Issuu

90th

Anniversary of The Appalachian

New slaughter facility pg. 6 Mast General Store feature pgs. 8-9 Blast from the past pgs. 10-13 Basketball coach’s legacy pg. 16

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Photo by Emily Simpson Graphic by Rian Hughes

January 17, 2024

contact & games

RELEASE DATE—Sunday, January 21, 2024

January 17, 2024

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle @THEAPPALACHIAN | THEAPPALACHIANONLINE.COM Jenna Guzman, Editor-in-Chief editor@theappalachianonline.com Editorial Ella Adams, Managing Editor Vivian Parks, Chief Copy Editor Siri Patterson, News Editor Madalyn Edwards, Assoc. News Editor Briley Turpin, A&C Editor Abby Buckner, Assoc. A&C Editor Leah Boone, Opinion Editor Bella Lantz, Assoc. Opinion Editor Ethan Smith, Sports Editor Chance Chamberlain, Assoc. Sports Editor Visual K. Slade, Visual Managing Editor Pruett Norris, Multimedia Editor Ashton Woodruff, Photo Editor Emily Simpson, Assoc. Photo Editor Kaitlyn Close, Graphics Editor Rian Hughes, Assoc. Graphics Editor

Business Ethan Batchelor, Business Manager business@theappalachianonline.com Kayla Masterman, Distribution Manager Marketing Julia Woodring, Director of Marketing/PR Chloe Jenkins, Assoc. Director of Marketing/PR Ella Wilson, Director of Audience Engagement Dr. Allison Bennett Dyche, Adviser adviser@theappalachianonline.com

The Appalachian is the award-winning, independent student-run news organization at Appalachian State University, published since 1934. The student staff maintains all editorial discretion, and there is no prior review by university faculty, staff or administrators. The Appalachian strives for accuracy in newsgathering and reporting. If you think we have made an error, email: editor@theappalachianonline.com. Participation in The Appalachian is open to all current full-time students at the university. For more information about joining, email: outreach@theappalachianonline.com. The opinion pages of The Appalachian are open public forum. Contributions are welcomed via email to editor@theappalachianonline.com. Opinions expressed are those of individual columnists, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the news organization overall. Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The Appalachian editorial board. One copy of The Appalachian per person. Additional copies can be purchased from the newsroom for $1 each.

Edited by Patti Varol

“DOUBLE BILL” BY TAYLOR JOHNSON & CHANDI DEITMER

92 *Lament from a 131 No. in a forecast Red Sox fan? 132 Lock 97 1981 cable 133 Word on a debut triangular sign 98 Teeny bit 134 Exemptions for ACROSS 99 Skating legend top seeds 1 Some small Sonja 135 __ buco dogs 100 Hill worker? 5 Musubi wrap 101 Permeate DOWN 9 Intel research 102 “If the __ fits ... ” 1 Former 14 African capital 104 Wild guess Eurasian leader where Akan is 107 Sneaky coward 2 Rather spoken 109 *Eerie 3 Rock the baby, 19 “Scram!” Midwestern around the 20 Germ carrier? downtown area? world, etc. 21 Russian crepes 115 “Grease” 4 Comforts 22 Frasier’s brother actress Conn 5 “Night Court” TV 23 *“This should 116 Sand hill network be just right, my 117 “__ you for 6 British pop furry friends”? real?” singer Rita 26 Liquid-Plumr rival 118 Hasbro game 7 Made the grade 27 Origins that requires 8 Bee or butterfly 28 Fair-hiring initials quick reflexes 9 Sac fly result 29 Indian flatbread 121 Make up (for) 10 Antlered 31 Color that is 123 Embedded ruminant equal parts blue narrative, and a 11 Olds of old and green description of the 12 Shallot kin 32 *Peculiar pair at answer to each 13 __ Gritty Dirt the office? starred clue Band 38 Has motivation 128 Switchboard 14 “Your point is?” for section 15 Big top 40 Bout enders, 129 Out performance briefly 130 Not pizzicato 16 Skeet target 41 “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” director Lemmons 42 Dwarf planet named for a goddess of discord 43 MYOB part 45 Dam on the Nile 49 Escher museum site, with “The” 52 Sleepy pal 53 *Things that make you go hmm ... ? 57 Tour guide’s badge words 59 Baby sheep 60 ABC News anchor David 61 Duds 62 Push back, in a way 64 Reef-dwelling Pixar character 67 “Be prepared” org. 68 New prefix 69 *Salon pro who’s a genius with AquaNet? 75 Butterfield of “Sex Education” 78 Work on a lawn 79 Old-timey dagger 80 Breathe Right user, maybe 84 Mete (out) 86 Substandard 88 Wager 91 Many Vegas lights 1/21/24

17 Kidney-related 18 With a single voice 24 Takes advantage of 25 Gander 30 “Eww!” 33 Short “And yet ... ” 34 Woodworking connector 35 Utah city near two national parks 36 Soft summons 37 Lanikai Beach’s island 38 Like some grilling planks 39 Got up 44 Confidentiality doc 46 Typist’s meas. 47 Curaçao neighbor 48 Hard on the ears 50 Goad 51 Canadian gas brand 53 “Intelligence for Your Life” host John 54 Hilton competitor

55 Some airport 93 “Hold it, rides horses!” 56 Attracts 94 Share hot goss 58 Charles River 95 Himalayan sch. recluse 63 Andante and 96 Citation abbr. adagio 101 Degrade oneself by 65 Hotmail provider 103 Word with year 66 La Scala or rear performance 105 South American 70 Flask filler palm 71 Got up 106 Drink list? 72 Harness strap 73 Homey lodgings 108 Asian noodle 74 “Big Little Lies” 109 Get used (to) actress Kravitz 110 Instrument in Hindi cinema 75 Throws in 76 Time in the tub 111 Pet in a tank 112 Zhou who 77 “Nearly hosted Nixon finished!” 113 Stop 81 Orchard fruit 114 Walt Disney originally from Concert Hall Ohio architect Frank 82 “Come on in!” 119 Alpo rival 83 Answered an 120 Tit for tat, e.g. invite 85 Puts in a Hall of 122 Some city trains 124 Luxury bag Fame, say monogram 87 Kylo of the “Star Wars” sequels 125 Tied the knot 89 Jamaican genre 126 Broomball surface 90 Sport with bamboo swords 127 Denials

