Russell, who was born in North Carolina and raised in California and Virginia, has always been fascinated by street art, more particularly graffiti-style. “I was probably around 13 when I first started tagging my name on things” he explained, noting that he “always had a pen in my pocket.”

Having become engulfed in a party scene that limited his ability to achieve the success he wanted to with his painting, Russell decided to go cold turkey. “I have never felt better. I’m happy, very happy. I couldn’t see myself feeling this good with the path that I was headed down,” said Russell.

“You Can’t Quit Me Baby” was designed to exhibit the toxic relationship that can show up around Valentine’s Day. For Russell, the show was especially intimate, as it allowed him to funnel his past addictions into a new, clean medium. At 26, he realized that he had become engulfed in a toxic lifestyle for almost 10 years. He explained, “I had used drugs and alcohol so long that I felt the show was able to reflect some of my inner thoughts and realizations that I have experienced over the past year or so.” A crowd favorite, “Get Real” was a piece that Russell describes as “a cartoon style cupid heart which slowly melted and transformed into a realistic human heart.”

Local bands, ‘The Glass Pennies’ and ‘Honor Code’ provided the soundtrack for the evening. With an energetic crowd becoming a little too rowdy, it would not take long for a few restless people to be escorted out for moshing a little too hard in a place that was once reserved for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Karchner’s next exhibit will be April 6. This will be his first solo show called “Gold in the Gutter” at Brent’s in downtown Hampton at 9 p.m.

Alexander Rose

Contributing Writer

Jeff Maisey, editor of Veer Magazine, organized the event for the first time in four years. “The local music scene is very fragmented,” said Maisey, “it was a way to showcase how much great music we have.” The sold-out event brought cohesion to the scene, with good vibes and support from everyone in attendance.

Prominent acts within the huge range of local music were observed. Awards spanned every genre imaginable from World Beat to Metal and Hard Rock. Other honors included Best Busker, which went to Phil Roebuck, and Best Music Video/Film, which went to “Hardcore Norfolk”.

The theme of the night, “Love Your Local Music,” contributed to the overall revelry. Each of the six live performers covered a song with the word “love” in the title. The Annie Johnson Band opened the night with The Beatles, “All You Need is Love.” Other live acts included The Crushes, BJ Lieberman Band, DJP & MR. T, Jackie Scott and the Housewreckers, and well-known Bison.

Bison, a Chesapeake indie-folk group performed a U2 cover with their instruments huddled on the small Naro Cinema stage. Bison swept the three top awards including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Live Act. The band also won the award for Best Folk Artist. During their acceptance speech, lead singer Ben Hardesty announced an offer from the Universal record label.

Awards were a testament to the otherwise unrecognized quality and creativity of Hampton Roads music. “It is clear from the turnout the enthusiasm and support that local acts gave each other, that it is a very vibrant music scene,” said Maisey.

The winning selections were made by combining online votes and votes from a panel of well-known figures in the local music industry. There were 17,360 unique online voters within a span of three weeks.

A List of the Awards Presented at the Local Music Awards:

Best Metal/Hard Rock: The Kill Circuit

Best Garage/Punk: The Unabombers

Best Indie Pop: The Aragona Project

Best Rock: The Fighting Jamesons

Best Hip-Hop: J. Pharaoh and the Manhattan Project

Best Americana: Muckrakes

Best Country: Gina Dalmas and the Cowtippin’ Playboys

Best Blues: Jackie Scott and the Housewreckers

Best Experimental: Carousel/LoLa

Best Cover Band: The Deloreans

Best World Beat: The Dharma Initiative

Best Gospel: Alex Holt & Free Worship

Best Busker: Phil Roebuck

Best Open Mic Night: Colley Cantina

Best Music Video/Film: “Hardcore Norfolk: The Movie”

Best Local Music Blog or Website: HardcoreNorfolk.com

Best Major Music Venue: The NorVa

Best Music Club/Bar: Jewish Mother, Virginia Beach

Allison Terres

Contributing Writer

The 6-foot-3-inch senior from Australia is averaging 8.5 points per game as well as being one of the leaders in the Colonial Athletic Association in assists at 2.4 per game.  During his time at Old Dominion, Illiadis admits that he has had to work extremely hard and even change his game.

“Coach Taylor is really a guy who preaches rebounding and defense,” Illiadis said. “When I first got here I really couldn’t do either of them, I think now as my career has progressed he’s pushed me to be more of a defender, and being more of a leader on the court”.

Illiadis has been through many highs and lows during his career.

“It’s been a long journey”, he said. “Going through all the games with teammates and coaches, and the highs that we’ve had my four years here. Winning the CAA championship, going to the NCAA tournament, winning the CIT, winning the Paradise Jam, that’s been an experience that I will hold with me.”

