VCU SGA, Pres. Rao host roundtable to open communications with student body
VCU’s Student Government Association resurrected the SGA roundtable on Sept. 22 for the first time since 2007. SGA President Destinee’ Moragne said the reason for bringing back the roundtable is because, “face to face communication is better than constantly sending out emails or talking on social media.” Moragne said this is a more beneficial […]
LTE: Don’t be fooled by the Graham-Cassidy health care bill
To the Editor: The Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill proposed by Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, is the latest Republican attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare. This proposal is different from the past Republican repeal attempts because it dismantles many of the current provisions of Obamacare, whereas […]
Press Box: Trump vs. the sports world
Not that he was ever in touch with it — or reality for that matter — but Donald Trump has officially alienated the sports community. Trump, who already faced widespread backlash for his relentless criticism of free agent quarterback and social activist Colin Kaepernick, recently butted heads with a series of prominent athletes and journalists. […]
VCU president: Title IX reversal doesn’t change our legal responsibilities
VCU Pres. Michael Rao responded to the Department of Education’s new guidelines on dealing with sexual assault this morning, saying the new instructions do not change the university’s legal responsibilities. In a statement, Rao said VCU “maintains its inexorable commitment to the safety, security and success of all of our people.” Title IX training will […]
Betsy DeVos revokes Obama-era Title IX guidance on campus sexual assault
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Friday rescinded Obama-era directives giving guidance to university officials on how to investigate on-campus sexual assault cases. The Department of Education withdrew the Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Violence from 2011, and the Questions and Answers on Title IX Sexual Violence from 2014 — Reversing the Obama administration’s policy. In […]
The Upsetting, Abstract and Cruel Brilliance of “Mother!”
“Mother!” is near impossible to review. I don’t want to ruin the unique experience someone might have in watching this film, but alas, it’s my job. Darren Aronofsky made a wide-release art film that will upset most audiences who are too caught up in the cruel and unusual imagery to even attempt to understand what’s […]
A celebration of kinks, curls and coils
Spice Rack, a Richmond-based community organization, celebrated the first World Afro Day program on Sept. 15 to address all the burning questions of men and women rocking fro’s everywhere. From product talk, to curl management advice to the social struggles of rocking a ‘fro. The creation of World Afro Day is the brainchild of Michelle […]
“We’re going to shock some people”: VCU Basketball’s Issac Vann talks the new season, Coach Rhoades and his role in the team
Since the Rams’ first round NCAA Tournament loss to St. Mary’s College in March, much has changed within the VCU basketball program. In the past six months, the team has seen a new coaching staff and nine new players walk through the doors of the Siegel Center. With only five players returning from last season, […]
What we learned from last Saturday’s rallies
Maybe the biggest lesson we learned from, what might have been, the world’s most uneventful pro-Confederate rally is no matter how civil dialogue is during a protest, concrete progress can’t be made when no one is actually listening. Protests do little to change public opinion. They’re all about shouting. They’re about being heard but […]
Author Junot Diaz on white supremacy, neoliberalism, writing and more
Renowned American-Dominican author, activist and professor, Junot Díaz, opened VCU’s 2017-18 Speaker Series on Sept.16 to a packed room of more than 500 people. Díaz’s work explores issues of diasporic identity, race, patriarchy and politics through the lens of Dominican-American characters in New Jersey and how those issues radiate across spectrums of race, ethnicity and gender. […]