Easy A

NewsVCU competes in nationwide recycling contest · 4

SportsVCU drops out of !rst place in the CAA after loss to Old Dominion · 6

SpectrumCT Blind Date: Meet the lovebirds · 9

OpinionRepublicans drill clean energy into the ground · 14

Monday, February 14, 2011 Vol. 51 No. 37

The independent student press of Virginia Commonwealth University commonwealthtimes.org

Easy AReasons for grade distribution

disparities uncovered

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Monday, February 14, 20112

BRIEFS ERICA TERRINI Executive Editor [email protected]

MEL KOBRAN Managing Editor [email protected]

FLETCHER BABB News Editor [email protected]

ADAM STERN Sports [email protected]

NICK BONADIES Spectrum Editor [email protected]

ROBERT SHOWAH Opinion Editor [email protected]

KYLE LAFERRIERE Photography Editor [email protected]

DOMINIC BUTCHELLO Art [email protected] MARLEIGH CULVER Graphic Designer [email protected]

HANNAH SWANN Graphic Designer [email protected] TRENT REED Webmaster [email protected] JACOB MCFADDEN Advertising Manager [email protected] 828-6629 JAMES KLENTZMANCopy Editor MONIQUE WILKINS Associate Advertising Representative [email protected] 827-4562 JOHN MCWHORTER Advertising Graphics Specialist [email protected] 828-6629

GREG WEATHERFORD Student Media Director [email protected], 827-1975

LAUREN KATCHUK Business Manager 827-1642

MARK JEFFRIES Production Manager [email protected]

The Commonwealth Times strives to be accurate in gathering news. If you think we have made an error, please call Executive Editor Erica Terrini at 828-6516 or e-mail her at [email protected]. Corrections will appear on the Opinion page.

Limit one CT per person. Additional copies may be purchased through the Student Media Center for $1 a copy.

817 W. Broad St., P.O. Box 842010Richmond, VA 23284-2010

ctthe

SMC STAFF

On the cover:

Former President George H. W. Bush attends Bemiss funeral

Former President George H.W. Bush was among hundreds of mourners Saturday attending the funeral in Richmond of lifelong friend FitzGerald Bemiss, a former state legislator and a pioneer in Virginia conservation.

St. James’s Episcopal Church for a service led by the Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith before joining members of Bemiss’ family and others at graveside at Hollywood Cemetery. Bemiss, a former delegate and state senator who launched

died at his home in Richmond on Monday night. He was 88.

‘Grandad Bandit’ admits to 26 heists in 14 states

The suspect in 26 bank robberies from New York to Texas pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to two of the holdups in the Richmond area and admitted to all the others dating to late 2008.

Michael Francis Mara, 53, whom the FBI dubbed the “Granddad Bandit” because of his balding and graying appearance, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge M.

A plea agreement calls for Mara to be sentenced to an active prison term of 25 years.

“Mr. Mara’s incredible crime spree came to an end because of a tip from the public,” said Neil H. McBride,U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The FBI put together a concrete case tying a string of robberies throughout the country to one man.”

The string of robberies in 14 states began with the Dec. 18, 2008, holdup of the SunTrust Bank branch at 919 E. Main St. in Richmond, to which Mara pleaded guilty Thursday. He also pleaded guilty to the June 22, 2010, holdup of the First Union Market Bank branch in the 11200 block of West Broad Street in Glen Allen.

Hit-and-run witness becomes victim

A Henrico woman is in jail with no bond this afternoon after allegedly ramming a Good Samaritan who called police and followed the woman after he witnessed an earlier hit and run.

Jessica A. McCauley, 24, of the 5100 block of Monument Ave., allegedly used a false name and declined to be tested for alcohol after she slammed her car into a concerned witness who followed her after he saw a woman speed away from

Street.The Good Samaritan, according to a police search warrant,

followed McCauley to the intersection of Forest Avenue and West Broad Street, where the woman’s car “struck another vehicle in the rear then backed up,” striking the witness’ car

McCauley is scheduled to make a court appearance Tuesday on an earlier arrest Monday last week in which she is

a valid license and of reckless driving by exceeding 80 miles per hour.

Local & VCU National & InternationalAuthorities: ‘Twilight’ fan lied about bite marks

Authorities say a Florida teen has told police that bite marks

jogging.The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the Monroe

making a false report.

and worried her mother would see the marks. She told her mother she had been attacked while jogging.

eventually revealed what really happened.

