YOUNG UNDER THE HALLOWEEN?

The
AMERICANS TRESTLE OR IS IT JUST
FORUM ON 2ND BOOK FOR

Tartan
AMENDMENT REVIEW CHILDREN
NEWS CULTURE THE TEA

DID SOMEONE
SAY DOGS?!
Highlander Festival
PG. 05
PHOTOS
2 | The Tartan Denae Rauls, SMADs Manager // smads@radford.edu // Advertisements

HIGHLANDER
STUDENT MEDIA

www.ruhsm.com

OUR OPEN AND GROWING POSITIONS:

www.rutartan.com Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | 3

The
Tartan

Editorial:
Editor-in-Chief: Dylan Lepore
CONTENTS
dlepore1@radford.edu

Copy Editor:
Jeremy Moser
THE TARTAN
jmoser9@radford.edu NEWS + CULTURE + THE TEA + SPORTS
Sports Editor: Zach Potter
zpotter2@radford.edu

Staff Writers: Wesley Wallace, Caitlin Billman,

Sarah Steffey, Margaret Pittman, Samuel
07 AD ASTRA - A MOVIE REVIEW
Malesky, Lucas Carr, Lilly Demastus, Taylor
Poff, Alyssa Bourne, Jasmine Singletary, and
Dustin Staples (weather)
08 RU READY FOR HALLOWEEN, OR IS
Photography and Advertising:
Photography Manager: IT JUST FOR CHILDREN
Hailey Scherer When we were seven, Halloween used to be about dressing up
hscherer1@radford.edu
and going door to door to ask for candy from strangers. As
Staff Photographers: Jordan Bennett college students, we still dress up, but for what? Since Hallow’s
Eve is two weeks away, The Tartan decided to ask a few students
SMADs Manager: Denae Rauls
smads@radford.edu
about their experiences with Halloween and what their plans ...

For a full list go to rutartan.com/ wordpress/

contact.
09 CULTURE COMICS PRESENTS:
HONEY BUNS
New comics weekly.
WHO WE ARE
The Tartan is published on Wednesday during the
Fall and Spring semesters and is free of charge. One
copy per person. The Tartan’s circulation is 1,500 and
currently distributed at more than 29 locations on and
around Radford University. The publication is printed at
Shenandoah Publishing House in Winchester, Va. The
YOUNG AMERICANS 00 ON THE COVER

04
Tartan may be distributed by authorized distributors only.
Contact us to be a distributor. Tyler Hall Room 025, 301 THE DOGS OF THE 2019 HIGHLANDER
Tyler Ave, Radford, VA 24141, 540-831-5474; Fax 540-
831-6725; Student Media Advertising, P.O. Box 6895
HOST 2ND FESTIVAL.
Radford VA, 24142.

The Tartan is part of Highlander Student Media and is

AMENDMENT FORUM
completely student-run. As a newspaper, The Tartan
reserves the right to address, explore and delve into
issues that affect Radford University student body and
the surrounding area. Advertisements in The Tartan
publication do not reflect the views of The Tartan nor
PHOTO BY JORDAN BENNETT
Radford University, and the views, opinions, and articles
reflected and shown in The Tartan are separate from those
views and beliefs of Radford University.

MISSION STATMENT
The Tartan is a student-produced weekly newspaper
10 TENNIS COMES TO ITA ALL-
maintained in order to provide the Radford University
community with important news issues as well as to
AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
educate students. The newspaper exists to provide an
experiential ground so that students can attempt to achieve
a balance of technique, experience and professionalism as
well as courage in journalism, layout, staff development,
-- MEN’S SOCCER FALL TO
leadership and management. As a newspaper, The Tartan
exists to provide a fair and balanced version of the news to PRESBYTERIAN
Radford University and the surrounding area.
Highlanders men’s soccer lost to Presbyterian in South Carolina
ADVERTISING Wednesday, Oct. 9. There was only one goal scored in the game,
The deadline for all advertising is 5 p.m. on Tuesday
before the desired issue of publication. Ads must be in the 66th minute, and Radford could not match it. Radford

