The Highland Newspaper of UVa-Wise The Official Student ...€¦ · the Vatican Observatory Foundation, was set to present a lecture on his book “Would You Bap-tize an Extraterrestrial?

Residence halls close for spring break on March 7 at 9 a.m. and reopen on March 15 at 9 a.m.

CAVALIER Volume 66, Issue 9March 4, 2015

The Official Student Newspaper of UVa-Wise

The Highland

news

et cetera

opinion

sports

IndexUpcomingpage 2

page 3

page 5

page 7

highlandcavalier.com

Halls close for spring break

The Center for Student Development will spon-sor Take Back the Night on March 19 at 7 p.m. in the sculpture garden.

Take Back the Night

Second half semester courses will begin March 16.

Second half semester classes

see Drones, page 2

Zemery Gilliam | The Highland Cavalier

Zemery GilliamSenior Features [email protected]

With skill, patience and practice, Boy Scout Jordan Reed navigates an intricate course made of netting and PVC pipe with his micro-drone.

He does not want to go too fast because his drone will crash, but also does not want to go too slow for he is competing. He first encounters rectangular obstacles he must fly through, each at different heights. Then, like aerodynamic lim-bo, he must fly above and below several hori-zontal pipes, very high and very low. One slight move and the drone could bounce off the floor like a basketball and break into a dozen pieces.

see Extraterrestrial, page 2

Damean MathewsSenior News [email protected]

UVa-Wise students continue to receive sup-port from the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

Established in 1997, the Napoleon Hill Foundation Scholarship Fund has helped over 100 students on the campus of UVa-Wise in the form of hefty donations that go to serve as scholarships for those in need.

The history of the donations reached a new height in January when Foundation Director Don Green presented a $250,000 check to Chan-

see Napoleon Hill Foundation, page 2

Napoleon Hill Foundation continues to help students

#UVaWiseSnowDay2k15

Photo courtesy of Sydney Pack

Students at UVa-Wise enjoyed 10 consecutive days without classes due to snow and freezing temperatures. Many chose to spend this time bonding with their pets and playing in the snow with their dogs. Left, senior criminal justice major Sydney Pack enjoys the snow with her two dogs. Right, junior business administration major Christian Marquez spent his days off playing in the snow with his boxer puppy.

Photo courtesy of Katie Campbell

Would you baptize an extraterrestrial?

Drones take flight in Convocation Center

Photo courtesy of UVa-Wise website

Don Green, the Napoleon Hill Foundation’s di-rector, presents a $250,000 check to Chancellor Donna P. Henry in January 2015.

Photo courtesy of Stella Matheos

Page 3: Snow, rain and ice took over campus last week causing canceled classes and sporting events.


A Vatican scholar who was scheduled to speak in Wise this week will possibly be re-scheduled for next year, college officials said.

Brother Guy Consolmagno S.J., president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, was set to present a lecture on his book “Would You Bap-tize an Extraterrestrial? and Other Questions from the Astronomers’ In-box at the Vatican Observatory” that he co-wrote with Rev. Paul Mueller, head of the Jesuit community at Castel Gandolfo.

Consolmagno, curator of the Vatican mete-

Photo courtesy of UVa-Wise website

Continued from page 1Napoleon Hill Foundation

news Page 2The Highland Cavalier March 4, 2015

cellor Donna P. Henry, sending the total donations from the foundation over the $1 million mark.

Named after the Wise County native who is credited with writing the first self-success, or self-help, book, the Napoleon Hill Founda-tion strives to show individuals how to be successful in every en-deavor, Green said.

The foundation, providing a number of tips for students based on Hill’s “Keys to Success,” en-courages students of all majors to participate in honors studies and engage in business research and in-ternships through special academic work, according to a press release on the college website.

The foundation’s work is im-portant because it helps people get a direction, because most people don’t know where they want to go, according to Green.

“It’s about what people do to be

successful,” Green said.The goal of reaching $1 mil-

lion worth of donations has been a personal hope of Green’s since he began work for the foundation.

“It took us a while, but we got there,” Green said. “In life, we don’t usually exceed our expecta-tions, but I saw the possibility of it and never had a doubt in my mind that we’d accomplish it.”

The foundation likes to get to know the students the scholarship helps, according to Green.

“I’m very impressed with our scholars,” Green said. “We always try to meet them and I’ve been very pleased.”

Students who have received as-sistance from the foundation have ample opportunity to contribute help of their own, he said.

“Education is the answer,” Green said, “I think Napoleon Hill would be very proud.”

Continued from page 1

Extraterrestrial

Continued from page 1

Drones

He navigates stage 2 with ease. Finally, he arrives to several

vertical pipes, colored red to go left and green to go right. Weav-ing carefully but decisively, Jordan makes stage 3 look like a walk in the park and when he lands directly in the middle of the ground bullseye, he smirks.

