MASC 203 News Stories

Day in the life of VCU's organizations

2009-04-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

I Hope This Video Works..

2009-04-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NSvAx8HnPs

A Day in the Life of Trees

2009-04-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

Life of a Bus stop By: Kate Dolphin

2009-04-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

A Day In The Life Of RAIN by Elizabeth Sedova

2009-04-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

Profile of Megan-Lynn Browning

2009-03-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

by: Eliza Rhea Barry
03-19-09

For Megan-Lynn Browning, music is more than a passion; it’s a career goal and a driving force for her academic achievement.
“It’s a struggle everyday because getting my degree is actually my plan B,” says VCU sophomore Megan Browning.
Browning, a 19-year-old public relations major, is a singer who has already booked several jobs for her talent, including a summer gig in a Busch Gardens Irish band, the San Antonio World’s Fair and even a job offer in Dubai.
Because of recent hard economic times threatening careers in the arts, Browning is making sure to remain diligent in her studies while nurturing her passions for singing and writing. She arranges music for Busch Gardens in the off-season and work at a veterinary clinic to help pay for college.
She describes working at the clinic as “more sad than anything. When I’m doing rounds, the nurse is like, ‘This is lover boy the cat, who has a gunshot wound to the mouth.’ I actually never had a pet but I guess I have a newfound love for animals.”
Browning doesn’t plan on working in the veterinary clinic forever, rather she says she has an aptitude for public relations in case her singing career doesn’t pan out.
“I have a natural ability for customer service,” said Browning, “I love making people look good.”
In either case, Browning knows how she wants to spend her life. “I have to live near a body of water,” says the Hampton native.
Growing up in Hampton nursed more than a love for the beach in Browning. She cites Hampton’s diversity as part of the reason she was attracted to VCU.
“I could never survive in Northern Virginia,” she said, citing the stereotype that suburban northern Virginia is mainly comprised of white, upper-middle class families. However, racial issues in Hampton are still prevalent, but Browning believes progress is being made. She mentioned an example of a particularly offensive sign with a glaring racial slur finally being taken down in her hometown.
To add even more onto Browning’s plate, she was recently accepted into the Richmond Jazz Society.
“They are almost too cool,” she joked. “I walk in and they’re just like ‘Yeah I got my trumpet, hey!’”
Browning’s roommate and long time friend, Lauren Hudson, 19, describes her as “very outgoing, generous intelligent and definitely talented.” Hudson and Browning met in choir in 2003 and have been friends ever since, becoming roommates nearly a year ago.
“Megan will definitely pursue her singing career,” said Hudson, “but her next step right now is getting her degree. She really wants that mass communications degree to fall back on.”
Whether Browning becomes a superstar for her voice or her knack for public relations is uncertain, but for now she has her priorities in order. She hopes to graduate in 2011.

Profile of Stacey Bennett

2009-03-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

By: Micaela Calderon

Stacey Bennett is a 21-year -old senior at Virginia Commonwealth University and is she described as being,” smart, creative, opinionated, ambitious, and blunt,” by Bennett’s younger sister, Megan Bennett.

Bennett has lived in Richmond her entire life. She was even born in MCV. Bennett enrolled at VCU after graduating from high school in 2005. She stayed a VCU one semester, and then took the spring semester off. She then started at J. Sargeant Reynolds, where she stayed for a year and received her associate’s degree in social sciences. After finishing community college, she transferred into Longwood. Bennett decided to leave the school because she did not fit into the culture there. This is what brought her back to VCU.
Bennett is very interested in political groups and Longwood did not offer such activities. She believes that it has allowed her to grow. She now feels that she is more emotionally stable. She is also, “Happily single for over two years now,” which is how she described herself, and her reason for now being comfortable at VCU.
During the time of the interviewing, there was a riot at the VCU compass. She mentioned that she was very interested in freedom of speech. She admires the people who have the courage to voice their opinions.

“I think that nonviolent protest is what we need, because that is the way to affectively bring change,” she said. She later found out that the protest was about the prevention of AIDS. Bennett said she cares about campaign to cure AIDS.

The kinds of things that she has gotten involved in have been pro gun control issues, she was active during the Darfur issue, and her primary interest is a organization called, Campus Progress. Campus Progress is a group based in Washington, D.C. They do student publications, and the host student projects such as methods of going green. She writes articles and blogs on these issues that she is passionate about. Currently she is not active in any organizations at VCU because of the need to get readjusted.

Aside for being a student, she is working. Bennett currently works at Buffalo Wild Wings, which is located on Broad Street. She has been working as a server since she was 18. She enjoys her job and her co-workers a lot. The only down fall to working there has been the lack of tips she has not been receiving.

“I hate that people don’t tip, it’s the economy that is going down hill.” She said,” I have been there for four hours and people did not leave me tips.”

She is currently majoring in journalism, but is considering changing her major to political science, and getting a minor in media studies. The reason for changing majors is because of the way the journalism program is set up.

“I hate the way classes are set up. You have to take this before you can take that,” she said. Bennett, hopes to get a job where she could be in activism.

Amy Goodman, is a journalist/activist, who hosts a radio station for Campus Progress, the organization Bennett is involved with.

“I saw her speak at a conference in Washington,” she said, “What she does, is exactly what I want to do, except I want to do it through print media. She shares the news through her radio show.”

Megan Bennett said, “Stacey is very creative in her writing, she is very opinionated, and I can see her working as a journalist for some underground political publication.”

The quote that best describes Bennett is, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” by Gandhi. She applies this quote to herself and tries hard to remain active.

“Tolerance and equality are very important and I believe that those two elements are most important to live by and people could live peacefully by applying these two, and do not judge because it is not a part of being the change.”

Profile of Lauren Jewett

2009-03-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Sedova

Masc. 203:006

Draft #1

March 19, 2009

Article #3: Profile of Lauren Jewett

Lauren Jewett, 19, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a multi-colorful scarf is excited to talk about the most exciting day of her life. She flips her strawberry blonde hair and eagerly says that she has been engaged since July 15to her boyfriend of one year, Alan Moore, 21, who is in the military.

“My life is a soap opera. I live a wonderful, exciting life,” said Jewett. Between juggling her “crazy” roommate and driving back and forth to DC to see her fiancé every weekend, Jewett is planning a wedding.

Jewett and Moore will have a small paper signing ceremony at the courthouse, consisting of only their parents, on April first.

Jewett is a double major at Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in Public Relations and Psychology. She grew up in Gloucester and attended Gloucester High School. Jewett is following in her mother’s footsteps, who had also graduated from the same High School and married Jewett’s father when he was in the military. Jewett is the third generation in her family to follow this tradition.

Moore is in his second year of a six-year term, residing at Fort Myer in Va. He is a Private in the military, serving inactive duty. He recently talked about his engagement to Jewett.

Moore described the proposal, “[Jewett] works at Old Navy in the Midlothian area.

I went to a jewelry store and had them place a ring in a box with a note in the box saying ‘Will you marry me?’ then put the box back on display. When [Jewett] was on her lunch break I took her to the jewelry story and had her stumble upon the ring in the store.”

Jewett is going to wear a white dress with blue flowers. “I’m so excited I found this dress for only $300,” said Jewett, a bargain in the current economic crisis.

Jewett’s brother, 24, is also engaged. He has been engaged for five years.

2009-03-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Getting to know Lilly

Jennifer Terkeltaub

3-19-09

Article #3

Balancing modeling, and being a full time student at Virginia Commonwealth University is no problem for 19-year-old Lilly Hartmetz.

Lilly is a full time student majoring in fashion merchandising and print advertising.

Lilly is also an aspiring model while taking on the task of school; she models for the fashion department at VCU and has been in fashion shows for various designers.

She recently got to experience her passion first hand when she went to go see an LA fashion show over spring break. She went on this venture by herself and it turned out to be one of the best things she has done.

Lilly’s career goal is to work for a fashion magazine and be an editor.

Lilly has great morals and goals becauseof her loving family. She has a mom and dad that have been married for 22 years and are both music teachers, and a 21 year old brother who attends college at Virginia Tech.

Her favorite memory of her family is when they went to Maui, Hawaii in 1994. Her grandparents owned a condo there and they all got even closer on their family trip.

Lilly has also gained musical talent from her parents. She plays the sax and the clarinet. She likes the sax the most because she is better at playing it.

Lilly is also a talented singer. She considers singing a hobby and practices in her spare time.

Lilly has carried her talents onto college. She is a positive person that is seton achieving her goals.

Even with all that Lilly does she still has time for an exciting social life. In two short years she has made many friends who love and support her.

Lilly has twogirl roommates that she hangs out with all the time. Theylive in a house in Churchill.

Her boyfriend Gemeyel who she has been dating for over a year also stays at the house frequently and is one of her favorite people.

Lilly and he friends like to travel dance party, and run together. She findsrunning easy and relaxing because she used to be on her high school track team.

“Lilly is a very independent and loving person”, said her longtime friend Natalie.

Lilly has had an interesting life so far and is on her way to becoming a successful person with a lot more fulfilling experiences.

The Profile of Benjamin Taylor

2009-03-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Profile of Benjamin Taylor

By: Kate Dolphin

Meteorology just wasn’t enough for senior Benjamin Taylor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Taylor recently transferred here from North Carolina State University after changing his major from meteorology to broadcast journalism.

“Meteorology was just kind of boring,” Taylor said. Taylor, an adventurous and outdoorsy person discovered his lifelong interest with weather realized the subject just wasn’t what he thought it would be. So he came to Virginia Commonwealth university for a fresh start and so he could be closer to home.

You can find Taylor in the little free time he has playing golf, hunting, fishing or doing anything that involves the outdoors. Growing up Taylor played baseball and football. Some of his favorite memories involve baseball and his favorite team the Atlanta Braves.

Growing up Taylor lived in a small town of 64 called West Point in rural Virginia, between Richmond and Williamsburg. His town had one grocery store and two stoplights. When he was younger his family ventured out of their small town to Atlanta, GA, where Taylor could watch his favorite team in a weekend series against the Cardinals.

Taylor’s eyes light up when he talks about meeting many Hall of Famers’ and seeing the team the year they won the World Series in 1995.

Taylor believes he has a good start into his future broadcast career with his work experience in filming and editing. Since age 16, Ben has worked with Teleview, a video filming company, that films horse races at Colonial Downs.

When asked what he sees himself doing in 10 years Taylor replied, “I’m not one to look to the future I look at today and what I have to accomplish today.”

He would like to continue working with Teleview and have a job that allows him to travel, he is prepared for it he said. Taylor wants to travel because you never know where it might take you or who or what you might encounter.

Taylor is described by many including, Wes Cameron, his best friend and old roommate at UNC State, as a genuine, considerate, and easygoing guy. Cameron said his favorite trait about Taylor would have to be his sense of humor which kept him laughing the two years the two lived together.

When Taylor was asked to describe himself, he used many of the same adjectives that his best friend mentioned. Taylor went on talking about how he tries to better himself everyday and more times than not will help someone in need.

Taylor said that his father is his role model, and he hopes to develop the same work ethic as his dad. Taylor said, “He wants to become someone who is a leader and not just a follower and expand from his small town roots into something huge.” Taylor wants to make an impact and do big things in this world.

VCU student used to the spotlight

2009-03-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

RICHMOND – She spent her childhood and adolescence performing on stage. Now she’s working to earn her place in the spotlight once again.

Virginia Commonwealth University journalism student Kate Dolphin is utilizing her outgoing, energetic, goal-oriented personality to propel herself into a career as a broadcast anchor.

“Anything I’ve wanted to do, I’ve done it,” Dolphin said.

Dolphin hopes to become an anchor for E! Entertainment Television. Her lifelong experience in the performing arts suits her career aspirations.

As a young child, Dolphin participated in beauty pageants.

“Anything girlie you can think of…that was me,” Dolphin said.

During her teenage years, her focus was in theater and dance. She earned lead roles in several school performances at Stonebridge High School in Ashburn, Va., and was honored by the International Thespian Society for her effort on stage.

In addition to her performing arts activities, Dolphin served as lead anchor for her high school news program, sparking her interest in broadcast journalism. But it was her acting that led her to VCU.

“I came here [VCU] for acting camp in high school and loved it,” Dolphin said.

Dolphin is now into her sophomore year at VCU. Along with remaining diligent on her course work, she is active in the Epsilon Sigma chapter of the Tri-Sigma sorority., where she serves as education director, recruitment director and Pan-Hellenic representative for the chapter.

Fellow Tri-Sigma sister Frankie Ilog considers Dolphin a valuable member of their organization.

“Her personality just shines,” Ilog said. “Her leadership skills help us in our day to day meetings and community service activities.”

Whether it’s on stage, on camera, on campus or in the community, Dolphin’s bubbly, yet determined personality leaves little doubt that audiences will soon find this young reporter in the spotlight yet again. This time it could be on the red carpet, chatting with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

A portrait of Liz Sedova

2009-03-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

By: Lauren Jewett

Like a lot of American college students Liz Sedova spent her recent spring break with her boyfriend in Miami. Sedova, however, is not your typical American college student because technically she is not yet an American.

Sedova was born in Russia and lived there until the age of 8 then she moved to Canada. She has dual citizenship in these two countries, but what she really wants is to be a U.S. citizen.

Sedova’s father moved to Virginia while she was high school, and she decided to give the States a chance. A few years were all it took to convince Sedova that the U.S. was what she most enjoyed. Her interest is American politics not Canada. She is excited about finally getting to vote in the U.S. once she becomes a citizen.

Don’t think that is the only thing on her to-do-list. Once she becomes a citizen Sedova wants to apply to every reality television show there is. In her opinion, American reality shows are much better than Canada’s.

Sedova returned to Canada for a short while after she graduated high school to attend college but soon returned to the United States.

“I love Virginia.” Sedova said. “I like how American it is.” Virginia is to Sedova what the movies portray America as. She explained that Virginia has the “stereotypical” American tendencies, with kids hanging out at the malls after school and even grocery stores later at night.

Sedova is at VCU studying public relations. She chose the university not only for its “good” mass communications program, but also because most of your graduating class is attending there as well. She chose her major because she loves the fast-paced environment, working under pressure and meeting new people. It seems to be a job she really wants. Her boyfriend, Chris Paez, surely thinks so.

“I think Liz is passionate about a lot of things… like getting a job after college that she'll like in public relations,” Paez said.

From what Paez believes, Sedova will go far in her career.

“She is most likely to start an international firm or company in business, banking, who knows.”

He thinks motivated is one word to describe Liz.

“She is never going to just take what life gives her, she wants more and doesn't let the words "can't" "no" or "never" get into her mind,” Chris said.

On top of being motivated and passionate, Sedova has a good personality.

“She really lights things up all the time,” Paez said. Sedova is certainly on her way to achieving her goals and who knows maybe she will turn up on you television someday.

Battling Eating Disorders: A True Story

2009-03-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

By Marle van Dessel

RICHMOND, Va. -- After years of battling eating disorders, Kathleen MacDonald has finally found peace with her body. She tells her story to encourage young people to be strong and avoid the same fate.

MacDonald told her story on Thursday, Feb. 19 at VCU in the Harris Hall Auditorium.
Her eating started when she was barely a teenager and ended more than a decade later. It was, she says, an “obsession for the perfect body”.

About 100 audience members heard MacDonald speak on “A Survivor Speaks out, The Truth About Eating Disorders and Body Image.” Her appearance was organized by SEED – Students for the Elimination of Eating Disorders and The Wellness Resource Center. The event was part of the Body Awareness Week at VCU.

“I didn’t realize how much of a problem it was,” VCU student Margey Tobey said. “But this is a great way to get the word out about eating disorders.”

When MacDonald was 12 year old she skipped her first meal because she was ashamed of the fact she was heavier than her older sister, even though she was taller.

When she was 28, MacDonald called her mom to tell her she kept her lunch down for the first time in 16 years.

Those 16 years were a waste, she said. A waste of money, education and life.
Just like many others, it wasn’t MacDonald’s plan to become anorexic and later bulimic. What started as a plan to lose a little bit of weight spun out of control and became an obsession.

That obsession to being stick thin came to an end on Friday Feb. 13 2002. What for most people is a day full of bad luck, was for MacDonald a life saver.

That day she told herself to “leave here and respect your body.” And she did. She made herself stop thinking the negative thoughts she had been thinking for so long. And if the voice in her head would come back, she would tell it to “go to hell.”

It worked.

The obsession for being thin became an obsession for “becoming a body loving freak” she said. But the body loving freak would make her happy.

The moment MacDonald knew she could be happy again was on a sunny day on the highway, when she realized she could finally see the clear blue sky after all those years of struggling and depression. She stopped the car and “wept” for a long time.
Her message made the audience emotional.

When it was time for audience members to speak up, some people had to wipe away their tears.

Matt Wetsel, former VCU student and president of the SEED said that had been ashamed of his eating disorder for a long time because he thought he “shouldn’t be anorexic.” He did not fit in the prototype picture of anorexic men.

Another audience member to spread a message was Jenny, a student at VCU recovering from anorexia. She is happy to look back to what she had been through. “We all have these monsters inside us,” she said. But she said it all made her become the person she is today.

