Friday, Feb 13, 2026

‘We need to be more connected’ Rao says in university address 

February 12, 2026

Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor VCU President Michael Rao emphasized the need for interdisciplinary activities at VCU moving forward during his annual State of the University address on Thursday. Rao — who is entering his 17th year as the VCU’s fifth president — flaunted notable stats showing VCU and VCU Health’s growth in research and substantial economic impact on Virginia. Rao also commented on VCU’s new AI course offerings, the school’s wealth of first-generation and Pell Grant-eligible students, tenure policies and the need for “discipline” in hiring faculty. “We have to incentivize collaborations that will break down barriers and prepare our students as graduates for a world that’s changing very rapidly,” Rao said in the opening remarks of his speech. “That’s why we have to invest with purpose.” Between emerging technologies and initiatives on campus, such as faculty rapidly developing AI courses and minors in recent years, Rao said VCU is uniquely positioned to meet people’s needs. “That’s VCU getting itself to where the ball is going, rather than where the ball is,” Rao said. Rao emphasized VCU’s typical brand of being “uncommon.” He highlighted Professor Amy Rector’s discovery of a species of prehistoric human, conservation biologist Matt Balazik’s efforts to

Graduate students struggle to afford living expenses with VCU pay rates

February 11, 2026

Bryer Haywood, Contributing Writer VCU graduate students say they are having a hard time affording living expenses with the pay they receive for campus work as costs rise across the region. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, one adult working to support themself would need to be paid $25.21 an hour to make a living wage in Richmond. The site defines a ‘living wage’ as the full-time hourly rate one needs to support themselves and/or their family. The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12.77 an hour, a 2.9% increase from $12.41 in 2025. Graduate students are paid with stipends based on how many hours they work per week. For nine and 10 month assistantships, minimum stipends are $4,000 for 10 hours of work per week and $7,500 for 20 hours of work — amounting to as little as $10.42 an hour. There are 902 Graduate Assistants actively employed by the university as of Feb. 9, according to VCU spokesperson Brian McNeill. For dissertation assistantships, the stipend is $9,375 semesterly. Participating Ph.D candidates must work on their dissertation full-time and cannot work elsewhere during the award period. The hiring webpage for VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences states that

Transparency could help revive VCU greek life

February 11, 2026

Molly Christianson, Contributing Writer After being a hermit my first semester at VCU, I knew I wanted to join greek life. I thought it would be a great way to make friends, socialize and become more familiar with Richmond.  When looking into it online I tried to find out more information, and realized that there wasn’t much out there. The process is very mysterious.  I got a couple of questions in at the SOVO fair back in the fall, but they were pretty surface-level. Answers to more important questions about recruitment, culture and logistics were harder to find. When spring recruitment did come this year — taking place during only one weekend, which is a much shorter time frame when compared to other colleges — no schedules or information were really given out until the day before recruitment started.  Not being able to compare VCU’s recruitment timeline to other colleges left me with many questions. What will the schedule look like? What are the dress codes for each day? What is expected of us? Is it more like an interview or a hangout? What are the organization’s respective aesthetics and general vibes? Is it better to stand out or fit

LED Headlights are terrorizing our streets. Our automakers and government have no plan.

February 11, 2026

Shiny Chandravel, Assistant Opinions Editor Seatbelts fastened. Music up. Windows down. My ritual of driving at night is a sacred one. But it was on one of these night drives home from work when my life flashed before my eyes.  As I shifted into the right lane to take my exit back to VCU, something unnatural happened.  My side and rear view mirrors suddenly flooded with a glaring light. My eyes burned from the brightness of a thousand suns. I slammed on the brakes because in that moment, I knew nothing could possibly create light like this, save for the rapture itself.  But I was wrong.  This was no heavenly feat. It was the result of modern LED headlights — straight from the depths of hell.  The norm for headlights used to be halogen bulbs, emitting a warm light, easy on the eye. The bulbs emit 1,000 lumens of light, modest compared to standard 4,000-lumen LED lights. Aftermarket LED additions, often illegal, have been recorded to emit up to 12,000 lumens, destroying the line of sight for any driver caught in their vicinity.  According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s publicly available data, headlight brightness has roughly doubled since

