The Commonwealth Times; April 16, 2018

How a nationally renowned band lost its spirit Requiem for The Peppas

Richmond’s new art gallery raises ‘important but difficult topics’

VP of Finance explains forthcoming tuition changes

NIA TARIQ Staff Writer

The Student Government Association and Board of Visitors’ student representatives answered questions about the proposed 6.4 percent tuition and fees increase Wednesday.

According to the VCU budget website, the budget redesign initiative began in 2014, the proposed budget is currently being observed in parallel to the current budget and full implementation of the new budget begins in the 2019-20 school year.

Karol Gray, vice president of finance and budget, facilitated the presentation. The following data was presented at the information session in a slideshow, courtesy of the VCU office of budget and resource analysis.

Decreased state funding and underfunded initiatives

CHELSEA JACKSON Capital News Service

SIONA PETEROUS Capital News Service

With an inaugural exhibit that challenges the city’s Confederate history

and racial divide, Virginia Commonwealth University will open its Institute for Contemporary Art next week, and it’s generating excitement not only in Richmond but also in national and international art communities.

The 41,000-square-feet Markel Center, where the ICA is housed, cost $41 million and sits at the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets – the city’s busiest intersection, with an estimated 60,000 cars passing by every day. The location

signifies the impact that officials hope the institution brings to Richmond. The city’s only standalone gallery of contemporary art, which will open to the public April 21, sits between VCU’s Monroe Park Campus and the historic

Jackson Ward community –a point that for decades was the divide between black Richmond and white Richmond in the one-time capital of the Confederacy. Joe Seipel, the interim director of the ICA, said the idea for the project has been

around for decades. Seipel and the ICA team say they have worked to ensure that everyone feels welcome to come enjoy the art gallery, a goal he hopes to accomplish by keeping admission free.

—continued on page 3

As of fiscal year 2017, state funding for VCU stands around 31 percent. Therefore, student tuition and fees make up for the other 69 percent of the university’s income. In fiscal year 2001, VCU received 62 percent of its revenue from the state, while only 32 percent came from tuition and fees. The decrease in state funding over this time period is because of the 2008 recession, when overall tax revenue became sparse.

Despite VCU having more instate students than other tier three Virginia colleges, which are defined as major public research universities, it is still one of the more expensive schools in Virginia in regard to tuition and fees.

—continued on page 2

The Institute for Contemporary Art cost $41 million with 41,000-square-feet and sits at the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets.

Both current and former Peppas say an overall loss of spirit and communal empathy have plagued the band over the last two years.

Administration official answers questions about proposed tuition hike at forum

—continued on page 2

VCU currently ranks No. 5 in the state for the most expensive education and general fees. The most costly school is the College of William & Mary, which is about $8,500 more expensive to attend per year.

“We compared ourselves in instruction, institutional support, academic support and student support,” Gray said. “VCU is underfunded in every category. I can tell you that the tier three schools are really prospering [because] they’re well funded.”

Some deferred initiatives due to lack of funds were improved academic advising, competitive adjunct faculty pay (and their subsequent recruitment and retention), increased instructional space and increased financial aid.

Gray said the university’s intentions are not to load excess price tags onto students, but the consequences of a lack of state funding ultimately will affect students’ pockets.

“Everything that this university has done in the past has been sensitive to putting the burden back on the student,” she said. “But, we have to start working toward where we’re going, and have reasonable increases to support the things that we deserve to have. We can’t stay mediocre.”

Increased tuition and fees and prioritized needs

Gray said the university will be proposing a 6.4 percent increase in tuition and mandatory fees for fiscal year 2019. This will result in a predicted $860 to $2,140 increase in a single undergraduate student’s expenses per year. Mandatory fees include the university technology, library, health services and student activity fees.

As for non-mandatory fees, typical housing units, dining rates and parking rates are expected to increase about 3 percent, 2 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Gray said regardless of how the state decides to allocate funds, she has to confirm the university’s 2019 budget with the Board in May.

“We don’t know what we’re getting from the state. For every percent that we raise tuition, it brings in $3 million of new money,” Gray said. “So, even if [the state] gave up $3 million … it will automatically have an impact on our tuition proposal. The problem I’m having is I have no clue what the state is doing.”

According to the presentation, among the “highest priority needs” the proposed increases will address are salary increases for university staff and faculty, strategic hires, adjunct pay increase, faculty promotions and undergraduate financial aid.

“Adjuncts are going to get the adjustment ASAP,” Gray said.

Destinee Moragne, SGA president and coordinator of Wednesday’s event, said this information is accessible, but that the administration needs to make a better effort to spread awareness about monetary

issues. She suggested having professors include tuition information in their syllabi.

“[We’re] making sure that we’re being as transparent as possible and we’re increasing our communication between us, the administration and the student body,” she

said. “We could work to almost put it in students’ faces so they couldn’t ignore it.”

Student organizes panel discussion on Virginia’s gerrymandering problem

LOGAN REARDON Contributing Writer

Virginia is one of the worst gerrymandered states in the country, according to OneVirginia2021, a coalition dedicated to fair, non-partisan redistricting. Gerrymandering is used by both Democrats and Republicans to increase their chance of re-election in their district.

More than 100 students and faculty attended an event on gerrymandering April 12, organized and moderated by Seth Middlecoop, a political science major.

The event sought to inform students on how gerrymandering works, what it is and why politicians do it, according to Middlecoop. He said gerrymandering is an important issue that limits the voices of voters.

“If you can’t really vote for who you want — if it’s drawn to always go to a Democrat or a Republican — it kind of limits your voice in that perspective,” Middlecoop said.

Panelists at the event included Del. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg), Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico), political science professor John Aughenbaugh and Brian Cannon, executive director of OneVirginia2021.

“Gerrymandering is often easy

to identify when looking at state district maps,” Cannon said.

“Most districts are carved out to the current elected official. Some of these lines are abstract art that should be in the ICA.”

Brian Cannon, Executive Director OneVirginia2021

The speakers agreed redistricting should be done by independent groups. Cannon said making redistricting decisions transparent will help minimize the possibility of gerrymandering.

“If we bring these shady, back-

door deals to light, less of these deals will be done,” Cannon said.