Others offered advice for helping friends with eating disorders. “Just give them your love,” said a student whose friend is struggling with an eating disorder.
Kathleen MacDonald couldn’t do more but agree with that. She said the best thing to do is to show them you want to help.

Because everyone deserves to see the blue sky and enjoy life like herself. Kathleen made it clear once again. “Your body is beautiful because it’s alive,” she remided her audience.

###

(this is the revised version)

2009-03-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 26

By Pierce Sharpe

Richmond, Va – This Thursday VCU students got a taste of religious fanaticism as a man, tastefully dressed and very knowledgeable of the bible preached to them about their sinful ways, this suede-clad gentleman, known as most by Saint Moses or Brother Moses was outside of the Shafer dining area. “He has been saying things like having premarital sex will make you go to hell” says Kate Carrol a VCU student and one of the many protesting his presence.

Brother Moses was too wrapped up in his speech to comment, but his general message was consistent, smoking cigarettes drinking premarital sex, all of these things will send you to hell. The arguments between VCU students and Brother Moses continued for some time escalating into near violence. At one point students exhumed Matthew 7:15 from the bible and used it against Brother Moses stating "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are savage wolves.”

Ben Childs another student at VCU spoke to me after engaging in heated dialogue with Brother Moses, “It’s really shameful, very hard-line and not representative of the faith…a reasonable discussion is fine but this is not a good way to spend a nice day.”

Just when everything seemed to be returning to normal, the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity showed up and began to shake down Brother Moses in what was a promotion for an event they held that Friday in the commons. The team of steppers certainly stole the show; Brother Moses was notably upset that they stole his spotlight. It is a possibility that Brother Moses is actually part of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity; however, no hard-line evidence of this exists.

The whole event was rather engaging, I had a chance to speak with Bobbi of the VCU grounds department who seemed to be the only official there to regulate any sort of violence should it have been taken to such extremes. “We have people that come up here several times a year and sometimes its extreme…it’s all about safety, no matter what.” The police generally do not stick around very long when people like Brother Moses show up, and it often falls into the hands of VCU staff to ensure every one stays safe.

Taking Learning Out of the Classroom

2009-02-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

by Patrice Lynch

Imagine going to a foreign country, living there for weeks or months even. Everyday having the chance to experience new cuisine, languages, sites and meeting new people; not to mention paying an unbelievable price and getting college credit. Well these are the opportunities students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) get with their study abroad program.

Every Monday and Thursday at 12:30 pm in Franklin Street Gym, students at VCU who are interested in studying abroad can go to information sessions, in which they learn about all the various places they can go to and earn college credit. Majors ranging from mass communications, to languages, arts etc have the opportunity to go to China, Mexico, France, Qatar and many more places. “Explore your options and educational opportunities” said Education Abroad Director Stephanie Davenport.

At the information sessions students seemed to be very interested in the topics and exploring all the places they could go. Davenport gave examples of different places that students could go and the possible things they can do. Whether it is kayaking, rock climbing, going into thousand year old caves; she let the students understand that studying abroad was not just about getting credit toward a degree but gaining life experience. “Ok how much does it cost” said a female Spanish major student. As the crowd laughed they all also had very intriguing looks on their faces as to what Davenport was going to say. She began to talk about the different options they had. She explained that students can for different lengths of time like; for spring break, a summer and even a semester or academic year. Students seemed to be relieved when she told them that they could go to other countries for a semester and pay the same amount their paying now and that financial aid and scholarships were available.

She talked about how being well traveled is excellent when going on job interviews. Davenport also went into different scenarios of possible job situations in which studying abroad can help. Whether you’re in your career going to dinners with clients, or trying build new buildings having traveled makes you a well rounded person she explained. She explained the importance of being personable and relatable.

Davenport seemed to relate with the students on many levels talking to them about her personal experiences of going abroad. What it taught her and how she was also able to start networking. She also spoke about what great times and memories she shares with her friends from her experiences. A lot of the students were shocked when they found out that their friends from other colleges could study with them in Non-VCU abroad programs and they could still earn credit. She also explained they could go with their favorite faculty members and even country natives.

“Wow, I didn’t know we could do all that” said many students as the information session let out. Seeing the looks on the students’ faces and hearing the comments they were making, one could tell the information session did its job by doing just that, informing.

THINK PINK Topples Over JMU for No. 1 Spot

2009-02-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

THINK PINK VCU
Originally uploaded by AnahitaSarshar

By Anahita Sarshar

Sunday, Feb. 15, 2008 - The Lady Rams woke up Sunday morning preparing to fight two opponents that day - breast cancer and James Madison University.

The Lady Rams throttled JMU 81-48 and took first place in the CAA as well as the second highest attendance record to a women’s basketball game at the Stuart C. Siegel Center with 2,257.

It was “the Golden game. We were both tied for first place and we picked a lucky game because it was real important to have people there for breast cancer as well supporting our game," said Darren Guensch, director of basketball operations.

The day was dedicated to Dr. Chinwe M. Agugua, assistant coach Amaka’s mother who died in October due to breast cancer. She battled four different types of cancer and still managed to go to work every day up until two months before her death.

Dr. Agugua was “a true mentor and our superwoman,” said graduate assistant Ashley Bolton, who works closely with the team.

It was much more than a typical game with JMU as both teams were tied for the No. 1 CAA standings.

Most women's games have extremely low attendance and need the support of the community.

Eric Maynor, star of the Men's Basketball team said, "They're #1 .. if you’re a fan then you should be coming out, not just to the men’s games but also to the girl’s games."

In a day labeled "Think Pink," the Lady Rams donned pink attire throughout the whole day. Everything from their pink warm-up t-shirts with their to pink socks and shoelaces, the team spotlighted this deadly disease that claims thousands of female lives every year.

Joined by VCU students and the Richmond community who also wore pink shirts, pink ties, and a countless other pink articles of clothing, the Lady Rams raised approximately $1,000 through a range of fundraisers.

Many fans who made a donation to the cause were given a complimentary pink bracelets and t-shirts with the pink ribbon that is a widely used symbol for breast cancer awareness.

During halftime, a representative gave a powerful speech from the VCU Massey Cancer Center honoring all those who have been lost to the disease as well as those battling the excruciating fight to survive.

The audience was encouraged to get involved with the VCU and the community’s goal to raise breast cancer awareness.

Two important battles were fought and won on February 15, 2008 at Stuart C. Siegel Center.

###

Council at odds with CAR

2009-02-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

By Chris Davis

More than 30 residents of the Church Hill district lined up to voice their opposition to the Oakwood Heights development.

RICHMOND- The Richmond City Council met yesterday to consider, among other items, the Commission of Architectural Review’s denial of a proposed 33-unit condominium development in Church Hill.

After arguments by the commission, the developers, and worried citizens, the council reversed the decision of the commission unanimously (barring Councilwoman Reva Trammell’s abstention), allowing Fulton Hill Properties to begin development on Oakwood Heights.

The property, which lies between 3618-3626 E. Broad St. and 3609-3611 E. Marshall St., is located in the Church Hill Historic District, sparking controversy over the project’s perceived misalignment with the City Code of Ordinances. The code lays out requirements for new development in old and historic districts, giving this the appearance of a cut-and-dry case of compatible or incompatible design; however, as secretary of CAR Jim Hill noted in his presentation to the council, the commission is authorized to adopt additional guidelines to further restrict development.

“This denial is an attempt to strip away…my property rights,” said Margaret Freund, founder of Fulton Hill Properties, in her address to the council. Freund’s argument stressed the development’s compliance with the code, which, as another representative for Fulton Hill said, supersedes the non-binding guidelines.

To prevent the meeting from dragging on for hours of deliberations, City Council President Kathy Graziano suggested a suspension of the rules, giving each side of the debate 15 minutes to argue for or against the project. After a quick affirming vote and the developers’ arguments, upwards of 35 residents lined up to express their dislike of the project.

The opposition primarily cited references in the adopted guidelines to issues of massing in the surrounding neighborhood. Massing refers to the number of units available for occupation in a development. This 33-unit behemoth, which one resident said “cannot overcome the issue of massing,” is not compatible with the single-family homes and duplexes common to the area, according to the commission’s ruling.

Even though the complex is compatible with the district regulations, noted Church Hill Association President John Johnson, it does not fit with the existing architecture on the street. “Just because you have the right,” he asked the council, “does that mean you should?”

Despite the opposition’s turnout, their 15 minutes expired with almost 30 residents still in line to speak.

Following deliberations in which the council members clarified the codes for the district, the council sided with Freund, valuing district standards under law over the additional community guidelines.

This decision marked the end of a three-year conflict between Freund and the city to obtain permission to develop the condos.

The council also voted last night to approve a conservation and open space easement on the James River, which ensures the city’s ownership and management of the river and parks system indefinitely, which Graziano said “guarantees this park will always be a natural area.”

Council members sympathized with the 10-year struggle by environmentalists, such as Amber Foster. Speaking at the meeting, she said the easement was necessary to “preserve the natural character” of the river. The ordinance received unanimous support from the council members.

2009-02-24T00:27:00.001-08:00

By Laura Cease

Richmond, VA- This Friday the General Assembly met to end the busy week with the hasty passing of 86 House Bills within 45 minutes of the convening of the session. There was much procedural squabble, which could’ve been partially due to the three day recess ahead or the large amounts of Chinese food being served for lunch.

The General Assembly isn’t always known for this rapid paced effort. Many days it’s a back and forth battle between the two sides. The game is all about following the rules and who knows them best usually wins. Fredrick Knuckle of The Washington Post said the process is very “long term” and it “takes a few years to build momentum.”
One feature of the day was the discussion of bill HB2523. There was an amendment proposed to add on to the previous bill which dealt with the authority the ABC board has over suspending or revoking a liquor license. The following circumstances would give the board the power to suspend a licensee: 1) Failing to take reasonable measures to prevent the committing of criminal violations 2) frequent infractions of the law which lead to frequent arrests that are deemed a continuing threat to public safety.

From journalist’s point of view the job on reporting is to “prioritize” what’s most important to readers, says James Nolan from The Times Dispatch. He goes on to say that there is a limited amount of time and space available and the legislation that affects everyone needs to be most prominent. Knuckle follows with how the “media is a crucial part of getting the message across.” But there are also lots of frivolous bills that are debated to just clog the flow of progress. Nolan recalls one bill with a bizarre “component of silliness” that dealt with prohibiting people from hanging bull testicles from the hitch of their vehicles.

Something that isn’t a joke is the way representation is spread through the Senate. While looking down from the mezzanine you can quickly see the under representation of women present. Senator Yvonne B. Miller of Norfolk says women make up “30% of the General Assembly and 51% of the population.” She hopes in the future more women will pursue this job. We “must overcome the deficit of the General Assembly.”

An Opportunity Abroad

2009-02-23T20:37:00.001-08:00

By Lydia Teffera

VCU offers students a chance to study abroad in different countries all over the world, but many students aren't taking advantage of the opportunity.

There are posters all over campus, information sessions and advisers willing and ready to inform students about a chance of a lifetime. But while VCU has 32,000 students, about 500 go abroad each year.

VCU's Study Abroad office in the Franklin Street Gym, holds information sessions every Monday and Thursday at 12:30 p.m. to educate students on the different programs and institutions. The International Student Exchange Program is just one of the many programs VCU has partnered with and has gained popularity among students.

ISEP offers a direct tuition exchange for VCU students. It takes the students' current tuition and applies it to wherever the student chooses to go. This program helps bring a bit of ease to students, who are mainly concerned with tuition rates,dining plans and other costs. By attending these sessions students are able to find a feel for which program may be more suitable for them.

Monica Kim, a sophomore at VCU has been on the Study Abroad Website. But she found that by attending the sessions, she was able to learn more about transfer credits and certain programs that were more reasonable for her. She hopes to attend school in Guatemala or Mexico.

"I thought all the information given was good," Kim said. "But I’m still worried about the cost of tuition for some of these programs, but this was overall really helpful."

While it seems that the sessions are packed, and people are at times even turned away, there are still students everywhere who seems to ignore this opportunity.

Stephanie Davenport, director of education abroad, ran the information session on Monday. While she handed out papers concerning the different programs she explained to the group the ins and outs of all their options.

Davenport a former VCU student had the opportunity of going to Scotland her junior year. She shared how that experience brought her to where she is today. She was excited at how great the turnout has been lately but still brought up a great point.

"With a university this size, we should have a greater outcome of students going abroad," Davenport said.

Whether it is the concern of costs, or the question of transferred credits, students are encouraged to embark on the academic adventure of studying abroad.

Andy Temple, a graduate student in the Department of Sociology, decided to attend an information session after reading a sign while walking by the Study Abroad office on Monday. Because he is a grad student, it may be a bit more difficult to go abroad, but he was happy with the information he recieved during the session, and is looking forward to finding out more about studying in South America.

2009-02-23T20:37:00.000-08:00

Concerns a Top Priority For Those Attending Study Abroad Session

2009-02-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

By Sara Craun

RICHMOND, Va. – On Monday February 23, the VCU Office of International Education held one of its weekly study abroad general information sessions, open to all of those enrolled on the VCU campus. The session is designed to show students their available study abroad options as well as to discuss their concerns about studying overseas.

Seven VCU students attended the information session on Monday. Stephanie Davenport, the director of Education Abroad on campus, discussed the different options for studying abroad during the session, while also touching on the concerns and expectations of the students.

“I think students are recognizing more and more that it’s an absolutely essential thing to do when you’re in college,” said Davenport. “Students are realizing that it’s a valuable skill and thing to have on your resume.”

According to Davenport, about 500 VCU students travel abroad each year. Many of these students are choosing to study abroad during the summer. The most popular destinations are Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and Guatemala.

Davenport herself studied abroad while an undergraduate at VCU. She went to Scotland for a semester and considered the experience “life changing.”

Although few attended the information session, Davenport said the turnout for the weekly sessions has been going well and there has even been overflow on occasion. But when asked why the number of actual participants is so low in comparison to the number enrolled at VCU, Davenport cited the culture at VCU and the students misperceptions about studying abroad.

“A lot of the students I believe think that it’s too expensive, that it’s prohibitively expensive, so that they don’t even consider it,” said Davenport.

She also attributes the lack of participants to the fact that students may not know people who have studied abroad and that may be keeping people from applying.

Wren Blackwell, a junior at VCU, is looking to study abroad this summer and came to the meeting because she had a couple questions about the programs that are offered.

“I want to go somewhere and to get an international perspective on things and explore something else outside my major,” said Blackwell.

A big concern for Blackwell is the cost of the program. Davenport said money is the main reason why students are hesitant about leaving the country to study somewhere else.

Andy Temple, a second year graduate student at VCU, attended the meeting, but has a different concern than most. Because he is in graduate school, he has found that it may be more difficult for him to study abroad and that his credits might not transfer.

“Being in grad school, it seems a little bit more difficult or tricky to make that happen,” said Temple.

According to Davenport, once students actually make the leap to study abroad, they are often concerned with having their credits transfer back, safety issues, and making good connections with people while overseas. The parents concerns are in line with the students concerns.

Davenport touched on the study abroad deadlines for applications, GPA requirements, and length of study abroad programs. The information can also be found on the Office of International Education’s website, www.vcu.edu/oie

Any student who is interested in studying abroad or who has questions about studying overseas is encouraged to attend a Study Abroad general information session, held every Monday at 12:30 pm in the Franklin Street Gym building, room 122.

Building a Safe Zone

2009-02-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

By: Rashaad L. Perez

RICHMOND, VA- “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

That is a quote from former President John F. Kennedy, also found on the Web Site for Virginia Commonwealth’s Safe Zone. Safe Zone is a part of the University Counseling Services at VCU.

Dr. Jan Altman spoke briefly to the media on Monday afternoon before a workshop, which took place at Richmond Salon I at the University Student Commons. She gave an overview of what can be expected during the gathering.

The Safe Zone workshop is for faculty and staff at VCU, and it’s meant to help raise awareness on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues.

“We find that people who go to the workshop are really helped by understanding what the issues are, and what students are dealing with, what sort of limitations they encounter, like prejudice and discrimination and they can then better meet the needs of the students” said Altman.
She did not want the media to record what goes on during the workshop because she wanted to keep the names of the professors confidential until the end of the workshop, she did say that the workshop includes, “awareness raising exercises, building skills and talk about different scenarios that students may have.”

Upon completion of the workshop a faculty or staff member will receive a VCU Safe Zone sticker, which entails that:

They attended a 2-hour Safe Zone workshop
Will be supportive, trustworthy and sensitive to the needs and concerns of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people
Will address homophobic/heterosexist comments and/or actions within this office or room in an educations and non-threatening manner
And will serve as a support and resource person.

The sticker itself is modeled from the pink triangle, which was a symbol used during World War II by the Nazis, to label gay men who were sent to concentration camps to be exterminated as part of Hitler’s “Final Solution.”

Since the 1970s the LGBT community embraced the pink triangle as a symbol of pride and solidarity. It is also a reminder of oppression and persecution that happened in the past and continues to happen in the present.

