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Mechelle Hankerson [email protected] 757-‐323-‐2773 mechellehankerson.wordpress.com

Journalism Experience________________________________________________ VCU's "The Commonwealth Times" Richmond, Virginia October 2010-‐ present News Editor (May 2011-‐present)

• Edit news stories for print and web • Manage events and news coverage of urban campus • Write and assign professional-‐grade news stories for print • Edit stories according to Associated Press style and ethics guidelines, general grammar and

content Assistant Arts and Culture Editor (October 2010-‐May 2011)

• Manage and advise contributing writers • Oversee general quality of Arts and Culture section of paper • Edit stories according to Associated Press style and ethics guidelines, general grammar and

content VCU Capital News Service Richmond, Virginia January 2012-‐ present

• Report on Virginia General Assembly session for the "Staunton News-‐Leader" out of Staunton, Va.

• Follow and track relevant legislation and issues throughout three-‐month session • Abide by strict deadlines, including daily deadlines • Develop and execute multimedia projects relevant to issues of the General Assembly session

VCU Student Media Center Richmond, Virginia September 2011-‐ December 2011 Lab Assistant

• Edit students' stories for print • Mentor students in journalism writing class • Provide writing and reporting help to students when needed

Education__________________________________________________________ Virginia Commonwealth University June 2010-‐Present Mass Communications: Print Journalism major, Spanish minor Expected graduation date: May 2013 Princess Anne High School September 2006-‐June 2010 International Baccalaureate Diploma, Advanced Diploma

Volunteer Work_____________________________________________________ "The Virginian-‐Pilot" Diversity Workshop July 2009 Norfolk, Virginia

• Selected to participate in high school journalism program at "The Virginian-‐Pilot" • Produced professional-‐grade news stories for print in "The Virginian-‐Pilot" special sections

2/24/12 At Capitol, Tech Silent on Campus Safety Issues | The News Leader | newsleader.com

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6:25 AM, Feb. 6, 2012 |

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RICHMOND – Five years after Virginia Tech made campus safetythe focus of lawmakers across the nation, the school seems to beshying away from the issue during this yearʼs General Assemblysession.

While Virginia Commonwealth University student groups madecampus safety an explicit priority at their “Rams Day on the Hill,”Virginia Tech students participating in “Hokie Day 2012” werehesitant to say the school was focusing on anything except highereducation funding.

Students from both schools visited Capital Square last week topresent their legislative priorities to state lawmakers.VCUʼs Student Government Association provided participatingstudents a list of talking points and bills on topics ranging fromfunding to concealed weapons on campus. Tech provided

participating students with a folder includingan itinerary, two pages of financial figuresand a list of legislators and their phonenumbers.VCUʼs SGA president, Asif Bhavnagri, saidrecent events at campuses across thecountry and specifically at Tech have madestudent safety an important issue for theurban university in Richmond.“The dynamic way our university is laid out, itis important that (campus safety) is notforgotten,” Bhavnagri said.A.J. Palmer, a student senator with the