Twenty Boy and Girl Scouts made it through an impending state of emergency to the Prior Convo-cation Center for the 2015 Drone Jamboree Flight Competition. The micro-drones that were used are just as literal as they sound. They are a smaller, easier, safer coun-terpart to their larger quadcopter brethren. Though one Girl Scout flew a drone through the course that was proportionally bigger than her, most flew smaller quadcopters that you could hold in one hand.

The drones were not only used for competition, but also for sur-veillance and photography. A quad-

copter flying as high as the score-board, directly over scouts’ heads, had a 1080p high definition camera attached to it.

The quadcopter moved with the precision of a robot as well as the speed and sound of a large dragonfly. These type of drones are connected over a cellular sig-nal to a remote control on a tablet device to give the operator a vivid first person view from the drone. A wide variety of similar drones were on sale from vendors. These drones ranged from the size of your hand, to such a mass that two peo-ple would have to carry it. Prices ranged from $50 to $1000.

Director of the Prior Convo-cation Center, Christopher Davis excitedly announced over the P.A. system that this summer, there is going to be a “Game of Drones” event which involves “demolition and teams.” No other details were given for this upcoming event.


Students can now bring home the desserts they are accustomed to at the Hunter J. Smith Dining Com-mons.

The Cavalier Bakery is now open for anyone to purchase and take home desserts.

“We are always looking to provide new and exciting ser-vices,” said Brett Lawson, direc-tor of Chartwells Dining Services. “Smith Dining is known for its de-licious homemade desserts so why not make it an option to take some home?”

Current items sold at the bak-ery include different types of cook-ies, fudge, brownies, cake and pies.

“We get several phone and email orders each week from new customers,” Lawson said.

Lawson said dining officials plan to have variety at the bakery throughout the semester.

He also said that due to popu-lar demand, this March, dining services will create a full- time om-elet station in conjunction with the sandwich bar. Students will be able to use it for every meal.

For more informtion about the Cavalier Bakery dining at UVa-Wise, contact Brett Lawson at 276 -328- 5514.

Cavalier Bakery debuts on campus

Jay David | The Highland Cavalier

The new Cavalier Bakery is located in the Smith Dining Commons. Zemery Gilliam | The Highland Cavalier

A quadcopter connected to tablets was displayed to demonstrate drone copters that took videos while in the air.

orite collection in Castel Gandolfo, has co-authored five astronomy books and says he would indeed baptize an extraterrestrial — but only if she asked first, according to a college press release.

Consolmagno was planned to be at UVa-Wise to discuss the latest book and whether or not a person of faith can truly embrace science on March 5 but has been forced to cancel.

The book, which attempts to preserve the distinctions between religion and science, has reached a large audience and consists of six chapters that each answer a ques-

tion similar to the title, according to an article by Sean Salai, S.J., that appeared in America, a weekly magazine published by Jesuits.

“We wanted to show how a life integrating science and faith can be lived,” Consolmagno told Salai.

Written in dialogue form, the book revolves around questions of-ten received by the Vatican Obser-vatory, according to Mueller.

“We are aiming at people who are interested in science but dubi-ous about faith, but also at people of faith who feel a bit at sea regard-ing science and how it relates to faith,” Mueller told Salai.

news Page 3The Highland Cavalier March 4, 2015

Snowpocalypse hits Wise


Locals on social media have called it the “Snowpocalypse” and for good reason, the same snow that fell on Monday before last was still unphased by the sun and the marginally warmer temperature nearly two weeks later. For most in Culbertson Hall, the two weeks off we received because of the inclement weather can be seen as “Spring Break Part 1.”

I drive a Ford Fiesta with a tire rim width of six inches. Parked in the lot beside Culbertson, the snow was packed as high as my window. Suffice to say, I couldn’t go anywhere.

So what was there to do for two weeks straight?

For nursing student Dan Deane, it’s been a week of catching up with work. Being a nursing student is one of the more time consuming and intensive areas one can study in at UVa-Wise, so for Deane, any extra time to complete assign-

ments is welcome with open arms. For 2nd floor Resident Advisor Megan

Gray, the weeks off meant that she could final-ly hold a Dance Dance Revolution tournament with time to spare. Sixteen people danced, only one walked away with the much sought after $15.00 Taco Bell gift card; it was me. She also mentioned something that has become a staple of dormitory life at UVa-Wise: “a lot, a lot of Netflix.”

For myself, it was a combination of the two. The first few days consisted of the shellshock of having a time off period. I didn’t quite know what to do with myself, jumping from video games to Netflix to YouTube, attempting to cram in as much entertainment in a 72 hour pe-riod as possible.

The remainder of the week was pure bore-dom due to myself already having the entertain-ment out of the way, as well as worrying that the snow would decimate my articles.