The sticker’s purpose is to let a student know that that the faculty or staff member can serve as an ally, whether or not the faculty/staffer themselves is LGBT, so that they can still understand where the student is coming from. The sticker is to be placed visible so that the student in question can readily identify the Safe Zoner.

Additional information about the Safe Zone can be retrieved by going on the University Counseling Services Web page, or you call or email Jan Altman at 804-828-6200 or jhaltman@vcu.edu.

Student's Guide For Studying Aboard

2009-02-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

By: Micaela Calderon

Travel is an experience of new and unfamiliar cultures, a voyage into new adventures, a taste of new cuisines, and it is also something that not everyone gets to experience. Being able to study abroad while in college may gives some people the chance to charter into new territories.

During an informational meeting that was held on Monday, February 23, 2009 in the Franklin Street Gym in room 112 that was sponsored by the Academic Affairs, students who were interested in traveling outside of the country were given the chance to talk to Stephanie Davenport the Director of Education Abroad.

Stephanie was a Virginia Commonwealth University student, and had the experience of traveling to ScotlandLatin America.
when she was enrolled here, and she now advises students in traveling and mainly counsels those interested in going to

The informational meeting proved a detailed description of what students need in order to apply for the different programs, and all that they should expect when going aboard. For students who are interested in traveling aboard, they should be aware of the fact that there are four types of programs to choose from; VCU Faculty-Led Summer Study Aboard, International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), Department Specific Exchanges, and Non-VCU Study Aboard. Within those four, there are also subdivisions for options. For further depreciation the information can be found on www.vcu.edu/oie and aboard@vcu.edu.

About 500 students go abroad during the summer. Most deadlines are in mid March.

The costs of the trips are divided into three categories, program fee, airfare, and tuition. Tuition rates are different for in state students and out of state students. If students are using financial aid, then they must be enrolled in at least 6 course credits.

Mass Communication and Nursing are the two schools that are harder to find course credits for studying abroad. That is not to say that students with those majors can not go abroad.

“There are some programs that are not so good for everyone, like our fashion program in Guatemala, because you have to be able to know how to sew and be a fashion design major, but everything else, is pretty much open to everyone,” explained Davenport. Students just have to do more research to find something that can give them the transfer credits they are seeking.

The students present at the informational were there for a verity of reasons. One student, Heather Cohu a junior at VCU had already had the chance to travel to Scotland with VCU last summer, “Studying in Scotland was a great experience, I earned 9 credits in 4-5 weeks…After having that experience, I would love to go to France ISEP is a network of schools, it is a non profit organization that is based in Washington DC, and VCU pays for membership to belong to the network. ISEP connects students to different schools that are all around the world, and students apply to go for a semester, or a year, and there are a few summer programs to choose from. This also tends to be less expensive because they are based in international tuition.
and participate in ISEP program for a semester.”

One message that Davenport wished to convey was, “There is the misperception of these programs being easy, and they are definitely not easy, you are definitely going to have to work for it, they are not vacations even though they are during the summer”.

Students are encouraged to go to the office in Franklin Gym in room 112 for further information. These meeting are held on Mondays and Tuesday s at 12:30pm. After attending these meetings students should meet with their advisers to discuss the best options, and applying early in the semester is also encouraged.

2009-02-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

Richmond’s “Rich” African-American Heritage

OMSA’S Black history poster by Steven Walker/The Sounds Of Black History/Oil

Historian/Activist Beth Marschak after interview

By Shadae Lee

RICHMOND, Va. -- On Saturday February 21, OMSA’s Interim Assistant Director announced plans of a African –American heritage bus tour at VCU.

The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs will be offering a historic Black history tour to the VCU community in the near future. OMSA’s Interim Assistant Director, Faith Wilkerson announced to the crowd Saturday evening that the plan event will be reschedule for a later date.

Once the tour is rescheduled it will visit historic landmarks in Richmond, Va. “The tour will take attendees through Richmond’s older neighborhoods like Jackson Ward and Church Hill,”

Wilkerson said.

“ Many people, including myself do not quite know the full extent of this city’s contributions to the African American struggle and many achievements,” said Wilkerson

Ireti Adesanya , a freshmen at VCU hopes the tour will inform her of the “city’s achievements.”

Before leaving the student commons I spoke with Beth Marschak , the event tour guide. Beth Marschak a historian/activist who was born in Virginia during the segregation era. Told me what attendees of this event will expect.

The attendees will visit such historic landmarks like the Bill “Bo Jangles” Robinson statue, the Maggie Walker museum, the site of Gabriel’s rebellion and the state capital a new addition added to the tour.

“The tour will be stopping at the state capital. To view the civil rights memorial that was added last summer.” “The tour will also view the marker of the Freedman’s Bureau,” Marschak said.

Ms. Marchak also stated how the tour will stop at the reconciliation statue on 15th and East Main St. “The reconciliation statue in Richmond is one of three. The other two being in Liverpool England and the Republic of Benin,” Marchak said.

The statues recognize the importance of the slave trade in history. It also recognizes how Virginia was one of the first colonies to have slaves and how “Richmond itself served as a location for many slave auctions throughout the 1800,” Faith Wilkerson said.

One of the biggest sites that will be visited is the Negro “ burial ground”, Marchak said. The Negro burial ground will be a big attraction, primarily because it is now a VCU parking lot located on 16th and Broad St.

Richmond was a big slave market and also a big resale market. The resale market sold enslaved African-Americans further down south once the importation of slaves from England was abolished.

“Once importation of slaves from England was banned. Richmond began to sale enslaved Blacks further down south ,” Marchak said. Also mentioned how the resale market sold slaves down the James River further south. “This act was the inspiration behind the song Sold down the river ,” Marchak said.

OMSA also wants to shine light on the city’s many achievements in Black History. “On a positive note Richmond is the birthplace of such prominent leaders like former Governor Douglas L. Wilder..” “Jackson Ward at one point was considered the Harlem of the South,” said Wilkerson.

It is Ms.Wilkerson’s hope that the attendees of this event will be able “to take in the very important history of Richmond.” Ms. Wilkerson ended our interview by saying the primary expectation of this event is that the “attendees walk away with a sense of knowledge they can share with others”.

For information on African American history reschedule date please visit
http://www.omsa.vcu.edu/

###

The Circus Comes to Town

2009-02-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

Written by Mashalla Mukadam

RICHMOND, Va. – Glowing circus toys shined through the darkness of the Richmond Coliseum Saturday night as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s circus arrived.

The audience chanted the magic words “Zing Zang Zoom” as performers flew out of cannons, tigers disappeared and zebras did tricks we thought only dogs knew how to do.

“Clap your hands, stomp your feet and scream,” shouted the “Zingmaster”Alex. Ten seconds later, four acrobats swung through the air attached to a long piece of cloth, at times holding on only by a neck or a knee.

Throughout each performance an evil ringmaster named “Gravity” tried to take over and convince the crowd that the death defying acts could not be done. Still the performers did backward flips on swinging objects moving fast, high in the air. Intense music played through the aroma of buttered popcorn as people hung from the ceiling by their feet and a brave man with only a whip stood surrounded by twelve tigers.

“The tiger show was the best, but I definitely wouldn’t be caught in that cage,” said Jeremiah Thate, an audience member.

In past decades, the circus was known for displaying uncommon looking people or ‘freaks’, but has changed to a whirl wind of fun, encouraging entertainment instead of cruelty, according to the Ringling Bros website. Having gone through many allegations concerning the animals’ safety in the circus, Ringling Bros. and Barney & Bailey established a Center for Elephant Conservation in 1995 for researching the endangered Asian elephant.

Although known for its history of entertainment with animals, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus was the first to display an automobile, the electric light bulb and motion pictures to its audience. Every tour is redesigned with a different theme to keep customers coming. Not only exciting you with death defying acts, the circus has musicians, magicians and contortionists.

Maria Dierdorf, brought both her kids to the circus.

“It was a new twist on a family favorite. When the two guys stood on top of the rotating circles, I couldn’t even watch.”

Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey created three different tours, “Zing Zang Zoom”, “Over the Top” and “Boom a Ring”, each touring different parts of the U.S.

There were just a couple of empty seats at the Coliseum, but for the ones who were there; you could tell it was a well spent ticket. After seeing the effort and practice put in by the skilled entertainers, you don’t realize how bad you need a night off, until the curtains close.

4th Annual Chinafest

2009-02-23T00:16:00.000-08:00

By Joshua Barnhill

The 4th annual Chinafest featuring feature films to lectures had a record turnout this past weekend. The annual festival had several events at locations throughout the city to help promote and educate the Chinese culture.

The festival promotes Chinese culture through a variety of events. Feature films, interactive arts and crafts and academic lectures, all from the worlds most populated nation.

“China being the oldest living civilization has a lot of wisdom to offer,” said Rose Nan–Ping Chen founder of the Rose group, sponsor’s of the even.

Cynthia Wong a VCU exchange student from China welcomed Chinafest saying, “If Americans need to cooperate with Chinese people. It would help better understanding our culture. At least it can help people to respect each other.”

The Rose group, whose goal is to foster better understanding and goodwill between the United States and China.

Eric Blackstock, VCU student, attended the event to help familiarize him with the culture since he will be studying abroad in China in the future.

“I really think it's great that there's an interest out there to have events like these. Even if I weren't planning on studying abroad, I'd probably come anyway,” Eric said.

Next year being the 5 anniversary, the Rose group plans to expand the festival to activates that involve local high school and college student who are currently studying the Chinese language to provide more of a platform for mutual learning.

After a Long Week, State Senate Adjourns for the Weekend

2009-02-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

By Matt Birch

RICHMOND, Va-

An eventful week in the General Assembly finally drew to a close Friday as the House and Senate both adjourned for the weekend. The three-day hiatus couldn’t come soon enough, as the tedious sessions that occurred earlier in the week appeared to take a toll on Capitol Square.

The long week and the effect it had on politicians was especially apparent in the Senate Chamber. During their Friday session, both Republicans and Democrats appeared more interested in the plates of Chinese food that was being served, than the agenda at hand. Echoes of “Thank god it’s Friday” could be heard throughout the chamber, as politicians reluctantly found their seats and prepared for the session to convene.

Lt. Governor William T. Bolling attempted to take a more positive approach to the meeting, and opened with enthusiastic demeanor. The Reverend Chris Musick began the session with a prayer, and a “warm welcome to the Senate” was extended to students from Salem High School in attendance. The meeting commenced following these events.

The highlight of the day was the discussion behind HB2523, which pertained to the power that the ABC board is given surrounding suspending or revoking a liquor license. An amendment was proposed to add on to the previous bill. This addition would give the board the power to suspend a licensee under the following circumstances: if licensed premises were used for persons to commit criminal violations of the law or were deemed a continuing threat to the public safety.

All of the bills that were discussed beforehand were passed by virtually unanimous margins, and the mood in the Senate Chamber was quite dull. This particular bill, though, prompted a debate between Sen. Petersen, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax. Sen. Cuccinelli insisted that this was a strictly private issue, and should not be dealt with by the government. “Instead of property owner B, we have government owner B," he said, in explaining why he felt the bill was a bad idea.

After both senators argued their points, a voice vote was performed, but the result was not definitive. Lt. Governor Bolling ruled in favor of the “Ayes”, but it was requested that an electronic vote be performed to ensure accuracy. The vote was 21:17 in favor of the ayes, and Bolling, as he cracked a sarcastic smile, remarked “Ayes 21, Noes 17, and that’s exactly how I heard it.” The retort was followed by a barrage of short-lived laughter from the audience, and helped to momentarily lighten the mood.

After HB2523 was passed by a slim margin, the chess match between the Republicans and Democrats picked up. Nineteen bills were passed on, and only one bill, HB 2074, passed with a unanimous margin. One of the bills passed on was the controversial HB 2358 bill, which redefined the “triggerman rule”. To help ease the obvious tension between both sides that was created by each party constantly passing on each other’s bills, State Senate Majority Leader, Dick Saslaw, called for a 25-minute recess at 12:25 PM.

After the Senate re-convened, more of the same occurred. Senators appeared disinterested, more bills were passed on, and it was apparent that neither side was going to collectively agree with the other. After fifteen minutes of passing on bills, Sen. Colgan, D-Prince William, motioned for the session to adjourn at 1:05 PM, and the Senate retired for the weekend.

Friday capped off a long, eventful week of laboring over many different bills. Most Senators seemed more then happy for their upcoming three-day sabbatical. It was clear that the back and forth debating really took a toll on Senators. While the main discussion points were important topics such as the smoking ban in restaurants and bars, the Box Turtle’s bid to become Virginia’s official state reptile, and the budget proposals for the current year. The hours of laboring tediously over various bills throughout the week had a draining effect on politicians, as many Senators were nowhere to be found even minutes after the meeting was adjourned.

One of the few Senators that conversed with reporters, was Sen. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, who was able to capture the convivial atmosphere that surrounded the Senate that day. When asked about his thoughts of the day’s proceedings, he responded with “Don’t go into journalism, and don’t be a politician.”

Daughters of the American Revolution, Crickett Hill Chapter, presents Good Citizen Award

2009-02-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

Walters, Creekmore, and Denby

by Josh Price

NORTH, Va -- The Cricket Hill Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented its annual Good Citizen Award to Mathews High School senior Morgan Elizabeth Creekmore on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Kingston Parish House, Mathews, Va.

The DAR recognizes and rewards high school seniors who possess good citizenship qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. The award is given on a merit basis including completion of a questionnaire, essay, scholastic record, and a letter of recommendation.

Creekmore, a member of the Beta Club, the National Honor Society, president of her school’s science club and the student representative for the Mathews County Wetlands Board, read from her essay entitled “American Heritage” which stressed personal responsibility, action and vision.

The ceremony was hosted by DAR members Mary Walters and Theresa Denby who said Creekmore was chosen for being recommended as a “good citizen” in the community in addition to her accomplishments and essay.

Creekmore has also participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life which offers everyone in the community and opportunity to contribute in the fight against cancer. Teams take turns walking or running around a track or path. The relays can be an overnight event.

Creekmore was also involved in the Library Summer Youth Program. “Mathews Memorial Library has the best program in the state,” she said.

The award includes a $35 grant towards educational expenses. Creekmore plans to study elementary or middle school education at Christopher Newport University in Newport News.

VCU's Tammy McKeown Educates Students on Domestic Violence

2009-02-22T18:44:00.001-08:00

By: Courtney Smith

RICHMOND, Va.-VCU's Coordinator of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Tammy McKeown lectured a small group of men and women on the causes and effects of domestic violence and how to deal with it, Tuesday evening.

As a VCU womens studies professor, Tammy McKeown also has many other programs. She takes part in the Clotheslines Project to educate students about sexual assault. She also takes part in S.A.V.E.S. (Sexual Assault and dating Violence Education by Students). She works at the Wellness Resource Center on campus.

She took time out to lecture interested students on the topic of domestic violence in the forum “Help….I Need Out,” in the Student Commons. McKeown, passionate about her topic encouraged students to speak their mind. “Come on everyone if you are feeling something don’t be afraid to say it.”

She continually expressed her passion of helping young women and men of the university. “We even offer help on the weekend.”

She stressed the the negative consequences of domestic violence, how the audience members can help others, and described traits of a negative relationship.

She started by showing a YouTube video with examples of domestic violence.

“I can’t believe he punched her,” said a girl in the audience, as she watched a young man physically abuse his girlfriend.

McKeown noted that domestic violence is not limited to physical abuse.

“I bet you didn’t know that domestic violence included verbal abuse. People are in abusive relationships today and don’t even realize it.”

She asked the audience if they have experienced or witnessed any acts of domestic violence.

“I’ve seen someone go through physical abuse,” said Ciera, a sophomore student at VCU. “I want her to get help, but I don’t want to lose our friendship.”

Mckeown offered advice about how to get help for those in abusive relationships.

“Call one of our resources, they are more than welcomed to help,” she said.

At the conclusion, of the forum, Kayla, a junior, who attended. She praised Mrs. Tammy McKeown.

“She really reached out to me. I didn’t even realize I was in a relationship of domestic violence.” She described her relationship as “abusive verbally”. “I would have never known until Mrs. Mckeown just informed me. I’m shocked.”

###

Road to Recovery

2009-02-22T12:25:00.001-08:00

All eyes in the audience shifted from the screen’s caption -"happy with my body then - happy with my body now"-to Kathleen MacDonald. MacDonald spoke in Harris Hall auditorium last night to young men and women about eating disorders and the affect they can have on life.

MacDonald opened with a 10 minute slide show of 11 women who had died from bulimia or anorexia. The 12 slide was of herself. She survived bulimia and now works with the Eating Disorders Coalition.
"I became extremely aware of my body," MacDonald said as she started the story of her battle against bulimia. Her eating disorder started when she was 12. MacDonald said her mother always emphasized that staying thin during puberty was important.

In her 20s, MacDonald realized her eating disorder was "not a phase you grow out of." MacDonald said she turned to sad thoughts and suicide because she thought she might never beat the disease.