Yemeni police crack down on anti-government crowds

Yemeni police armed with sticks and daggers beat back thousands of protesters marching through the capital in a third straight day of demonstrations calling for political reforms and

The protests have mushroomed since crowds gathered Friday to celebrate the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Muba

is one of several countries in the Middle East feeling the after

uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

testers, many of them university students, from reaching the capital’s central Hada Square.

Much is at stake in Yemen if the pressure on President Ali Abdullah Saleh further erodes stability.

has taken root in Yemen’s mountains in the last few years and used the haven as a base to plot attacks beyond the country’s borders.

Egypt’s military rulers dissolve parliament

Egypt’s military leaders dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution Sunday, meeting two key demands of protesters who have been keeping up pressure for immediate steps to transition to democratic, civilian rule after forcing Hosni Mubarak out of power.

The military rulers that took over when Mubarak stepped down Friday and the caretaker government also set as a top priority the restoration of security, which collapsed during the 18 days of protests that toppled the regime.

The protesters had been pressing the ruling military council, led by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, to immediately move forward with the transition process by appointing a presidential council, dissolving the parliament and releasing detainees.

timism among protesters who want to see even more change, including repeal of the repressive emergency law.

Judge Hisham Bastawisi, a reformist judge, said the actions “should open the door for free formation of political parties and open the way for any Egyptian to run for presidential elections.”

VCU’s variations in grade distribution uncovered 3 Photo illustration by Mel Kobran and Dominic Butchello

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Monday, February 14, 2011 3

NEWS In this section:

Mark Newton and Ameesha Felton Contributing Writers

VCU freshman and art foundation student Wade Angeli says he lucked out last semester. He and a friend enrolled in the

professors.“We compared, and she has all the as

for a lot more, so I got the easier one,” Angeli said.

Those faculty members may have

wide disparities in the distribution of letter grades exist among academic departments, among courses and even among professors who teach the same course, according to an analysis of VCU data.

Consider, for example, PSYC 101. The Psychology Department taught its introductory course 11 times during the

students in his two sections, with an average GPA of 3.3. Two other professors gave A’s to only about 10 percent of their students, and the average GPA in one section was below 2.0.

ences, the analysis of the data, obtained under Virginia’s Freedom of Information

structors are awarding more A’s now than they used to.

A’s made up 37 percent of the 180,000 letter grades issued in the 5,500 undergraduate courses taught at VCU last year.

In contrast, a decade ago, fewer than 34 percent of the grades given at VCU each semester were A’s, and the

nus.

Some of the variations in grade distribution are easy to explain. Honors courses, for instance, are taken by students recognized as VCU’s best and brightest; you wouldn’t expect their grades to follow a bell curve. It’s no surprise that 87 percent of the grades given in Honors courses taught since Fall 2006 were A’s.

Some disciplines may lend themselves to more rigorous or more objective grading.

day may draw more motivated students.But in other cases, grades may vary

professors compared to others.For instance, in Fall 2007 VCU began

Since then, 451 sections of UNIV 111 have been taught, mostly in the fall, by

grades issued, 34 percent have been A’s.Seven of the UNIV 111 instructors

have given A’s to at least 60 percent of their students, and 10 others have awarded A’s to fewer than 15 percent of their students.

According to the analysis of grades

have given about half of their students A’s; three others have given fewer than 15 percent of their students A’s.

given at least half of their students A’s; four others have given fewer than 10 percent of their students A’s.

gave more than 60 percent of their students A’s; three others have given just 15 percent of their students A’s.

Various reasons may account for the

an associate professor and director of outreach and distance education at VCU Libraries. He said the data don’t mean students are being treated unfairly.

“If grades were purely based on achievements or outcomes that can be measured in an exact way, then that would be true, there would be an unfairness there,” said Ream, the immediate past president of the VCUFaculty Senate.

ample, judgment. A professor with more rigorous judgment may be harder on

grade.”Moreover, Ream said, professors who

have high grading standards often are excellent teachers.

“I think grades are not just this whole measure of a professor’s quality,” he said. “Sometimes a professor can be really

be fantastic.”However, many students say the grad

ing disparities can put them at a disad

on who your teacher is than on how much work you did or how much you learned.