By the end of the week some friends con-vinced me to go sleighriding near the practice

football field. I would not recommend that due to all the

hidden rocks in the hills. Finally, I mustered the courage and fortitude to complete work that could have been completed on a much earlier date. Not that the work suffered, but the freedom is a gift and curse.

You could contemplate working on some-thing in the morning, get distracted by Netflix or a friend, and the next time you look out the window, the sun is down.

Week two was an exact replica of the first. Were the two weeks off a blessing? Yes. The time off has been a morale booster for students here at Culbertson, with everyone generally ac-cepting that normal school schedules were ap-proaching.

Will students pay for the time off? Yes and no.

It has been stated that spring break will not be taken away. However, summertime might be a little shorter than originally planned. Don’t kill the messenger.

Jaime Robinson | The Highland Cavalier

Gabriel DillonStaff [email protected]

The Obama Administration’s proposed budget for the 2016 fiscal year could provide millions of dollars to projects aimed at transitioning the economy of Appalachia. Of the money invested in the Appalachia region, $95 million will be given to the Appalachian Regional Commission this year, increasing its typical $70 million budget by over a third, according to the proposed budget. Moreover, $200 million will be allocated to the Abandoned Mine Lands program over a period of five years.

About $25 million of the amount requested for ARC is to be used to fund the POWER+, Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization, plan, a grant which aims to generate jobs, cre-ate economic diversification and re-employ and train workers for new industries.

The Abandoned Mine Lands fund is used to restore abandoned coal mines and provide assistance to communities impacted by coal’s decline, all in accordance to the POWER+ plan. However, the plan still falls under scrutiny from several congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Though the budget will likely be contested and changed in ways, the effort to revitalize the Appalachian economy is important regardless of political lines this attempt could lead to more investment and assistance being given to the region.

Proposed budget may assist Appalachia

Are you interested in Biomedical Science?

Free Masters DegreeBiology/Chemistry StudentsEastern Kentucky University

University of Kentucky

www.bridgescholar.eku.edu

Contact: [email protected] for more information

Jaime Robinson | The Highland Cavalier

Cavalier ComicsWe carry comics, toys, sci-fi / fantasy novels, manga, board

games, card games, miniatures and more!Always looking to buy old comics and toys

CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR MORE INFO ON EVENTS

Open Monday - Saturday 109 Glade St SE Unit E10 AM - 7 PM Wise, VA 24293

276-328-9312

www.cavaliercomics.net

Save a tree...Recycle me.

Two different views of the snow from the Slemp Student Center. Left, view from the third floor shows Greek letters that have fallen due to the snow. Right, you can barely see the clock through the haze of the heavy falling snow.

et cetera Page 4The Highland Cavalier March 4, 2015

Gabriel DillonStaff [email protected]

President Barack Obama has sent a formal request to Congress asking an Authorization of Military Force against the terrorist organization ISIL. ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Le-vant, also referred to as ISIS, has gained a no-torious reputation for its public beheadings, tor-turing and, most recently, burning of prisoners.

Though a military campaign has been waged against the organization for around six months, the AUMF would acquire formal Congressio-nal support and acceptance of the war effort and give the president the legal authorization to “use the armed forces of the United States as the president determines to be necessary.”

The resolution would not allow for the pro-longed use of ground forces against ISIL; how-ever, Obama is authorized to use ground forces in limited situations.

The authorization is also currently criticized by congressional leaders for placing too many limits on the president’s power in the entirety of the war. The resolution limits Obama by re-quiring he report to Congress every six months regarding the actions taken throughout the mili-tary response. The resolution ends three years after its approval, but can be reauthorized.

ISIL has taken root in Syria during the na-tion’s ensuing Civil War, and has spread to Iraq. The organization is a threat not only to those two nations and the region but also to the Unit-ed States, as ISIL has continually threatened our nation with terrorist attacks.

Obama asks for military forces against ISIL

COMMENTARY:Do you think you are a feminist?

Larissa HarrisStaff [email protected]

Sidal Lutterbach recently arrived at UVa-Wise on exchange from the University of Lux-embourg.

Luxembourg is a small country in Western Europe, bordered by Germany, France and Bel-gium.

“There is only one university in the coun-try, The University of Luxembourg,” Lutterbach said. “It’s really hard to understand that I’m Ger-man, that my nationality is German, but I study in Luxembourg. That’s quite different and that’s a bit hard to understand I think, because it’s two different countries. And it’s kind of a different language but the culture is quite the same.”

Classes at the university are taught in French, German and English. Lutterbach said that the school day was organized to account for students who traveled from neighboring Euro-pean countries.

“Uni normally starts at 10 [a.m.] for me be-cause some people are arriving from the border from Germany and taking the train and that’s why they need a bit longer to get there,” she said. “That’s really common.”

Students take seven to eight classes a semes-ter, and each class is taken for one and a half hours per week. Lutterbach often has classes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an hour lunch break.

