The Marlin Chronicle THURSDAY 10.10.24 || MARLINCHRONICLE.VWU.EDU
VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
Events, class experiences rank VWU among best colleges BY CLAY YOKOM
kayokom@vwu.edu
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle Sophomore Stephanie Clark, senior Rob Lindsay and ensemble performing “We Both Reached For The Gun” on Oct. 5.
‘Chicago’ starts with a bang The long-running musical comes to VWU with Vaudeville influences and a scathing critique of the justice system. BY GABRIELLE BARNETT gabarnett@vwu.edu
“Oh!” Roxie Hart, played by sophomore Stephanie Clark, exclaimed, her shiny pink robe fluttering in the bright stage lights. “I gotta pee!” The audience broke into laughter as she ran off the stage, prop gun still clutched in hand and the lover she’d shot left laying center stage. That was only one of many surprising, darkly funny moments featured in “Chicago.” The Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center performed “Chicago,” a 1975 musical about the 1920s legal scene, from Thursday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Oct. 6. The show is a dark satire about celebrity
trials and 1920s culture. Dr. Travis Malone, professor of Theatre and the Anne B. Shumadine Dean of the Batten Honors College, said that the musical was selected for its artistic variety and merit. Malone, the director, added that “Chicago” is one of his favorite productions. “It’s one of those really important pieces,” Malone said. “Everyone loves it because it’s dark and because it’s cynical, and it sort of embraces this cynical side of American culture.” According to the New York Theatre Guide, “Chicago” is based on the investigative journalism and 1926 play of the same name by Maurine Dallas Watkins. The “Chicago” musical was written by
popular writer Bob Fosse with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The musical follows the exploits of two burlesque performers, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, as they fight for fame during the jazz age. Clark, who plays Roxie Hart, spoke to some of the distinct elements of “Chicago.” “The whole thing is kind of like Roxie seeing a show–like it’s a show in her mind,” Clark said. “It demonstrates how much everything in the world can be an act.” In that theme, “Chicago” incorporates a typical cultural element from the American jazz age: vaudeville. Vaudeville was a
See ‘CHICAGO’ Page 4
Virginia Wesleyan University was included in “The Best 390 Colleges 2025 Edition” in the Princeton Review and was 155 out of 194 in the “2024 Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking” by Washington Monthly. “I like the community. I feel like there’s always something to do here,” Natailie Gillot, a student-athlete and freshman, said. Graphic Design major and freshman Davieon Thornton added to this, outlining the campus size. “Everyone is really active, and it’s not like a really huge campus,” Thornton said. The Princeton Review’s national list of colleges is made using data from student respondents who answer and rank their institutions. The Princeton Review explained that 168,000 students’ ratings of their colleges were the entire basis of their rankings. On their website, The Princeton Review said it “does not rank schools overall 1-390” and that the list is alphabetical instead. The main distinction on the list are the featured colleges. The featured designation is a paid position which gives a yellow background to the institution and allows an addition of an image. Washington Monthly said it ranks liberal arts colleges “based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service” on its website. In addition to the total ranking, the Washington Monthly gives more specific rankings in the three categories that it ranks institutions in. Virginia Wesleyan placed at 154 in social mobility, 182 in research and 67 in service out of a total of 194 for all of them. The social mobility score is a combination of the ratio of students receiving Pell grants to the total school size, students graduating at a higher rate than their non-grant receiving peers, along with affordability of an institution and the graduation rate of first generation students.
See RANKING Page 3
German paused, foreign language programs waver BY AVERY BELISLE agbelisle@vwu.edu
Following the retirement of the sole German professor, Susan Wansink, there are currently no in-person German language classes offered at Virginia Wesleyan University. At Virginia Wesleyan, discussions about the breadth of language offerings have sparked interest in enhancing the university’s commitment to providing diverse language options. As VWU aims to foster global citizenship and promote international education, students and faculty members are questioning the effectiveness of current offerings and advocating for the inclusion of new languages that reflect the evolving cultural landscape. Currently, VWU offers an array of language programs, limited to European languages. Students can attend Spanish and French language classes on campus
Inside Look: Men’s Soccer makes a statement -- Page 7
“Virginia Wesleyan University’s Men’s Soccer is a force to be reckoned with and is one of the best teams in the country.” - Everett McCloskey, Midfielder
for a modern language education, as well as Latin and Greek language classes for a more classical education. Although French, Spanish and Latin are in high demand for many universities, this language selection has left some feeling unsupported in their educational pursuits. “I had planned to take German 1 through 4, but was cut off after German 2 because of the lack of offered German content,” said Tidewater Community College student Nisan Bates. Bates attends classes and events at Virginia Wesleyan as a part of TCC’s dual enrollment program, and now has his German plans put on hold. Although the changes to the German offerings are fairly recent, there has been demand for expanded language courses at VWU for a long time, especially for Asian languages. “VWU lacks Asian representation, especially in the language department. Including these languages would reiterate our commitment to diversity
beyond what is typically imagined,” junior Andrew Steiner said. Other students have expressed that Japanese would be a worthy addition to Virginia Wesleyan’s course offerings, considering their advertised partnership with Lakeland University, a campus located in Tokyo, Japan. Although Japanese is offered to American students at Lakeland, it is currently not possible to begin or continue their Japanese language studies at VWU. “I would fully support and endorse a Japanese course being taught here,” said graduate student Rowan Stuart. He shared how he believed that Japanese language skills could have augmented his experience abroad. “The language limitations of our students restrict many of the benefits of an education abroad; we ought to prepare our students by providing them the education they need to explore the world. Language courses, like Japanese, are necessary for
Letter to the Editor --
Human Trafficking DocuDrama generates Page 6 “[A]s an institution, we have attention -- Page 3 not been ‘flailing’ or ‘failing’ with recruiting students of diverse backgrounds and identities” - Kaza Dayton, BHC Office Assistant
De Rosa takes over student counseling -Page 4
“When I was an intern here, ... it just really allowed me to grow into the person and clinician I am.” - Michelle De Rosa, Director of Counseling and Student Health
“We need to talk about these things” - Elliot Fylstra
Corrections & Context -- MOCA Construction, 1 Author is Avery Belisle -- Pull quote, 3 Speaker is Dr. Malone, not President Miller -- Spelling, puntuation and grammar
Elliot Fylstra|Marlin Chronicle true international experiences,” Stuart said. “If we truly wish to showcase Wesleyan’s prowess, being able to do so in a host institution’s language is paramount,” he said. Stuart also emphasized that this could improve the reputation and image of the school.
See LANGUAGE Page 2