“If you’re not changing the legislators in the seats, you’re changing how those legislatures act.” Dunnavant said the problem may be solved with collaboration between legislators. However, she said many regions are so closely divided on certain issues that it is extremely difficult to represent those areas through equal redistricting.

“There is no perfect answer, or we would already be there,” Dunnavant said.

Attendee Malena Llanos said she now knows gerrymandering is something that happens on both sides of the aisle.

According to Middlecoop, the best way for students to make an impact on this issue comes down to one word.

“Activism,” Middlecoop said. “Write to your congressman and to the Virginia General Assembly, and help there to be legislation passed for the future.”

The next US census will take place in 2020. District maps around the country will be reevaluated and changed accordingly in 2021.

If we bring these shady backdoor deals to light, less of these deals will be done.”

If tuition increases by 6.4 percent, students can expect to pay $866 to $2,142 more next year.

Panelists included Del. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg), Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico), political science professor John Aughenbaugh and Brian Cannon of OneVirginia2021.

Institute for Contemporary Art to open this week with special exhibit

—continued from page 1

During a press preview Thursday, New York-based architect Steven Holl said he looked to Richmond’s deep and complicated history for inspiration and incorporated certain aspects to bridge a gap between the growing presence of VCU and the larger Richmond community. Holl’s firm, known for specializing in educational and cultural projects, was chosen from more than 60 that submitted proposals for the building.

“This may be one of my favorite buildings I’ve been working on because it makes an urban statement, because there is a relationship between the campus and the city, and it also is a statement on the concept of time,” Holl said.

The relationship among time, space and race relation was a strong influence on the ICA’s opening exhibit, “Declaration,” said the institute’s chief curator, Stephanie Smith. She conceived the idea with Lisa Freiman, Seipel’s predecessor.

“After the 2016 presidential elections, myself and Lisa Freiman decided to reshape the ICA’s inaugural exhibition given the climate of our country,” Smith said. “We were inspired to create a project that we would speak and give a platform to a diverse group of artists whose works reflect currents in contemporary arts but also catalyze change, convene people across the divide and to speak to important but often difficult topics that are relevant here as well as our nation more broadly.”

Freiman abruptly stepped down as the institute’s director in January after five years of overseeing the planning phases of the project. In a press release at the time, Freiman stated it was time for her to resume other projects she had put on hold. Despite her absence, Smith continued with the vision that created “Declaration.”

The exhibit includes projects from more than 30 artists, many of whom were commissioned by

the ICA and whose work speaks to social issues of the environment, gender inequality, race and sexuality. “Declaration” features a range of mixed media platforms – from audio and film to painting and graphic design.

Expanding on one of his previous exhibits, Paul Rucker, the

ICA’s artist in residence, created “Storm in The Time of Shelter” for the ICA. It features Ku Klux Klan robes in urban and contemporary fashions. The life-size figurines wear KKK robes made of colorful fabrics such as African prints and various shades of camouflage.

On the opposite end on the first

VCU professors join elite bioengineering institute

floor is a massive wall featuring a series of individual screen prints.

The piece is the work of Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. and was created with the collaboration of local barbershops and salons. Each print is a quote from a conversation overheard in the shops, capturing the role these spaces play in the city’s

black neighborhoods.

The diversity of “Declaration” reflects VCU President Michael Rao’s hope that the ICA will make the city an international destination.

“We hope to become through VCUs Institute of Contemporary Art a world-class cultural hub,”

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Rao said. He said the ICA will help “advance the arts and invoke human senses like they have never been invoked before.”

ANYA SCZERZENIE

Contributing Writer

Three professors were inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) at a formal ceremony on April 9.

Those chosen are recognized for their contributions in teaching, research and innovation in the field.

Dr. Gregory Buck of the VCU School of Medicine and Lukasz Kurgan and Frank Gupton of the School of Engineering, were accepted after a months-long application process, which starts with a nomination by one of the institute’s current fellows.

Buck was nominated for “contributions to advancement in the areas of genomics and bioinformatics” according to an AIMBE press release. His research focuses on the microbiome of bacteria within the human body.

“It’s a real honor,” Buck said.

“My second career would have been as an engineer. I’ve enjoyed collaborating with my engineering friends. VCU is trying to focus its engineering school more on issues within the human body.”

Gupton, chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Sciences Engineering, was nominated for developments in pharmaceutical processing, which are designed to make different medicines more

accessible around the world.

Kurgan was nominated for his work in structural bioinformatics, using computer programs to study the structures of proteins and DNA.

“You have to work for many years to develop the skills and expertise and credentials to be selected and voted on,” Kurgan said. “It’s something special that we will probably remember for the rest of our lives.”

The group is made up of the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers nationally. With these inductions, VCU has 12 total AIMBE Fellows.

The Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond’s only stand-alone gallery of contemporary art, will open Saturday after more than four years of construction.

Fellows at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering are chosen based on their contributions in teaching, research and innovation in the field.

Stat of the Week

Lacrosse junior Blaire Langeler was named the Virginia Lottery Student-Athlete of the Week after scoring four goals in two games.

Calamity in East Lansing

JESSICA WETZLER

Staff Writer

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Times Up movement and the Larry Nassar case that prompted 140 women to speak out against the U.S. Gymnastics doctor the past six months have been monumental in shaping the conversation surrounding sexual assault.

On April 9, a story published by the Detroit Free Press stated that three Michigan State University basketball players raped a female student in 2015.

The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan Southern Division, which described the female student as 18-year-old ‘Jane Doe.’ Three unnamed players took home ‘Jane Doe’ from an East Lansing bar between the evening of April 11, 2015 and early hours of April 12.

Jane Doe never reported the assault to the police but reported the incident to a counselor at MSU’s attention, like 20 percent of women ages 18 to 24 do according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. According to the lawsuit, MSU’s counseling center failed to properly advise Jane Doe and implied it would not be in her “best interest to report the incident to law enforcement,” as stated in the article.

“According to MSU’s policy on relationship violence and sexual misconduct, counselors generally are not permitted to report allegations of rape or relationship violence to the Title IX office or police,” Solari wrote in his article.