ANSWER TO TODAY’S PUZZLE

Graphic by Kaitlyn Close

January 17, 2024

letter from the editor

Letter from the Editor: An Appalachian anniversary H

appy 2024 Mountaineers and loyal readers! As we enter 2024, The Appalachian celebrates its 90th anniversary. Although our official anniversary date is in October, we will be celebrating all year long. During 2024, App State will also celebrate its 125th anniversary. To honor our 90th, as well as App State’s anniversary, The Appalachian will be producing special coverage throughout the year highlighting ours and App State’s history through stories, photo galleries and more. Expect to see history-themed coverage featured in a small special section in this edition and in future ones to reflect on the changes made over the years. Since 1934, The Appalachian has been here, covering 90 out of App

State’s 125 years, and we strive to cover more of App State’s future. For readers new and old, as always, if you ever have a story idea about current events or anything relating to App State’s history or old coverage of The Appalachian you would like us to highlight, please email editor@ theappalachian.com or submit a story idea through our website. If you ever want to stop by to chat or have questions, our staff will be happy to speak with you. Our newsroom is in room 235 of Plemmons Student Union. I would like to thank everyone who has ever supported our publication. To those who work and previously worked for this publication, thank you for being a part of our foundation and playing a part in our history

and future. Thank you to those who have shared and engaged with our content, such as Best of Boone voting which opens today. Thank you to our advertisers and donors who have helped support student journalism and allowed our publication to continue printing each month. And finally, thank you to our readers who have been with us from any point within our 90 years, and hopefully many more. If you would like to continue supporting student journalism at App State, please consider spreading the word about us, subscribing to our newsletter and donating or advertising with us through our website. It would be greatly appreciated and will help us continue serving the public. To those who are new to campus,

welcome. You are now a part of App State’s history and future. We hope you enjoy your time at App State, and hope you will lean on The Appalachian to provide you with news and information, entertainment and a forum for ideas. Thank you for being a part of our history and future, and the university’s as well. Have a great spring semester and 2024, Mountaineers! Jenna Guzman 2023-24 Editor-in-Chief

news

Honors class explores Antebellum slavery in Appalachia

January 17, 2024

K. Slade | Visual Managing Editor On the McDowell Plantation in Morganton sat a brick marred with fingerprints. It was unearthed during a restoration. The prints were so distinct, one could fit their fingers in the grooves left behind. This brick immortalizes the presence of enslaved people in Appalachia. The written existence of enslaved people in Burke County was lost to time. Poor record keeping and inaccuracies perpetuated by the slave owner Charles McDowell, ensured their histories were erased. Most documentation from the McDowell Plantation features the white slave owners rather than the enslaved people who built, managed and bled on the property. Last spring, Interdisciplinary Studies adjunct instructor Leslie McKesson and her honors IDS 3540 Antebellum Slavery in Appalachia class visited the McDowell Plantation as part of their semester-long project uncovering the experiences of enslaved people in Appalachian communities. On Oct. 7, an exhibition entitled “Shadows of a Time Gone By,” in partnership with the Historic Burke Foundation, showcased the students’ work at the Burke County Courthouse. For the collection, the students received the North Carolina Society of Historians’ Award of Excellence and McKesson won both the Educator of the Year Award and the President’s Award. In her class, McKesson said she wanted to emphasize the personalization of slavery, telling stories from the perspective of enslaved people and abandoning the shallow image society held of what enslaved people were. For their semester-long assignment, students were asked to interpret the lives of the enslaved on the McDowell Plantation and create a narrative surrounding their person. The names

The HON interdisciplinary studies 3540 cohort outside the McDowell House plantation for their presentation. From left: Aiden Turner, Jae Hollingsworth, Celia Merrifield, Leslie McKesson, Stevie Watson, Scout Green and Audrey Hill. Courtesy of Beth Davison

were taken from the partial records from the plantation. McKesson also invited guest speakers to cross-examine and factcheck the students’ work. The students then transformed their written work into a performance piece for the exhibition. “We wanted to show how they engaged in acts of emancipation, even as enslaved people, what were some of the things that they did to have little moments of personal freedom?” McKesson said.

Humanization, dignity, agency and self-emancipation were the pillars McKesson said she wanted her class to feature within their presentations at the McDowell House. Pulling from documents in Burke County, McKesson’s class had to read between the lines to gather information on the authentic depiction of enslaved lives. Students had the opportunity to connect with the descendants of enslaved people in Burke County. Scout Green, a junior public

health major, enrolled in Antebellum Slavery in Appalachia to “unlearn the falsehoods” about slavery in the Appalachian region. Her project centered on an enslaved girl named Delilah, often referred to as Cherry, a child who found love in music. “It was interesting figuring out how to tell her story from the perspective of someone realizing she would not get to accomplish her dreams,” Green said. “She was a child so she did not have a complete understanding of the world and her place in it. It was honestly

heartbreaking to make her painfully realize it as her story continued.” Professors across disciplines critiqued the class’ narratives to further the truth about the lives of the enslaved. “As I brought Cherry to life through research, writing, and deeply informed imaginings, I compared my own idyllic childhood to the vastly different ones lived by thousands of ‘Cherrys,’ children lost, forgotten, abused, enslaved, whose stories will never be told, whose songs will never

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January 17, 2024 be sung,” Green said. In Green’s poem “Lark,” Cherry longs for a life she has dreamed of. Anguish and desperation for freedom are the focal points in Cherry’s narrative. Green wrote, “He smiles and we pretend not to cry, / The big house, it grows; but I can’t go inside, / We make his candles; but we stay in the dark, / He is my cage; I am his lark.” Visiting the plantation sparked an entirely new emotion in Green, who originally saw the McDowell land through virtual tours and photographs. “Standing on the property brought the gravity of our class and research to a new level of visceral realness,” Green said. The exhibition garnered attention from historians and Burke County residents alike. In addition to the written and performance component, a handmade artifact accompanied each project. “It was incredibly emotional, and I actually cried while talking about how this project impacted me personally,” Green said. Celia Merrifield, a sophomore anthropology major, described her experience in Burke County as “evocative” and “eye-opening.” “It was so poignant and just very sad to think that like what those people had been through,” Merrifield said. “I remember us, all of us were sitting there kind of like feeling. It’s just a strong, strong feeling.” Merrifield based her project on the letters of Albert McDowell, an enslaved miner sent to California to excavate gold during the California

Made from dried clay and spray paint, Watson created a horseshoe to supplement their character’s narrative. Courtesy from Stevie Watson