MacDonald blamed magazines for part of the reason society perceives beauty as being thin. Disorders are partially "due to our cultures obsession with the perfect body." Magazines contribute to that obsession. Magazines make it seem healthy to be "model-like thin," which is not realistic.

Changing the way you perceive your own body is the biggest step in recovery.

"I’m the only one who can change it," MacDonald said about the perception of her body. She realized the urgency to redirect her thinking. It took her two years to replace the "negative thoughts" she had about herself.

"When I’d hear that negative voice in my head I’d tell it to ‘go to hell,’ … then I’d buy my ice cream," MacDonald said trying to lighten the mood.

The book "Body Wars," by Dr. Margo Maine, is one highly recommended by MacDonald. "Why does the body represent so much to women and why do they feel the need to find a new one," MacDonald quoted from the book. "Body Wars" was credited as one of the biggest tools that helped MacDonald recover.

Members of the audience were encouraged to stand up and share their feelings or stories after MacDonald concluded her story. Five people chose to share.

One girl simply encouraged people to keep being supportive of others they knew battling an eating disorder. She had been fighting her eating disorder for 10 years and last year helped her friend begin the fight against her eating disorder.

A young man in the back of the auditorium stood up. He told the audience the girl he loved had an eating disorder but he felt he could do nothing to help her.

"All I can do is giver her my love and be there for her when she needs to talk," he said. Many people in the audience started to cry as he continued talking about the girl.

After the young man sat down, MacDonald stood up again. She spoke directly to the young man. "All you can do is give her your love. You’re doing a good job. Go home and call her. Tell her you were here, you talked to us, and you need her to get help," MacDonald said. She then repeated this statement to the entire audience.

MacDonald had said that she knew she had finally recovered when she noticed the color of the sky for the first time in years. The audience applauded loudly as she said "I hope each of you leave here tonight and find your blue sky."

People stayed behind to ask MacDonald questions about the prevention of eating disorders, the process of recovery, and who to contact at VCU for help. She gladly answered each question and thanked each person individually for attending.

http://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/

VCU to Create Awareness for Research for Communities

2009-02-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

By Emily Geiger

The epidemiology department at VCU's Medical Center wants to create awareness of the racisim that affects Community Based Participatory Reseach (CBPR). CBPR is the everyone in the community not just one single race,gender, or religion. On Friday, there was a discussion at the MCV Alumni House to promote CBPR. An audience of about 40 listened to three experts in the field.

Lisa S. Anderson is director of Educational Programs in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health.

“We wanted to bring these three doctors together because they all have something to give to promote awareness” said Anderson.

The three experts that took part included Dr. Cornelia Ramsey, PhD, MSPH, Community Research Liaison for VCU,Dr. Eugenia Eng, PhD, MSPH, is a professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and Dr. Michael Royster, director of the state Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy.

Dr. Ramsey says Community Based Participatory Research has great potential in the United States.

“Even though the U.S is a leader in biomedical research there is a gap between this research and practice and ultimately poor health outcomes.”

One student in the audience, Melissa Meade, said she understood the doctors message to be that the United States has so many different cultures that it should matter what the type of skin they have is they are still humans. The cultures that are in different studies are something in the back of doctor’s minds that could ultimately harm research opportunities.

Dr. Eng talked about a 2006 study she did looking at black women with breast cancer die more often than white women with the same disease. The study showed more black women stopped their treatment.

The research was to done to determine if treatment of the women has different because of their race.

“Racism is a system issue. Behaviors are shaped in this system,” Eng said.

“If we want to dismantle racism, then we must be about building a movement for social and economic justice and change,” she added.

Dr. Royster discussed the issues that have plagued Virginia’s minority communities.

Student Melissa Meade said the presentation made he rwant to learn more.“Knowing about this makes me want to know about more opportunities the other ways the community can help with the research.”

Not Your Ordinary Sports Team

2009-02-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

By Schuyler Davis

Richmond, VA -- The air was charged with the electricity of parliamentary procedure Friday morning as onlookers caught a glimpse of the Virginia Senate at work.

The gallery of the senate was filled with groups of students, families and other curious spectators as the Senate launched into rapid voting of house bills. To some it may have seemed like a mad dash to the finish line as 86 House Bills were passed within 45 minutes of the start. And in more ways than one, this floor session can be compared to many team sporting events.

As the senators entered into the realm of the regular calendar, the sportsman-like tactics became even more evident. Fredrick Kunkle of The Washington Post said “it is a lot like sports” except that senators use “parliamentary maneuvers” to achieve their goals.

At one point during the session, just as they are about to begin discussion on a House Bill that would expand the death penalty, Senior Senator Richard Saslaw of Fairfax County, moved for a brief recess so that the senators could go into caucus. This move can be likened to a football team calling a time out to strategize what their next move will be to win the game.

Kunkle goes on to explain the important role that parliamentary procedure plays in keeping the peace at floor sessions. “These are real serious controversies that people might, in another setting, get into fist fights about.” Kunkle cites the moment in history when Representative Preston Brooks took a cane to Senator Charles Sumner over a disagreement about slavery.

Jim Nolan of The Richmond Times-Dispatch called the workings of the General Assembly “a micro-chasm of life.” He continues to describe the senate as “the interplay of relationships building over time in an effort to get what they want. And that is almost invariably the stuff that goes into compromise. It is rarely what everyone wants.”

It can be especially hard to appease everyone when not all groups are represented appropriately. Senator Yvonne B. Miller of Norfolk explained that women were underrepresented in the General Assembly, much like in the world of other professional sports. She explained that women made up “30% of the General Assembly and 51% of the population” and that it is a deficit that must be “overcome.”

While it is true that the General Assembly can be compared to a professional sports team, there is one vast difference that separates the two: unlike a major sports team, when the stands are empty, the senate keeps playing.

Award-winning journalist visits VCU

2009-02-22T00:42:00.000-08:00

Reginald Stuart shares his knowledge with VCU's SPJ student chapter

Article and photo by Ben Taylor

RICHMOND -- In 1968, the Nashville Tennessean hired a talented young reporter fresh out of Tennessee State University.

Nineteen-year-old Reginald Stuart took the position ran with it, building the foundation of an exceptional career; a career that has spanned more than four decades, impacted countless lives, and changed the profession forever.

Thursday evening, Stuart spoke to the VCU student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists at the T. Edward Temple Building, sharing his expertise, experience, and opinions with the group of knowledge-hungry scholars.

“You have to have a positive state of mind to get through any single day’s challenges,” Stuart said of his success.” If you go negative on yourself…you stop short of what you can do.”

Stuart touched on many topics during his nearly two-hour presentation, including the need for continued diversity in the newsroom, a topic of particular importance to Stuart.

Stuart was the 2005 recipient of the Ida B. Wells Award, presented by the National Association of Black Journalists to an individual who has contributed positively to the promotion of diversity in the media.

“Mix it up, get some new voices,” Stuart said about diversity, “Give everybody a voice.”

In order to cover the current issues effectively, Stuart said, “you need a news staff that understands what those issues are.”

Stuart used Nan Robertson’s work on Toxic Shock Syndrome as an example of why newsroom diversity is so critical.

“No man would have ever gotten that story,” Stuart said emphatically, “It took a woman…to get that story and get it right and ring it home.”

Stuart was quick to point out that diversity is not only about different types of individuals, but also about diversifying one’s own skills and experiences. He encouraged the students to be flexible and open to every opportunity.

Stuart emphasized the need be effective communicators in multiple languages.

“In the 21 century, diversity is about diversity of languages,” Stuart said.

During his discussion, Stuart spoke on another topic of importance to journalists: the right to free press protected by the First Amendment.

“Democracies do not function in the absence of a vibrant free press,“ he said.

Stuart told the students about the SPJ’s Legal Defense Fund, a resource to journalists encountering legal issues pertaining to free press.

“There’s no reason in the United States of America…that we should be jailing journalists,” Stuart said, referring to a South Carolina reporter once jailed for criminal libel.

Richmond Free Press Editor/Publisher Ray Boone, also in attendance, took the opportunity to stress the importance of understanding the First Amendment.

Boone asked the students while shaking his head, “Fred Douglass, did he have any kind of degree? But he did know something about the First Amendment…and he made a big splash.”

Before finishing his talk, Stuart offered some vital words to the group. He told the students to “carpe diem -- seize the day.”

“One person with courage can make a difference. Each of you within you has courage,” Stuart said.

George Copeland, a freshman Mass Communication student, said that there was one thing in particular that he took from Stuart’s presentation.

“Try to consider all possible sides. There’s always different sides to everything,” Copeland said.

Reginald Stuart currently works as a corporate recruiter for McClatchy Co. He is also a former president of the SPJ.

Stuart is the author of “Kemba’s Nightmare,” the story of a Richmond woman who, according to The Washington Post, was convicted in 1995 of conspiracy to traffic cocaine for her abusive boyfriend.

Stuart’s series of articles in Emerge magazine was credited by many of his peers with influencing former President Clinton’s decision to commute Kemba’s sentence in 2000.

Battling Eating Disorders, A True Story

2009-02-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

By Marle van Dessel

After years of battling eating disorders, Kathleen MacDonald has finally found peace with her body. With her story she tries to encourage other girls and boys to be strong and try to find freedom from food, scales and insecurity.

Kathleen told her story on February 19th at VCU in the Harris Hall Auditorium.

It started when she was barely a teenager and ended more than a decade later. Her eating disorders had taken over her life for too long. Now it is to her to spread her words and make people not just remember her but the stories she tells about other survivors and girls that couldn’t make it through their battle with the, what Kathleen called , “obsession for the perfect body.”

Approximately 100 girls and 5 boys were there to remember what Kathleen had to tell in her second speech, a year after the last one, entitled “A Survivor Speaks out, The Truth about Eating disorders and Body Image” organized by the SEED – Students for the Elimination of Eating Disorders and The Wellness Resource Center being a part of the Body Awareness Week at VCU.

“I didn’t realize how much of a problem it was” VCU student Margey Tobey said “but this is a great way to get the word out about eating disorders.”

When she was 12 year old she skipped her first meal. When she was 28, Kathleen called her mom to tell her she kept her first lunch down in 16 years.

Those 16 years were a waste, she said. A waste of money, education and life.

Just like many others, it wasn’t Kathleens plan to become anorexic and later bulimic but it happened. What started as a plan to lose a little bit weight because she was slightly heavier than her older but smaller sister, became out of control and an obsession.

That obsession to being stick thin came to an end on February 13th 2002. What for most people is a day full of bad luck, was for Kathleen a life savior.

That day she told herself to “leave here and respect your body.” And she did. She stopped herself thinking the negative thoughts she had been thinking for such a long time. And if the voice in her head would come back, she would tell it to “go to hell.”

It worked.

The obsession for being thin became an obsession for “becoming a body loving freak” she said.

Of course recovering is not just something you do. She told that she was “not chasing recovery but chasing happiness that diet stole from me.” A relapse only made her stronger.

The moment MacDonald knew she could be happy again was on a sunny day on the high way. When she realized she could finally see the clear blue sky after all those years of struggling and depression. She stopped the car and “wept” for a long time.
After everyone had wiped some tears away, it was time for the students to speak up.

One to do so was Matt Wensel, former VCU student and president of the SEED. He said that had been ashamed of his eating disorder for a long time because he “shouldn’t be anorexic.” He did not fit in the prototype picture of anorexic men.

Also Jenny, a student at VCU recovering from Anorexia, stood up. She is happy to look back to what she had been trough. “We all have these monsters inside us” she said. But it all made her become the person she is today.

The evening was concluded with advice about how to help a friend with an eating problem. “Just give them your love”, a student said who’s friend is struggling with and eating disorder.

Kathleen MacDonald couldn’t do anything else but agree in that. She said the best thing to do is to show them you want to help.

Because everyone deserves to see the blue sky and enjoy life like herself. Kathleen made it clear once again. “Your body is beautiful because it’s alive.”

The Attorney General’s Million Dollar Idea for Mental Health

2009-02-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

By Joshua Smith

Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced a $1 million dollar challenge grant Wednesday to provide mental health care coverage in the Commonwealth. The challenge refers to a community wide fund raising proposal to match the money obtained by the offices of McDonnell.

In regards to where the money will be spent McDonnell had this to say: “Our office has worked with the Governor, leaders in the General Assembly, mental health advocates and other stakeholders to make mental health reform a top priority. Mental health is treatable and we must do all we can to help those who suffer from it.” He added that the money would help “meet an unmet need of the community,” while referring to the Virginia Tech tragedy of 2007.

McDonnell was joined by Debbie Oswalt, an Executive Director of the Virginia Health Care Foundation. Oswalt explained how the money received from this challenge grant will “help expand the capacity of basic mental health clients.” She added that “on average, uninsured mental health patients typically die 20 years prematurely; this plan will give them a new lease on life.” There will be 8 to 10 grants over a 3 year period in the community. The initial $1 million dollars for the challenge program is the result of two successful multi-state settlements secured by the offices of the Attorney General. “This was the result of a legal settlement,” said McDonnell regarding a disclosure lawsuit filed by Virginia and other states against Express Scripts, LLC.

The million dollar settlement will initially be used for a fund matching challenge proposed by McDonnell where members of the community will donate proceeds to match the initial million. These donations in addition will continue the programs longevity over the 3 year grant period. Oswalt said, “The Attorney General’s innovative approach of using the settlement funds as a challenge grant will double the amount of funding available to treat uninsured Virginians with basic medical or mental health needs. This creative leverage has produced a financial incentive for collaboration among local community services boards and health safety net organizations, which should result in substantial long term dividends for uninsured Virginians with mental illness.” Mary Anne Bergeron, Executive Director of the Virginia Association of Community Services Board claims that “this is responsible use of a legal settlement obtained from a health care related company.”

Contributions for the program will come from all over the community including: Individuals, pharmaceutical corporations, hospitals, foundations and corporate contributors. The disbursement of the funds is a court order, insuring the initial $1 million and all additional donations under the program will be collected by the Virginia Health Care Foundation. This distribution of the funds is specific to Virginia and the VHCF. This will also be McDonnell’s last official act as the Attorney General for Virginia, which he considers a “rewarding step.”
For information on contribution options please visit www.VHCF.org or the offices of the Attorney Genera at www.VAAG.com

Why Diversity Still Matters

2009-02-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

By Megan Thompson

RICHMOND, Va. – About 15 Mass Communications students with their digital recorders in hand came to Reginald Stuart’s speech on Diversity at a SPJ meeting yesterday.

Reginald Stuart, a journalist, is a corporate recruiter for the McClatchy Company. He has been a journalist for 40 years, starting in 1968 at his hometown newspaper The Nashville Tennessean.

He immediately introduced himself to each student and started with a question most students hear many times throughout their college careers: “What do you want to do and where do you want to go?”

For some, the answers were broadcast, producer, and even working with magazines. But most just replied with “I am not sure yet.”

With this, he led the group discussion into the demographics and how language is changing or influencing the population. Stuart focused on the diversity of the individual rather than just on diversity regarding race and gender.

“A 21st century journalist is a global journalist,” Stuart said.

A 21st century journalist, Stuart described, is one who is not only knowledgeable with technical skills such as Adobe, Excel or Word, but also one who has a grasp of the world and cultures all around.

“The 21st century diversity is about diversity of languages because if you speak the languages you become a better reporter, a better journalist, because you get the stories that others are missing,” Stuart said.

Most students’ faces lit up with either agreement or confusion. Sophomore Adrienne Bowers found his speech interesting and ironic.

“He went beyond the color lines of diversity and discussed culture and stressed the importance of learning a different language from that of your own,” Bowers said.

Stuart encouraged students to learn a second, third and even fourth language, adding that more languages are always a good thing.

“This is not a black and white world, it’s a multi-ethnic world nowadays,” Stuart said. “Mandarin, German, French, Russian. It’s not like these things are going away. The world is getting small, they are going to converge, and the languages of the world are going to converge”

Aside from languages, Stuart pointed out the importance of social skills and constantly challenging yourself. By understanding the opportunities and turning the negatives into positives anyone can make a difference. It doesn’t matter what the challenge is, it is how you take on a challenge.

He encouraged students to be open-minded in order to grow as individuals. As aspiring journalists and students in general, “we should be flexible in where our job takes us, and grow and thrive where we are planted.”

His final discussion on Graduate school is what left students with puzzled looks and more than plenty questions.

About half of the students thought that going to Graduate school directly after getting your Undergraduate degree, and half thought that getting experience before Graduate school is better.

“In order for you to be a meaningful contributor to a graduate program you need to know something. You don’t know enough about real life, practical skills on a job day to day to be a meaningful contributor and get the most out of the program when you go straight from undergrad.”

Fellow Mass Communications student Katherine Coats was baffled at his thoughts on Graduate school, leaving her with much to think about.

By getting about two years of these life skills, Stuart explained, when you work on those case studies in Graduate school, you will be able to compare the study to a situation from your job. When you go directly after undergraduate school, all you have to compare is your class, which he replied “to heck with your class!”