Giddy up for these ICA film screenings about Black cowboys

February 12, 2026

Sapphira Mohammed, Copy Editor This month Exposure Cinema presented “Nu West,” a series of films about Black cinema and the American West at the Institute for Contemporary Art. There are two screenings left, both free to the public. Exposure Cinema is a “collective cinematic investigation,” according to their website. Founder and VCU alum Brandon Shillingford got started in film curating scene because, as an avid movie watcher, Shillingford wished there was a space for fans to talk about movies after the showing. Shillingford does not screen current blockbuster films. Instead he does monthly screening events with movies from all eras of cinema centered around themes such as “bloodlines,” movies about Black vampires or “tekno erotica,” sexy sci-fi films. “Nu West” is explained as “exploring the history, mythmaking and cinema that define the American West,” as stated on Exposure’s Instagram, and how it relates to the Black experience.  Shillingford explained that his childhood consisted of watching Western films, an experience he finds relatable to other Black people. “I feel like if you’re like a Black person or anybody from a marginalized community in America, it’s like ‘damn this is the medium,’ that’s so wonderful and there’s such possibility and like beauty

VCU alums put on screening, sword fight to open Richmond Ren Faire season

February 11, 2026

Sapphira Mohammed, Copy Editor Saanvi Vootla, Contributing Writer Hundreds of Renaissance fans banded together in full costume on Saturday, ready to witness the rebirth of “The Princess Bride” with a live, sword fighting shadow cast — and the birth of Richmond’s first ever, full renaissance fair. In Virago Alley’s build-up to the Richmond Ren Faire, the nonprofit organization held a screening of the 1987 film at the Byrd Theatre. Virago Alley’s founder Amanda Robinson said they wanted something magical for their first event of 2026. “We just found the first week of February was a nice time to kick off this entire series of opening acts,” Robinson said. “ I think that this event is kind of a chance to highlight all three important facets of our organization and programming.”  The event was not a traditional screening, as a shadow cast made up of Virago Alley members performed in front of the screen during all of the fencing scenes. VCU associate professor, alum and vice president of Virago Alley, Bizhan Khodabandeh, played Inigo Montoya in the shadow cast. He was nervous in the days leading up to the show because of how complex the fencing scenes are in the movie.

A look at baseball ahead of a hectic season

February 11, 2026

Drew Thompson, Sports Editor VCU baseball starts its season on Friday, Feb. 13, against the College of the Holy Cross. The game, along with all others Monday through Friday, will be free to the public, according to VCU Athletics.  The only home games excluded from this promotion are against the University of Virginia on April 14 and Virginia Tech on April 21.  Head coach Sean Thompson is entering his second year with the Rams and is looking to build off last year’s 17-37 record. The offseason The Rams’ offseason notably featured controversy regarding their home venue. VCU was supposed to follow the Richmond Flying Squirrels to CarMax Park in April after the stadium’s completion. However, contract complications with the Flying Squirrels will keep the Rams at the Diamond until further notice.  Nevertheless, VCU built on its roster from last season through new faces and in-house progression. Thompson brought in four fresh recruits from high school — a trio of hitters and a right-handed pitcher — to bolster the squad.  Three of the recruits are Virginia natives. First-year third baseman Hank Brown is a 6-foot, left-handed hitter with all-field power from Virginia Beach, according to Thompson.  First-year outfielder BJ McIntyre stands

