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VCU celebrates historical LGBTQ+ group with celebratory marker

September 9, 2026

Olivia Rine, Staff Writer Nearly 50 years ago, VCU’s Gay Alliance of Students — otherwise known as GAS, won a historic court case against VCU. This October, a historical marker will be rewarded in celebration between the Commons and Temple building, according to VCU News. A group of students founded GAS at VCU in September of 1974 as the first openly LGBTQ+ student organization, according to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The school originally denied the society’s application for official recognition, which led to the historical federal case that was ruled in favor of the GAS. When GAS submitted their application, it was not sent to the VCU Office of Student Life, but instead the Board of Visitors, which was an unusual practice. The VCU BOV ultimately rejected their application, claiming that it was not in the best interest of the institution. The GAS was the only one denied in the 1975 school year out of 145 organization applications. According to Justia, this led one student to sue Alfred T. Matthews, Dean of Student Life and Wyndham B. Blanton Jr., member of the Board of Visitors, for recognition as an official organization, and to grant GAS with the

Virginians to vote on reproductive freedom in November

September 9, 2026

Deborah Aguilera, Contributing Writer Virginians will decide whether reproductive freedom should be a fundamental right in the state constitution on Nov. 3. Virginia Question 1 proposes that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including personal decisions regarding prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management and fertility care. Reproductive healthcare is a statutory protection in Virginia, meaning it can be altered by future legislative majorities, according to KFF. Making reproductive healthcare a constitutional amendment would guarantee Virginians the right to reproductive freedom. Following Dobbs v. Jackson, The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the authority to regulate abortion returned to individual states, reshaping the healthcare landscape nationwide. Virginia currently stands as the last state in the American Southeast with abortion access passed the 15th week. Under Virginia law, constitutional amendments must pass two consecutive General Assembly sessions with a legislative election in between, according to the organization Reproductive Freedom for All. The measure cleared the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions and will now go directly to the voters. Jamie Lockhart, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates, said the amendment would protect an individual’s ability to make decisions about their reproductive

VCU suspends cancer research project over animal mistreatment

September 9, 2026

Three Confederate statues removed from Capitol Square

September 9, 2026

The climate crisis is here

September 9, 2026

Urjita Mainali, Contributing Writer On Aug. 26, a flash flood with the magnitude of a 5.2 earthquake hit the region around the Nepal-Tibet-China border, according to CNN Weather. Natural disasters have previously hit Nepal, with the region often preparing for extreme weather. Monsoon rains make travel difficult or dangerous, especially in more rural and mountainous regions as the roads fall into disrepair. It is also a seismically active region, according to BBC News, making it prone to earthquakes and landslides. While it always made me worry for my family, news about natural disasters has never been entirely unexpected — but when I saw the first videos coming out of the massive waves of water, mud and debris, I felt that the scale of this disaster was different. At the time of writing, the death toll has surpassed 1,290 in Nepal, and thousands remain missing. In the days following the disaster, experts linked the deadly flash floods to a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region associated with climate change, according to The Guardian. In the region, temperatures have been recorded as warming twice as fast. The lives impacted and lost by flood-related disasters have risen rapidly across South and Southeast Asia,

Society’s ‘Obsession’ with romantic dehumanization

September 9, 2026

Bella Fratarcangelo, Contributing Writer Director Curry Barker’s low-budget horror hit, “Obsession,” tells audiences what most women have known for centuries: nice guys are often not nice guys, they are not nice lovers and cool girls do not exist. In “Obsession,” a twenty-something “nice guy” named Bear wishes on a collectible children’s toy that his long-time crush, Nikki, would love him more than anyone else in the entire world. From this moment until the curse is broken, the real Nikki loses her autonomy and embodies a caricature of a crazy girlfriend, nicknamed Freaky Nikki. Barker, in an interview with “The Collider,” rebuked the notion that “Obsession” is a story of someone “possessed” by a demonic entity or ancient spirit. I interpret Nikki as Bear’s possession, a reward he supposedly deserves after years of sweatily pinching the sleeves of his vintage sweater collection, pining after an artsy baddie. To him, her inauthentic, ham-fisted, manic love is preferable to romantic rejection. Nikki is dehumanized by the male gaze — specifically, Bear’s gaze. Told through Bear’s perspective, the film only confronts fleeting moments of Nikki’s suffering that are unavoidable for Bear. The audience does not get to know Nikki intimately. She is only the

