Week of 10/26/15

October 26, 2015

Olsen: Virginia's road to resiliency
(Opinion, Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 24, 2015)
By Paul Olsen
The seas around coastal Virginia have risen at an average of 6 millimeters a year for the past century. For the non-scientist, that equals the width of a smartphone every decade, so this is a manageable problem if we take immediate action.
As a commonwealth and nation of concerned citizens, we must begin to balance our tendency to research this issue with our responsibility to act upon it. To be successful, we must take a "whole of government and community" approach, for the entire commonwealth has a stake in coastal Virginia's ability to learn to live with water and thrive.
Encouraging signs using this approach have begun to emerge at the state and federal level. In Norfolk, for example, Old Dominion University President John R. Broderick established, in 2010, the Climate and Sea Level Rise Initiative, which brings together some of the world's leading experts to find solutions for communities facing flooding and sea-level-rise challenges.
In 2013, the Hampton Roads Intergovernmental Pilot, initiated by the White House and convened through ODU by retired Navy meteorologist and Capt. Ray Toll, launched the nation's first "whole of government and community" pilot project. ...
To use a football analogy, Old Dominion has built the stadium in which a number of key players from across the commonwealth have gathered to get their game on. ...
At the foundation of these efforts is research accomplished at Virginia's public universities, including Old Dominion, VIMS and the College of William and Mary, as well as our federal partners, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While this research is by no means over, it has provided needed information for our federal, commonwealth and local leaders to take action. It is important for these institutions to get involved even more by helping localities, the commonwealth and federal agencies turn theory into practice. ...
Paul Olsen is the director of federal, commonwealth and municipal programs at Old Dominion University, as well as a senior adviser for resiliency for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He previously commanded the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (More)

ODU goes gourmet to attract future Monarchs
(The Virginian-Pilot, October 26, 2015)
A table set for 30 on a shady path near Old Dominion University's library beckoned with china and tall orchid centerpieces.
At one end, students mingled as servers passed ham-wrapped asparagus hors d'oeuvres and shaved duck with a cherry port reduction. At the other, chefs in white coats and tall toques gathered in a makeshift kitchen preparing the first of five courses - shrimp bisque with a brioche croute submerged in each bowl, finished with a shrimp speared on a rosemary sprig.
It looked like a wedding reception, but it wasn't.
The al-fresco farm-to-fork dinner was for student leaders and a few others who answered an email blast from ODU's dining services. It offered just a taste of today's world of campus food service, where the stakes are high and expectations run deep.
Instead of a bland burger at the student union, today's college students dine on roast rack of lamb and sushi. They look for a commitment to recycling and local sourcing. They expect food to be fresh, with choices ranging from low-fat to gluten-free to international fare. They want hours and locations that fit their schedules.
While it might not be the No. 1 recruitment tool, food matters. And not delivering can result in a lackluster appetite for a particular school.
Academics come first, but a close second is quality of life, which includes food service, said Robert Franek, senior vice-president, publisher and author of The Princeton Review's annual college ranking guide.
"Schools take it very seriously," he said.
Franek and his team use student surveys exclusively to rank colleges on 62 measures, from professors to dorm rooms to beer consumption. Two Virginia campuses perennially land on in Princeton's "Best Campus Food" top 20 list and other online reviews. (More)

Relying on the 'Hastert Rule' Damages the Majority Party
(Opinion, The New York Times, October 23, 2015)
By Jesse Richman
To the anger of Freedom Caucus members, Speaker John Boehner, like Kenny Rogers' "Gambler," picked his fights. "Where's the ground that we fight on?" Boehner argued. "Where's the ground that we retreat on? Where are the smart fights? Where are the dumb fights that we have to stay away from?"
Once enough issues are blocked, the party loses support. Moderate voters eventually decide to back a new majority, to get things done.
This led many conservative members to conclude that when Boehner was at the table, he only knew how to "fold 'em."
If reports are accurate, Paul Ryan won over the Freedom Caucus by acceding to their demands to fight every fight, and to block any legislation that was opposed by most Republican members - in other words to strengthen the Hastert rule.
But the rigid application of the Hastert rule can create conditions in which the majority party undermines both its electoral prospects and its policy goals.
My research indicates that the wider the range of legislation the majority party blocks under the Hastert rule, the more likely it is to lose seats, and its majority status. Majority parties also tend to shrink when they bring fewer issues to a roll call vote, and when they block more issues in committee. Similarly, majority parties are at increasing risk of defeat when the policy status quo is biased in their direction, which increases incentives to block potentially popular policy changes. ...
Jesse Richman is an associate professor of political science at Old Dominion University, where he directs the graduate program in international studies. He was an American Political Science Association congressional fellow. (More)