It is important to note that this is also the third allegation of multiple MSU basketball players raping a women since 2010, and only one of the incidents were reported to police.

When will acts of violence against women end?

Countless cases of sexual assault go unreported every day. But for those who do speak out against their assailants, it is practically impossible to get those actions accounted for due to the system in place for reporting these instances.

If a victim doesn’t report the incident within 24 hours, their chances of making a case are cut in half. Without a rape kit or DNA evidence, there is no evidential proof to make a case. The system rarely runs in favor of the victim.

When will “what were you wearing?” or “how much did you drink?” stop being the first question victims are asked? When will school officials step up for their students? When will the people be

more important than the reputation of an establishment?

In 2015, The Athletic Business published an article stating in 2012 Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston allegedly raped student Erica Kinsman after Kinsman believes her drink was spiked. “Kinsman and her father met with Tallahassee police about the incident, and were told, “This is a huge football town. You really should think long and hard if you want to press charges,” according to the documentary “The Hunting Ground.” No police action was taken over the next 10 months, as Kinsman not only received death threats, but was publicly ridiculed in the sports media, with some calling the allegations “terribly unfair” to Winston,” according to the article.

In 2015, Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner raped a female student and escaped a 14-year prison sentence after the judge gave him six months in confinement in a county jail.

In an article published by Lisa Wade from The Conversation, Wade argues status simply gives athletes sexual access. “Since their star status gives athletes plentiful opportunities to “hook up,” Wade writes, “athletes sometimes find themselves following a hookup script that bears a queasy resemblance to sexual assault.”

I think people are becoming numb to the idea that sexaul assault happens everywhere, all the time.

I give all the praise I have to the victims of sexual assault who have spoken out about their incident and to those who haven’t spoken out. It is never easy to admit those events happened, but I hope that one day those who speak up will have a fair chance at seeking justice.

Lacrosse extends win-streak with pair of nail biting victories over conference opposition

ZACH JOACHIM Sports Editor

Lacrosse won a pair of tight conference matchups last week over George Washington University and Davidson College to push its win-streak to four games and record to 6-8 on the year. The current streak is a high point for VCU’s young Lacrosse program in just its second year of Division 1 competition. The Black and Gold defeated the Colonials 13-12 Friday at home before pulling out a close 12-11 road win at the Wildcats of Davidson in overtime Sunday.

Davidson

After trailing 11-8 with just over 15 minutes of action remaining Sunday, VCU turned on the jets to force overtime and ultimately defeat Davidson in overtime.

Redshirt junior midfielder Sky Hyatt scored three unanswered goals in the waning moments of the match to force overtime.

A mere 39 seconds into the sudden-death overtime period, junior attack Molly Barcikowski scored the game winning goal. Sophomore midfielder Kerian McTavish

assisted Barcikowski. Sophomore attack Jessica Del Rossi scored two goals on a mere three shot attempts. Hyatt scored a season-high seven goals on 13 shot attempts. A 17-9 VCU advantage in draw controls dictated the tempo of the back-and-forth affair.

GW

Despite leading the entire contest, VCU held a slim 13-12 advantage over the Colonials Friday at Cary Street field as the match drew to a close. Freshman defender Carolina Glenn forced the gamewinning turnover, allowing her Rams to secure the victory.

Barcikowski scored a gamehigh four goals on six attempts. Del Rossi chipped in three goals on five attempts. Junior goalkeeper Ria Peralta saved seven shots in the cage for the Black and Gold.

Junior midfielder Blaire Langler converted two goals to follow up her Virginia Lottery Student Athlete of the Week honors.

Lacrosse will return to action Friday at home against La Salle University, as the Rams will look to continue their stellar run of A-10 play.

Junior midfielder Mary Hagopian has appeared in all 14 games this season.

PHOTO BY SHAYLA BAILEY

DAVIDSON

I think people are becoming numb to the idea that sexaul assault happens everywhere, all the time.

Jessica Wetzler Staff Writer

Death of The Peppas:

ZACH JOACHIM Sports Editor

In 2016, the Washington Post published an article titled “VCU pep band could be a lot less spicy next season after director steps down.” Nearly two years later, that prediction could not have been more spot on, according to current and former band members.

Interviews with three former and one current Peppa and two members of VCU Athletics administration illustrated an environment wrought with emotional turmoil and unresolved grievances.

“We are complete garbage,” said Nick Rivera, a senior and four-year Peppas member. “We are not even a shadow of what we used to be.”

Former director Ryan Kopacsi led The Peppas for 18 years before departing in the spring of 2016, after he and the university were unable to agree on a new contract. But both the band members and VCU Athletics say there is much more to the last two tumultuous years than the difference between Kopacsi and current director Duane Coston.

Assistant Athletic Director Vaughn Moss admitted the transition has been far from smooth, but insisted students and administration are on the same page.

“We had a very public and not so nice transition to the band director. We are proud to talk about how big and important the band is in the grand scheme of things,” Moss said. “When things are not going well, people are always trying to find something to blame it on. We all have the same goal — to provide a great atmosphere for our studentathletes and fans.”

According to Rivera and former Peppa members Jordan Davis, Samantha Silva and Will Anderson, this “atmosphere” has drastically changed over the last two years. Davis, Silva and Anderson have all quit or been “pushed out” of the band since Coston was hired. Despite multiple meetings with administrators, Davis said her complaints of a degrading atmosphere under Coston went largely by the wayside.

“Duane was trying to make us this standard band in a box, which is not what we are at all. That’s one of the reasons I left,” Davis said. “I didn’t come here to be a band in a box, I joined it because it’s outlandish and ridiculous. I wanted to be a Peppa, and everything being a Peppa meant. He stripped all that away. I understand things change, but it didn’t feel like Duane was trying to elevate the band.”

Rivera stressed that Coston’s energy levels are far from the only factor pulling the Peppas down.

Rather, an overall loss of spirit, community and collective empathy have resulted in a disingenuous atmosphere devoid of “pep,” he said. Silva and Anderson echoed Rivera’s depiction of a band that may have lost its longtime director but, more importantly, lost its highly touted spirit.

“A lot of us would love to have Ryan back, but at the beginning my problem was Duane just didn’t give the band his all,” Silva said.

