VCU freshman death ruled as accidental from alcohol poisoning, chief medical examiner states
Katharine DeRosa, News Editor VCU freshman Adam Oakes died of ethanol toxicity, a type of alcohol poisoning, according to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. Spokesperson Arkuie Williams stated in an email that the manner of death was accidental. Oakes was found dead on Feb. 27 at a West Clay Street residence after attending a Delta […]
VCU drops mask requirements for vaccinated public, updates COVID-19 safety guidelines
Natalie Barr, Contributing Writer VCU students, faculty members and staff who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer required to wear masks indoors or outdoors when physical distancing can be maintained, according to a university announcement emailed to students on Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an updated mask guidance on […]
Community members celebrate the life of Marcus-David Peters
Katharine DeRosa, News Editor Electric keyboards, bubbles floating through the air and the chatter of community members on a sunny afternoon marked a celebration of the life of Marcus-David Peters in Richmond on Saturday. The event was organized by Justice and Reformation, a Richmond-based community activist group that was founded in response to Peters’ death. […]
RVA Fashion Week returns: Local designers bring individuality to in-person events
Ebonique Little, Spectrum Editor With gowns featuring large hoop skirts, oversized puff sleeves, ruffles and feathers, designer Azi Blas knows no bounds. “I’m global,” said Blas, who has been designing clothes since the ’70s. “My mentality is not dictated by a person, place or thing.” At the 13th Annual Richmond Fashion Week, Blas presented his […]
Exhibition simulates mental health disorders to raise awareness
Grace McOmber, Contributing Writer In the middle of a dark room sits a large white machine with rotating teeth and small slips of paper next to it. Above it, a sign directs the reader to write a “worry” on the slip and place it into the machine before turning the lever and shredding the paper. […]
Spectrum editor’s list of films to watch for May 5
“The Rape of Recy Taylor” (2017) Exploring the historical legacy of sexual violence against Black women, this moving documentary tells the story of Recy Taylor, an Alabama sharecropper who was gang-raped by six white men in 1944. During the Jim Crow era, very few women spoke against their abusers, but with Taylor’s courage and the […]
Freshmen look back at year marked by COVID-19
Anya Sczerzenie, Contributing Writer First-year student Aanchal Dubey wasn’t expecting her introduction to college life to go very well due to the COVID-19 pandemic isolating her from fellow students. But she says it went better than expected. “I expected it to be a lot worse during COVID,” Dubey said. “But I made a lot of […]
Community activists remember Marcus-David Peters near three-year shooting death anniversary
Selna Shi, Contributing Writer Nearly three years after a Richmond police officer fatally shot VCU alumnus and high school teacher Marcus-David Peters, a local activist group honors him in a space around the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue. “Facilitating the community space is something that we have made our main initiative,” stated Lawrence […]
‘It was an injustice’: VCU students assess mental health impact after student deaths
Sahara Sriraman, Staff Writer The deaths of freshman Adam Oakes on Feb. 26 and junior Cody Woodson on April 5 left an impact on VCU students. Some say these tragedies harmed their mental well-being. Charlie Dil, a computer science sophomore, said they knew Woodson personally. They were teaching assistants for a computer systems class, and […]
SGA president’s past tweets trigger discourse, VCU response
Katharine DeRosa, News Editor Student Government Association President Taylor Maloney received backlash on Twitter after an article published in The Post Millennial, a conservative Canadian media outlet, outlined some of Maloney’s past tweets on police and protests. The April 27 article in The Post Millennial, written by Andy Ngo and Mia Cathell, referred to previous […]