Gold Rush. “In a similar way to the brick, it’s a very concrete example of like, here’s someone who lived and worked and wrote these letters and sent them,” Merrifield said. “For me, that was very important to the writing of the story.” By the end of the drafting process for the presentation, all of the character narratives were intertwined either through familial connections or interactions around the plantation. “Being able to incorporate that kind of human aspect I feel, it’s very important to emphasize,” Merrifield said. “These were real people just living real lives and having likes and dislikes.” Excluding McKesson, Stevie Watson was the only Black student in the class. They said they felt “kind of weird” because of their place at a predominantly white institution. Watson said their anxieties diminished once they witnessed how respectful, engaged and open their classmates were. The McDowell Plantation, although stripped of its original slave quarters, grounded Watson’s narrative and experience in the class. By the end of Watson’s visit to the plantation, they said everyone was emotional. “The house was still very much intact. Inside, they had to like redo a couple of times, but they still have the sugar chest there,” Watson said. “They still have, I think, this one mantle that I was, like, obsessed with because the carvings are just so intricate.” Watson’s character, Milton McDowell, was bought by Charles McDowell at the age of 12 and trained to be a blacksmith. Milton McDowell’s father gave him a horseshoe before he was sold as a remembrance of the life he was robbed of. As part of their narrative, Watson said Milton McDowell slept with the horseshoe under his pillow. Watson credits the success of the class to McKesson, whose passion and dedication to her class reached beyond the standard honors seminar. “A lot of times she was, like, very much involved in everything and she was just always excited. She was always coming up with new things

every single time we met,” Watson said. McKesson said she examines the experiences of enslaved people as a duty to combat myths surrounding slavery and the role of Appalachia within the transatlantic slave trade. “There’s a lot of discussion going on about how to discuss slavery, there is a spin put on slavery that it benefited people of African descent and, you know. There are truths, I think that could be obscured,” McKesson said. “Education allows that to be the framework in which slavery is taught. And I think it’s important that we share information like this, even if it’s beyond the ethical educational space, even if it’s in museums, or you know, wherever that information can be shared, to be sure that people know the realities.” IDS 3540 Antebellum Slavery in Appalachia has returned for the spring semester, focusing on Fort Defiance in Caldwell County, North Carolina. The class will meet on Mondays from 5-7:30 p.m. No prerequisites are required.

From left: Green, McKesson and Hill accepting the Award of Excellence from The North Carolina Society of Historians. McKesson received an additional President’s Award for her contributions. Photo courtesy of Beth Davison

news

January 17, 2024

Local farm, Watauga County collaborate on Boone slaughter facility Sam Deibler | News Reporter

For over 150 years, five generations of the Shipley family have raised cattle on the clover-rich, rolling pastures of Vilas, North Carolina. Their cattle matures without steroids, hormones or feedlots, eating only from the surrounding grassy hills. “No shortcuts. We keep the cattle on the pasture and let them do the work,” said Gray Shipley, Shipley Farms Partner. Shipley Farms sold their livestock to other farmers until 2014, when Robert G. Shipley, then 101 years old, embarked the business on a new journey and began selling Shipleysignature finished beef. “To keep a family farm going, you have to be doing something unique that’s creating more value,” said Gray Shipley, Robert’s grandson. The farm generates most of its revenue from sales to restaurants across North Carolina, including locations in Boone such as The Cardinal and Coyote Kitchen and Lost Province Brewing Co. Taproom, but also sells meat and merchandise on its website and offers guided tours of the Shipley farmland. Since the summer of 2020, Shipley Farms has worked with Watauga County in developing the Kill-Chill facility, a USDA-inspected cattle slaughter plant to be located in Boone. The plant will serve 67 meat handlers in a 25-mile radius surrounding the town. To legally sell beef to stores and restaurants, cattle must be slaughtered and processed in a USDA-inspected facility, with agency inspectors on-site carefully checking the cattle and monitoring procedures. Once cattle reach a farmer’s desired weight, often ranging from 900-1,300 pounds, farmers drive them to a facility where they are slaughtered, drained of blood and organs and hung in the air to age. The carcass is then processed into

cuts requested by the farmer, who returns to the facility to retrieve them. Shipley Farms transported their cattle to plants across the state, including the two closest USDAinspected facilities: Mays Meats in Taylorsville and Apple Brandy Prime Cuts in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, both over 40 miles from the Shipley’s location. Gray Shipley said the farm typically had their cattle processed within a month of scheduling an appointment at a facility. However, in April 2020, the wait for facilities across North Carolina skyrocketed to 18 months. “We called to book an appointment the next month, and the response was ‘we’re full, we can’t take you, sorry you’re out of luck,’” Gray Shipley said. “This relationship we had for years just evaporated.” For meat processing nationwide, local farmers and meat producers such as the Shipleys operate on a different supply chain than major industry corporations, such as Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods and JBS USA. These corporations, which supply meat found in grocery stores and chain restaurants, operate larger facilities that process thousands of cattle per day. Smaller independent facilities, like Mays Meats and Apple Brandy Prime Cuts, only process a few thousand cattle per year. In April 2020, many large beef processing plants were forced to reduce capacity due to COVID-19 outbreaks among employees, with some temporarily shutting down. JBS USA, the nation’s fourth-largest meat processor, which operates a plant in Lenoir, North Carolina, shut down locations in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin due to COVID outbreaks. Cargill Meat Solutions, the nation’s largest meat producer, also shut down a plant in Pennsylvania. “If your capacity goes from

2,000 a day to 500, one day’s production can fill up an independent slaughterhouse,” Gray Shipley said The beef processing industry was still recovering from a fire in August 2019 that damaged a Tyson beef processing plant in Kansas, one of the largest in the nation, forcing it to close until January 2020. According to a document from National Beef Packing Co., the closure of the plant, which occupied 5% of the nation’s processing capacity, caused a national reduction in processing ability while cattle supply remained unchanged. The pandemic-induced closures perpetuated the supply chain’s fragility exposed by the fire, resulting in a 25% reduction in meat processing by the end of April 2020 compared to prepandemic production, according to a study by Purdue University researchers in 2022. For the first time ever, the amount of cattle available for slaughter exceeded national slaughter capacity. Farmers whose cattle supplied the retail supply chain with the larger facilities were forced to look elsewhere and began overflowing bookings of the smaller facilities that remained open, causing backlogs for over a year and leaving local farmers scrambling. “They were holding slots for animals that weren’t born yet,” Gray Shipley said. “Everyone was in a panic; all the farmers in our area were pretty much out of business.” In Watauga County alone, between