Students are unlikely to complain about easy graders who award a large amount of A’s. Since Fall 2006, about 1,500 VCU instructors have awarded at least 100 grades in undergraduate courses. About 100 of those professors gave A’s to at least 80 percent of their students.

Students may be more concerned about hard graders who rarely award A’s.

least 100 grades over the past four years, about 30 have given A’s to fewer than 10 percent of their students. For 34 faculty members, the average GPA of all the grades they’ve awarded is below 2.0.

Though reasons may vary for grade distribution disparities, one trend is

the rise at VCU.

ed in undergraduate courses during the

school year, the proportion of A’s had crept up to 37 percent.

The data used in this story were acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request sent to VCU in November. The university provided grade distribution data for 30,607 courses taught between Fall 2006 and Spring 2010.

sis focused on the 21,931 undergradu

which letter grades were awarded.To protect students’ privacy, VCU de

leted data for some courses with small

was blank on 467 undergraduate courses.

structor was listed.As allowed under the Freedom of

the grade distribution data, because it required one hour of programming and

CT

1999 - 2000

2009 - 2010

8 % 7 % 20 % 31 % 34 %F D C B A

6 % 6 % 19 % 32 % 37 %F D C B A

ILLUSTRATION BY DOMINIC BUTCHELLO

VCU competes in nationwide recycling contest 4 Law aims to help abuse victims 4

Grades vary widely; 37 percent are A’s

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Monday, February 14, 20114 NEWS

Erica TerriniExecutive Editor

Victims of domestic violence and abuse would get more protection from defendants under a bill passed unanimously by the Virginia House of Delegates this week.

House Bill 2106 would allow judges to require Virginians who are facing criminal charges, have violated a protective order, or are on probation to wear GPS tracking devices.

The tracking devices would alert law enforcement agencies and/or the victim if the defendant comes too close to the complainant or the complainant’s house or workplace, according to the bill’s sponsor, Delegate Ward L. Armstrong,

He dubbed HB 2106 the Linda Bostwick Act in memory of a Collinsville resident killed by her estranged husband in 2007.

Bostwick had obtained a protective order against the man, and he had violated the order previously, Armstrong said. He said the estranged husband shot Bostwick to death at her workplace and then killed himself.

Kim Adkins to ask Armstrong to propose legislation allowing judges to require Virginians who violate protective orders to wear tracking devices.

when she was killed; his wife Kim is the mayor of Martinsville.

they had been looking over the Internet where they saw GPS technology being used to track persons in a criminal context, and it would be a good idea if we

protective order situation,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said, “Linda Bostwick could have been given some advanced notice

would have had time to get away.”Armstrong proposed similar legisla

tion last year, but the bill was referred to

Law aims to help abuse victims

CT

Kate LewanowiczContributing Writer

Although basketball season is in high

tition in another arena.

til April 2, VCU is competing against more than 600 other universities in RecycleMania, a nationwide college recycling competition.

The goal of RecycleMania is to foster increased awareness through friendly competition among 630 U.S. universities and colleges to determine who can make the greatest recycling strides during the event.

“Everybody wants bragging rights,” said Steve Heinitz, Recycling and Reuse Coordinator for VCU’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

RecycleMania awards schools

grand champion, per capita classic, waste minimization and the gorilla prize

in the event since 2008 and has typically ranked about third in the state, according to Heinitz, just behind William & Mary and the University of Virginia.

VCU will be reaching out to students at basketball games, through documentary

handed,” something students might see while walking across the Compass this week.

“We are going to look for people

them instantly,” said Elle Chang, a 2010 VCU graduate and Recycling/Sustainability Assistant for VCU’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

and an invitation to tour the ACE Recy

During week two of this year’s competition, VCU registered a 29 percent recycling rate, falling below its 33 percent

VCU competes in nationwide recycling competition

rate during the same week last year, according to the RecycleMania website.

“My goal is to get us to 40 percent,” he said. “We’re always trying to do new things to get our rate higher.”

things, the university has attempted to increase recycling rates.

“The thing that drives our recycling rate down is food waste because it is very heavy and unfortunately, when people go to the dining halls and various places to eat food, there is waste because of spoilage,” Heinitz said.

Food waste is being addressed by plans to acquire an anaerobic composting system within the next two years to process food and paper waste on campus.

campus include the installation of 13 BigBelly solar compactors on the Monroe Park Campus and four on the medical campus.