Alpha Phi Omega: Strengthening one another through community

September 9, 2026

Ariel Lebow, Contributing Writer Alpha Delta Iota, Virginia Commonwealth University’s chapter of the national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, is a Greek Organization committed to improving the world and building a community of like-minded peers since 1994. APO is a service fraternity, meaning they are gender inclusive and centered around community service. There is a one month long rush period to join APO that teaches the club’s history, including how it was founded and its transition to becoming a gender inclusive organization. The rush helps acquaint pledges with organization expectations. Abby Hollis, a fourth-year who has been a member of APO since her freshman year, has served multiple semesters on the E-board. “I was completely new to Richmond and it helped me figure out what Richmond was,” Hollis said. “The people in Alpha Phi Omega know Richmond very well and are always really nice and were willing to answer questions that I had about Richmond.” Pledges are assigned bigs that guide them through the adjustment to collegiate life, forming friendships as they help them integrate into the community. Grace Smith, APO’s vice president, loves that APO is a collection of diverse students from different majors coming together. APO members are

Henrico comes alive with jazz at Deep Run Park

September 9, 2026

Deborah Aguilera, Contributing Writer Richmond-based jazz musician Chan Hall brought his music to Deep Run Park on Sept. 6 for Jazz in the Park, a free community event hosted by Henrico County. The event, held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., gave attendees an opportunity to experience live jazz in an outdoor setting while learning more about Hall’s work as a musician. The performance provided Hall with an opportunity to share his approach to jazz while connecting with a local audience. Hall said his pursuit to become a jazz musician was inspired by listening to Chick Corea during his time in high school band. “I took a trip to Washington D.C at the Kennedy Center,” Hall said. “I saw a jazz trio in the lobby and ever since I saw that jazz trio that made me want to play jazz and everything.” The jazz scene in Richmond is booming, according to Hall. “The musicianship is incredible,” Hall said. “It’s a lot of music, a lot of jazz. You can walk down the street and hear jazz in Carytown, outside, or in Relever. It mixes with the culture here.” Hall described his experience in Richmond as great and he has a

Adapting to the New Era: How VCU Athletics is Maximizing Revenue Sharing in Year Two

September 9, 2026

Tyrese Perkins, Assistant Sports Editor Before the House v. NCAA settlement effective July 1, 2025, athletic departments could not directly share institutional revenue with student-athletes. Athletes could only receive benefits such as scholarships and cost-of-attendance assistance, while Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities primarily came through outside parties. The settlement allowed Division I schools to directly provide athletes with compensation tied to their athletic revenue. This change created a new distinction between the money an athlete receives directly from their university, and money earned through NIL opportunities. “The revenue-sharing process for us is solely focused on student-athletes,” VCU Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin said. In March 2025, McLaughlin estimated that the university could only afford to spend approximately $5 million annually on student-athlete compensation while remaining competitive. This August, McLaughlin said that entering into year two under the NCAA settlement, would increase their previous $5 million threshold during year one. “Players may now come and go faster than what we’ve expected, but the reality as an athletic department is that we must be ready to adapt,” McLaughlin said. The majority of VCU’s planned revenue-sharing money would be directed toward men’s and women’s basketball, while athletes across the athletic department would still