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Virginia Tech Student Government Association, said Tech hasalways made funding the main focus for Hokie Day.“It has always been about the funding,” said Palmer, who hasattended the event the past three years. “I guess thereʼs thisperception that itʼs OK to cut higher education funding because wecan just raise tuition.”Techʼs state legislative liaison, Elizabeth Hooper, said students arethe driving force behind what issues the university chooses topursue during any legislative session.“We like them to set their own agenda and talk about the things thatare important to them,” Hooper said. “This is really their day.”Tech SGA leaders said students help the association choose whatissues to pursue. Campus security was not an issue brought to theSGA by students, they said.“Thereʼs a lot being done, and students feel like the campuscommunity is really safe because we all depend on each other,”said the Tech SGA speaker of the House, senior Naomi Dam. “Wehave this environment where we all feel like members of the family,willing to reach out and extend our help to each other.”Tech SGA members declined to comment on the omission ofcampus safety issues from Hokie Day.According to Hooper, the Tech administration gives studentsinformation about the General Assembly session but does not pushthe students to pursue any issue.Although it wasnʼt addressed at Hokie Day, Hooper said the schoolopposes bills that would allow concealed weapons on campus, butofficials are “letting the process work itself out.”“We donʼt want to make this about (Tech); this is about all of highereducation being safe,” said Hooper, who was at Tech in 2007 whena student shot and killed 32 people and wounded 25 others beforecommitting suicide.Besides the student government associations at individualuniversities, a statewide advocacy group for college students also isasking the General Assembly to pay attention to higher educationissues.The group, Virginia21, will hold its annual lobby day Feb. 16. Theorganizationʼs concerns include campus safety – and specificallybills that would allow guns on campus.Tom Kramer, director of Virginia21, said the group is focusing onHouse Bill 91, introduced by Republican Delegate Bob Marshall ofManassas. It would allow full-time faculty members at publiccolleges and universities to carry a licensed, concealed weapon.Kramer said Virginia21 opposes the bill and supports the currentprocess, in which each schoolʼs governing body decides campusgun policies.“Nobody in Richmond should be telling local ... colleges how todetermine whatʼs safe and unsafe” on campus, he said.

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Another priority for Virginia21 is funding for higher education. TheGeneral Assembly is crafting a state budget for the next two years.Kramer is pleased by the budget proposed by Gov. Bob McDonnell.It would give public colleges and universities $100 million to helpkeep tuition costs down.“Colleges will be a huge winner in this budget, and students will bea huge winner in this budget, as long as the General Assemblypasses it,” Kramer said.Kramer said Virginia21 plans to present a petition signed by 10,000students supporting McDonnellʼs budget.“The governor is making higher education a lot more important inthe budget than he has in past years,” Kramer said. “Itʼs come at theexpense at many other state services, but ... if we want to have aneducated workforce, we have to make these investments.”

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2/24/12 Both sides agree Castle Doctrine passed too fast | The News Leader | newsleader.com

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Feb. 21, 2012 |

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RICHMOND — People on either side of the gun rights debate inVirginia are looking to combat Monday's Senate passage oflegislation that says it is OK to use deadly force against an intruderin your home if you feel threatened.

The "Castle Doctrine" bill, sponsored by Del. Richard P. "Dickie"Bell, R-Staunton, goes to Gov. Bob McDonnell after passing thestate Senate with a 24-16 vote. It passed the House of Delegates onFeb. 9, with a 70-28 vote.

Both the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun rights group, andgun control supporters at the Virginia Center for Public Safety saidthey'll continue to oppose the bill.

Defense League president Philip Van Cleave said there were toomany changes to the bill without a lot of timeconsidering what those changes wouldmean.

"You might fix one thing and breaksomething else," he said. "You've got to beso careful ... people's lives are on the line."The league decided to stay neutral on thevarious versions of the bill throughout thesession.

Andrew Goddard, president at the VirginiaCenter for Public Safety, echoed Van Cleaveand criticized lawmakers' hasty editing of thebill during the Senate session Monday.

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"It's difficult if you spend a long time on it, it's almost impossible onthe fly," he said.

The defense league is already planning a bill for next year'sGeneral Assembly session to make sure this year's Castle Doctrinelegislation doesn't affect what Van Cleave considers fair andcomplete self-defense laws in the state.

Over the summer, Van Cleave said the organization will draft acomprehensive bill that will attempt to address and codify all self-defense common laws. He said the organization will ask for the helpof lawyers and attorneys to see where there may be potential legalholes.

Van Cleave pointed out that Virginia is already a "stand-your-ground state" where citizens can defend themselves withoutcriminal punishment if they have not done anything to warrant anattack.

"Virginia's already got very good laws on self-defense," Van Cleavesaid. "Some states desperately needed a castle doctrine ... we're astand-your-ground state (so) as long as you're not part of theproblem, no matter where you are, you can stand your ground."

Goddard also said the state's current common law offers enoughrights and protection to citizens.

