The Commonwealth Times; April 26, 2023

Environmental club petitions VCU to declare climate emergency

Barry O’Keefe, a VCUarts adjunct faculty member, walked alongside students, faculty and community members through campus to VCU President Micheal Rao’s office while carrying his two-year-old daughter.

O’Keefe’s daughter held a sign that read “No tuition on a dead planet.”

“It [VCU] has an enormous responsibility to decarbonize itself, which it’s entirely shirked for most of its history,” O’Keefe said.

VCU has yet to divest from fossil fuels, while the University of Richmond is now generating 100% of its power from renewable energy, according to O’Keefe.

“It’s [VCU] a beautiful school. I’m very committed to it, and that’s why I’m out here,” O’Keefe said. “Dissent is the highest

form of patriotism.”

After marching through campus, approximately 30 protestors gathered on West Franklin Street for songs and speeches. Student organization Green Action! promotes climate justice and organized the protest, according to its leadership.

Aaron Hart, VCU vice president of student affairs, accepted the coffin on behalf of Rao, who was unable to be present, according to Hart.

Hart said Green Action! has been given priority in communications and meetings for the future.

Richmond City Council previously declared the city in a state of climate emergency in 2021, according to a previous article by The Commonwealth Times.

Green Action! created a petition that has surpassed 2,000 signatures, and it outlines steps for VCU to become a more sustainable university, according to Caroline

May, communication arts and environmental studies student and events coordinator for Green Action!.

Declaring a climate emergency involves acknowledging climate change as an issue and requires institutions to be held accountable and address it, according to May.

Some steps are reducing VCU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, being more transparent about their emissions and moving away from fossil fuels, according to May.

The aim of the protest was to encourage Rao to declare a climate emergency at VCU, according to Lee Finch, founder and co-president of Green Action!

“Declaring a climate emergency is not just a statement,” Finch said. “But holding VCU accountable for their unsustainable partnerships and practices.”

Finch showed the crowd of protestors a small coffin with an earth ball inside while

The CT seniors say farewell

See Climate on page 2

See farewells on page 13

It’s [VCU] a beautiful school. I’m very committed to it, and that’s why I’m out here. Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”

The Supreme Court of the United Stateson Friday, April 21 protected access to mifepristone, a medical abortion pill; the case will now proceed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to SCOTUS ruling.

Restrictions on the drug, used for over 20 years, came from Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, known as an anti-abortion activist, back on April 7, according to reports from CNN.

The case will return to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on May 17 for a decision. Depending on the outcome, it could be heard again in SCOTUS, according to CNN.

56% of the approximately 17,000 induced terminations of pregnancy in Virginia were performed using mifepristone, according to a reporting from the Virginia Mercury.

The use of mifepristone for medication abortion in Virginia has been slightly increasing since 2015, according to the Virginia Mercury.

Abortions through the second trimester remain legal in Virginia, according to state law.

Data from a March Washington PostSchar School poll found 41% of Virginians would like to see less restrictive abortion laws compared to 17% who would like to see more restrictive laws put in place. 43% either would like the current abortion law to stay the same or had no opinion.

The same poll showed 33% of Virginians strongly supporting versus 36% strongly opposing a 15-week ban. The only exceptions for rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life.

Kiya Lawler, president of Her Campus at VCU, an online publication targeted to female college students, said her first reaction to hearing about the potential nationwide mifepristone ban was one of concern.

Lawler is worried about the impact this

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Lawler knows this is a scary time, but she does not want people to give up because change needs to continue to happen, Lawler said.

“I don’t think that we should lose all hope now, because if we do, then there’s no mobilization to go out to vote, to go out to change these things,” Lawler said.

Jamie Lockhart, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, thinks it is important to speak out for abortion protection, but this time is very important because it was an attempt at a national abortion ban, according to Lockhart.

“This latest attack on medication abortion disrespects the will of the people,” Lockhart said. “It is a blatant attempt to pass the de facto national abortion ban.”

If mifepristone would have been banned, the drug would be taken off the market nationwide, including states where abortions remain legal, like Virginia. While it would not be easy to overturn a federal law like this, voters at the state level can make their voices heard, according to Lockhart.

here in the commonwealth,” Lockhart said.

Planned Parenthood providers across the state had made plans on the chance mifepristone was banned and planned to continue to offer medication abortion through the use of misoprostol, another abortion medication drug, and in-clinic abortion procedures, according to Lockhart.

“There’s a commitment to doing everything possible to ensure people still have access to abortion here in the commonwealth of Virginia,” Lockhart said. Lockhart believes this potential ban could lead to greater implications for reproductive access, she said.

“If the Supreme Court allows this lower court decision to stand, it really opens up all sorts of drugs to be challenged. It sets such a dangerous precedent,” Lockhart said.

Mail-ordered chemical abortions are four times more dangerous than surgical abortion, and women are left alone without medical care, according to Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation.

“Virginian women deserve to know that the drugs they take have been approved because they meet stringent safety standards and not to meet a political agenda,” Cobb stated in an email.

ban could have for reproductive accessibility and individuals who might need these services, she said.

“I think that restricting things like abortion or the abortion pill is definitely scary,” Lawler said.

Abortion and reproductive rights are not the only rights on the line, and Lawler wonders what could be next if mifepristone was banned, she said. It is important for people to speak out and participate in voting to protect what is being threatened, according to Lawler.

“I do believe that other states lead by example, and Virginia could very well be next and kind of inspire, unfortunately, legislation from that,” Lawler said.

“All 140 of our state legislative seats are on the ballot, and so this year, this November, Virginians have the opportunity to elect leaders who are supportive of abortion rights and who will do everything they can to protect access

Cobb stated she was grateful SCOTUS took a look at this mifepristone case. The Commonwealth Times reached out to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office and received no response about the potential mifepristone ban or reaction to the SCOTUS ruling.