Graphic by Kaitlyn Close

100-150 cattlemen rely on slaughter and processing capacity to feed their families. Over 85% of these farms generate less than $25,000 per year, according to Watauga County Cooperative Extension, a program stemming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides outreach to local farmers on federal, state and county levels. With no outlet to slaughter and process and their business on the ropes, the Shipleys searched for alternatives. Just over two miles from Shipley Farms was Cole Meat Processing, a deer processing plant that closed in 2019. Bob Shipley, Gray’s father, met with Kenny Cole, owner of the plant, and discussed the possibility of morphing the facility into a beef processing plant for farmers of the High Country. Their collaboration resulted in Watauga Butchery, the county’s only USDA-certified meat processing facility. The Butchery, managed by Bob Shipley, opened in July 2020 and

has since served over 430 customers across the state. Around 80-85% of their business comes from clients other than Shipley Farms, Gray Shipley said. “Without the Butchery, there’s a decent chance we wouldn’t have made it,” Gray Shipley said. While Watauga Butchery provided a lifeline for cattle processing in the region, the facility lacks slaughter capacity, meaning customers still have to send animals to slaughter at plants off the mountain and return the carcasses to the Butchery for processing. Jim Hamilton, Watauga County cooperative extension director, heard the Shipleys were trying to open a meat processing facility and began writing support letters to allow Watauga Butchery to obtain the necessary infrastructure for USDA certification. Hamilton, a dual NC State University and Watauga County employee, has been the extension director since 2010. In July 2020 shortly after Shipley Farms signed the lease for Cole Meat Processing, Hamilton spoke with Bob Shipley and Cole in the facility’s parking lot, where he learned Watauga Butchery could not slaughter animals due to lack of infrastructure. “They have a USDA-inspected plant, but the animals still have to be USDA-killed somewhere,” Hamilton said. With local cattle farmers still transporting cattle long distances to facilities overflowing with bookings, Hamilton wanted to alleviate the strain by bringing slaughter capacity to Watauga County, and started writing grants for the Kill-Chill facility.

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arts & culture

January 17, 2024

Sandworms, civil war and sci-fi spectacle: 2024 spring movie preview

Pruett Norris | Multimedia Editor Hear ye, hear ye, gather round: another year in movies is on its way. Sandworm sequels, roid-rage romances and planetary ape takeovers are among the exciting stuff coming soon to a theater near you.

second half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction novel and adds names like Florence Pugh, Austin Butler and Léa Seydoux. Whether “Dune: Part Two” will feel like an overstuffed sandbag or rise to the stars remains to be seen on March 1.

“Dune: Part Two”: in theaters March 1 The long anticipated sequel to 2021’s smash sci-fi hit “Dune” is hitting theaters this March. Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to his Oscarnominated science fiction epic is due to amp up the action from the table-setting world building of the first installment. In “Part Two,” Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides joins forces with Zendaya’s Chani as tensions on the titular desert planet heat up for all-out warfare. The film will adapt the

“Love Lies Bleeding”: in theaters March 8 A24 is famous for their brand. The movie studio has produced and distributed some of the most acclaimed films of the last 10 years, and among the oddest. Their movies are often soaked in neon, tinged with horror and created by exciting new filmmakers. “Love Lies Bleeding” is no exception. English filmmaker Rose Glass sets her sights on the world of bodybuilding with her forthcoming romantic thriller. The film follows a

bisexual gym enthusiast, played by queer actress and martial artist Katy O’Brian, who becomes embroiled with the violent criminal family of a gym manager, played by Kristen Stewart, after their love story ignites. The trailer is rippling with muscular energy and a talented cast, making Glass’ film one to watch come March 8. “Civil War”: in theaters April 26 Another major offering from A24 comes from Alex Garland, the director behind “Ex Machina,” “Annihilation” and “Men.” His latest feature looks no less challenging than his previous science fiction works. The film is the studio’s most expensive in-house production yet, with a budget of $50 million, which seems to be enough to portray a near-future U.S. teetering on the edge. In the film, a civil war has

erupted across the U.S. as 19 states have seceded from the union. The film stars Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Nick Offerman, the latter of whom plays the president in this nightmarish future. The film will be released in IMAX and in standard-format theaters April 26. “Challengers”: in theaters April 26 Speaking of challenging, Luca Guadagnino’s next movie is another Zendaya star vehicle. “Challengers” is a love triangle between three tennis players: Tashi, played by Zendaya, is coach and wife to Art; Art, played by Mike Faist, is ex-best friend to Patrick; Patrick, played by Josh O’Connor, is ex-best friend to Art and ex-boyfriend of Tashi.

Graphic by Kaitlyn Close

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Chapter 2023 ends and chapter 2024 begins Meg Frantz | A&C Reporter

As the last chapter of 2023 ends and the prologue of 2024 begins, the best books of the previous year are added to shelves in the next year. Through fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy and young adult, here are the top five books of 2023, with music from the 100 best songs of 2023, according to Rolling Stone, to match.

Graphic by Kaitlyn Close

Fiction “Now Is Not The Time To Panic” by Kevin Wilson Told in two timelines, “Now Is Not The Time To Panic” follows Frankie and Zeke in Coalfield, Tennessee one summer, where they create a poster with an unforgettable phrase: the edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us. As widespread panic weaves through the town because of the mysterious posters, Frankie and Zeke begin to realize the consequences art can have when taken too lightly. If you like the sound of a call to adventure, the creation of art and reflecting upon memories, then the book pairs well with the fourth most popular song of the year, according to Rolling Stone, “I Remember Everything (feat. Kasey Musgraves)” by Zach Bryan.

