Business, Marketing, and Communications Career Fair will take place Feb. 27, 2014 in Cantrell.

CAVALIER Volume 65, Issue 10February 26, 2014

The Official Student Newspaper of UVa-Wise

The Highland

news

et cetera

opinion

sports

IndexUpcomingpage 2

page 4

page 6

page 8

highlandcavalier.com

Business Career Fair

SAB will host poet John Good on Feb. 27, 2014 in Cantrell at 9 p.m.

Poet to visit Cantrell

see Occupancy, page 4

The Miss UVa Wise schol-arship pageant will take place Mar. 1, 2014 at 6pm in the Convocation Center.

Miss UVa-Wise Pageant

Pictured above is the old Master Plan of Clinch Valley College when it first partnered with UVa

see Master Plan, page 3

On-campus occupancy reaches new lows

By William YearoutSenior Features Writerwmy2m@uvawise.edu

UVa-Wise is approaching new horizons. Professional staff is finalizing construction of a comprehensive Health and Wellness Center and is in the opening stages of construction on a six story library. This growth, along with every-thing done over the past decade, is believed by many people to be unprecedented.

While there is some spontaneity in how this information typically gets to the student body, the truth is that every effort on campus is part of a program created years in advance: the Master Plan.

The original master plans bear a striking resemblance to the current state of the college. The evolution of the lawn area, now occupied by the Center for Fine Arts and the campus lake, was planned years in advance. Even the concept of putting in a large stadium, the idea that would later become the Prior Convocation Center, was being proposed in the 1990s. The college is pre-paring to form a new master plan, building on the successes of the last and proposing lasting changes for the future.

“We are going to begin investigating graduate education,” said Chancellor Donna Henry.“It’s gonna be a long path, because we have to request permission from UVa’s Board of Visitors, we have to request permission from our accrediting agency ... our first step is to look at what programs we are ready to offer, and then begin to make the case.”

Henry believes that a serious consideration of graduate programs is on the five-year hori-

zon, with programs such as education and busi-ness being front runners.

There is also a proscenium theatre on the table, with a proposed location between McCra-ray and Crockett Halls.

“Once we get the funds we would ask a committee of faculty [to advise on it], but we’re thinking on the order of 500-600 seats with the ability to bring in lights and rigging to a prosce-nium space,” Henry said.

Henry also said that a serious look is being taken into making the campus more visually-appealing, including changes in greenery and

walkways. In addition, the current location of the Wyllie Library will be renovated into an academic building after the new library is com-pleted.

The financial side of these grand ideas was elaborated on by Sim Ewing, vice-chancellor of finance and administration. According to Ew-ing, the renovation of the Wyllie Library will cost around $10 million, a proposed residence hall would cost around $14 million, and the 600-seat proscenium theatre is expected to cost almost $40 million.

According to Ewing, a new master plan

Josh Weaver | The Highland Cavalier

Chancellor has new Master Plan

By Darrian PickettSenior News Writerdnp6a@uvawise.edu

Low occupancy currently in the residence halls creates questions about what college officials will do to make living on campus appealing to new and current students.

At the beginning of the spring semester, 549 students lived in the 716 residential spaces available on campus, said Josh Justice, director of residence life.

He said the number of students living on campus at any given time fluctuates due to student withdrawals or recently housed students.

The 719 spaces don’t include ‘G-unit’ in McCraray, which is used for overflow freshman students, or any lounges which had previously been used as temporary housing.

New off-campus opportunities, like Walk2Campus, an apartment complex currently being built near the college, give students more op-tions when they make their living arrangements for next year.

Director of Residence Life, Josh Justice, when asked if Walk2Cam-pus was bad for the future of residence life on campus said it wasn’t.

“Obviously, Walk2Campus will be another option for students to choose,” he said. “All students are unique in their needs and wants for living arrangements, so it provides an additional choice to students.”

And, he said, the construction of the complex shows people are will-ing to invest in the area.

“The construction and addition of the Walk2Campus site is proof that the college continues to grow and that business leaders are willing to in-vest in the community, and that’s a positive for the college,” Justice said.

Freshmen, with the exception of commuters, are required to live on campus. For some, living on campus provides a sense of community among students who spend time together in the residence halls.

“The residence halls are great because there are always people around to hang out with,” said freshman political science major Jolito Rivera. Students who have lived on campus for more than a year have a

Vincenz Freels | The Highland Cavalier

Pictured is the vacant Community Coordinator’s office in Henson Hall.

Greear Pool has just reopened after several renovations.

P a g e 5

news Page 2The Highland Cavalier Feb. 26, 2014

Mouse found in Commonwealth

SGA assesses homecoming survey

By Darrian PickettSenior News Writerdnp6a@uvawise.edu

The first floor of Commonwealth Hall has been covered with mousetraps, after a mouse was seen on the floor and in the rooms of the freshman residence hall.

“Pests are common in any living envi-ronment,” said Joshua Justice, director of residence life. “Once the housing office was notified that there was a mouse spotted in Commonwealth, we contacted outside pest control to come. They set the traps throughout the building trying to catch the mouse.”

The mouse traps have been spread out across the first floor lobby.