“The University of Luxembourg wants students to go abroad, one semester, so it is re-quired,” she said. “Most of the people stay in Europe. I could even go to Germany for my se-mester.”

However, Lutterbach decided that she want-ed to travel out of the continent because she was already very familiar with European countries. “I wanted to go as far as I can and get new expe-riences,” she said.

Lutterbach also wanted to improve her English, especially as most new psychology re-search is written in English and originates from the U.S.

Lutterbach identified the biggest differences between UVa-Wise and the University of Lux-embourg as living on campus, the open contact between students and professors and the short classes that are taken repeatedly in a week.

The University of Luxembourg is only 11 years old and does not have a well-developed sports culture.

“That’s really sad, that’s why I like here and I really like that students can go to the gym, and that’s all so new and that sport here, or team sports, are quite big in the University,” Lutter-bach said.

For more information about participating in exchange opportunities, see Witold Wolny in Smiddy Hall, room 255.

Luxembourg foreign exchange student comes to study in Wise

Photo courtesy of Sidal Lutterbach


Some students and staff at UVa-Wise are making a move to allow for a more closely-knit campus community.

The Truth and Reconciliation Initiative: Forgiveness Community is a new program on campus organized by Michael Hunt, assistant professor of theatre. It is designed to allow ev-eryone a chance to let go of something they feel may be holding them back in some way.

Forgiveness Community is based on a combination of the Tibetan tradition of writing prayers on cloth “windhorses” which are then hung out to disintegrate and the summer camp practice of putting whatever is bothering you into the fire to get rid of it, according to Hunt.

Stations are being set up around campus to allow students, faculty and staff to create their own windhorses which will then be hung up for the month of April and then taken down at the end of the month to be burned, according to a press release on the college website.

According to Hunt, at the end of the month the windhorses will be taken down to be burnt in a bonfire where the campus community will be invited to come together and share their stories.

“We’re trying to provide a new kind of pub-

lic space, where people can share an experience, recognize each other more clearly as human, and maybe find it easier to talk about issues that we have trouble with,” Hunt said in an email.

Hunt believes that this project will allow freedom from those things like anger and grudg-es that affect our lives every day and has already seen interest from the campus community.

“It’s early in the process, but there’s a dedi-cated core group, and lots of interest when people hear about it,” Hunt said. “Students are already finding us and asking to make a flag and professors have given us access to their classes.”

Hunt also feels that the project can act as an initiative to give the arts a chance to help be-come an integral part of everyday life.

“I would like to see exposure to the arts more fully integrated into campus life; they are an essential element in a liberal arts education,” Hunt said.

Forgiveness Community is intended to act as a stimulant to help students solve problems inherent in community arts, according to Hunt.

“In general, we’re hoping for a more vi-brant, connected community, where we’re more comfortable talking proactively about the issues that affect all of us,” Hunt said.

For more information on the Forgiveness Community, contact Hunt at [email protected].

The Truth and Reconciliation:Forgiveness community at UVa-Wise

Larissa HarrisStaff [email protected]

I’m going to ask you two questions. Well, they’re the same question but once at the start of this article and once again at the end, with one small alteration.

Are you a feminist?Now don’t tell me that ‘that word’ does not bring images of suffragettes, hippie women and a

lack of hair removal to mind, because that’s exactly what it used to bring to mind for me.This debated term last year was brought to the front of our vocabulary by Emma Watson’s He-

ForShe speech and viral videos, such as one released by Upworthy this month.

To finish reading this commentary and to see the Upworthy video about feminism visit HighlandCavalier.com.

Sidal Lutterbach poses with friends in Luxembourg.

et cetera Page 5The Highland Cavalier March 4, 2015

Hannah McNewOpinion [email protected]

The Highland Cavalier asked several students who they consid-ered to be their favorite professor.

Donna Hale, an adjunct profes-sor in the social science department at UVa-Wise, was chosen as the faculty of the month.

After receiving her under-graduate degree at what was then known as Clinch Valley College, Hale taught at Council High School in Buchanan County, Virginia.

“I loved being in the classroom at CHS,” Hale said. “And having the opportunity to pass on the gift of learning that had been given to me. At the same time, I always had the desire to go back to school and earn a degree in something just for the fun of it.”

Thus, after hearing of an ear-ly retirement incentive program Council High School offered, Hale decided to go back to school and strive for a Master’s of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. She studied at Radford University.

After receiving her degree, Hale taught as an adjunct professor at Radford, driving nearly two and a half hours twice a week.

“I loved every minute that I taught at Radford, but I always con-sidered UVa-Wise to be my home, and I approached the social science department about the possibility of teaching some classes here,” she said.

Hale has been teaching at UVa-Wise since the spring semester of 2007. “Being a native of Southwest Virginia, I love the mountains and

the strong people who have sur-vived and prospered in the area due to very hard work—mostly in the coal mines,” she said. “I am a part of that culture, and the good folks who worked to create a college at Wise gave me the opportunity to secure an education and give back to my community.”

