ROANOKE COLLEGE

All of us continue to feel the effects of the war between Russia and Ukraine, but for people who are from eastern Europe or have loved ones overseas, it’s an even greater impact.

The dozen signees have an average GPA of 3.7.

As college graduates walk across the stage, a promising job market is waiting for them.

Dr. Alice Kassens, Economics Professor at Roanoke College, says many factors are to blame for inflation and there is no clear end in sight, especially if you’re expected pre-pandemic prices.

The Maroons are heading to the tournament for the first time since 2013.

Two semifinal games were played Saturday afternoon in Lexington. In the first matchup, No. 1 seed Washington & Lee faced off against No. 5 Hampden-Sydney. The Generals tied the game up 7-7 with 30 seconds in regulation to force overtime, and Bobby Clagett scored the golden goal.

Here's a look at some of the stories we'll be following today as they make headlines in Southwest Virginia.

Lynchburg defeated Randolph-Macon via a walk-off home run in an elimination game prior to losing to Roanoke.

The annual Special Olympics "Little Feet Meet' brings together athletes of all abilities to celebrate inclusiveness, the joy of movement, and the thrill of competition.

The Terriers had 17 athletes put pen to paper during their spring signing day on Wednesday.

Commonwealth legislators will decide in early April if they will eliminate the gas tax temporarily to help Virginians save money.

Roanoke College Board of Trustees named Dr. Frank Shushok as the 12th president of Roanoke College.

A compost-on-wheels is making its way around the Roanoke Valley to educate generations about sustainability.

The partisan divide remains strong in Virginia, according to a new poll from Roanoke College.

The Maroons gained confidence from closing out the regular season with a road win over Bridgewater.

A first of its kind event coming to Roanoke will honor pioneers and icons of the LGBTQ+ community.

Michael C. Maxey, president of Roanoke College, was elected chair of the Board of Directors of The Council of Independent Colleges this Monday.

The Maroons pick up two falls, two tech falls and three decisions in the 34-15 win over the Knights.

Former Northside standout Kasey Draper led all scorers with 24 points.

The Maroons scored 50 points in the paint leading to a 62 percent shooting performance.

Senior forward Gus Wise scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Generals to their third straight victory.

As the Commonwealth and the nation see COVID-19 cases at record-high levels, Roanoke College is taking steps to prevent the spread.

The Maroons rallied to down the Scots 59-51.

A Roanoke College professor is moving on to the next round of “Jeopardy!”

The Maroons used a 20-8 run that spanned from the first quarter into the second quarter to pull away for the 78-55 victory.

The Maroons defeated the Fighting Squirrels 74-37 behind 46 percent shooting from the field.

The holiday hustle has Virginians spending more money this holiday season and doing so online.

Helping students express their true selves, that’s the mission of Roanoke College’s “Out of the Closet” project. It's a service on campus which offers LGBTQ+ students the opportunity to privately receive free clothes.

The Maroons had 3 placements in its inaugural event.

The Salem community is coming together to remember a fallen sailor.

Maxey has served as president since 2007.

The Salem community is mourning the loss of one of its own. Air Crewman 2nd Class Jim Buriak was one of the five Navy Sailors killed in a helicopter crash last week.

On Friday the pieces of the Roanoke College Habitat home moved from campus to the actual home site in Roanoke.

Several Habitat projects are underway across the Roanoke Valley, including an annual tradition that brings together Habitat, Roanoke College and the community.

A familiar face to the Roanoke Valley wrestling scene, Nate Yetzer has been hard at work on "The Build"-- the new wrestling program at Roanoke College that will debut this fall.

November is around the corner and soon enough it'll be time to roll out the mats to start the manual labor for "The Build".

With the fall semester around the corner for Virginia college students, you can add Roanoke College to the list of schools requiring masks.

There seems to be more confusion than clarity on Virginia college vaccination plans.

No. 2 Lynchburg No. 7 Washington & Lee in two games Saturday, while No. 3 Roanoke College was upset by #6 Bridgewater.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke College is deciding on whether to have a virtual or in-person commencement for the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 graduates. Ralph Northam’s executive order, which only allows for 25 people at college or university events, will make it impossible to safely hold in-person commencement ceremonies and Senior Week activities. College and university commencement ceremonies are not grouped with sports and entertainment venues in the current COVID-19 restrictions. Northam relaxes COVID-19 restrictions, officials said that in-person commencement ceremonies will be held at the Salem Football Stadium. Roanoke College will have live online video coverage of the ceremony for those who aren’t able to attend.

ROANOKE, Va. – In the wake of the 2021 elections, Roanoke College conducted a poll to take a closer look at people’s views on recent issues. From Feb. 14 to Feb. 27, The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College interviewed 596 Virginians. The organization used random-digit landline numbers in proportion to Virginia’s population to make sure that everyone had a chance to be included and bought cell phone samples from Marketing Systems Group. According to the organization, 61% of the completed interviews were done over a cell phone. Below is a highlight of what the poll revealed:Impeachment50% of people who responded believed that Trump’s actions were impeachable offenses, 33% thought they were wrong but not impeachable and 13% believed he didn’t do anything wrong50% thought he should have been convicted by the Senate while 44% thought he should not have beenCapitol riots and last summer’s social justice protests53% saw the protestors as mostly violent; 84% viewed capitol rioters as criminals68% said the anger that led to the protests was not justified at allIn reference to last summer’s social justice protests, 35% viewed them as fully justified, 37% viewed them as partially justified and 91% viewed the looting and destruction associated with those protests as not at all justifiedCovid vaccine and governmental response18% of participants reported that they have already been vaccinated; 54% said they plan to get vaccinated while 23% said they don’t46% said they thought state government officials have helped slow the spread of the virus while 46% said they thought that the federal government hasn’t done enoughTo learn more about the poll results, click here.

