nova fortnightly march 22, 2010
DESCRIPTION
Volume 45 Issue 4.TRANSCRIPT
www.novafortnightly.comVOLUME 45 / ISSUE NO. 4/ MARCH 22, 2010
Streetcar RenaissancePlans are calling for rail that will one day bring students to NOVA’s Alexandria campus. 4
Cherry Festival In Washington there’s a sure way to know spring has started, the Cherry Blossom Festival. In-side are details on this year’s festivities. 6
Who Will be the Next NOVA Idol? The Fortnightly sat down with several Idol finalists to talk about their inspira-tions, aspirations, and music career
before the March 26 finale. 9
Cafeteria food 8
CAFETERIA FOOD
Is it Worth the Dough?
Students are frequently in a situation between classes where they are starved but do not have enough time to go to a restaurant off campus. Although the chips and chocolate in the vending machines look tempting, there has to be a better solution.
On the Annandale campus, food options are limited. The main loca-tion to buy food is in the school caf-eteria. But, is choosing to eat there really the best choice?
Down the stairs of the CF building at Annandale, is the school cafeteria. To some, the cafeteria is rather small and dainty. To others, it is quaint and charming.
By Nicole DiANtoNio/StAff RepoRteR
[email protected]“The NOVA cafeteria is a lot like a
high school cafeteria,” says Paul Kaye. “It is loud and kind of annoying.”
The room is small and looks as if it can only hold a couple hundred people. Long rectan-gular tables are joined to each other and travel across the length of the room. The floor and table tops are lit-tered with trash and left over food. It is hard to find a clean place to sit.
The cafeteria has standard choices like hamburgers, cheeseb u r g e r s , pizza, fries, cookies, and chips. In the
“They need better and cheaper food.”
ISTO
cK
PhO
TO
—Sonia Altis, Student
calendar
3001 N. Beauregard St.Tyler Building, Room 227 B
Alexandria, VA 22311
5,000 copies of NOVA Fornightly are published twice a month and distributed to all NOVA campuses.
Contact us at [email protected]
View the latest news at www.novafortnightly.com
Send advertising inquiries [email protected]
March 22, 2010 Volume 45, No. 4
AdvisorDr. Jimmie R. McClellan
Editor-in-ChiefJoshua E. Davis
Managing EditorKJ Mushung
Operations ManagerAnnie Ryan
Photography DirectorVadym Guliuk
Marketing & Sales DirectorSimarpreet Singh
Training DirectorKJ Mushung
Web EditorJoshua E. Davis
Copy EditorTamika Taylor
Design DirectorLori Milani
DesignersTraci J. BrooksJoseph Cabato
Ruben Tipparach
Staff ReportersGrecia Balboa
Nicole DiAntonioEmily PfisterChris PilcherArch ScurlockTamika Taylor
Staff PhotographersKomron BabakhanzodaAleksandra LagkuevaSamantha Ondrusek
Victor SalcedoKama Storie
Lucy Tobultok
Cartoonist/IllustratorDan Gorosito
Northern Virginia Community College does not control the content of this publication. The opinions expressed herin are solely
those of the author and do not represent those of NOVA, its faculty, staff or students. The editorial policy and content of this pub-lication are soley those of the organization
and not of the college.© 2010 NOVA Fortnightly
2 www.novafortnightly.com :: march 22, 2010
Spring is finally in the air on the six NOVA campuses. It’s time for renewal, and NOVA Fortnightly got a makeover. Designers Lori Milani, Joseph Cabato and Traci Brooks have been busy creating a new design that is more current, more exciting, more fun and more NOVA. The new logo ties into the NOVA identity while keeping its own fresh personality and the new layout introduces more enticing visuals while maintaining clean and simple aesthetics. Our design team will keep working hard to tweak and improve the design to make your NOVA Fortnightly experience more enjoyable. Please, don’t hesitate to send us your feedback or suggestions. We work for our readers and will take all comments into consideration.
Women Who Lead SerieSFeaturing Keynote Speaker Sum-mer Rayne Oakes. Eco-model and author of Style, Naturally, the first global guide to sustainable beauty and fashion, Summer R. Oakes is one of Discovery Channel’s Planet Green eco-lifestyle channel’s resident experts and host. March 23, 12 p.m., AN CE Theater.
Women’S hiStory month movie nightIron Jawed Angels, a hBO docu-mentary about the American Wom-en’s suffrage movement in the 1910s.Refreshments and drinks provided. March 23, 12 p.m., MA.
LifeLong Learning inStitute Speaker’S forum“Defining and Attaining World Class Community Status for Prince William County” with Paul c.Moessner, citizen and com-munity Activist. March 24, 10 a.m., MA Colgan Theatre.
the Body image grouphilarious and heartbreaking true stories from the mouths of those whose bodies will never be perfect and for whom a meal will never just be a meal. March 25, 11 a.m., AN CF building.
EDUCATIONAL JOB EVENTSCareer Center featured empLoy-er: u.S. department of LaBorStop by the Annandale career cen-ter to learn about available posi-tions at the U.S. Department of Labor. March 24, 11:30 a.m, AN CM 327.
CoLLege tranSfer eventStranSfer admiSSionS viSit: uni-verSity of mary WaShingtonDrop in and meet with an admis-sions representative. March 25, 10 a.m., AN CM 327.
tranSfer WorkShop: So you think you Want to go to mediCaL SChooL?This workshop will give you the nuts and bolts you need to prepare yourself for Professional healthcare programs and the application pro-cess, the pre-requisite coursework, course choices at the community college, and what you can do outside the classroom to gain experience. March 25, 10 a.m., AN CS 237.
virginia CommonWeaLth univer-Sity: onSite admiSSionS viSitIf you are interested in attending VcU in Fall 2010 don’t miss this opportunity to meet with a Transfer Admissions Officer from VcU and walk away with a decision. To make an appointment, you must submit a completed packet of materials by March 26. See the Annandale Trans-
Women’S heaLth fairInova healthSource will be provid-ing health services and screenings to NOVA students, faculty and staff. March 25, 10 a.m., AN CF Bldg.
fer Resource center website for de-tails. March 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., AN CM 327.