"(The Castle Doctrine) has been the common law since beforeVirginia became Virginia," Goddard said. "It was brought over fromthe U.K., it's been the common law in Virginia since its founding andit's well-understood and it's well-applied."

"It's a complete fabrication that we need this," he said.

Goddard, whose son Colin survived the 2007 Virginia Techshooting, said the passage of the doctrine is the beginning of a"slippery slope."

"In states where it has already passed ... they add ... anywhere thatyou're legally present," Goddard said. "These kind of bills send thewrong message. People know they can defend their homes. Peopledon't need the state government's permission to defend their ownhome."

The Center for Public Safety won't be introducing any bills, butGoddard said the organization will be sending a letter to McDonnellasking him not to sign the bill into law.

Bell has said his Valley constituents, along with people across thestate, have strongly supported the measure.

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Currently 30 states in the country have some version of the CastleDoctrine in law.

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2/9/12 Critics slam plans for Va. welfare drug tests | The News Leader | newsleader.com




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10:25 PM, Jan. 28, 2012 |

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RICHMOND — If some state lawmakers have their way, Virginiansseeking social service benefits might have to submit to mandatorydrug tests before receiving public assistance.

But Social Services officials and advocates for the poor think themove seeks to solve a problem that doesn't exist and risks denyingchildren help they need.

A House of Delegates subcommittee has rolled several similarproposals into House Bill 73, which is sponsored by Del. Richard P."Dickie" Bell, R-Staunton. It will allow local social servicesdepartments to conduct drug tests if they have "probable cause"before allowing an applicant to receive Temporary Assistance forNeedy Families.

Prospective clients who do not pass the mandated drug test will beineligible for TANF benefits for a year.

Holly Coy, director of programs at theVirginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy,said the bills are an attempt to make suregovernment money isn't wasted. But shefears the proposals defeat the purpose ofsocial services programs.

"While (the bills) seem rather benign, theimplications it has on Virginians is that insome cases, those individuals who are mostin need of services are unable to get them,"Coy said.

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Bell said he introduced the bill because ofconcerns voiced by his constituents andcomplains it is unfair not to demandscreenings for those receiving aid whenemployers demand them of job candidates.

But Anita Harris, assistant director ofShenandoah Valley Social Services, said

she doesn't think that substance abuse is an issue for herdepartment.

Harris said it's possible that participants are using drugs or othersubstances, but other requirements in the program will make itdifficult to be eligible while having a serious substance abuseproblem.

For example, participants must complete 30 job searches a weekuntil they find regular employment to keep their TANF benefits,Harris said.

"If they have substance abuse problem that keeps them from doingthat, they're going to be ineligible anyway," she said.

Harris' bigger concern is what might happen to children whoseparents are deemed ineligible for TANF.

"That's the Catch-22," Harris said. "They do the drug testing andthey're out of the program, but what happens to the children?"

Under the bill, money will be paid to a third party to ensure thatchildren in the family would still be cared for.

Bell's bill explicitly states the drug tests will be paid for by thedepartment — a cost that could range from $40 to more than $100,according to Harris. State budget analysts estimated the cost of aformal drug assessment and test at $345.

Harris said the costs of drug testing could reduce the amount ofmoney Social Services can spend on other areas, such astransportation to help participants get to work.

"It's a very expensive program to try to do locally," Harris said. Shesaid the department estimated a yearly cost between $26,000 and$67,000 for local offices.

Statewide, the cost will be about $1.6 million next year and $1.3million the following year, according to the Virginia Department ofPlanning and Budget. Those figures include the money the statewill save in TANF benefits.

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Bell's legislation includes provisions for substance abuse treatmentfor aid recipients who fail the tests. Those points seek to addresscriticisms raised by opponents of the drug testing requirement.

