their space heater on. The message reasoned that these efforts were necessary as energy costs were set to rise 25% as of July 1, adding around a $5 million burden to the school district and the local government’s electric bill. He added that additional increases would soon follow. This significant rise in utility costs coincides with inf lationary pressures created by the extreme consumption and demand for energy from newly erected AI data centers. Monitoring Analytics, an independent market monitor, estimated that data centers accounted for an increase of $11.26 per megawatt-hour across the

Starving for Status: how wealth influences beauty standards. MOLLY CHRISTIANSON Staff Writer Body standards are not about being skinny or being fat – they are about having money. For centuries, beauty standards have ref lected wealth and social status. We have shifted into a culture where wealth provides access to the lifestyles necessary to achieve increasingly unattainable body standards. Many celebrities seem to get defensive, claiming that their extreme weight loss or altered facial features are completely

first five months of this year. This email was framed as a small matter — a little action that Henrico citizens can take to help a greater cause. But at what point will our government decide that AI data centers have forced us to adjust too much? If we have accepted a $5 million increase, what amount will be too much? Will Henrico just keep opening its arms to more AI data centers in the meantime until the damage is irreversible? The strain of data center-driven inflation has compromised not only future feasibility, but future sustainability. AI data centers are known for heavily consuming groundwater resources. A recent Virginian environmental study urged for stricter regulations. A Houston study estimated that the centers in Texas will use as much as 399 billion gallons in 2030. These centers are also affecting the quality of the air we breathe, emitting large amounts of diesel fumes. In a world where we are asked to embrace AI as our future, I mourn the future we may be giving up in exchange.

We have been told these prices are just the growing pains of a greater society. At what point do those growing pains actually hold the next generations back? We do not have to let these concerns and fears go unanswered. The Board of Supervisors of Henrico must vote to approve any Provisional Use Permits for every new data center in the county. Board meetings are the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month at 4301 E. Parham Rd, where anyone can come and voice their concerns. Complaints and concerns can also be sent online through bra151@henrico.gov. I am so privileged and blessed to have grown in Henrico County Public Schools. It is home to many of the great mentors that have cultivated me into the person I am today. The least I can do is protect it in return. Because if we do not protect our own neighborhoods, then who will? Governor Abigail Spanberger is from Henrico herself, with children who still attend its school system today. In June,

natural. Unfortunately, children, teens and even adults look up to these figures and can begin to feel like their own worth depends on looking the same way. When a celebrity can buy Ozempic, hire a personal trainer, follow an expensive diet or get cosmetic procedures just to fit a trend that was started by another celebrity, where does that leave the “common people”? The simple answer is tired. The general public is tired of constantly trying to keep up with celebrities who have millions of dollars, endless resources and whose job involves dedicating time to their appearance. Yet, the expectation is still placed on everyone else to achieve the same results. Having money used to mean having food, but now it means having the resources to look like you are starving. The scary thing is that this is not new. It seems that with the resurgence of the Y2K aesthetic, the “heroin chic” look — featuring hollowed cheeks and scarily defined bones — has

made a comeback as well. What was once criticized as an unhealthy and dangerous beauty standard is now being repackaged as trendy, nostalgic and desirable. The difference is that now, we are watching it happen through social media in real time. It feels insane to watch rich people paying to starve while the “everyday folk” are pinching pennies so they have gas to get to work. There is something deeply backwards about living in a society where it is accepted that people can pay hundreds upon thousands upon millions to look starved, while the rest of us work tirelessly to make sure we do not actually starve. The difference is that one is considered a beauty choice and the other is considered poverty. This is where body standards stop being about beauty and become about class. Being thin is often treated as though it is simply the result of discipline, self-control or wanting it badly enough. Money makes that process significantly easier. Just having the free time to exercise is a privilege.

When looking out makes you feel powerless, look within.

Illustration by Ivy Saunders.