Freshman mathematics major Alexa Her-nandez doesn’t think the traps are the best way to get rid of the mouse.

“We have a mouse, and he’s a smart one,” she said. “I just think they should try to catch him and then let him go. Maybe they could use the traps that don’t kill him.”

She said she didn’t think the mouse was really a problem.

“He’s been in my room and ate a new pack of bread that I had just bought but other than that I haven’t seen him,” she said. “I just know he’s on our floor.”

Other first floor residents of Common-wealth hall disagree, and are bothered by the fact that a mouse has entered their living space.

Freshman biology major Makenzie Hens-ley, said that she is aggravated that the mouse

is getting into their rooms.The resident advisor for the first floor of

Commonwealth, junior chemistry major Kate-lyn Cantrell, declined to comment.

This incident raises a question about whether or not other residence halls have pests as well.

When asked if other halls were being checked for pests, Justice said, “pest control, when on campus, sprays for various pest, in-cluding insects.

If students should see a mouse in the build-ing, they just need to notify their RA or the housing office, and we will have traps placed in their room or building.”

According to Justice, in order to prevent pests, students should make sure that gar-bage is picked up out of the floor and taken out regularly, keep food in closed and sealed containers, make dishes are washed and food isn’t exposed.

By Megan GrayEditor-In-Chiefmeg6hy@uvawise.edu

Survey results on a proposed student fee in-crease split approval directly in half, yet support for the traditional Homecoming Dance is shown to be widely uncared for.

The Student Government Association con-ducted the survey online to the campus body, asking questions relating to approval of a free at the door Homecoming concert, as well as a proposed fee increase to fund it, and how im-portant the traditional dance was to campus. Six hundred and twenty five students participated in the survey, and mostly upperclassmen.

According to the results, 60 percent of stu-dents were interested in the concert, but 51 per-cent do not support the fee increase.

Director of the David J. Prior Convocation Center Chris Davis said he is not surprised by the results.

“There was not a lot of participation from the student body at the open forums,” Davis

said. “Which I believe would have informed them of the details of how the decision on artists would work and when it would go into effect.”

Even so, the final decision falls on the Col-lege Board to vote.

If approved, the plan would go into effect this fall, Davis said. According to SGA Presi-dent and senior political science major Dakota Hill in his statement last issue, this means that collections and voting for possible artists will begin.

The artists that students vote on are based on price range and proximity to the area according to each artist’s tour dates, said Davis.

Some members of the SGA are still con-cerned however.

“Our location will be difficult for people out of town to get here,” junior biology major and SGA senator Nathan McGlone said. “The thing is that I’m worried about is that this doesn’t take off the ground.”

The other current topic is possibly removing the Homecoming Dance altogether. According to the survey however, only 13 percent of stu-

dents think the dance is very important, and 42 percent have never attended it at all.

The Homecoming Dance has a $6,000 dollar budget, according to SGA, and this is money that could be used to improve other dances such as Spring Formal and Holly Ball.

“We probably set up at least four times the time that people are actually dancing there,” sophomore psychology major and SGA vice president Shannon Walker said.

While East Tennessee State University is often referenced in the Homecoming Concert debate, some students clamor that Longwood University holds an all-day concert affair for less money and smaller acts that students there still seem to enjoy.

“I’m in charge of really just negotiating with artists' agents. Students would decide artists to come,” Davis said. “For me it doesn't matter what direction we go, one big artist or several smaller ones. I'm for whatever will make the students happen.”

Josh Weaver | The Highland Cavalier

Josh Weaver | The Highland Cavalier

Vice President of Lambda Pi Eta senior Brianne Foster presents funding request to members of SGA during their meeting on Friday Feb. 21.

news Page 3The Highland Cavalier Feb. 26, 2014

Cavalier Housing

Josh Weaver | The Highland Cavalier

The UVa-Wise upper commuter parking lot packed with cars on a typical weekday during class time.

By Megan GrayEditor-In-Chiefmeg6hy@uvawise.edu

Cavalier Housing is an off-campus living option for students of UVa-Wise, and though some have complaints, generally it is viewed as a cheap and convenient housing alternative.

Junior math and music double major and Project Manager of Cavalier Housing Jessie O’Quinn said that around a hundred students live in the two-building complex.

“It is much cheaper to live here,” O’Quinn said. “Cable, internet, and utilities are included and it is a step towards living on your own.”

According to O’Quinn, prices range from $415-$700 a month per person, depending on which apartment the student chooses.

Casey Steele, ’13 alumnus and former proj-ect manager agrees, with O’Quinn and stressed the community that he created.

“I think that the current manager runs it in the same fashion that I did,” Steele said. “It’s like traditional residence life, kind of, but there aren’t any programs. But I got to spend a lot of time with my residents.”

Even though Cavalier Housing is indepen-dent of the college, only students of UVa-Wise can live there.

“I like living up here a lot,” O’Quinn said. “And I love my residents.”

With the recent winter storms, however, several students have expressed complaint with the condition of the roads and difficulty leaving.