Nonfiction “Spare” by Prince Harry The topic of multiple memes upon its release, “Spare” tells Prince Harry’s story in the way he wants it to be told, with moments of humor and joy despite it all. Detailing life before and after the death of his mother, struggling through boarding school and avoiding the press at all costs, the memoir opens up with brutal honesty about the Royal Family’s innerworkings and the cost of living life as the spare. If you like the sound of an honest story, royalty and what comes with the titles and frozen camping trips, then this book pairs well with “Not Strong Enough” by boygenius. Romance “Happy Place” by Emily Henry In a classic fake-dating trope, Harriet and Wyn pretend to be together for the sake of their friends’ annual Maine

trip, where they will be stuck sharing a room in a cottage by the coast. After years of being in love, and breaking up only six months prior to the trip, Harriet and Wyn wonder how hard it can be to fake love for a week– all while both hiding the fact that they are still in love with each other. If you like the sound of coastal Maine in the summer – with a hint of love thrown in – then this book pairs well with “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski. Fantasy “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros “Fourth Wing” took the world by storm, selling more than 2 million copies since its release in May. Set in a fantastical college, the main character Violet Sorrengail ends up training to be in the dragon rider quadrant, as opposed to her original plan of joining the scribe quadrant. The book in essence is a series of trials and

tribulations that Violet must overcome to graduate–it’s either that or die. If you like the sound of fantastical worlds, “Hunger Games”–like trials and dragons, then “Fourth Wing” pairs with “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat. Young Adult “One of Us is Back” by Karen M. McManus The third and final book in a series beginning in 2017, “One of Us is Back,” brings together the characters from the two previous books, and thus two generations of Bayview High shenanigans. When a billboard, featuring the words “Time for a new game, Bayview,” is seen, no one takes it seriously until one of the friends in the group disappears. If you like the sound of secrets revealed, high stakes and deep betrayal, the final Bayview High book pairs with “Kill Bill” by SZA.

arts & culture

January 17, 2024

Mast General Store brings community for over 100 years Briley Turpin | A&C Editor In the heart of downtown Boone, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of our booming college town, is the Mast General Store, a landmark mercantile known for its barrels of candy and the plethora of outdoor gear sold for those in Boone wanting to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the mountains we call home. But unknown to many visitors of the King Street store is the deep roots the company has in Watauga county, dating back to over 100 years of community, service and support. In a beautiful mountain valley, surrounded by creeks and forest and rolling fields, Bishop Levi Sillman Ives saw the shape of the Saint Andrew’s Cross in the valley and decided to call the area Valle Crucis, or “the Valley of the Cross.” In this valley stood the Taylor and Moore General Store. In its early days, the store served as a location for the residents of Valle Crucis to trade spices or crops for items they needed, said Sheri Moretz, the storyteller for the Mast General Store. “We have ledgers that date from 1861 from the Taylor and Moore store. The store carried everything from farming equipment, stove parts, harnesses and farm outfitting. They also carried collars, clothing and shoes, as well as things to make life a little sweeter like coffee and candy,” she said. As more and more community members began to utilize the store, Henry Taylor, the store’s owner, needed more space to expand the inventory of the store to include more of what the townspeople needed. He started expanding by adding 20 feet to the front of the store, which served as one of Watauga County’s first doctors offices, Moretz said. As the years went on, and business was booming, the store became more than just a place to buy and trade

On Jan. 11, 2024, the original Mast General Store stands in Valle Crucis. The original store has been a trademark of this location and an important aspect of the community. Since its opening, this Mast store has offered shelter during storms, a wood stove to play games by and $0.50 coffee. Photo by Emily Simpson

goods; people flocked to the store to share news and make announcements. Taylor would head down the mountain to Elk Park to pick up goods to sell at the store. On these trips, he would pick up newspapers from the nearby larger cities in Tennessee, like Johnson City and Knoxville. “As a general store, it was definitely, in earlier times, a link to the outside world. Mast and Taylor would load up the wagon and pick up goods in Elk Park. The store became a community center. People would come in and announce news or new babies and spread word about people who needed help. It was a hub of communication and a place to give back to the community,” Moretz said. In 1897, Henry Taylor sold half of the store to one William Wellington Mast, and the store became known as the Taylor and Mast General Store.

With a fully functioning post office and a huge potbelly stove, members of the Valle Crucis community continued to travel to the store and more and more goods could be found on the shelves. In fact, Taylor and Mast coined the old slogan for the store, “If you can’t buy it here, you don’t need it.” In 1913, W.W. Mast bought out the remainder of shares in the store, and it became known simply as the Mast General Store. With a robust tourism industry, Valle Crucis relied on the store for not only personal needs, but also as a way to continue to bring visitors up from off the mountain, Moretz said. Tourism began in the Valle Crucis area as early as the late 1800s. “The bigger homes out here, just down the road from the store, were all boarding houses. People from Charlotte and

farther off would come stay for months at a time,” Moretz said. “According to a 1927 flier, people came to Valle Crucis for the same things that bring people to the area today – horseback riding, hiking, Grandfather Mountain.” In the 1930s, as App State was filling with students and this very newspaper was getting its start just a few miles away in Boone, Mast General was still serving as a tourist hotspot. In roughly 1930, W.W. Mast made a business deal with Standard Oil, known now as Exxon, and began selling gas at the store. “Mast was the longest running dealer for Standard Oil. We have receipts dating back to the early 1900s. Those coming off the mountain needed somewhere to fill their cars to come back home,” Moretz said. Erin Welsh worked as an area

manager at the Mast General Store from 2011 until 2018 and is a longtime resident of Valle Crucis. She said that during the big flood of 1940, people turned to the store for shelter and a place to gather and mourn the losses the community faced in the wake of the disaster. “The store was also a gathering space for the tough times. Legend says that after the flood, they stored some of the bodies on the third floor because it was such a central space,” Welsh said. The store remained in the Mast family until the 1970s, when it went through several ownership changes. By 1977, the store was co-owned by a doctor from Atlanta and a professor at App State, Moretz said. In the fall of 1977, the store was closed for the winter in the hopes

arts & culture

January 17, 2024 of reopening in the Spring when the harshest parts of winter had passed. Unfortunately, the store never reopened and the Valle Crucis community lost some of its identity along with the store. “The store was closed for a very short period of time, maybe a year, but during that time, Valle Crucis lost a lot of its identity,”Welsh said.It lost its post office, which has further implications of losing its community.” In 1979, a young family from Florida caught wind of the store’s closure and decided to purchase the store and move to Valle Crucis. This family was the Cooper family. John and Faye Cooper moved their little family to the third floor of the store and began the process of reopening. The store closed because winters were rough in numbers of visitors. The rationale was to close and reopen in spring when more people would be visiting. When the store didn’t reopen, the Cooper’s purchased the store in 1979 and then moved into the store in 1980. “They came in in April 1980, rolled up their sleeves, and opened June 6th, 1980,” Moretz said. The first order of business for the Coopers was to reopen the post office for members of the community to use once again. With much success, the post office became fully functional and the town had restored its identity and preserved its place on the map. “The store was very much owneroperated. Faye even ran a sandwich counter in the back of the store and people loved it. She made all the sandwiches herself,” Welsh said. A few years later, the Coopers purchased the Annex store two-tenths of a mile down the road from the original store, and Mast General only continued to grow from there. In 1973, the store was added to the National Registry of Historic Places as one of the best remaining examples of an old southern general store. John Pickett visited the store for the first time as an adult on a trip to North Carolina in the fall of 2023. He said it was cool to see such a preserved piece of history. “I grew up in North Carolina and