Continued from front page

“Today we march with this coffin containing the earth to this funeral music to show the gravity of our situation,” Finch said. “Combating climate change is not political, it is necessary.”

Green Action! has been in contact with Rao several times before on this topic, according to Carolyn Hindle, an environmental studies student and co-president of the student organization.

“Last semester, he said he ‘didn’t want to get political,’” Hindle said.

Hindle said that VCU impacts not only students but the Richmond community.

“It [VCU] owes all of its students and all of the Richmond citizens an opportu-

nity to have a clean future,” Hindle said.

Mark Wood, a professor in the school of world studies and advisor for Green Action!, delivered a “farewell to a way of living on the planet that is killing to earth” to protestors.

“Our health, well-being and joy depend fundamentally on doing all that we can to replenish and protect the biodiverse ecosystems that nourish our lives,” Wood said. “VCU can lead the way in this effort.”

Woods said caring for the earth is necessary to care for ourselves.

“Our health depends on the earth’s health,” Wood said. “Care for the earth must take priority over the bottom line and making profits for the few.”

Ollie Walker, an environmental stud-

ies student, protested with the club and said that some effects of climate change are irreversible at this point.

“I think universities as institutions are creating the next generation of people in the workforce, and they have a certain responsibility there in upholding things, like protecting our world,” Walker said.

VCU is currently developing a sustainability plan that may address points mentioned in the Green Action! declaration, according to a joint statement from Hart and Meredith Weiss, vice president for administration.

“We know that for plans this important to work, the entire community needs to be included in the development and implementation,” Hart and Weiss stated.

Medical abortion pill access remains accessible, case still being decided in lower court

Environmental club petitions VCU to declare climate emergency

I don’t think that we should lose all hope now, because if we do, then there’s no mobilization to go out to vote, to go out to change these things,”

Kiya Lawler, president of Her Campus at VCU

LGBTQIA+ community advocates share stories, passions after VCU award

“Joy is a quintessential part of the queer experience; like joy and freedom and self determination,” VCU graduate student Beck Oh said.

Oh, who goes by she/they pronouns, is also the interim program manager for LGBTQIA+ Initiatives for the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, or OMSA, and said planning and hosting big events of celebration for students within the queer community is a passion of theirs.

Oh is one of the recipients of the Equality VCU Burnside Watstein Award, given annually to individuals who positively impact and provide community to LGBTQIA+ students, staff and faculty, according to its website.

Intersection between racial and ethnic identities and queerness is also something that is interesting and important to Oh, they said.

“I think that’s definitely an issue that a lot of queer people of color face where you go to your ethnic, cultural, racial space, maybe you kind of don’t talk about your queerness,” Oh said. “When you go to queer spaces, they tend to be predominantly white, and then you feel pressured to downplay the ethnic cultural parts of yourself.”

One of the biggest focuses in their work is creating community and “very specific spaces” for queer individuals of color, Oh said.

“I think my personal philosophy when it comes to this work is that if you don’t intentionally, from the beginning, create and make space for people of color, then typically, what happens is that you end up with a space that’s mostly white, and you’re confused as to why the queer people of color didn’t show up,” Oh said.

Oh said they like to organize panels and social events for queer people from specific minority groups, such as Black and Middle Eastern.

“I think it’s emotional in these specific spaces that we’ve had,” Oh said. “It gets emotional because I think folks of color are so unused to having the space that is specifically just for them.”

Providing possibility models to young queer individuals is another one of their passions, according to Oh.

“Being able to see someone who’s older

than you and have lived the life that you would like to live as well, being able to see a possibility,” Oh said.

Oh started graduate school at VCU in August 2021 and was a student at New York University before that. Oh said she was burnt out due to academic pressure in high school and took the time to prioritize her mental health during her college years.

“It wasn’t until towards the end of college, I had the energy and capacity to, think about, ‘Oh, how can I serve my community?’” Oh said.

She wasn’t always involved in LGBTQIA+ activism, her work began in college through community organizing, Oh said.

“When I got to college was when I came out to friends and in college is when I actually did some community organizing where my friends and I started a club at NYU, called the Coalition for Minority Journalists,” Oh said. “I was sort of overseeing the LGBTQ aspect of that.”

Julian Kevon Glover, assistant VCU professor in the gender, sexuality and women’s studies department who goes by she/they pronouns, said “embodiment” is a more holistic term for understanding their identity because their identity can never fully describe all that they are.

“My embodiment is always changing. I’m very much, a kind of a shapeshifter,” Glover said. “There are that many selves that I really do believe reside within me, and they come out when they feel like coming out and so that’s very much aesthetically embodied.”

She said she tends to be a model of possibility to students and encourages them to embrace their “complexities” and accept their “contradictions.”

Building and encouraging community for LGBTQIA+ individuals is at the core of Glover’s passion and activism, according to her.

“It’s about cultivation,” Glover said. “It is about being willing to come and do the work day in and day out.”

Glover said she sees this cultivation of community as a commitment and practice that she remains dedicated to.

“It’s not just something that you identify with, and you come and go as you please, not for me at least,” Glover said. “It’s really a practice that requires diligent and fervent kinds of supplication and intention.”

She worked for nonprofits early in her career, but they didn’t allow her to do the depth of work she wanted to, according to Glover.

Glover said she discovered and “fell in love” with gender, sexuality and women’s studies, Black studies and performance studies during her graduate school career at Indiana University. These were the fields in which people were having the conversations she wanted and where she felt she had the most to contribute, Glover said.

While they had heard of the award before, being part of the gender, sexuality and women’s studies department, Glover said they were surprised to receive it.