PRESS BOX: C.J. Stroud must evolve to reclaim his trajectory

February 11, 2026

Hayden Braun, Staff Writer After yet another disappointing season with two horrible playoff performances, there has been a lot of discourse on whether Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has fallen off.  Stroud had such an exciting rookie season, as he won rookie of the year, a playoff game and he led the Texans’ to a divisional title. There was a lot of hype that offseason that he was the next superstar quarterback in the league. While the hype was warranted, it may have gotten to his head.  Stroud was on a podcast where he ranked himself as a top-five quarterback in the league immediately following his rookie season. It’s good to be confident, but people were turned off by this, especially after he was fresh off his first year. The following season he had a “sophomore slump,” in which his stats were down in nearly every category and he doubled the amount of turnovers from his rookie season, according to ESPN.  During Stroud’s second season, he was found in hot water again after he “little bro-d” Caleb Williams, the Bears’ then rookie quarterback. Stroud was mic’d up after a Sunday night football win against the Bears when he told Williams

FEB. 11 RECAP: How every VCU team did this week

February 11, 2026

Jenny Allen, Staff Writer  Men’s basketball at Fordham University The neck-and-neck game ended in VCU’s favor with a 63-59 win. Third-year forward Lazar Djokovic tallied a total of 17 points.  He recorded 11 of his 17 points in the second half only, giving the Rams much-needed momentum towards the end of the game. VCU held Fordham throughout the whole game, never giving it the opportunity to take the lead. However, Fordham managed to keep VCU on its toes as it made the score 61-59 in the remaining 33 seconds. After the clutch points from Fordham, Djokovic was able to keep his composure and knock down both free throws after he drew a foul. This victory marks VCU’s season-high of six straight wins.  Women’s tennis vs. Morgan State University  VCU defeated Morgan State 7-0 in a doubles and singles clean sweep. Doubles began almost flawlessly with VCU’s second-year Sara Alba and first-year Viktoria Lackova taking a 6-0 victory. The remaining two double matches were tightly played leaving with one victory and one unfinished. In the singles matches, third-year transfer Elicia Kim won in her debut as a Ram with a 6-2 victory. Third-year Mariam Ibrahim followed with a close win after

Men’s basketball sets up no fly zone at the Stu

February 7, 2026

Malachi Keys, Contributing Writer VCU routed the University of Dayton with a score of 99-73 in an electric atmosphere at the Stu this snowy Friday night. Riding a six game winning streak, the Rams were looking to continue their momentum against a formidable Atlantic 10 opponent in the Flyers.  The cold outside did not stop the Black and Gold from heating up early offensively, jumping out to a quick 11-5 lead. Additionally early in the first half, the Rams stifled the Flyers on the defensive end of the floor.  Although shot blocking is not considered VCU’s expertise, the Rams had four blocks collectively in the first 10 minutes of gameplay; three of them coming from third-year forward Lazar Djokovic. “We were adjusting our defense a little bit, so I was allowed to drop back so I could wait for them to go up,” Djokovic said. “I got help, and guys were staying in place so I got to block shots.” On the offensive side of the court, the Rams were hot.  Redshirt fourth-year guard Jadrian Tracey and second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. were a big help on the offensive end with 12 and 11 points in the first half respectively. 

Men’s tennis swats Richmond to open A-10 play

February 6, 2026

Ben Martindale, Staff Writer VCU men’s tennis took the court against the University of Richmond on Friday.  The matchup followed a narrow defeat to East Tennessee State University. The Rams started their 2026 campaign with an even two wins and two losses. VCU second-years Nicolo Consonni and Gervog Mnatsakanyan won their doubles match 6-3 to get VCU rolling. Shortly after, VCU second-years Erwann Bouchet and Mats Bredschneijder won 6-3 to give the Rams their first point of the match and a 1-0 lead. The third doubles match was not finished as the Rams had already won the point, but VCU second-years Kostiantyn Mantach and Leon Zaorski put together a good performance. They were leading their match 5-4 by the time it ended. VCU carried its momentum into singles play as Mnatsakanyan beat Richmond second-year Otto Sewell in straight sets, extending the VCU lead to 2-0. Richmond second-year Charlie Burdell scored Richmond’s first point of the evening after beating Zaorski 6-4, 6-2. VCU bounced back, riding Bouchet’s straight set victory against Richmond third-year Paxton Pritchard to a 3-1 lead. On court one Consonni and Richmond fourth-year Davis Wiley slugged it out, going back and forth in a thrilling match that would

