VCU announces move to A-10
Virginia Commonwealth University announced today it will join the Atlantic 10 Conference effective July 1.
VCU examined several options, including remaining in its current conference home, the Colonial Athletic Association, and multiple factors led to the decision to leave the CAA and begin competing in the 21-sport league that is considered one of the best conferences in the country. Read more
#25 UVa. rallies with three in the ninth to top VCU
Derek Fisher (Fr., Rexmont, Pa.) cranked a long two-run home run with one out in the ninth inning to break a 5-5 tie and lift the No. 25 Virginia baseball team to a 7-5 win at VCU Wednesday night at The Diamond in Richmond, Va. UVa trailed 5-4 heading into the ninth but tied the game on a Stephen Bruno (Jr., Audubon, N.J.) double just before Fisher’s heroics.
The win also was the 400th in the coaching career of Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor. He needed just nine seasons to reach the 400-win plateau and now holds a career record of 400-144-2. Read more
Buzzer-beater lifts Mason over VCU, 62-61
Redshirt sophomore Sherrod Wright sank a three-pointer as the final horn sounded on Wednesday evening at the Patriot Center, sending the George Mason men’s basketball team past visiting VCU, 62-61, in a battle to stay atop the Colonial Athletic Association standings.
The Patriots rallied from a five-point deficit inside of 30 seconds to pick up the win, improving to 22-6 and 14-2 in CAA play. VCU (22-6, 13-3), meanwhile, saw the nation’s seventh-longest active win streak come to an end at 11 games. Read more
VCU pulls away from JMU, 65-45
VCU limited James Madison to four points in the final 12 minutes of the game, pulling away from a 42-41 lead to record a 65-45 victory in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Thursday evening at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
VCU improved to 12-5 overall and 3-2 in the CAA while JMU dropped its fourth straight league contest to fall to 8-8 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
Reserve guard Treveon Graham led all players with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting for VCU. Bradford Burgess had a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards while Juvonte Reddic had a near double-double with nine points and 11 boards, though the duo combined for 4-for-21 shooting from the floor. Darius Theus had 12 points and five boards. Read more
JMU women drop VCU, 64-43
James Madison ran its home winning streak to 17 games with a 64-43 victory over Virginia Commonwealth in Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball team Thursday night at the JMU Convocation Center.
The Dukes improved to 10-3 overall and evened their league record at 1-1, while VCU dropped to 8-5 and 1-1 in CAA play.
VCU, which shot only 24 percent (15-63) from the field, had its lowest-scoring game since a 42-37 loss at Delaware on Feb. 7, 2008.
Three Dukes scored in double figures, led by redshirt junior guard Jasmine Gill (Greensboro, N.C./Page) with 15. Redshirt senior forward Lauren Whitehurst (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) added 11 points along with a team-high seven rebounds, and sophomore guard Kirby Burkholder (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Read more
VCU opens pharmacy-school satellite campus at UVa.
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy will open a satellite location this fall at the University of Virginia Medical Center. It will be the school’s second regional pharmacy education division.
In anticipation of its agreement with U.Va., the School of Pharmacy admitted 10 additional students to its incoming doctor of pharmacy class in 2010 and 2011. Ten students from each of those classes will have the opportunity to spend their third and fourth years at the new U.Va. campus after completing their first two years at VCU’s MCV Campus in Richmond.
“We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with U.Va. and its medical center,” said VCU School of Pharmacy Dean Victor Yanchick. Read more
VCU researchers’ study finds major U.S. newspapers are warming up to Wikipedia
Major newspapers in the United States are referencing Wikipedia more often and framing the online encyclopedia more positively in stories, according to a study by a pair of faculty researchers in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Mass Communications.
In the study, published in the April issue of “Journalism Practice,” researchers analyzed the framing of Wikipedia and its use as a news source by five U.S. national newspapers over an eight-year period. A content analysis of 1,486 Wikipedia references in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The Christian Science Monitor found that Wikipedia is predominantly framed neutrally or positively in stories and that it is increasingly used as a news source.
“The main finding of this study is the notion that journalists do not use Wikipedia is debunked,” said Marcus Messner, Ph.D., assistant professor of mass communications. “Wikipedia is used by journalists in news stories on a regular basis and it is not considered a negative.”
The researchers said their study found the journalists’ acceptance and use of Wikipedia developed over time.
“Early stories debunked Wikipedia, throwing cold water on Wikipedia as an accurate source of information. And in 2004 and 2005, a number of media reported on Wikipedia hoaxes,” said Jeff South, associate professor of mass communications. “But over time, negative references faded into the background and the number of references sourcing Wikipedia became more prominent.”
The researchers said by framing Wikipedia as credible and accurate, the newspapers help legitimize the use of the online encyclopedia. By allowing Wikipedia to influence their news agendas as a source, the newspapers confirm the growing reliability of Wikipedia.