My embodiment is always changing. I’m very much, a kind of a shapeshifter. There are that many selves that I really do believe reside within me, and they come out when they feel like coming out and so that’s very much aesthetically embodied.”

Julian Kevon Glover, assistant VCU professor in the gender, sexuality and women’s studies department

“The notification just came as a random notification in my email inbox one day,” Glover said. “It really surprised me because I know I do quite a bit of work on and off campus and all of that. But I still feel like to some degree, I just got to Richmond.”

Glover said they also worked at Indiana University and Northwestern University. They then were successfully recruited into VCU’s iCubed visiting scholar program.

She is part of Intersections in the Lives of LGBTQIA+ Communities Transdisciplinary Core, a VCU initiative that invests in academic and research programs to understand the effects of discrimination and emphasize activism and resilience, Glover said.

Glover works with community organizations such as Black Pride RVA and also larger issues like youth homelessness.

“The other thing that gives me an immense amount of joy for the work that I do, has nothing necessarily to do with VCU,” Glover said. “Work looks like for me showing up and supporting, LGBT folks doing really interesting work.”

She was extremely surprised by the award, partly due to her “complicated” relationship with recognition as awards and honors were one of the only ways she felt loved by her parents growing up, according to Glover.

“A few years ago, I really began to see that my own sense of self became pretty tied to the kinds of recognition I was receiving,” Glover said. “So as a matter of redeveloping, relearning, recalibrating, my relationship to recognition, it’s something thatI don’t necessarily look for anymore.”

Recognition from members within the LGBTQIA+ community is what matters most to her, making this award more meaningful, according to Glover.

“Pretty much everybody who is on the board [for the Burnside Watstein Awards], or who decides to make the decision every year for who gets it, they’re pretty much all queer themselves,” Glover said. “It is a kind of honorific within community or by community.”

Glover said recognitions such as the Burnside Watstein Awards is important because it gives value to marginalized people, such as LGBTQIA+ and Black and brown individuals, that society assumes has “no value.”

“One of the things that I think is so important about these kinds of awards, is that it speaks back very powerfully to a society that tries to tell us that our lives are wholly devoid of meaning,” Glover said.

It is also significant to recognize queer individuals while they’re alive through honors such as this award, Glover said.

“Too often LGBT people become aware to other folks in our deaths. Far too often,” Glover said. “So it is meaningful to be able to receive a kind of honorific kind of award while we are alive, to celebrate ourselves and to be celebrated within and by our community.”

Van Vox and Melissa-Irene Jackson were the two other recipients that received the award.

‘MOMS SHOULD NOT BE DYING’: Black maternal mortality rates remain high

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Black maternal mortality rates have increased over the decades, according to the CDC’s Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System reports.

The Non-Hispanic, Black pregnant people had the highest maternal mortality rate at about 70%, whereas the rate for non-hispanic white pregnant people was about 27%, according to 2021 CDC data from U.S. Maternal Mortality Rates. Data also showed the mortality rate for Hispanic pregnant people was 28%.

Maternal mortality rate for Black communities is three to six times greater than what white pregnant people experience, according to Tashima Lambert Giles, VCU Health assistant professor in the obstetrics and gynecology department.

“If we are not focusing on that [disparities affecting Black maternal health], then unfortunately, we’re gonna have worse outcomes for Black moms,” Lambert Giles said.

Social determinants of health, such as access to quality education, quality health care, an individual’s neighborhood and economic stability, are why Black communities experience maternal mortality at a higher rate, according to Lambert Giles. Racism also plays a big part into why Black pregnant people still face a higher maternal mortality rate, she said.

“That’s the reason why when people talk about this, we don’t exclude the conversation of racism, because we see how institutional and structural racism have actually created this unfortunate crisis,” Lambert Giles said.

Lambert Giles believes the first step to improve Black maternal health is “recognizing, addressing and accepting” — this is a problem to be able to find solutions, she said.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists formed task forces to improve the standard of care while ensuring all hospitals maintain the standard despite their demographic, Lambert Giles

said. Individualized patient care and understating factors impacting one’s pregnancy, childbirth and post birth are beneficial to providing solutions, she said.

Sequoi Phipps-Hawkins, doula and director of communications for Birth in Color RVA, was “shocked and appalled” with the maternal mortality rate Black mothers face in this country, she said.

pulmonary embolism

• Preeclampsia, even postpartum preeclampsia, a condition when your body produces too much protein causing an individual’s blood pressure to spike and can lead to stroke, death or organ failure

“If we boast about the health care that we have in this country, our moms shouldn’t be dying from preventable causes,” Phipps-Hawkins said.

Phipps-Hawkins trained to become a doula to be able to provide a positive impact for an individual’s birth and post experience, she said.

Through organizations like Birth in Color, Medicaid recipients are now able to be reimbursed for doula services, which was not the case until last year; recipients can be assigned a doula to offer support and help during the entirety of an individual’s pregnancy, Phipps-Hawkins said.

The organization works with hospitals across the state to do diversity, equity and inclusion training to create more awareness on Black maternal health, and offers doula training to allow doulas to be present in the birthing rooms to promote a positive experience, according to Phipps-Hawkins.

bit different. Not in the sense of it could have been worse, but it could not have been as satisfactory,” Street said. “I would not have had somebody behind me to advocate for me through my experience.”

Street was able to have a close relationship with her doula, Phipps-Hawkins, she said. Street appreciated how her doula would check in with her throughout the

“I just wasn’t okay with that,” Phipps-Hawkins said. “I wanted to see what things were already happening and what I could add to help curb that, and hopefully, help eliminate and eradicate that maternal mortality rate.”

Many Black mothers will get written off from their care providers because providers think Black people have a higher pain tolerance, or complain about pain that “will just go away,” Phipps-Hawkins said.