05 06
print-ready and in PDF format; files must be delivered took 12 shots while Presbyterian only took seven. This lead
via e-mail at smads@radford.edu. Please visit our website
www.rutartan.com/wordpress/advertising for more shows the Highlanders’ intensity, but it did not turn out in their
information, including rates and payment methods.
favor. 
CORRECTIONS
The Tartan is committed to correcting errors that appear
in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper HIGHLANDER HAUNTED GRAHAM
for that purpose can send an e-mail to tartan@radford.
edu or call the main number, 540-831-5474, to make a
correction to any section.
FESTIVAL 2019 MANSION
SUBMIT LETTER TO THE EDITOR
We prefer letters that are 200-400 words and take as their
HOSTED AT Haunted houses, spooky
starting point an article or other item appearing in The
Tartan. They may not have been submitted to, posted RADFORD things, candy, and all
to or published by any other media. They must include
things scary; that is what MORE THAN A PAPER.
the writer’s full name — anonymous letters and letters
written under pseudonyms will not be considered. For
verification purposes, they must also include the writer’s
UNIVERSITY
Halloween is all about. Place an ad here.
e-mail address and phone number. Letters will be edited BREATHES
and used at the discretion of the editor-in-chief for length.
Authors’ individual editorials do not necessarily reflect
There are so many
the opinion of The Tartan or Radford University. Go to
www.rutartan.com/wordpress/letters-to-the-editor/. The 2019 Highlander haunted houses in our
EDITORIAL POLICIES Festival was hosted on area, but there is one that
“Our Opinion” pieces are written collectively by members
of The Tartan Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is
comprised of the editing staff, the Tea writers, and
Radford Univerviery’s ... stands out the most.
other Radford University students. These undergraduate
and graduate students represent multiple class levels
and different political, cultural, ethnic, and religious
backgrounds. Members may or may not belong to a variety
of student organizations. The Editorial Board is open to all
RU students who apply.
Here is your
COVERAGE REQUESTS
#TartanWeather
Requests for coverage and tips should be submitted by and Night Time
email to tartan@radford.edu or by visiting www.rutartan.
com/wordpress/submit-news-tips-and-events. Forecast for the
week Oct. 16-22,
2019.

We train future journalists, editors, radio

producers, news anchors and even entrepreneurs *This forecast is always
through our ever-evolving student-run media subject to change!!
outlets. By Dustin Staples
www.ruhsm.com dstaples1@radford.edu
4 | The Tartan Jeremy Moser, Copy Editor // jmoser9@radford.edu // News

Young Americans Host 2nd Amendment Forum

B y W e s l e y W a l l ac e ’22
wwallace5@radford.edu
and US policymaker support.
In 2013, he received the Career
Commendation Medal for his
work.

R
adford University’s Young According to the US
Americans for Constitution, the Second
Freedom hosted a Second Amendment states: “A well
Amendment forum Wednesday, regulated Militia, being
Oct. 9, in McGuffey Hall. The necessary to the security of a
forum aimed to educate students free State, the right of the people
on the importance of the to keep and bear Arms, shall not
Second Amendment and their be infringed.” This means that
constitutional right to keep and American citizens have the right
bear arms. to possess a firearm for self-
Kenneth Stiles, who is a defense. 
geography professor at Virginia Given the country’s current
Tech, was the featured guest political climate, there have
speaker at the event. been multiple debates among
In addition to teaching at Democrats and Republicans
Virginia Tech, Professor Stiles surrounding gun reform,