HEALTH
ARTSart exhiBit openingThe Celebrating All Abilities: In Recogni-tion of National Disabilities Month art exhibit will open at Innovation Park, hosted by the Manassas campus and Didlake of Manassas. All students, faculty and staff are invited to attend. March 25, 4:30 p.m., Innovation Park, 9485 Innovation Drive, Manassas, VA.
2010 Juried photography Student ShoWOpening reception for the photog-raphy show which runs from March 31 to April 14. April 1, 5:30 p.m., AL Tyler Gallery. Awards 6 p.m.
the CLotheSLine proJeCtThose who have experienced do-mestic violence or wish to support
victims are invited to design a t-shirt and view other shirts on display. March 23, 11 a.m to 2 p.m. /4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., AL Cafeteria.
ENTERTAINMENT
nova idoL Find out who will be the next sing-ing sensation crowned NOVA Idol. Volunteers are needed to assist with voting and as ushers to help make this event a success. Email [email protected] to learn more. March 26, 7 p.m., AL Schle-singer Center.
OTHERfree tax preparationNOVA’s Woodbridge campus is of-fering free tax preparation services to individuals and families with a maximum household income of $49,000. This service is offered by appointment only. call Tanya Kern 703-878-5684 to make an appoint-ment. March 27, all day, WO.
WorLd heritage dayCome out and enjoy great food and entertainment. March 30, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., LO Waddell Theater.
news march 22, 2010 :: www.novafortnightly.com 3
NOVA students probably won’t see metal detectors in-stalled anytime soon, but col-lege officials are re-assessing security following a December shooting at the Woodbridge campus.
The college recently launched its Presidential commission on Safety and Security and gave it until April 30 to review the ade-quacy of emergency resources put in place following the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre—the worst school shooting in the nation’s history.
“When your mind is focused like this, because of [the shoot-ings], you’ve got that oppor-tunity for not just a routine as-sessment, but one that’s really motivated by saying ‘look, that can’t happen here [NOVA], but it did happen here [NOVA],’”
In Wake of Shooting, NOVA Undergoes Security ReviewURiAh KiSeR/coNtRiBUtiNg RepoRteR said college Vice President John
Dever. “While looking at what did we do well—and there are many things that we did well—we’ll ask: “Are there any things that we should improve?’ ”
Police said that on Dec. 8, Dale city resident Jason ham-ilton, 20, walked into a math class at the Woodbridge cam-pus and managed to fire two rounds from a high-powered rifle at his professor before the gun jammed. The teacher hid behind a desk and no one was hurt.
hamilton then placed the gun on the floor and was taken into custody by campus police. he’s now in jail on an attempt-ed murder charge. A court date is set for March 15.
Investigators said hamilton was unhappy with the profes-sor and had low marks in the course. When shots rang out,
students and teachers hid in classrooms behind locked doors as friends and family waited anxiously outside for police to secure the scene.
When the spring semester be-gan last month at Woodbridge, students said professors talked briefly about the shootings, discussed safety procedures and urged students to report suspicious behavior.
“Some sarcastically said, ‘If you don’t like me or the way I teach, then please come and tell me,” said 20-year-old student, Kelsea Williams. Other Woodbridge campus students said profes-sors are locking doors at the start of classes, something they are allowed to do following the shootings, Dever said.
After the Virginia Tech shoot-ings, NOVA invested in technol-ogy that allows officials to send text messages and e-mails to
“Something special is being created at NOVA.” Those were the opening words of A’Lelia Bundles, biographer and great granddaughter of Madam c.J. Walker, when she addressed her interested United States history 122 class on Wednes-day, March 3. “With more than 180 countries represented at NOVA, it is an interesting repre-sentation of what America will look like in the next three de-cades,” Bundles began.
Bundles has engaged public audi-ences on her book, On Her Ground the Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, from Kansas to Latvia, and Walker’s
C.J. Walker Relative Recalls Her Legacy ANNie RyAN/opeRAtioNS MANAgeR
[email protected] story is a collective one that one from any gender or culture can ap-preciate and identify with. It is the classic rags to riches story in which the heroine, Walker, saw fit to invest in the well being of the less fortunate in her day. In fact, one elementary school in Peoria, KS was so inspired by Walker’s philanthropy that the children raised money for haiti.
Like most successful people, Walker did not ascend to the heights of goodwill and for-tune alone. At the age of seven, Walker’s parents died and by the age of 14, Walker was mar-ried. By 20, she was a mother and widow. She then moved to St. Louis, MO to live with her four brothers who were barbers. At St. Paul American
Methodist Evangelical church, a group of church women de-cided to mentor Walker. They helped her get a job as a maid. From that job, she was promot-ed to a cook.
Along her journey, Walker suffered from scalp disease. In the early 1900s, there were not many options for hair care or scalp disease as there are now, nor were the hygiene standards very high. Many suffered from terrible scalp conditions. Walker was among their number. She experimented with different treatments and then formulat-ed her own hair care product. She sold the product out of her brothers’ barber shop. The rem-edy was called Madam Walker’s a’LeLia BundLeS 4
students and staff. The school also created offices of Emer-gency Planning and of Student Mental health and Behavior. Dever said the emergency plan-ning staff was key in teaching college officials how to manage emergency situations. After the December shootings, the staff injected clarity into a sea of confusion, keeping staff and students informed, he said.
In addition to armed gun-man, or “active shooter” situ-ations, Dever’s board of 22 members—made up of pro-fessors, department heads and the Woodbridge campus student body president—will also make sure the college is prepared to handle problems that could arise from severe weather, hazardous materials situations and any other public health or safety issues.
When finished, Dever said,
the board’s recommendations should not change the overall feel of the campuses.
“We want very much to pre-serve the traditional setting and the openness of our campus communities, and for instance, I don’t expect metal detectors to be one of the recommenda-tions that emerge. There are many ways to come onto our campus and into our buildings and into our classes, that is the way a collegiate institution is set up,” said Dever.
Thomas Blot, an IT student, said he’s noticed an increased security presence, but said he still feels safe on campus. “Just because one terrible thing hap-pens doesn’t mean that this col-lege is not a safe place,” he said.
This article first appeared in the News & Messenger on Feb. 25.