Mothers of color are dying from preventable causes, Phipps-Hawkins said, such as:

• Post-surgical birth complications of severe abdominal pain

• Chest pains that turn out to be

“We talk about joy all the time here because we’re doing so much of this gritty hard work, then we see these numbers that can be frustrating and heartbreaking,” Phipps-Hawkins said. “The reality is birth and welcoming a newborn into your family should be a joyous occasion.”

Juanita Street, a first-time mom, heard about Birth in Color RVA three months into her pregnancy after a friend sent her an Instagram post about doula applications; Street had already been thinking about getting a doula and wanted to apply for one, she said.

Street knew of complications and risks Black women could face during pregnancy and childbirth and was anxious about the process, she said. Street did experience complications during her pregnancy, she said.

“If I had not had a doula with me, I felt like my experience would have been a little

entire process, celebrate milestones and would be there to answer questions about symptoms she felt, according to Street.

“A lot of women don’t realize that they could have access to something like this. They don’t realize how important it really could be to their mental health during pregnancy,” Street said.

Street wants women to look at all resources available to them during pregnancy and consider getting a doula to have as a support system, and to always advocate for oneself when something does not feel right in your body, she said.

“It can be a struggle at times. If you feel like you’re by yourself, but when you look out for other options and other resources, it’s definitely helpful,” Street said.

- Post-surgical birth complications of severe abdominal pain

- Chest pains that turn out to be pulmonary embolism

- Preeclampsia, even postpartum preeclampsia, a condition when your body produces too much protein causing an individual’s blood pressure to spike and can lead to stroke, death or organ failure

Mothers of color are dying from preventable causes, Phipps-Hawkins said, such as:

We talk about joy all the time here because we’re doing so much of this gritty hard work, then we see these numbers that can be frustrating and heartbreaking. The reality is birth and welcoming a newborn into your family should be a joyous occasion.”

Sequoi Phipps-Hawkins, doula and director of communications for Birth in Color RVA

If we are not focusing on that [disparities affecting Black maternal health], then unfortunately, we’re gonna have worse outcomes for Black moms.”

Tashima Lambert Giles, VCU Health assistant professor in the obstetrics and gynecology department

DARIUS THEUS WAS A PART OF THE VCU team that went to the NCAA Final Four in 2011, according to VCU Athletics.

Theus now returns to VCU as an assistant coach.

“The biggest [definition of VCU] for me will be family, and that was one of the key reasons I came here,” Theus said. “So I just think it’s a special place — like I said, family is everything to me, so when I think of VCU, I think family.”

Theus was previously the director of player development for VCU, taking the job in June 2018, according to VCU Athletics. After four years at VCU, he became an assistant coach at Siena College last May, according to Theus.

Theus was under head coach Carmen Maciariello at Siena, where the team won over 50% of its games last season, according to Siena Athletics.

Havoc lives forever — that’s what VCU is.

When me and coach [Ryan] Odom had talked, it was just about merging those words together and making it one — keeping this tradition going, which is winning games and winning championships.”

Darius Theus, assistant coach

“I learned a lot at Siena my first year, but it’s a great place,” Theus said. “I met a lot of great people, and the players were amazing — [I’m] just really thankful for Coach Carm for even considering me to be a part of his staff at Siena.”

“Havoc” has been VCU’s brand of basketball throughout the years, focusing on full-court aggressive defense. Many fans have wondered if “Havoc” will stay after the departure of former head coach Mike Rhoades, but it will always be a part of VCU, Theus said.

“Havoc lives forever — that’s what VCU is,” Theus said. “When me and coach [Ryan] Odom had talked, it was just about merging those words together and making it one — keeping this tradition going, which is winning games and winning championships.”

The return of Theus is another stepping stone for newly-hired VCU men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom. Odom is excited about the return of Theus and is looking to continue to move “forward,” Odom stated in an email.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Darius join our staff here at VCU. Obviously, his connection to the past is going to be really important as we move forward,” Odom stated.

Odom believes that Theus deserved the assistant coach position at VCU, he stated.

“Darius has earned this opportunity,” Odom stated. “We know that he’s going

FORMER MEN’S POINT GUARD RETURNS TO VCU AS ASSISTANT COACH

Stat of the week

VCU freshman Selkis Elong set the VCU school record in the long jump event, leaping 6.2m (20’-4.5”), according to VCU Athletics.

to do a great job. He’s excited. He’s already been doing a great job and we’re looking forward to having him here with us.”

Odom is ready to get started at the helm of VCU’s program with a new era, he said at his introductory press conference.

“I can’t wait to get going,” Odom said. “I can’t tell you how excited we are to get to work and we’re going to win championships too.”

VCU alum and teammate during the NCAA Final Four, Joey Rodriguez, thinks highly of Theus, he said.

“He was such a solid individual, very trustworthy,” Rodriguez said. “One of those teammates you could always count on. There’s not a selfish bone in his body; he was just a great teammate.”

Rodriguez is confident that Theus was a good choice and will be successful at VCU, he said.

“I’m excited for him; he loves it there. That’s his home,” Rodriguez said. “He’s such a solid human being that he’s going to be great.”

In a message to the fans, Theus wants basketball fans to be patient, as he believes coach Odom and staff have success coming to VCU, he said.

“Be patient. Change takes time, but we have a great head coach,” Theus said. “Give it time and be patient. I know Coach Odom will do something special, and I’m excited to be a part of his staff.”

VCU tennis programs head into postseason optimistic

VCU’S MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS programs are heading into the Atlantic 10 conference playoffs with confidence af ter both teams finished off their regular seasons with a win, ac cording to VCU Athletics.

Both teams are going into this postseason as reigning champions in consecutive fashion.