Next Focal Point of China's Stock Market: Earnings-But Can We Trust the Numbers?
(Opinion, The Jamestown Foundation, October 19, 2015)
By: Shaomin Li, Seung Ho Park
Problems with Financial Reporting in China point to a larger underlying issue with its economy: Scatterplot of Return on Assets vs Cash Flow for Chinese and US Firms
The recent stock market turmoil and the economic slowdown in China have kept analysts busy projecting where the economy is going and what the government will do. The Chinese government has also issued a number of reforms of state-owned enterprises and other aspects of the economy. However, these reforms and increased scrutiny by both regulators and investors will be futile unless larger problems with market fundamentals in Chinese companies are addressed.
While the world's attention has been fixed on what the Chinese government is going to do next, there has been a tendency to neglect market fundamentals and to forget about the very reason why people invest (or speculate, more appropriately in this case) in the stock market in the first place: the stocks we buy give us shares of ownership of a company that creates value for the owners by making products or services that people or companies want. And from selling these products/services the company we bought into will generate earnings, which, ultimately, will go to us the investors. This is why the ratio of a stock's price to its earnings, or the P/E ratio, is one of the most important vital statistics of a stock market. At the end of September this year, the average P/E of stock markets worldwide was 17.7, while the P/E of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange was about 39, already substantially down from 69 in June. If the P/E is too high, which is the case of the Chinese stock markets, then people will not buy stocks because of their earnings, but because they think they can sell them with higher prices to the next buyer, which is speculation and creates bubbles in the market. ...
Shaomin Li is Eminent Scholar and Professor of International Business at Old Dominion University Strome College of Business. Seung Ho Park is Parkland Chair Professor of Strategy at China Europe International Business School. (More)

ODU shows student art
(Suffolk News-Herald, October 18, 2015)
A group of Suffolk Public Schools students showed off their talent Thursday at an art show opening held in the Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Higher Education Center near Harbour View.
The off-campus site for ODU's main campus in Norfolk is displaying the artwork of several students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade.
The opening was a low-key event where parents, teachers and students could mingle, said Ellen McClintock, master advisor and enrollment services specialist.
However, the public is invited to view the students' artwork for free, as it will all remain on the walls of the second floor until the end of February.
"I love that ODU provides us the space, because a lot of the people who take classes here would never see something like this otherwise," said Suffolk art teacher Carol Payton. "It provides a very nice opportunity to expose the general public to student artwork."
Art from a variety of mediums can be seen decorating the halls, from a metalwork giraffe and a few feathered ducks to pastel pumpkins and ink drawings.
"It gives him a lot of pride," said Billy Singletary of his fourth-grade son's art. "I think it's a pretty cool way to acknowledge the kids." (More)

Say no to casinos in Virginia
(Editorial, The Virginian-Pilot, October 23, 2015)
PROPONENTS of casino gambling in Hampton Roads frequently point to it as a way to draw visitors, bolster business at local restaurants and hotels and help diversify the region's economy.
But it's hardly the economic boon supporters suggest. Worse, predictions of local and state governments reaping gambling-related revenue ignores clear evidence that the costs - economic and social - would effectively overwhelm any positive effects that gaming would have on municipal budgets.
Old Dominion University's latest State of the Region report included an analysis of the economics of casino gambling in Hampton Roads. Its authors noted that casinos might help increase overall tax revenue, but unless the casino is pulling a significant number of visitors from outside Virginia, local residents would end up spending money at the casino rather than at malls or other attractions.
In that case, a casino's success would come at the expense of other business sectors, making it little more than an economic rearrangement that transfers wealth from one area to another. The nominal increases in overall employment and earnings, furthermore, are undermined by social and governmental costs that are too often ignored in the conversation of whether to permit a casino.
Those costs, as the State of the Region report notes, are difficult to quantify, but crime around and related to the casino, and the potential for a casino to amplify pathological gamblers' antisocial behavior, would undoubtedly impose additional burdens on the criminal justice system, social services and other public agencies. Taxpayers would shoulder those costs, either directly or indirectly. (More)

Local college students research Ghent flood solutions
(WAVY-TV, October 22, 2015)
If you live in or around the Hague in Norfolk, no one has to tell you flooding is a major problem. The water builds up at certain times of the year thanks to storms and the tide.
Local students are trying to find ways to protect people and homes in the area. They met and discussed some potential solutions Thursday night.
Angella Dariah is a Hampton University graduate student from Connecticut. She had never seen tidal flooding until visiting Hampton Roads.
"It's just crazy seeing people canoeing on the street," Dariah said. "It's an eye opener."
Dariah and 15 other college students are part of the Coastal Community Design Collaborative studying flooding in Hampton Roads. The group is made up of Hampton University and Old Dominion University architecture and engineering students. This semester the students are studying ways to mitigate flooding in Ghent, specifically around the Hague. (More)