Wonderful hair Grower. According to biographer
Bundles, “It was quite revolu-tionary in 1907 for Walker, a black woman, to put her own image on a product. There were few products geared toward Af-rican Americans and those had only pictures of white women.” She not only put her image on her products, but also changed her name from Sara Walker to Madam c.J. Walker after her third marriage. Madam was a French term that American women of high society used.
Walker acquired as much knowl-edge as she could. She had her sec-retaries read the daily newspaper out loud. If they did not know what a word meant, then Walker would
look up the word as to not embar-rass them.
Before women were granted suf-frage, Walker was photographed in the driver’s seat of a Model-T Ford in 1910. When Bundles was asked by a NOVA student if all of Walkers panache was resented by the African American community, Bundles re-plied, “Back then successful African Americans were role models. Just the fact that one of them had made it gave them something to aspire to.” Later on when Walker relocated to Indianapolis, she hired a tutor to improve her own learning and grammar. She surrounded herself with excellence, hiring the best law-yer, hiring the best accountant, and throwing the best parties. She loved
4 www.novafortnightly.com :: march 22, 2010
news
Streetcars may one day whisk passengers to NOVA’s Alexan-dria campus, if current plans hold up.
Planners are working on a streetcar line that would run from the Pentagon city Metro station, down columbia Pike, and end at NOVA.
The Alexandria campus would be a central part of this new system. A control center, rail yard, and repair shop at NOVA could be part of the new line, according to Dr. Jimmie Mcclellan, the dean of Arts and humanities at the Alexandria campus and a board member for the Northern Virginia Street-car coalition. classes in street-car repair and operation could be offered as well.
The plans for the columbia Pike Streetcar originally called for a terminus at the Skyline development in Falls church, which is about a mile from campus. however, as part of recent steps to integrate the Alexandria campus with transit, a request was made to consider having the first phase of the streetcar end at NOVA instead.
One of the organizations be-
Alexandria Plans Call for a Streetcar to NOVAJoShUA DAviS/ eDitoR-iN-chief
[email protected] the streetcar effort is the Northern Virginia Streetcar co-alition. They are composed of developers, current and past officials from Fairfax county, Arlington, and Alexandria and others interested in transit. The NVSc wants to see rails brought to the West End neighborhood of Alexandria, but they also have a regional focus, wanting Arlington, Alexandria and Fair-fax to integrate their proposed streetcars into one system.
A compatible system is im-portant for NOVA because it sits near the center of these three ju-risdictions, and if each one uses different standards it makes it harder to reach campus by tran-sit.
The planning for this proj-ect is still in the early stages. The columbia Pike Streetcar is just entering into its engineer-ing and environmental impact phase.
The coalition currently has a temporary board, as they were started shortly after a Nov. 2009 meeting at the Alexandria campus that was attended by about 80 people.
The organization hopes to start a preliminary feasibility study on this project soon, but the study could take over a year
according to Janet Gregor, an organizer with the coalition. A request has been sent to Jim Moran, the Democratic con-gressman representing the Ar-lington and Alexandria area, for federal money to study extend-ing the line from the Columbia Pike streetcar, to near I-395 and Seminary Road. This Alexandria section of the line would likely be in a separate phase.
A timeline is hard to predict so early in the process, but the columbia Pike streetcar has been nearly a decade in serious planning. This project is just now moving into the engineer-ing and environmental study-ing phase.
Public transit at the Alexan-dria campus is currently limited to about four bus lines, many
DAN GOROSITO/NOVA FORTNIGhTLy
a’LeLia BundLeS from 3
with wait times of half an hour up to an hour. NOVA worked to make that situation better, get-ting Metrobus and Alexandria’s DASh bus company to bring the routes through campus. The push for a streetcar is part of enhancing transit to NOVA’s most urban campus.
The recent Department of Defense move of over 6,000 jobs to the nearby Mark center has also prompted officials to look at options besides single use automobiles for moving those workers in the already congested I-395 and Seminary Road area.
This project will not be cheap. In the Alexandria Transporta-tion Master Plan, the cost for streetcars is estimated to be $19 million per mile. This means the
columbia Pike Streetcar might cost around $114 million.
Funding for such projects usually comes from a variety of sources. The Federal Transit Administration could provide up to half the costs. however, in such an instance, the proj-ect would have to compete for scarce transit funds on a nation-wide level. The federal route can also add years to a project, as happened to the Metrorail extension to Dulles Airport.
The other funds could po-tentially come from increased property taxes and vehicle reg-istration fees.
“There’s a lot of student interest,” Gregor said, about NOVA students involved with the project. Several showed up to a streetcar meeting on cam-pus. Other students in the de-sign department are currently working on a website and logo for the coalition.
The NVSc will hold another public meeting at 7 p.m. on April 22 at the hilton Mark center Alex-andria, with presentations from the local jurisdictions on their transit plans. Details about the NVSc can be found at www.alexmetros.com.
music and Nobel Sissel, the Ameri-can jazz musician and playwright, was one of her music entertainers when he was a teenager, according to Bundles.
A’Lelia Walker was the apple of her mother’s eye. She grew up privileged, never experienc-ing the struggles of her mother’s childhood for herself. This life of comfort did not inhibit her from
learning to care for others. May Bryant was adopted by A’Lelia Walker after becoming a hair model for and a close friend of the Walker family.
Bryant began with the Walk-ers as an errand girl. Born to a widow who was the mother of eight children, her birth mother knew she could not give May the life that she wanted for her. So, she asked the Walker family to legally adopt May so long as
they provided May an educa-tion. A’Lelia Walker agreed, and thus became A’Lelia Bundles’ great grandmother.
One NOVA student asked Bun-dles why she did not go into the hair care business. Bundles re-plied that her passion was writing. Bundles had written for student newspapers, radio, the New york Times Book Review, and other prestigious publications. her bio-graphic novels include Madam C.J.
Walker: Entrepreneur, Madam C.J. Walker (Black Americans of Achieve-ment), and On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. JOY GODDESS: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, an upcom-
ing novel focusing on Walker’s only daughter, A’Lelia Walker, is sched-uled to be released in 2011.
you can find out more about A’Lelia Bundles and the Walkers at www.madamcjwalker.com.
