VTRally prepares for its first race after years of building

Originally published by the Collegiate Times as News. 
Published in print edition, front page, on Tuesday, Sept. 29. 2015.

VT Rally is a team of 25 Virginia Tech senior mechanical engineers designing and building an off-road race car from scratch for a senior capstone project. They will be racing their car in the Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic in Laughlin, Nevada, from May 5-8, 2016.

BLACKSBURG, Va. — VTRally's car sits inside the WARE Lab, the team's on-campus workshop. Sam Paras, the team's co-captain, works on a computer. Photo by Zack Wajsgras/Collegiate Times

The idea began in 2013, and the vehicle will debut on the racetrack for the first time in the spring. John B. Ferris, Ph.D., the director of the vehicle terrain performance laboratory of Virginia Tech, is overseeing the team as the academic advisor. Alec Jones and Sam Paras, both mechanical engineering majors, are co-captains of the team.

“You have classes all day, sitting in a classroom, listening to professors, staring at a computer, and then, at the end of the day, you get to go and hang out with a bunch of relaxed people that are fun to be around, and you get to get your hands dirty a little bit and mess around with the car,” said Tess Robinson, who is part of the engine and drivetrain sub-team. “It completely relieves all the stress and makes you feel better.”

VTRally is comprised of three sub-teams: chassis and suspension, engine and drivetrain, and controls and electrical, in addition to a marketing team. The small size of the VTRally team allows for easy collaboration and familiarity.

“It’s only in its third year, so being a part of something that's new and trying to match the quality of the build of the other teams is something that we want to do, but also staying true to our values,” said Jonathan Alabran, a member of the controls and electrical sub-team. "It's really cool to be able to go to the western half of the country where there's probably people out there who have no idea what Virginia Tech is, so I think it's really cool to be able to go out there and share a part of Virginia Tech.”

The car has expanded significantly since its inception and exists as a two-seater vehicle with an estimated completion weight of 2,500 pounds. Most of the car remains unfinished, with many parts that still need to be completed and improved.

"There's a fair amount of engineering work to be done, but the project is already in its final stages,” Alabran said. “We created a prototype, so what we're doing now is improving issues. I think we have a really good outlook as far as our timeline; it's very realistic and it's very accomplishable.”

The team hopes to finish the car by the end of the fall semester, leaving the spring for final adjustments and test drives. Many students on the team have experience with vehicles and all share a passion for cars. One student will be chosen among them next semester to drive the car during the race.

"It's the best learning experience: getting hands-on experience,” Robinson said. “It teaches me way more than any class could, and I feel like our team has so many experienced people that really know what they're doing and they're also very passionate, and it's just people that are very easy to learn from.”

 Currently, the team is optimizing suspension and frame designs and is working to integrate headlights, taillights, engine mapping capabilities, GPS tracking and real-time telemetry on digital displays. The team also began working with SOLIDWORKS last week, a 3-D CAD design software. Fueled by donations and sponsorships, last year’s team collected more than $100,000 as well and received physical car parts, including a 2.0-liter EcoBoost motor from a Ford Focus ST with a Weddle Transaxle and suspension level of 20 inches.

"If it gets done and we race it, we can show everyone else that we're such a young team but we managed to get this car done and race it. Hopefully more people will join the team next year and it'll just continue to grow and be one of those Ware Lab projects that goes on for years,” said Eric Rauchenberger, a member of the chassis and suspension sub-team. “I feel like this team is really committed and everyone seems like they're really interested in the project as a whole, and no one's just doing it for a grade.”

This year’s team continues to be active in pursuing sponsors daily, with a goal of $74,000 for this year to cover safety equipment, travel and competition expenses, manufactured components, tools and shop equipment, and raw materials.

"It's going to be a lot of work this year, it's going to be a lot of time spent, probably more than if we would've chosen other projects, but I think it's also going to be so rewarding that I don't think the time's ever going to bother us,” Robinson said. "We're just going to be really proud that we're just a small team from Virginia Tech that is racing in a huge race that's actually televised: people can watch this.”

Ashley Anderson, a senior public relations major and member of the marketing sub-team, describes the team as being both hardworking and fun.

"Every time I'm in the Ware Lab, there's somebody in there working hard, making sure they're staying on schedule for making all the changes that they have to,” Anderson said. “They're really dedicated, and I would love to see them go and race and get out there and test what they've been building.”

The team emphasized their welcoming of volunteers and curious students while preparing for busier workloads ahead as the semester progresses.