Photo Courtesy of RU Young Americans

is a retired CIA officer. While at
the CIA, he worked in espionage
activities, covert operations,
“The Second
Amendment provides
American citizens
the ability to defend
themselves, their
families, and their
property from a number
of threats - criminal as
well as an over-reaching
government. We’ve
seen examples of the
latter throughout our
history, specifically with
Hurricane Katrina. After
Hurricane Katrina, New
Orleans police began
confiscating firearms
from law-abiding
citizens prior to the
police deserting their
posts.”
including the outlawing of semi-
automatic weaponry.
The Tartan asked Professor
Stiles questions via email
about common misconceptions
of assault rifles and what the
Second Amendment means to
him.  defense between 500,000 to 2
Professor Stiles said, “The
Second Amendment provides
American citizens the ability
to defend themselves, their
families, and their property
from a number of threats -
criminal as well as an over-
reaching government. We’ve
seen examples of the latter
throughout our history,
specifically with Hurricane
Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina,
New Orleans police began
confiscating firearms from law-
abiding citizens prior to the
police deserting their posts.”
He continued, “A law was
later passed prohibiting such
confiscations. The CDC has
determined that law-abiding
citizens use firearms in self-
L-R: Richard Tisinger, Nicholas Brozovic, Katlyn Wilson, Ben Brassard,
Haleigh Williams, Charles Frazier, Colin Tucker, Ken Stiles, Timothy
Campbell, Hunter Cole, Thorn Harrison and John Magee.
egregious terms commonly and than ten rounds of ammunition.
million times a year.” consistently misused. Many This requirement classified the
This statistic comes from people, especially politicians Henry repeating fire rifle as a
a 2013 survey by the CDC, which and news media, have little forbidden firearm because it
placed the estimate at 500,000 knowledge of firearms and fail held 15 rounds. In my opinion,
to 3 million a year, although to do their research. The best this was pretty idiotic,” he said.
the numbers are disputed. The example would have to be the The Tartan ended asking
3 million figure comes from original 1994 ‘Clinton Assault Professor Stiles whether or not
an extrapolation based on a Weapons Ban’ bill.” gun reform will play a crucial
small number of responses in That bill, the Public Safety role in the 2020 presidential
19 national surveys, and some and Recreational Firearms Use election. 
estimates place the number as Protection Act, passed in 1994 He said, “That’s a good
low as 108,000 defensive uses with bipartisan support and question. Given the current
per year.   expired in 2004. Since then, focus in both the media and
We asked Professor there have been numerous calls Congress on impeaching the
Stiles about some common for another assault weapons President, I believe this and
misconceptions surrounding ban, but critics believe it many other important issues
assault rifles. was too restrictive of Second such as immigration reform,
He said, “Where do I start? Amendment freedoms.  infrastructure, drug pricing,
‘Assault Rifles,’ ‘High Capacity’ “One of the features that USMCA (United States-Mexico-
magazines, ‘Silencers’ ‘Weapons put a rifle on the ban list was Canada Agreement), etc. will be
of War’ are some of the most a magazine which held more pushed aside over the next year.”