“He would always try and trash Ryan’s old ways whenever we complained about anything he or athletics was doing. We tried to say it wasn’t about that, but he’d always bring it up.”

“It’s not about Duane, it’s about the passion, it’s about the feeling, it’s about the rush, it’s about the jumping, it’s about the screaming,” Anderson said. “It’s about actually caring until your face turns red with excitement — it’s about the sweating. It has nothing to do with the fact that Duane isn’t a good person — Ryan wasn’t a perfect person. But he cared. If Duane had cared about the band, I would have kept going, no matter what. But he didn’t care.”

pep amid administrative turmoil

Silva, Anderson, Rivera and Davis outlined a number of grievances concerning Coston and the band’s direction ranging from insensitive comments to inconsistent schedules, empty promises and unrealistic expectations. For example, all four cited a meeting in 2016 in which Coston referred to a former high school student who had publicly criticized his leadership as untrustworthy because “her mental health wasn’t always there, and she was a cutter, so the things that she said may have been exaggerated.”

“That was the immediate thing that made me lose all respect for him as a human being,” Rivera said.

Additionally, Silva, Anderson and Davis illustrated a collective effort by Coston and VCU Athletics to excommunicate them as a result of their voicing complaints about the band’s direction. All three former Peppas said they had holds placed on their accounts because they hadn’t turned jerseys in and were ostracized from band engagement.

“I didn’t really get a chance to leave or get kicked out. I couldn’t make it to most of the fall events because I had night classes. At the time, Duane seemed understanding,” Silva said. “Then the first men’s basketball game came around. I had to leave early, then never heard from the band again. I got taken off the email list. I tried contacting Duane in October, and heard nothing back from

him until May. All he said was I had to turn in my jersey.”

“I tried to only go to certain things, and Duane told me I’d literally have to go to everything if I wanted to go to men’s basketball games,” Anderson said “I’m a student, I’m not going to do that. I got to the point where I just said I guess I’m not in pep band anymore.”

“I was at the regular season home opener about seven minutes in — no one around me seemed to care what was going on in the game,” Davis said. “Duane didn’t seem to care, he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. I realized I wasn’t having fun anymore and I walked down the stairs, packed up my saxophone and never went back.”

Executive Associate Athletic Director Glenn Hoffman said the decision to hire Coston came af-

ter a deliberative process in which Coston stood out as the obvious choice to succeed Kopacsi. Hoffman said the athletics department made every effort to be receptive of student’s input over the course of an admittedly emotional transition.

“After looking at resumes it was a no-brainer for us to have Duane involved as our band director. Like any organization, especially after replacing someone who had done great things, there’s always going to be some growing pains with the transition,” Hoffman said.

“As an athletic department we are very pleased with how things have gone. The administration is in a really good place right now. From a sound standpoint — and that’s always open to interpretation and opinion — I can say our fans and our donors rarely, if ever,

complain about the band.”

Meanwhile, Rivera said he has remained a part of the band throughout the turmoil and mass exodus of fellow members in an effort to ensure younger students experience something resembling the same loving, compassionate, energetic environment he originally joined the Peppas to be a part of.

“My freshman and sophomore year were wild, it was so much fun — so much movement, so much energy. You had a band who could transfer energy to the crowd and team. Something has just changed,” Rivera said. “Everybody is not happy and screaming and having a genuinely good time … It’s a hostile environment. The band was not perfect back in the day, but the people we had actually gave a shit.”

Baseball falls to VMI, takes 2 of 3 from St. Bonaventure

NILE MCNAIR

Contributing Writer

Baseball went 2-2 last week, bringing its record to 23-13. VCU fell to Virginia Military Institute Wednesday 4-1 before claiming a pair of wins over conference rival Saint Bonaventure University and rounding out the week with a nail biting 3-2 loss Saturday in New York.

Saturday

After scoring 19 runs in two games Friday, the Black and Gold looked to continue their offensive success Saturday against the Bonnies, but were stymied by a dominant pitching performance and fell 3-2.

Bonaventure pitcher Casey Vincent was dominant in the third game of this weekend series. Vincent went seven innings deep and allowed just one earned run, striking out three VCU batters and only allowing four hits.

VCU looked to rally in the ninth inning. The Rams had runners on second and third with only one out, but were unable to capitalize and left three men on base in the final frame.

St. Bonaventure was able to pull out a 3-2 victory, despite the late scoring opportunity from the Black and Gold.

Friday (2)

In the second game of the Friday doubleheader, the Rams showed out offensively, defeating Bonaventure by a final of 8-2. After both sides pitched a shutout through three innings, VCU scored the first

two runs of the game in the top of the third inning.

With two runners on base following a hit by the pitch and walk, senior infielder Daane Berezo singled to left field to score both runners. Berezo collected three RBI on the day.

Sophomore starter Connor Gillispie continued his breakout season by pitching a scoreless six innings. Gillispie was credited with the win, improving his record on the year to 6-1.

The highest scoring output of

the game came in the top of the 6th inning. VCU scored four runs with a collective display of small-ball. Senior outfielder Haiden Lamb’s bunt-single drove in the fourth and final run of the inning. The Bonnies out-hit the Rams 13-7 on the day, but left 11 men on base as VCU pitching excelled with runners on.

Friday (1)

The Black and Gold traveled up to New York to play the Bon-

nies of St. Bonaventure in hopes of ending a two-game skid, and did just that with a series-opening 11-4 onslaught. The bonnies got the scoring started in the bottom of the first.

Ryan MacCarrick salvaged the inning by doubling with two outs. Brandon Henshaw followed him up with a single, driving in MacCarrick to give Bonaventure an early lead.

VCU got on the scoreboard in the third inning. Lamb and Berezo got the rally started with

back-to-back singles. Sophomore infielder Paul Witt played the role of clean up and drove both runners in with his double down the line right field line. The bonnies struck back in the fourth inning by scoring two runs of their own. MacCarrick and Mike Magnanti both hit RBI singles in the bottom of the fourth, giving St. Bonaventure a 3-2 lead heading into the fifth inning.

With the game tied 3-3 heading into the top of the eighth, VCU needed an offensive spark. They got

just that, scoring six runs in the top of the frame.