Illiadis is not only a great basketball player but also excels in the classroom.  He is a biochemistry major and was named the Chemistry Student of the Year as well as being named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Academic team this past year.

He hopes to pursue pharmacy school after graduation.

Illiadis has always been able to shoot the ball and is among the team leaders in three-pointers made.  He enjoyed a career high of 22 points this year against the University of Vermont and has been one of the teams most consistent performers throughout the season.

As we approach tournament time, hopes are high for this year’s Monarch basketball team.

“I think there are six or seven teams that can easily win the [CAA] tournament, winning the next few games is going to be big for us because we need some momentum going into this tournament.” Illiadis said.

Illiadis understands that as he as grown older, his role on the team and responsibilities have increased as well.

“At the start of the year I wanted to help the younger guys get accustomed to what it’s like to be a Division 1 athlete,” Illiadis said. “And not just on the court, but also in the classroom.  Many times the transition a student makes from high school to college, academically, is understated and Illiadis stresses the importance of both.

The Monarch coaching staff is laden with experience and Illiadis has done his best to learn from them.  “Being solid, being able to rebound and defend my position and I think I’ve improved this year more than past years,” Illiadis said. “Also not taking any days off.”

Illiadis seems to be on the right path to success and is making sure to help others along. Illiadis will be vital if the Monarchs win their third consecutive CAA title.

Jordan Jones

Contributing Writer

Photo by Christopher Sampson

I think of this as a great stride for married couples that suffer from erectile dysfunction, also known as ED. This opens up many doors for married couples to regain sexual intimacy in their relationships. But what does this mean for college students and our sex lives?

The majority of us are not married and usually have sex outside of wedlock. For those who are religious, it means the older generations are coming around to the newer developments with sexual drugs. Although Viagra was approved, it doesn’t mean that birth control will be approved, but it has some hope.

Birth control has been a hot topic for religious sects for many years. It is viewed as an abortion pill because it creates a period for females every month. It also gives adolescent people the idea to have sex because they are “protected.”

Although Viagra and birth control are on separate ends of the spectrum, they still deal with the same subject, sex. I agree with the Pope and his reasons to approve Viagra for older couples that suffer from ED and have a desire to have children. Older people have to “get it on” to relieve stress and keep healthy. Regular exercise is mandatory for a healthy life style.

The overall acceptance of bringing unnatural substances into the bedroom can make sex better for both sides. Listen ladies, Viagra is only going to make your life better. If your man has a problem, talk to him about. Let him know that things are not lasting as long as you need it to be. He wants you, but things can be better.

According to Viagra.com, 30 million men suffer from erectile dysfunction. If your sex life needs a little love-shock, go to Viagra.com to get more information or check out the sex books in your local bookstore.

Megan Jefferson

Contributing Writer/Graphic Designer

“We did pretty good, we got on top of the guys pretty quick,” Alfredo Rodriguez said.  Rodriguez is a junior at ODU.  Rodriguez played doubles with Carlos Lopez Villa against the Retrievers and won once again.  Rodriguez and Lopez have played six doubles together this season and are undefeated.

The Monarchs worked long and hard for their win over UMBC.  “At one point we were matching, but they kind of dropped the level and we advanced,” Rodriguez said.  Rodriguez and Lopez finished 8-2.

One of the Monarch’s freshman, Can Centinel, said, “We played good.  We do what our coach asks us to do.”  Centinel and his partner, Albert Ochagavia, finished 8-4.  Centinel fell to UMBC’s Kamal Patel in singles.

The Lady Monarchs took theirfifth win this season when they played against UMBC.  “They’ve worked really hard this past week,” coach Toni Neykova said.

In doubles, Diana Ivanova and Melissa Esnal-Olguin beat Kim Berghaus and Carme Jackman 8-4.  Ivanova also won her singles’ match over Berghaus in three sets, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

There were quite a few injuries on the women’s team.  “We’re a little short-handed because of the girls’ injuries,” coach Neykova said.  The girls pushed through it for the close victory over UMBC.

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to show up and play well,” coach Neykova said.  Lady Monarchs host Longwood University on Friday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. alongside the men’s team match-up against the University of Memphis.

Sarah Roby

Contributing Writer

Dr. Bonner’s research interests included policing, race, ethnicity, inequality and criminal justice pedagogy. Her publications include a co-authored book chapter, a co-authored article in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and entries in the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime. She was also the first police accountability fellow for the Center on Race, Crime and Justice at John Jay College.

Dr. Bonner currently teaches AAST 100S which is an African-American studies introductory level course. When asked what motivates her to teach African-American studies she responded, “I love this field of study and enjoy exposing students to material that they might not otherwise learn.” The first day of class she opened with a quote by Sojourner Truth: “it is the mind that makes the body,” and she continuously challenges the minds of her students

African-American studies is defined as a field of study that systematically treats the past and present experiences, characteristics, achievements, issues and problems of black citizens of the United States who are of African origin and background. First coordinated by Nathan Hare in 1968, African-American studies derived from the lack of black history and culture within American education. The comprehensive purpose of the study is to promote equality in American education as well as administer a different academic prospective on traditional teachings of American history.