‘We need to be more connected’ Rao says in university address 

February 12, 2026

Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor VCU President Michael Rao emphasized the need for interdisciplinary activities at VCU moving forward during his annual State of the University address on Thursday. Rao — who is entering his 17th year as the VCU’s fifth president — flaunted notable stats showing VCU and VCU Health’s growth in research and substantial economic impact on Virginia. Rao also commented on VCU’s new AI course offerings, the school’s wealth of first-generation and Pell Grant-eligible students, tenure policies and the need for “discipline” in hiring faculty. “We have to incentivize collaborations that will break down barriers and prepare our students as graduates for a world that’s changing very rapidly,” Rao said in the opening remarks of his speech. “That’s why we have to invest with purpose.” Between emerging technologies and initiatives on campus, such as faculty rapidly developing AI courses and minors in recent years, Rao said VCU is uniquely positioned to meet people’s needs. “That’s VCU getting itself to where the ball is going, rather than where the ball is,” Rao said. Rao emphasized VCU’s typical brand of being “uncommon.” He highlighted Professor Amy Rector’s discovery of a species of prehistoric human, conservation biologist Matt Balazik’s efforts to

Graduate students struggle to afford living expenses with VCU pay rates

February 11, 2026

Bryer Haywood, Contributing Writer VCU graduate students say they are having a hard time affording living expenses with the pay they receive for campus work as costs rise across the region. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, one adult working to support themself would need to be paid $25.21 an hour to make a living wage in Richmond. The site defines a ‘living wage’ as the full-time hourly rate one needs to support themselves and/or their family. The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12.77 an hour, a 2.9% increase from $12.41 in 2025. Graduate students are paid with stipends based on how many hours they work per week. For nine and 10 month assistantships, minimum stipends are $4,000 for 10 hours of work per week and $7,500 for 20 hours of work — amounting to as little as $10.42 an hour. There are 902 Graduate Assistants actively employed by the university as of Feb. 9, according to VCU spokesperson Brian McNeill. For dissertation assistantships, the stipend is $9,375 semesterly. Participating Ph.D candidates must work on their dissertation full-time and cannot work elsewhere during the award period. The hiring webpage for VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences states that

Opinion

Transparency could help revive VCU greek life

February 11, 2026

Molly Christianson, Contributing Writer After being a hermit my first semester at VCU, I knew I wanted to join greek life. I thought it would be a great way to make friends, socialize and become more familiar with Richmond.  When looking into it online I tried to find out more information, and realized that there wasn’t much out there. The process is very mysterious.  I got a couple of questions in at the SOVO fair back in the fall, but they were pretty surface-level. Answers to more important questions about recruitment, culture and logistics were harder to find. When spring recruitment did come this year — taking place during only one weekend, which is a much shorter time frame when compared to other colleges — no schedules or information were really given out until the day before recruitment started.  Not being able to compare VCU’s recruitment timeline to other colleges left me with many questions. What will the schedule look like? What are the dress codes for each day? What is expected of us? Is it more like an interview or a hangout? What are the organization’s respective aesthetics and general vibes? Is it better to stand out or fit

LED Headlights are terrorizing our streets. Our automakers and government have no plan.

February 11, 2026

Shiny Chandravel, Assistant Opinions Editor Seatbelts fastened. Music up. Windows down. My ritual of driving at night is a sacred one. But it was on one of these night drives home from work when my life flashed before my eyes.  As I shifted into the right lane to take my exit back to VCU, something unnatural happened.  My side and rear view mirrors suddenly flooded with a glaring light. My eyes burned from the brightness of a thousand suns. I slammed on the brakes because in that moment, I knew nothing could possibly create light like this, save for the rapture itself.  But I was wrong.  This was no heavenly feat. It was the result of modern LED headlights — straight from the depths of hell.  The norm for headlights used to be halogen bulbs, emitting a warm light, easy on the eye. The bulbs emit 1,000 lumens of light, modest compared to standard 4,000-lumen LED lights. Aftermarket LED additions, often illegal, have been recorded to emit up to 12,000 lumens, destroying the line of sight for any driver caught in their vicinity.  According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s publicly available data, headlight brightness has roughly doubled since

