Saturday, October 10th, 2026

Features

Through the lens, VCU filmmakers tell stories that connect

October 7, 2026

Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor Graduates from the Robertson School of Communication will take their documentaries beyond the classroom this Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Washington West Film Festival.  The films are part of (CAP)SULE, a capstone program designed by Robert Milazzo, an assistant professor and media production sequence coordinator, gives media production students opportunities to publicly share stories on how they see Virginia. It is conceived as a “time capsule” of the people, places and communities that hold meaning through a generational lens.  Robertson students produced, directed, shot and edited documentaries, with original scores created through collaborations with graduate composer programs at Johns Hopkins University and Berklee College of Music.  “Film Team,” a 15-minute documentary directed and produced by Anastasia Hines, follows students at Manchester High School in Chesterfield County as they create a film of their own.  After spending years creating films, Hines found herself back where her filmmaking journey began — at a high school film team. Hines first became interested in filmmaking as a child, making YouTube videos with her brother before joining her high school’s newly created film team. Since then, she has made more than 30 films. Hines wanted the documentary to have a reality-style,

VCU Rice Rivers Center aids in Atlantic sturgeon population recovery

September 30, 2026

Hazel Lair, Contributing Writer The Atlantic sturgeon, a federally endangered species of fish, has made its return to the James River for breeding season, despite worries regarding the population’s dwindling numbers. Now, the number of sturgeon is back in the thousands. VCU’s Rice Rivers Center, also known as “VCU’s river campus,” has worked to tag and track the fish in order to protect the species.  In 2007, scientists believed that the James River had only 300 sturgeon left, according to Smithsonian Magazine. As of last year, Rice Rivers has tagged over 2,500 separate sturgeon, confirming that the species still has hope for recovery. The Rice Rivers center has worked alongside the James River Association, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric The Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to restore the sturgeon population, according to a previous report by the CT.  Researchers assist state and federal agencies on determining which habitats in the river are most important for “critical spawning, nursery and migration activities, as well as the importance of threats like collisions with large vessels and habitat loss,” according to  the VCU Rice Rivers Center website. Each year, as sturgeon sense the temperature drop in the fall, they

Iron Blossom Festival blooms for the fourth year

September 23, 2026

Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor Bare feet pressed into the grass as live music carried through the open skies of Midtown Green, where Iron Blossom Music Festival returned Sept. 19 to 20 for its fourth year as the final days of summer unfolded.  Blankets and inflatable couches filled the grass as people of all ages played, laughed, cheered, danced, talked and sang along to the music while frisbees and footballs were tossed across the field. Music drifted between the two stages: iron and blossom.  When the sun moved in and out of the clouds throughout the days, the crowd had grown larger as the day continued and headliners took the stage. This year’s festival headliners included LCD Soundsystem, Jack White and Richmond-based bands, Shera Shi and Night Idea. Over the two-day event, which began in 2023, people came together around the live music. For attendees Julie Slivka and Lauren Hennessy, the festival became a part of their yearly routine. The two have been best friends for 31 years and counting, starting their friendship right next door. They have attended the festival together for three consecutive years. Slivka and Hennessy’s plans for the festival began before the lineup was announced. They bought

VCU students raise awareness for vascular disease with new initiative

September 16, 2026

Skye Hathaway, Copy Editor  Young adults are usually not concerned about blood clots, but VCU students Sarah Ralston and Mollie Wheeler are looking to change that by working to educate college students on deep vein thrombosis.  While blood clots often affect older individuals, young people are still at risk of being affected, according to Ralston. She said it is important for students to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of a blood clot in order to medically advocate for themselves. Ralston and Wheeler, both second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students, created the project after meeting a father who wanted to spread awareness for DVT in young women after losing his daughter. Together, they work to teach young people about what causes DVT and how they can identify it. While putting posters up in an exam room at the Medical College of Virginia campus, Wheeler said that she and Ralston spoke to the medical director for VCU Health, who had sent two college-aged women to the hospital for DVT concerns that summer.   DVT may appear as a small patch on your leg or arm, which young people may brush off as a bruise, Ralston said. DVT most commonly occurs