“We're all a great group of engineers and we love teaching people about vehicles,” Rauchenberger said. “If anyone is interested in coming by and just looking at the car, there's always someone in the Ware Lab working on it, just because we're all inspired by what this university has to offer, and we're all thankful we're able to do a project like this.”

The race, called “Duel in the Desert,” is hosted by Canidae Tap It, and while it is targeted to amateur drivers, it will feature many competitive teams and professionals. The goal for this year’s team will be getting the car to the track and completing the race successfully.

“Even right now, I can see that it's a huge stress relief, and it's something that's fun to go do,” Robinson said. “Even though it's going to take a lot of time away from doing homework and things like that, it's going to be completely worth it: to be able to say, 'We built this car, we made it run, we're the reason that we're here.'”

National Coffee Day arrives in time for Blacksburg fall

Originally published by the Collegiate Times as Lifestyles.
Published in print edition, front page, on Tuesday, Sept. 29. 2015.

The first official day of fall was last week, which means it is now acceptable (kind of) to order pumpkin-flavored everything. Tuesday, Sept. 29 is national coffee day, and rainy weather is forecasted for Blacksburg all week long, making this the perfect time to explore coffee shops and cafes around town.

Photo by Ben Weidlich/Collegiate Times

Beginning with on-campus options, Virginia Tech students can use their dining plans at Deet’s Place. Seasonal and classic favorites include their pumpkin pie latte, pumpkin pie chai and the Swanson special, which was a student original, mixing hot chocolate, the Deet’s house blend Hokie coffee, steamed milk, whipped cream and sugar.

Deet’s place offers six regularly-rotated flavors and seasonal flavors like gingerbread and peppermint for the holiday season. Imported from Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Africa and more, all beans are roasted in-house behind the counter at Deet’s and distributed throughout campus, including to Dietrick Hall and West End.

"We have to watch what temperature and change the gas levels and change how the air flows through the roaster in order to get the best roast,” said Kaitlin McKenna, a junior hospitality and tourism major and the general student manager at Deet’s. “A lot of places, like a Starbucks, would not roast their own coffee; they'd roast it elsewhere and get it sent to the stores themselves, but we roast it in-house.”

McKenna also explains a common misconception in that darker coffee does not necessarily have more caffeine. One of Deet’s current specials is the single-origin elephant bean, the “maragogipe,” which McKenna explained as a mutant bean originating in Brazil. Its taste is unique but hasn’t reached a consensus, inviting coffee enthusiasts in to visit Deet’s for a cup.

Bollo’s Bakery and Café in downtown Blacksburg also features daily specials and will start evening specials from 6 to 8 p.m., offering a free house mug of coffee or tea with the chosen pastry of the month. October’s pastry of the month is pie.

"The thing that makes us unique is that we're locally owned and operated downtown,” said Barbara Wright, the pastry manager. “Our coffee is always fresh, and we have a lot of fair trade and organic coffee.”

In addition to local roasters, like Red Rooster, and state roasters, like Honduras Coffee, Bollo’s also receives coffee from more distant roasters, like Equal Exchange. Bollo’s offers favorites like pumpkin lattes, espresso drinks and mochas, and it also boasts strong coffee and freshness: the cafe receives coffee shipments multiple times per week.

Idego coffee shop, a third-wave coffee shop, also strives for a strong taste, so inherent flavors of coffee are evident. Paul DeArras, the owner, specializes in fully-developed lighter roasts. Their beans are picked 10 to 14 months prior to ensure freshness and rotated seasonally.

"You still get the taste of the coffee with lighter roasts,” DeArras said. “I have a coffee right now that's super ripe-black, cherry-tobacco, and you get to taste that without it being a sour or weird cup of coffee."

A unique trait of Idego coffee, in addition to its source of beans, is that the cafe handcrafts all of its flavorings and almond milk. The pumpkin spice flavoring contains real pumpkin.

DeArras explains that another misconception with lighter roasts is that they are not sour if they are fully developed. This past summer, DeArras and his family packed up and went on a two-week road trip around the country, stopping in coffee landmarks including New York City and Los Angeles. After returning, DeArras applied what he’d learned to his own coffee shop and found that he preferred Idego’s own mocha.

"We really want to focus what we do so that what we do is at a high level. Instead of doing a bunch of things okay, we do a few things very well,” he said. "There's a lot of good coffee out there, and we wanted to recalibrate some of the things we're doing based on that."

Back on-campus but not yet available through the FLEX portion of Hokie passports, EspressOasis is a chain coffee shop with more than 12 locations in hospitals and universities. The cafe ensures its freshness by brewing espressos two weeks prior to arrival and throwing them out after three weeks.