Letter to the Editor: President Hemphill

D
ear President Hemphill,
Since fall 2018, there
have been multiple
accounts of alcohol and/or drug-
related crimes and deaths among
our college students, whether
living on or off-campus, that
have been on local and national
news. This type of attention
not only reinforces the absurd
notion that Radford is a “party
school,” but it also diminishes
our efforts and dedication to
innovative education.  tragedies related to alcohol and
“One such innovation is the
merger of the Jefferson College
of Health Sciences into Radford
University,” the 2017 - 2018
annual report read. This merger is
one example that is outstanding
enough to place Radford into the
future of education; yet, we have
seen more articles on alcohol
and/or drug-related crimes
and death at Radford than the
merger. Arguably, bad news
tends to travel faster and longer
than innovative educational
practices, though, we believe we
can take this ambition further.  past studies and techniques
Simply commenting on
college-related incidents and
drug use has not been effective.
We need to take control of
the negative attention and
transform it into positive
attention that reinforces our
values and reflects our student-
centered education.  are ineffective. In Section 4C of
The merger is a fantastic
way for Radford to progress
“forward as a pre-eminent
provider of health sciences,
healthcare and human services
education,” as the annual report
read. Healthcare education
requires adapting and improving
for students to provide better
quality care for patients.
The Radford University
community is proposing that
our policies related to drug
and/or alcohol use reflect the
same responsibilities expected
from the healthcare education
students. Currently. our policies
Radford’s Standards of Student
Conduct, items 6 and 9 require
our attention as students and
educators to begin the process
of decreasing the negative
attention and the alcohol/drug
violations.  medical care. We need to change
Item 6, “Amnesty for Help-
Seeking,” provides amnesty
to students who seek medical
assistance for themselves
or others if there have been
incidents related to drug use
or underage drinking. This
compassion is necessary but
incomplete. Our current policy,
recently reviewed August of
2019, only aids the students who
are thinking clearly, critically
and/or responsibly.
Drug overdoses and alcohol
poisonings are so common
because those under the
influence are not aware they
are in need of immediate
this perspective to take into
consideration the students who
are under the influence and
therefore not thinking clearly,
critically and/or responsibly.
Arguably, those first-years who
are able to think responsibly
are not drinking underage or
TURN TO LETTER PAGE 5
 www.rutartan.com
Highlander Festival 2019 Hosted
at Radford University Breathes
B y D yl a n L e p o r e ’20
dlepore1@radford.edu
T
he 2019 Highlander
Festival was hosted on
Radford Univerviery’s
campus this year.
Instated of the students
going to the festival; the festival
came to them.
The campus on Saturday
was full of Highlander Pride and
Scottish tradition. Plus, a lot of
dogs!
Enjoy the photos taken from
the festival.
Photo by Dylan Lepore & Jordan Bennett | The Tartan
Creating Inclusion Through Social Change Leadership
B y C a i t l i n B i l l m a n ’22
cbillman1@radford.edu
T
he Center for Diversity
and Inclusion (CDI)
workshop for the Social
Change Leadership Certificate
will be this Thursday, Oct. 17, in
Heth 45, from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
The workshop will cover
“Creating Inclusion” on campus,
in the US, and the world.
The CDI is partnering with
the organization Crossroads,
which, according to their RU
Involved page, is a “leadership
development journey,
customizable to your personal
goals and interests.”
The Social Change Leadership
Certificate is a program that
will teach students how to
create and achieve positive
change wherever they are. To
receive certificates, students
must attend one of the four
workshops, plus the “Crossroads
Intro,” a foundational workshop
for the Crossroads program.  The CDI is a resource to all
Students must also produce
an “artifact,” a project that
reflects what the student has
learned in the workshop.
Other workshops will be
taking place over the rest of the
semester. These workshops are
“Ideology of an Ally,” “Social
Change or Social Justice,”
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | 5
and “The Impact of Culture.”
The schedule for Fall 2019 is on
the Radford website.
members of the RU community
and sponsors many events and
programs that represent and
include everyone.  and programs from the Center
Their mission statement
is, “We seek to explore and
encourage diversity to promote
a deeper understanding and
appreciation for people from
FROM LETTER, PAGE 4
participating in illegal drugs
at all.
We need to change this
policy so that it no longer makes
the students responsible for
themselves while under the
influence, nor their friends
responsible for other students.
We need to take responsibility
for our students. Here are the
actions we propose: 
1. A change in the school’s
policies concerning amnesty
and punishment of those caught
partaking in illegal substances
on campus. 
2. Longer health center
hours for students who need
medical attention.
3. A licensed EMT
accompanied by a Radford City
police officer, if the situation
requires law enforcement.
Students need to be, firstly,
cared for and not punished for
their decisions on-campus. 
4. Make available counseling
for students who are drinking
underage and/or using illegal
drugs, instead of arresting and
charging them.
5. Open, anonymous modes
of communication for students
to feel safe and comfortable
reaching out for help for either
themselves or others. 
Considering the recent
collaboration of the University
of Virginia, George Mason
University, Old Dominion
University, Virginia State
University and Virginia Tech
in the fight against the opioid
crisis, we feel it is time for
Radford University to join the
battle. We can start by changing
the culture of punishment into
a culture of care. As a university
dedicated to the health sciences,
we should first treat, not punish,
substance abuse.
Authors’ individual
editorials do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of The
Tartan staff members or
Radford University.
all backgrounds.” The CDI
focuses on the underrepresented
communities on campus, such
as African-American, Asian-
American, Latino, and Native
American students.
More information on events
for Diversity and Inclusion can
be found on the CDI’s Facebook
page. 
Culture
6 | The Tartan Dylan Lepore, Editor-in-Chief // dlepore1@radford.edu // Culture

Arts and Entertainment in Radford

A Movie Review

Hustlers
Destiny, the rookie of
B y T aylo r P o f f ‘23 the dancing crew, is taken
tpoff6@radford.edu under the wing of the one and
only Jennifer Lopez, who plays
to connect with her and her The women don’t actresses throughout the film,
challenges in life. necessarily see their actions such as Cardi B, Lizzo, Keke
The film takes place in as wrong or immoral. Instead, Palmer, Lili Reinhart, and
the economic recession of they believe their actions are more.

H
ustlers is a movie that
promises a lot with its
creative premise and
all-star cast but ultimately
falls short in a key area.
Based on a true
story, Hustlers follows the
story of Destiny, played
by Constance Wu, who tells the
story of her life as a stripper, or
rather, as the girls in the film
call it, a “dancer.”
Many would assume
that with this kind of
cast, the movie would
be out of this world,
as the leading dancer, Ramona.
Ramona is the fireball of
the bunch and the ring leader
in all of the “hustling.” She is
sassy, intimidating, and plays
by her own rules. However, she
also gives off a maternal vibe
by always caring for those most
important to her.
Destiny’s primary
motivation behind her career
is to support her grandmother
at first, but throughout the
film, she develops a sense of
confidence and takes a liking
to what she does.
2008 when money has become
scarce. The crew of dancers
joins together to find a way to
earn money in a broken society.
Ramona comes up with
an idea to hustle the men of
wall street by creating a drug
concoction that keeps them
sober enough to sign their
name but drunk enough that
they don’t remember anything,
in which they then robbed the
men of all of their money and
dignity.  with the girls.
The women can keep the
“hustling” on the down-low
justified because the men
they are targeting are cons
and could even be classified as
hustlers themselves; therefore,
the women feel that they get
what they deserve.
The film captures the
rush of the women who
break the law, use men, and
make money. The film has a
significant theme of female
empowerment, making it an
excellent film to go and see
Another outlying theme
throughout the movie is always
Many would assume that
with this kind of cast, the
movie would be out of this
world, but it fell short of my
expectations.
The plot is not very present
throughout the movie, and
when it is, it is very cliche and
repetitive.
Obviously, with the movie
revolving around stripping and
the lives of strippers, there is a
great deal of nudity throughout
the film. Drinking, smoking,
and doing drugs all frequently
appear as well.