Two consecutive homers from freshman right fielder Liam Hibbits and junior shortstop Zac Ching highlighted the Rams eighth inning rally. Bonaventure never recovered, and the Rams took the series opener in dominant fashion.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday

VCU’s Wednesday evening tilt with VMI was a make up for a postponed game originally scheduled for March 21. VMI did all its scoring in the top of the fourth inning after the sides traded zeros through the first three frames.

VMI loaded the bases with two singles and a hit by the pitch with only one out in the inning. Nathan Eaton singled in Will Malbon and Collin Fleischer to give the Cadets an early lead. Matt Pita walked, then Jacob Jaye stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. Jaye singled in Eaton and Noah Cook to give VMI a commanding 4-0 advantage.

Witt drove in VCU’s only run with a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth — Lamb tagged up on third to manufacture the run, but it was too little too late for the Black and Gold.

Sophomore infielder Brett Willett’s double play groundout ended the late rally and gave VMI the victory.

Next up, VCU will travel to College Park, Maryland to take on the Terrapins of the University of Maryland Tuesday, April 17.

how a nationally recognized band lost its

Former director Ryan Kopacsi led The Peppas for 18 years before current director Duane Coston took over. SATURDAY

Junior infielder Zac Ching has 18 RBI and 17 runs scored this season. Ching has been a key on the left side of the VCU infield.

...it’s about the passion, it’s about the feeling, it’s about the rush, it’s about the jumping, it’s about the screaming.

Will Anderson Former Peppa

Tennis downs Patriots, Dukes; falls to Tribe, Hokies in week of tight interstate matchups

ADAM CHEEK

Contributing Writer

Mens and womens tennis won three of their five matches during the second week of April. The women’s team won over James Madison University and lost to the College of William & Mary. The men’s squad defeated George Mason University and William & Mary, but lost to Virginia Tech. The men’s record sits at 13-8, while the women’s team is 13-5.

Women v. W&M

The women dropped their Sunday match to an overwhelming William & Mary team, as the Tribe steamrolled to a 7-0 shutout victory. Freshman Paola Exposito Diaz Delgado and sophomore Noumea Witmus were tied in their doubles match, but William & Mary clinched the doubles points on the other two courts to nullify that result. Witmus won the second set in her singles match but fell in a tiebreaker as the Tribe swept VCU to shut out the Rams.

Women v. JMU

The Black and Gold added a victory to their record on Tuesday in Harrisonburg, as they shut out the Dukes in a dominating performance. Although the Dukes took home the victory in the first doubles match, the Rams negated that result by winning the remaining two doubles. Delgado and Witmus recorded their ninth win of the season. The first-time pairing of junior Anna Rasmussen and freshman Marina Alcaide Bakkari also was victorious in doubles, while freshman Sofia Sualehe, along with Alcaide Bakkari, each swept their respective opponents in singles. Witmus closed the deal for the Black and Gold with a shutout of her opponent in the final match, sweeping them to claim a victory after just two sets of play.

Men v. VT

Virginia Tech proved to be the mens kryptonite as the week came to an end, as the Hokies nearly

shut out the Black and Gold in Blacksburg. Junior Philip Mobius emerged with the sole victory for VCU, but junior Arvid Noren and freshman Inigo Torre Martin’s match went unfinished after Virginia Tech claimed victories on two other courts to secure those points. Tech swept a number of the matches they played against the Rams, with sophomore Ignacio Rivero Crespo winning the second set of his singles match but falling in the tiebreaker.

Men v. GMU

MEN v. GMU

The men’s squad shut out George Mason on Friday, winning 4-0 in short order. Noren and Torre Martin claimed a 6-1 doubles victory at No. 2 and junior Vitor Lima and sophomore Javier Amantegui paired up to take home a No. 1 doubles win by a score of 6-3 that all but secured the match for the Black and Gold, clinching the point. Lima swept his opponent in his singles match, winning 6-1 and 6-1 to end the match before it could reach a third and deciding round.

Crespo also won his fourth singles match in a row, and Amentegui clinched the day for the Rams with a two-set sweep of his opponent.

MEN v. W&M

Men v. W&M

William & Mary proved to be a bit of a tougher challenge for the Black and Gold, as the Rams tacked on four set wins to the Tribe’s one. Lima and Amantegui got the Rams off on the right foot with a 6-2 victory at No. 1 doubles, while Noren and Torre Martin clinched the doubles win for VCU. Amantegui, Torre Martin, and Noren all swept their singles matches, securing the overall victory for the Black and Gold.

Women’s tennis will next face the University of Richmond on Wednesday, while mens tennis has an upcoming match on Saturday against Washington and Lee University.

WOMEN v. W&M

WOMEN v. JMU

MEN v. VT

Women’s tennis was swept 7-0 at W&M Sunday.

Men’s tennis was defeated 6-1 Sunday in Blacksburgh at the hands of the Hokies.

Speaker delves into relationship between Lincoln and Jewish Americans

GEORGIA GEEN

Spectrum Editor

Abraham Lincoln’s life coincided directly and indirectly with the emergence of Jewish people in the United States, said scholar Jonathan Sarna at the 33rd annual Brown-Lyons Lecture on April 11 at Cabell Library.

The number of Jews in the United States increased from less than 3,000 around the time of Lincoln’s birth to more than 150,000 at the time of his assassination, 56 years later. With the rise in population came anti-Semitism, something Lincoln is seen to have resisted, said Sarna, whose book, “Lincoln and the Jews: A History,” examines this relationship.

Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University, said Lincoln’s predecessors were openly prejudiced against Jewish people and made Lincoln’s appointment of figures like Abraham Jonas to the position of postmaster all the more significant.

“That’s actually important,” Sarna said. “Because if you have a diverse social network, prejudice goes down.”

Lincoln established what Sarna called the “first case of affirmative action” in Jewish history when he acknowledged in a letter he had not yet appointed a Jew to a military position and in the same letter requested Cherie Levy be appointed Assistant Quarter Master with the rank of Captain, calling him a capable and faithful man.

