Category: News

by Katie Lukens, Dylan Holliday–

With summer quickly approaching, the New River will be a highly visited destination for recreation and relaxation. Little thought, however, goes into what is done to keep the river clean.

Recent concern has developed about E. Coli in the Shenandoah River due to livestock, and the question arises as to how the farmers are working to keep water clean.

Farmers have a vested interest in keeping water clean because they rely on water for their families, livestock and crops, explains Dr. Katharine Knowlton, a professor in the Dairy Science Department at Virginia Tech.

Farmers in the New River Valley take extra precautions to keep the river clean, including using nutrient management plans, grass filter strips and fencing livestock out of the water.

Nutrient management plans are a common practice to keep rivers clean. “Nutrient management plans are used by farmers to prevent runoff by helping to estimate the nutrient needs of crops and then help farmers plan appropriate fertilizer or mineral application without oversupplying nutrients,” Knowlton said. “Nutrient management plans balance economic, environmental, and crop management concerns for farmers with the goal of finding the perfect balance so there is no risk of nutrients being lost into the water.”

Virginia dairy and beef farmers have been proactive about addressing cattle in streams and rivers. Fifteen years ago, the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association released a policy which stated that all cattle should be fenced out of the stream, Knowlton said. Virginia continues to encourage farmers to fence out their cattle by offering cost-share money to farmers.

Instead of planting a crop right up to the river, farmers make mindful efforts by using grass filter strips along the border of rivers and streams. Grass filter strips are used to buffer runoff from fields to keep pollutants from entering the water. These not only benefit the water but provide benefits to wildlife and help to prevent erosion of the land.

Immediate results are not always seen from these efforts. It may take up to 100 years to see the impact, but in the end, if you have people making a conscious effort, it makes a difference, Hunter Wyatt from Virginia Cooperative Extension explains.

The New River is a place that will continue to be enjoyed by both wildlife and the people of the New River Valley with the careful efforts made by farmers and community members daily.

by Richard Chumney–

Veterans of Virginia Tech’s Newman Library may have noticed some stark changes in the past weeks. Dozens of shelves, on multiple floors, have been stripped empty of books to make room for new study spaces.

From Newman’s first to fifth floor nearly a quarter of all books and various collections have been moved to two Virginia Tech operated off-site storage facilities. According to Mark Kucask, assistant dean and chief of staff of Virginia Tech libraries, the decision to remove certain materials was based on the frequency of use. Books that were checked out less frequently were more likely to be relocated.

Patrons will still have access to the relocated collections, however, they will have to submit a request to the library prior to viewing their desired material.

According to the University Libraries’ website, the reorganization effort is a part of the larger Beyond Boundaries initiative.

Newman Library’s fourth floor will be the focus of most of the changes, including a complete renovation.

Virginia Tech’s library is a popular place for students to study or to complete groundwork, however many struggle to find free seating. University officials hope the recently cleared space will allow the creation of new study spaces and students labs, helping to alleviate Newman Library’s congestion.

As libraries continue to transition to digital collections the physical space required to hold collections declines. In the meantime, much of the floors within Newman Library remain dominated by shelving. No specific date for their removal has been set, however, the renovation is scheduled to last through 2017 and into 2018.

by Katie Lukens–

Virginia Tech is continuously building and expanding the university to accommodate the growth of the student body. Although Virginia Tech is a state university, only about 23% of funds for the school come from the state, according to Andy King, a Virginia Tech student. This means that the other 77% of funds comes from donors. These donations support students, faculty, academic initiatives, university programs, athletics and capital projects.

These capital projects include the new buildings across campus. “Private support is an essential component of the funding for important projects across the university” states Virginia Tech. It has been a tradition that if someone makes a large enough donation to a capital project they can have the new building named after them.
Three students had an idea to break the norm of how buildings were named and wanted to honor someone who lived out Virginia Tech’s core value, Ut Prosim. Although they saw how vitally important donors are to the university, Andy King, Nicholas Oberle, Tristan Nguyen wanted to recognize the sacrifice of Matthew La Porte, who was killed defending the lives of others on April 16, 2007.

King, Oberle and Nguyen began a petition to rename a new cadet hall after La Porte. The petition began with hopes of acquiring 5,000 signatures but it quickly grew to over 43,000 signatures.

The university took notice to the large response but has decided not to rename the new building.

King shared his frustration with the university, not because they denied the request to rename the building, but because he felt the request was not taken seriously by the officials.
The efforts of these students have not gone unseen and the memory of La Porte will continue to live on.

by Whitney Turner–

Three Virginia Tech students have created an organization on campus to raise awareness of sex trafficking in Virginia called “It Happens Here.”

After working with victims of sex trafficking while on a mission trip together last spring break, Jordan White and Caroline Omland decided to use this issue as a platform for White’s homecoming campaign. When the homecoming campaign ended, White, Omland and their friend Kirsten Mitchell decided they didn’t want to stop educating people on this issue.

“We didn’t really see that people knew fully what it was or even that it existed in America or even that it existed at all,” said Mitchell. “So we really want to see people become more aware.”

In 2016, the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported that out of 148 cases of human trafficking in Virginia, 105 of them were sex trafficking cases.

In addition to education, “It Happens Here” seeks to fundraise and change legislation to combat this issue.

Having not had a haircut for over two and a half years, White used his mane to create a fundraiser to benefit Street Ransom, a safe house for victims of sex trafficking located in Roanoke, Va. By donating money to furnish rooms in the safe house, participants could vote on whether White should dread his hair, wear it as a fro, let it keep growing or get a buzz cut.

“Our initial goal was to furnish one room, $700 to $730 a room and we passed that in the first six hours,” said White. “Then we raised it to three rooms and we passed that a little over halfway through the campaign. So then we upped it to $5,000, which would furnish all of the rooms in the safe home.”

By the end of the fundraiser, White’s hair had raised $4,570 and won him a buzz cut.

White, Omland and Mitchell were surprised by the overwhelming interest and support their organization has received so far and they are hopeful that they can make a difference.

“I think people automatically assume that awareness isn’t really doing anything, that it’s not actually fighting against sex trafficking, but it is,” said Mitchell. “Because when you learn about it you’re stirred to action, you’re stirred to talk about it, you’re stirred to make other people realize this is happening.”