Courtesy of Hustlers the Movie

Her character is very likable because they know their clients standing by those you love, no
but it fell short of my and relatable. The majority of would not admit to a night at a matter the consequences. Overall: 7/10
expectations. the audience should be able strip club. There are tons of iconic

An Event Review

Haunted Graham Mansion
B y M a d i s o n M i l l e r ‘21
mmiller190@radford.edu
drinks to keep you toasty while different and unique characters
you wait. that you do not see in other
The line was very long haunted houses. 
when I went, having to wait in One of my favorite parts

H
aunted houses, spooky
things, candy, and all
things scary; that is
what Halloween is all about.
There are so many haunted
houses in our area, but there is
one that stands out the most.
About 30 minutes from
Radford, in Max Meadows,
there is a haunted house
called Haunted Graham
Mansion. The mansion consists
of eight haunts in one.
In the haunt, you go
through several attractions,
including the mansion,
graveyard, clown bus, bloody
barn, and more; however, I
don’t want to say too much and
spoil it.  is a plus not having to walk
If you don’t want to wait in
line for about 45 minutes, but it
went by quick since there were
actors and music to keep us
entertained while we waited.
The haunt itself takes about
30 minutes to get through, so,
plan for about 2 hours or so, for
the trip and the haunt itself.
After going through the
haunt, you can rate your
favorite part and your favorite
character in the gift shop at
the end. The gift shop also
has food and t-shirts, even a
professional photographer to
take your picture and post on
Facebook.
The parking is very close
to the haunted house, so this
very far in the cold. Parking is
makes you feel like you are
underground in this smoke
tunnel.
It does feel haunted when
you are in the mansion; it has
a very eerie and cold feeling
like you can feel a ghostly
presence. 
My number one favorite
part of this haunt is the
graveyard; it is so creepy and
realistic; you must see it to
believe it.
I have been going to this
haunted house for as long as
I can remember. The owners
of the haunt change it every
year to entice people who
have come before to come
back again. This year was the
scariest by far because they
Courtesy of Robert Zunikoff on Unsplash

line, there’s a fast pass option
that lets you jump to the front
of the line for $30. Otherwise,
all the attractions are only $20,
and there are food and warm
$5, and they only take cash for
the parking; however, it’s good
to note that this haunt is not
handicap accessible.
The haunt has a lot of
added more actors and new
props to make it more realistic.
Overall: 10/10
Sometimes you gotta smile!
 www.rutartan.com Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | 7
A Book Review

Under the Trestle: The 1980 Disappearance of Gina

Renee Hall & Virginia’s First “No Body” Murder Trial
It was documented that
B y S a r a h S t e f f e y ‘20 she left the night club and
ssteffey3@radford.edu rode with Epperly in her car
to an empty cabin at Claytor
Epperly was charged currently living in Radford who worked on the case and
with first-degree murder and does not know much about the referenced an audio recording
sentenced to life in prison. case. It helps bring in a whole of the trial.
He remains in prison today new audience to the case. With all of the evidence and