“We work with what we have,” O’Quinn said. “We aren’t maintained by state roads but

maintenance comes in and they do their best.”With Walk2Campus growing up fast, many

students are leaving their current living spac-es to buy leases there. However, according to O’Quinn, Cavalier Housing does not feel threat-ened.

“It’s kind of expensive there,” O’Quinn said.

Residents of Cavalier Housing have mixed reviews of their situations, but they agree that the pricing is reasonable.

“I live in the most expensive apartment, which is cheaper than living on campus,” soph-omore nursing major Catherine Leonard said. “The new management is very good and takes care of problems right away.”

“The problem I have with Cav Housing is the internet going out as frequently as it does,” said senior management and information sys-tems major Greg Kiser. “As my major, it is per-tinent.”

One interesting addition is that one of the buildings of Cavalier Housing used to be a hos-pital.

“Yeah, some say it’s haunted and some say it’s not,” O’Quinn said and laughed.

Like living on campus, both Cavalier Hous-ing and the future Walk2Campus allow students to use their financial aid to help pay for living expenses, according to O’Quinn and Property Manager of Walk2Campus Nicole Davis.

Wherever students choose to live, there are many options that vary in amenities and pricing, as well as length of commute. Cavalier Housing is just one of those options that stu-dents can choose.

News Brief

Mission trip canceled

The mission trip headed by Susan Herron to Moore, Okla., has been canceled due to a lack of interest. According to Susan Herron, no applications were received for the trip at all.

The mission trip is an annual service trip to areas in need during Spring Break. This year, the trip was focused on helping give re-lief to tornado victims in Moore, Okla., that were affected last May. The United Method-ist Volunteers in Mission (UMVOM) and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UM-COR) were sponsoring the trip.

-Megan Gray, Editor-In-Chief

Simmons establishes biology scholarship

Rabern Simmons, a local of Big Stone Gap and UVa-Wise alumnus, has established the Simms Family Biology Scholarship for UVa-Wise students after a recent inheritance.

Simmons was active in the Science De-partment, gaining a FINS research grant on slime molds with Professor Kevin Jones, and now has a doctorate degree in Biology.

“Two years ago I gave a little money to the FINS program because it pretty much got me where I am today,” he said. “I decided that whenever I had the opportunity, I would con-tribute more.”

After the unfortunate loss of family mem-bers, Simmons decided to give back to UVa-Wise.

“When I was at UVa-Wise, I received a lot of financial aid to continue my education, so I can appreciate the struggles of others,” Simmons said. “If I am able to help a couple of students out each year, I’m proud to do so.”

-Kathy Still, Director of College Relations

Cyber Security Blogger Visiting

Brian Krebs, Author of the cyber securi-ty blog Krebsonsecurity.com, is to lecture at the Leonard W. Sandridge Science Center on March 20 as part of the Department of Math-ematics and Computer Science’s Digital Reb-els Speakers series.

Krebs is the author of KrebsonSecurity.com, a daily news site dedicated to in-depth cyber security news and investigation, with a special focus on cybercrime. He is also the author of a book to be published by Source-books in October 2014, called Spam Nation.

For the third year running, KrebsonSecu-rity.com was voted the Blog That Best Rep-resents the Security Industry by judges at the 2013 RSA Conference, the world’s largest computer security gathering. KrebsOnSecu-rity also won the “Most Educational Security Blog” award, and last year Krebs was pre-sented with the “Security Bloggers Hall of Fame Award,” alongside noted security expert Bruce Schneier.

Krebs is a public speaker who covers sto-ries and investigations on cybercrimes and in-ternet security.

-Kathy Still, Director of College Relations

Continued from page 1Master Plan

is recorded every five years. Sometimes there are major changes, and other times it’s simply a check-up on progress. Actual building plan-ning happens years in advance, and even has to be signed off by the Governor of Virginia.

Ewing was very enthusiastic about the renovation of the Wyllie Library, and the con-struction of the new theater and residence hall. However, he quickly explained away proposi-tions of a parking structure on campus.

“We want parking to be in parks,” Ewing said, “nobody wants to have a supermarket-sized lot in the middle of campus. We want to have multiple, smaller spaces that can look nice.”

Ewing also said that in order to raise funds

for any kind of parking structure, fees for on-campus parking would have to be raised from their relatively-low $60 to a sky-high $360.

While these permanent changes to the face of campus are years away, Ewing was able to tease a smaller change that he believes will excite the student body.

“We are already in agreement with a ma-jor restaurant chain that will start here next fall,” he said.

While he was quick to point out his inabil-ity to discuss the matter at this moment, he did propose an interesting question: if you had a magic wand, what chain restaurant would you wish onto campus?

What chain franchise would you want to come to Wise?Email us at HighlandCavalier@uvawise.edu, tweet us @HighlandCav, or tell us on Facebook!

Want to write for the Highland Cavalier?Email us at highlandcavalier@uvawise.edu or stop by our office

et cetera Page 4The Highland Cavalier Feb. 26, 2014

Lake collects runoff from mines

Josh Weaver | The Highland CavalierThe lake during a warm February day overlooking the Smith Dinning Com-mons.

Want to advertise? Contact Advertising Manager

Graham Siegfried at gs9aj@uvawise.edu.