Lincoln’s most significant Jewish appointee was Rabbi Jacob Frankel as the first Jewish chaplain in the U.S. Army. Before the Civil War, the necessary qualifications for a military chaplain were described as “regularly ordained ministers of some Christian denomination,” thus barring Frankel from the position.

Lincoln signed a bill changing the legal definition of “Christian” to mean broadly religious instead

of pertaining to the specific faith. Sarna said the amendment was buried in a bill giving raises to Union generals. He joked he was the first one to notice it.

“More than we realize, America at that moment was transformed because suddenly non-Christians of all sorts could serve in the military chaplaincy as they do today,” Sarna said.

Previously having used Christian terms in speeches, Lincoln changed his language to be more inclusive of other faiths, Sarna said. The use of the phrase “one nation under God” in the Gettysburg Address was meant to include Jews.

“Lincoln becomes much more sensitive,” Sarna said. “He apparently knew that Jewish soldiers fell side-by-side with Christian ones at the Battle of Gettysburg.”

When Gen. Ulysses Grant accused Jews of war profiteering — in this case, supporting black-market cotton trade — and expelled them from the U.S. Army, Lincoln revoked the order. Sarna said if Grant’s order had been upheld, the entirety of Jewish-American history would be different.

Lincoln’s efforts to promote religious equality parallel those to abolish slavery, Sarna said. At the time, he said, the persecution of Jews and Black people were linked in the popular mind.

“There are a couple of people who used [his support of Jews] against Lincoln,” Sarna said. “I would say that he suffered more from people who were angry toward his friendships with African Americans.”

Long-term, Sarna said Lincoln’s actions made a difference for Jewish people in the U.S., though discrimination in social and professional settings continued into the 20th century.

“I like to teach my students that American history is not just someone else’s history,” Sarna said. “They need to own that history as well.”

Dharma Bombs is breathing new life into Americana music

QUENTIN RICE Contributing Writer

The transition from thrash metal to bluegrass was easier for Richmond-based Dharma Bombs lead vocalist Trey Hall than one might imagine. According to Hall, the only difference between the two genres is a major and a minor key.

Hall played in a hardcore band with Dharma Bombs mandolin and five-string banjo player Chris Gatens before the group formed in 2013. After some lineup changes, they released two EPs in 2016. Produced by Crystal Pistol Records, the band, made up of five former and current VCU students and a James Madison University alum, released its debut album, “Old Time Romance” last year.

With a steady walking bass, swooning horns, reeds and a foottap-inducing swing back-up the opening track, it’s easy to hear regional inspiration in every section. The swanky clarinets and muted trumpets are straight from Bourbon Street, the banjos and mandolins picking bluegrass plucked from atop the Appalachian Mountains. Hall describes this sound as “Appalachian Dixieland,” a phrase he said he made up in an interview when asked to describe Dharma Bombs’ sound.

Hall described the band’s sound as “fusing that New Orleans street music with mountain street music.” Fitting, as he said the band started out by busking on the streets for anyone who would listen, playing with instrument cases open for do-

nations. This shaped their music into the “raucous, southern party sound” they play today.

From the band’s inception until late last year, they performed live regularly, as often as once a week and sometimes much more.

“We burned our candle at both

ends,” Hall said. “It was pretty tolling, because we were just nonstop for years on end and that can wear you down. At the time I was doing a lot of screaming, like rowdy bluegrass yelling, and I actually managed to tear my vocal cords.”

Due to Hall’s damaged vocal

cords, the band has been on a break since last December. They’ve used this time to write new material and prepare for upcoming shows later this month.

Hall says their new material will be pretty different. The addition of drummer Tekamp has allowed the

band to explore new sounds, Hall said.

“We’re just experimenting more rather than playing straightforward Dixie, because that was really fun, but we just want to experiment and push the boundaries a little more,” Hall said.

He says while the new material will sound like recognizable Dharma Bombs, it’s going to be a departure from their old sound.

“It’ll still sound like us,” Hall said. “It’ll still have the horns, the vocal harmonies, pushing the tempo, but it’ll be different.”

He cites musicians like Tyler Childers, Colter Wall and Margo Price as influences on their new sound, saying there will be more of a focus on twang and weird song structures, rather than big choruses with shouting and blaring horns.

While those elements will still be present, Hall says they’re focused on evolving their sound.

“Once you do it once, it’s not a novelty, so why make the same record twice,” Hall said.

Hall said the band hopes for a mid-2019 release after hitting the studio this winter.

“A lot of [the new songs] deal with what I’m going through with my voice and cleaning up, so I think some of the songs are a little heavier, both sonically and lyrically.”

Dharma Bombs will return to making live performances in Richmond on April 28 for the RVA (all day) Block Party featuring NoBS! Brass. Looking further ahead, they’ll play on the main stage at FloydFest in July, a gig Hall said the band is looking forward to since the band members have attended the festival since middle school and high school.

Later this year the band will play at Hoopla, a festival hosted by Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co.

Dharma Bombs lead singer Trey Hall’s damaged vocal chords led to a months-long break for the band.

PHOTO BY JOEY WHARTON

Food truck festival brings catering trend to VCU

GEORGIA GEEN Spectrum Editor

Food trucks are filling a geographical gap where brick-andmortar restaurants can’t meet demand, changing the way catering is done and serving food at events like the VCU Dining Services Food Truck Festival on April 10.

“In general, I think food trucks are a complement,” said manager of The Dog Wagon food truck, Roger Stout. “You always hear rumors about food trucks not being near restaurants, that they’ll take away business but I disagree because when we as food trucks go to an event, it would be the same as someone catering the event.”

Stout, whose food truck was one of six in attendance at the festival, said traditional catering is “more of a process,” requiring extensive setup. Food trucks on the other hand only have to drive to the location.

Richmond’s food trucks also serve what Stout describes as a “niche” population of brewery-goers via invitation from the business. This is what makes food trucks like The Dog Wagon different from food carts stationed around the city, Stout said.

“We don’t just go set up and hope that somebody will walk up to the truck,” Stout said. “We go to places where the restaurants aren’t. If you go to an industrial park or an office park, there are no restaurants.”

Parking restrictions faced by food trucks have forced the growing industry to be more creative and seek out private lots to sell their products, Stout said.

