Wednesday, March. 25, 2026 @commonwealthtimes @theCT1
VOL. 72, NO. 9 MARCH 25, 2026
VCU MAKES HISTORY THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
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MEN’S BASKETBALL SETS UP FOR SUCCESS AFTER MARCH MADNESS DREW THOMPSON Sports Editor VCU men’s basketball positioned itself firmly in the national spotlight last week, upsetting No. 6 University of North Carolina 82-78 after being down 19 in the second half to complete the largest first round comeback in NCAA tournament history. Though the Rams would later lose to No. 3 Illinois in the round of 32, it was still an exceptional week and season for VCU. Second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. shined on the biggest stage and head coach Phil Martelli Jr. announced a contract extension after a monumental first season.
Second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. celebrates with his team after scoring the three that pushed the Rams into the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade. Photo by Alexis Washington.
MARCH MADNESS Continued on page 6
Spanberger names three new members to VCU Board of Visitors ANDREW KERLEY Executive Editor
Burlesque entertainer Chère Noble performing at GalaxyCon’s Cosplay Cabaret. Photo by Kieran Stevens. SPECTRUM
GalaxyCon 2026 was gay nerd heaven SAPPHIRA MOHAMMED Copy Editor Superman, Bumblebee, Pompompurin and Frank-N-Furter all walk into the same bar. Why? Because they just got back from GalaxyCon, obviously — the annual convention filled with some [...] GALAXYCON Continued on page 7
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced three appointments to the VCU Board of Visitors on Wednesday. The new members will fill the vacancies in the university’s highest governing body created by Democratic lawmakers when they removed three members in February. The appointees are lobbyist and VCU alum Heidi Schlicher Cook, Towne Bank president Alexis Swann and Harry Thalhimer, the president of Thalhimer Headwear. They have been invited to the next VCU Board of Visitors meetings on March 23 and 24, according to a VCU spokesperson. “We warmly welcome our new board members and look forward to working with them,” stated President Michael Rao. “They bring experiences and perspectives that will help VCU advance its vital mission of education and research.” WHO ARE THE NEW MEMBERS? The Thalhimer family have been major donors to VCU. They have an endowment in the VCU School of Business and they established a scholarship in 1986. They are also the namesake of the Thalhimer Tennis Center on Cary Street.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Photo courtesy of Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch. The inf luential Thalheimers have been around in Richmond for nearly two centuries. They began their business with a historic department store chain downtown and have done extensive philanthropy around the city. Harry Thalhimer is a former MCV Foundation Board of Trustees member and chair, according to VCU. Harry Thalheimer has donated a total of $27,000 to Spanberger — $17,000 to
her gubernatorial campaign and $10,000 to her inaugural committee. He also made a $250 donation to Del. Betsy Carr, who represents the district that includes VCU’s Monroe Park campus. Cook is the Senior Vice President of Old Dominion Public Affairs, a firm that lobbies for a diverse set of clients including BOV APPOINTEES Continued on page 4
The great Richmond Chud-Off
I love Richmond
Remembering Miss Peaches
see SPECTRUM page 7
see OPINIONS page 11
see FEATURES page 10