The Rundown

Spectrum

Giddy up for these ICA film screenings about Black cowboys

February 12, 2026

Sapphira Mohammed, Copy Editor This month Exposure Cinema presented “Nu West,” a series of films about Black cinema and the American West at the Institute for Contemporary Art. There are two screenings left, both free to the public. Exposure Cinema is a “collective cinematic investigation,” according to their website. Founder and VCU alum Brandon Shillingford got started in film curating scene because, as an avid movie watcher, Shillingford wished there was a space for fans to talk about movies after the showing. Shillingford does not screen current blockbuster films. Instead he does monthly screening events with movies from all eras of cinema centered around themes such as “bloodlines,” movies about Black vampires or “tekno erotica,” sexy sci-fi films. “Nu West” is explained as “exploring the history, mythmaking and cinema that define the American West,” as stated on Exposure’s Instagram, and how it relates to the Black experience.  Shillingford explained that his childhood consisted of watching Western films, an experience he finds relatable to other Black people. “I feel like if you’re like a Black person or anybody from a marginalized community in America, it’s like ‘damn this is the medium,’ that’s so wonderful and there’s such possibility and like beauty

VCU alums put on screening, sword fight to open Richmond Ren Faire season

February 11, 2026

Sapphira Mohammed, Copy Editor Saanvi Vootla, Contributing Writer Hundreds of Renaissance fans banded together in full costume on Saturday, ready to witness the rebirth of “The Princess Bride” with a live, sword fighting shadow cast — and the birth of Richmond’s first ever, full renaissance fair. In Virago Alley’s build-up to the Richmond Ren Faire, the nonprofit organization held a screening of the 1987 film at the Byrd Theatre. Virago Alley’s founder Amanda Robinson said they wanted something magical for their first event of 2026. “We just found the first week of February was a nice time to kick off this entire series of opening acts,” Robinson said. “ I think that this event is kind of a chance to highlight all three important facets of our organization and programming.”  The event was not a traditional screening, as a shadow cast made up of Virago Alley members performed in front of the screen during all of the fencing scenes. VCU associate professor, alum and vice president of Virago Alley, Bizhan Khodabandeh, played Inigo Montoya in the shadow cast. He was nervous in the days leading up to the show because of how complex the fencing scenes are in the movie.

Sports

A look at baseball ahead of a hectic season

February 11, 2026

Drew Thompson, Sports Editor VCU baseball starts its season on Friday, Feb. 13, against the College of the Holy Cross. The game, along with all others Monday through Friday, will be free to the public, according to VCU Athletics.  The only home games excluded from this promotion are against the University of Virginia on April 14 and Virginia Tech on April 21.  Head coach Sean Thompson is entering his second year with the Rams and is looking to build off last year’s 17-37 record. The offseason The Rams’ offseason notably featured controversy regarding their home venue. VCU was supposed to follow the Richmond Flying Squirrels to CarMax Park in April after the stadium’s completion. However, contract complications with the Flying Squirrels will keep the Rams at the Diamond until further notice.  Nevertheless, VCU built on its roster from last season through new faces and in-house progression. Thompson brought in four fresh recruits from high school — a trio of hitters and a right-handed pitcher — to bolster the squad.  Three of the recruits are Virginia natives. First-year third baseman Hank Brown is a 6-foot, left-handed hitter with all-field power from Virginia Beach, according to Thompson.  First-year outfielder BJ McIntyre stands