These waste receptacles, with space

times more garbage than a normal trash bin, don’t need to be serviced as often and automatically send a text message to

These have been placed along highly visible walkways on both campuses.

ing,” Heinitz said. “But for the RecycleMania competition we can’t include

“I love the competitive spirit of it but to me the biggest value is the educational aspect of it. Every year we’re trying to take it a step further.”

To Heinitz, VCU’s biggest competitor is itself.

“It’s almost a competition amongst our selves because we’re always looking to outdo what we did last year and set the bar higher for ourselves.”

the Virginia State Crime Commission for study. The commission reviewed and approved HB 2106 before this session.

Last week, the House Courts of Justice Committee unanimously endorsed the measure. The House followed suit

the bill.Some legislators had concerns about

who would pay for the tracking technology. Under HB 2106, the violators of protective orders required to wear the devices will pay for the devices, Armstrong said. He said that’s only fair.

“You’re getting not just someone that has a protective order against them, but it is someone who’s demonstrated a propensity to thumb their nose at the court or the judicial system and not abide by the law,” Armstrong said. “In that situation, they ought to pay for it.”

After the House passed the bill, Armstrong said, “Although this was a terrible tragedy, the death of Linda Bostwick has spurred legislation that will save other

and Kim Adkins for suggesting this im

Kim Adkins said the legislation might spare other people from Bostwick’s fate.

“Prior to this legislation, Friends for Linda had been advocating for a new law

tive orders to wear GPS tracking devices,” Kim Adkins said.

“We are convinced this new law will do more to help victims of domestic vio

a name and face with the positive impact this law may have on these victims and their families. The Linda Bostwick Act is going to save lives.” HB 2106 is now under consideration by the Senate.

“We are convinced this new law will do more to help victims of domes-tic violence and stalking. Our intent was to put a name and face with the positive impact this law may have on these vic-tims and their families. The Linda Bostwick Act is going to save lives.”

Violators of protective orders may be re-quired to wear GPS tracking devices.

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CT

02.14.11DB.indd 4 2/13/11 8:15:55 PM

The CTHold us dear.

02.14.11DB.indd 5 2/13/11 8:15:57 PM

Monday, February 14, 20116

SPORTS In this section:

Adam SternSports Editor

Following VCU’s commanding, comprehensive victory over Old Dominion three weeks ago, Monarch big man Frank Hassell spoke of how he relished revenge.

all season. The loss meant they dropped

mates looked every bit the the part of a dedicated and driven team as they led

Dominion or domination

home winning streak, which dated back

weekend’s play.

Hassell said when asked how the team had dominated. “Down in Norfolk they

we were really looking forward to banging them and going to get the blocks

When pressed for more, Hassell didn’t disappoint.

“We was pretty motivated; we don’t

“It’s a good rivalry and wanted to get

That they did.

Even with the Monarchs propensity to

VCU senior forward Jamie Skeen

Indeed Skeen was still searching for

LEFT: VCU was only three wins away from tieing the all-time school record of con-secutive home wins of 25 before losing to ODU Saturday.RIGHT: Freshman forward D.J. Haley scored four points and drew one charge off the bench Saturday.

MORE PICTURES ON PAGE 8

PHOTOS BY KYLE LAFERRIERE

ODU returns the favor with 70-59 win over Rams

answers himself.

transpire.

And with the Monarch’s zone defense, VCU was essentially dared to shoot from distance. The Rams, a team

hard to get the ball down there to Skeen,

the Rams will get an instant instance of reprieve if they can beat George Ma

The Patriots defeated James Madison

they meet for their one and only game of

with a share of the lead.Until then, the Rams will look to

Hassell and his Monarch teammates

CT

67

7

02.14.11HS.indd 6 2/13/11 8:07:49 PM

Monday, February 14, 2011 7SPORTS

Men’s Basketball: VCU vs. George MasonWhat:

When:

Probable Starters: VCU:

Forward Jamie Skeen

GMU:

Long Forward Ryan Pearson

Forward Mike Morrison

Streaks: VCU:

Last meeting: VCU defeated George

Game Notes:

home win streak, VCU will look to get back on track as they face the Patriots of George Mason, who

the CAA standings.

the two teams only meeting once

eight meetings with the Patriots

Each team will be looking for a

game with VCU facing Wichita

top two teams in the standings and in scoring with George Mason av

The Rams will have to be tight on defense as they face a Patriots team

Stephen KasperContributing Writer

After a disappointing loss against

school record.