Dr. Bonner consistently opens the class for discussion on the assigned material. “You guys are not going to just to sit there and let me talk all class,” she often comically says, “you are going to talk back to me.”

In her class she teaches about the in depth accomplishments of influential black figures such as David Walker, Angela Davis, Maria Stewart and W.E.B Du Bois. The topic of slavery is also heavily discussed. During primary education, the extensive damage done to the country of Africa and also to the black race is often neglected.

Stories of slaves Olaudah Equiano and Nat Turner are discussed in detail to better understand the concluding slave experience, while the movie “500 Years Later” is shown to convey the many ship expeditions from Africa to the Americas.

African-American studies should also not be misconstrued as a field subjected only to African-Americans. It would be untrue to propose that this subject is bias to the black race. The ideology of the subject is to broaden the horizon of any individual whom is interested in increasing his or her knowledge of African-American culture and history. Blacks contributed significantly greater feats to the Americas than just that of slavery, and African-American Studies shines a bright light on those contributions.

Students curious about the historical contents of African-Americans should consider taking AAST 100S with Dr. Bonner. “I would hope students walk away [from my class] with an understanding of African-American studies beyond that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, connecting instead this extensive history and the path ahead to ensure full freedom and equality.”

Rashad Little

Contributing Writer

All proceeds went to the Alpha Phi Foundation, which is made up of comprised of Cardiac Care, Scholarship, Forget-Me-Not and Leadership Educational Programs.

The pillows are made to help relieve stress and pain for cardiac care patients and serve as a form of comfort to patients who have recently had heart surgery. There has been a substantial increase in the amount of pillows that were donated to Norfolk General. “Last year, we donated 50 pillows but this year we were able to donate 95 which I think is really great considering,” Leah Curran said.

The Cardiac Arrest event started in 2008. Since then the event has expanded substantially and increased in popularity. The students find that getting arrested and then bailed out by their fellow classmates to be quite appealing which is why they come back year after year. The act of being “arrested” is when a student is taken in using fake handcuffs until someone can raise the money to get them out.

The Fifth Annual Alpha Phi Cardiac Arrest event was held Tuesday, Feb. 21 during activity hour in North Café. During the event, students had an opportunity to bail out fellow students and members of staff. Bail was set for $20.

Heart disease is the number one killer in women 20 years and older. “A lot of people don’t realize that heart disease is the number one killer in women, most people think its breast cancer, but that’s not true,” Curran said.

Curran is the director of publicity and advertising for Alpha Phi and has been a member of the sorority since her freshman year.  Leah once had a heart scare of her own and wasn’t quite sure what was going on throughout the whole process. “It is something that is in my family. My great aunt died of a heart attack and both my grandmother and dad have high blood pressure.”

“This is an illness that affects a lot of people, it’s just something that doesn’t get a lot of exposure,” she said. Curran and her fellow sorority sisters share a passion for bringing awareness, helping and funding patients suffering from cardiac arrest.

This is a fact that Alpha Phi realizes as an opportunity to schedule majority of their heart disease awareness benefits. “It makes it easier from a marketing perspective to kind of appeal to the masses by hosting majority of our events during February,” said Curran.

The sorority also hosts other fundraisers geared towards cardiac arrest awareness such as the Red Dress Gala, which occurs once every three years, King of Hearts, which is a male pageant during the fall semester, and Jump into My Heart, a jump rope event geared towards promoting a healthier lifestyle.

There are several preventative measures that can be taken to lessen the odds of heart disease. “Having an active lifestyle, eating right really helps,” Curran said. Though these activities might lessen the possibilities of being diagnosed with heart disease, they do not eliminate the possibility altogether.

For further information visit the Alpha Phi website at http://www.oduaphi.com.

Haja Kabba

Contributing Writer

An “official” Facebook page with the tagline, “The original place where ODU students, fans and alumni can share memes about the university,” was created by an anonymous user.

An internet meme is simply a shared idea that involves a picture of a familiar object, celebrity, animal or cartoon character and ties it with a clever quip about a particular subject. In this case, the subject is ODU and all the quirks that students have discovered over time. For example, “Lord of the Rings” fans can appreciate a meme featuring a picture of actor Sean Bean, as the character of Boromir, explaining how “one does not simply park in Garage B.” The first part of the quip, “one does not simply [etc.],” is a play on the character’s original, and almost overdramatically delivered line, “One does not simply walk into Mordor!”