There is no denying that Hale enjoys her job. “What I love the most about UVa-Wise is the stu-dents,” said Hale. “As long as I teach at Wise, I will never die from boredom — and dying of boredom is the very worst way to go.”

When asked why many stu-dents would choose Hale as a professor, political science major Kelsey Dorton said she cares about her students.

“If you have anything going on, you can always talk to her about it, and she's so understanding,” Dor-ton said.

“I tell my students that their job is to discover what they want to do in life,” Hale said. “And my job is to help them achieve that goal. I also tell them that the goal may change, and that is fine as well.

“Life happens, but if we have helped our students acquire skills such as time management, writing and speaking well, and most impor-tantly, to learn from their mistakes, then we have helped them along the path to becoming educated, pro-ductive, and contributing members of society. Life doesn’t get any bet-ter than that.”

“My job is not to teach my stu-dents what to think,” Hale said. “It is to encourage them to think, to ex-amine what they believe and more importantly, why they believe it.”

Donna Hale: Faculty of the Month Campus WindowSnow days in Wise

Jessie and Margaret Henry spent their snow days on campus playing with their dogs, Bailey and Goldie.

The Greear Gymnasium and swimming pool was closed for more than a week as it got completely covered in snow.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Carlson

Photo courtesy of Chancellor Henry

Photo courtesy of Donna Hale

Basketball Homecoming 2015



Senior spanish major Olivia Rowe and senior sports management major Brent Wills were named Basketball Homecoming 2015 King and Queen during halftime at the game on Feb. 28.

The 2015 Basketball Homecoming court included Matt Wright, Naya Wil-liams, Ciara Daymude, Darius Johnson, Sim Ewing, Chancellor Donna Henry, Olivia Rowe, Brent Wills, Clint Womack, Sia Sloce, Leanna Hale, Dakota Hill, Victoria Pedigo, Vince Freels, Destiny Allen, Allen’s mother, Jessie Henry, who stood in for Rebekah Sigman, and Jordan Smith.

opinion Page 6The Highland Cavalier March 4, 2015

The Highland Cavalier is the official student newspaper of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. The newspaper is published bi-weekly on Wednesday. It functions 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 ([email protected]). Letters to the editor can also be e-mailed to Opinion Editor Hannah McNew ([email protected]). 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.

Staff Writers/PhotographersEditorial BoardJaime RobinsonDamean MathewsJustin DavidDarrian Pickett Hannah McNew Dalena Adams Zemery GilliamStella MatheosDakota GallimoreAllie Gibson

Editor-in-ChiefSenior News Writer

Photo EditorSports Editor

Opinion Editor Copy Editor

Senior Features WriterAd ManagerWeb Master

Staff Adviser

Larissa HarrisGabriel Dillon

Cavalier Editor ReviewJay DavidPhoto [email protected]

Almost every university across the United States offers students the chance to take part in some form of intramural sport. This could in-clude sports such as flag football, basketball, soccer or ultimate frisbee. There are even intra-mural tournaments for things you may not con-sider an actual sport.

Students can be crowned King of NBA 2K or Madden during an intramural tournament without making any extreme physical move-ments.

I personally have been lucky enough to par-ticipate in a long list of intramural sports during my five year stretch at UVa-Wise.

One of my favorite and perhaps one of the most popular intramural sports offered on this campus is five-on-five basketball.

One reason basketball is my favorite intra-mural sport is because it allows my friends and I to become closer as we go from friends to team-mates.

If you have ever played organized team sports, you may be familiar with the bond that can be formed between teammates. Throughout the season, there can be arguments and disagree-ments, but at the end of the day, nothing feels

better than knowing a group of teammates have fought with you during a tough competition.

Intramural sports can be a positive experi-ence, but it can also be a negative one.

I believe the best way to have a success-ful intramural season would be to follow these three simple rules: allow open communication between teammates, get on the same mental page and have fun.

With the most recent regular season coming to an end, the remaining 10 teams will compete in college-style playoff bracket. The winner of this tournament will receive custom champi-onship T-shirts and bragging rights until next spring.

Net Neutrality: why it matters

“Better Call Saul” breaks records, fastZemery GilliamSenior Features [email protected]

With a combined 15.9 million viewers, ac-cording to Nielsen, “Better Call Saul” is the highest rated series premiere in cable television history and with good reason.

It is the prequel/sequel to what many con-sider, including myself, to be the greatest show in television history, “Breaking Bad.” Noth-ing before and nothing since has compared to Breaking Bad’s storytelling, acting and themes. The final season of that particular show is among the most intense storytelling I have ever experi-enced as a viewer and this includes movies.

So can creator Vince Gilligan recreate the magic? They never did a sequel to “Seinfeld” for a reason. What else is there to tell in this sto-ry of crime and flawed characters?