After settling down and getting into their groove, VCU was able to start playing their game and kept the score

the remainder of the half.

the second half.

on their own.

long and barely playing more than half the game, she still recorded an NCAA

play and get her team going.

ally is.

disappointing calls went against them.

CT

Women’s basketball rebounds to defeat conference foe Hofstra

TOP: Junior Chelsea Snyder posted 10 points and six rebounds in Sunday's match.BOTTOM: Jessica Taylor recorded 25 min-utes against Hofstra.

PHOTOS BY LOGAN WHITTON

02.14.11HS.indd 7 2/13/11 8:07:50 PM

Monday, February 14, 20118 SPORTS

LEFT: Freshman forward Juvonte Reddic goes to the rim against Old Dominion's Frank Hassell Saturday.

TOP RIGHT: Head Coach Shaka Smart experienced a loss at home for just the second time in his two-year head coaching career Saturday.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Senior guard Ed Nixon drives to the lane against ODU's Ben Finney.

PICTURES CONTINUED FROM STORY ON PAGE 6

PHOTOS BY KYLE LAFERRIERE

02.14.11HS.indd 8 2/13/11 8:08:07 PM

Monday, February 14, 2011 9

SPECTRUM In this section:

steamier

CT

BRIAN CHARLTON

BC

CT Is it a weird middle name?

BC

CT Alright.

WHAT HE SENT US

To whom this may concern,

Hello, my name is Brian Charlton and am a 23 year old zombie born as

a Scorpio. I currently appreciate irony, for you see I am a Psychologist in

training. As my ancestors before me have been fascinated by brains; brain

eating, pickling, cooking, etc., so you can understand my interest in the

subject matter. I have recently quit brains and most meat cold turkey. I

am deep into my studies for which have over taken most of my days,

but always have room to eat, err meet, new people. I love music, movies

(dramadies and horror are my thing), writing, reading, and Science. I don’t

like the sound of a fork scraping on a plate. I am just looking for an

interesting experience that might bring me outside my normal comfort

zone. Seeing as I am a zombie, I look for a woman that is not only beautiful

but intelligent. She needs to be out there but not gone and share my same

appreciation for movies.

BC

CT What made you go with the psychology degree?

BC

CT

BC

ZARMEENA WASEEM

WHAT SHE SENT USName: Zarmeena Waseem

bio: 3rd yr, undergrad, spanish and broadcast major, easy to talk to. i love

languages, summer, long walks on the beach, bubble baths and all that jazz

:P love to have a good time. I’m working with the radio station and appreciate

movie & music buffs. let’s not rule out the athletes :)

looking for: just thought it’d be interesting. a good story to tell at parties.

--

Signed,

Zarmeena Waseem

CT How did you come to sign up for The CT blind date?

ZW

CT ZW

CT I’m not at liberty to disclose that.

ZW

CT What would you say is your life’s greatest achievement so far?

ZW

CT Tell us about your dream date. Really let your imagination run wild.

ZW ask

Look at this CT love connection!

Zarmeena Q&A contiuned on pg 10

12 13

CT blind date recipients revealed

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MEL

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AN

Nick Bonadies Spectrum Editor

Brian Q&A contiuned on pg 10

02.14.11MC.indd 9 2/13/11 10:15:08 PM

Monday, February 14, 201110 SPECTRUM

CT What about the guy?

ZW wouldn’t

“

CT What’s going on in your life after VCU? Tentatively.

ZW

CT ZW

CT How do you feel about Richmond?

ZW

CT Have there been any recent rude awakenings?

ZW

CT memory ...

ZW

CT Kids suck.

ZW

CT ZW

CT ZW

CT with the greater VCU populace?

ZW

CT So what would it be for you?

ZW

CT It’s possible.

ZW

CT ZW I love country music

is are

CT Describe a dream you’ve had in the past. Something that haunts you.

ZW

CT ZW

CT How has Richmond treated you the past few years?

BC

CT This can’t be the weirdest thing you’ve had happen.

BC

CT Were you trying to start a political revolution?

BC

CT BC

CT Woah.

BC

CT I seem to recall.

BC

CT

BC

CT BC

CT

BC

CT

BC CT

BC

CT Describe your ideal date.