I
t was 39 years ago when Lake. Hall’s car was found the
the town of Radford was next day on Hazel Hollow Road
turned upside down in an near the railroad trestle going
attempt to locate Gina Hall. over the New River - only four
Hall was a freshman at Radford miles from Radford University
University who was murdered campus.
by Stephen Epperly in 1980.  Many searches were
This case is such a huge part performed in the New River
of Radford’s history, so Ron under the trestle. People
Peterson, Jr. decided to write assumed that Epperly crossed
a book about it, entitled Under the trestle and threw the body
The Trestle, which released in into the river.  for other no-body convictions
2018. Searches were also
The book starts by performed on the banks of the
describing Hall’s life and river and in the surrounding
personality. It then moves on woods where a lot of Hall’s
to describing Epperly.  clothing items and other
The night that Hall was evidence were found.
murdered is explained in great Everybody in Radford was
detail. Others last saw Hall at searching for Hall everywhere
a night club in Blacksburg, they went. Hall’s body was
which she went to alone.  never found.
and has been turned down
for parole nine times, most
recently in June 2018.
This case goes down in
history as Virginia’s first
murder trial that resulted
in a convicted without a
confession, despite there being
nobody to prove a murder
happened.  bones.
This helped pave the way
in the state. This was possible
because of the amount of
evidence that pointed towards
Epperly, even though DNA
technology did not exist at
that time.
This book could not have
come at a better time.  referenced every single detail
Since the case occurred
in 1980, the new generation
This could help recover Hall’s
remains by having more people
aware of their surroundings
and on the look-out for any
leads.
There have been several
false alarms in the past, but
most of them turned out to be
animal bones instead of human
There are several theories
as to where Hall’s remains
may be. Some of these include
Radford University’s Dedmon
Center, Saint Albans Mental
Hospital, and along the banks
of the New River.
Peterson was extremely
thorough in his writing. He
there is in a murder case. He
interviewed several people
details gathered in this case,
Peterson did a fantastic job of
organizing the information to
keep it from getting confusing.
This is a very interesting
read, especially since it
references several places
throughout Radford that
students are around every
single day. If you live in
Radford or if you are interested
in criminal cases, this is a
must-read.
There will be a panel in
Bondurant Auditorium Oct. 28
from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. The author
will be there as well as the
prosecutor, defense attorneys,
and lead investigator of the
case.
Overall: 10/10

A Movie Review

Ad Astra the Moon and one on Mars.

By Garrett Ludwig Each base was divided and split His calmness during
gludwig@radford.edu
evenly between all countries life-threatening
of Earth, with each country situations perfectly

A
d Astra is a perfect
example of Sci-Fi done
right.
I went into Ad
Astra relatively blind, only
knowing that it can be summed
up as “Brad Pitt in space”.
However, it was more than
that, and I was impressed.  which is still impressive for a
Ad Astra is one of the
best Sci-Fi movies ever made,
and it’s for its three best
qualities: its screenplay, its
special effects, and its actors’
performances.
The world of Ad Astra is full
of cool futuristic, yet plausible
ideas. One that I loved was
its commercial space travel.
It feels so believable because
Photo Courtesy of The Glass Castle book
having a section for mining.
It’s another cool and plausible
idea that explores what would
happen if we were to colonize
such places.  Brad Pitt’s character becomes
The special effects for Ad
Astra were just below the
quality of, say, Interstellar,
film that had $65 million less
than it in its budget. The film
works around this constraint
by sparingly, but effectively,
using special effects, and
using more physical props and
scenes to nail the atmosphere.
This also means that when the
special effects are used, they
can look up to snuff with such
Sci-Fi giants as Interstellar.  deserves oscar-nominations,
captures the film’s
character.
going into too much detail,
a popular astronaut for having
a 70bpm heartbeat during a
space repair gone wrong. 
While people may say
his character was boring and
monotone, I think he played the
character just how the director
wanted him to. However, I feel
like some of the plot elements
could’ve been explained better. 
Ad Astra checks almost
all my boxes when it comes
to Sci-Fi films. Its screenplay,
special effects, and acting each

companies now are already Lastly, Brad Pitt’s acting at least. I give, “Brad Pitt in
trying to monetize the space was phenomenal. His calmness Space,” uh I mean, Ad Astra, a
Courtesy of Ad Astra the Movie

race. during life-threatening glowing recommendation. 

The film was also set on situations perfectly captures
two planetary bases; one on the film’s character. Without Overall: 9.5/10
The tea
8 | The Tartan Jeremy Moser, Copy Editor // jmoser9@radford.edu // The Tea

Editorials and Opinions

Quote of the week
“Greatness is a road leading towards the
unknown.”- Charles de Gaulle

RU Ready for
OPEN
POSITIONS
The Tartan is looking for
dedicated, fast-learning, and

Halloween, or
self-suffient student who can
set their own standars or goals
for what they would like to
contritbute to the Tartan.

