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His post-season efforts on last year's team were instrumental in furthering their successes as he produced a game-winning hit in the first round of the ODAC tournament vs. Hampden-Sydney College, was selected to the All-Tournament team and continued remarkable play throughout the regional tournament. "Snapp was an inspiration to everyone that stepped onto the field with him because he made everyone more excited to be there no matter what the circumstance," said junior teammate Adam Hamilton. "We love him and he'll always be in our hearts."
Snapp leaves behind parents Patricia and Ronald and a brother, Adam, all of whom would have helped to celebrate his 20th birthday this past Sunday, where instead thousands gathered for the viewing at the Peninsula Funeral Home. Senior teammate Mike Supa, and the rest of the team were part of the crowd that gathered to pay respects to the Snapp family.
"Snapp was more than just a teammate and a friend to us, he was a brother," said Supa. "There are no words to express how much he meant to us and how much he will be missed." Closing remarks at Monday's funeral left a tear-stained congregation with the quote of a lifetime; one that was inscribed under the brim of Snapp's worn-in Wesleyan baseball cap. It asked, "What is love?" And answered, "Playing every game like it is your last."
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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Security Officer Moses Alston rests between ID checks in the Deford Gate House. |
Virginia Wesleyan is a growing community that is supported by campus security 24 hours a day. Because the safety and well-being of the students, faculty and staff are a priority, the security department is constantly striving to provide the most effective protection methods to the college community.
In light of this, security at DeFord Gate House has begun checking for student IDs from every person entering campus. This new precautionary measure may have been a surprise for resident students who weren't aware of the stepped-up security. There has always been a policy for checking the car decals of anyone entering campus, but recently security has been performing more thorough screens by checking that each occupant of each vehicle has a student ID card in their possession.
By checking ID cards at the gate, Security makes certain that everyone who comes onto campus has a legitimate reason to be there, while at the same time cutting down the potential of vandalism and crime. Though in theory this makes sense, the newly enforced policy does have its critics. "Why did I pay $25 for a decal if they're just going to check my ID every time I come through the gate?" said junior Cory Johnson. "It doesn't make sense if I leave and come back to have the same security guard checking my ID every time."
Security has also hired new officers this year, and it will take them some time to acclimate themselves to school protocol and policy, not to mention learning the names and faces of the campus community. The screenings were also a precautionary measure for the second anniversary of 9/11. "After 9/11, no one wants to be bothered with this kind of thing," said Director of Security Leo Therrien. "But we want to protect our students and the school's assets."
Because the campus has only one entrance and exit, screening drivers at the gate ensures that security is aware of who is on campus at all times. Security performs regular patrols to keep the campus secure and the students safe from anyone who is not authorized to be on campus. DeAndre Hines has been a security officer at Wesleyan for nine months and has already been involved in sorting out problems with strangers entering campus and causing trouble.
"We found some people who weren't supposed to be on campus that were disturbing some female students," said Hines. In the event of a crime, security needs to be able to determine who is a student and who is not. The screenings should also help prevent vandalism to cars and other, more serious crimes. Security strives to meet the needs of students, whether it be a lockout or a medical emergency and they will continue to do whatever it takes to make Wesleyan a safe campus.
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| Photo by DAWN JOHNSON One of several downed trees that prevented travel to the Village III parking lot. |
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Zizhong John Wang began stacking up on water, snack foods, batteries and flash-lights Monday night at Farm Fresh. "Wal-Mart and Kmart were too busy," said Wang. When the power went out Thursday, students were left with few forms of recreation or entertainment other than to play board games and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
With emergency generators in Village I and III, as well as the Dining Hall, the campus was not in total blackout. In fact, the Dining Hall became the highlight of the day for many students who otherwise would have remained in the dark. The generator in Boyd allowed the dining center to be open for brunch Friday. It kept coolers protected, kitchen supplies in use and the service area lit. "We tried to make it as enjoyable as possible," said Tim Lockett, director of dining services.
The offices of Campus Security, Residence Life and the Physical Plant were also up and running, remaining on duty throughout the storm to assist residents. During the storm, Security had one officer in every Village and in Lake Wright making checks. It wasn't easy work, and while on duty Officer DeAndre Hines and Lieutenant Manny White twisted their ankles on debris. "[They were] putting their lives in danger," said Captain Edward Gregory.
The days following the storm proved to be more troubling than the actual day of the hurricane. The damage that Hurricane Isabel inflicted on Wesleyan came as a shock to many. "It was not the storm itself that was such a problem but the loss of power, television and the phone," said David Buckingham, dean of students. When teachers finally came back to campus, many were amazed at the damage and overwhelmed at the work that had managed to pile up.
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| Photo by KEVIN LASKY The tree that fell on North Hall lies beside the dorm after it was pulled off the building. |
"I found the whole experience baffling," said Classics professor Dr. Lynn Sawlivich. "I felt like so much had happened that we were starting a whole new school year." Around campus power lines were down and trees fell on buildings. On Thursday two trees fell in the Village I breezeway. According to David Hopper at the Physical Plant, 60 percent of Village I's roof blew off. Until a roofer can come to make repairs, plastic bags have been tacked down to prevent rainwater from leaking through.
On the first floor conference hall in Godwin a ceiling tile was knocked down, glass tabletops were broken and the carpet was soaked by rainwater. A second floor window of the Hofheimer Library was also broken as a result of the hurricane. Trees that fell during the storm blocked Smith Drive to Village III, Village I through "A" lot and the drive to the Fine Arts Building. In spite of this damage, Hopper said that the college was "very lucky."
In spite of Wesleyan's structure and high location, the college suffered an estimated $30,000 in damages, according to Bruce Vaughan, director of business operations. He said that the college is "still pulling numbers" for the cost of damage. In addition to the physical damage around the campus, overtime pay and the cost of replacing trees, if the campus decides to do so, need also be taken into consideration. In addition to removing around 50 trees, the physical plant has to keep up with regular maintenance such as mowing the grass around campus.
Hopper foresees that the total cleanup will take a couple months, considering that it is not the only job the maintenance crew will have to contend with. The campus is also responsible for cleanup at the homes of President William T. Greer Jr. and former president Lambuth Clarke. Departments on campus such as Community Service are already showing the will to help, which should take some of the burden off the Physical Plant crew. Power was finally restored to campus the Monday following the storm, and the faculty and staff's arrival on Tuesday, with classes resuming on Thursday, brought some normalcy back to campus.
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| Photo by JANA POPELESKI High winds and driving rains took a toll on trees in the Blocker parking lot circle. |
"[The storm] showed how mature the students are," said Buckingham. "They work well as a team. R.A.s were terrific, Dining Services did a superb job, ground crew worked non-stop [and] security worked 24/7.” When classes resumed on Thursday, students were also ready to help get teachers back on schedule. "I was surprised at how high class attendance was on Thursday,” said Sawlivich. “The eagerness of the students to get back to their education is helping me get back on track as a faculty member." The break from classes will not be left as holes in the fall semester. Dean of the College Stephen Mansfield issued a memo to faculty resolving make-up days for the fall semester. The semester will be extended by three days, with the last day of classes being December 10. Exams will be conducted Thursday and Friday, Dec. 11-12 and Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 15-16. Fall break will still be on Friday Oct. 10.
Hurricane Isabel made landfall in Hampton Roads as a Category 2 storm, but the damage, financial costs and memories that she left behind made much more of an impact on campus. Director of Community Service Diane E. Hotaling sent out a campus-wide email encouraging any student willing to participate in any type of cleanup to contact her for more information at 455-3216.
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