The men’s team is currently on a five-season win ning streak as the reigning champions, according to VCU Athletics. The women’s team are also on a four-season winning streak as the reigning cham pions, according to VCU Athletics.

MEN’S TENNIS

The team ended its season on a three-game winning streak for the spring season, totaling the end-season record at 17-5. Men’s head coach Anthony Rossi said the season went similarly to last year.

“We had some really good wins and some really close matches against Harvard and Wake Forest that we lost,” Rossi said. “We could have been better during some stages of matches, but overall we did good.”

The Rams had persevered against many In ternational Tennis Association ranked teams like No. 30, Cornell University and No. 35, Tulane University.

VCU graduate student Charles Bertimon said the team had some hard losses, but overall a successful season that has him excited for the A-10 tournament.

“We had some tough losses during the season, but I think we had a pretty successful season,” Bertimon said. “I’m really excited about the A-10 and then hopefully NCAA.”

Bertimon is in his final season as a member of the black and gold, and said he is happy with the hard times and what they produced.

“I’ve been fighting so hard to have no regrets — looking back I just remember all the best memo ries and experiences I had here,” Bertimon said.

VCU graduate student Rayane Stable is also in his final year as a Ram. Stable said this year he was happy to be able to be a helping guide to the new freshmen ad justing to the college-style play.

“When things don’t go your way, I’m at least going to try and talk to you,” Stable said. “As a freshman, you don’t know what it is like to be a college player, but they picked it up quite good at the end.”

The Rams ended the season ranking No. 38 in the ITA Rankings. Bertimon said going forward, he looks at each match as potentially his last and wants to give it his all.

“The next match is potentially our last, so we don’t take it lightly,” Bertimon said. “We are excit ed about the A-10, and hopefully for the NCAA.”

WOMEN’S TENNIS

The team finished its season with a win on the road against A-10 opponent Davidson College to finish the season with an overall record of 7-12, according to VCU Athletics. Women’s head coach Vivian Segnini said that this season was challenging, but there were positive aspects as well.

“It was challenging because some of our main players were dealing with illnesses and injuries, so that was a main issue,” Segnini said, “There were also some good wins like against JMU [James Madison University], so that was a positive.”

VCU freshman Victoria Matasova said she wasn’t nervous because of the support of her teammates and the fans against JMU.

“I wasn’t really nervous because I tried to do my best,” Matasova said. “When you play at home you don’t feel pressure, you feel support, because a lot of people came and they were cheering for us.” Even with the injuries, the Rams were able to finish the season undefeated against A-10 opponents, according to VCUletics.nini said the conference matches are important because it gave them

“Conference matches are very important, because the conference tournament is the most important tournament,” Segnini said.

“It wasn’t easy, so even though we beat them, we want to go into the conference confident and ready to fight and win close matches.”

She is looking forward to the postseason tournament, because the team did their best in preparation for it, Matasova said.

“I am so excited because we did an amazing job,” Matasova said. “I think we will try especially hard for our seniors and grad students, because it is their final year and I want to finish our last

CT Sports’

PICK OF THE WEEK

Golden State Warriors versus Sacramento Kings

For this week’s CT Sports’ pick of the week, we’re heading to the NBA to cover the well-anticipated playoffs. With a California matchup in the first round, the Golden State Warriors are guaranteed to win the game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, April 26.

The Kings, who are first in their Pacific Division, have maintained two wins at home against the Warriors so far in the playoffs.

This is the first time they have made it to the playoffs in 16 years, making this opportunity

GAME RESULTS

APRIL 18

GOLF - MOUNTAINEER INVITATIONAL

6 OUT OF 13

MEN’S TENNIS - AT WILLIAM & MARY WON 4-1

MEN’S BASEBALLVS. VIRGINIA LOSS 19-6

APRIL 21

MEN’S BASEBALL - AT GEORGE WASHINGTON LOSS 9-2

APRIL 22

MEN’S BASEBALL - AT GEORGE WASHINGTON WON 11-4

APRIL 23

WOMEN’S LACROSSE - AT GEORGE MASON WON 16-9

MEN’S BASEBALL - AT GEORGE WASHINGTON LOSS 3-2

all the more important for the team, according to Capradio.

Key player for the Kings so far has been point guard De’Aaron Fox, who is leading the team in points, assists and steals. The Kings also have power forward Domantas Sabonis, who is leading the team in rebounds, according to ESPN.

On the other hand, we have the Warriors, who are the reigning champions. In addition to that, Golden State has won three other championships in less than 10 years, with Stephen Curry, who was named MVP in 2022, according to ESPN.

Alongside the MVP, the Warriors have a team filled with talented players, including players like Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and many more.

It may seem like the Warriors won’t make it out of the first round, but after their win in game three on April 20, I wouldn’t count them out just yet. This will be a series that will more than likely go up to the final two games, with both teams having something to prove with every game played.

One dot at a time: Three stick and poke artists note rising popularity of the tattoo style

VCUarts brings a story about found family in the midst of aids crisis

CHLOE HAWKINS Spectrum Editor

The VCUarts theater took viewers through a rollercoaster of emotions on the opening night of Rent, said Mackenzie Sheppard, VCU theater performance student.

VCUarts theater presented its spring musical, Rent, on April 21 and will have various showtimes throughout April 30. Rent is about “falling in love, finding your voice and living for today,” according to the VCUarts website.

“It’s so fulfilling to see half the cast — they’re my friends,” Sheppard said. “It’s nice to see them on stage doing what they’re made to do.”

Sheppard is a senior planning to graduate in theater performance this spring, according to Sheppard.

“It’s just a loving community and family within the department,” Sheppard said. “We just love to make art together. Do magic together.”

Sheppard noted that one of her favorite aspects of the show was the costumes, she said.

“The costumes were very amazing, very vibrant,” Sheppard said. “I love the way the costume team designed it.”

