News

New Self Defense Class at Lynchburg

Ali Morrison ~ Assistant News Editor

Housing and Residence Life Partner with Wellness to Teach Self Defense 

A self defense course opened up for faculty, students and staff last Wednesday, led by Ricky Reiss and Jamie Smith. This course was started in response to some of the recent security concerns both on and off campus. 

The course was designed to educate participants on how to defend themselves from oncoming attacks,provide information on relevant issues like how to tell a bartender that you need help or how to seek assistance from Campus Security. 

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Students Participate in Walk to Fight Homelessness 

Alyssa Wilson ~ Assisant News Editor

Photo of volunteers taken by Lorraine Upton. Volunteers from left to right (Olivia Upton, Claire King, Naomi Watkins, Hailey Jones, Bethany Tanner.) 

Volunteerism is at the center of the  University of Lynchburg’s Center for Community Engagement.

This past weekend, students volunteered and participated in The Coldest Night of the Year, a fundraiser for local nonprofit organization, Miriam’s House

Miriam’s House is an organization that helps to house homeless women and their children in an effort to eradicate homelessness in the Greater Lynchburg area and beyond. 

The Coldest Night of the Year is an annual 2K walk event up and down Rivermont Avenue.

The Bonner Leader Program volunteered at the event as cheerleaders for the walkers, holding up signs of encouragement, blowing bubbles and giving out high fives. 

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Lynchburg Women’s Basketball Team Season Recap

Andrew Watson ~ Guest Writer

A discussion prior to the Hornet’s first-round game in the ODAC tournament. Photo courtesy of Lynchburg Sports

University of Lynchburg’s Women’s basketball team finished their season last Monday as they fell in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament to Ferrum College. The Hornets finished the season with a final record of 7-19. 

Although the 2022-2023 season did not lead to a favorable record for the Hornets, the development of the young talent on the squad took precedence. 

According to the Lynchburg  athletics website, the Hornets had 11 first-year students on their team, accounting for the most in a single class since the records accounted for rosters, dating back to the 2010-2011 season. 

Second-year Head Coach Allison Nichols talked about how important development is. She stated, “The team that we were in November and early December is completely different than the team we are now, and that was our goal.” 

The Hornets were led by first-year Maddie Nimmo, who averaged 12.5 points per game. This earned the guard Third Team All ODAC Honors in her debut season with the Hornets.

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Lynchburg Celebrates Ash Wednesday

Ali Morrison ~ Assistant News Editor

Photo of Sydney Lawrence ‘24 after getting ‘ashed’. 

The University of Lynchburg celebrated Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season celebrated by many christian religions, with an ‘Ashes on the Go’ service.

The receiving of ashes kicks off Lent, the season leading up to Easter, and symbolizes becoming anew, signaling the hope that is about to come. Ash Wednesday is commemorated through a church service, which can sometimes be hard for people to attend.

This includes students and staff who tend to be busy this time of year, making the receiving of ashes more difficult. 

‘Ashes on the Go’, created about two years ago, to allow the campus community an opportunity to commune.

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Lynchburg Softball’s Home Opener is a Sign of Things to Come

Andrew Watson ~ Guest Writer

The new elevated viewing area laid the framework for the total renovation of Moon Field Photo Courtesy of Lynchburg Sports

The University of Lynchburg’s Softball team began their season on the road with a win against William Peace University and continued that success in their home opener when they played host to the Mary Baldwin University Fighting Squirrels.

The Hornets improved to 4-0 on the season following the sweep of Mary Baldwin. Lynchburg took game one of the doubleheader by a score of 9-1 and won the second game with a final score of 14-6. 

Game one was highlighted by a pair of home runs courtesy of first-year utility player, Sarah Watts. Watts went four for five on the day and added five runs batted in for the Hornets. 

Kailey Dorcsis was the starting pitcher for game one and picked up her second win of the season.

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Lynchburg Men’s Swimming Wraps Up 2022-23 Season Second in the ODAC

Reagan Bednar ~ Guest Writer

On Feb. 11, the Lynchburg men’s swim team wrapped up their 2022-23 season by earning a runner-up trophy in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship. 

For the first time in Lynchburg Swim Team history, graduate student Colton Schnars was awarded the ODAC Swimmer of the Meet Award.

Additionally, senior Matt Fields was awarded the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award alongside his female teammate, Lindsey Hair. 

Records were also broken in this final meet as junior Will Kasemeyer broke the program record in the 100 freestyle race, and graduate student Chris Jennings shattered the 200 breaststroke program record.

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Interning at the University of Lynchburg

Izzie Kirkwood ~ Intern

This past week, I had the opportunity of starting an internship with the Critograph here at the University of Lynchburg

I am lucky enough to attend the Central Virginia Governor’s School, and one of their primary pulls for incoming juniors is the fact that each person will complete a 10-week internship in the spring semester.

While most of my classmates decided to work at places like Centra Health or Framatome, I was sure that I wanted to work with journalists somewhere. 

Coming into this experience, I was unsure of what to expect. 

All of the reporting I have ever done has come from working for a high school magazine, interviewing my friends and peers who I have known since I was a kid.

However, despite only spending one day on campus, I already feel so immersed in student life here at the University of Lynchburg. 

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Students Raise Mold Concerns

Ali Morrison ~ Assistant News Editor

Photo of mold growing in Fraley’s residence. Taken by Lilly Fraley. 

Mold has been an issue amongst residential students at the University of Lynchburg for some time, causing health concerns for some students. 

While Maintenance and the Housing and Residence Life Department are fighting to get this taken care of, the mold’s existence is still there. 

Courtney Kelsey, Director of Housing and Residence Life says there have been eight work orders filed this school year, some of which were actually dust mistaken as mold. 