always visited the store as a kid, but I never made it out here to see it after I left for college 30 years ago. When I stepped into the store, it felt like I was stepping back in time. After visiting and hearing about the lasting impact the store has had on this community for so long, it is clear to me how important it is to preserve places like Mast for the communities that need them,” he said. With 11 branches of the store scattered throughout the Southeast, Mast continues to serve as a community gathering place for several towns and cities. “In the roots of Mast being part of the community, we continue that today by encouraging employees to be part of the community and give back to funds that matter to them,” Moretz said. “We donate a lot of food to the community, we support preservation and conservation through land trusts, and we support arts and education, things that are community forward.” To this day, the original store is a beacon of community for Valle Crucis. Welsh said that during her time working at the store, she was able to connect with her neighbors in a way she wouldn’t have been able to without the store. “Even today, because the Cooper’s brought the post office back, there is a real community feel that you don’t see in a typical retail store. Valle Crucis isn’t a normal neighborhood, so this is where we run into a lot of our neighbors,” she said. “When I leave for work, I can recognize a lot of the cars that are pulling in to check their mail. The store is central to who we

“It was a hub of communication and a place to give back to the community,” - Sheri Moretz, the storyteller for the Mast General Store

The Esso Gas sign still stands on Jan. 11, 2024. In 1930, Mast General signed a contract with Standard Oil, also known as Esso or Exxon, to sell gas at the Valle Crucis location. Photo by Emily Simpson

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Celebrating 90 Years of The Appalachian & 125 Years of App State January 17, 2024

Remembering The Appalachian through segments Siri Patterson | News Editor

inety years ago, the reporters and editors of The Appalachian did things a little differently. They printed ads promoting cigarette brands. They published marriage announcements for students and local couples. They subscribe readers through a small box printed in the corner, asking them to pledge their support to the paper’s success. These changes may not be drastic, but compiled together in the form of The Appalachian’s first printed newspaper, there is a stark difference compared to the latest paper. Now, nine decades later, it is time to revisit some of these practices in an homage to the creators and founders of The Appalachian and the work they put into the foundation of a lasting newspaper. Alumni Puzzlers In these early papers, staff of The Appalachian included voices from alumni of Appalachian State Teachers College through small segments usually printed on the third page. Of these small segments was “Alumni Puzzlers,” a quarter-page blurb in which alumni shared their experiences through questions posed toward fellow alumni and current students. In The Appalachian’s third paper, published Nov. 9, 1934, an alumnus asked, “Why did someone blow smoke through the keyhole into Mr. Downum’s room?” The questions went unanswered, an open-ended mystery for other knowing alumni to share in and students of 1934 to speculate on who was blowing smoke. In this modern-day take on “Alumni Puzzlers,” the questions posed by current App State alumni will be answered, with one exception. Richard Fulton, an alumnus from the class of 2006, wrote, “What was the original name of the Schaefer Center that was often spelled wrong on marketing materials by leaving out the ‘H’ (accidentally and/or

intentionally)?” Fulton, a former member of APPS, said members of APPS sneakily renamed the Farthing Auditorium, now known as the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, to the farting auditorium in some promotional materials. While it was mostly an inside joke among APPS members, Fulton said anyone who looked closely at the flyers or posters advertising artists performing on campus might spot the farting auditorium. Fulton also asked who remembers what former Chancellor Francis Borkowski would do when walking around campus. He said Borkowski would walk around with his thumbs up, and expected students to return the exchange with a thumbs up or down. “He was very adamant, like, ‘if you see me on campus give me a thumbs up or thumbs down — even thumb sideways, and if there’s something wrong I want to know about it,’ and he would stop and talk to people,” Fulton said. Megan Murphy, a 2002 graduate, asked what American rock band from Georgia played at App State in April 1999. According to the band’s website, Widespread Panic performed two sets and an encore for App State students and locals in the Varsity Gymnasium. Elizabeth Munn-Lively, a 2004 graduate, asked whose recorded voice used to be played before each App State football game. Munn-Lively said a recording of Sean Connery from the 1996 film, “The Rock,” was used to tell football attendees, “Welcome to the rock.” Debra Anderson, a 2015 graduate, asked students and alumni, “What kind of car was it that drove into the duck pond?” Anderson said in 2012 a Mustang was pulled from the murky waters of the duck pond. Her husband, Chris Anderson, asked “What was stolen after the Georgia Southern home game in

2015?” Chris Anderson said he had already graduated from App State when this happened, but he distinctly remembers finding out when someone stole an ambulance from Kidd Brewer Stadium. It was later discovered at the Cottages of Boone, Chris Anderson said. Fulton asked one question without providing the answer. He said he wants to continue the mystery he and others experienced while students. “What did the fake fraternity letter IFT stand for (they had the best parties!),” Fulton wrote. Do You Remember When… Another segment the early writers of The Appalachian utilized was titled, “Do You Remember When…” The memories and experiences of App State Alumni were shared in a quick format with limited details. Some responses were specific, alluding to events that only a select number of alumni would know. Others were broader, expressing changes in the general atmosphere of Boone and App State since it opened. Fulton said he remembers when John Mayer came to App State to perform at Legends. “People were like, ‘Hey did you hear about this guy,’” Fulton said. “And then, probably by the end of that year, we had booked him to come play at Legends and then three months later, he was huge.” Fulton said he also remembers watching his friend sign a legal document at Caribbean Cafe to eat their hottest wings. Fulton said he remembers walking to the restroom and seeing the chef dawn a “gas

mask” to prepare the wings. Murphy said she is also nostalgic about old Boone eateries and remembers when Sollecito’s was the place to go when craving a good slice of pizza. Murphy said she grew up in Boone and attended Hardin Park Elementary School. She said she and her mother often chose Sollecito’s when deciding on where they wanted to eat out. Munn-Lively and Fulton both said they remembered when Boone was struck with a spontaneous snowstorm in April and they were both very unprepared. “We didn’t have cell phones with, you know, weather alerts. I mean it was just, ‘Oh crap, it’s snowing,’” Fulton said. He said he was wearing shorts when he went to class in the morning because the weather was fair. However, after a few classes, Fulton walked

On Jan. 29, 2012, four students were driving up stadium Dr and skidded off the road into the pond, none of them were injured. Many other students stayed to watch the white Ford Mustang get pulled out of the pond. Photo by Paul Heckert

outside to discover several inches of snow on the ground and classes being canceled by the university.