Reach 5000 students, advertise for only $40.For details email [email protected]
news march 22, 2010 :: www.novafortnightly.com 5
Dental Students Volunteer Free Dental Work over Spring BreakeMily pfiSteR/ StAff RepoRteR
For two days over Spring Break students at NOVA’s Medical Edu-cation campus got to know the poor and underserved of North-ern Virginia, Maryland and Wash-ington. Students enrolled in the Dental Assistant, Dental hygiene, Emergency Medical Technician and Nursing programs volunteered their services along with area den-tists, pharmacists and translators during the days of March 12 and 13 for the Northern Virginia Mis-sion of Mercy Project, also known as MOM.
At 5:30 a.m. on March 12 the line to get into the Dental Clinic stretched out of the first-floor entrance of the Medical Educa-tion Building. The clinic check-in was nothing short of ordered chaos. Languages spoken casually included those that seemed famil-iar – Spanish, French and Eng-lish – and those that seemed not as commonplace, such as hindi, Farsi and Vietnamese. There were translators for many and several of the dentists spoke one or more of these languages fluently.
Dr. howard Kelley, director of the Dental clinic, said most peo-ple are at MOM because they can’t afford care anywhere else. The people who come to MOM are recipients of social services in and around Northern Virginia.
The Northern Virginia Dental Association is responsible for con-tacting each agency that will par-ticipate and asking the group to send 50 beneficiaries of their usual services to MOM. The Northern Virginia Dental Society also invites member dentists to participate at the event and donates, delivers,
unloads and stocks the supplies that are used during MOM.
“Students always look forward to seeing the preschoolers,” Kelley said. however, there were no chil-dren at the event. The ‘Give Kids a Smile’ event will take place later in the year in addition to a clinic day for those in the community with special needs.
On Friday alone, over 200 peo-ple signed up to work at the MEc Dental clinic as receptionists, dental staff, translators and triage volunteers. Each dentist brought his or her own staff and accepted referrals for future services.
One woman, Myra caceres, re-ported that she had lost her den-tures two years ago and that here she “found help and got a gift from God.” Although her procedures could not be performed on site at the clinic, the dentists in the area will not turn away people in need of more detailed procedures.
The first 100 people who show up get in according to Kelley. he emphasized that around 800 peo-ple show up in addition to those receiving social services just to get in the door of the Dental Clinic as walk-ins. Many cannot be seen at the event.
The dental clinic has 32 fully equipped dental stations. NOVA has the largest dental clinic of any community college in the coun-try. Volunteer Kenneth Bernstein blogged that over 400 people signed-in for treatment on March 12. Many probably needed multi-ple services, but each attendee was allowed only one treatment.
There have been 44 MOM events held by the Virginia Dental Associ-ation since 2000. The Medical Ed-ucation campus has hosted a MOM event every year since opening in
ARe fRee cliNicS the fUtURe of heAlthcARe?
The Washington metro area is one of the richest in the United States, yet the demand for free clinics is very high and the un-filled void can be fatal. In Prince Georges County, Deamonte Driv-er died in 2007 of bacteria that spread to his brain from an un-treated abscess.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. has authored an amendment to the Senate’s health care reform bill that includes providing $10-$14 billion more for free clinics-in-cluding dental clinics. The pro-vision, announced December of last year, would provide health care for an additional 25 million Americans.
“The additional resources will help bring about a revolution in primary health care,” Senator Bernie Sanders said in a press release. The money would go to “new or expanded health centers in an additional 10,000 commu-nities.”
Sanders has said that his provi-sion to the heath care reform legislation would “save Medicaid tens of billions of dollars by keep-ing patients out of emergency rooms and hospitals by providing primary care when they need it.”
2004. Before that, NOVA hosted the event at the school’s Annandale campus. To date, throughout the state, 34,398 patients have been provided with over $17.4 million of free dental services ranging from basic cleanings to root canal surgeries.
Domestic Violence Seminar Opens Students’ EyesKJ MUShUNg/MANAgiNg eDitoR
The turnout for the seminar was low, with more than half the auditorium left unfilled. Disappointing, said organizers, considering the topic is so im-portant and common.
That topic was domestic vio-lence.
Domestic violence is a pat-tern of abusive behaviors used by one person intended to ex-ert power and control over an-
other.Every year Peggy Joy Sullivan
comes to the Woodbridge cam-pus of Northern Virginia com-munity college to teach people about what constitutes domes-tic violence and what to do about it. Sullivan is the commu-nity outreach coordinator for AcTS/Turning Points Domestic Violence Program in Dumfries. She has trained police officers, judges, school nurses, teachers and counselors.
Peggy Sullivan lectures at domestic violence seminar.VADyM GULIUK/NOVA FORTNIGhTLy
domeStiC vioLenCe 7
More news is at NOVAFortnightly.com
6 www.novafortnightly.com :: march 22, 2010
focus
The city of Washington will cel-ebrate the National cherry Blossom Festival in its usual fashion, with lots of trees and tourists. The festival is Washington’s signature springtime event and is considered the begin-ning of tourist season. city officials hope the weather will cooperate. Good weather always brings a sigh of relief to officials, who cross their fin-gers and hope for pleasant weather and a good turnout each year. With the recession, it’s especially impor-tant that tourists spend substantial money, which they’re more likely to do if they’re out and about exploring the city and not inside taking shelter from rain.
The first festival was held in 1935 to commemorate the gift of cherry trees to the United States from Ja-pan. Initially, Tokyo gave Washington 3,000 trees in 1912, according to the festival’s official web site. For-mer First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted 3,800 more trees in 1965.
The Festival begins on Saturday, March 27 with Family Day at the National Building Museum at 401 F Street, NW. The free public event runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with numerous activities to partake in, including the construction of koi (goldfish) from paper and fabric that children can take home and suspend from their ceilings. The opening cer-emony, which will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m., will showcase Japanese and Western entertainment.
“The annual National cherry Blossom Festival Family Day and opening ceremony is a wonder-ful opportunity for us to welcome visitors from D.c., and around the country,” said president and execu-tive director of the National Build-ing Museum, chase Rynd, in 2009.
“Family Day captures the spirit of the Festival with free enter-tainment for kids of all ages and their families,” said Diana Mayhew, president of the National cherry Blossom Festival.
Among the most notable activi-ties to be held during the two-week event is the annual parade Saturday, April 10 along constitution Av-enue. Parade performers will in-clude American Idol finalist Justin Guarini and Miss America 2010, Virginia’s own carissa cameron. Tickets cost $17 and can be pur-chased through Ticketmaster.