Through the lens, VCU filmmakers tell stories that connect

October 7, 2026

Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor Graduates from the Robertson School of Communication will take their documentaries beyond the classroom this Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Washington West Film Festival.  The films are part of (CAP)SULE, a capstone program designed by Robert Milazzo, an assistant professor and media production sequence coordinator, gives media production students opportunities to publicly share stories on how they see Virginia. It is conceived as a “time capsule” of the people, places and communities that hold meaning through a generational lens.  Robertson students produced, directed, shot and edited documentaries, with original scores created through collaborations with graduate composer programs at Johns Hopkins University and Berklee College of Music.  “Film Team,” a 15-minute documentary directed and produced by Anastasia Hines, follows students at Manchester High School in Chesterfield County as they create a film of their own.  After spending years creating films, Hines found herself back where her filmmaking journey began — at a high school film team. Hines first became interested in filmmaking as a child, making YouTube videos with her brother before joining her high school’s newly created film team. Since then, she has made more than 30 films. Hines wanted the documentary to have a reality-style, comedic approach and spent a couple of months filming the students from a fly-on-the-wall perspective. “I kind of thought about, you know, maybe it could be part of an homage to myself as well and back to my film roots,” Hines said. The documentary follows Valentino, one of the high school students, as they create their own film, with some making a film for the first time. “It was really exciting to just follow along their journey as young filmmakers,” Hines said. Hines said she wanted audiences to see the work and commitment required to create a film. “I really hope audiences when they watch the film that, of course, they’re having a good time and they’re enjoying it, but also that they can focus on the reality of what it takes to create a film,” Hines said. The rest of her crew could not regularly travel to Manchester High School, meaning Hines handled most of the filming herself. The students also disappeared for about three weeks during production, creating an unexpected conflict that eventually became part of the documentary’s climax. “After Class,” created by Nellie Suleymanian, Ceanne Rennie and Sofia Feliciano, takes a different approach to documenting young people

VCU Rice Rivers Center aids in Atlantic sturgeon population recovery

September 30, 2026

Hazel Lair, Contributing Writer The Atlantic sturgeon, a federally endangered species of fish, has made its return to the James River for breeding season, despite worries regarding the population’s dwindling numbers. Now, the number of sturgeon is back in the thousands. VCU’s Rice Rivers Center, also known as “VCU’s river campus,” has worked to tag and track the fish in order to protect the species.  In 2007, scientists believed that the James River had only 300 sturgeon left, according to Smithsonian Magazine. As of last year, Rice Rivers has tagged over 2,500 separate sturgeon, confirming that the species still has hope for recovery. The Rice Rivers center has worked alongside the James River Association, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric The Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to restore the sturgeon population, according to a previous report by the CT.  Researchers assist state and federal agencies on determining which habitats in the river are most important for “critical spawning, nursery and migration activities, as well as the importance of threats like collisions with large vessels and habitat loss,” according to  the VCU Rice Rivers Center website. Each year, as sturgeon sense the temperature drop in the fall, they

Iron Blossom Festival blooms for the fourth year

September 23, 2026

Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor Bare feet pressed into the grass as live music carried through the open skies of Midtown Green, where Iron Blossom Music Festival returned Sept. 19 to 20 for its fourth year as the final days of summer unfolded.  Blankets and inflatable couches filled the grass as people of all ages played, laughed, cheered, danced, talked and sang along to the music while frisbees and footballs were tossed across the field. Music drifted between the two stages: iron and blossom.  When the sun moved in and out of the clouds throughout the days, the crowd had grown larger as the day continued and headliners took the stage. This year’s festival headliners included LCD Soundsystem, Jack White and Richmond-based bands, Shera Shi and Night Idea. Over the two-day event, which began in 2023, people came together around the live music. For attendees Julie Slivka and Lauren Hennessy, the festival became a part of their yearly routine. The two have been best friends for 31 years and counting, starting their friendship right next door. They have attended the festival together for three consecutive years. Slivka and Hennessy’s plans for the festival began before the lineup was announced. They bought

VCU students raise awareness for vascular disease with new initiative

September 16, 2026

Skye Hathaway, Copy Editor  Young adults are usually not concerned about blood clots, but VCU students Sarah Ralston and Mollie Wheeler are looking to change that by working to educate college students on deep vein thrombosis.  While blood clots often affect older individuals, young people are still at risk of being affected, according to Ralston. She said it is important for students to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of a blood clot in order to medically advocate for themselves. Ralston and Wheeler, both second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students, created the project after meeting a father who wanted to spread awareness for DVT in young women after losing his daughter. Together, they work to teach young people about what causes DVT and how they can identify it. While putting posters up in an exam room at the Medical College of Virginia campus, Wheeler said that she and Ralston spoke to the medical director for VCU Health, who had sent two college-aged women to the hospital for DVT concerns that summer.   DVT may appear as a small patch on your leg or arm, which young people may brush off as a bruise, Ralston said. DVT most commonly occurs

Tag, you’re it! Ultimate game of tag held in Monroe Park

September 9, 2026

Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor For one hour on Sept. 3, Monroe Park looked less like a downtown Richmond park and a little more like a playground. More than 100 people gathered from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for Infection Tag, a free event organized by Ruckus, a community-based organization focused on providing resources and spaces bringing love. The group was led by Odist Powell alongside his longtime friend, Joe Armstrong.  The event featured four rounds of tag, each lasting around 12 minutes. The organizers sectioned off portions of the park near S. Belvidere St. and W. Main St. so participants could run without disrupting others using the space.  At the beginning of the event, Powell asked participants to stretch physically and mentally by talking to someone new. At the beginning of each round, organizers selected one person to be “it.” After giving the other players 10 seconds to scatter, the runner in a pink pinnie jersey chased them down. Each person tagged grabbed a pink pinnie jersey or sweatband before rejoining the game as another tagger. Powell drew inspiration from an event he attended in New York City in February called Wrestling Speed Dating, hosted by the organization Grown Kid,