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Celebrating 90 Years of The Appalachian & 125 Years of App State

January 17, 2024

A few ‘Juicy Tid-Bits’ about The Appalachian past and present Pruett Norris | Multimedia Editor

pp State 90 years ago was very different from the university of today. For one, its population was much smaller. According to 1940 census data, the town of Boone’s population clocked in at around 1,700 people. Today, Boone houses over 19,000 residents. Meanwhile, App State had 21,253 students enroll for the fall 2023 semester. In the very first issue of The Appalachian, dated Oct. 9, 1934, a cover story reported that a mere 913 students had enrolled that year. The duties of a newspaper for that tiny community of students focused on smaller scale events. Columns in old issues of the paper included a catty sense of humor. Perhaps the funniest pieces can be found in a feature called “Juicy Tid-Bits,” or pieces of hot gossip from around campus. The column brings the reader into the Teachers College classroom and the drama of the community’s halls. “Red Watkins wonders where Chinkapin Kendrick spent Saturday, Monday and Tuesday of last week ––

and why she came in during the wee, wee hours of the morning,” one of the Oct. 9 tid-bits goes. The Oct. 26, 1934 issue documents a particularly witty collection of comebacks and takedowns. In one quotation, Martha Cooper Arthur is making an oral report. “The scene beggared description,” she says. The juicy tid-bit kicks into action with Professor Green’s witty retort: “Never mind. Borrow a few adjectives and go on with it.” The names of the students and faculty in the “Juicy Tid-Bits” column are given without context. The implication is that for readers of The Appalachian, the community that the paper served was small enough that the names alone would be completely recognizable. A similar effect can be found in Novella Dixon’s Oct. 26, 1934 column “Campus Tatlers,” where Dixon frequently references students by their first names alone. “Did you see Mac holding that baby Sunday? He does look ‘fatherly,’” one of her tattles reads. Today, students turn toward social media for sharing juicy tid-bits of social information or funny classroom anecdotes. The concept of using a newspaper to do so is antiquated and charming, yet must have seemed bold and vital in those old issues. Likewise, early copies of The Appalachian featured a fullpage spread of clubs and their recent activities. This central hub of information for the 1930s resembles what an Instagram page or Engage email covers in 2024. For that small community, The Appalachian was the place to find new opportunities and shared hobbies. Today, The Appalachian’s scope is much wider. While student clubs and academics remain the bedrock of its journalism,

the focus of the paper is not merely for students about students. Instead, The Appalachian grants a perspective on the community at large from the point of view of its students. In recent years, the paper has covered everything from anti-semitism to local elections to major sports victories. There are feature pieces about community members, photos series of student and local life and national recognition for the paper’s reach. However, some things never change. There is a hefty section of the Oct. 9, 1934 paper devoted to college sports, including a photograph of “Juicy Tid-Bit” star Red Watkins. Watkins is revealed as the coach of the freshman football squad, something that would have been common knowledge to the students of 1934, but is a delightful example of campus community to a 2024 reader. The early papers have advertisements for the Watauga Drug Store and since-demolished but familiar names like the Daniel Boone Hotel. The Pastime Theatre, which predates the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country by 14 years, listed showtimes and the bill of films coming to their screen. Alumni are referenced by local businesses. Current students are referred to the “Book Room,” home of “a full line of college stationary” among “cold drinks & confections.” The establishment may as well be an ancestor of the Campus Store and Market in Plemmons Student Union today. Another similarity in The Appalachian of the past and the present is the coverage of performances and production in the community. There is a lengthy segment at the end of the Oct. 9, 1934 issue about the upcoming third season of the Playcrafters, App State’s first student-run theater club, including a profile of their past productions. One notable accomplishment of those early Appalachian thespians was a

production of the ancient Greek sex comedy “Lysistrata,” performed in the spring of 1933 by the Playcrafters with a cast of 53 characters. The arts were a unifying force for the paper’s readers then and now, as productions at the Schaefer Center, local Boone bands and App State theater groups receive regular coverage today. The Appalachian was a different organization in its early days. The 1930s were a very different time. There is a specificity to the early issues of The Appalachian that demonstrates an admirably tight-knit college town. The Appalachian was an outlet for a community already close together. In contrast, 2024’s paper serves as an inlet for a community that wishes to become more connected in an increasingly bigger world. Today The Appalachian focuses on the macro to bring people together on important topics and big events. Yesterday’s paper focused on the micro to bring students in on new opportunities and local happenings. However, it is a testament to the power of student journalism to unite a community that The Appalachian still stands nine decades later. While “Juicy Tid-Bits” may have moved other places, the importance of community at the heart of the paper has remained.

Celebrating 90 Years of The Appalachian & 125 Years of App State January 17, 2024

Mountaineer uniforms through the years Fran Murphy | Sports Reporter

Former App State linebacker Keenan Gilchrist celebrating in a game against Wyoming on Oct. 3, 2015. Photo by Chris Deverell

Queatin McKinney (2) gets ready to pounce on a loose football when the Apps lost 21-10 to South Carolina Saturday night. McKinney had 15 tackles, eights assists and one interception in the game. Photo and caption orginally published in the Sept. 7, 1976 issue of The Appalachian.

Nathan Healy powers into a layup during a 2012 home game against UNCG. Photo by Justin Perry.

hether it be jersey color scheme updates or Yosef ’s logo evolution, transformation to App State basketball and football uniforms has been something to watch through the years. App State’s initial football uniform debuted in 1928, and included three stripes on each arm sleeve along with the player’s number in the center of the jersey. It did not include the school name or a logo as the team had not yet introduced a mascot until 1948. The team’s uniforms from 1971-76 were memorable as well, featuring a gold helmet with an old-timey Yosef logo. The alternate uniforms worn in 2012 were aesthetically pleasing and similarly featured a vintage Yosef logo on the shoulder pads and helmet. Mountaineer football unveiled several new uniform combinations ahead of the 2015 season. The team added gold jerseys and gold pants to their repertoire. Additionally, they showcased a helmet with their secondary logo, the Victory Yosef. Another notable Mountaineer football uniform is the “icy white,” which debuted in 2020. The uniform base is white with a U.S. flag-themed helmet. The Black and Gold’s current home uniforms debuted in 2020 and include a black jersey with “SBC” inscribed on the right collar bone, and the “A” block logo placed on either shoulder pad as well as directly above the player’s number. The team typically alters between black or yellow pants to compliment these jerseys along with a black helmet with the block “A” displayed on either side. As far as Mountaineer basketball, they have always known how to leave their imprint on the game through on-court apparel. “Uniforms are a key indicator for our programs and our university,” said Joe Tolbert, App State’s director of Olympic equipment. “We want people to know that it is App State when we are on the court.” The team’s initial uniforms, worn in the 1970’s, had a vintage look that would be difficult to recreate. They featured an all white base and short shorts. Mountaineer basketball uniforms worn in the early 2000’s, featured a black base with gold lettering reading “Appalachian.” Opposed to modern basketball apparel, uniform styles were vastly