Chattanooga's Bradham to lead Dalton chamber
(Times Free Press, October 23, 2015)
Improving the workforce, downtown redevelopment and diversification of the economy are among key goals the new Greater Dalton, Ga., Chamber of Commerce chief is interested in tackling.
Rob Bradham, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's vice president of public strategies for the past five years, was named Thursday as president and chief executive of the Dalton business group.
Bradham, 39, said Dalton has "big ideas about the future."
"It's got a great sense of itself," he said. "It's a terrific community." ...
Bradham came to Chattanooga after serving as senior vice president of business development and government affairs for the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce in Virginia.
Before joining the Richmond Chamber, Bradham was vice president and director of governmental affairs for the Organization Management Group, one of Virginia's largest trade association management companies.
He holds a bachelor's degree in history with a minor in political science from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. (More)

G.I. Bill Still Paying Off for Service Members, Veterans
(DiverseEducation.com, October 21, 2015)
When Shannon Travis was stationed at Balad Air Base in Iraq for 14 months, one of her jobs was refueling helicopters. ­The shifts were long, and when there were no helicopters, she and her team had hours of downtime. ­They whittled away the time playing cards, watching TV and just hanging out.
With all that unstructured time, Travis started taking online courses toward the college degree she hoped to one day earn, knocking out prerequisites such as English and biology. "I was the only one [in my unit] taking classes," she laughs. "­They all made fun of me for it."
Travis' stint in Iraq ended in 2008, and after a few major life changes, she is now a staff sergeant in the Army Reserve and a senior at McDaniel College, a private four-year college in rural Maryland. Her husband, Patrick Robbins, who is also a veteran and whom she met while stationed in Germany, graduated from McDaniel in 2015.
When Travis and Robbins returned to the United States in 2010, they joined the Army Reserve and started taking classes at Carroll Community College in Maryland. Travis dreamed of becoming a Foreign Service officer, so she set her sights on transferring to American, George Washington or Georgetown universities, with their renowned international relations programs. ...
The college experience that Travis and Robbins received was made possible with the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which offers service members and their families some of the most comprehensive and generous benefits yet since the original iteration of the GI Bill. Under the Yellow Ribbon Program of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, military members can receive up to $21,084.89 of their tuition and fees at a private college or international school covered annually.
Travis says that she would encourage all veterans or service members eligible for the GI Bill to make use of it, saying, "If they don't use it, they're missing out on so, so much."...
The Post-9/11 GI Bill has been a game changer for many, says Bill Brown, director of the Military Connection Center at Old Dominion University.
"Before the 9/11 GI Bill, it would be kind of daunting to get out of the service and realize, 'My benefits cover only two and half years of school, how am I going to afford this? I'm going to have to work part time, and maybe I'll be able to take one class per semester,'" Brown says. "That drags out the college process a lot longer, and then five or six years later, you haven't been able to achieve the degree." (More)

Coal exports from Virginia taking steep decline
(Washington Times, October 20, 2015)
As global demand cools, coal exports from Virginia continue to decline.
Terminals along the James River in Newport News exported 11.7 million tons of coal through August. That's down from 18.1 million tons in the same period a year ago.
That difference represents a 35 percent decline.
The Daily Press reports that the figures are from the Virginia Maritime Association.
Coal exports are a significant economic component in the region.
An Old Dominion University study estimated that 42 million tons of coal exported through the state's port terminals generates $900 million in goods and services. (More)

Show to vote
(The (Duke) Chronicle, October 21, 2015)
As a democratic republic, nothing is more crucial to our governing bodies (national, state and municipal) than the integrity of our electoral process. For our elected officials to truly be representing us, both the candidates and the voters must play by a fair set of rules each election cycle. Over the past ten years, bipartisan efforts in states across the country (from Democrats in Rhode Island to Republicans here in North Carolina) have focused on protecting the voting process by implementing variations of "Voter ID" laws that require state-approved identification in order to vote. In response to those working to secure our elections, an angry army of partisans, race-baiters and preachy academics has sought to vilify these efforts as vote-fixing and racism. The forces behind voter ID, though, should be commended; recent events demonstrate a need for cleaning fraud out of elections, and voter identification is a simple and effective way to honor the integrity of the ballot. ...
A subset issue of fraudulent voting is ineligible voters, particularly regarding illegal alien and felon voting. From the 2008 and 2010 Cooperative Congressional Election Study surveys, administered by Harvard University, more than 14 percent of illegal aliens admitted that they were registered to vote in U.S. federal elections. In a fascinating peer-reviewed study, two Old Dominion professors utilized the CCES data to extrapolate and project the effect of illegal alien voting on the 2008 and 2010 United States federal elections. The results are profoundly depressing-in 2008, non-citizen voting was likely responsible for President Obama's electoral win here in N.C. and, more importantly, Senator Al Franken's 312-vote victory in Minnesota. (More)