By William YearoutSenior Features Writerwmy2m@uvawise.edu

It’s pretty some times, and smelly others. Typically mucky, occasion-ally dyed blue. Despite the ups and downs that may come with it, the cam-pus lake is a permanent fixture here at UVa-Wise. Many an urban legend has gone around about this infamous bit of water, but the truth is much more interesting than the whispers and rumors.

Sim Ewing, vice-chancellor of finance and administration, explained that the lake was originally a creek that ran through campus. It was only in 2002 that construction began to create the fixture that most of us see every day.

“It was a combined project with the wetlands,” Ewing said, “to help utilize the oxygenation of the water.”

Rumors of dangerous poisons and deadly runoff are quickly put to bed by Ewing, who said the infamous springtime smell as overturning silt during the warmer months.

“There used to be mines all over this area,” said Kathy Still, director of news and media relations, “I believe there used to be some strip mining around the property.”

Around graduation the college dyes the lake blue, a process that Ew-ing ensures the student body is harmless to the ecosystem and much more photogenic.

In 2010 the lake was cleaned out by the Tennessee Valley Authority, who removed tons of soil and plant matter that was later used as fertil-izer across campus. Other finds from the depths included bicycles, chairs, desks and plenty of baseballs.

While there is currently no major overhaul planned to the lake, Ew-ing did elaborate on a proposal to install a second fountain, possibly in the area near the Smith Dining Commons, in order to promote increased oxygenation of the water.

Whatever your thoughts on the lake, or any rumors you’ve heard (in-cluding sea monsters, dead bodies, and grand pianos), it is going to be a

OccupancyContinued from page 1

different view on what living in the residence halls is like.

Sophomore sports management major Paul Evans doesn’t like living on campus.

“The rooms are too small, and the fact that there is no carpet is really annoying,” said Ev-ans, a resident of Henson Hall.

Shameka Smith, a senior administration of justice major, lived on campus her junior year, but moved off campus at the start of her senior year.

Smith said what she disliked most about liv-ing on campus last year was, “the several alarms that went off at random times, day or night, and having to stand outside in bad weather.”

She said she also hated floor meetings, and the small selection of parking. Now that she

lives off campus, Smith said she is enjoying her living arrangements.

“[I love] the privacy, and not having to wor-ry about any distractions like loud music or suit-emates while you’re trying to study or sleep,” she said. “I also save a good amount of money living in my apartment than I did on campus.”

Justice said there are no immediate plans to build a new residence hall.

However, Sim Ewing, vice chancellor for fi-nance and administration, said there is one resi-dence hall on the college’s six year plan.

“However, we would need to maintain oc-cupancy rates above 95 percent for the year, for consecutive years before we would be able to consider moving ahead,” Ewing said.

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Dear students, faculty, and staff,

Campus safety is an ongoing concern at colleges and universities, and UVa-Wise is no exception.

Safety alerts and emergency notification systems are a vital means of communication during severe weather or a crisis.

Federal regulations require us to issue Timely Warning Notices and Immediate No-tifications to alert the campus about ongoing threats to personal safety.

A Timely Warning notice would alert you of certain crimes on or near campus, and would typically include tips to help you make informed decisions about your personal safety. An Immediate Notification would typi-cally be issued when it is determined that an incident poses a serious, immediate or ongo-ing threat on or near campus. It would also

include a brief description of what to do, such as evacuate a building or shelter in place, in that specific situation.

The notices are:• Issued on a case-by-case basis• Designed to heighten safety awareness• Distributed by either email, text, mo-bile phone, siren, or other methods de-pending on type of safety concernSome safety issues do not fall under the two categories, so we have added anoth-er notification category—Public Safety Notice—to the mix. A Public Safety No-tice would be issued to make the campus aware of situations or conditions that are or could be a concern. A rash of petty thefts in a public space or a major water-line break could be reasons to issue a Pub-lic Safety Notice.The Public Safety Notice would be:

• Shared through such methods as either email, flyers and website, depending on the situation

• Would NOT be sent using the typical AlertNow or mobile phone message

As chancellor, I strongly urge you to sign up for the AlertNow notification system and to check your campus email account often. Com-munication is a key part of campus safety, and we must all do our parts to keep UVa-Wise secure. Here is a quick link to the AlertNow registration page.

http://home.uvawise.edu/AlertNow-emer-gency-alert-system

Regards,Donna P. HenryChancellor

Letter from the Chancellor

AlertNow notification system

Photo courtesy of Mike Still

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@Childress_HC

permanent fixture on campus. There are many ideas about how to make it more attractive, but most of the current ideas are not in the near future. Only student action will ensure that anything is considered or done in the short term.

et cetera Page 5The Highland Cavalier Feb. 26, 2014

Renovations take place in Greear By Mychal SpiveyStaff writermcs2hw@uvawise.edu

The Greear Pool has been closed since Dec. 2013 for major renova-tions and upgrades but has reopened recently.

According to Director the C. Bascom Slemp Student Center, Julie Scott, the 150,000 gallon Greear Pool was drained mid-Jan. and com-pletely renovated by National Pools of Roanoke.

