Racing through Richmond's Fan District will bring community closer together and benefit students.
By Paul B. O'Brien
Benedictine and Saint Gertrude High Schools will work together on Saturday, March 14, 2009 in a 5-kilometer race that will take participants through the heart of Richmond's Fan District.
The race will begin and end at Benedictine High, and participants can expect to run through the Fan’s Museum District and Windsor Farms.
Proceeds will benefit general student funds at both schools.
Terri Quinan, annual fund director for Benedictine made the arrangements for the two schools to work together.
“I approached the advancement office at Saint Gertrude about this and we agreed to pull in students from both schools and split the proceeds in half,” she said.
Quinan’s counterpart at Saint Gertrude, special event coordinator Katie McKenney, emphasized the positive aspects of the joint project.
“We have students and alumni and parents participating,” she said. “The money we raise will go to the students and everyone can be proud of the results.”
Various Richmond merchants are pitching in with offers of food and expertise. “I was pleased with the response,” said Quinan. “Whole Foods, Kroger and two locally owned companies agreed to donate and help us with logistics.”
The two local companies referred to by Quinan are Road Runner Running Store owned by Thom Suddeth and RunRideRace owned by Mark Junkermann.
Suddeth agreed to allow event advertising in his store. “We agreed to help them out,” he said. “It’s good for the community.”
Junkermann is offering his company’s expertise to help organize the event. “I’ll mark the course and provide timing for the event as well as coordinate race results,” he said.
Quinan described the organization of the race as complex. “There are difficulties in organizing a race like this one, especially in the Fan,” she said. “Did you know that the city requires eight police officers present to assist for an event like this?
“We have to pay for their time,” she added. “I’m hoping that we’ll make enough profit to pay the officers and still have a good amount left for the fund.”
As of late February, 120 people are registered to run, although Quinan expressed optimism that the list will grow.
“My goal is 250 participants, which would be great for a first time race in the Fan,” she said. "The registration limit is 500, but even half of that would be great for us.”
Registration is available online at www.benedictinehighschool.org. The entry fee is $20 per person before March 1 and $25 afterwards.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
VCU Community Reacts to Economic Stimulus Bill
Students and faculty express optimism, doubt over congressional plan to stimulate U.S. economy.
By Paul B. O'Brien
Details of the economic stimulus bill being debated in Congress are drawing attention from students and faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The bill, which goes to vote in the Senate on Tuesday, has $827 billion earmarked for a combination of consumer incentives, massive cuts in spending and tax breaks.
“It is still a little early for us to know how we may be affected by a stimulus,” said the Associate Director of VCU’s Student Accounting Department Danielle Mitchell. “If it is not passed, we will almost certainly feel more negative effects than we have since our budget was cut.”
The cuts Mitchell referred to have already been implemented in VCU’s budget. Cuts of 5 percent for fiscal year 2009 are slated to be followed by an additional 15 percent in 2010 on orders from Governor Tim Kaine’s office.
Mitchell added that “we won’t know anything about the fall 2009 and spring 2010 budget until May.”
“I think the stimulus package is needed,” said Professor Kenneth Daniels of VCU’s Department of Finance Insurance and Real Estate. “There has been a general decline in economic activity in this country and it is necessary to jump start the economy.
“While there is a lot of waste in this bill, there are also good things in it including money for roads and schools,” Daniels added. “We also need to be very careful about what we do. Long-term, there is a danger of overspending and causing problems for the next generation.”
Others seemed ambivalent about the details of the congressional plan. “It might have an impact, but we’ll need to wait until the two sides work everything out before we can be sure,” said Tempestt Sheppard, a sophomore and graphic design major.
Hannah Pettit, a junior and English major, said she is “torn between wanting to support it because of all our problems and how it will affect the federal deficit.”
Pettit, who works part time at VCU's Technology Services Help Desk, added that she thinks VCU would benefit: "If the budget is expanded again, we can provide more student technology services."
Some students question the direction that this massive spending plan is leading the country.
“If this country really believes in capitalism, then we shouldn’t be giving all these companies so much money,” said Danielle Spencer, a senior and creative advertising major. “I understand that companies may fall and cause us a lot of economic dislocation, however, what they’re doing is definitely not capitalism.”
Alex Ghazarian, a program support technician for VCU’s office of Records and Registration, questioned the use of stimulus money already handed out. “I was thinking they should have given a stimulus payment to Circuit City," he said.
“If they had saved Circuit City, how many Richmond jobs would have been protected? Four thousand? More?”
By Paul B. O'Brien
Details of the economic stimulus bill being debated in Congress are drawing attention from students and faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The bill, which goes to vote in the Senate on Tuesday, has $827 billion earmarked for a combination of consumer incentives, massive cuts in spending and tax breaks.
“It is still a little early for us to know how we may be affected by a stimulus,” said the Associate Director of VCU’s Student Accounting Department Danielle Mitchell. “If it is not passed, we will almost certainly feel more negative effects than we have since our budget was cut.”
The cuts Mitchell referred to have already been implemented in VCU’s budget. Cuts of 5 percent for fiscal year 2009 are slated to be followed by an additional 15 percent in 2010 on orders from Governor Tim Kaine’s office.
Mitchell added that “we won’t know anything about the fall 2009 and spring 2010 budget until May.”
“I think the stimulus package is needed,” said Professor Kenneth Daniels of VCU’s Department of Finance Insurance and Real Estate. “There has been a general decline in economic activity in this country and it is necessary to jump start the economy.
“While there is a lot of waste in this bill, there are also good things in it including money for roads and schools,” Daniels added. “We also need to be very careful about what we do. Long-term, there is a danger of overspending and causing problems for the next generation.”
Others seemed ambivalent about the details of the congressional plan. “It might have an impact, but we’ll need to wait until the two sides work everything out before we can be sure,” said Tempestt Sheppard, a sophomore and graphic design major.
Hannah Pettit, a junior and English major, said she is “torn between wanting to support it because of all our problems and how it will affect the federal deficit.”
Pettit, who works part time at VCU's Technology Services Help Desk, added that she thinks VCU would benefit: "If the budget is expanded again, we can provide more student technology services."
Some students question the direction that this massive spending plan is leading the country.
“If this country really believes in capitalism, then we shouldn’t be giving all these companies so much money,” said Danielle Spencer, a senior and creative advertising major. “I understand that companies may fall and cause us a lot of economic dislocation, however, what they’re doing is definitely not capitalism.”
Alex Ghazarian, a program support technician for VCU’s office of Records and Registration, questioned the use of stimulus money already handed out. “I was thinking they should have given a stimulus payment to Circuit City," he said.
“If they had saved Circuit City, how many Richmond jobs would have been protected? Four thousand? More?”
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