Following the parade, the Japan-America Society will host the 50th annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, featuring a Japanese beer garden, Japanese pop culture, traditional crafts, cuisine, martial arts and more.
A festival favorite, the annual fireworks display, will illuminate the waterfront Saturday, April 3 starting at 8:30 p.m. The ship, Spirit of Washington, will hold a buffet dinner cruise with a unique vantage point of the fireworks for
Cherry Blossom Festival in BloomBy KJ MUShUNg/MANAgiNg eDitoR
those willing to pay the $90.90 fee, up from last year’s $75 price tag.
The fireworks may be best viewed from the Southwest Water-front Promenade or East Potomac Park, which are accessible via the Waterfront-SEU metro stop on the Green Line.
Between paddle boats, photo safa-ris, bicycle tours, cruises and walks, the 1 million visitors expected at the 2010 National cherry Blossom Fes-tival will have many ways to see the District’s famed flowers.
For more information, visit Na-tionalcherryBlossomFestival.org.
LORI MILANI/NOVA FORTNIGhTLy KAMA STORIE/NOVA FORTNIGhTLy
ALEKSANDRA LAGKUEVA/NOVA FORTNIGhTLy
opeNiNg ceReMoNySaturday, March 27
fiRewoRKS DiSplAySaturday, April 3
feStivAl pARADe Saturday, April 10
JApANeSe StReet feStivAl Saturday, April 10
march 22, 2010 :: www.novafortnightly.com 7
news
After departing some basic information, she conducted an exercise with a volunteer from the audience, Nevin cuff, whose children attended NOVA. She and cuff stood facing one an-other with hands on hands. he pushed against her hands while she pushed back. you can’t ac-complish things if all your en-ergy is used against each other, said Sullivan. you have to make decisions and solve problems
in a good, healthy style. Some people, however, solve
problems through violence.According to Sullivan, when
violence occurs in an intimate relationship, it’s difficult to set boundaries because it’s hap-pening inside a personal space that the victim has let the abus-er in to.
There are also different kinds of abuse, some relating to a person’s age such as elderly abuse.
Some abuse doesn’t even
involve physically hitting a person; it can involve making threats to control someone or destroying personal posses-sions. Threats can be very effec-tive, especially if children are involved, or an abuser knows what a person’s treasures are.
cutting up a person’s clothes is another form of abuse. clothes are very important to some people, they can be a part of a person’s identity – like an attorney who must always look professional and who cannot go to work without being sharply
dressed.There is a risk of abuse for
people who are elderly or dis-abled because the victim might be less capable of leaving the situation. In these cases, an abuser might take away a per-son’s glasses, cane or prosthesis so they cannot go out. For the elderly or disabled, pets are often very important to their lives, but a spouse or caregiver might kill or harm their pet in order to hurt the victim.
In addition to discussing dif-ferent scenarios surrounding domestic violence, Sullivan con-ducted an interactive exercise with yellow cards that depict levels of abuse like punching, threatening to take the children away, pushing to the ground, name calling, keying a car, mind games, tickling, destroy-ing a photo album, blocking a person in a room and more. Sullivan had several volunteers try to order the cards from least violent to most violent.
No one could agree on the order.
One female audience mem-ber said it’s because the matter is subjective and it’s different for each person.
“Everyone has their own or-der,” said Sullivan. “And it chang-es as their life progresses.”
What is considered no big deal by one person may be considered far worse to an-other. Since significant others know what’s important to their victim, they can be strategic in deciding what to do.
Red flags to watch for in a rela-tionship include: blaming others for their own faults, cruelty to animals, inability to express emotions verbal-ly, possessiveness, treating a partner like property and a disproportionate reaction to little things.
Sullivan said, “Many people come to our shelter and go back [to the abuse] many times,
but they go back smarter.”The average number of times
victims go back to their abuser after leaving before they leave for good is seven, but it varies with every person, according to Sullivan.
She told the audience that when someone says they are experiencing violence at home, it’s important to listen carefully and hear what that person has to say and then refer that per-son to someplace where help is available. If their first attempts at getting help fall through or make matters worse, they might not seek help again.
Brennan Smith, a liberal arts major, thought the seminar was very informative. “Most of the time when people are in abusive relationships, I feel that they don’t even know where to start to go. With these safe houses, they’re going to tell them what to do.”
“I came because personally I have been in an abusive re-lationship before, which isn’t common for [men],” confessed Smith. “It’s far past now but, in case I wanted to help my friends later, I wanted to make sure that I knew proper steps and places to seek the help for them.”
“I think it shocked people,” stated Melody Sanchez, an education ma-jor. “I was a child of domestic vio-lence. I didn’t think it’d be as real as it was at my house. I was glad that it was.”
Sanchez said that if a friend said she was being abused, she would let her know of places where she could get help and would share her own experi-ence to make her friend feel comfortable confiding in her.
To contact AcTS/Turning Points, call 703-221-4460. The 24-hour domestic violence hotline is 703-221-4951.
domeStiC vioLenCe from 5
Place an ad today. Prices start at just $40 to reach 5000 NOVA students.
8 www.novafortnightly.com :: march 22, 2010
thoughts
words of Jenni Bartell, “They have mostly stuff you would find at a fast food restaurant.”
They also have a refrigerated shelf with prepackaged foods such as wraps, sandwiches, fruit cups, and pudding that always looks the same. They could have possibly been sit-ting on that shelf for months without anyone realizing the difference.
The cafeteria has more than enough soda, with a total of eight soda machines. At least there is no worry of anyone dy-ing of thirst at NOVA.
In the very back of the kitchen, there is a small bar of food that is made daily. The food looks less prepackaged
and frozen and a bit more nu-tritional. however, the food is charged by the pound and it can get very expensive.
Many students don’t buy a full meal in the cafeteria partly because of the cost and partly because of the nutritional val-ue.
“The food here is expensive,” says Paul Kaye. “I bought my food here a lot my first semes-ter and ended up spending a lot of money. They need cheap-er prices or a deal to make it less expensive for students.”
Many people will come and only buy one item.
