PRESS BOX: From NBA champion to college freshman, J.R. Smith goes back to school
Arrick Wilson, Contributing Writer Last year, J.R. Smith won his second NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. A year later, the NBA veteran retired after 16 years of play and became a 36-year-old college freshman. I am an 18-year-old college freshman, just learning about the world as a whole. It has to be odd […]
Ram fans step in to support former player amid Hurricane aftermath
Joe Dodson, Contributing Writer Former VCU men’s basketball player Malik Crowfield was excited to celebrate his grandmother’s 80th birthday on Aug. 29, but his excitement would soon turn to panic as his hometown faced the brunt of Hurricane Ida. Crowfield lives with his mother, stepfather and grandmother in his childhood home in LaPlace, Louisiana, a […]
‘Soccer-savvy mind’: Kershner returns for another year for the Rams
Yanni Kouiroukidis, Contributing Writer Sometimes in life, the journey isn’t always a straight path to the finish line. That’s what midfielder Emma Kershner has learned along the way in her path to becoming a key player on the women’s soccer team. Kershner is now in her sixth year of college soccer, but it’s her fourth […]
New-found confidence: Volleyball athlete spikes her way to the top
Leah Polk, Contributing Writer As a freshman, outside hitter Qairo Bentley had a few small roles on VCU’s volleyball team. Today, as a junior, she is a team captain, starter and mentor for all of her teammates. Bentley said when she arrived her freshman year, she knew she was not going to be a starting […]
Our world is in flames and it’s burning through our futures
Monica Alarcon-Najarro, Contributing Writer Between the spreading of wildfires and the disastrous hurricanes passing through the United States, a weight has been sitting on my chest. The copious amounts of natural disaster raging through the world recently has reopened the conversation of global warming. As I grow older, I worry about my future. The idea […]
Richmond-based clothing company Alma Mater reflects on recent growth
Sahara Sriraman, Spectrum Editor VCU senior Alex Moss said he never expected to see fellow students and Richmond residents wear the clothing he designed. “It’s been really crazy, that’s one thing I did not expect for sure. People really show up, not only in Richmond but at VCU,” Moss said. Alma Mater, founded by Moss, […]
Lee statue removed, new time capsule placed in pedestal as area awaits transformation
Katrina Lee, Contributing Writer Masonry workers dug for 12 hours on Thursday under the former site of the Robert E. Lee monument in an attempt to recover a 1887 time capsule that was never found. Historians believed this time capsule was placed in the pedestal on Oct. 27, 1887, and it contained around 60 items, […]
VCU begins efforts to reduce plastic waste in dining locations
Emma Carlson, Contributing Writer The university has begun efforts to reduce plastic waste around campus by offering reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives to single-use plastics, notably at VCUDine locations, such as Bleecker St. Gov. Ralph Northam signed Executive Order 77 on March 23 to reduce waste caused by single-use plastics in Virginia. Non-medical single-use plastic […]
VCU holds 9/11 commemoration, community reflects on 20th anniversary impact
Jiana Smith, Contributing Writer There were no clouds in the sky as students, faculty and guests dressed in military and first responder uniforms gathered in the Ram courtyard outside the University Student Commons on Friday, Sept. 10 — one day to the 20-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “It was a beautiful […]
Spectrum editor’s list of films to watch for Sept. 15
“Freedom Writers” (2007) Based on the 1999 novel, an English teacher gets hired to teach at-risk students in California. After seeing the immense trauma the high school students routinely endure, the teacher, played by Hilary Swank, asks them to keep personal diaries about the terrors they experience. Over time, the students grow and become more […]