Last week, the House Appropriations Committee's health andhuman resources subcommittee merged four other House billsproposed drug testing for social service recipients into Bell's bill,which focused on welfare-to-work programs. They were: HB 955, byDel. Robert Bell, R-Charlottesville; HB 249, by Del. Benjamin Cline,R-Amherst; HB 598, by Del. Anne Crockett-Stark, R-Wytheville; andHB 221, by Del. Chris Head, R-Roanoke.

Another bill before the House will require anyone seekingunemployment benefits to provide the results of a drug test from anaccredited lab.

HB 148, sponsored by Del. Margaret Ransone, R-WestmorelandCounty, says, "Any individual who fails or refuses to provide theresults of such a test or who tests positive for the use of anonprescribed controlled substance shall be ineligible to receivebenefits."

Ransone's bill has been assigned to the House Commerce andLabor Committee.

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3/11/12 House, Senate disagree on teacher contract bills - Henrico Citizen

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House, Senate disagree on teacher contract billsBy Mechelle Hankerson, Capital News Service 02/17/12

The Virginia Education Association, which represents the state’steachers, can breathe a little easier about legislation to overhaul howteachers are hired and evaluated.

VEA leaders were alarmed Monday when the House voted 55-43 for abill that would end what critics describe as a tenure system for publicschool teachers.

Under the bill, sponsored by Delegate Richard “Dickie” Bell, R-Staunton, new teachers andprincipals would receive three-year contracts instead of continuing contracts – making it easierto fire them.

Bell’s House Bill 576 has been sent to the Senate and assigned to the Senate Education andHealth Committee.

But on Tuesday, the Senate killed its version of the legislation, sponsored by Sen. MarkObenshain, R-Harrisonburg. The vote was 18-20, as all of the Democratic senators opposed thebill and two Republican senators declined to vote.

The defeat of Senate Bill 438 bodes poorly for HB 576. That’s something of a relief to VEAPresident Kitty Boitnott.

Boitnott called the legislation “a huge, huge mistake.” Virginia teachers feel under attack, andsome are considering leaving the state to pursue their teaching careers elsewhere, she said.

“We won’t be able to replace them,” Boitnott said. Instead of punishing teachers, she said, themost effective K-12 education reforms would be systemic and would focus on raising salaries toattract and retain high-quality teachers.

The association has announced Friday as a “VEA Day of Mourning” or “Black Friday.” Thegroup is encouraging teachers to wear black “to illustrate your collective mourning over theattack that has been launched against Virginia’s teachers and students by legislators with opendisrespect and disdain.”

As originally written, HB 576 would have put teachers on one-year contracts. The bill wasamended to provide for three-year contracts – after the teacher or principal has served aprobationary five-year term.

Also under the legislation, school boards would adopt an evaluation process based on stateguidelines, and student academic success would account for 40 percent of the evaluation.

“If we had this when I was teaching, I would’ve embraced it,” said Bell, a retired teacher.

During Monday’s debate, Delegate Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, a high schoolgovernment teacher, urged his colleagues to approve HB 576.“This is one I really want to emphasize for the children,” said Cox, the majority leader in theHouse. “We’re kidding ourselves if we think mediocre teachers aren’t bad teachers.”

Boitnott said the idea of a bad teacher is too subjective.

“Everybody can probably think of at least one teacher that they had over the course of their careerthat they didn’t think was as effective as they could’ve been or perhaps should’ve been, (but) thatsame teacher may have made a huge difference for another child,” Boitnott said.

The bill would provide money for training principals to effectively and fairly evaluate teachers.Bell said this is a way to address the VEA’s concerns.

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Cox said the bill was just one example of the reforms needed in K-12 education.

“We are naive if we think public education is perfect. We can make K-12 better by passing thisbill,” he said.

Cox’s enthusiasm was also met with doubt by House Democrats.

Kenneth Plum and Kaye Kory, Democratic delegates from Fairfax, both favored giving moreresponsibility to local governments and school boards to determine contract and evaluationterms.

Gov. Bob McDonnell endorsed Bell’s proposal, but Plum reminded the House that McDonnellalso has emphasized the importance of local governments throughout the session.