Vegetarian options are lim-ited too. “I usually come here to get fries,” says Sonia Altis. “Other than that there are not many options for people who
Cafeteria food from 1 are vegetarians.”Other people bring their
own lunch or come to the caf-eteria just to see and meet with friends. According to Jimmy chen, “some of my friends will bring their game stations here, and play various games.”
crowding can also be a prob-lem. chen said “On a typical day I will go in to the cafeteria, try to beat the line, get food and get out. I think they need a second cafeteria. This one gets really crowded in the morn-ings and they get all jammed up which creates a problem.”
Student sentiment seemed to be the same, the cafeteria could be bet-ter. “I would never bring a friend here, I would rather go out to a res-taurant if I had the time,” Kaye said. Altis summed the situation up best
LUcy TOBULTOK/NOVA FORTNIGhTLy
Stand Up To Cuccinelli’s Bigotry
Virginia’s attorney general has encouraged institutions of higher education to remove written poli-cies they may have that enforce anti-discrimination policies on sexual orientation, gender identity or gen-der expression.
Ken cuccinelli’s reasoning for this is that the standards of anti-discrim-ination policies for state institutions can only be set by the General As-sembly and, since the Assembly has repeatedly voted against including such language in state policies, then universities should not be doing so.
This idea is just terrible. The one scary part of cuccinelli’s letter is the fact that he is right. The General Assembly is responsible for setting these standards, and time and time again they have either voted against or killed efforts to expand the com-monwealth’s anti-discrimination laws. cuccinelli is technically ex-ecuting the job of the attorney gen-
eral by suggesting these institutions obey the law of the land.
however, just because something is law, does not make it right. It is because of this that I am urging the leadership of Northern Virginia community college not to comply with the wishes of cuccinelli. What Cuccinelli is doing may be horren-dous, but it presents a unique op-portunity for our commonwealth’s institutions of higher learning to stand up for what is right.
Our public institutions of aca-demics are supposed to be grounded in the ideas of fairness, truth, equal-ity and knowledge. These schools have taken it upon themselves to make sure that those who are differ-ent are not denied any opportunities just because of who they are.
Cuccinelli wants to take action on this right now, after less than two months serving in this position. I’m guessing he has wanted to do this for a while, especially since his four Republican predecessors –Jim
Gilmore, Mark Earley, Jerry Kilgore and Bob McDonnell – did not ac-tively work to have universities lift these policies.
I’m also guessing that Cuccinelli has not taken into consideration that for most people the idea of attend-ing a public university that actively promotes and safeguards diversity for all is a positive one.
I can be fairly certain that Cuc-cinelli, based on his voting record in the General Assembly, does not care about a student or an employee at a college being denied an opportu-nity or even a place at the college. Even if this is simply because the person providing it disapproves of something in the applicant’s private life that does not affect the way they perform.
Unfortunately, that is the truth in Virginia. Sometimes it’s easy to for-get in the gay-friendly areas of Alex-andria, Arlington and Falls church, but our commonwealth is not very receptive to people of different sex-
ual orientations and gender identi-ties. Our commonwealth is on the same level as Oklahoma, the most anti-gay state in the nation, when it comes to the anti-gay policies that are the laws of the land. That two people of the same gender who love each other cannot receive any gov-ernment protections as a couple is unjustified. That several companies are apprehensive to bring jobs to Virginia because of anti-gay policies is a horrid one, especially in this eco-nomic climate.
It’s up to every college student in Virginia to stand up for what is right. The house of Delegates has made it abundantly clear where they stand on discrimination (the state Senate has passed a state non-discrimination bill) and, with an all-GOP executive branch, we cannot count on Gov. McDonnell to help us.
We all must stand up to cuc-cinelli’s personal crusade against queer people. It shouldn’t matter what your own personal labels are.
Whether you are black, white, La-tino, Asian, Middle-Eastern, chris-tian, Jewish, Muslim, hindu, Mor-mon, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, young, old, liberal, conservative, gay, bi, trans or straight, we need to show our solidarity and commit-ment to fairness.
Let’s call cuccinelli’s bluff. What does he plan to do to institutions that do not comply with these wish-es? he could cut the school’s fund-ing, but would the state Republicans really cut funding to organizations that are employing people inside the state? Could you imagine the at-tacks cuccinelli and all the General Assembly members against fairness would receive because of this? Let’s take cuccinelli on. Write and call his office. Make your voices heard on this. And no matter what the out-come may be, never let your voice be silent on injustice again.
Charles Bright is a student at NOVA and president of the Alexandria campus Gay-Straight Alliance.
By: chARleS BRight
declaring, “They need better and cheaper food.”
Prepackaged foods at the Annandale cafeteria.
Now Hiring!Leave your mark at NOVA
where you can reach thou-sands of NOVA students with the news, opinion, and stories they read. Whether you have a lot or no journalism experi-ence we are looking for new student reporters, photogra-
phers and copy editors to join our team.
NOVAFortnightly.com/apply
focus march 22, 2010 :: www.novafortnightly.com 9
We’ve all seen the hit television series American Idol. Now NOVA has its own iteration of the show, NOVA Idol.
Dozens of students auditioned, performed, and were sent home, until only the finalists remained. At 7 p.m. on March 26 the finals will be held at Schlesinger hall at the Alex-andria campus. Eight students with great talent will compete to hold the title of NOVA Idol, as well as cash prizes for third place, second place and the Idol.
NOVA Idol is an annual competi-tion for area high school and NOVA students.
Below are the interviews of five contestants the Fortnightly was able
to catch up with.
Erika AndersonErika Anderson has been sing-
ing for as long as she can remem-ber. She has always wanted to be a serious musician, and has taken her singing to venues such as the Crystal cathedral and the D.c. convention center. She started her professional career after meeting her manager while working at a deli. She plans on getting her degree in music, with a minor in business, and plans to at-tend a prestigious school of music, along the lines of Berkeley or the Pe-abody Institute. her favorite artists include Billy holiday and Beyoncè.
Stacy DumasStacy Dumas was seven years old
when she decided she liked to sing.
She loved the movie “Annie”, and wanted to be like her favorite star. Dumas landed her first paying venue at the age of 10, when she auditioned for a dinner theatre, and was accept-ed. As she grew up, she was always in the chorus at her school. She has been on the road with Uplifting Peo-ple, a not for profit organization, and has performed in countries like Aus-tralia and Mexico. Dumas has also published her own album, called Fi-nally I fly. She likes to listen to Amy Grant, a gospel singer. She has been the music director for many high-school theatre departments.