These days, the broadest cultural context of the world, also referred to as the macrosystem, looks eerily similar to the beginning of a poorly written dystopian movie. As the world experiences multiple genocides, an entirely new level of surveillance states and anthropogenic ecological collapse, many people are calling these “unprecedented times.” The current technology of our world does not fit nicely into the plans previously outlined in economic philosophies of the past. Ancient bacteria are melting out of the glaciers that used to contain them. Biblical wildfires and floods are wiping out communities. Flock cameras, nuclear weapons and AI drones have effectively brought us back to the drawing board when it comes to uniting the working class. Despite this, it is critical that we do not become caught in the falsehood that the working class is powerless. If you talk to any history nerd for long enough, you will begin to understand how cyclical the nature of humanity is. Despite the arena changing, the monsters have always been the same.

To name these monsters, we need to zoom into the psychology of individuals. Psychotherapist Carl Jung’s ideas of archetypes and the shadow have been incredibly influential in my understanding of myself and others. Jung asserts that to be human is to hold universal archetypes, or patterns. He identifies the shadow as the archetypes we subconsciously push into the background due to experiences in our early lives. When left in the subconscious, these archetypes that we repress are projected onto the world around us. In an incredible social psychology class I took two semesters ago (shout-out Dr. Jeffrey Green), we discussed the concepts of stereotype and discrimination. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was that familiarity eradicates discrimination. The best way to get rid of a subconscious bias against a group of people is by simply becoming friends with someone from that group. In that same class, we learned that being separated into groups, even arbitrarily, has a huge psychological impact on our perception of the out-group, aka the group we are not a part of. For instance, out-group homogeneity occurs when we perceive the out-group to have less diversity of thought and behavior, while we perceive our in-group to have an accurate level of diversity, or even an exaggerated level. These theories are often applied to social and political division. The process

occurs between government systems and civilians, resulting in both groups holding a distant and dehumanized perception of one another. The concepts of power, domination and control cannot be outsourced to the devil, to disorders of the brain or to the out. Until we can understand and accept that these concepts are a part of being human and that we have the capacity to conduct the horrors we condemn, our lives will be ruled by these entities. You may object to the accusation that you hold the same potential for evil as those responsible for mass murders and sex trafficking rings. Unfortunately, psychological research has shown that ever yone, including you, holds that potential. While genetics and environment can dictate thoughts and behaviours, the infamous Milgram experiment and Stanford Prison experiment are just two studies that suggest that social roles and pressure from authority can produce unexpected and, arguably, immoral behavior. To integrate these psychological concepts into the conversation of revolution, we need to revisit the half-truth of “unprecedented times.” Just as stereotype and discrimination feed on the perception of distance between the self and the other, oppressive systems depend upon the same public perception of separation. So, what is being implied here? That we should form friendships with billionaires

Opinions

she signed legislation to protect Virginian ratepayers from shouldering the costs of the new infrastructure these data centers demand. However, we can urge her to do more. She needs to pass a moratorium on the data centers. A moratorium would legally pause all AI data center permits until better infrastructure can be put into place to prevent burdening our communities with drastic energy costs and environmental damage. AI data centers should not be built in places unequipped to handle their detrimental effects. Asking Henrico County Public Schools to adjust to these higher costs is not merely “just the start.” It’s already too far. AI is not our future — our children are. Now it is our turn to ensure the next generations are not left in the dark.

Someone who is working multiple jobs or worrying about whether they can afford their next meal does not have the same resources as someone who can spend a fortune maintaining their appearance. What looks like a personal choice is often backed by an entire industry that makes money from convincing people that their bodies are not good enough. In the end, body standards have never really been just about the body. They are about who has the money, time and resources to make their body fit whatever society has decided is desirable at the moment. Illustration by Sophie Dellinger.

EVA SCHABERL Contributing Writer and dictators? The rage every empathetic human feels right now likely produces plenty of arguments against such an idea. It can be much more tempting to wish vengeance upon them, to hope for them the same torturous death that they cause on a mass scale. I am definitely not here to tell you to stop your murder fantasies if that is the type of catharsis that is working for you right now. Instead of becoming familiar with our enemies in the most literal sense, I believe that real progress can come from becoming familiar with the reflection of the enemy inside of us and our micro-systems, which are our closest social connections. Ultimately, this inner work on a large scale has the potential to take the focus away from the individuals in power, and onto the positions of power themselves. As a thought experiment, I challenge you to identify the dictators in your microsystem. Is your boss using coercive tactics to get their workers to do overtime? Is your fear of being out of control preventing you from leaving a harmful relationship? Do you strategically deliver information in a way that reduces conflict instead of prioritizing honesty? When the time comes, our familiarity with dealing with these opposing forces will determine our ability to survive. As the experts say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