“At this time, all rooms and residences that have been brought to the attention of our office have been addressed,” Kelsey said. Even though they are categorized as already being dealt with, this is not necessarily the case for many of the houses and apartments here on campus. 

Junior, Lilly Fraley is one of those that has mold concerns within her residence. “It’s been such an issue for our house. We put in a work order and for the past two and a half weeks nothing has been done,” said Fraley.

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Lynchburg Strives to Better the Student Experience

Alyssa Wilson ~ Editor-in-Chief 

Photo of Hopwood Hall. Taken by John McCormick.

Although the University of Lynchburg recently announced a steep deficit, the President of the institution is not worried about a decline in the student experience, having faith in the faculty and staff of the University to contribute to this effort. 

On Dec. 15, 2022 President Alison Morrison-Shetlar and Provost Allison Jablonski hosted a town hall meeting for faculty and staff, laying out the strategies being put into place to ensure future and current financial security. 

Universities nationwide are suffering from deficits due to COVID-19 in addition to general enrollment decline and funding issues, so the University of Lynchburg is not the only institution experiencing financial difficulties. 

“I would like to say that we are in a much better place than so many other institutions, and we’ve got a great strategy in place,” says Morrison-Shetlar. “It will not impact the student experience negatively, in fact we’re looking to enhance the student experience.” 

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New Dean for LCAS

Alyssa Wilson ~ Editor-in-Chief 

Dean of the Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Sabita Manian. Photo by John McCormick

The position for the Dean of the Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences has been vacant for nearly three years, requiring big shoes to fill as the University of Lynchburg’s largest college. 

Dr. Sabita Manian, the current associate dean of social sciences, has recently been chosen to lead the college’s 750 majors and faculty.

As the University grapples with its recently announced deficit, the institution has to implement consolidation efforts and changes across all departments, including among its leadership.

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Lynchburg Spring Theater

Ali Morrison ~ Assistant News Editor

Spring 2023 will bring a host of exciting theater productions to  Lynchburg. 

Some upcoming productions to add to your calendar include:

  1. Cabaret by Heritage High School

Heritage High School is performing Cabaret, a musical filled with love, dancing, and nightlife. Set in Berlin during the Roaring Twenties, Cabaret focuses on the relationship between an American writer and an English showgirl. 

It has historical influences during World War II, big musical numbers, and even more drama. Heritage High School will have performances starting on Feb. 17 and will have performances continuing till Feb. 25. Tickets are $12.00, and an ASL-interpreted performance will be held on opening night, Feb. 17. Tickets can be purchased here. 

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Lynchburg’s safety concerns

Ali Morrison ~ Assistant News Editor

In recent weeks, the University of Lynchburg has reported several trespassing violations including a stolen car and a reportedly “suspicious” person in the Knight-Capron library.

 The institution is surrounded by local neighborhoods and has an open campus this is accessible to the wider Lynchburg community.

Potential trespassers are deemed “suspicious” by the person reporting an incident, and Campus Safety and Security does not have criteria for what makes a person suspicious or not. 

Esteban Soto, chief of Safety and Security says, “There are no characteristics that a person must meet to be suspicious. We respond to all calls, assess the situation and then take whatever action necessary.”

All visitors are first given a warning to leave if they are causing a distraction, and if this order is not followed, the visitor is arrested.

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Women’s Lacrosse 2023 Fresh Start

Reagan Bednar ~ Guest Writer

Photo via lynchburgsports on Instagram 

After a losing season in 2022, the University of Lynchburg’s Women’s lacrosse team looks to improve into a championship caliber team in 2023. 

Going 8 -11 was not a part of the plan for the Hornets in 2022. After learning from the hardships of last season, the women’s lacrosse team is set to make a name for themselves. 

Jayde Mayer, a junior defender said, “Our motto for this year is to ‘find a way’ which really represents our goals; such as winning the ODAC and having a winning record. I think another big goal is to change our reputation and show everyone that we are a serious team who is capable of winning.” 

Before winning a championship however, the Hornets must be focused on winning their season opener against the competitive Mary Washington University team. 

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Underfunded Tennis Courts Cause Issues

by Ali Morrison ~ Assitant News Editor

Picture of worn down tennis courts at the University of Lynchburg. Taken by Ali Morrison.

As spring approaches, so does the tennis season at the University of Lynchburg

On the edge of campus, near the wooded areas and hiking trails sit the tennis courts, in major disrepair.

The courts, which are used for men’s and women’s practices and home games, are getting increasingly more dangerous to play on with cracks spanning two to three inches in areas across the courts.

Senior and men’s tennis player Levi Vigdorchik said, “I think it is very dangerous to play on the courts because the cracks are really big; plus the surface is uneven.” According to Vigdorchik, some players have even injured themselves on the court. 

Both men’s and women’s tennis currently practice at Crosswhite Athletic Facility due to the damaged courts.

New courts are slated for construction in the Five for the Hive plan, an initiative that supports the revamping of five sports facilities on campus.

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Lynchburg baseball kicks off a new season with high hopes

Photo of Jackson Harding via @lynchburgsports on Instagram 

by Reagan Bednar ~ Guest Writer

The nationally ranked University of Lynchburg baseball team is set to begin their 2023 campaign in Demorest, Ga.. They have been preparing all fall and winter championship goals in mind. 

After ending their season last year in the first round of the NCAA Regionals, followed by a loss in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference finals, this year’s team is hungrier than ever for a championship this upcoming season. 

Graduate outfielder, Jackson Harding, said, “The team’s goals this year are very simple; to win a conference championship first and to win a NCAA regional. We had a good season last year, but were not able to accomplish either of these things, allowing us to readjust our sights on our goals for this year.”

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