EJ JungEJ Jung first started singing in her
elementary school choir at the age of 12. She realized she liked sing-ing, and that she had a knack for it.
NOVA Idol Finalists Talk About Musical Inspirations, AspirationsBy chRiS pilcheR/StAff RepoRteR
[email protected] has performed in several con-tests hosted locally by Korean re-cord companies. The first time she entered one of these contests, she received second place, while only 14 years old. She hopes to become a producer one day helping indie bands find their way. She enjoys lis-tening to Ella Fitzgerald.
Terri LaGoeTerri LaGoe has been singing for
30 years. her first real experience singing was for the NOVA commu-nity chorus, which she joined more for a social outlet than a creative one. Soon, she was taking class Voice, a vocal class at NOVA, and then even-tually enrolled in private lessons. LaGoe has been the soprano section leader for the Washington National Opera chorus, and often sings at
her church, church on the hill, in Alexandria. She has performed with the Washington Philharmonic Or-chestra, and sang carmina Burana at the opening of the Schlesinger. She wants everyone to know how much she loves NOVA for it’s great oppor-tunities and excellent teachers.
Ashley WilliamsAshley Williams began her musical
career at the age of three. She start-ed singing in church, and eventually joined her school’s chamber choir. her entire family is very musical, and Williams’s favorite singer is her own mother. She recently tried out for the spring musical at her home school of Potomac Falls, where she also plays the clarinet in the band. She is a member of a professional rhythm and blues band.
KAMA STORIE/NOVA FORTNIGhTLy
Jerry Boyd prepares squid for a seafood dish at his home in Fairfax.
coordinator of continuing Educa-tion, and then, eventually, to dean. he has been dean of Languages and Literature for 10 years. Boyd proud-ly displays his culinary awards along-
Chef Dean: Annandale Dean also an Amazing CookBy: chRiS pilcheR/StAff RepoRteR
NOVA plays host to a wide variety of students and faculty. All manners of talents are dis-played on campus, from musi-cians to football players, and from computer wizards to fash-ion divas. Annandale campus boasts a very special inhabitant; however, Gerald Boyd, Dean of Languages and Literature, has a talent which makes him very popular in the office. he is a professional cook.
Dean Boyd started his cooking career at the age of 15. he was a dishwasher in his home state of Pennsylvania. When his father, who was in the military, was stationed in Germany for several years, Boyd sampled the best food of Europe.
In high school, Boyd was ac-tive in sports, and always ate a healthy, balanced diet. When he attended college at George Mason University, he worked as a waiter at Fritzby’s. Working full time on top of his school-work, he was able to pay for his education, receiving his Bachelor’s in English and his Master’s in Linguistics, all while being promoted from waiter to bartender, and eventually to manager.
Boyd says all the skills that he learned working in the food business helped him get to where he is today. Management skills are required in both a food service and an educa-tional environment, and therefore, he was able to quickly move up the ranks at NOVA. Starting as an ESL professor, he went on to become the
side his academic awards on the wall of his office.
On top of his duties as dean, he also keeps up with his contacts in the food industry. he is often called on as a consultant for menu items at lo-cal restaurants, and always looks for ways to help support NOVA with his connections, and vice versa. he has also been the co-author on two books, The Accent of Success, and From the Classroom to the Boardroom. he has also been on a television show called “Delmarva cooks,” on local access cable aired on the eastern shore.
Despite being an excellent cook, Boyd is very modest. he does not like to be called “chef,” as that is a title one earns from years of hard work and a degree in the culinary arts. he does admit that he could, however, most likely pass the final exams
for culinary school.Boyd has been married for 19
years. he has two daughters, both of which are very talented musicians, and have won mul-tiple awards for their talents. his wife cooks for the kids every day, and Boyd himself cooks ev-ery night for his wife. A dish you might see on the Boyds’ dinner table would be skillet chicken with braised Brussels sprouts and stuffed poblano peppers.
Boyd is working on his PhD in higher Education at University of Maryland. he does not plan on opening his own restaurant when he retires, but will likely continue working in the field which he enjoys so much.
10 www.novafortnightly.com :: march 22, 2010
sports
By: ARch ScURlocK/StAff RepoRteR
Women Lose Close Tournament Final
ARch ScURLOcK/NOVA FORTNIGhTLyNOVA’s Julia Terrell (#23) lifts a shot near the 3 point line in the first half versus TCC.
The NOVA women’s basketball team lost a tough game, 53-51 to Tidewater community college in the finals of the Virginia commu-nity College System tournament in Roanoke. The team only scored two points in the last eleven minutes in the March 14 game at Virginia West-ern community college.
The disappointing loss marked the career end for two year start-ers Karla cortes, Julia Terrell and Kristin Dukes. Though these play-ers ended their NOVA careers on a losing note, over the last two years their teams had fine 16-8 and 14-7 records.
After the Tcc game, first-year coach Wayne Vincent recalled the hard work that the team had ex-pended, starting in June when this team first came together, playing in a summer league, starting practice, beginning the season in early No-vember, surviving five weeks with-out a game in January and February and only starting play again until now. he concluded by saying, “I am so very proud of this team.”
This game marked the third game of the year between these two teams, with Tcc ending up the victor in all three. Only a week ago, Tcc had edged NOVA 56-55.
The game was not particularly well played by either team, but it was a very hard-fought contest that was exciting to watch.
In the first half, NOVA got off to a quick start with Stella hollaway scoring four points near the basket for an early 9-6 lead. Tcc then ral-lied and took 20-13 and 22-15 leads before NOVA narrowed the deficit to 24-23. A late Tcc spurt gave them a 34-29 halftime lead. hol-laway kept NOVA in the game with
her play around the basket, grabbing and putting in errant shots as she scored 12 points.
The second half saw NOVA come out strong and take the lead 35-34 on three pointers by Terrell and Dana carlstrom. Strong play by several players saw NOVA slowly stretch its lead, with two straight baskets by Kristin Dukes making it 49-40 with 11 minutes to go. Things looked promising.