Inspiration for the musical’s wardrobe came from the heart of the story, according to costume designer Kasey Brown.

“The whole story is about the bohemian lifestyle,” Brown said. “I decided that every single person needed to look like their art.”

Brown made sure that every piece of clothing was distressed in some way, whether it be painted, embroidered or cut, she said.

“Almost nothing is right off the rack,” Brown said. “We just ‘art-ed’ everything up.”

The biggest part of the process of finding the wardrobe for Rent had a lot to do with doing research on the time span it was set in, the ‘90s, Brown said. This show is about the aids crisis in New York City, which was at the time ignored by the U.S. government, she said.

“There was a lot of research that had to be done,” Brown said. “It was a lot of deep diving and finding these people that they [the government] didn’t want people to see.”

Brown had a hard time choosing which character was her favorite to style, but ultimately she loved styling Roger Davis, Angel Dumott Schunard and Mimi Marquez, she said.

“I personally love Roger and Mimi’s story, and I always feel like when they’re designed it’s done very wrong — especially Mimi,” Brown said. “I wanted to do her justice.”

Mya Hall, a VCU theater and finance student, plays Mimi Marquez. Hall is able to connect with her character Mimi through her afro-latina heritage, she said.

“Growing up, a bit part of my environment and who I am is the fact that I’m mixed — Black, Dominican and Puerto Rican,” Hall said. “That has really allowed me to connect with this role as she is a latina woman. It’s important that this role is portrayed by a person of color.”

Hall had to do a lot of background research on her character, Mimi Marquez, she said. Mimi has a unique background story involving drug abuse and the struggles around moving to New York City to chase her dreams, according to Hall.

“She has higher hopes and dreams for herself but because of survival and having to take care of herself, she gets into hard things that a lot of people might also con-

nect with,” Hall said.

Hall’s favorite thing about Mimi’s character is her confidence and how “if she wants something, she goes for it,” she said. This role challenged her to step into this new-found confidence through Mimi, Hall said.

“It took me a while to embrace that,” Hall said. “Once I did, I really understood who Mimi is.”

Hall was “shook” when she got this lead role, she said. This was her debut at VCU, and she went in thinking she’d be happy being in the ensemble, according to Hall.

“I was very excited and blessed to have the opportunity to play this role and be surrounded by so many talented people,” Hall said. “Everyone in the cast is so talented.”

The cast began rehearsal for the show on February 21, according to musical director Desirèe Dabney. She chose “Rent” as the spring musical because it has many different “themes that we need to talk about today,” Dabney said.

“It’s a challenging show that’s challeng-

ing our students to talk about aids, sex, drugs and how that was in the ‘90’s,” Dabney said. “And continuing to tell the story of what Jonathan Larson created.”

A major part of this musical is that it’s unfinished due to Jonathan Larson’s untimely death, caused by an undiagnosed aortic dissection that occurred on January 25, 1996. A lot of Rent is based on Larson’s real-life experiences. The production was nominated for ten Tony Awards in 1996, according to the American theatre wing.

This will be Dabney’s first year as the musical director at VCUarts theater, she said. She is excited for her first production, Dabney said. VCU students can relate to this story in many ways, according to Dabney.

“Finding who your family is — finding the tribe, and discovering who you are,” Dabney said.

Performances will take place in the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, located at 922 Park Place.

VCUarts committee leads community yarn bombing installation on campus

A public art installation headed by VCUarts’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee will see 10 to 12 trees on campus covered in knitted and crocheted works, in a process called yarn bombing.

The installation will be up by May 6, on display by the walkway outside Shafer Court Dining Center for six weeks, according to Diana Caramat, project lead and member of the VCUarts Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.

“[The] committee came together to present a community-engaged project to increase minority public art engagement since we live in a minority-prevalent city,” Caramat said. “We wanted to do it through a collaborative, eco-friendly art project.”

Yarn bombing — covering objects in public spaces with knitted or crocheted works — was the chosen medium for the project because of a large donation of yarn the school received from a re-

tired saleswoman, Caramat said. Considering their own background in the public art process and the donation, yarn bombing was a natural choice for the project, they said.

Approximately 100 people are participating in the project and represent over 20 departments at VCU, not limited to the School of the Arts, according to Caramat.

“Because the group is so diverse, they’ve been meeting people in medical, in general education, in the sciences,” Caramat said.

“It’s been really nice for them to have a mixing pot but come together to do a very cathartic craft.”

Every participant has a different reason for being there, such as community building, making connections or even to progress their career, Caramat said.

The overarching message of the project is community-connectedness and an appreciation for diversity, according to Caramat.

“It distills down to that,” Caramat said. “Creating a connected community, embracing and celebrating diversity and learning new creative skills together.”

Caera Harrison, junior fashion merchan-

dising student, started crocheting last year when she was sick with COVID-19. The yarn bombing project has been an opportunity to try out a knitting machine, which resulted in her buying her own, she said.

“I had wanted to learn for a while because knitting is hard, and I didn’t understand it,” Harrison said. “Diana brought her knitting machine in one day and taught me how to use it, which was great.”

The team had measured the trees and organized them into groups based on their size, then allowed participants to pick which trees they wanted to work on pieces for, according to Harrison.

Harrison enjoys working on the project, as she’s never done anything collaborative with fiber arts, she said.

“It can be kind of hard to find a project that’s collaborative in crocheting or knitting, and I definitely feel like it’s becoming a lot more popular now,” Harrison said. “It’s fun to work with other people. I’ve also met some people that I otherwise would never talk to or come across.”

Dani Henry, a freshman planning to

study communication arts, said she was excited by the opportunity of the project as she’s crotched as a hobby since the third grade.