As it turns out, one episode of “Better Call Saul” is enough to convince you that the story of mall-based lawyer, Saul Goodman, is worth its own series and then some.

It is “Breaking Bad” with a lot more humor,

and it is not that the humor tones down the dark tones that “Breaking Bad” fans crave. There is a perfect balance of the two. That balance makes the show come into its own.

In the very first scene, actor Bob Odenkirk turns what was a two-dimensional in “Breaking Bad,” into a three-dimensional shell of his for-mer self without even saying a word.

There are already other familiar characters showing up from Albuquerque, but it never feels forced or unnecessary.

This further makes the show feel like a nec-essary addition to the overall story and not an easy license to print money.

AMC has already renewed the show for a second season, giving me faith that the show will live up to the hype and be on par with great-ness.

Many will wait until they will add the show to Netflix so they can watch without interrup-tion and as quickly as possible. However, “Bet-ter Call Saul” will evolve into the same wild pop culture phenomenon that you will want to share at the obligatory water cooler and be a part of with the rest of the country.


There are sides to every topic in America. Are you on Team Android or Team iPhone? Are you a Steelers fan or a Ravens fan? Are you on Team Edward or Team Jacob? Are you Marvel or DC? Xbox or Playstation? Are you Re-publican or Democrat?

These sides exist because of the passion we have for these things and the value that we hold them to.

I believe that the public should relax about their pas-sions and be less forward. I do not believe everything in life should have a right and wrong answer and I believe that American culture has great difficulties in separating itself from the fun of it all and criti-cally thinking about their pas-sions.

That is not to say that ev-eryone is guilty of this, but from my experience, if some-one was put on the spot and asked why something is truly better, the answer would more

than likely be “it just seems more right.”

The unsaid secret of pick-ing a side is that it generally feels great to be better at some-thing than someone else. It feels awesome to prove some-one wrong. It feels good to be on the right side of things.

However, should there be losers when it comes to things such as entertainment? Should someone really feel ashamed because they chose a differ-ent kind of phone than you? Is there really a losing side to choosing a Playstation over an Xbox? The answer is an obvi-ous no.

The way we get to uncon-sciously adapting politics to everything is our ability to care about a certain aspect of life. People who care about what kind of cell phone they have, and care passionately.

There is no halfway for American culture and its abil-ity to care. It is either all the way or don’t bother. When you care that much about a particu-lar aspect and someone choos-es differently, it becomes about politics right then and there.

I believe there is an issue in American culture with recog-nizing what needs to be politi-cized and what does not. Yes, it is fun for your team to win the Super Bowl.

However, criticizing some-one for their preference to Mac or Windows without a better argument than “it sucks” is just sad, especially if you are a stu-dent here.

Now that is stepping into the broader issue of American culture and its ability to give an opinion on things they know nothing about, but that’s a free-dom of speech issue or, better yet, the freedom to convince someone you are uninformed.

The point is, there is noth-ing wrong with being passion-ate about the things you care about. I’m passionate about journalism and when some-one criticizes my work, I am always given well thought out reasons as to why something needs to be changed.

When choosing a side on an issue or aspect, make sure it’s the right issue thoroughly and make sure worth picking a side over to begin with.

Everything is political, but politics shouldn’t be everything

Dakota GallimoreWeb [email protected]

The Federal Communications Commission made the biggest decision in Internet history on Feb. 26. The FCC had to vote on either reclas-sifying the Internet as a Title II utility or to re-move net neutrality, which will allow Internet Service Providers to enact fast and slow lanes.

The chairman of the FCC, Tom Wheeler, who originally proposed to remove net neutral-ity, came clear that he intended to classify the Internet as a Title II utility. He stated that the Internet should be a right, not a privilege.

Net neutrality protects our rights to com-municate freely on the open Internet. This in turn protects freedom of speech by not allowing your internet service provider to discriminate or block content from you. It also means that companies like Comcast cannot slow down your internet speed if you’re watching Netflix instead of their own video on demand service. Without net neutrality, Comcast could do just that.

For instance, if you wanted to watch Netflix, your Internet service provider could slow down your service to a crawl, even to the point where Netflix will not load. However, if you chose to watch their video on demand, they could up their speed providing perfect service. For Netflix to compete it would have to pay a hefty fee each year. This goes for any website on the Internet.

If your internet provider dislikes Amazon, they could limit your access to them or even to Google. This is incredibly harmful to startups who cannot afford to pay internet providers ar-bitrary amounts, as one could imagine.

The FCC voted to reclassify the internet as a type II utility which to an degree, preserved net neutrality by allowing the FCC to regulate ISPs. Under Title II, internet will be rationalized, much like electricity or water is now. However, this is not full net neutrality.