Some of the renovations included a re-plastered interior of the pool, installed new lane tiles, a tiled lane break to notify swimmers of a depth change leading from the shallow to the deep end, new anchor wall hooks for lane line ropes, a new automated sanitizer system and portable vacuum system, and three new bulbs and gaskets to the three interior pool lights.

Additionally, new drain covers have been installed in the deep end and a new diversion valve on the existing main drain line was installed in

CEO clubBy Darrian PickettSenior News Writerdnp6a@uvawise.edu

The Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization (CEO) holds meetings on campus for students interested in learning and understanding the basics of entrepreneurship.

CEO is a national organization that encourages college students to be entrepreneurs, and was introduced to UVa-Wise two years ago. Director of Economic Development Shannon Blevins and six students, including Madison Savarese and James Long, started the UVa-Wise sector of the organization.

“We wanted to create more opportunities for students on campus to understand entrepreneurship,” said Savarese, a senior communications major. “It gives students a club and a community to go to about their ideas.”

According to Savarese, CEO meetings start with an introduction and then a S.W.O.T. analysis of someone’s business plan. S.W.O.T. stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

“One of our biggest strengths as an organization is the fact that we have people from all different majors; because of everyone’s different

the surge tank.“The staff has worked in removing old concrete from the decking

around the pool,” Scott said. UVa-Wise staff has run electrical lines to provide power to the interior

pool lights, maintained chemical balance for the curing of the new plaster, brushed the pool three hours every day since the pool was filled and are currently re-surfacing the concrete decking around the pool.

According to Scott, the lifeguard staff will have access to a new emer-gency phone line installed in the pool area, new life saving gear, CPR masks and first aid kits.

Employees and students have access to open swim in the Greear Pool by simply showing their CAVS Card and properly signing in with the lifeguard on duty.

Employees and students are also permitted to bring one guest while using the pool.

“We will also be offering American Red Cross level one and level two swimming lessons, for a fee, beginning late February for any age wanting to learn how to swim,” Scott said. “We are also excited to offer Aqua Fit-ness Exercises Classes after spring break.”

majors we get different points of view,” Savarese said. “We always say we’re problem solvers, that’s what entrepreneurship is.”

A few times out of the year the club travels to UVa’s main campus to attend entrepreneur competitions and workshops. On Feb. 20, the group met to brainstorm about other potential field trips for the future and how to get more students involved.

“We went to UVa twice last year, once for the entrepreneur competi-tion, and once for an entrepreneurship conference,” Savarese said. “We met with authors, and went to seminars and workshops; that was a great opportunity for us.”

Senior communications major James Long feels strongly about the opportunities entrepreneurship presents to students.

“We’re trying to build a vibrant region of entrepreneurship in this area; trying to get the students to take this opportunity because when you graduate, jobs aren’t guaranteed because of the way the economy is,” Long said. “Why work for someone else when you can just start at the top, with entrepreneurship?”

To Long, entrepreneurship is a lot more than making money. It’s pro-viding a service to the community and having a passion for what you’re doing, while making money.

“I would explain my experience and the knowledge that I’ve learned because my job when I first started working with Shannon Blevins I inter-viewed successful entrepreneurs in the area, and I wrote stories on them.” Long said in trying to reach students. “We are about to publish ‘The Blue-print’ in the next couple of months.”

‘The Blueprint’ is a magazine in which people can learn the stories of local entrepreneurs and their experiences starting their business.

“From the stories, students will obtain a lot of knowledge from mar-keting, financing.” Long said. “It’s not just about entrepreneurship, it’s about real life situations.”

Students should contact Madison Savarese or James Long for more information on how to get involved if they are interested in CEO.

Photo courtesy of CEO Club

Josh Weaver | The Highland Cavalier

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The CEO club poses together during their recent field trip to UVa.

opinion

The Highland Cavalier is the official student newspaper of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. The newspaper is published weekly on Fridays. It func-tions to inform, educate and entertain readers accurately and responsibly. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the college’s administration, faculty or staff. Also, the opinions expressed on the Opinion Page are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of newspaper editors and staff members. The Highland Cavalier welcomes all contributions, which can be delivered to the newspaper in person (317 Slemp Student Center); by standard mail (Campus Box 4682, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, 1 College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293); by phone (328-0170); or via e-mail (highlandcavalier@uvawise.edu). Letters to the editor can also be e-mailed to Opinion Editor Kandee Wallace(knw2a@uvawise.edu). All letters to the editor must be signed — including the writer’s department or major, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for length, grammar, clarity and libel.

Page 6The Highland Cavalier Feb. 26, 2014

Staff Writers/PhotographersEditorial Board

Megan Gray Darrian PickettJordan Childress Kandee Wallace Graham SiegfriedJosh Weaver Dalena Adams William YearoutJaime RobinsonAllie Gibson

Editor-in-ChiefSenior News Writer

Sports Editor Opinion Editor

Advertising ManagerPhoto Manager

Copy Editor Senior Features Writer

Layout EditorStaff Adviser

Selina GaddisVincenz FreelsChelsea JusticeZachery CastleMychal Spivey

opinion

By Kandee WallaceOpinion Editorknw2a@uvawise.edu

Just a little over a week until your college e-mail contents look some-thing like this: Highland Happenings, Highland Happenings Revised, CULTURAL CREDIT, CULTURAL CREDIT (from someone else), Wage Payroll, Work Study Payroll, another Wage Payroll, warning about opening spam e-mails you should be smart enough not to click anyways, don’t park at the football field, something the college is trying to get par-ticipation in, but isn’t going to, an “invite” from some unknown person to join datemyschool.com and last, but not least, that really important e-mail you’ve waited forever on that is cleverly disguised amongst all this, but that you accidentally deleted on your deleting spree and will never see again.

Not only are these e-mails cluttering up the inboxes of students and extremely annoying in most cases, but for most, they are unnecessary as well. For example: Every student on campus on payroll gets the wage payroll and work study payroll e-mails every other week, often multiple times. Instead of sending these to every single student, why not make a separate group of contacts to send these to each week?

We also have the issue of authority figures not communicating with one another resulting in 3 different people sending us the same exact e-mail. This could be prevented by checking your e-mail and making sure

you don’t have the one you are about to send out already in your mailbox. One person involved could also be assigned to be responsible for this task.

While it is not a huge deal to receive such amounts of e-mails because it is for our convenience and knowledge, it gets somewhat irritating at times. First world problems, right? Being informed is great. Being in-formed of the same thing multiple times in a day is not all that great.

Caty Shantz, sophomore liberal arts and sciences major said, “I think there’s probably a more simple and effective way to communicate infor-mation to all of the students without blowing up our mailboxes while still reaching everyone.”

Not only that, but the sewage of the internet seeps into your mail-box disguised as dating website invites, spam, and phishing while those important e-mails regarding to your upcoming internship or job inter-view get sent straight to the junk folder. How does that even make sense? Thanks, Obama.

“When my phone vibrates I get really excited, like one of my classes have been cancelled or I’ve been contacted for a job interview,” junior economics major, Eric Hartnett said, “but it’s just another useless, spam e-mail.”

What I am getting at here is while the communication to us is good, it’s a little overly good. Maybe it would be beneficial to all if authority figures at the school communicated with one another a little more so they could communicate the same exact things to us less. The student body would be ever appreciative.

After training hard during the snowpocalypse weeks at Tech, I began a long, grueling trek to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Sochi was supposed to be where I finally made my mark on history. Sitting there on the plane, I could hear fame, fortune and Eastern European supermodels calling my name. Yes, I could see it: Jack Gelbe, USA, gold medal in uphill luge.

That first day, I wore bright, colorful clothing so that everyone would know that I represented the best country in the world. I prepared myself to shake hands, kiss babies and take selfies with old women.

Two days later, we were still in the plane. The country of Russia la-beled my rainbow jacket as a moral security threat and prevented our plane from landing. After graphically proving my heterosexuality, I was allowed to proceed.

As we finally deplaned, I was totally shocked by the godforsaken hellscape that is Sochi. The runway was being used for bobsledding, and stray bears were being drafted as customs officers. The situation was al-most as bad as the ground floor of Skiles.

The other athletes and I were moved to the Olympic Village by mule-drawn carts, and to our surprise, we were greeted by camera crews claim-ing that Sochi 2014 was just a cover for the filming of the newest season of Survivor.

As I entered my hotel cupboard, I found a rabid, flea-infested dog named Boris, which the hotel staff insisted was “complimentary.” I had heard horror stories about the discolored water in the bathrooms, but I was pleased to discover that I wouldn’t have to deal with this problem. The bathrooms didn’t have any water at all.

Sochi 2014 was a new high for commercial endorsement. A world-wide sports event championed McDonald’s as its official food sponsor, much to the chagrin of Burger King and Morgan Spurlock. Moreover, since Vladimir Putin sold the rights to the Olympics to BP and Audi, they altered the logo during the opening ceremony.

When the actual sporting events finally began, several athletes stepped up to contribute whatever they could to the process. NBC’s coverage of the games was entirely captured by Darya Domracheva’s iPhone. Russian secret police, however, benefited greatly from the spike in surveillance. “There was a huge increase in productivity,” said Sochi’s now-deceased head of security. “We have made literally thousands of executions within a week.”

Of course, my repeated attempts to escape from persecution and my interactions with Boris provided wonderful conditioning for my upcom-ing event.

As the day of my event finally arrived, I showed up, fully ready to take glory away from those Soviet schmucks, only to be told that the uphill luge isn’t a real sport. I suppose I wasn’t that surprised, but as I sit here in this jail cell, I can’t help but wonder if all of this could have been avoided if I simply competed in ice fishing instead.

Courtesy UWire

From Russia with love, unless you’re gay

FWD: FWD: Repetitive e-mails get to students

Kandee Wallace | The Highland Cavalier

By Hannah McNewStaff Writerhnm4s@uvawise.edu As you look back on your life to date, do you sometimes wonder why you did not take the chances that were right at your fingertips? There is a point where we all could have been a little braver in the choices we made. Ask your parents or grandparents. I guarantee that if they could have done things differently, they would have been riskier. Perhaps you feel the same way now. You want so badly to have the guts to go out and explore the world like your friends. If only you were not afraid of something new. It’s time to stop living in the “what ifs” and take some much needed chances. “I feel like it’s necessary to take chances because if you don’t, you never know what you could be capable of, or you might miss out on some fun,” said Makayla Gamble, junior English major. There are countless ways that you can take chances. One way is to check out the information you walk past every day. The University of Virginia’s College at Wise offers great opportunities for stu-dents to try something new—opportunities that you can grab a hold of and run with. You can study abroad. I know what you are thinking. “There is

no way on this earth that I could ever afford leaving the country.” Well good news, folks. There are scholarships offered that will help you fi-nance your trip. Fancy that. If studying abroad is not a chance you would like to take, then get in-volved on campus. It is easy to just go to classes, go home, do your home-work, and then repeat the same process over and over again. Find enjoy-ment out of your college experience. You and I both know that student fees are overpriced, but if you take part in the activities, then you will at least have the satisfaction in knowing that your money is not completely wasted. Go see what Greek life is all about. Show someone your talent. Audition for a play. Sign up to run in the upcoming 5K. Your options are limitless. Make a promise to yourself this year that you will no longer be so cautious and you will learn to make the most of life. Have fun. Dance in the rain. Sing karaoke to a song that you know you cannot master. Stop worrying about someone who has long forgotten about you. Give people chances. Go up to that girl you see every day and tell her “I don’t mind to spend every day out on your corner in the pouring rain.” Okay that one might be a bit much. You’re no Adam Levine. Although, that would cer-tainly pull on my heart strings. The point is, take some chances and make your “what ifs” a reality.

Taking advantage of life every day

sports Page 7The Highland Cavalier Feb. 26, 2014

Women drop final home game in Prior Center

Senior Reynesha Archer (32) drives past a Fairmont State defender in the first half of the Cavs 71-57 loss to the Fighting Falcons. Ar-cher had 18 points in her final game inside the Prior Center.

BasketballContinued from page 8

Josh Weaver | The Highland Cavalier

By Jordan ChildressSports Editorjsc6x@uvawise.edu

Head coach Kristin Kunzman’s UVa-Wise Cavalier women’s bas-ketball team was coming off of a 81-68 win over Shepherd University in which snapped a six game losing streak when they faced off against Fairmont State Saturday afternoon.

The Cavs were hoping to use the momentum gained in the win to send out lone senior on the team Reynes-ha Archer with a win in her last game in the Prior Center.

A sluggish second half by Cavs ruined their hopes as they dropped a 71-57 decision to the visiting Fight-ing Falcons.

The Cavs were rolling in the first half when a sophomore Maken-zie Cluesman steal led to a layup by freshman Taylor Sandidge to give the Cavs a 29-20 lead with 3:43 left to play in the first half.

That nine-point lead was short- lived as the Fighting Falcons fought back and cut the lead to two on a Makenzie White jumper as the horn sounded at halftime.

At halftime the Cavs controlled a 34-32 lead as the Fighting Falcons seemed to carry all the momentum into the locker room.

Archer led the Cavs with 10 points at halftime in only nine min-utes of action. The Fighting Falcons were led by Emily Puskarich with 12 points coming on four three-point-ers.

The Fighting Falcons carried their first half momentum over into the second half as they opened up the second half on a 18-6 run. The run seemed to crush all hopes of the Cavs as they trailed by as many as 23 in the second half.

“We were a different team com-ing out in the second half,” Kun-zman said. “We were intense in the first half and taking possessions off aren’t going to cut it.”

The Cavs would cut into that deficit as they dropped a 71-56 deci-sion to the Fighting Falcons. Archer led the Cavs with a game-high 18 points in only 21 minutes of action on her senior day that didn’t go the way she planned.

“In the first half we came out ready to play, but the second half wasn’t the same,” Archer said. “It seemed like all five were never on the same page.”

Junior Katie Jo Lester paced the Cavs with 12 points, freshman Kay-la Carey finished with 11 points and Sandidge with 10 points. Cluesman grabbed 11 rebounds and collected six steals in the contest.

The Fighting Falcons were led by Hailey Garrett and Puskarich with 16 points each.

With the loss the Cavs fall to 9-15 and 5-15 in Mountain East play. The Fighting Falcons improved to 15-8 and 13-7 in MEC play.

The Cavs will be back in action this Saturday in the regular season finale when they travel to Concord University for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

The UVa-Wise baseball team will host Shepherd Univer-sity Saturday and Sunday. The doubleheaders will start at 1 p.m. on both days. The Cavs will host Lincoln Memorial on March 5.

Upcoming gamesBasketball

The UVa-Wise men’s and women’s basketball teams will travel to Concord Uni-versity Saturday for the last regular season for the Cavs.The women are set to tip-off at 2 p.m.

BaseballThe UVa-Wise softball team will travel to Murfreesboro, N.C., Friday to take on Chowan Uni-versity with a 2 p.m. start. The Cavs will then face West Chester University Saturday with 12 p.m. first pitch.