Offering more than 40 flavors, from lemon to white chocolate to banana, EspressOasis is able to create more than 200 variations and rotate its flavors seasonally. Some of its fall drink specials include a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin spice mocha, harvest chai, banana bread latte, toffee nut mocha and blended cider lattes.

Customer favorites include the mocha Milano, which is a mix of chocolate, hazelnut and caramel, and the “Walter White” and “Frank Underwood,” which are nicknames for a blackberry mocha and a redeye Irish crème, respectively.

"I think it's a great community that coffee provides for us,” said Jennifer Barber, a senior biology and animal poultry sciences major and the general manager at EspressOasis. “I would definitely consider myself a coffee enthusiast, not only for the coffee but for the community it brings."

Barber usually opens the shop in the mornings and looks forward to the smell of coffee to start her day.

“I love that I can provide that to people and that everyone is always happy to see me, and I can provide something that's such a necessity for the setting I'm in, for college,” Barber said. “So many people come up to me in desperation like, 'I need caffeine,' and I'm like, 'You're at the right place.'"

But no matter the weather or time of day, National Coffee Day is an excuse for coffee aficionados and newcomers alike to celebrate their love of their choice (safe and legal) drug by indulging – in liberal doses, of course.

"I'm a big coffee addict,” McKenna said. “I like that it's bitter, but it can also be sweet with a little sugar in it. It's just a comforting drink. Whenever you have coffee, you feel at home.”

Catholic students make pilgrimage for historic Pope visit

Originally published by the Collegiate Times as News. 
Published in print edition, page 3, on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. 

The World Meeting of Families is an international conference that brings together families every three years and will be held in Philadelphia from Sept. 22 to 25.

The pilgrimage tradition began in Rome in 1994 by Pope John Paul II and typically coincides with a papal visit, with previous destinations including Milan, Rio de Janeiro and Manila.

This year, the Newman Community of Virginia Tech, an on-campus Catholic ministry, will be making a pilgrimage to the event to see Pope Francis, who will be present as a part of his first visit to the United States.

“Once we found out about that, we knew we had to go,” said Lindsey Neimo, a Newman intern and graduate student majoring in nonprofit management. “The whole purpose of the Newman community is to bring people closer to Christ and have that experience, and nothing is going to be better than this experience this weekend.”

Neimo and other members of the Newman staff, including Father David Sharland, the Chaplain and director of campus ministry, and Irene Saul, the director of development, have overcome various logistical challenges.

Three Coach buses will depart at noon Friday, carrying 160 students to an empty convent, where they will stay packed in until Sunday night.

“We have friends who work in food sciences, so this morning, we hard-boiled 450 eggs in their broilers and we have them cooling in their cooler system so we can bring them with us,” Neimo said. “We're hoping to hit where we're staying by 7:30 or 8 p.m., where we will be greeted by 60 pizzas. We'll dive into those and everybody settle in and do some prayer and really just get our heads centered around the awesomeness of the weekend but also the craziness of it.”

On Saturday, the group will walk to the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, attend mass by their own Father David and visit cathedrals in town. The festival where Pope Francis will speak will begin at 4 p.m., followed by aconcert with performers such as Mark Wahlberg, Aretha Franklin and The Fray.

“The thought of me being in the same place as the vicar of Christ is unheard of. It's something that I can't imagine. I can't believe I've been blessed with such an opportunity, and I'm so excited to encounter it,” said Daniel Mehr, a senior industrial and systems engineering major and member of the Newman community. "I am so excited — could not be more pumped.”

Dressed in matching t-shirts with rosary in hand, the group will stand outside Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in anticipation of seeing Pope Francis pass by. Then they will attend mass celebrated by the Pope on Sunday at 4 p.m. outside the Philadelphia Art Museum, where they will be close enough to receive the Eucharist.

“We're gonna have to walk a lot and we're not going to shower, but if everybody smells bad, it's fine,” said Kate Burke, a junior economics and computational modeling and data analytics major and member of Newman. “I'm excited that everybody's excited. Especially the way Pope Francis is approaching certain things, it just sheds a lot of light on how kind and loving the Catholic Church truly is, which is something I think a lot of people overlook.

“I think that Pope Francis in general is just a good reminder to always care for your neighbor, to care for the lowly ones, for anyone who needs help, even if it may not be readily obvious that they need help or you may not want to help them," Burke said.

Burke has seen the Pope once before during the procession of Corpus Christi in Rome two summers ago. But for a majority, it will be their first time.