In reality, this allows the government to control a more centralized internet which stands against the underlying meaning of net neutrality where the internet is a decentralized consumer-driven Internet. Even now after the FCC reclas-sified the Internet, ISPs are already pushing Congress to pass a bill to neuter the new FCC regulations.

sports Page 7The Highland Cavalier March 4, 2015


Darrian PickettSports Editor [email protected]

The Outdoor Recreation program will be participating in the Spartan Race in Georgia on March 7 and 8.

Mark Collins, coordinator of the C. Bascom Slemp Student Center & Outdoor Recreation, will be traveling and participating in the race as a volunteer.

“The Spartan Race is an obstacle course set up in various cities across America and throughout the world. The race consists of three

different levels: Spartan sprint, Spartan super, and Spartan beast. Upon completing one of the three sections of the race, you receive a third of a Spartan head,” Collins said. “If you complete all three, the pieces form together to make the head. We are competing in the Spartan Sprint in Atlanta. The race is held at the Georgia In-ternational Horse Park where some of the 1996 Olympics was held.”

Collins recommends that people who want to participate have some physical ability be-cause the race is three to five miles long and has 20 – 23 obstacles.

“While this venue provides some fast mov-

ing single-track trails, the surrounding forest, hills and swamps create unexpected challenges for all racers,” he said. “If you are thinking the well maintained grass will help you out, just know that the slick Georgia clay lays directly below that and any bit of rain or thawing snow will leave you sliding everywhere.”

All the spots for the Spartan Race taking place over spring break have been filled, but Collins opted for a volunteer day as well. Ac-cording to Collins, the average finish time is two hours.

For more information on the obstacle course, visit www.spartan.com.


The girls competed in the first round of the MEC tournament against Concord University after losing to Concord in the last regular sea-son game on Feb. 28. Sophomore center Kayla Carey currently leads the team in rebounds as she averages 7.4 rebounds a game.

“The most important thing would be to just play together, no matter the score,“ Carey said.

Carey’s personal goals are to give her best effort every game and possession during the tournament.

Women’s basketball prepares to end season

Outdoor recreation prepares for upcoming Spartan Race

Wills and Rowe crowned during Basketball HomecomingDarrian PickettSports Editor [email protected]

On Saturday Feb. 28, the senior homecom-ing king and queen were crowned during half-time of the men’s basketball game. The 2015 basketball homecoming king and queen are se-nior sports managaement major Brent Wills and senior spanish major Olivia Rowe.

Both candidates were surprised to have re-ceived the honor.

“I was surprised, I didn’t think that I would get it,” Wills said. “I didn’t think I knew that many people around here so.”

Clint Womack was Rowe’s escort on Sat-urday evening. Rowe said she was completely oblivious to the fact that she had been nominat-ed in the first place, but she was excited when she found out.

“When I got nominated, I was really excited and I didn’t even know,” she said. “It was pretty cool.”

Winning the honor came as an even bigger surprise to her. “I had no idea I’d win, it’s super exciting,” she said.

Mens basketball has unsuccessful seasonDarrian PickettSports Editor [email protected]

Due to a rule change, all 12 Mountain East Conference teams will participate in the confer-ence tournament.

“Hopefully going into the tournament we’ll have figured out the other teams that we’re go-ing to have to play the third time around,” junior Jordan Smith said.

According to Smith, the team’s biggest det-riment is its size and depth. Sophomore Brian Sydnor currently leads the team in rebounds as he is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game this sea-son.

“We’ve had a rough season so far; we’ve

had a lot of adversity hit us and I think the big-gest thing that we need to do is just come togeth-er and realize that we have to finish the season strong,” Sydnor said.

“Coming into a conference tournament is kind of like a fresh slate, so it’s an opportunity for us to have a new beginning.” As for personal goals, Sydnor wants to do his best and maintain a winning mentality, he said.

“We all just need to realize that we’re a good team and put everything that we’ve been through throughout the season behind us and just realize that we have to focus on what lies ahead and upcoming games,” he said.

The boys competed in the first round of the MEC tournament against Glenville State Col-lege yesterday at 7:30 p.m.



Sophomore Brian Sydnor shoots a floater over a West Virginia State University defender.

Senior spanish major Olivia Rowe and senior sports major Brent Wills pose for photos after being crowned King and Queen at the 2015 Basketball Homecoming game on Feb. 28.

Right, sophomore Taylor Sandidge tries to shoot despite a West Virginia State defender trying to block her shot.

sports Page 8March 4, 2015The Highland Cavalier


One of this year’s Highland Cavalier basket-ball players has an extra ring on her finger this season.

On May 31 of last year, a member of the UVa-Wise women’s basketball team got married before starting her senior year. Katie Jo Lester became Katie Jo Dockery soon after her junior year of college ended.

Katie Jo met her husband Mark Dockery at an FCA alumni basketball game on May 4, 2013 and they were officially engaged by Feb. 9, 2014.

According to Dockery, the excitement from their engagement led them to the decision to get married as quickly as they could.