“We should be supporting local governments, not micro-managing from Richmond with theidea being that we’ve been to school, so we know best,” Plum said.

Kory agreed. She also expressed concern about the future of teachers in the state.

“This is not the way to attract good teachers,” she said. “This is a way to drive them out ofVirginia.”

Democrats also questioned whether it is necessary to overhaul the rules governing teachercontracts and evaluations.

Delegate Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, serves as president of the Hampton Federation of Teachers.She said there are processes in place to help and replace poorly performing teachers.

“It is very easy to get rid of a bad teacher,” Ward said.

Boitnott agreed that administrators “already had the tools and resources to remove a teacher,and shame on them if they didn’t do it. That’s a broken administration system. That’s not on theVEA; that’s not on teachers. That’s on a system that hasn’t been properly implemented.”

After the measure passed, McDonnell issued a statement to thank Bell for carrying the bill. Thegovernor said the measure is important for Virginia’s students.“This legislation will recognize our teachers for their success; provide teachers andadministrators with benchmarking and performance measures; and, in the end, yield betterresults for our students,” McDonnell stated.

“I am pleased that the House of Delegates recognizes the importance of this legislation that willensure our students have access a world-class education taught by Virginia’s best teachers.”

How they votedHere is how the House voted Monday on “HB 576 Public schools; teacher contract andevaluation policies.”Floor: 02/13/12 House: VOTE: PASSAGE (55-Y 43-N)YEAS – Albo, Bell, Richard P., Bell, Robert B., Byron, Cline, Cole, Comstock, Cosgrove, Cox,J.A., Cox, M.K., Dudenhefer, Fariss, Farrell, Garrett, Gilbert, Greason, Habeeb, Head, Helsel,Hodges, Iaquinto, Ingram, Joannou, Jones, Knight, Landes, LeMunyon, Lingamfelter,Loupassi, Marshall, D.W., Marshall, R.G., Massie, May, Merricks, Minchew, Morris,O’Bannon, Peace, Pogge, Poindexter, Putney, Ramadan, Ransone, Robinson, Scott, E.T.,Sherwood, Stolle, Tata, Villanueva, Watson, Webert, Wilt, Wright, Yancey, Mr. Speaker – 55.NAYS – Alexander, BaCote, Brink, Bulova, Carr, Crockett-Stark, Dance, Edmunds, Englin,Filler-Corn, Herring, Hope, Howell, A.T., Hugo, James, Johnson, Keam, Kilgore, Kory, Lewis,Lopez, McClellan, McQuinn, Miller, Morefield, Morrissey, O’Quinn, Orrock, Plum, Rush, Rust,Scott, J.M., Sickles, Spruill, Surovell, Torian, Toscano, Tyler, Ward, Ware, O., Ware, R.L.,Watts, Yost – 43.NOT VOTING – Anderson, Purkey – 2.Delegate Helsel was recorded as yea. Intended to vote nay.Delegate Anderson was recorded as not voting. Intended to vote nay.

Here is how the Senate voted Tuesday on “SB 438 Public schools; teacher contract andevaluation policies.”Floor: 02/14/12 Senate: Defeated by Senate (18-Y 20-N)YEAS – Black, Blevins, Carrico, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman,Obenshain, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stosch, Stuart, Vogel, Wagner – 18.NAYS – Barker, Colgan, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas,Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Northam, Petersen, Puckett, Puller,Saslaw – 20.NOT VOTING – Norment, Watkins – 2.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 NEWS

Mechelle HankersonNews Editor

Abortion clinic regulations

spark protest in VCU Compass

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Members of the Young Democrats at VCU helped organize the rally to protest regulations that would endanger many of the state’s facilities that offer abortion services.

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Thursday, September 15 , 2011 5NEWS

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In addition to organizations that represented the pro-choice side of the abortion issue, pro-life organizations were present to challenge the other side. The purpose of the rally was not simply to argue abortion, but was meant to focus on the impending regulations that will be voted on Thursday morning.

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