“What we pride ourselves in is trying to interact with the customers and get them involved,” Stout said. “It creates a more friendly

atmosphere. You’re having fun, they’re having fun, the food’s good. It’s a win-win.”

Dining Services Business Man-

ager Lauren Hay said the festival was a way to bring students and community members together, being that food trucks are an important part of a city environment.

“For us, we think of those first year students who come in and aren’t aware of things in an urban setting,” Hay said.

Sophomore kinetic imaging student Alexis Hilliard-Worth was exposed to food trucks for the first time at the festival. She and other students with dining plans obtained two free tickets to exchange for food from the vendors.

“I wasn’t aware that they’re a big thing around here, so I definitely want to go out and look for them now,” Hilliard-Worth said. She said she enjoyed being able to get a quick and “wholesome” meal from The Dog Wagon.

“I think it’s cool to bring everyone together because it’s such a nice day,” Hilliard-Worth said. “Finally, spring is here, winter is thawed and we’re just all coming together having a good time.”

Stout said when he started The Dog Wagon in 2012 there were fewer food trucks in the Richmond area. As a result, there were less trucks to meet a high demand.

“All of us were quite busy at that time. I had never done anything like this, I’m a white-collar worker so to do this was something completely out of my realm,” Stout said. “I think it’s going to be around for a while.”

SAMUEL GOODRICH

Staff Writer

Hollywood has recently revitalized the monster movie genre. While these films gained some prominence in the ‘90s by mixing giant creatures with disaster films, the past few years have seen these blockbusters return to the big screen.

With the likes of 2014’s “Godzilla,” “Pacific Rim” and “Kong: Skull Island” dominating the box office, there was bound to be an adaptation of the 1986 arcade game “Rampage,” in which players destroyed buildings and ward off the military as mutated monsters. That day has arrived, and while director Brad Peyton tries to bring some emotion and depth to the simplistic plot, it’s too inconsistent to make a worthwhile product.

“Rampage” starts strong by focusing on the friendship between Dwayne Johnson’s Davis Okoye and motion-captured albino gorilla George. Johnson sells the pair’s bond and camaraderie with his charisma alone. The film even does a good job at making George sympathetic, having him clearly express his fear and doubt after being infected by a pathogen.

Yet, once the larger plot is revealed and Davis and George are seperated, the film begins to suffer.

The main villains are the heads of a genetics company who performed DNA editing experiments secretly in space. The fruits of their labor crash-land on Earth, changing George, a wolf and a crocodile into gigantic, rage-fueled monsters.

The heads of the genetics company are insufferable, played so cartoonishly they seem to be part of a different film altogether. Malin Akerman is cold, callous and dull, while Jake Lacy is a bumbling idiot seemingly transplanted from an Adam Sandler comedy.

The humor in general is equally annoying, switching between one-liners and self-aware jabs. At other times, “Rampage” tries too hard to be serious, giving Dwayne Johnson’s sidekick, a geneticist, an overly tragic backstory that clashes with the b-movie tone the film inhabits the majority of the time.

The only character who brings

any energy to the dull middle portion is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Harvey Russell, whose southern drawl and comedic sayings prove to be a highlight. Yet, he also feels out of place, coming in during seemingly intense moments and breaking the drama with his caricaturish performance.

By the time “Rampage” reaches its finale, when the mutated creatures begin to destroy a city, the film finally rediscovers its footing and becomes a fun blockbuster. The action is put on a massive scale, with entire buildings crumpling and George eventually teaming up with Johnson to stop the other monsters from causing anymore damage.

While this may sound fun on paper, the result is oddly boring

and predictable. The finale could have been elevated if the film had spent more time with its strongest aspect: Davis’ and George’s friendship. There could have been some real stakes and intense moments, but we are instead left with another disaster movie full of implausible setpieces and cookie-cutter plots and characters.

“Rampage” feels like a lazy effort from Hollywood to cash in on video game adaptations and the recent surge in monster movies. What it misses is the opportunity to make the film more than its source material, leading to a film that has its moments of fun, but as a disjointed whole isn’t worth anyone’s time.

“Rampage” lives up to its title, for better or worse

SAM’S TAKE

Dining plan holders obtained two free tickets to exchange for food from the festival’s vendors.

PHOTO BY SHAYLA BAILEY

opinions

Quote of the week

“Should the focus shift to other demographcs, particularly Black women, who are often sidelined by this movemet?” — Arianna Coghill

Don’t bite the hand that protests for you

ARIANNA COGHILL

Contributing Columnist

On March 18, yet another Black man’s life was taken at the hands of police.

Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old father, was shot eight times, primarily in the back. Seven of those shots, according to medical examiner Dr. Bennet Omalu, had “fatal capacity.” According to Omalu, Clark “bled massively” from his wounds, had suffered from a collapsed lung, broken arm and shattered vertebrae. And yet again the lifeless body was found without a weapon and only an iPhone.

It’s a story we’ve unfortunately heard countless times before. An unarmed Black person is shot fatally by police and reduced from a human to a hashtag in mere minutes. Clark’s name was added to that ever growing list quickly after his death. Protests through the streets of Sacramento, California were held with people chanting “say his name” at the top of their lungs.

Then, Twitter user @Eatmorefruitz brought Stephon Clark’s tweets to attention. Clark’s account (@zoewoodz) exhibited a long trend of bashing and dehumanizing Black women.

“I don’t want nothin’ black but a Xbox,” Clark tweeted. “Dark bitch-

es bring dark days.”

This was only one of the multiple tweets that stated such sentiments.

Clark’s wife, an Asian woman, also has a history of both using the n-word and bashing Black women on her Twitter account, @_baelena.

This raised the question of whether or not Clark should be placed at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement. Should the focus shift to other demographics, particularly Black women, who are often sidelined in this movement? Talk of Black women removing themselves from the movement altogether arose shortly after the tweets surfaced. Why rally for men who don’t have the decency to re-

5 things to know about Sinclair Broadcast Group and that eerie video

KATIE BASHISTA

Opinions Editor

A video published by Deadspin earlier this month shows anchors from Sinclair Broadcast Group’s 193 TV stations reciting the exact same message in the exact same manner. As the nation’s biggest television company, this video has raised concern over propaganda and manipulation of the masses by the media. Here are some facts you should know about the situation and the company itself.