BC

CTwith the greater VCU populace?

BC

CT BC

CT Nope. Sorry.

BC

CT

Zarmeena Q&A contiuned from pg 9

Brian Q&A contiuned from pg 9

02.14.11MC.indd 10 2/13/11 10:15:09 PM

Monday, February 14, 2011 11SPECTRUM

02.14.11MC.indd 11 2/13/11 10:15:12 PM

Monday, February 14, 201112 SPECTRUM

1. You are uninteresting

2. Your sneery hipster attitude

3. You play childish head games

4. You hate yourself

CT

Reality Check with Sadie ZarkinReasons why you’re single and how not to be

Do you or "someone you know" need advice? Contact Sadie Zarkin with your concerns at [email protected]!

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02.14.11MC.indd 12 2/13/11 10:15:17 PM

Monday, February 14, 2011 13

Brian McDaniel Contributor

CT

a list of places to take your special someone

tumblr.com.

Shopping for gifts? Black Swan

GUEST COLUMNIST | Dirty Richmond takes on Valentine's

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Shopping for clothes? Rumors Boutique

Dinner? Sticky Rice

Dessert? Ipanema Cafe

Staying in? Video Fan

02.14.11MC.indd 13 2/13/11 10:15:20 PM

Monday, February 14, 201114

OPINION In this section:

Colin Hanni!nColumnist

Over the past several years, we’ve all been told again and again the same

global warming is not only a danger to our children’s world but a very real danger of our own world, the answer lies within environ

ogy, and that a world of electric cars, solar panels and wind turbines is the best solution to our depleting oil reserves.

We’ve received this message from all sorts of

intentioned friends, environmental groups, even oil companies in

to appear progressive and environmentally conscious. Certainly, a major source of this message has been the federal government, particularly from President Barack Obama.

Yet, for all the rhetoric and money being funneled to research in emerging

still being directed to the big oil companies. These mixed signals impede progress, and the federal government needs to step up and truly invest in clean energy.

The oil industry has a long and rich history of subsidies from the U.S. government. While many today look on the subject with scorn, it was not always without reason. Most emerging

government help until they are able to function on their own as an industry. Before today’s advanced drilling and

beneath the ocean.Yet in this day and age, subsidies to big oil

and gas companies seem ridiculous. Not only

margins on their own, but they are also

source. They are not sustainable in the long run, even with government subsidies. You

can’t run an oil company when the oil’s gone.

Meanwhile, clean, green technology appears to be the way of the future. Not only does the sun hold nearly limitless

and tidal energy are also abundant.While it’s true that these technologies

are not as developed as the oil industry, they will never get there without subsidies. As the apparent dominant energy source of the future, clean energy should be, by all rights, given the green light from the government.

Yet, the money and tax breaks stay in the pockets of the prosperous oil companies. This is partly because of

GOP: Green Old PartyCan Republicans lead on clean energy?

drawn lines in the

sand, politics as usual. In his State of the Union address, President Obama challenged Congress to cut the advantages for big oil and gas. Since then, Republicans and even some moderate Democrats have banded together to block

While this is hardly surprising, the Republicans are turning down a golden

ly become the “party of no.” They were

election win, as the Democrats held

power in

the White

House and

the two chambers

of Congress. However, with

Republicans now controlling the House

of Representatives, it is their chance to show that

they can work towards the clean energy future together with Democrats. They are unlikely to agree on many of the president’s policies, especially regarding spending and healthcare reform, but clean energy is a subject nearly everyone can agree on.

It remains to be seen if the Republicans will seize this opportunity. Every day they do not is a signal of remaining friendly with the deep pockets of oil lobbyists and the reinforcement of rejecting bipartisanship.

Not only is embracing clean energy technology vital to our society’s contin

the Republicans reclaiming the Senate or the White House. CT

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Unethical product placement highlighted 15

02.14.11HS.indd 14 2/13/11 8:09:19 PM

Monday, February 14, 2011 15OPINION

Opinions expressed are those of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Commonwealth Times or Virginia Commonwealth Univer-sity. Unsigned editorials represent the institutional opinion of The CT. Add Your Voice The opinion pages of The Common-wealth Times are a forum open to the public. Clear, concise and compelling contributions are welcome online at our Web site, by e-mail at [email protected], or by mail and in person at 817 W. Broad St., Richmond, Va. 23220-3806.Letters must be sent from a valid VCU e-mail address or signed with daytime and evening telphone contact. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, style and space.