“After we got engaged we were both so ex-cited, we wanted to get married as soon as pos-sible,” Katie Jo Dockery said.

“With me being in school and playing bas-ketball and only Mark having a job we knew it might not be easy, but we sat down and dis-cussed everything and made a budget. Seeing that it was going to work out, we decided to go ahead and get married.”

Dockery has experienced four full years of collegiate basketball, but having a husband who also played collegiate basketball at King Uni-versity helps, she said.

“Other than having someone to go to the gym with and help me work on my game, being

Life, love and basketball

married has also helped with basketball in that I have someone to vent to when I get home,” Dockery said.

“Mark played basketball at King, where he is the all-time leading scorer, and he understands all the ups and downs that come throughout the season. He has given me great advice, supported me and pushed me to do my best,” she said.

Being married, according to Dockery, helps with support in all areas, not just basketball. It also helps her with procrastination as well.

“I’ve always been a bit of a procrastinator, but in some ways being married has helped me with that. Having someone that is constantly re-minding you that you can do it and that you have to do it is helpful,” Dockery said.

“It has also helped because not only am I working to finish school for myself, but now also for my husband as well.”

Most of the players that played basketball with Dockery since her earlier years on the team have either graduated or left the team except for

one other member of the current women’s bas-ketball roster.

Junior Makenzie Cluesman has played with Dockery since joining the basketball team in 2012. Cluesman and Dockery’s friendship has grown since their first year playing together.

“Mine and KJ’s friendship has definitely grown a lot over the past three years that I have played ball with her. She is someone that you can always go to about anything and she will always listen no matter what,” Cluesman said.

“She is genuinely the nicest person I have ever met and she’s always smiling. There have definitely been times when I thought ball was too hard, but she was always there to encourage me. I have no idea what I’m going to do without her next year.”

Cluesman was one of the players who at-tended Dockery’s wedding last May and said the ceremony was beautiful.

“I’m glad she found someone as nice as Mark, and someone that is going to treat her

right. At first I couldn’t imagine her being mar-ried, but I can definitely tell that she is really happy and that’s all that matters,” Cluesman said.

As her senior season is about to come to a close, Dockery reminisces on her college bas-ketball career.

“I have enjoyed every year, but this year has a little more significance being my last year,” she said.

“When you start to have your lasts: last pre-season, last timed mile, last first game, you real-ize the difference in those things this year and all the other years is that it’s your last time and no matter how good or bad you do, you don’t get to do it over again. I’ve made sure to remind my-self of that as we go through the season and to work hard and give it my best effort each day.”

Dockery was honored on senior night, the last home game of the season, in which the Cav-aliers competed against Concord University and lost 48 to 65.


Left: Katie Jo and Mark Dockery were married on May 31 right after she completed her junior year at UVa-Wise.Right: Katie Jo completed her senior year and UVa-Wise basketball career on Feb. 28.


The UVa-Wise Lacrosse team competed in their first game in the history of UVa-Wise on Saturday, Feb. 28 against Young Harris College in Georgia.

The Cavaliers lost the inaugural game 18-3. Freshmen, Rachel Cole and Annie Hanson both scored for the Cavaliers and Mel Reilley was able to record nine saves.

Senior Morgan Goodbrod is a transfer stu-dent from Virginia Intermont College that closed last year. This is her first year playing lacrosse and she is enjoying her experience thus far.

“Yes, it’s my first time playing. I’m really starting to enjoy it, and I’m learning a lot about the sport. I decided to play lacrosse because my old school closed down and I still wanted to be involved in sports. They needed athletes so here I am. I’m excited to be learning and playing a new sport,” Goodbrod said.

Even though this is their inaugural season, the Cavalier lacrosse team was ranked fourth in the Mountain East Conference out of six teams. According to Goodbrod, the team’s focus is to maintain energy and make improvements each day.

Freshman midfielder, Annie Hanson, de-cided to continue her lacrosse career at the col-legiate level and help extend the sport across

Southwest Virginia. “I wanted to go to college for lacrosse and

make history, as well. I also wanted to help in the spread of lacrosse in a region where it wasn’t familiar and make an impact,” said Hanson.

Hanson plans to contribute by giving her best effort and helping her teammates get better throughout the season.

When asked if she considers herself a leader on the team, even though she is only a fresh-man, Hanson said “yes, because of my experi-ence, but I want to make everyone better than the day before.”

The lacrosse team will compete in their first home game today at 4 p.m. against Lees-McRae College.

Lacrosse starts first spring season with a loss

Photo courtesy of Beth Rife

UVa-Wise womens lacrosse enters the field and prepares to take on Young Harris College for their first game of their first season as a UVa-Wise athletic team.

Documents

The Highland Newspaper of UVa-Wise The Official Student ...€¦ · the Vatican Observatory Foundation, was set to present a lecture on his book “Would You Bap-tize an Extraterrestrial?