‘A real second chance’ Restoration of voting rights on the ballot for formerly incarcerated people

September 2, 2026

Sal Orlando, News Editor “It makes you still feel like you have a scarlet letter in your head, like I’m less than, or that I’m not a full citizen,” Sam Harris, a Suffolk resident, said about previously losing his voting rights. Harris was granted his right to vote back by Gov. Abigail Spanberger last month, along with over 66,000 other people who were previously convicted of a felony, in her time in office. Under the Virginia Constitution, no person convicted of a felony is qualified to vote unless their civil rights are restored by the governor. The immediate reenfranchisement for over a quarter million people will be on the ballot this November in Virginia, the first time in 44 years. Reenfranchisement is the granting of rights back to people who had them taken away, according to Oxford Dictionary. Harris reflected on not voting in the 1993 gubernatorial election and former Gov. George Allen signing a bill abolishing parole. “That was in the 90s, and imagine me going to prison in 99, 2000 and being affected by something that the government came in and did,” Harris said.  Harris mentioned he regretted not voting prior to his incarceration, and would vote if

Richmond’s physical media keeps the past in reach

September 2, 2026

Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor While streaming services have made movies and music more accessible than ever, Richmond’s physical-media stores offer something a digital library cannot: a tangible connection to movies and music that can be displayed and collected. Cody Denzler, owner of Monster Video and Cut and Run Vintage, designed Monster Video’s store to resemble a traditional video rental shop, with shelves primarily devoted to VHS tapes. The store also carries DVDs, Blu-rays, Betamax tapes and LaserDiscs. After hosting a VHS themed pop-up at Shop Two Three, a collaboration with Studio Two Three, last September, he decided to turn the concept into a permanent business. “A lot of it is just stuff I’ve collected for years,” Denzler said. Although the store currently operates as a retail business, Denzler plans to eventually offer rentals. The store’s inventory pricing is based on supply and demand, taking in consideration how common or rare a title is. Physical movies offer something that streaming cannot, from artwork and packaging to the permanence of owning a copy, according to Denzler. “It was a whole part in addition to not only the movie itself on film, but actually how it’s packaged and sold, which when you look

HOTPANTS finds its sound in Richmond rock scene

August 19, 2026

Rachel Nicholas,  Assistant Spectrum Editor In a city full of creativity and booming artistry, Richmond rock band HOTPANTS has spent the last few years finding their place in the city’s music scene, pulling inspiration from classic rock, indie and psychedelic music.  Although they gather ideas from a multitude of places, the band agrees that assigning a genre to their sound is not so simple. “People will ask us, ‘What kind of music do you play?’ I’m just like, ‘I don’t know,’” frontwoman Mackenzie Roark said.  HOTPANTS formed after Roark released her first album in 2022 and wanted to bring the songs to a live audience. The band’s current lineup came together through years of connections between Richmond musicians, eventually becoming what Roark considers the “core of HOTPANTS.” Roark first met guitarist and bassist Billy Bacci around 2017 at an open mic event she was running. Bacci previously played with drummer Drew Barnocky and bassist Matt Moran through another band they were in together. “Paint on it was a band that me, Matt and Drew were in,” Bacci said. “We made three albums together and I met Matt through his brother and Drew was playing for Mackenzie at the time.” When

Professor teaches VCU’s first Asian American history class 

April 29, 2026

Burke Loftus, Staff Photographer VCU’s Department of History now offers a new course, Intro to Asian American History, the first of its kind in the university’s history.  Second-year political science student Trina LaFortune is a Filipino American from Annandale, Virginia. Growing up in Northern Virginia, she said most of her knowledge of Asian American culture came from conversations with her family, who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in the early 2000s, and other Asian immigrant families. “We only highlighted ‘Asian studies’ in junior and senior year, and that was the extent of it,” LaFortune said. “There [are] a lot of Asian people in NOVA. Even then, my education just had a narrow scope of what Asian American history was.”  In the fall of 2025, LaFortune’s focused inquiry professor, Frank Cha, announced to the class that he would be teaching an Intro to Asian American History course in the spring — asking students to email him if they were interested. “Part of me was like, ‘Oh my god, this is representation,’ but also part of me was like, ‘No, I think I’m just more curious to see what else I can learn,’” LaFortune said. “I wanted to see