Addition to Cabell Library VCU's "First Priority"

2009-02-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

By: Eliza Barry

Thursday night, the first Cabell Life Forum opened to students to discuss the possibilities for a new addition to Cabell Library, the goal of which is to increase study spaces for students.

“There is hope that Cabell will not be an eyesore forever,” said University Librarian John Ulmschneider, who described his vision for the new space as an “academic commons,” complete with 13,000 sq. ft. of new space to serve the needs of the growing student body.

VCU has the lowest square footage of study space per student of any public university in Virginia and Cabell Library has not been altered in any major way since it was built in 1975, which leads to crowded conditions at all hours and what Ulmschneider called a “challenging situation.”

The Life Forums are meant to allow students a chance to voice their opinions about every aspect of the addition—from how it should look to how it can best serve their needs. Ideas for the space that were shown at this meeting came from pictures and features of other libraries that serve their students well.

Remodeled libraries at CNU, William & Mary and University of Nevada will serve as some inspiration for their well-designed lighting, electronic capabilities and organization allowing for both group and individual study.

“My biggest hope is that the new library reflects VCU’s edge,” said Heather Smithson, a junior at VCU. “Other schools like William & Mary and UVA have their old traditional buildings but VCU isn’t like that.”

Ulmschneider agrees saying the goal is to capture VCU’s energy in the design of the new building while also acknowledging that “…we can’t afford to have a lot of space wasted,” citing the grand entryway at CNU’s Trible Library.

While much of the focus of the forum was on the added space for students, Ulmschnieder also mentioned the possibility of off-cite storage for books to increase the floor space Cabell currently has. Other universities, such as Virginia Tech, use this strategy to maximize space and keep more commonly used books into the library floor, while storing the rest. Also, many academic journals housed in Cabell can now be found online, eliminating the need to keep bound volumes in the stacks.

Ulmschnieder approximated the budget at $60 million, but cautioned the excited students at the forum that the new building could be four to five years away. “It is the number one priority for the next capital construction request from the state,” Ulmschneider said, noting that private donations would bolster the budget.

Whenever the building is finished, the increase of space will be welcome to VCU students. Cabell’s number of visitors is growing, as is the student body of VCU, both undergraduates and graduate students.

Ulmschnieder emphasized the need to get people excited about this new building, not only to generate money from donations but also to get fresh ideas for the space and make it an inspiration to the students.

The next Cabell Life Forum will be in April and is sponsored by the SGA. The forums will continue to focus on student input and provide information about the plans for the addition.

University Librarian Proposes Idea for New Library Building

2009-02-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

By: Meredith Rigsby

Thursday night students sat quietly listening at the first Cabell Life Forum meeting as a guest speaker introduced students to a newly proposed idea for VCU’s campus; a new library building.

University Librarian, John Ulmschnieder presented students with a wealth of information that ranged from overcrowding problems in VCU’s current library Cabell to plans for a new library. However, Ulmschnieder also noted that the new building may be a few years off and explained to students that the overcrowding of Cabell library is an issue that needs to be addressed now.

According to Ulmschnieder Cabell Library offers students 6.41 square feet per student, which he says is less than any other campus in the state of Virginia. Cabell’s door count estimates about 10,000 students a day come into the library to use the facilities noted Ulmschnieder, often times making it difficult to find a chair to sit and study. “Cabell library at 11:00 p.m. looks like an airport terminal.”

Ulmschnieder and library staff’s current plans to help create more space in Cabell Library for students include an off site storage facility for books and renovations to the 2nd floor. An estimated 35,000 square feet of student space will be created in Cabell. However, the long term answer to VCU’s overcrowding problem is the creation of a new library said Ulmschnieder.

Other colleges such as Emory University and Georgia Tech have built new libraries over the last 10 years; VCU is the only university in the state that has not built a library in over 30 years. VCU is next in line for a capital construction request from the state explained Ulmschnieder which is the reason the new library building should be VCU’s top priority among staff and students.

Ulmschnieder is not the only one that is excited about the possibility of a new, more spacious library. Members of VCU have already submitted names that they thought encompassed the idea of the new building, such as “A Building That Inspires” and “A Commitment to Excellence.” SGA chairmen of student life committee, Gonzolo Aida thinks the idea for a new library is good saying, “I love it.”

The new building is estimated to cost about 60 million dollars according to Ulmschnieder but the costs will come from private funding. Students do not need to worry that the cost of their tuition will increase to provide funding. Ulmschnieder said he would like to see the building have accommodations such as configurable and moveable furniture, nicely lit areas, and more individual study rooms.

Students that agree with the idea of the new building do not however think it will take away from VCU’s current library, Cabell. “The new building will be more work study and people will still come to Cabell for books,” said SGA secretary to the Cabinet, Megan Goldshine.
The SGA sponsored the Cabell Life Forum meeting and will hold the next one sometime in early April.

Cabell Library to Experience Renovation and Expansion

2009-02-21T15:32:00.001-08:00

By Patrick Rossman

RICHMOND, Va. – Roughly 20 students gathered in the crowded Cabell Library at Virginia Commonwealth University on Thursday to listen to University Librarian, John Ulmschneider, speak about plans for library renovation and expansion.

Ulmschneider spoke about his plans and shared a power point with his audience to convey what he hopes to be a new building which he referred to as an “academic commons” for students. The power point illustrated his intentions for a new library by showing examples from other universities and suggestions made by students from VCU.

Ulmschneider is head of the library system at VCU and has been here since September 1999. He has visited JMU, W&M, UVA and other universities in Virginia that have opened new libraries within the past two years. According to Ulmschneider this is a problem because VCU hasn’t constructed a new library since 1975.

“Longer term we need to create a new library building for this campus because we have the least amount of sq. ft. per student and our enrollment is not going to stop. It’s going to continue to grow,” said Ulmschneider.

According to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), William & Mary have the most square feet per student with 44.47 sq. ft. and then George Mason University-Arlington have the second most with 19.33 sq. ft. While the VCU campus library comes close to last with 5.38 sq. ft. per student.

Also Ulmschneider explained that the lack of space at the VCU library can be partly resolved if the University invested in an off-site storage facility for lesser used library materials. W&M and GMU-Arlington both have storage facilities to ensure more study space for their students.

When asked about the lack of study space, Jason Hollandsworth a Political Science major said, “It’s real hard when I expect to come to a quiet library to study and once I get here I can’t escape the noise or the crowded study areas.”

Ulmschneider proposed his three phase plan about what needs to happen to his audience.

Phase one: Off-campus Shelving

*Move lesser-used material out of prime user space.
*Highly compact, warehouse design, excellent environmental controls.
*Establish small work area for scholars off-site.
*Relocated material frees space to expand user seating.

Phase two: Renovations – Learning Commons for Cabell Library

*Redesign space on second floor.

*Create group study space with user-configurable furnishings.

*Create individual/small group studies with conference room capabilities.
*Support more desktop and laptop computers.
*Relocate basement lab computing machines to second floor.

Phase three: New Library Building on Monroe Park Campus

* "Your Name Here” Library and Academic Commons.
*Specific provisions for student graduate life.
*No stacks or shelves: focus exclusively on student academic work needs.

Ulmschneider intends for this new building to be used strictly for academic studies while the main library building will hold all the resources. The building would be connected and built where the current loading dock for Cabell Library is and would be facing out towards the Hibbs building. When completed the expansion will add about 13,500 sq. ft.

According to Ulmschneider, this is the schools number one priority for the next capital construction request from the state and could cost up to $60 million.

“What we hope to do is keep the universities eye focused on the ball. Right now a new library building on this campus is the number one priority for the university,” said Ulmschneider.

In order to raise funding for the new building, he expects to get some help from the state and private funds. To do that, he believes we need to establish a “compelling vision” that would get people excited.

Regarding the funding of the plan, student Nathaniel Markson said, “I think that a library is definitely one of the better ways that VCU can spend any of its official (administration) money right now.”

This plan could take up to four to five years and many students may not be here when it is constructed. That doesn’t bother Gonzalo Aida, Chairman of the Student Life Committee because as he said, “Even though we’re not going to be here, we want to make sure we leave the school in an excellent direction when we leave.”

Ulmschneider wants to create more space for students to study. He wants a place where students can feel comfortable and have a building that brings a sense of pride. He wants to take what he calls Cabell Library an “eye sore” and transform it into an academic commons.

“We want to make something that really makes you proud to be here at Virginia Commonwealth University,” said Ulmschneider.

Overcoming the Odds

2009-02-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

By: Katelyn Dolphin

SEED – Students for the Elimination of Eating Disorders put on a presentation Thursday night about the dangers of eating disorders.

VCU welcomed bulimia survivor, Kathleen MacDonald, to our school for the second time to talk about her survivor story. Kathleen travels the country speaking on the illness of bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa which effects many American teens and adults.

Woman and men in our society today are told from basically the time the can understand language that being pretty, thin, and popular is perfection.

We strive to wear the smallest size clothing we possibly can and often go about fitting into these double zeros in an unhealthy way.

In Kathleen’s presentation entitled, "A Survivor speaks Out: The Truth about Eating Disorders and Body Image", she told the students in attendance about her 16 year struggle with bulimia nervosa, the act of binging and purging the food you eat, whether it be by throwing up or through laxatives.

She began by showing a slide show set to heartening music and pictures of some of the 36 million people who suffer from ED (eating disorders). The people in the slideshow however had lost their lives to the obsession with food and being thin.

The slides showed the ages and stories of the victims some as young as 16 and others in their early 40’s. “Anyone of any age can fall victim to this, both women and men” she said.

Kathleen started skipping meals at the age of 12 after seeing a movie on the Lifetime Network called, The Best Little Girl in the World. In the matter of 2 hours she said a girl started and beat her eating disorder which brought her parents back together while receiving the most attention she had ever gotten in her life.

Kathleen said they made the disorder seem like “no big deal”.

Kathleen came from a family who always picked on the way she looked, commenting on her big nose and calling her “the bigger daughter”.

Her mother who was obsessed with her weight and always made sure she wore the smallest size clothing and was always a certain number on the scale often talked to her daughters about not eating too much so they don’t get fat.

“I’m just thankful there was no such thing as a double zero back then, she would have to be that” she said talking about her mother.

Kathleen beat her disorder but not until she had spent every dime she had on laxatives and food. She had ruined her body to the point to where she was unable to go to the bathroom naturally, and not able to digest food. Her body will never be the same.

She now has a heart condition which causes pain everyday and could take her life at anytime.
She told the students that she realized that when she got to heaven she wanted to be able to tell God she accomplished more than “just being thin”. This is what has made her become an eating disorder activist and trying to educate young people on the seriousness of the issue.

At the end of the presentation she allowed for people in the audience to speak on their struggles or that of their friends who suffer from eating disorders.

One young man spoke about his girlfriends fight with the illness, “I told her some many times that I want to switch places with her, take away her pain”. By the end of his story the whole auditorium was in tears.

Eating disorders are a serious matter and often start from someone wanting to lose just five pounds for prom or spring break and soon become obsessed with the numbers on the scale.
It is a disease that takes lives and needs to be taken more seriously in our society, many times people with the illness can look as if they are a normal body weight, but are secretly purging, or skipping meals.

Kathleen ended by saying how she just wants everyone to be happy with who they are today, not five pounds from now. Everyone is unique and a beautiful person.

Kathleen MacDonald Speaks Out

2009-02-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

By Jessica Crete

Eating disorder activist Kathleen MacDonald spoke to VCU students Thursday -- to share her story of survival through a 16-year eating disorder, and her path to happiness.

MacDonald led a discussion "A Survivor Speaks Out: The Truth About Eating Disorders and Body Image" in the Harris Hall auditorium. She spoke about her life struggle through an eating disorder, the media’s influence on people, signs of disordered eating, ways to help a loved one and eating disorder activism.

“I will not stop reaching out to educate others about the realities of eating and body image disorders until not one more precious life is prematurely ripped away from this Earth as a result of the pressure to be thin; there is a definite urgency in that promise, and tonight I urge you to join me in that mission,” she said.

The speech and discussion was sponsored by SEED – Students for the Elimantion of Eating Disorders. In sharing her struggle, MacDonald reminded the crowd that she is a voice for over 36 million Americans who suffer from eating and body image disorders.

Macdonald, at age 28, ate lunch for the first time in 16 years. She spent $60,000 of her grandparents’ savings for college on food, laxatives and alcohol without fully realizing the effects of her disorder on her body and self-image. Being thin never brought her any joy, she said.

After a life where suicide was her only logical possibility, Macdonald began to become bold, wanting a life that was more – wanting complete freedom. Through recovery she “wanted to be a body loving freak, damn it!” she exclaimed in joy.

With her eyes welling up with tears, she said that now when she looks in the mirror she sees a reflection of her happiness, a reflection of a beautiful soul.

Matt Wetsel, a VCU alumni and SEED member, said he “didn’t fit the stereotypes” of a male with an eating disorder, and had trouble facing and acknowledging that his problem was real.

After MacDonald’s speech the crowd was left wiping tears from their eyes in sympathy of the stories told, but in joy for her success story. She then invited others to share their testimonies of themselves or a friend battling an eating disorder.

Jenny, a recovering anorexic, said “It is quite the journey… we all have these deep monsters inside of us.” Then a young man shared his emotional struggle through helping his girlfriend try to face her anorexia, bulimia, alcoholism and depression. He gave words of advice for those trying to help their loved ones by saying, “support them as much as you can – give them your love.”

One VCU student, Amanda Nelbach, shared her reaction to the discussion led by MacDonald. “Going through something makes you realize that life is worth living.”

MacDonald finished by sharing a moment of finding her happiness and experiencing a miracle while driving in traffic, looking up, and seeing a bright blue sky for what seemed like the very first time.

“It’s time to be completely free,” she said. “Life is actually joy, in the moment of seeing the blue sky, not five pounds from today.”

For more information about eating disorders visit:

NEDA (The National Eating Disorders Association)
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
AED (Academy for Eating Disorders)
Jessie's Wish
Eating Disorders Coalition

VCU Proposes New Library for Monroe Park Campus

2009-02-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

By: Kellie Soto

RICHMOND- Virginia Commonwealth University hopes to build a new library to accommodate it's growing student population.

University Librarian John Ulmschneider discussed near and long term plans for a new “academic commons” at the Cabell Life Forum Thursday evening.

Ulmschneider asked his audience of about 15 undergraduate and graduate students “How many of you have a life in Cabell?” The students laughed, since many have spent countless hours at the current Monroe Park campus library.

“Cabell Library at 11 o’clock looks like an airport terminal,” joked Ulmschneider.

The number of monthly visitors to Cabell over the past few years has increased dramatically. Right now, Cabell sees over 10,000 visitors a day.

Ulmschneider said VCU has the lowest number of square feet per student ratio of any Virginia university. He noted schools such as George Mason University and Virginia Tech provide off-site storage for lesser-used materials, allowing more space for students.

“We definitely need more space, however that comes about,” said student Nathaniel Markson. “Having a chair and a power outlet are the hardest things to find.”

Ulmschneider broke down the plan for an academic commons into three phases, including off-campus shelving, renovations to the existing Cabell structure, and a new library for the Monroe Park Campus.

To address the library space issue Ulmschneider suggests off-campus storage will move lesser-used material out of prime user space, providing more room for students.

Ulmschneider also spoke of redesinging the space on the 2^nd floor to create a group study space with moveable furniture.

This idea gets the approval of many students. “I like the group study rooms on the first floor but I don’t like going to war over them,” said student Carl Forrest.

Ulmscheider’s focus of the new library will be to “make optimal use of every square foot” focusing exclusively on student academic work needs. The plan ultimately will add over 13,500 square feet of total public areas.

In the near future, Ulmscheider plans to partner with VCU's Technology Services department to design a learning commons, which would relocate the basement computers to a more inviting environment for students.

Ulmscheider showed several campus libraries to the audience through a powerpoint presentation. He said he wants input from students about the best configuration for VCU's new library.

The cost is estimated at 60 million dollars. Ulmscheider said the new library is the number one priority for the next Capital Construction request from the state. It is one of the few buildings proposed for new capital campaign that will be paid for through private fundraising.

Ulmscheider wants to “establish an exciting vision that will motivate VCU.” He hopes the library will be an inspiring showcase for the Monroe Park Campus, a state-of-the-art academic facility, a building that provides more space for academic life for graduate students, as well more academic workspace for faculty.

Ulmscheider ultimately believes the academic commons will be a "Showcase for the academic mission and a pre-eminent statement of pride.”

The next Cabell Life Forum meeting will be held in April.

###

Investing in Education

2009-02-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

By Bryan Nolde

Applause, flashbulbs, and gratitude filled The Jefferson Hotel’s grand ballroom Thursday.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia celebrated its 23rd annual Outstanding Faculty Awards with a luncheon and ceremony. The event recognized 12 faculty members, from Virginia two- and four-year colleges and universities, for their superior abilities in teaching, research, and service.

The recipients of this honor were chosen from a group of 102 highly qualified peer nominees from public and private institutions across the state. Each winner received $5,000 cash from corporate sponsor Dominion Virginia Power and an engraved award to commemorate the occasion.