SALEM, Va. – For the first time this season, the Roanoke College women’s basketball team defended her home floor in the Cregger Center. After defeating Emory & Henry back on January 24 in a non-conference matchup, the Maroons looked to pick up an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) win on Thursday night. How it Happened:Renee Alquiza hit a three-pointer on Roanoke’s first possession to give the Maroons the early lead. Emory & Henry would answer with a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the contest, 8-7, with 4:30 to play in the opening period. Leading 34-30, Roanoke would end the half on a 7-0 run thanks to another Alquiza three-pointer and baskets by Hopson and Jayla Faison.

ROANOKE, Va. – Allowing undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition was a big step, but two new bills could bridge the funding gap to get closer to that cap and gown. As a former George Mason University college student, offering state financial aid to undocumented students is an opportunity he wishes he had. “We’ve already invested so much money in these students, it doesn’t make sense to cut their wings right when they are about to fly,” she said. Though the suggested legislation could encourage more undocumented residents to enroll in college, it is unlikely that the rise in students would mean less state funding is available. Besides, only two percent of the nation’s college student population are undocumented, according to a 2020 report.

Salem, Va. – The Roanoke College men’s basketball team honored lone senior Max Menzel on senior night. The Maroons rushed out to a 9 point lead midway through the first half, but Ferrum rallied to take a 1-point edge at halftime. A back and forth second half ended with a Roanoke bucket by Kasey Draper with 2.4 seconds left for a Maroons win 49-48. Draper led the way with a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards. Roanoke College moves to 2-1, 2-0 in ODAC play.

ROANOKE, Va. – After losing its season opener to Greensboro on Wednesday, the Roanoke College Maroons opened up ODAC play with much more intensity, leading to a 66-55 win over Hampden-Sydney. The Maroons, who were picked 4th as preseason favorites, welcomed the return of former Northside Viking Kasey Draper who made his season debut--tallying 16 points and 10 rebounds. At the Hive in Lynchburg, the women opened up ODAC play with Bridgewater. On the road, the Ferrum women also came up short to Randolph-Macon. The Yellow Jackets saw 4 players notch double-digit scoring performances including Cheridan Hatfield who lead with 16 points and Aimee Debell who added 15 points and 19 rebounds.

SALEM, Va. – The Maroons were missing the dynamic duo of former Northside standouts Kasey Draper and Nick Price for its season opener against Greensboro College. But it gave others on the roster a chance to step up and for much of the night they did. Tripp Greene opened the game scoring 2 of the Maroons first 3 buckets, finishing the game with 11 points. It proved to be a back-and-forth affair in the first half that led to a 1 point halftime lead for The Pride. A layup from Trent Dawson gave Roanoke a 51-50 lead but Greensboro hit clutch shots down the stretch, securing a 67-61 win.

SALEM, Va. – The Roanoke College men’s basketball team is taking everything in stride, including an offseason where the players were essentially alone. Wherever we were, we were always trying to keep in touch and keep that team chemistry going,” junior guard Tripp Greene said. “We don’t always know what’s going to happen week to week, so we’ve got to be prepared to adapt and adjust when need be. When we practice, we practice for the best and 100%,” junior Nick Price added. “We’re just prepared for everything that comes at us so we just have to adjust going straight into the hardest part of the season.”The Maroons begin play on Jan. 23 against Hampton-Sydney.

SALEM, Va. – It’s going to be a bit longer before college students return to Salem. Roanoke College announced Monday that the Spring 2021 semester will now begin on Feb. 8, rather than Jan. 19. This change is delaying the semester by 20 days. The length of the semester will remain unchanged, so the final week of classes will now start on May 17, with the Class of 2021 commencement ceremony on May 29. Click here to see the revised Spring 2021 semester calendar.

SALEM, Va. – Change is coming to Roanoke College as the result of a Title IX investigation. On Tuesday, the college announced that both Dean of Students Bian Chisom and interim head baseball coach Cam Cassady are no longer with the school. Chisom has resigned, while Cassady is simply no longer with Roanoke College. Roanoke College leaders announced earlier this year they would open an investigation into concerns alleging misconduct by the school’s former Title IX Coordinator. While the report stated that Roanoke College’s Title IX written policy itself meets legal standards, aspects of its implementation did not meet the College’s expectations or standards for the treatment of its students.

SALEM, Va. – Leaders at Roanoke College shared an update Wednesday regarding the school’s Title IX investigation. In a letter to the Roanoke College community, president Michael Maxey said the independent third-party investigator, Karen Michael Esq., submitted the final investigative report last week. Roanoke College leaders announced earlier this year they would open an investigation into concerns alleging conduct by the school’s former Title IX Coordinator. Maxey said Michael, who has no prior affiliation with Roanoke College, interviewed roughly 80 witnesses. Michael shared the report with Roanoke College’s executive committee of the Board of Trustees, including the chairman of the Board.