PRESS BOX: C.J. Stroud must evolve to reclaim his trajectory

February 11, 2026

Hayden Braun, Staff Writer After yet another disappointing season with two horrible playoff performances, there has been a lot of discourse on whether Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has fallen off.  Stroud had such an exciting rookie season, as he won rookie of the year, a playoff game and he led the Texans’ to a divisional title. There was a lot of hype that offseason that he was the next superstar quarterback in the league. While the hype was warranted, it may have gotten to his head.  Stroud was on a podcast where he ranked himself as a top-five quarterback in the league immediately following his rookie season. It’s good to be confident, but people were turned off by this, especially after he was fresh off his first year. The following season he had a “sophomore slump,” in which his stats were down in nearly every category and he doubled the amount of turnovers from his rookie season, according to ESPN.  During Stroud’s second season, he was found in hot water again after he “little bro-d” Caleb Williams, the Bears’ then rookie quarterback. Stroud was mic’d up after a Sunday night football win against the Bears when he told Williams

FEB. 11 RECAP: How every VCU team did this week

February 11, 2026

Jenny Allen, Staff Writer  Men’s basketball at Fordham University The neck-and-neck game ended in VCU’s favor with a 63-59 win. Third-year forward Lazar Djokovic tallied a total of 17 points.  He recorded 11 of his 17 points in the second half only, giving the Rams much-needed momentum towards the end of the game. VCU held Fordham throughout the whole game, never giving it the opportunity to take the lead. However, Fordham managed to keep VCU on its toes as it made the score 61-59 in the remaining 33 seconds. After the clutch points from Fordham, Djokovic was able to keep his composure and knock down both free throws after he drew a foul. This victory marks VCU’s season-high of six straight wins.  Women’s tennis vs. Morgan State University  VCU defeated Morgan State 7-0 in a doubles and singles clean sweep. Doubles began almost flawlessly with VCU’s second-year Sara Alba and first-year Viktoria Lackova taking a 6-0 victory. The remaining two double matches were tightly played leaving with one victory and one unfinished. In the singles matches, third-year transfer Elicia Kim won in her debut as a Ram with a 6-2 victory. Third-year Mariam Ibrahim followed with a close win after

Men’s basketball sets up no fly zone at the Stu

February 7, 2026

Malachi Keys, Contributing Writer VCU routed the University of Dayton with a score of 99-73 in an electric atmosphere at the Stu this snowy Friday night. Riding a six game winning streak, the Rams were looking to continue their momentum against a formidable Atlantic 10 opponent in the Flyers.  The cold outside did not stop the Black and Gold from heating up early offensively, jumping out to a quick 11-5 lead. Additionally early in the first half, the Rams stifled the Flyers on the defensive end of the floor.  Although shot blocking is not considered VCU’s expertise, the Rams had four blocks collectively in the first 10 minutes of gameplay; three of them coming from third-year forward Lazar Djokovic. “We were adjusting our defense a little bit, so I was allowed to drop back so I could wait for them to go up,” Djokovic said. “I got help, and guys were staying in place so I got to block shots.” On the offensive side of the court, the Rams were hot.  Redshirt fourth-year guard Jadrian Tracey and second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. were a big help on the offensive end with 12 and 11 points in the first half respectively. 

Men’s tennis swats Richmond to open A-10 play

February 6, 2026

Ben Martindale, Staff Writer VCU men’s tennis took the court against the University of Richmond on Friday.  The matchup followed a narrow defeat to East Tennessee State University. The Rams started their 2026 campaign with an even two wins and two losses. VCU second-years Nicolo Consonni and Gervog Mnatsakanyan won their doubles match 6-3 to get VCU rolling. Shortly after, VCU second-years Erwann Bouchet and Mats Bredschneijder won 6-3 to give the Rams their first point of the match and a 1-0 lead. The third doubles match was not finished as the Rams had already won the point, but VCU second-years Kostiantyn Mantach and Leon Zaorski put together a good performance. They were leading their match 5-4 by the time it ended. VCU carried its momentum into singles play as Mnatsakanyan beat Richmond second-year Otto Sewell in straight sets, extending the VCU lead to 2-0. Richmond second-year Charlie Burdell scored Richmond’s first point of the evening after beating Zaorski 6-4, 6-2. VCU bounced back, riding Bouchet’s straight set victory against Richmond third-year Paxton Pritchard to a 3-1 lead. On court one Consonni and Richmond fourth-year Davis Wiley slugged it out, going back and forth in a thrilling match that would

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