• Managing Editor
• Culture Editor

Is It Just for
• Page Designer
• News Editor
• Tea Editor
• Staff Photographers

Interested?
For more information head to
Tyler Hall Room 025

Children
Monday - Friday
10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash

tartan@radford.edu

RU Aware ...
Men are 6 times more likely
to be struck by lightning than
women.
that I am here in college, I can
B y J a s m i n e S i n g l e ta ry ’21
make my own decision, so I don’t
jsingletary3@radford.edu
know how to [get] ready. I know
I need a costume, so I’m going
frenzy on what to do during the and at the end, seeing
spooky season here are a few how many you made it
cool things to do through.
• Dress up and hang out • Set up a projector and

Looking for
Tartan Archives?
Rediscover the history of the
Tartan through exploring all the
way back to 1910, when it was
initially called the Grapurchat
to when it was rebranded as the
Tartan in 1979.
Go to rutartan.com and select
the “More” tab to find those
archives.
Do old newspapers bore you?
Check out our new photo
gallery on Flicker by selecting
the “photo” tab to wander
our photos taken by our
exceptionally phenomenal
photographers.
W
hen we were seven,
Halloween used to be
about dressing up and
going door to door to ask for
candy from strangers. As college
students, we still dress up, but
for what?
Since Hallow’s Eve is two
weeks away, The Tartan decided
to ask a few students about their
experiences with Halloween
and what their plans are for the
holiday.
For some students,
Halloween is all about the
parties.
Senior Eric Hunter said, “I
usually try to figure out what I’m
going to dress up as first, and it
has to be better than what I was
last year. Then I decide if I’m
going to throw a party or if there
are already house parties.”
Since many students have
childhood experiences with
dressing up, many students
put a lot of thought into
their costumes. However, not
to start with that and figure the with friends. watch the scariest movie
rest out as I go.” • Start by finding a you can find.
Radford’s Halloween isn’t pumpkin patch, carve a Even though Halloween
only about parties; many scary face. itself is only one day, that
students take Halloween as an • Go to a haunted doesn’t mean you can’t
opportunity to spend time with house and see if you can celebrate it all October long.
friends. survive what lurks in the These events usually start at the
Junior Zach Beasley night. end of September and end the
said, “When I was home for • Take a chance going to second week of November. There
Halloween, my family used to an amusement park, is plenty of time to get into the
go buy big blow-up decorations running through all the spooky Halloween spirit.
for our yard and put up lights mazes they have set up,
all over our house, we were the
brightest house on the block
at night. We did the normal
“I don’t do
stuff like dress up and hand out
candy. Now that I’m in college, I
anything for
just get a mask and walk around
Dark Side with my friends.”
Halloween. I
While plenty of people love
to do something for Halloween,
thought it was
some people feel they’ve
outgrown the holiday entirely. 
a children’s
Isiah Newman, a graduate
student, said, “I don’t do
holiday. They
anything for Halloween. I
thought it was a children’s
go around
holiday. They go around getting getting candy;
Photo by Saksham Gangwar on Unsplash

everyone celebrated the holiday candy; I stopped that a long time

as a child. 
Freshman Kyra Strokes said,
ago.”
Every college student does
I stopped that
“I always have mixed feelings
about celebrating holidays.
completely different things for
Halloween; it may depend on
a long time
Because of my parent’s religion,
we didn’t celebrate them. Now,
your point-of-view or how you
grew up. If you still are in a
ago.”
www.rutartan.com Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | 9