“Being able to be around people that are into the similar interest of crochet and knitting — it’s nice to have that community,” Henry said.

Henry has been a part of the project since the very first meeting at the beginning of this semester, and admires the group’s welcoming community, she said.

“Everybody is so welcoming, you can just talk to anyone,” Henry said. “Everybody is an equal. It’s really nice.”

The project is a good opportunity to expose people to crochet and the possibilities of yarn as a medium, Henry said.

“A lot of people aren’t exposed to crochet as much as they are knitting,” Henry said. “To be able to show all these things that we can do with yarn and create public art pieces for people to enjoy, it’s really ful-

New weekend event expands awareness, understanding of sustainable fashion

RVA sustainable fashion weekend events encourages conscious fashion decisions for the first time this upcoming weekend from April 27-30.

The weekend’s theme will be “Trash the Runway” to inspire people. A landfill is the richest place on earth since all ideas and ambitions that have not been worked on go there, said Caelan Nzamba, its founder and director and VCU alum.

“The key was to push people to do what they were thinking about or have their hopes on, regardless of how hard the struggle is,” Nzamba said. “That’s something I want the Richmond people to really take and move on with.”

The weekend will include: an invasive species river cleanup; a gala with guest speakers and discussions around local and global issues, a screen printing event in Monroe Park hosted by Eco Fashion VCU, a fashion show, a clothing swap presented by SwapMeet RVA and a drive to collect items for lower-income populations, according to Nzamba.

Nzamba decided to create RVA Sustainable Fashion Weekend after meeting the owner of Swap Across America, an organization that does swaps across the East Coast, according to Nzamba. Nzamba thought Richmond would be a great place for a swap, but after reflecting, he decided he’d rather create a bi-annual or annual event for the Richmond community.

“There’s a lot of sustainable artists and designers and a really big sustainable audience here,” Nzamba said. “So I really wanted to create something for the audience.”

Nzamba realized while creating the event and working with the community, many people in Richmond have been in the vintage and sustainable fashion reclaim for decades, he said.

“Every time I talk to them about what I’m trying to do, I have that spark in my eyes, it’s stuck in there, but it kind of feeds off each other,” Nzamba said. “I can really see that this is something that people have wanted for a while.”

SwapMeet RVA will be hosting the swap on April 30, according to its co-founder and organizer Cam Hadnot. SwapMeet RVA will have vendors selling a wide range of products and a specific time for attendees to swap clothing with participating vendors.

For RVA Sustainable Fashion Weekend, SwapMeet RVA is pivoting its market to be more of a social event by having a DJ and a seating area, according to Cam Hadnot.

SwapMeet RVA wants to become a larger part of RVA Sustainable Fashion Weekend next year, Cam Hadnot said. They hope

to spread awareness for the event and help grow it.

“We could see this becoming as big as RVA Fashion Week,” Cam Hadnot said. “It can be a whole entire week of fashion shows and panels and bringing awareness to the effect that fast fashion is really having on our climate and landfills.”

Deja Hadnot, SwapMeet RVA’s other co-founder and organizer, is excited to spread awareness and facilitate conversation about sustainable fashion through the event — especially since it isn’t always a household conversation and subtle changes in consumerism can make a difference, she said.

“We just truly feel that this is the start of making it a bigger conversation for everyone and educating people,” Deja Hadnot said.

Chloe Allen, designer and VCU fashion design student, will showcase six of her pieces on the runway at the event’s fashion show, she said.

Her pieces involve upcycled clothing she already owns or clothing from thrift stores, according to Allen. For one of her designs she took her old work pants, black skinny jeans, and turned them into a dress. She hopes her pieces show people that they can upcycle clothing themselves.

“I hope that they are inspired. I really want people to look at not just my designs, but everyone else’s, and see that there is a way to be fashionable and sustainable,” Allen said. “You don’t have to buy things off of online websites every time that you want to change your wardrobe.”

VCU student organization BLK in Fashion will be involved in RVA Sustainable Fashion Weekend by helping with volunteers and ensuring the event runs smoothly, according to VCU alum and its co-founder Nana Opoku-Manu.

It’s great BLK in Fashion is participating in a conversation as big as sustainability, notably because there aren’t many sustainable fashion weekends happening, Nana Opoku-Manu said.

Opoku-Manu hopes RVA Sustainable Fashion Weekend shows people the necessity of sustainability because unethically-sourced clothing and fast fashion have become very accessible, she said. She hopes the event opens the door to different ways people can shop sustainably from beyond just thrifting.

“I’m hoping that we just kind of see the harmful effects of fast fashion, of unsustainable clothing and of unsustainable fashion,” Opoku-Manu said. “Because it’s just very unhealthy.”

I’m hoping that we just kind of see the harmful effects of fast fashion, of unsustainable clothing and of unsustainable fashion. Because it’s just very unhealthy.”

Nana

We just truly feel that this is the start of making it a bigger conversation for everyone and educating people.”

Deja Hadnot SwapMeet RVA’s co-founder and organizer

Quote of the week

FAREWELL

Continued from front page

The CT seniors say farewell

••

CLARE WISLAR Design Editor

In the fall of 2021, I desperately sought a change of pace from my old office design job. Without knowing she would be changing the trajectory of my entire career path, former design editor Gabi Wood contacted me about a designer position opening at The Commonwealth Times via Instagram.

••

My career here at The Commonwealth Times has been one of the highlights of my time here at VCU.

I want to thank everyone that was involved in my time here and those that helped me along the way.

I am going to miss everyone and everything about working here, and I wish the best of luck to the members that are going to continue running the paper next semester.

I have too many weepy thoughts and emotional statements about my time here, so I hope in lieu of a long-winded speech you will accept this all-encompassing haiku:

Layout text in place

Week by week with tired eyes Friendship grew beside

Thank you to all The CT staff, past and present. Good luck to all that will come after.