VCU falls short against Virginia in straight sets

September 9, 2026

Benney Koch, Staff Writer VCU faced the University of Virginia in the second match of the VCU invitational on Sept. 5. The Rams lost 3-0 but broke their 17 year old attendance record as 1,677 fans came out to support VCU volleyball. From the start of the first set, UVA controlled the game. While VCU struggled early to find its offense, UVA hit .500 according to statbroadcast, which allowed them to pull away and win the opening set 25-13. Early in the second set, VCU made adjustments and began finding some success against the Cavaliers, taking an 11-9 lead. However, UVA responded with three straight kills from second-year outside hitter Reagan Ennist, second-year middle blocker Caroline Lang and fourth-year outside hitter Lauryn Bowie that would keep VCU from holding onto their lead. UVA would not trail again in the set and ended up winning 25-17, putting themselves within one set of the match victory. After the break, the Rams made adjustments and throughout the third set they were more offensively imposing and in turn able to stay within a few points of the Cavaliers. Rams first-year outside hitter Molly McCall had seven kills on 15 swings in the set according

VCU battles back for 3-2 win over ETSU

September 9, 2026

Devynn Alston, Staff Writer VCU women’s volleyball and East Tennessee State University battled through five sets on Sept. 4 at the Siegel Center, with VCU winning 3-2. ETSU scored the first point of the match with a kill by third-year outside hitter Makayla Bays. VCU quickly responded with a kill of their own from fourth-year outside hitter Gabby LaPata. At the start, neither team could establish a lead, but ETSU soon took control, building a 10-6 lead. The Buccaneers continued to extend their lead behind kills from Bays and first-year Karis Chatfield and strong serving, taking a 15-8 advantage at the media timeout. VCU struggled to generate momentum but attempted a late comeback, winning four consecutive rallies in a row to cut the deficit. That effort was not enough, as ETSU closed out the first set 25-14 following a block assist by third-year middle blocker Gianna Blair and second-year outside hitter Sophia Davis. The second set was a test of wills, as neither team could establish control. ETSU briefly built a three-point lead but VCU responded with timely kills by multiple members of the team to keep the set close. The Rams tied the set at 21-21 and took a

VCU cross country kicks off new season

September 5, 2026

Ben Martindale, Sports Editor VCU men’s and women’s cross country teams made their season debut Sept. 5 at the Spider Alumni Open. The men kicked things off with a 6k race and the women followed by running 4k. The morning weather was hot and muggy and as soon as the match started, the heat and humidity became a factor. “When it’s hot obviously you’re gonna be working a whole lot harder,” said second-year Jonathan Hess. “The added humidity just makes the air thicker, a little bit harder to breathe, and that can do a lot.” Hess admitted that today was not his best performance, as much of the team’s focus is on staying healthy for indoor track, but he still managed to be one of three men’s team runners to finish in the top 50. Hess’s older brother, third-year Thomas Hess finished first among Rams competitors and 20th overall, posting a 6k time of 19:15.5. “The team performed pretty well,” said coach Austin Savage. “Really our only goal was to get out here and be competitive and for some people that meant being more aggressive and some that meant being more conservative and moving up throughout the race. I think

PRESS BOX: How the U.S. government is using sports to brainwash you

September 2, 2026

Ben Martindale, Sports Editor Sportswashing, a term first coined in 2015, describes how governments use sports and celebrity athletes to manipulate public opinion. Some governments use sport as a red herring, a means of diverting scrutiny from real issues. Others use it as a means to inspire the masses and encourage nationalist fervor. In 1936, Germany hosted the Summer Olympic Games. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime used the games to distract the world from reports of human rights violations and Jewish discrimination that were beginning to circulate at the time. The Nazis would begin their systemic murder of the Jewish people in 1941. In 2014, Vladimir Putin hoped to use the Sochi Olympic Games as a means of promoting Russian excellence, and in doing so, further his own personal strongman image. To ensure Russian success, the state facilitated what would become the largest doping scandal in sports history. The scheme, which enabled athletes to utilize banned steroids, implicated over 1,000 Russian athletes and was facilitated by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and high ranking government officials, according to NPR. In 2016, Saudi Arabia unveiled Vision 2030, a program designed to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil reserves and rehabilitate