Following lunch Dr. Daniel J. LaVista, the Executive Director for SCHEV, welcomed everyone and thanked Dominion. Next he recognized the honorees families and friends, stating that, “Our honorees often share the fact that they would not be here without your support.” He went on to thank the peer reviewers that attended the event for their voluntary service in the process.

William C. Hall Jr., President of The Dominion Foundation, came to the stage next. He expressed sadness that the Secretary of Education, Thomas R. Morris, had fallen ill and sent his best wishes for a speedy recovery.

In his introduction of Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Hall Jr. spoke of three major happenings since last years ceremony: his status as a Vice Presidential finalist for then candidate Barack Obama, his selection as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and the multi-billion dollar budget shortfall that faces him currently. “Two out of three ain’t bad,” Hall Jr. said, “To the educators, I do apologize for using the word ain’t.”

Governor Kaine came to the stage amid a resounding round of applause and began by acknowledging the award winners saying, “your achievements are admirable…the competition is stiff and it is exciting to see the great talent pool we have in Virginia.” He then spoke of a professor he had whose passion and abilities affected his life and the direction that it took.

Next he remembered a debate he watched recently about the stimulus package where someone on television said they were against the “stimulus because it is filled with pork, like pell grants.” Laughter rose up from the audience and he went on to say that, “In a tough time in particular, the investment that we make in higher education and K-12 education are enormously valuable.”

Later he spoke of trying to land a business deal at the end of last year and how the company had to choose between Virginia and another state. The company was enticed by the other state’s incentive package and the CEO made Governor Kaine aware of the direction he was leaning.

He responded by asking the CEO to go look at both state's high school graduation rates, the percentage of students that take and pass advanced placement exams, and everything you can about the quality of the higher education system. ”Are you making this investment for the short term or are you making this investment for the long term,” he said, “That point was the deal maker.”

In closing Governor Kaine spoke directly to the 12 award recipients saying, “you really are the front line in making our Commonwealth a great place to live.”

Richmond City Finances and Where They are Going

2009-02-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

By Lilly Hartmetz

Richmond, Va - Silver Persinger (shown right) stepped forward to the podium, the only member of the public to attend the Richmond City Council Finance Committee meeting this past Thursday.

Persinger said he was “surprised and disappointed” at the lack of consideration of public opinion the government and developers have taken on the $60 million baseball diamond plan. “I wanna know who is benefitting here?” Persinger said.
Neither the Richmond administration nor the council has made statements regarding this project. Chairwoman Ellen Robertson, Head of the Richmond City Finance Committee, shared her interest in developers taking public opinion into account for the overall marketing benefits.
Robertson, from the sixth district, in a red suit coat, has a sharp face. Councilmember Bruce Tyler from the West End leaned back, relaxing in his chair while Persinger spoke, and made a face at the civically engaged citizen’s words.
In the almost empty chamber there were maybe a dozen attendants.
The meeting started with the discussion of a resolution to approve an expenditure for the fifth district to pay for the Fifth District Newsletter. The resolution is now pending further research prior to vote.
Second to be addressed was an ordinance to give the new mayor Dwight Jones more time to submit the city budget, which was needed because of the recent economic downturn as well as Jones’s desire to establish a good reputation with the Council.

Next on the agenda was ordinance to provide partial tax exemptions in redevelopment or conservation areas or rehabilitation areas. Basically it comes down that amended language is needed to provide tax exemptions to single family dwellings.
Legislators are working on making the language require homes within these areas to be affordable in order to prevent gentrification. Generally, conservation areas are blighted, and these areas need to be redeveloped.
The amendment suggests mix-income housing by way of restricting house prices. It’s a tax-break incentive program, but the difficulty is not escalating house prices.
It seems simple: the city could give tax breaks to low-income families. But, the Finance Committee as a city operation doesn’t have the ability to reduce taxes to certain people, unless the state allows. The state doesn’t allow this because the state government wants to make sure that there is an advantage given to a population based on income.
Because the city has regulatory control by the state it “can be challenging to us,” Robertson said. But, overall, the committee gets accustomed to it. In this particular ordinance’s case, because conservation areas want to provide tax incentives and increased development, if those things could be accomplished through the manipulation of the language would hypothetically stimulate the blighted areas.
This would apply to areas throughout Richmond including Highland, Church Hill, Southside, and Blackwell.

A small amount of the meeting was spent on budget planning and the quarterly financial review. Key players in these discussion items were Ralph Harris, Anthony Dale, and Tony Leone, Council Fiscal Analysts.
A large amount of Richmond’s financial trouble comes from unbudgeted police and fire overtime. The fire department is already at minimal standards and minimum overtime.
The speaking analysts suggested a substitute fire staff be hired to avoid paying time and a half. According to Councilmember Tyler, who throughout the meeting kept up a playful banter with the speakers, said these groups are always asking for more funding.
Tyler suggested a pre-allotment of this in the City budget. Apparently, a few years ago, additional funding was added, but then had to be cut again.
The meeting, which started at 4 p.m., adjourned at 6:30 p.m. in the evening, the three councilmembers packing up their briefcases, and the ten to twelve attendants slowly leaving the chamber.

Virginia Teachers Receive a Honor for Excellence

2009-02-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

By: Shelby M. Dayvault

Richmond, Va- Inside the Grand Ballroom of the Jefferson Hotel Thursday afternoon, 12 Virginia professors received the 2009 Outstanding Faculty Award (OFA).

Two professors from Old Dominion University (ODU) and one from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) were among the 12 recipients honored for their excellence in teaching, research, knowledge integration, and public service.

The award ceremony was part of the annual OFA program, overseen by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and supported by the Dominion Foundation.

Among the speakers at the ceremony was Governor Timothy M. Kaine. “What I find in public life is sometimes simple things like recognition go a very long way. A lot of people who work for the state government never get recognized for the good work they do; they only get recognized when they do something wrong, so I like to come and talk about the importance of what good faculty means to the Commonwealth,” said Kaine. “Education is the biggest line item in the state budget, K thru 12 and higher education together,” according to Kaine, “We have to make sure it stays number one.”

The State Council for Higher Education for Virginia website states that the OFA program “is the Commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities.” The award recipients are nominated from a panel of peer reviewers, they include chief academic advisors and past OFA recipients. Then the nominees are chosen from the final selection committee that is made up of members of the State Council and business, education, and community leaders.

The award winners came from all corners of the state. They included Lizabeth A. Allison and Christopher D. Howard from The College of William and Mary, Lawrence J. Hatab and Lawrence B. Weinstein from Old Dominion University, Michael M. Behrman and Raja Parasuraman from George Mason University, Mark P. Carey and Erich S. Uffelman from Washington and Lee University, James C. Duchamp from Emory and Henry College, Ralph P. Eckerlin from Northern Virginia Community College, David E. Evans from The University of Virginia, and David C. Wojahn from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Each of the winners was given an engraved award and $5,000 by the Dominion Foundation. In his speech, Dr. Daniel J. La Vista, the Executive Director of the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia, said “We have an incredible diversity of talent.”

One of the 12 winners was David C. Wojahn, a professor of English and current director of the Creative Writing program at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been a professor there since 2003. “It’s a great honor,” Wojahn said after the ceremony. “I’ve only lived here for six years, so everybody says it’s three or four generations, but I must have been fast tracked," smiled Wojahn.

Since the first OFA ceremony in 1987, 268 Virginia faculty members have received this great honor. While attending the OFA ceremony, Allison Farrish, a VCU journalism student, said “I think this will really encourage teachers to continue excelling everyday in the classroom.”

VCU Professor Acknowledged at 2009 Outstanding Facalty Awards

2009-02-21T10:51:00.001-08:00

Professor Wojahn taking a picture with Gov Tim Kaine

by Steven Chun

A Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University is recognized for his accomplishments at the 2009 Outstanding Faculty Awards.

The State Council for Higher Education in Virginia hosts the OFA every year to acknowledge teachers from universities across the state for their achievements in their respected field. This was the 23^rd time this event was held, and it was at the Jefferson Hotel.

David C. Wojahn, an English Professor and the director of the Creative Writing program at VCU was chosen to win the award from a collection of 102 nominees.

A group of peer reviewers made up of previous OFA winners and chief academic officers picked the finalist out of the nominations, and then a final selection committee picked the 12 that would receive the award.

Wojahn said, “It’s a great honor to be recognized as a Virginian when I’ve only lived here for 6 years.” Jokingly, he said he must have been “fast tracked” because “everyone says it takes three or four generations”

Throughout the years, Wojahn said he has had a lot of professors that inspired him. One in particular, was a professor of poetry at the University of Arizona named, Jon Anderson.

Before coming to Richmond he taught at Indiana University, the University of Chicago, the University of Houston, the University of Alabama the University of New Orleans and Vermont College. Along with VCU, he still teaches at Vermont College as a field faculty.

Wojahn, an award winning poet, has written things such as Icehouse Lights, Glassworks, Late Empire, The Falling Hour and Spirit Cabinet. His Mystery Train and Interrogation Palace: New and Selected Poems 1982-2004. The last book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

The professor is married to Noelle and has two sons, Luke and Jake.

Presenting the awards was Gov. Tim Kaine. He said, he tries to present the award every year because “simple things like recognition go a very long way. A lot of people work for state government and never feel recognized for good work they do. They only get recognized when they do something wrong. So I like to come and talk about the importance of what good faculty means to the commonwealth.”

Kaine, a promoter of education said that, it is the most “important priority” in the budget. “There’s a reason why education is number one, and it’s number one because we decided that it is the most important thing that we can do to be competitive, to get people ready for brighter future.”

The Governor provides some advice to pass along to students while in college. He said “the opportunities that you have at this time in your life to really engage in a lot of intellectual discoveries are powerful… really enjoy it, and take advantage of it while you can.”

Other award recipients include Lizabeth Allison, Michael Bhrmann, Mark Carey, James Duchamp, Ralph Eckerlin, David Evans, Lawrence Hatab, Christopher Howard, Raja Parasuraman, Erich Uffelman and Lawrence Weinstein.

For bios of these professors and more information about the event visit: www.shev.edu

Annual Awards Ceremony Honors Virginia's Top Educators

2009-02-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

By: Madison Ross

Beneath the sparkling chandelier of the Grand Ballroom at the Jefferson Hotel, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia honored twelve outstanding educators from the state on February 19, 2009.

The 23rd Annual Outstanding Faculty Awards, sponsored by Dominion, recognized the top faculty members from colleges and universities across the state of Virginia for their contributions in teaching, research and public service.

The finalists were selected from 102 nominees by a panel of volunteer Peer Reviewers, all of whom were previous OFA recipients. The final twelve honorees were chosen from this group by the Final Selection Committee, which was comprised of academic, business and community leaders.
Dr. Daniel J. LaVista, Executive Director of SCHEV, gave the welcome address and commended the selection committees for completing the difficult task of choosing the honorees from such a diverse and competitive pool. After summarizing the honorees’ contributions, which include significant cancer research, advancements in technological security and Pulitzer Prize worthy poetry, LaVista concluded his remarks by reminding his audience, “from just this brief overview…you can see why these people were named as our recipients. They are indeed the best of the best.”

Among the awards recipients was Virginia Commonwealth University’s own David C. Wojahn. A Professor of English and Director of the Program in Creative Writing at VCU, Wojahn is a prime example of the excellence in education that was represented at the OFA ceremony. Wojahn’s first collection of poetry, Icehouse Lights, was chosen as a winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize. The collection was published in 1982. His most recent collection of poetry, Interrogation Palace: New and Selected Poems 1982-2004, was on of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Wojahn has also received a number of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and the Virginia, Illinois, and Indiana Commissions for the Arts.

After the ceremony, Professor Wojahn took a few minutes to speak about being the recipient of such a celebrated award. “It’s a great honor. I’ve always been very happy here at VCU and it’s a great honor to be recognized as a Virginian,” he said.

Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine was also in attendance, and spoke to the audience candidly about his college experience, and a specific professor that he feels changed the direction of his life. As an undergraduate at the University of Missouri, Governor Kaine planned on majoring in Journalism. Fearing he would become too cynical if he spent all his time with his fellow journalism students, Timothy Kaine knew he needed a change. It was in an introductory economics course that the future governor would find his new path in life, and he credits the course professor, John Kuhlman for helping him to find it. Kaine said, “I majored in Economics because of this professor and his passion for his subject and his ability to connect it not only issues I knew I was facing in my life at that moment, but issues I knew I would face in my life for the rest of my life.”

It is these types of anecdotes that mark the success of an outstanding educator. There is no doubt that each of the twelve award recipients has touched their students in the same respect.
“I will never forget the power of what a very dynamic teacher can bring to the life of a student,” Governor Kaine added.

Since the first Outstanding Faculty Award was handed out in 1987, 268 Virginia faculty members have been awarded this distinction.

Lucy Anne Hurston speaks about newly published book Speak, So You Can Speak Again: A Life of Zora Neale Hurston in honor of Black History Month

2009-02-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

A pamphlet about Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston was handed out at Lucy Anne Hurston's multimedia biography event as part of the 2008/2009 Visiting Writers Series at VCU.

By Elizabeth Sedova

Lucy was suspended from the public library in Brooklyn, NY when she was nine for keeping the books she liked and only returning the ones she didn’t like. She was a self-described “avid reader” and formed a collection of nearly 100 books in her room before the library noticed and gave Lucy an ultimatum of returning the books or not borrowing from the library anymore. What did a nine-year-old girl do? She refused to give back the books and, being confined to her house, searched for reading material in the attic. She came across a box that her father, 69-year-old Emmet, had warned her not to touch. Disregarding authority, Lucy found a “gloriously beautiful” book with thick, brown pages; a signed original. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Lucy’s aunt, Zora Neale Hurston became Lucy’s favorite book.

Lucy Anne Hurston, 51, described how she stumbled upon her aunt’s writing, evoking a thirty-year exchange of ideas and questions with her father, Z. Hurston’s youngest brother, on Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Commons of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) honoring Black History Month.

L. Hurston is a Professor of Sociology at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut. She recently authored a multimedia biography, Speak, So You Can Speak Again: A Life of Zora Neale Hurston. “It’s an interactive, multimedia, adult pop-up book,” said L. Hurston. The book is filled with Z. Hurston’s memorabilia such as letters written to WEB Dubois, manuals, magazines and awards. It’s a “personal scrapbook,” said L.Hurston.

L. Hurston is the only writer that is related to Z. Hurston to write about her. L. Hurston “walked in Zora’s trail,” reuniting family members in the process. “If your last name is Hurston, you’re related,” said L. Hurston.

Commenting on Z. Hurston’s cultural anthropology background, L. Hurston said, “She lived it. She experienced the culture. Then, she would go and write it down.

“She did the work of an anthropologist until the day she died,” in 1960.

L. Hurston “captured the audience,” said an audience member. Chairs had to be added in the Richmond parlors I and II where Hurston spoke, due to an increase in audience. Roughly 120 people attended. “She was incredible, I wish all my sorority sisters could have been here,” said another audience member.

The event was part of the 2008/2009 Visiting Writers Series, sponsored by the Writing Department and Community Outreach Information Network (COIN).

Upcoming events in March at VCU include Stuart Dybek, author of three fiction books on the 19th at 8p.m. in the Richmond Salons at the Student Commons, Elizabeth Seydel Morgan and Josh Poteat on the 26th at 8 p.m. in the Virginia Rooms at the Student Commons. Morgan has published four books of poetry and Poteat has published one book of poems.

VCU Professor Honored by Governor

2009-02-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

By: Nick Livermore

Wojahn shares a laugh with Kaine after receiving award.

Not every day does a poet share a meal with a nuclear physicist and a tax policy expert. Even more rarely does the meal conclude with a check for $5,000 and a trophy. Virginia Commonwealth University professor David Wojahn experienced all of the above.

Wojahn was honored Thursday as part of the 23rd annual Outstanding Faculty Awards at the Jefferson Hotel. The event was organized by the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and sponsored by The Dominion Foundation.

In attendance was Governor Tim Kaine, who stressed “the power of a dynamic teacher, of what it can do to a student.” He said that it was important to honor the achievements of such good educators and their importance to the community. “Simple things such as recognition,” Kaine added, “go a very long way.”

Following the same theme, Dominion Foundation President William C. Hall, Jr. thanked all of the award winners. He said that because of their invaluable efforts, today’s students “will be tomorrow’s workforce.”

At VCU, David Wojahn is Professor of English and Director of the Program in Creative Writing. His latest publication, Interrogation Palace: New and Selected Poems 1982-2004, was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Among his other published books are Mystery Train, Late Empire, The Falling Hour, and Spirit Cabinet. His poems and essays have been published over 200 times in The Kenyon Review, The New York Times Book Review, Best American Poetry and The New Yorker among others. He also serves as an editor and essayist of contemporary poetry.

President of VCU, Eugene P. Trani, is one person grateful of Wojahn’s work. He commended Wojahn’s achievements, citing him as a Pulitzer finalist and as the university’s Distuingished Scholar for 2008, saying that he “enriches our institution and inspires our students.”

Another individual with praise for Wojahn is fellow poet and editor of The Kenyon Review, David Baker. He said that Wojahn is “one of America’s most visionary and unrelenting of contemporary poets.” He cited one of Wojahn’s best traits as his ability to encompass the “historical and global as well as the current and local” in his works.

Wojahn said that it was “a great honor to be recognized as a Virginian.” He joked that he must have been “fast tracked” as he has only worked in Virginia for six years. He was among the 12 recipients from colleges and universities across the Commonwealth to receive the accolade for their superior accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service. Biologists, historians, chemists, computer scientists and philosophers were included amongst the recipients.

Since its inception, SCHEV has honored 268 Virginia faculty members with the Outstanding Faculty Award. Nominees undergo a very competitive process. Winners are chosen by a final selection committee made up of SCHEV members and community leaders in the business, education and political realm.

Additional information can be found online at www.schev.edu.

Reginald Stuart Emphasizes Importance of Diversity in Today's Newsrooms

2009-02-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

Reginald Stuart spoke passionately at last night's SPJ meeting.

by Rebecca Leon

Reginald Stuart commented on diversity’s relevance to modern journalism and offered students some key tips for success at last night’s meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists’ VCU Student Chapter.

Mr. Stuart is a notable journalist with a career that spans 40 years. Although his career has taken him many places and he’s won many awards, Stuart currently works as a recruiter for The McClatchy Company, applying his experience to find new talent.

Stuart discussed the economic crisis and its impact on newspapers. He says employers are becoming more selective and competitiveness is higher than ever. As a recruiter for one of America’s top newspaper publishers, Stuart spends plenty of time looking at resumes. According to him, one of the most valuable skills to have is knowledge of at least one other language. He says it is something he always looks for when reviewing resumes.

“If you’re going to be a 21st century journalist, you have to know Spanish,” said Stuart. He pointed out that the majority of American journalists today do not speak Spanish, or any other foreign language. As a result, large populations living in America are being excluded from the media.

“We’re missing telling their stories,” said Stuart. He added that usage of a translator was not nearly as effective because “things are lost in translation” and said that it is ideal to “cut the middle man” in order to capture a person’s true emotions and feelings about a situation.

Along with a second language, Stuart suggested that students become more conscious of the rest of the world through travel and new experiences. He encouraged students to see as much of the world as possible and develop some general knowledge of world history and foreign cultures.

“The more you know about the rest of the world, the better journalist you’ll be.”

According to Stuart, journalists need to know as much about the rest of the world as possible. He noted that views of America have grown worse in recent times, but said that journalists might be able to change that by acting as representatives for their country.

“Americans are seen as introverts and arrogant. Journalists give Americans a chance to be extraverted and humble.”

Another important tip was confidence. According to Stuart, having the right attitude is key: “The worse thing you can do is be negative … stay focused, be positive.”

Many students found his advice to be quite helpful.

“I really liked that he talked about character traits that are important to have – professionalism, a positive focus, and forward thinking. They’re words we can all live by,” said student Ben Taylor.

“I found his talk on resume building to be very helpful, he knows what he’s talking about because he’s a recruiter,” said junior Santia Nance.

Stuart says that in order to have a successful career, a journalist should be open to change and to travel. He reminded students that they would likely have to travel to a different area for a job.

“Be flexible in your thinking,” he said, “Go wherever the opportunity is.”

According to Stuart, a foreign language, technical skills, travel, and a strong, accurate resume are key for aspiring journalists.

When it comes to success, Stuart made one thing very clear: “You have to do it all.”

Escape from day-to-day life and earn college credit

2009-02-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

By: Lauren Jewett

Imagine instead of the streets of downtown Richmond, walking the streets of Paris, France. Imagine class trips to discover the old towns of Ireland. The best part of all is that you can earn college credit.

VCU offers a broad range of possibilities to further your education abroad. On Thursday, Feb. 19 the Education Abroad Office held a general information session to discuss options available to students. Steph O'Dell, the student intern at the Education Abroad Office, held the meeting. She has already spent a semester abroad studying architecture and therefore was a good source of information. Two other students attended the meeting, an Anthropology major and an English major. They were searching for destinations in Europe and South America.

There are several programs, VCU sponsored and non-VCU sponsored, which allow students to travel. VCU allows students to go through the school, pay tuition to VCU and earn direct credits. These programs require a 2.0 GPA and there are several price options available.

ISEP is another program that is divided into two sections, exchange and direct. ISEP exchange is a very competitive program due to limited spacing. However, it is the cheaper option costing only in-state tuition to VCU plus room and board. ISEP direct requires you to pay tuition directly to the college you will be attending. Either choice requires a 2.75 GPA and is credits are considered transfer credits.

Another option is using a VCU partnership which is department specific. You pay the host school for your room and board but you pay tuition to VCU. Once again it is required that you have a GPA of 2.75. This choice will also provide transfer credit.

The last choice is program providers. This is the choice our host had chosen. She described them as a company that will "hold your hand" through the whole experience. They provide lots of support and involvement. Not only do you get to meet other US students from all over the country but also you do not have to be proficient in the language of the country you are visiting. They only bad things about this kind of program are that they tend to cost more and you do not get to fully immerse yourself in the culture.

There are many other programs out there that offer education abroad, whether through another school or a different organization, all you have to do is look. If you find a program not listed above check with the Education Abroad Office and your academic advisor for approval.

Don't just think, however, that education abroad is just for classes; many places will offer internships too. What better way to start building your resume then by interning for a company in another country. These internships do not usually pay for legal reasons but some do offer bonuses or incentives.

Overall the meeting was very informative and Miss O'Dell was enthusiastic and eager to answer any questions the students had about the program. Several more meetings will be held like this one if any students are interested in studying abroad.

If you can imagine yourself in the rainforest of Costa Rica, eating baguettes along the Rhine River in France, sipping green tea in China, or watching kangaroos in Australia stop by the Education Abroad Office today.

Cancer Symposium reaches out to the African-American community.

2009-02-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

Dr. John Qullin, Dr. Cadet, and Vernal Branch during the question and answer session.

By: Jamilla Thomas

Richmond Va- “I always say I’m really happy to be looking at this side of the grass and not the roots”. That’s what Vernal Branch, a 14 year African American, breast cancer survivor says as she talks to a crowd of about 30 African-American men and women at St. Philips Episcopal Church, Thursday evening. Vernal is a speaker with the Richmond Cancer Survivor Symposia and an advocate for cancer survivors world-wide.

The award winning program was founded in 2004 by two cancer researchers from the VCU Massey Cancer Center. It is a community education mission to provide information and solutions to problems and issues commonly faced by cancer survivors. The program is funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure who partners with the Massey Cancer Center.

Dr. Diane B Wilson the program director says that “we’ve been looking for a way to connect with the African-American community for some time now” and she believes that they have found a way and that is through the church.

The session on Thursday night at St. Philips church featured 4 speakers, including Vernal Branch, Dr. Debbie Cadet of VCU Massey Cancer Center, Dr. John Quillin also of VCU Massey Cancer Center, and Rev. Dr. Alonzo Pruitt of St. Philip’s Episcopal church.

The first speaker was Dr. Debbie Cadet and she is an advocate and social worker for patients at the VCU Massey Cancer Center. Dr. Cadet councils patients and she emphasized how important it is for cancer survivors to be able to have someone to talk to and share their feelings throughout their cancer journey. She believes that as a patient with cancer “the most important thing one can do for one’s social and emotional health is to be able to communicate with someone about what you are feeling”. She spoke about barriers to cancer communication, and how important it is to get the person to “open up”.

Annie M. Coleman, a 2 time breast cancer survivor in the audience agreed. She provides support to breast cancer patients and she says that people may be reluctant to discuss breast cancer because “it’s a part of your body that has to do with your sexuality”. She also said people may be reluctant because they feel like no one can really relate. “It helps because one of the first things I say to them is I know what you’re going through”, and she does. She says that the “church is the background for the African-American community”, and it’s great that they are trying to reach out to the community.

Dr. John Qullin, a cancer genetic counsel spoke next. He discussed how important it is to know if your family has a genetic history of cancer, and the importance of early detection. Lastly, Rev. Dr. Alonzo Pruitt spoke and he discussed the importance of a supportive church family to a cancer patient. His wife has suffered with breast cancer, and he thought it was important to find out everything he could about cancer. He stressed the importance of talking about it, although at times it is hard because “we live within a cultural context of silence”.

The Reverend said that battling with cancer is not the end of the world because “Suffering has always been seen as having a sort of redemptive power”. This was followed by the question and answer session, in which the audience asked questions that they had for the professionals.

VCU Professor Given "Commonwealth's Highest Honor"

2009-02-20T20:18:00.000-08:00

-photo by Nicole Fisher
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine congratulates Professor Wojahn after handing him his OFA.

By Nicole Fisher

The 23rd annual Outstanding Faculty Awards (OFA) held last Thursday at the Jefferson Hotel honored Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) professor, David Wojahn.

Wojahn was one of 12 recipients of an OFA out of 102 nominees.

According to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) website, the OFA program “is the Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities.”

Wojahn along with the 11 other award winners each received an engraved award as well as $5,000 underwritten by the Dominion Foundation.

“I’ve always been very happy to be at VCU. It’s a great honor to be recognized as a Virginian and I’ve only lived here for six years, so everybody says it’s three or four generations, but I must have been fast tracked,” said Wojahn.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine gave out the awards.

“What I find in public life is sometimes simple things like recognition go a very long way. A lot of people work for state government and never get recognized for good work they do; they only get recognized when they do something wrong, so I like to come and talk about the importance of what good faculty means to the Commonwealth,” said Kaine.

In 2005, Dominion committed to annually supporting the OFA, but in 2007, renewed their support until 2010.

“As one of Virginia’s largest corporations, Dominion has a vested interest in promoting education…It is all too rare that we as a society pay tribute to our higher education,” said president of The Dominion Foundation, William Hall, Jr.

In 1986, the General Assembly and Gov. Gerald L. Baliles established the OFA. Since 1987, over 250 faculty members in Virginia have received an OFA.

According to the SCHEV website, “The award recognizes the finest among Virginia's college faculty for their excellence in teaching, research and public service.”

Award recipients are nominated from a panel of peer reviewers which are both chief academic advisors as well as past OFA recipients before being picked from a final selection committee which is comprised of members of the State Council as well as business, education, and community leaders.

Wojahn has been a professor at VCU since 2003. He is currently a professor of English as well as the director of the Creative Writing Program.

Wojahn has published many collections of poetry as well as books. Some of his work includes, Icehouse Lights, Glassworks, Mystery Train, and Spirit Cabinet.

His most recent collection of poetry, Interrogation Palace: New and Selected Poems, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Wojahn also received the O.B. Hardison Award from the Folger Shakespeare Library for this work.

The other 11 winners of the OFA were Lizabeth Allison (The College of William and Mary), Michael Behrmann (George Mason University), Mark Carey (Washington and Lee University), James Duchamp (Emory and Henry College), Ralph Eckerlin (Northern Virginia Community College), David Evans (University of Virginia), Lawrence Hatab (Old Dominion University), Christopher Howard (The College of William and Mary), Raja Parasuraman (George Mason University), Erich Uffelman (Washington and Lee University), and Lawrence Weinstein (Old Dominion University).

Dr. Daniel J. LaVista, the executive director of SCHEV, opened the award ceremony with praise towards the recipients and thanks for all they do.

“On behalf of all Virginians who may benefit from your innovations, may I say thank you,” said LaVista.

For more information on the OFA and the 2009 recipients visit www.schev.edu.

Byron Hurt Brings Sexism Debate to VCU

2009-02-20T19:35:00.000-08:00

By: Stacey Bennett

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, VCU welcomed acclaimed filmmaker and anti-sexism activist Byron Hurt, whose documentary, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, takes a critical look at how masculinity is presented in hip-hop music, and its implications for gender relations in society.

Hurt’s presentation, part of the Department of African American Studies' Spring 2009 Lecture Series, featured two clips from his award-winning documentary, each followed by a discussion with the audience about their reactions.

The first clip, titled “Sisters and Bitches,” examines the objectification and improper treatment of women, and the often-used justification that there are certain women who “don’t deserve” respect.

In the footage, men were grabbing at women, focusing cameras up their skirts and pulling at their clothing. Hurt interviewed the men and asked them to explain what made it “okay” to objectify and sexually harass women they don’t know.

After the clip, Hurt tuned the question over to the audience, where answers varied. Some asserted that it’s not acceptable under any circumstances, while others argued that other factors have to be considered, such as how the woman is dressed and in what environment the action takes place.

Jonathan Yglesias, co-coordinator of Men Against Violence (MAV), one of the events co-sponsors, said later about the discussion, “I was slightly disappointed in the amount of overt racism and sexism, particularly via victim-blaming, that was stated with ease by our audience.”

Hurt asked the audience to think about how quickly the conversation had shifted from the men’s actions to the women’s clothing. “I think there were people in the audience who…had a hard time focusing on their behavior, which was the whole point of the presentation,” Hurt said.

The second clip, “Manhood in a Bottle,” explored the representation of “masculinity” as it’s portrayed in mainstream hip-hop and rap music and in the media at large.

In the clip, Hurt and others argue that this stereotypical image is fueled by the corporate side of the music industry -- studios and broadcast stations, such as BET, a subsidiary of the major media conglomerate Viacom, Inc.

According to the film, a hip-hop artist or rapper who wants to succeed in the music industry must present the image that is being sold, regardless of cultural ramifications of the blatant sexism and homophobia.

Afterwards, Hurt led the audience in a discussion about the effects of the stereotypical definition of “manhood.” Velma Hairston, a member of Afrikana, another of the events co-sponsors, said, “It is just something that is expected to be accepted because for so long there hasn't been any collective anger towards the issue.”

Yglesias said that men develop a sense of “entitlement,” which can manifest itself in the way they treat “those who are considered ‘less-than-male’ or in this case, women and the LGBTQ community.”

Hurt called on the audience to challenge sexism when they see it occurring and work to change the cultural image of masculinity into something positive. “You have to invade the culture with progressive or turbulent media…We just have to do a better job of challenging destructive stereotypes when we see them,” Hurt said.

He ended the presentation with a preview of his newest documentary, Barack and Curtis, a film that examines the image of “manhood” presented by Barack Obama, as opposed to that of Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent).

Yglesias said that he thinks a lot people left with a new understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized groups, and understanding sheds light on the problem. In his view, “If this light was ‘turned on’ for at least one person in the room, I think it can be considered a successful event."

Byron Hurt Challenges the Minds of VCU Students

2009-02-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

by: Darlene Adu-Gyamfi

As I walked into the commons theatre, I didn’t notice anything unusual as I found a seat amongst a very diverse audience. At Virginia Commonwealth University, it is not unusual to find yourself amongst people of widely varying backgrounds and ages.

We were all congregated to hear a lecture from Byron Hurt, established writer, producer and filmmaker, as well as the mind behind the celebrated documentary “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.”

When Hurt began his presentation Wednesday night I was surprised by the willingness of all those people of varying backgrounds to participate in the discussion. In a full auditorium, few were reluctant to participate in the discussion regarding what is a sensitive subject for many African Americans, the impact of Hip Hop music on American society.

To stimulate thought and conversation within the audience, Hurt showed two video clips from his documentary. The first of these clips was entitled ‘Sisters vs. Bitches’ and the second, ‘Manhood in a Bottle.’

The first clip showed a situation that occurred during spring break at Daytona Beach in which many African American males harassed their African American female counterparts by inappropriately groping and verbally harassing the women while police stood idle without intervening. After the clip, Hurt asked the audience for their opinion on how and why this was allowed to happen.

Numerous audience members were eager to contribute their thoughts. Opinions varied from person to person as some felt the women were at fault because they dressed in inviting attire, others refuted this idea by pointing out that they were at the beach and should be able to dress however they please without fear of harassment.

Many people expressed feeling that the women invited this mistreatment. Hurt asked the audience to think about why they were not on the side of the victim and if the situation would have played out the same way if white women were the victims.

His purpose for showing this clip was to get the audience thinking about American culture’s opinions of black women and Hip Hop’s contribution to this view. He asked us to assess the impact of our “male dominated society.”

Victoria Sarpong, a VCU student majoring in biology, linked the expectations of the men from the clip to what people tend to expect from Hip Hop videos. She said, “You see the Kanye West video where nobodies naked and you’re like, what kind of video is this?”

The second clip depicted the influence of the image of the black male in Hip Hop on American culture. In this clip Hurt interviewed a variety of people including aspiring rappers, currently established rappers, white suburbian Hip Hop fans, industry heads and Hip Hop commentators.

Hurt wanted the audience to understand that the image that Hip Hop depicts, whether we like it or not, is seen as a window into African American culture for people all over the world. Hurt said, “We have to challenge all the representations we see,” whether they are blatantly stereotypical or not.

Hurt expressed that the purpose of his films are to “fill you up with whatever you need to empower you.”

Hurt ended by challenging the audience to challenge ignorance and prejudice where ever they find it, from their parents to their peers, and even to strangers, and whether it is in the form of racism, sexism, or homophobia.

After the presentation, I interviewed Dana Daniels, a VCU student majoring in women’s studies, who reported being “inspired” by Hurt. She said, “He opened my eyes to issues I was already aware of, but put things more in perspective for me.”

Social Controls of Masculinity Test Minds of VCU

2009-02-20T18:53:00.001-08:00

By: Sequoia Ray
Richmond- “Men, what things do you do on a daily basis to protect yourself from being sexual assaulted or raped?” Byron Hurt said.

The room was silent. Not one man in the room could say that they were consciously protecting themselves from being sexually assaulted or raped. Although, the women gave, a significant response.

Byron Hurt challenged the minds of VCU students on Wednesday with his Gender Violence Prevention workshop and lecture on his documentary “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes.”

That first question Hurt had asked changed his life, he said.

The point Hurt wanted to make was that he did not know much about women and the men in the room agreed. Hurt, also made a point that educating boys and men about these differences is important.

“The more men who experience this kind of exercise, who learn more about women’s issues and women’s studies; I think the more beneficial it will have on men…and begin to speak up to confront sexism,” Hurt said.Hurt is a filmmaker and anti-sexism activist who wants to educate boys and men about standing up against sexism. Before becoming an anti-sexism activist, he experienced gender violence in his own home.

“I had that firsthand experience of growing up in a home where I saw my mother being emotionally abused by my father so I knew that things like emotional abuse, violence against women and sexual violence were real,” Hurt said.

Hurt went to Northwestern to study Journalism, he was the quarterback of his football team, and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Hurt said that he knew guys on his team who hit their girlfriends and saw his fraternity brothers disrespect women. However, Hurt did not intervene with his male friends.

“I really didn’t feel like it was my place to do something,” Hurt said.

Jackson Katz was the man who inspired him to stand up against sexism and violence against women, simply because Katz offered him a job that would give him the responsibility of conducting workshops for men about gender violence.

The next exercise went along with how men are perceived in society. Hurt directly identified with this exercise because when trying to speak up against sexism he was worried about how other men would perceive him.

“As a boy what messages do you get from other men and sometimes women, about what it means to be a man?” said Hurts.

The men responded with characteristics like “aggressiveness, heterosexual, tough and physically dominant,” which Hurts but inside a box.

Then he asked for some words like “faggot, wimp and bitch” that were on the outside of the box.
Hurts called theses words “social controls” that try to get men to change or stop what they are doing.

From that exercise the audience learned that this was a reason why men do not speak up against other males.
Hurts closing remarks to this workshop is that he hoped that he had challenged our minds when it comes to sexism.

Later, that evening at 7 p.m. in the Commons Theatre, Hurts gave a controversial lecture on the social controls in Hip- Hop. He lectured that in Hip- Hop social controls for masculinity over exaggerated. Hurts showed controversial clips from his documentary “Hip- Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” which is a documentary on how men perform masculinity through Hip-Hop.

One clip he showed was “Sisters and Bitches” which was filmed in Daytona Beach, Florida a huge Hip - Hop event “BET’s Spring Bling.”

Before watching the Clip “Sisters and Bitches” he explained the difference between the two.

“There are respectable women and then there are non-respectable women that are not worthy of male respect, admiration, love and support” said Hurts.

Hurts challenged the audience to pay attention to maleness, manhood and masculinity because he expressed that when people talk about sexism and homophobia, they have a tendency to shift towards women and see if it was women who were in the wrong.

Throughout the clip there were scenes that showed women being harassed by men sexually and there was nothing being done about it.

Once the clip was over the audience was fired up and dialogue began with this first question: “What makes it okay for black men to assault women?” said Hurts.

“They knew what environment they were going to and they shouldn’t present themselves like that and it’s sad that women know that men are going to treat women like that,” said Khadya a female VCU student.

Several similar comments were made and at the end of the dialogue no one was focused on the male’s behavior, the audience had shifted their focus toward the women.

Jenny, senior at VCU and an officer of Sexual Assault and dating Violence Education by Students (S.A.V.E.S) who attended both the workshop and lecture.“It’s important that people view the video, with wider audiences, so that that people that don’t make any frame of reference of sexism and racism…Some people do not realize that it’s a cultural problem and that it does affect everybody no matter what age, race, sexual orientation or class. It crosses over these boundaries and Byron Hurts Does a good job of shining on the fact that we are all inner-connected,” said Jenny.

At the end of the lecture Hurt encouraged the fact that there is work that still needs to be done to make these social changes.

Film Maker of Hip Hop Challenges VCU Students to Question Malehood and Masculinity Displayed in Today’s Society

2009-02-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

By Dana Brown

Byron Hurt shocked and inspired over 300 people in attendance with documentaries focusing on callus, rude and yet accepted behaviors of the male population towards women.

On Wednesday evening, at about 7:00, February 18^th, 2009, Byron Hurt gave a presentation in the VCU Student Commons that emphasized on the accepted belittled behavior of men towards women, particularly in the African American light. He used the clips “Sisters vs. Bitches” and “Manhood in a Bottle” out of one of his pieces and drew strong conversation among his viewers by challenging them to consider the issues they viewed and see how often they appear outside of Hip Hop.

“Black people have become more independent, the population in itself has become more individualistic” commented audience member, 48 year old, Jonathon Smith. “The collectivism has gone.”

Mr. Smith made this comment in response to the clip “Sisters vs. Bitches” where Hurt interviewed several individuals on Daytona Beach during the Spring Bling Celebration. The clip was set to draw attention to how men perform masculinity through Hip Hop. An unnamed woman made the comment that she does not get offended when negative terms are repeated in Hip Hop music in reference to women because she does not feel she is personally being referred to. Hurt went on to ask if President Bush used the term “niggas” in a speech, would black people shrug it off and say “Well, I don’t know who he talkin’ bout.”? The audience stirred in laughter.

“As I watched that last clip, I paid attention to my feelings and change in emotion, because I am a psychologist, and I could not help to feel like misogyny has taken on a black face.” Ljuanzee Isom, 37, commented on the clip “Manhood in a Bottle” about the people behind the scenes who allow these things to happen.

“BET is the cancer of black manhood in America”, these were very strong words uttered by a male spokesmen in “Manhood in a Bottle” and it stirred the audience. The conversation that followed tried to last beyond the scheduled time which made Hurt’s attempt to inspire and challenge his viewers to think a total success.

Bryon Hurt is a human rights activist, sex activist, producer and filmmaker and has worked to serve, inform and educate since 1993 and has spoken or mention on AllHipHop.com, BET, MTV, ABC, NBC, and XXL Magazine of many others. Originally interested in journalism, Byron was inspired by Marlon Riggs, another film maker and took a turn into documentary production for the education and awareness of society as a whole.

His most famous work of “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” was the most popular documentary film in 2007; it had been shown in over 150 film festivals nationwide. Today, outside of showcasing his films, striking up conversation and inspiring individuals to challenge masculine issues, he is active in such groups as Mentors and Violence Prevention Program, which is focused on young men and non abusiveness towards women.

2009-02-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

Byron Hurt Challenges Students to Think “Beyond Beats and Rhymes”

By: Jennifer Terkeltaub

Byron Hurt challenged a diverse group of people Wednesday night to take a look at how our society views gender roles, hip-hop, and masculinity.

Hurt is an anti-sexist activist, filmmaker, writer, public speaker and violence activist. “I am a whole lot of things wrapped in one”, he said. Hurt has made it his life’s work to try and prevent violence against woman and try to get people to see beyond stereotypical male roles.

Hurt created his famous documentary, “Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” to create awareness of “masculinity, maleness, and manhood” Before he showed clips from his documentary he challenged the audience to think about all the places we see “homophobia” and “hyper masculinity” outside of hip hop.

Hurt played two clips from his documentary one was “Sisters vs. Bitches”. The setting was BET’s spring break in Daytona, Florida. In this clip the men were very degrading to women. They were harassing and sexually assaulting women who were just walking by. When Hurt asked these men why it was ok for them to behave this way they would justify themselves by deflecting, or blaming the women for what they were wearing.

The part that was amazing was that when the audience was asked about the clip they blamed the women’s outfits on why they were being treated badly as well. It was interesting to see the audience defending the men even after Hurt asked them to try to look past the clothes the women were wearing.

Hurts response to this clip and the audience blaming the victims was “ I think it’s expected for some women to buy into negative images of themselves, you know, because it’s so pervasive… I think it just goes to show how deep it is, how deep the conditioning is. But I do my best where I can to not blame the victim…because I really try to contextualize…”

Velma Hairston Junior of AFAM and Psychology said, “Women need to get more mad, and men need to become more conscientious of what is right and what is wrong, no matter the circumstance.”

The second clip was “Manhood in a Bottle.” This clip was focused on hip-hop executives and how they portray black men as a “brand”, not the people they really are. The “brand” the media portrays is chains, drugs, violence, and an animalistic character.

In the first scene tons of young “want-to-be” rappers were shown free styling about murdering people, dealing drugs, and even rape. When Hurt, questioned why they rapped about negative things most of the guys responded by saying that is what the media wants.

“We need to get offended and take action, not feed into the media” one VCU student said.

The event ended with one of Hurts new works "Barack and Curtis", which was about President Obama and 50 Cent. This is a clip about a more hopeful America and the was society can staart viewing black men in America as influential people not as stereotypes.

Overall the feedback from the audience was positive. Hurt left us with the idea that we are the ones that need to start to make these for race, and gender.

Hurt inspired people to want to do something about these roles in society, and left most wanting more, and wanting to know how to help.

Portrait artist Christopher Green said, "The presentation was excellent, but we have not even begun to scratch the surface, we need to get to the root of the ills of the society. It's going to take more then one meeting to fix this."a

Animal rights group protests circus

2009-02-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

By DAYNE KAUFMAN

“For the audience, it’s an hour of entertainment. For the animals, it’s a lifetime of misery.”

That's how Richmond resident Fred Hamill describes the Barnum and Bailey’s circus. While thousands were getting ready to attend the “Greatest Show on Earth” on Friday, activists from Richmond Animal Rights, VCU students, and many others chanted protests across the street.

At 6:30 p.m., one hour before the show started, there were about 20 protesters across from the Seventh Street entrance to the Coliseum.

A poster reading “Honk If You Hate Cruelty” greeted cars pulling into the parking deck. Signs reading “Free The Elephants” and “You Choose, They Can’t” were seen by people exiting that same parking deck and walking to the venue.

Ringling Bros. is constantly forced to defend its record.

A statement on the company's website reads: “Because animals are an integral part of what we present to our audiences, Ringling Bros. provides the highest standards of care to our animal performers 365 days a year. Ringling Bros. exceeds all federal animal welfare standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).”

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) disagree, noting on their website several cases where Ringling Bros. has “failed to meet federal standards for the care of animals used in exhibition as established in the Animal Welfare Act.”

Most recently, the cases reported by PETA and the USDA include the failure to provide proper veterinary care, failure to possess records of such care, failure to provide animals with sufficient space, failure to provide animals with exercise – the list goes on.

Ringling Bros. has been found guilty in dozens of cases and sometimes forced to pay hefty fines. In a 1998 case, Ringling Bros. paid $20,000 after a baby elephant was forced to perform repeatedly while sick, resulting in its death.

An educational DVD and a nine page document, both created by PETA, were handed out by Richmond Animal Rights members at the protest.

The document listed 28 circus animal deaths. It also cited 58 cases where it claims Ringling Bros. violated state and/or federal humane laws.

The DVD included footage of Tim Frisco, Animal Care Director from the Carson and Barnes Circus, saying “Sink the hook into ‘em, and when you hear that screaming you know you’ve got their attention.” By “hook”, Frisco is referring to the bullhook, a device that circus trainers use to “guide” the movement of elephants, but as PETA notes -- it also causes them pain.

Many of the protesters were especially upset about the way Ringling Bros. treats its elephants. “Would you want to spend most of your life in chains?” said Corey Johnson.

Protesters noted that elephants in the wild walk up to 30 miles per day, but in the circus they move just three feet forward or backward while chained. There have been at least 25 elephant deaths since 1992, according to PETA.

Compounding the issue even further, ten elephants have tested positive for a human strain of tuberculosis, an often deadly airborne disease. Richmond Animal Rights activist Derek Toro said there is concern about the spread of tuberculosis to circus audience members.

The USDA's previous and current legal actions against Ringling Bros. didn’t stop Richmonders from going out to see the show.

“We’re here to educate, it’s still their choice (to watch the show),” said Toro.

Filmmaker Speaks out against "Hyper Masculinity"

2009-02-20T18:14:00.000-08:00

Filmmaker speaks out against “Hyper Masculinity”

By Daniel Rathbun

It’s spring break, in Daytona Florida, and all around there are young black women being sexually harassed by young black men; grabbing their rears, making lewd comments, and even pulling off their tops. When confronted about what they were doing, the young men said the women were “asking for it,” because of the way that they were dressed.

This was a clip called “Sister’s vs. Bitches”, one of several played by Byron Hurt, who came to the University Commons Theatre Wednesday, to show clips from his films and speak out against sexism and “hyper masculinity”.

Hurt, a Northeastern University alumni, started off trying to be a journalist, but after working at a Violence Prevention Workshop, he realized that this was his “life’s calling”, and so he became a film maker, and an activist.

His first film, “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes”, premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and has been shown in more then 50 film festivals worldwide.

When “Sisters vs. Bitches” ended, Hurt took questions from audience members, many of whom focused on the women’s skimpy clothing, rather then the men’s behavior.

“It’s easier to focus on the women, [instead of what] men do to create the problem,” said Hurt. He went on to say that this is a common reaction to this clip, and that our society has a tendency to put the blame for sexism on the way that women dress, rather then how men act.

Other audience members were concerned the fact that Hurt focused his film on sexism in the African-American community, worrying that he was reinforcing old stereotypes and “putting a black face on sexism.”

“This is an issue that transcends race,” Hurt said. He told the audience that he could just as easily filmed this at rock concerts, with white people, or at a number of other places, but he wanted to “examine masculinity in hip-hop, as a man who loves it, but questions it.”

The second clip from the film was called “Manhood in a Bottle”, and it focused on how masculinity is represented in hip-hop music. He argued that the executives who own music companies only sign rappers who perpetuate negative stereotypes.

“It still amazes me how … white people think hip hop is black culture.” said Robin Jenkins, 42.

Hurt ended his presentation by talking about what people could do to make these things better. He encouraged people to stand up for what they feel is right, and to work together to make the world a better place:

“We all have to pitch in and do the work to fight for equality.”

Byron Hurt Challenges Audience

2009-02-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

By: Ben Brown

Filmmaker Byron Hurt urged all in attendance on Wednesday night to challenge the current view of masculinity, maleness, and manhood.

Hurt, a Northeastern alumnus, spoke to a full house at the University Commons Theatre. The lecture was presented by the School of African American Studies and the student organization, Men Against Violence. Representatives from those organizations both agreed how lucky they are to have such a renowned director, author, and filmmaker speak at VCU.

Hurt created his documentary, “Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” to create awareness of “hyper masculinity.” However, he challenged the audience to “not only think of masculinity or homophobia in hip hop, but everywhere we see this outside of hip hop.”

The film was featured in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Two segments of the documentary were shown to the house. The first clip was entitled “Sisters vs. Bitches”

BET spring break was the setting of the film. Byron is seen in the video interviewing guys after verbal harassing or physically assaulting women. He’s also featured asking women why this is ok?

The lights came back up and people raised their hands for comments.

Dr. Shawn Utsey, chair of the African American Studies department, after viewing the first segment said with a lump in his throat, “It seems that misogyny and violence is taking on a black face.”

Hurt would answer later in his lecture, “This is not exclusive to black people.”

“Their behavior, regardless of race gets passed.”

Hurt paused for questions. He even asked follow up questions to audience members. He said the goal of the evening was to think.

The question was posed by a few audience members whether these girls were “Asking for it,” by dressing in a certain manner.

Hurt responded, “What a woman is wearing shouldn’t be part of the conversation.”

He also commented that he is frustrated that the conversation always goes to the women. “It is easier to focus on the women than it is to focus on the men that are causing the problem.”

“Manhood in a Bottle” was the second clip shown.

This clip featured a large gathering of hip-hop executives. Hundreds of young ‘want-to-be’ rappers were shown rapping about murdering people and using and dealing illegal drugs.

Is this manhood?

A local and lifetime Richmonder who preferred to go by RasC, 63, said the film, “brought issues out that needed to be addressed.” RasC said he wished every man would watch a film like this. The woman around him nodded in agreement.

During the discussion, several audience members questioned whether Hurt was spreading awareness or reinforcing stereotypes. Hurt responded, “I was very aware of trying not to reinforce stereotypes with my film.”

Ashley Collier is a junior Sociology student and was in attendance on Wednesday night. “I want to show the film to everyone I know,” Collier said.

Byron Hurt finished his presentation with a challenge for the audience.

“We all have to pitch in and do the work to fight for equality.”