Long live printed media.

I started working for The CT as a contributing illustrator and eventually applied to be a graphic designer only because Clare Wislar, our amazing design editor, believed in me.

I’ll forever be grateful to Clare for seeing designer potential in me and inviting me to join her little team.

She made our cozy little “Design Den” an inspiring place of love, laughter and creativity.

I learned so much from her and our other outstanding designers, and I’m really going to miss working with them. We made that paper look so beautiful!

I got the position and had the pleasure of working with amazing designers in the 2021-2022 school year. That summer, I was thrilled to be offered the position of design editor. I have had the honor to work alongside designers Soli, Madison, Fiona and Tess in our little “design den,” a place always full of laughter and creativity.

I have also been inspired weekly by the problem-solving, teamwork and pure motivation within the newspaper from all the editors throughout the years. The amazing former Executive Editor Katharine DeRosa and current executive editor Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves could not have been better people to work with.

I am excited to see what the future holds for me as a designer, and I am incredibly thankful for my run as a designer and design editor here at the CT.

A little over a year ago, I branched out as a writer and journalist. I started at The Commonwealth Times as a contributing writer, and now I’m bidding farewell to the paper, as I prepare to graduate.

I have learned so many things while working at this newspaper — from the importance of attribution, oxford commas and all the interesting art that exists around Richmond and VCU. The significance of amplifying artists’ voices, no matter what demographic they may be, is why I chose to become the Spectrum editor.

The arts, culture, fashion and music scenes in the city are so rich and full of life, and they deserve to be documented for decades to come. With the help of my coworkers, contributing and staff writers, I have been able to do the most fulfilling work: showcasing and appreciating local artists.

I hope that my work has helped people reach areas they never thought possible. The best part of this job is seeing the artists’ appreciation, whether it be vocal or through a post on social media. I look forward to continuing to highlight the local arts scene after I graduate.

I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had, people I’ve met and lessons I’ve learned while being an editor at The CT.

If I’m being honest, leaving The Commonwealth Times is bittersweet, yet so exciting.

I’ve held a few titles over the years here: contributing writer, audience editor and then finally copy editor. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here, as the newsroom served me as much as I served it.

I’m honored and grateful to have worked in the many roles as I did and to learn from them and my many colleagues. I’m appreciative of the experience and guidance that I have been given from my mentors, Katharine DeRosa, Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves and Hollyann Purvis. I’ve been blessed to have worked alongside my fellow editors and designers, Kofi Mframa, Chloe Hawkins, Arrick Wilson, Selna Shi, Andrew Kerley, Clare Wislar, Alessandro Latour and Killian Goodale-Porter.

It’s crazy looking back at my time here and proudly knowing how much I have given and contributed to the paper. From the laborious nights that we’ve all shared together and the numerous awards we’ve brought home, I’m eternally grateful to the paper and to the amazing team that has kept The CT alive.

While I’m excited to graduate and step out into the workforce, I want to thank The CT itself, for teaching me the value and importance of what student journalism is.

Next stop: DC News Now.

“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.” John Green, Paper Towns

Photography editor says farewell

Spectrum editor says farewell

Copy editor says farewell

Design editor says farewell

Graphic designer says farewell

Graphic designer says farewell

As an art major by Lily Robinette

Metamorphasis by Rebecca Clay

Less than a month to go by Killian Goodale-Porter

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves decamargg@commonwealthtimes.org

MANAGING EDITOR

Hollyann Purvis purvishm@commonwealthtimes.org

COPY EDITOR Anna Chen chena@commonwealthtimes.org

NEWS EDITOR Selna Shi news@commonwealthtimes.org

SPORTS EDITOR Arrick Wilson sports@commonwealthtimes.org

SPECTRUM EDITOR Chloe Hawkins spectrum@commonwealthtimes.org

OPINIONS EDITOR Kofi Mframa opinions@commonwealthtimes.org

PHOTO EDITOR Alessandro Latour photography@commonwealthtimes.org

AUDIENCE EDITOR Andrew Kerley audience@commonwealthtimes.org

ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR

Killian Goodale-Porter illustrations@commonwealthtimes.org

STAFF WRITERS

Varsha Vasudevan Natalie Barr

Emily Richardson

Peggy Stansbery

Thailon Wilson

Katie Farthing

VCU STUDENT MEDIA CENTER

DESIGN EDITOR

Clare Wislar designerssmc@vcu.edu

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Fiona McMichael Madison Tran

Clare Wislar

Tess Wladar Solimar Santoyo designerssmc@vcu.edu

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA

Jessica Clary claryj@vcu.edu

CREATIVE MEDIA MANAGER

Mark Jeffries mjeffries@vcu.edu

BUSINESS MANAGER Owen Martin martinso@vcu.edu

ABOUT THE CT

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

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The opinions pages of the CT are a forum open to the public. Contributions are welcome by email to Kofi Mframa, by mail or in-person at 817 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220. Opinions expressed are those of individual columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Commonwealth Times. Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The CT staff.

The Commonwealth Times strives for accuracy in gathering news. If you think we have made an error, please email the appropriate section editor. Corrections will appear on the news pages and/or online. One CT per person. Additional copies can be purchased at the Student Media Center for $1 each.

COPYRIGHT

The Commonwealth Times is the award-winning, editorially independent student news source for Virginia Commonwealth University. All editorial content is determined and produced by students. Opinions expressed in The Commonwealth Times are not necessarily those of the college. All content © 1968-2023 The Commonwealth Times. No part of The Commonwealth Times may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

IN THE END

Los Angeles Times Crossword

IN THE END

DOWN

1 URL letters

2 “That hits the spot”

3 Scattered population

4 “Julius

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle