Tech Football Apologizes

111th YEAR, ISSUE 94 collegiatetimes.com Wednesday, April 1, 2015 COLLEGIATETIMES An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 Tech football apologizes ALEXA JOHNSON / COLLEGIATE TIMES Athletic Director Whit Babcock listens as participants of the Take Back the Night event express their concerns as well as suggest solutions to the issue. LEWIS MILLHOLLAND “I thought we’d cover three things, if that’s good with you,” said John Ballein is the senior associate athletics director. news reporter Whit Babcock, director of athletics, who hosted the meeting. “To Babcock estimated that the entire team, barring those with hear the concerns from you guys about what transpired at Take schedule conflicts, attended the event. Misbehavior aside, he The athletics department hosted a meeting Tuesday night to Back the Night, to give you all some background on how the found it encouraging that the football team attended the event. address the disrespectful comments made by the football players football team came to the event and determine the next steps and “I want to discourage the behavior that happened, but I don’t who attended the 26th annual “Take Back the Night” event, a rally move forward.” want to discourage the intent,” Babcock said. “I was pleased with and march to protest gender-based violence. About 50 members of the community attended the dialogue. the initiative, I just was not pleased with the end result.” Coordinated by Womanspace, a community dedicated to No football players were in attendance. According to Babcock, “It Babcock said that the football players attending without empowering women, Take Back the Night is held on the last was requested that they not be here.” prepping may have been the root of the issue. Thursday of March each year. Speeches are made by members of The question of who required the football players to attend Take “I think we could have done a better job of preparing them for a variety of organizations and backgrounds, including transsexual Back the Night – or even if they were required to attend – was not what they were coming into, and what that environment and safe individuals and survivors of rape and sexual assault. resolved. When asked if the players were required or encouraged space meant,” Babcock said. “That’s where we probably missed it, The football players were accused of making transphobic to attend, Babcock responded, “I don’t know.” a pre-meeting. Just to say hey, let me explain.” and homophobic remarks, as well as talking and checking their Whatever the impetus, “It came from John Ballein and Coach phones throughout the event. Beamer, and it was done with good intentions,” Babcock said. see RALLY / page 3 Campus Kitchen makes meals for students in need JOY NYSTROM Virginia Tech’s strengths in order news staff writer to address different levels of poverty. Even though Virginia Tech “We are really looking at using has been ranked number one in Virginia Tech’s strongest assets,” the nation in dining services, the said Perry Martin, senior asso- university is located in an area in ciate director of community which hunger is a prevalent issue. learning. “We have a great dining According to Feeding America program and are very invested in Southwest Virginia, one in sustainability. It makes sense to be eight Virginians struggles with involved in the community within hunger and 13 percent of people these areas.” in Southwest Virginia are not For a student with a dining plan, positive where their next meal is it may be hard for them to see the coming from. To counteract the poverty within the community. hunger in this area, Virginia Tech Although hunger is a worldwide alumni, Amanda Qadado, headed issue, Campus Kitchen gives the project of bringing Campus students a chance to be personally ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES Kitchen to Virginia Tech. involved in the poverty that Construction continues on the astroturf ﬁ elds near the instramural complex. Campus Kitchen is a program surrounds their community in a that partners with high schools, consistent and sustainable way. colleges and universities across the “The best way to address hunger nation. They take food that is about is in a consistent, ongoing and inno- Construction continues to expire or cannot be used in the vative way, that uses resources that dining halls and used it to prepare are already available,” Martin said. meals for those in need. Qadado headed the project as throughout Tech campus The program is solely student her final project for her second year based and relies on students to of being a VISTA worker. LEWIS MILLHOLLAND concept to completion,” LaClair both in design and construction prepare and deliver the meals to the The program requires the news reporter said. “We go through a budgeting phases, can be downloaded from surrounding community. All meals workers to create a sustainable request process with the general the Virginia Tech facilities website. are prepared with proper safety program in the community that Given the amount of assembly to get state funding One hub of construction is the regulations. they have been working in. construction on campus, Virginia supplement. That is, if there is any intersection of Prices Fork Road “Hunger will never stop being “After I am gone, there will be Tech might as well add bulldozer- state funding - your tax dollars at and West Campus Drive, a popular an issue,” Qadado said. “[Campus new leadership. The sustainability yellow as a third school color. The work.” entrance to Virginia Tech. Kitchen] brings awareness and aspect of the program was really university spends approximately Construction plans are “The Prices Fork entrance is educates people about the issues appealing to me,” Qadado said. $100 million annually on capital scheduled on a six-year basis, kind of a primary entrance for us,” of hunger. It is easy to be unaware The program will officially projects and about $20 million on and every other year the univer- LaClair said. “A lot of people get of the levels of hunger in the New kickoff in the fall and a pilot non-capital projects. sity’s Board of Visitors reviews off 460 there and come on campus River Valley.” program will be hosted this spring. Leigh LaClair, director and approves the current plan. As that way.” V T E ngage is host t o A mer ic or ps of University Design and LaClair put it, “Every two years it Unlike the Moss Arts Center VISTA workers that are engaged in Construction, handles capital gets a fresh look.” beside alumni mall or the famously the New River Valley community. projects – with construction costing The department of University landscaped “VT” letters along One of the goals of the program is to more than $2 million. Design and Construction has many Southgate Drive, the West Campus address poverty in the surrounding “If it’s a capital project, it’s projects in the works at any given community. @JoyNystrom commonly four to six years from time. A full list of active projects, see CONSTRUCTION / page 3 The program looks to use SWIMMING AND APRIL FOOLS FROM DIVING GOOGLE MAPS /CollegiateTimes ctlifestyles The Hokies take 13 to You’ll ﬁ nd more than just NCAA Tournament. directions in these maps @collegiatetimes CT MOBILE APP page 6 page 5 iTunes / Google Play PAGE 2 Wednesday, April 1, 2015 collegiatetimes.com [email protected] opinion collegiatetimes.com/opinion Football team’s actions disappoint Hokie community On March 26, 2015, Womanspace at Virginia Tech hosted their annual Tack Back the Night rally. Womanspace invited speakers to talk about gender-based violence. The Virginia Tech football team was among the attendees, and many were upset with the team’s behavior at the event. “On Thursday evening, March 26th, “I am one of the many who have been raped. I “It was clear from the beginning that they Womanspace at VT held our Take Back the Night joined Womenspace because I want to help other were uninterested in the event. A VT alumnus event. This annual rally and march aims to raise survivors and make sure they had a safe space to attending the event complained that, once seated awareness of gender-based violence. This year come to. Take Back The Night is an empowering and the event began, the players were talking was Virginia Tech and the New River Valley’s experience for survivors – we get to yell, rally and amongst themselves, texting on their cellphones 26th annual event. We have been making positive march against our attackers and future attackers. and even texting each other across the room. change in our community through Take Back the This was the first Take Back The Night I have ever After a gender non-conforming individual and Night for 26 years. After the events that trans- attended, and I was elated to finally be able to transgender woman spoke, they were overheard pired on last Thursday night, it is clear we still freely speak about my experience in a judgement as saying, “No, we are not clapping.” have a long way to go. free zone. When survivors of sexual assault took the stage My name is Claire Kelling and I was a The football players, however, had a very to share their stories, the players mocked them. Coordinator for this year’s event. I was also the different idea of what was going on. After coming They snickered. These brave young people stood MC. I have literally spent hundreds of hours in embarrassingly late, I overheard a few asking up, myself included, and told 300+ people the planning this event for the people who were in loudly, “What is this thing?” President Sands details of their assault, and your fellow student attendance.

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