SoftballThe UVa-Wise men’s tennis team will host Milligan College Saturday with a start time to be annouced later in the week.

BaseballMarch 1&2 Shepherd University 1 p.m.

March 5 Lincoln Memorial U. 2 p.m.

March 8&9 Urbana University 1 p.m.

March 11 King University 2 p.m.

March 29&30 West Va. Wesleyan 1 p.m.

SoftballMarch 22 Shepherd University (DH) 1 p.m.

March 23 Fairmont State U. (DH) 1 p.m.

March 26 Concord University (DH) 2 p.m.

April 5 West Va. State University (DH) 2 p.m.

April 6 University of Charleston (DH) 2 p.m.

April 10 Mars Hill College (DH) 2 p.m.

Upcoming Home Games

Upcoming Home Games

Tennis

paying attention to any other elements of the game,” Syndor said. “When everybody fouled out, I realized this may be my opportunity to step up and showcase what I can do.”

The Cavs shut down the Fighting Falcons with basically their second team with four players fouled out in the final minutes of overtime. Junior Javon Moore swished two free throws to secure the Cavs thrilling 76-73 win on senior day.

The Cavs placed five players in double-figures in scoring.Boyce finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds. Boyce only needs

eight more rebounds for the record. Boyce was thrilled with the victory as he finished the game as a spectator on the Cavs bench.

“It was a good game, we worked hard and did what we were sup-pose to do,” Boyce said. “Syndor didn’t play like a freshman and Jordan [Smith] hit a clutch shot which took a lot of guts.”

Turner only finished with seven points on his senior day in limited minutes due to early foul trouble.

“It was amazing,” Turner said. “These last three years have flew by, I still remember my first game. You gotta love it.”

Day finished with 13 points and the Cavs got 12 huge points off the bench from Syndor. Syndor was a perfect eight for eight behind the charity stripe. Mellinger was very pleased with how his young freshman played coming off the bench.

“That’s the best game he’s played,” Mellinger said. “He defended, rebounded, and hit a clutch shot it overtime. He was big time tonight.

Wimbush led the Fight Falcons with a game-high 23 points.Boyce and Turner hope they have one more game inside the Prior

Center as the first round of the Mountain East Conference basketball tour-nament is held on campus sites for seeds 5-12 with seeds 5-8 hosting.

“You couldn’t have scripted it any better for them. To have their team-mates out there fighting for them like that,” Mellinger said. “There’s no better way to play your last regular season game at home.”

With the win the Cavs move to 10-14 on the season and 7-13 in con-ference play. The Fighting Falcons fall to 17-9 and 12-8 in MEC play. The Cavs concluded the season sweep over the Fighting Falcons with the win.

The Cavs will travel to Concord University Saturday to take on the Mountain Lions with a 4 p.m. tip-off.

Page 8The Highland Cavalier Feb. 26, 2014

By Jordan ChildressSports Editorjsc6x@uvawise.edu

The UVa-Wise Cavaliers and the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons played 45 minutes on Feb. 22 for senior day in the Prior Center. The last five minutes of regulation and overtime was what fans came to watch as the Cavs defeated the Fighting Falcons 77-74.

Head coach Blake Mellinger’s squad was looking to send off seniors James Turner and Deon Boyce with one last win in what could be their last game inside the Prior Center.

“We talked the last two days about sending Deon [Boyce] and James [Turner] out the right way,” said Mellinger. “I really think that had a lot to do with it.”

The Cavs raced out to an early 16-8 lead in

the opening minutes of play and took a 33-27 lead into halftime. Boyce came into the contest needing 27 rebounds to break the school record of rebounds in a season of 360. At the half, Boyce had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cavs controlled the lead for most of the second half and even built the lead to 11 with 15:44 left in regulation. The Fighting Falcons started their charge right after the Cavs built their lead to double-digits and finally took the lead with 5:30 left in the half. A Thomas Wim-bush jumper put the Fight Falcons ahead 61-59.

Leads exchanged over the next couple min-utes and the Fighting Falcons controlled a 67-66 lead with 1:30 left in the second half. A key basket by freshman Brian Syndor put the Cavs ahead 68-67. The Fight Falcons tied the game at 68 on a free throw and neither team could col-lect a game winning basket in the final 30 sec-

onds with both having chances.Mellinger with a shorthanded bench lost

sophomore Matt Day and Boyce in the closing minutes of regulation to fouling out.

In the start of overtime both teams tired and it showed on the court. The Fighting Falcons struck first in overtime when Wimbush made two free throws to go up 70-68 with just under three minutes left to play. Turner was called for the foul and went to watch the rest of the game on the bench with fellow senior Boyce.

Syndor added another big basket for the Cavs, but nothing proved bigger than when redshirt freshman Jordan Smith hit a go ahead three-pointer to put the Cavs up 74-73 with 1:12 left to play in overtime.

“Down the stretch all you’re looking to do is make plays and not really

Josh Weaver | The Highland Cavalier

Senior Deon Boyce (23) and senior James Turner (14) are honored with their family for their contributions to the Cavs basketball program.

see Basketball, page 7

Cavs win thriller on Senior Daysports

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