"An opportunity to see him come here is like a pilgrimage; it's a part of your spiritual journey. It's not just, 'Oh, we're going to see a famous person,’ you're seeing somebody who leads your church and leads your church closer to God,” said Christian Williams, a senior psychology major and member of Newman. “Going there and seeing 1 or 2 million Catholics in Philadelphia shows the universal church and shows how big the Catholic Church is in the world.”

Students embarking on the pilgrimage are predominantly Catholic and are of all years, including graduate students. The trip fee is $50 for students, including food and lodging and is a result of donor support, grants, sponsorships and fundraising. Some students attending had Friday night exams rescheduled for 7 a.m. Monday, after an estimated return time of 3 a.m.

“We have 160 college-age students who are willing to take three days out of their life to go see the Pope,” said Daniel Mehr, a senior industrial and systems engineering major and member of Newman. “I think it's just such a beautiful opportunity that God has blessed us with, and I'm so excited to experience it.”

Through logistical challenges and last-minute swaps and sign-ups, the Newman staff and community are optimistic, with continuous echoes of excitement.

"I think, for me, this is going to be the most powerful experience for us as a Newman community,” Neimo said. “The world is changing because it doesn't matter if you're Catholic or Jewish or no religion at all – he's shaking up the world. There's something about him that people want to know more about: we want to know his faith, we want to know how he loves so well.”

The three-day trip will be an opportunity to strengthen faith and build fellowship for Catholic students on campus, members of the community and other attendees.

“Not only being close to the Pope, who's the head of the Catholic church, but being around millions of people who are going to be there for the same reason – it's all worth it,” Neimo said. “We have overcome it with a lot of jokes and a lot of laughter and covered ourselves in peanut butter, trying to make sandwiches.”

Armed with hundreds of packed lunches, sleeping bags and open minds and hearts, the community hopes to grow closer in both their faith and with each other, anticipating great stories that will last a lifetime.

“The fact that I'm going to see him hasn't hit yet. I think it's beautiful that the Newman community was blessed with such an opportunity,” Mehr said. “God provides.”

International Community Tailgate Flyer

Distributed flyer for an event hosted in part by Global Education Office and Cranwell International Center at Virginia Tech. Created using Adobe Illustrator.

The first version is optimized for print distribution, featuring a QR code. 

The second version is optimized for web distribution, featuring a shortened link to a survey.

Making students feel at home: the first year of flexible housing

Originally published by the Collegiate Times as News.
Published in print edition, front page centerspread, on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. 
*one of the top viewed stories online.

For the first time in Virginia Tech history, Housing and Residence Life has offered a gender-neutral housing option, allowing students of different genders to room together.

The flexible housing option is currently available in two co-ed dorms: Pritchard Hall and New Hall West, both of which have full gender-neutral bathrooms either in the room or hall. On-campus students 18 years and older and of all academic years are invited to apply, free from judgment.

“We were very happy to be able to offer a housing option that does not focus on the gender designation,” said Eleanor Finger, the director of Housing and Residence Life. “It’s been wonderful because people want to live together for a variety of reasons, which could include gender identity, but sometimes it’s siblings or friends.”

The program became possible after the Resident Hall Federation voted unanimously to approve a resolution for flexible housing on Feb. 24, 2014. The flexible housing option does not question reason on its application, but students who are in relationships are discouraged from applying. Based on the number of students who signed up, only three rooms on campus are considered part of the program.

“We really try to discourage partners and people in relationships from pursuing it,” Finger said. “If we even knew, we don’t ask, but we say sometimes relationships don’t always end up staying for the long term, so housing can be complicated when that’s the case.”

Paul Faust, a junior chemical engineering major, and Raelynn Scherer, a senior biochemistry major, share a room in New Hall West.

“All of my friends are guys. I get along better with guys, generally speaking. I have, like, two female friends,” Scherer said. “I just get along better with guys.”

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Raelynn Scherer sits at her desk adjacent to her bed against one wall of the dorm room she shares with her male roommate, Paul Faust. Photo by Ben Weidlich/Collegiate Times

Gender Neutral Housing Both have known each other since they were freshmen, became friends sophomore year and are very close but completely platonic. Both prefer to interact with people of the opposite gender.

“I really don’t like hanging out with guys,” Faust said. “I’d rather hang out with a girl because it’s more interesting to me, just because of the social dynamics of what women tend to talk about socially, as opposed to what men talk about socially. Guys don’t have that, ‘let’s talk about social upbringing,’ where women do, so it’s a lot easier for me to be living with Raelynn, who’s got that, instead of with a dude, who I cannot connect with emotionally.”

Faust was previously a cadet his freshman year and a Resident Advisor in Pritchard Hall for two years. Both have only lived on-campus with people of the same gender during their time at Virginia Tech.