1. The man behind the viral video didn’t have any intention of it blowing up

Deadspin’s video director, Timothy Burke, posted the video March 31 which was the picked up by Allied Progress and went viral. In a Deadspin article, Burke says he got the idea to make this video after CNN announced this was going to happen. He says it fit his job description — making dumb videos. He says he thought of it as a “strange, spooky thing that happened” and made the video without any kind of angle as an activist. The chaos that ensued afterwards proved that not everyone saw it that way.

2. The message denounced fake news in a way that implied their competitors are fake news

The message itself isn’t inherently wrong. Fake news is bad and leads to an uninformed public and all journalists should strive for truth and accuracy. The way the message was delivered, however, implied that they’re the only media group that does it right. It seems their message was a way of assuring their viewers they tell nothing but the truth while others tend to sway one way over the other. This, coming from an openly conservative media outlet, is laughable.

3. Sinclair expects to buyout Tribune Media this year

When this deal closes, Sinclair will go from owning 193 stations to 220. The Wall Street Journal reported last week the Federal Communications Commission is holding off on closing the deal at the moment because Sinclair’s executive chairman, David Smith, wants to sell two of Tribune’s stations to third parties in order to comply with FCC laws limiting the number of stations a single company can control. However, the two third parties are people with close ties to Smith — one is his mother, Carolyn Smith and the other is Steven Fader, one of Smith’s business partners. This is a blatant attempt to curb the rules to maintain as much control as possible.

spect you?

As a Black woman, I agree that it was disheartening seeing those tweets. Growing up your entire life being called a “roach” or a “darkie” from men who have the exact same skin tone as you is infuriating. This sexism, often dubbed “misogynoir,” is deeply ingrained in the Black community.

Even back in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, sexism was incredibly prevalent. Civil rights leader Bernard Lee said Martin Luther King Jr. was sexist. “Martin … was absolutely a male chauvinist. He believed that the wife should stay home and take care of the babies while he’d be out

there in the streets,” Lee stated in a biography on King’s life.

But one also cannot deny that Black women were essential to the Civil Rights Movement. Women like Rosa Parks and Septima Clark were trailblazers who made monumental efforts to ensure that I, and people like me, could live in the world we do today.

Now we’re in a similar predicament. The Black Lives Matter hashtag was created by three Black women and has now grown into a nationwide movement that dragged the brutal reality of violence against the Black community to the cultural foreront. And the irony of a man who disrespected the same group

of women who are now rallying for justice over his corpse is astounding. Another take, specifically in an article by Essence, asked whether or not we must ask for all victims to be perfect in order to have support from the community. In my opinion, perfection is not the focus of the conversation. The conversation should be focused on calling out sexism committed specifically by Black men.

Stephon Clark did not deserve to die the way he did. No one does. As a Black woman, I will still say his name. But it’s time to start holding Black men accountable, because to win this battle, they need us too.

An ode to self care

SHAUN JACKSON Staff Columnist

4. Some conservative media outlets oppose the merger

According to The Washington Times, Newsmax, One America Network and the Blaze — made infamous by host Tomi Lahren — are openly opposed to the merger between Tribune Media and Sinclair Broadcasting Group in fear of monopoly power. Some of this fear may also be attributed to the idea of left-leaning media outlets attempting to do the same thing. If monopolies subtly become acceptable in an effort to widen the reach for conservative news outlets, the same thing could likely happen for liberal news outlets.

5.Ajit Pai was under investigation because of his connection with Sinclair Broadcast Group FCC chairman Ajit Pai was under investigation after he changed FCC rules to allow TV broadcasters to increase the number of stations they can own. Following that change, Sinclair announced a $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media. A New York Times investigation found Pai and his staff met with Sinclair executives several times. The merger is going to put Sinclair media outlets in 72 percent of homes in the U.S. There has been no update on the status of this investigation since February.

My ex says that he’s over me, truthfully I am over him, but whenever he sees me he is extremely resentful or rude toward me. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t indicate that you’re over me. Thoughts?

Well, obviously you know he’s not over you. I don’t know what your situation is, or what is putting you, or him, in a position that you’re constantly running into him, but I would try to curb that as much as possible. You already ended things with him so you no longer owe him an explanation for anything! He should consider himself lucky to still catch the glance of you, even if it is just for him to dole out the evil eye. I’m having trouble breaking up with my boyfriend. I really care about him but it’s just not working. I don’t feel enough to say I love him. I’ve never had to break up with someone before. What’s the best approach?

Look, it’s okay to feel bad. In fact, that’s a very good thing — it means you’re not a sociopath! And breaking up is never easy for any party involved. I will say though, try to end things in a civil and amicable manner. Just don’t waste any more of your time, or his. Wade your way through your anxiety and get this done so you both can move on and continue to grow.

My boyfriend cheated on me and has the nerve to now date the girl he cheated on me with. But somehow, I would still take him back if he asked. What is wrong with me?

I don’t think anything is wrong with you per se, but it does speak volumes to your level of self-respect. I get it. You care and you love him even though he’s committed this horrendous betrayal, but come on. He’s given you zero reasons to take him back. Take time to get to know you and maybe explore deep down inside yourself why you would let someone treat you like that and then take them back.

Don’t feel too pressed on this new girl though. Based on your ex’s patterns of behavior, it probably won’t last long at all.

How do you become hard to get?

Do you just have to be an amazing/cool person and or choosy about whom you date?

While I don’t necessarily agree with the notion of “playing hard to get” (I don’t think anyone actually does this outside of romantic comedies and television) I do believe that everyone should have some form of standards for who they date or chose to get intimate with, and not ridiculous things like they have to have an unreal amount money or anything superficial like that, but little things that can be indicative of red flags or something you’d want to avoid; for example how they treat wait staff at restaurants, or having a job or something like it that shows you they are at least capable of committing or being dedicated to something.

If you’d like to send Shaun a question you can submit them via email at Jacksonsk@commonwelathtimes.org or anonymously at Lascivious-Witch. Tumblr.Com/Ask

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