Then NOVA went into a near scoring drought until the game’s end as the team appeared to tighten up and force its play. Tcc was not play-ing exceptionally well either, but
with six minutes to go they had nar-rowed the deficit to 49-46. NOVA finally scored what was to be their final two points on a Dukes basket with under four minutes to play to lead 51-46.
Tcc tightened it to 51-48 with a little over two minutes to go and then to 51-50 with over a minute to go as their guard Brittany herriot made her only basket of the game a big one.
With NOVA still unable to score and with two timeouts not helping, Tcc took the lead 52-51 with 40 seconds to go. More NOVA attempts went awry, including one with less
than 20 seconds to go with an in-bound pass under its basket from Terrell to a closely guarded cortes that was unsuccessful and wound up with cortes fouling.
Tcc’s leading scorer, who was not performing well under pressure at the foul line and had missed four straight foul shots since the four-minute mark, again missed two foul shots. however, the ball rebounded out to Tcc, and NOVA’s hollaway ran after the Tcc player with the ball, fouling her with 5.1 seconds to go. Tcc’s courtney missed the first foul shot, but made the second for a 53-51 Tcc lead.
NOVA still had a chance as it quickly brought the ball up court. Terrell dribbled past the half court line, saw a somewhat free cortes running up ahead along the right side and hurried a pass up towards her. Unfortunately it was out of reach and the ball bounced out of bounds. With 0.2 seconds to go, Tcc launched a long pass, which saw the buzzer quickly sound as second-seeded NOVA went down 53-51, leaving top-seeded Tcc as the VccS tournament champions. The game ending was reminiscent of NOVA’s two-point loss in last year’s tournament when they were unable to get off a hurried shot as time ex-pired.
For the game, hollaway led NOVA with 12 points, all in the first half. cortes tallied 11, while Dukes and Erin McGartland each scored eight. Other NOVA players who scored were: Terrell with six, and carl-strom and Alyssa Ablaza with three each. Whitney Stan did not score.
Tcc’s Ashley Miles led Tcc with 19.
This ended the season’s basketball conference rivalry with Tidewater community college, with NOVA losing all six games. Four of them
were especially tough losses, with the women losing by one or two points and the men losing by two and in overtime during the regular season.
In the tournament semi-final the previous day, NOVA swamped Thomas Nelson community col-lege, 81-51, after a 41-19 first half. Karla cortes led NOVA with 21, with Terrell scoring 16, hollaway 14, Dukes 11 and carlstrom 10. Dukes gathered in 14 rebounds and hollaway had 11. In all, only four VccS women’s teams participated in the tournament.
In the games after the women’s team came off its five weeks of game inactivity, NOVA appeared rusty as it lost a home game to Tidewater, 73-64, on Feb. 20. Dukes had 16 points, with Ablaza adding 10, Ter-rell nine and Cortes and Carlstrom eight each.
In its Feb. 28 make-up game at Southside, NOVA won in a romp 87-35. carlstrom had a super game, scoring 18 while cortes and Mc-Gartland each had 15, Ablaza 14 and Terrell 10. Stan added eight and hollaway seven.
In a March 2 home game against the hagerstown hawks, NOVA re-venged an early season defeat by winning easily 75-53, as it outscored hagerstown in the second half 44-26, after a tight 31-27 halftime lead. carlstrom again led scorers with 21, while cortes added 17, Terrell 13 and Ablaza 10.
Then in its final game before the tournament, NOVA traveled to Tidewater. It led 29-26 at halftime, but eventually lost a tight one, 56-55. carlstrom tied for NOVA scor-ing honors with 12 with Ablaza, while McGartland added 11 and hollaway 10. NOVA wound up 4-2 in VccS league play and 13-6 over-all before the tournament.
games/comics march 22, 2010 :: www.novafortnightly.com 11
www. Sudoku-Puzzles.netSudoku, Kakuro & Futoshiki Puzzles
General Knowledge Crossword (729261718)
17 16 13 19
2114
1520 18
412
324
82
11 71 25
9
106
225
23
www.sudoku-puzzles.net
Solution:
www.sudoku-puzzles.net
1. What type of fruit is a cantaloup?2. how many eyes does a cyclops have?3. `I am a plonker, not smart` is an anagram of which female TV celebrity? (Surname)4. Gorgonzola cheese comes from which country?5. Which synthetic material was named by combining the French words for velvet and hook?6. What animal is used to represent the star sign Leo?7. What is the only bird in the world to have its nostrils at the tip of its long beak, just like a nose?8. What is photophobia a fear of?9. What make of car is named after the Latin word meaning `I hear`?10. After how many years of marriage is a wooden anniversary?11. heliophobia is the fear of what?12. Out of all the animals in the chinese horoscope, which comes last alphabetically?13. What is the national dance of Spain?14. Sapphire is the birthstone for which month?15. A canton, halyard and field make up what item?16. Where in your body would you find the anvil and the stir-rup?17. Who was the Greek God of love?18. What is the second most common word in written English?19. Which company makes the chocolate biscuit Kit Kat?20. Which popular sport features in the NATO phonetic alpha-bet?21. In the story of Jack and the Beanstalk what did Jack exchange for the beans from which the beanstalk grew?22. Ailurophobia is the fear of which type of animal?23. What is myrmecology the study of?24. how many fish did Jesus use to feed 5,000?25. On what part of the body would you wear a `sombrero`?
Crossword
Answers From Last Issue
Answers from this issue will appear in the April 5 issue.
www. Sudoku-Puzzles.netSudoku, Kakuro & Futoshiki Puzzles
Sudoku 9x9 - Hard (132833343)
5 3
2 1
8 9 3 6 5 4
6 1 9
1 5
7 4 8
2 1 8 5 6 3
7 3
7 9www.sudoku-puzzles.net
Solution:
www.sudoku-puzzles.net
Sudoku is a logic-based number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9x9 grid so that each col-umn, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes con-tain the digits from 1 to 9 only one time.
www.novafortnightly.comvolUMe 45 / iSSUe No. 4 MARCH 22, 2010
Your Ad Here!Reach over 5000 students online and in print when you ad-
vertise with the NOVA Fortnightly. Affordable ad rates start at $40 to advertise your student organization, business, or event.
For details email [email protected] or visitNOVAFortnightly.com/advertise