Old Dominion University officials address weekend shootings
(WAVY-TV 10, October 19, 2015)
Police are looking for the people involved in two separate shootings near the Old Dominion University campus.
Four ODU students are recovering from gunshots wounds after being shot near parties over the homecoming weekend. A Navy spokesman confirmed that a fifth person, 26-year-old Keith Lendore, was shot and killed.
Lt. Michael Hatfield told WAVY.com:
Seaman Keith Oliver Lendore, 26 years old, joined the Navy in January of 2014. He reported to USS WHIDBEY ISLAND (LSD 41) in April 2014 and worked as a Deck Department Seaman. He received a letter of commendation from the ship's Captain at the end of his tour of duty. He had been selected to receive training as a Navy Quartermaster and was due to begin classes today. He officially transferred from the ship on Sept. 15.
The first shooting happened Friday night around 11:45 p.m. near the intersection of 37th street and Killam Avenue.
Police say they found Lendore on the ground, shot. He later died at the hospital. Police said two female ODU students were also shot but they are expected to live.
Early Sunday morning, Norfolk police said just before 1 a.m. they went to a house near Hampton Boulevard and 40th Street for a shooting. There they said two male ODU students were shot. Students told WAVY.com they were having a party to celebrate homecoming. Just before the shooting, 200 people were there and the organizers were trying to get people out of the apartment.
Jennifer Roser is a senior ODU student who lives nearby. "I was very scared. It's happened before. It's nothing new, but it doesn't become real until it happens in your own front lawn literally."
According to the Norfolk Police Department's online crime reporting system, since October 1 there have been 16 crimes in a quarter-mile radius of the intersection of 37th Street and Killam Avenue. During the same time period and radius there have been two crimes near the intersection of 40th Street and Hampton Boulevard.
10 On Your Side's Brandi Cummings spoke to ODU Police Chief Rhonda Harris about the crimes. She said the university doubled its patrols over the weekend in preparation for homecoming. Although off campus, the crimes are still of concern. (More)

Next Focal Point of China's Stock Market: Earnings-But Can We Trust the Numbers?
(Jamestown.org, October 19, 2015)
By Shaomin Li and Seung Ho Park
The recent stock market turmoil and the economic slowdown in China have kept analysts busy projecting where the economy is going and what the government will do. The Chinese government has also issued a number of reforms of state-owned enterprises and other aspects of the economy. However, these reforms and increased scrutiny by both regulators and investors will be futile unless larger problems with market fundamentals in Chinese companies are addressed.
While the world's attention has been fixed on what the Chinese government is going to do next, there has been a tendency to neglect market fundamentals and to forget about the very reason why people invest (or speculate, more appropriately in this case) in the stock market in the first place: the stocks we buy give us shares of ownership of a company that creates value for the owners by making products or services that people or companies want. And from selling these products/services the company we bought into will generate earnings, which, ultimately, will go to us the investors. This is why the ratio of a stock's price to its earnings, or the P/E ratio, is one of the most important vital statistics of a stock market. At the end of September this year, the average P/E of stock markets worldwide was 17.7, while the P/E of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange was about 39, already substantially down from 69 in June. If the P/E is too high, which is the case of the Chinese stock markets, then people will not buy stocks because of their earnings, but because they think they can sell them with higher prices to the next buyer, which is speculation and creates bubbles in the market. ... Shaomin Li is Eminent Scholar and Professor of International Business at Old Dominion University Strome College of Business. (More)

October Read of the Month: "Reading Life," by Michael Pearson
(Southern Literary Review, October 1, 2015)
In Reading Life, Michael Pearson paraphrases a famous writer's definition of an essayist as "a self-liberated man with the childish belief that everything he thinks about, every one of his experiences, will be fascinating to others." While that definition is not wholly flattering, it is applicable to Pearson as the author of this collection of autobiographical essays whose foundation is a marriage of elements promised in the subtitle: books, memory, and travel.
Place is the nexus of the collection; each chapter is born of either a specific memory of place or a rich travel experience of Pearson's. The nine essays and three "interludes" that make up this collection each follow an essential formula: having established the geography of an essay, Pearson immerses the reader in the relationship between that particular place, his personal memories, and his reading of various authors and their seminal works. (More)

ASEEES Announces 2015 Prize Winners
(Aseees.org, October 5, 2015)
The Association for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies congratulates the winners of the 2015 ASEEES prizes:
Marshall Shulman Book Prize for an outstanding monograph dealing with the international relations, foreign policy, or foreign-policy decision-making of any of the states of the former Soviet Union or Eastern Europe - Oscar Sanchez-Sibony, Red Globalization: "The Political Economy of the Soviet Cold War from Stalin to Khrushchev" (Cambridge University Press)
Honorable Mention: Austin Jersild, Old Dominion University, "The Sino-Soviet Alliance: An International History" (UNC Press ) (More)