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THE CT STAFF EXECUTIVE EDITOR Maeve Bauer editor@commonwealthtimes.org MANAGING EDITOR Ellie Waltman managing@commonwealthtimes.org COPY EDITOR Skye Hathaway copy@commonwealthtimes.org NEWS EDITOR Sal Orlando news@commonwealthtimes.org ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Kayla Muñecas asstnews@commonwealthtimes.org SPORTS EDITOR Ben Martindale sports@commonwealthtimes.org ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Tyrese Perkins asstsports@commonwealthtimes.org SPECTRUM EDITOR Elle Cota spectrum@commonwealthtimes.org ASSISTANT SPECTRUM EDITOR Rachel Nicholas asstspectrum@commonwealthtimes.org OPINIONS & HUMOR EDITOR Kylie Grunsfeld opinions@commonwealthtimes.org ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR Shiny Chandravel asstopinions@commonwealthtimes.org PHOTO EDITOR Burke Loftus photo@commonwealthtimes.org ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR Zoë Luis illustrations@commonwealthtimes.org MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Ashley Davis multimedia@commonwealthtimes.org ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Abriana Ridgley asstmultimedia@commonwealthtimes.org AUDIENCE EDITOR Naveen Griscom social@commonwealthtimes.org

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Puzzles THREE’S COMPANY

Los Angeles Times Crossword Puzzle THREE’S COMPANY

Lo s A n g e l e s Ti me s Sunda y C ro s s w o rd P u z z l e

By Rich Katz

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with85 Speaker Scott +collaboration Keegan67 Kind of roast 78 Actor Epps seasons brand 9 Start retort at the 15 Schoolyard 29-Across Michael) 68 Sitehand for film fans 74 Clenched 80 Island home of the 86 Theater reviewers 16 Certainbeginning? hardware 26 NYC award glow 20drama Surrounding 76 Munich mister 69 Lawnmower brand 89 Plug’s Hana place Highway store 10patron, Guitar player’s aid 27 Slangy contraction 21 La Scala solo 90 Channel that rarely 70 affirmative Sanskrit honorifics 81 (Adam + Minnie) + casually 11 Hawaiian dance77 Terse 28 Land Can. + fails to make a new lookfollower 22 between Ron + (Kristen 72 Rat or Brat Helmsone cry 17 Smart-alecky 12 Nest egg letters 79 Provide and Mex. 80 Prefix manyled a by Mike 92 Matinee hrs. + (Lemmon Alexander Graham) 18 Lead-up to a date? 73 inTeam 83 Fiona 13 Holy 29 Peanut butter cup ScottishKrzyzewski surname for 42 94 “The Return of the 24 Clint + (Francis 23 Convertibles + London) 14 Boat trailers? brand Scott + Keegan82 Printer seasons function King” 85 king Speaker brand 25 Lotto 15game Schoolyard retort 30 Sally +Michael) (Julia + 83 Closer at the Globe 98 Cleary + (Faith reviewers + 28 Thrifted, perhaps 74 Clenched hand 86 Theater 16 Certain hardware Philip) 31 Bleak store patron, 84 Kid76 Munich mister 26 NYC drama award Jonah) 89 Plug’s place 34 Like balls 87 __ sock 104 Small 32 Spots for scrubs 27stress Slangy contraction 77 Terse affirmative 90 donkeys Channel that rarely casually and28fidget puddle a new look 105 Ballerina’s Landspinners between Can. 79 Provide fails turning to make one33 cry“ManningCast” 17 Smart-alecky 88 Winter 35 End ofand term? point brother Mex. 80 Prefix in many a 92 Matinee hrs. 18 Lead-up to a date? topper 36 “Knock yourselfbutter out!” cup “Who surname 107 Ancient France 34 In stitches 29 Peanut 94 “The Return of the 23 Convertibles 90 Many aScottish 39 Suzukibrand who won Framed Rogerfunction 108 “So Sick” R&B 