Culture
Comics
Presents:
The Tartan
it's a little bit of
EVERYTHING
Honey
Buns
By Sierra Bradley‘21
sbradley19@radford.edu
Sports
10 | The Tartan
WRITE FOR US!
RU an established, or
fledgling journalist? Or
maybe you just love to
write, and this might be
your first time showcas-
ing your hidden talent?
Want to bring your opin-
ions and unique views
to the masses? Love the
idea of reporting on and
off campus news, voicing
your opinion on topics
ranging from movies,
laws, and on the many
fun, and sometime’s un-
usual, attractions going
on around campus? Then
give Radford Universi-
ty’s Student-run News-
paper a shout and email
the Editor-In-Chief!
Tic-Tac-Toe
The RU Funnies
Why don’t skeletons like parties?
Because they have no body to dance
with.
---
Why are graveyards noisy?
Because of all the coffin!
---
What did one ocean say to the other
ocean?
Nothing, they just waved.
---
A man walks into a bar holding a piece
of asphalt.
The man says, “A beer please, and one
for the road!”
---
Did you hear the one about the magic
tractor?
It was driving down the road when it
suddenly turned into a field!
---
Whats the derivative of Amazon?
Amazon Prime!
---
What do you get when you combine a
rhetorical question and a joke?
Tennis Comes To ITA All-American Championships
B y L u c a s C a r r ‘20
lcarr15@radford.edu
T
he Radford Men’s
tennis duo of Yevhen
Sirous and Rodrigo
Magalhaes traveled to Tulsa
Oklahoma last week to uproot a
top-20 doubles team at the ITA
All-American Championships.
This duo was the first men’s duo
to represent Radford University
in this series of tournaments.
The main draw for the
doubles teams consisted of 32
different schools from across the
country. The two Highlanders
were drawn to face the Florida
Gators double team. The Gators
were ranked as the fourth
doubles team in the country.
In a tightly contested match,
the final score was 7-5, 7-5 on
Wednesday.
The Highlanders
battled extremely
hard and inevitably
made history with
their first-ever
appearance at the
ITA All-American
Championships.
Going into the
championship,
the Highlanders
were ranked 9th
in the ITA Atlantic
Regional Rankings.
Men’s Soccer Fall to Presbyterian
B y L i lly D e m a s t u s ‘22
ldemastus@radford.edu
H
ighlanders men’s soccer
lost to Presbyterian
in South Carolina
Wednesday, Oct. 9. There was
only one goal scored in the
Zach Potter, Sports Editor // zpotter2@radford.edu // Sports
The teams traded wins
back and forth making for a
very competitive open to the
tournament. However, Sirous
and Magalhaes lost in the final
game forcing them to participate
in the consolation bracket the
following day.
Thursday turned out to be
a short one for the Highlanders
because their opponent, the
Texas A&M Aggies, withdrew
from the consolation bracket,
leaving them a default contender
in the quarter-finals.
Due to weather conditions,
Friday’s matchup was moved
indoors. Sirous and Magalhaes
were to face the 16th ranked
California Golden Bears.
The extra day of preparation
proved to be lucrative for the
Highlanders. The first game
ended in a 5-5 score. The Bears
proved to not be pushovers
by any means as they took
the second game after the
Highlanders won two games in
game, in the 66th minute, and
Radford could not match it.
Radford took 12 shots while
Presbyterian only took seven.
This lead shows the Highlanders’
intensity, but it did not turn out
in their favor.  the goal. Redshirt senior, Victor
Radford also had possession
of the ball throughout most
a row.
The Highlanders came out
on top in the final game of the
last set. They sent California
packing with a final score of
7-5, 4-6, 1-0(8). The Highlanders
advanced to the semi-finals
set for Saturday. They found
themselves against yet another
SEC opponent, the Georgia
Bulldogs.
The Highlanders started
strong against the Bulldogs,
going up 3-1 in the first set.
However, Georgia won three
straight games, winning the first
set 6-4. Magalhaes and Sirous
battled hard in the second set
but were unable to mount a
significant enough comeback
to beat the Bulldogs. That loss
ended their tournament run
with a short 6-2 second set.
The Highlanders battled
extremely hard and inevitably
made history with their first-
ever appearance at the ITA
All-American Championships.
of the game. They had a few
chances to make the shot by to
the disappointment of the team,
no goals went in.  goal slip through.
Freshman, Octavio Ocampo
had two shots and one shot on
Valls also added two shots
on goal. Junior Pape Oumar
Photo Courtesy of Radford Athletics
Going into the championship,
the Highlanders were ranked
9th in the ITA Atlantic Regional
Rankings.
To earn an automatic
invitation to the
Championships, the doubles
ITA
team can be a returning
champion or an ITA National
Summer Championships
champion.
Sirous and Magalhaes are
returning Big South Conference
Champions from the 2018-2019
season. In 2018-2019 they held
the team-best record, 13-8. The
duo also won 10 straight doubles
matches last season spanning
from early February to late
March. They took their ninth
returning ranking and turned it
into a historic run in the ITA All-
American Championships.
The Highlanders will take a
few days off after the tournament
but will compete next in the
ITA Regionals Championship in
Charlottesville from Oct. 17 - 22.
Gueye had a shot on the goal as
well. Freshman Joseba Incera had
one save, but unfortunately let a
 
Radford also had nine fouls,
one corner and two offsides. The
Highlanders had four shots in
the last 24 minutes. 
www.rutartan.com Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | 11

Answers to last
week’s Sudoku puzzle
12 | The Tartan Denae Rauls, SMADs Manager // smads@radford.edu // Advertisements

$60.00 $60.00 

Sessions Available
October 25, 2019-December 8, 2019
Fridays to Sundays ONLY
10:00am-6:15pm
RESERVE A SESSION NOW: Visit Tyler Hall 025 to RSVP