“We live in the 21st century. No one is really going to be upset that these two are rooming together,” Faust said. “You know who’s going to be upset by it? Parents and old people. That’s it.”

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Paul Faust sits at his desk adjacent to Scherer's bed. Photo by Ben Weidlich/Collegiate Times

Gender Neutral Housing Both Faust and his girlfriend, who is also a student, are comfortable with the understanding. Faust gets along better with his mom than his dad, and Scherer was born into a family as the first and only girl.

“I only have uncles and all my cousins are boys,” Scherer said. “It was my mom and a boatload of men, so I grew up watching football and playing sports and doing guy things, so I just get along with guys a lot better than girls. I don’t have that ‘girly connection’ to girls that girls have.”

After being denied from Virginia Tech’s buyout deal with Foxridge Apartments because they were of different genders, they turned to the flexible housing program. Both have received support from friends, family and the community.

“When I told my mom, she said ‘Go ahead, it’s probably better for you anyway,” Scherer said. Scherer’s hair on the floor and using more toilet paper are the only challenges they have encountered as a result of different genders. Otherwise, they are like any other friends who simply share a room.
Coming into college, Scherer would have taken advantage of the program had it been available.

"Aw heck yeah,” Scherer said. “I feel like girls overreact a lot, and there’s a list of 400,000 things that could be going wrong. If you see a guy crying, sh-- is going down – like there’s actually something wrong and you need to fix it. Guys are just a lot easier to deal with.”

The program aims to accommodate all students, from siblings to students who prefer to interact with the opposite gender and those who do not identify with traditional gender binary.

“The main thing people were coming back at us (during the process) with was if boyfriends and girlfriends live together, and that wasn’t our intent at all,” said Jackie Fisher, the vice president of membership and legislation of the Residence Hall Federation (RHF) last year. “The goal wasn’t to let just anyone live together; it was to make sure that if someone was really close to their brother, they have that option.”

The Residence Hall Federation is the main programming and governing body for the on-campus community. “This pilot holds promise for increasing inclusion in student housing, and we look forward to following its progress,” said David Travis, the interim vice provost for inclusion and diversity, in a statement to the Collegiate Times.

“We hope that students considering the flexible housing environment have the support they need as they reflect on this decision.”

 While there are not yet concrete plans to expand the program for next year, the University has received positive reception and will continue to strive to accommodate students.

“The community members have just been very receptive,” Finger said. “We’ve got bed space for both of these options, and we really like the way the housing options differ.”

Plans were started by the RHF in the 2013-2014 academic year and were submitted to Housing and Residence Life. The multistep process included the creation of the Committee on Gender-Neutral Housing.

“It’s been such a pleasure working with RHF and to see student leaders recognize that we had a gap,” Finger said. “To see student leaders recognize that we had a gap and their own leadership helped us be better in what we can provide for our students.”

While many students have not yet participated in the program, the option continues to make itself available to interested students.

“The University has been striving towards more inclusivity lately, and we realized that by forcing people to live with people who are of their biological gender isn’t the most inclusive thing because there are a lot of people who aren’t necessarily comfortable with that,” Fisher said. “We want to make sure that everybody here is able to succeed, and without ensuring that everyone is here living comfortably, we can’t make sure that they succeed academically.”

The goal of the program is to make all students feel welcome and included, regarding gender an arbitrary divider between students.

“Men and women who are either related or they’re friends or if students don’t identify with the traditional continuum of gender, they have a space that allows for them to be who they are with a wonderful, caring community where they can be engaged in everything that goes on in our residence halls,” Finger said. “I think it speaks to our emphasis on providing diverse housing options to meet the needs of our really diverse students.”

Kylie Gilbert, a Virginia Tech graduate and former president of the committee, was passionate about the cause and began the movement two years ago.

“She was the one who started the movement and it was super important to her,” Fisher said. “She was in tears the day it passed.”

After brainstorming and finalizing language, the reality of this year’s pilot program is an idea-turned-reality. Virginia Tech adds itself, along with another Virginia school, George Mason University since last fall, to the expanding list of schools that offer a gender-neutral housing option.

“It’s just another normal part of our residential community: we value diversity. We really want students to have a sense of belonging and care and to love where they live,” Finger said. “This is yet another way to offer a living experience where students can learn and engage and not have gender impacting their decisions in that space.”

So far, the program has allowed for students to room together more comfortably without any problems.

“This is just a long time coming,” Faust said. “It’s been a really great experience – all you have to do is change in the bathroom, that’s about it.”