37 “__25 wellLotto that game ends 82 Printer King” king nine titles in + character singer 30batting Sally + (Julia 83 Closer at the Globe 98 Cleary + (Faith + well” 28 Thrifted, perhaps Rabbit” two countries 91 Fake 109 Keith +Jonah) (Garfunkel 38 Smokestack Philip) 84 Kid 31 Bleak dust set, match” 43 Knocked out of + 104 Carney) 34 Like stress balls 87 __spot sock Small donkeys 39 “Game, 32 Spots for scrubs92 Landing 40 Puss, Paris 44 Some and reservoir Noah’s Ark puddle 111 (Underwood + turning fidget spinners 88 Winter 105 Ballerina’s 33 in “ManningCast” 41 Top temperature residents 93 Liquidstopper Fisher)point + Johnny 35 End of term? brother Midori 48 Barry (Elliot yourself + 94 Borders 114 artFrance hub 42 Skater 36 +“Knock out!”New 90 Many a “Who 107Mexico Ancient 34 In stitches one Jimmy) 95 Like most farmland 115 Santa’s specialty 39 Suzuki who won Framed Roger 108 “So Sick” R&B 43 101, 37for“__ well that ends 44 Tricks well” 51 Nia + (Elton + 96 Shady Rabbit” spot 116 nine batting titles in Leading character singer 45 Measures of Tommy) 97 Wimbledon two countries 117 Nikon 91 Fakesurface 109 rival Keith + (Garfunkel 38 Smokestack dust resistance 54 Othello’s betrayer 99 Everglades wader 43 Knocked out 118 Nikon products 92 Landing spot of + Carney) 39 “Game, set, match” org. in Paris 100 Like Machu 55 Bulgarian, e.g. Picchu Émile 40 Puss, 44 Some reservoir119 Novelist Noah’s Ark 111 (Underwood + 46 Liberty for atemperature DA-to- 101 Listed, 56 Endowresidents with, as to a Brit 120 BakingFisher) gloves + Johnny47 Hurdle 41 Top 93 Liquids authority brand of IMF 48 Barry + (Elliot +121 Pt.114 94 Borders New Mexico art hubbe 42 Skater Midori 102 Antibacterial 58 Autonomous Kind,most in Köln 43relief 101,brand for one 103 Kind95of Like Jimmy) farmland 115 Santa’s specialty49 Pain 50 Donated vacuum 105 Texter’s “Bye for DOWN 44 Tricks 51 Nia + (Elton + 96 Shady spot 116 Leading 52 “Oh, __ up!” 59 UtmostTommy) degree now” 1 Defense witness, 45 Measures of 97 Wimbledon surface 117 Nikon rival 60 Aligned 106 Peak Olympuswader resistance 54 Othello’s betrayer often 99near Everglades 118 Nikon products 53 Connect 56 Williams with five 62 Labors mightily to 110 Aussie hopper 46 Liberty org. 55 Bulgarian, e.g. 2 Basic 100 Like Machu Picchu 119 skateboard Novelist Émile Wimbledon singles accomplish 111 Vid taker trick 47 Hurdle for a DA-to56 Endow with, as 101 Listed, to a Brit 120 Baking gloves titles be 63 Groverauthority + (Alton + 112 Sashimi choice 3 Many Seanan 102 Antibacterial brand 121 aPt. of IMF 57 Whirlpool Helen 113 Ecol. geol.of Kind, in Köln McGuire work 49 Pain relief brand 58 Gurley) Autonomous 103orKind 50 Donated vacuum 105 Texter’s “Bye for DOWN 52 “Oh, __ up!” 59 Utmost degree now” 1 Defense witness, 53 Connect 60 Aligned 106 Peak near Olympus often 56 Williams with five 62 Labors mightily to 110 Aussie hopper 2 Basic skateboard Wimbledon singles 111 Vid taker accomplish trick titles 63 Grover + (Alton + 112 Sashimi choice 3 Many a Seanan 57 Whirlpool Helen Gurley) 113 Ecol. or geol. McGuire work

Edited by Patti Varol THREE'S COMPANY by RICH KATZ

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle Edited by Patti Varol

Level

Sudoku By The Mepham Group

Level

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

11/19/25

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, please visit sudoku.org.uk

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Solution to Tuesday’s puzzle