The second half of the meme involving Garage B works best for ODU commuters, who often suffer as they try to find a good parking spot on a regular basis. Another ODU meme features a picture of actor Mel Gibson, as “William Wallace” from the movie “Braveheart,” shouting “VCU may beat us in basketball, but they will never beat our meme page!”

Facebook users are free to create and share their own meme on the ODU Memes page, as long as they “like” the page first. The page features links to “meme generator” sites to make the process simple and fun. Overall the site is a great way to kill time and interact with other students. Experience it now at http://www.facebook.com/ODUsMemes

R Jay Molina 

Contributing Writer

“We’re looking forward to that, we’re getting excited and resting a bit, focusing on a lot of our little things in the pool,” head coach Carol Withus said.  Coach Withus explained that preparation for swim and dive is a little different than preparation for other sports.

“In swimming you rest more,” coach Withus said, “We do a lot of mental training like visualization and focusing and goal setting.”

Both the men and women’s teams have a lot of talent and expect to make some noise in the CAA Championship.  “I’d really like to see both of our teams be top three.  Our men have a shot at winning, so that would be a goal for them, but top three would be awesome,” coach Withus said.  “We have a bunch of athletes that have an opportunity to make the NCAA Championships.

She specifically expects senior Arni Arnason, a five time CAA swimmer of the week, and sophomore Sidni Hoxa to make the NCAA Championships from the men’s team.

Arnason is also one of six seniors on the swim team along with Birkir Jonsson from the men’s team and Emma Forbes, Erla Haraldsdottir, Madeline Stiles and Kelsey Thompson from the women’s team.  “It is really hard because it’s not only our last time, it’s like a big event so it really makes the ending significant.”

“They’ve all been very successful in their years here, definitely have made a big impact on the team,” coach Withus said of the soon-to-be ODU alumni.

Coach Withus was quick to mention that even though there are some key swimmers leaving the Monarchs next year, there are other athletes ready to step up and take their place. She expects juniors Danielle Naylor, Jessica Hubert, Ashley Luchsinger and freshman Yesim Giresunlu to be leaders for the women next year.  On the men’s team, Coach Withus expects junior Jason Brame and sophomores Daniel Camozzo and Andrew Crockett to step up.

Until then, the teams are just enjoying the rest of the year.  “It’s a really great situation, the kids on our team, they are really close knit,” coach Withus said.  These teams are unique because they feature athletes from not only all over the United States, but from all over the world.

“Whether they’re from one country or another or one state or another, they all live together, they really do a lot of things together, so it’s a great opportunity for them to be around people of different cultures and different areas of the country too,” coach Withus said.

With the CAA Championship approaching, it is sure to be an exciting end to a five month long season that began on Oct. 1.

“It’s been a great year so far,” coach Withus said. “It definitely is a great place to be, a good time.”

Check out the Mace and Crown’s next issue for results from the Swim and Dive CAA Championship.

Ben Decowski

Senior Writer

Whitney Houston was born on Aug. 9,1963 in Newark, NJ to parents Cissy and John Russell Houston. Houston’s talent was born at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. At the church, Houston would perform for a choir that her mother ministered. In an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2002, Houston shared “I knew then that my singing ability was an infectious thing that God had given me.”

By her teen years, Houston was noticed not only for her voice, but also for her natural beauty. She started out as a model and was photographed for the cover of Seventeen Magazine. At 19, Houston was discovered by Clive Davis and was signed to Arista Records where she released her debut album in 1985 and won her first Grammy award in 1986 for her smash hit, “Saving All My Love for You.” In 1992, she made her movie debut alongside Kevin Costner in “The Bodyguard.” The soundtrack for this movie, “I Will Always Love You” proved to be one of Houston’s most popular songs, which topped charts for nearly 14 weeks.

Although Houston enjoyed great success in her career, problems in her personal life started to seep into public view, which presented itself as drug addiction, wild behavior, and noticeably deteriorating physical health. Her turbulent marriage to Bobby Brown and her drug addiction became the subject of public scrutiny, and soon became a major theme in the public’s view of her.

Following nearly a decade of a rough marriage and problems with drug use, Houston separated from Bobby Brown and went for treatment at a rehabilitation center for addiction.

In recent years, Houston was working toward a comeback in her career. Having successfully completed rehabilitation, Houston would have set her sights on music and the big screen. In 2009 she released her album, “I Look to You,” which was her first album since 2002. In 2011, Houston ventured into the movie scene again and began work on “Sparkle,” a remake of Sam O’steen’s 1976 depiction, inspired by “The Supremes.” The movie is scheduled for release during the summer of 2012.

Houston’s death came as a shock to the world, as she was not suffering from any health problems and spent her last days in celebration. Her funeral was scheduled for Feb. 18. It will be a private service, but parts of the procession were be televised. She will be buried alongside her father, who died in 2003. She will be laid to rest at the Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, NJ.

Siaga Johnson

Contributing Writer