ERICA TERRINIExecutive Editor

ROBERTSHOWAHOpinion Editor

Sa!ya BridgewaterContributing Writer

Happy Black History Month!

In Kroger supermarket, right now, on Broad and Lombardy streets, there is a display in the main aisle for Black History Month.

How politically/culturally conscious, right?Upon closer inspection of the item

for sale under the “Celebrating Black History Month” sign with a pretty Black

hair relaxer. Hair relaxer? Yes, hair relaxer.

and women, but because of gendered

generally considered beautiful the more

The contemporary use of hair relaxer is marketed to and used predominantly by black women. In fact, the use of relaxer has become so ingrained into black culture that no longer is it really an option to relax one’s hair or not.

The process in the past few decades has become so prevalent that most black women have not considered its origins. Relaxer has been so normalized into American culture that many women no longer consider it a way to diminish their African roots in order to assimilate; they simply consider it the way to manage kinky hair. Some black women are in favor of relaxer because they say it simply makes hair more manageable.

As a poor and lazy college student who can’t seem to wake up for class until the very last minute, I can attest that the time and money spent on upkeep of

ridiculous compared to the natural hair care regimen of doing absolutely nothing. But because most of us are raised in a culture where it is normal to spend so much money and time on the straightening of hair, I suppose I can see why no one else seems to think twice about such an insulting sign.

burgeoning natural hair movement in the black women’s community, relaxed hair remains a status of class. The more money a black woman makes, the more she is able to spend on her hair and so

their prosperity with the status symbol

Furthermore, a common conception about relaxed hair is that it makes it easier for one to be upwardly mobile. With unnaturally straight hair, it may be easier

good job and be received by society.No doubt, residual cultural insecuri

ties about natural hair remain in the collective conscious of American society. And where there is insecurity there is

money to be made.Even if the original inventor of

relaxer was a black man, the people who make big time bucks from relaxer and other black women’s hair care products

tation when those who are in power to perpetuate white standards of beauty

eternal attempts at assimilation via

Even if the Kroger supermarket

sitive, ignorant, inappropriate product display, the exploitation of black women’s esthetic insecurities remains.

By that sign existing, sale or no sale, there is the heavy implication that out of everything there is to appreciate about Black History Month, the most important issue is the state of black women’s hair. It trivializes Black History Month by attempting to commercialize it. Even more disturbing, it ironically degrades Black History Month by

by pushing the hair industry’s racist standards of beauty.

Whether the display is the grand idea of the advertising executives from relaxer companies or the head honchos of Kroger, the idea for such a sign had to have been created, proposed, approved, and set into place by a number of people, all of whom failed to see the tragedy in the sign.

I know, I know, it’s not white people’s

issues of black people, not even in the month of February. In business, it’s not of anyone’s concern to think of any

In a grocery store, with a commercial product, it’s all about making another dollar at the end of the day, regardless of who is exploiting whom. But it doesn’t

to keep intact the integrity of a month

the accomplishments of black people in history that get swept under the rug

Black History Month relaxer displays. Thanks. CT

The oppressive roots of hair relaxerHistory Month and all of the empowering connotations that are supposed to be packaged with the term? It seems to me that if a national supermarket chain

mercial holiday while at the same time being culturally sensitive, the display would be more appropriate in maybe the peanut butter aisle.

But instead of choosing to market

black people in history, ironically the only thing being marketed is a toxic chemical concoction, which was originally promoted in the late 19th century as a way for black people to diminish their African roots to assimilate with White culture.

Today, one of the most talked about and politicized aspects of Black women, of all things, is hair. There are maga

and polarized political debates.The last thing I want to add to the

about the wrongs and rights of chemi

another indignant opinion piece, but in order for the rest of society to understand just how frustrating such a sign is to this writer, there needs to be some background black history of how the relaxer came to be popularized.

In an attempt to assimilate into white society, black women in 19th century America found that the more European traits they had, the higher class they could be. The less apparent

bleached and straightened their features

they could be considered.It soon became popular culture to

straighten kinky hair with greases, oils, straightening combs and hellish amounts of heat after a chemical hair relaxer was discovered and then marketed by an African American man named Garrett Augustus Morgan in the early 20th century. In this product’s beginnings, it was marketed toward both men

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