Celebrating 90 Years of The Appalachian & 125 Years of App State

January 17, 2024 different in the early 2010’s and the Mountaineers were no exception. The front of the team’s home uniforms in the 2009-10 season were primarily white with black and gold lettering. The jersey number was placed in between the words “Appalachian State.” The jerseys were oversized and the shorts nearly came down to players’ knees. The away uniforms were the same, apart from the jersey base being black and the lettering featuring gold and white. The team entered the 202324 season with an updated home uniform for the first time since 2021. Adjustments to the jersey include horizontal shoulder stripes and the addition of player names on the back of the jersey. “The life cycle of a given uniform is usually two to three years,” Tolbert said. “Whether it be newly instated throwbacks, alternate jerseys or even adjustments to the main uniforms, on-court apparel additions and updates for both of these teams can be expected to continue.”

DJ Burks runs the ball during App State’s season opener against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 2, 2023. Photo by Ashton Woodruff A packed Varsity Gym waits to erupt in cheers before a dunk from the home Mountaineers. The 1999-2000 season was the last year for both men’s and women’s basketball to use the Varsity Gym as their home court. Photo courtesy of App State Athletics.

App State senior safety Kaiden Smith stretches out for a tackle against Coastal Carolina. The Mountaineers fell to the No. 15 Chanticleers 34-23 in Conway, SC Saturday. Courtesty of App State Athletics. Junior forward Chris Mantis celebrates after a made shot against Auburn Dec. 3, 2023. Photo by Max Sanborn

Tight end Barrett Burns celebrates his and the Mountaineer’s first touchdown of the season in a 49-0 win over Howard University Sept. 5, 2015. Photo by Christopher Deverell

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January 17, 2024

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January 17, 2024

sports

How Emily Carver brings success to App State women’s basketball Ryder Sing | Sports Reporter The three-point line isn’t the only place where App State basketball’s Emily Carver helps bring success to her team. Carver was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina where she attended Enka High School. At Enka, she scored over 2,000 points and cemented herself as the school’s all-time leading scorer. In Carver’s junior year, she averaged 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Carver’s shooting ability has given her a name in the NCAA, and there are a few NBA All-Stars who Carver models her game after. One in particular and Carver’s favorite player growing up, was NBA All-Star Stephen Curry, and it is reflected in her game. In starting 12 games her freshman year, she led the team in three-pointers made, sinking 46 on 32% shooting. “Her evolution has been incredible just to not be put in a box, that’s number one,” said Angel Elderkin, App State women’s basketball head coach. “But number two, she’s the type of kid that if you tell her to do something, she does it. She’s a coach’s kid and she is very respectful. She’s great in the locker room; she’s great with her teammates.” In her sophomore campaign, Carver led the Sun Belt in threepointers per game for the season and conference play, while leading the Sun Belt in three-point field goal percentage in league-only play at 44%. Carver believes in the idea of “looking good and playing good” in her pregame ritual, meaning you can’t perform well unless you look good. Considering all of Carver’s achievements, this ritual has served her well throughout her career. Along with Curry, Carver looks up to her parents Brian and Darlene who molded her into the player and person she is today.

“Both of my parents were big into basketball. I come from a basketball family and they helped me become the player and person I am today,” Carver said. “The way my mom was able to lead our family, and treat me and my siblings with such love and care is how I strive to be when I have a family of my own.” Carver helps out the team both on and off the court. She supports the idea that team chemistry leads to team success, and will often plan team dinners to help bring the team together. “I like to prioritize what I like to do when I have free time from basketball or working on homework, like shopping and cleaning my house,” Carver said. Being a student-athlete, Carver is familiar with the challenges that come with it. Time management is an important skill for studentathletes such as Carver who learned to balance a significant workload on and off the court. “I have known Emily Carver since she was a rising eighth grader,” Elderkin said at the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Media Day. “To see Emily evolve from eighth grade, to ninth grade, to coach her and continue to mentor her has been amazing. She obviously Emily Carver takes a jump shot against UNC-Greensboro’s guard Jayde Gamble Dec. 13, 2023. Carver averages 15.5 points per is known in the league for her game and is a public health major. Photo by Sam Fleming shooting, but she’s known to our team for so much more than that.” in practice and in games; she just Player of the Week for the second time Carver is currently playing in her always has so much wisdom.” in her career. third season under Elderkin, and along Carver was named to the 2023“We’re going to make it to the with her fellow teammates has respect 24 preseason all Sun Belt team. NCAA tournament,” Carver said for how she coaches the game. Throughout the 2023-24 campaign, to Elderkin after her 2021 freshman “We joke all the time that she Carver has appeared in 16 games and campaign. should be a motivational speaker. All currently averages a career-high 15.5 As she builds off of her career of our pregame speeches are just so points. game against Richmond, Carver motivational, it makes everybody want In her appearance against looks to continue her success and help to get out and give their all for the Richmond Dec. 10, Carver set a new lead the Mountaineers to a potential game,” Carver said at the 2023 Sun single game career-high in threeconference title and a trip to the - Angel Elderkin, App State women’s Belt Conference Media Day. pointers made with seven threes and NCAA tournament throughout the basketball head coach “Everything she brings to the table was named the Sun Belt Conference rest of her junior season.

“to coach her and continue to mentor her has been amazing.”

sports

January 17, 2024

Dustin Kerns adds to his App State legacy

Then second-year App State head coach Dustin Kerns speaks to the team during a time out Dec. 1, 2020 against Bowling Green. Courtesy of Andy McLean from App State Athletics

Ethan Smith | Sports Editor

A freshly drenched Dustin Kerns made his way into the media room after navigating his first App State court storm. The Mountaineers just downed Auburn 69-64 for arguably the biggest home win in program history. Postgame, Kerns was asked about changing the perception of the basketball program. He took a moment, reflecting and pondering his answer while looking down at the stat sheet in front of him. While choking up, Kerns talked about his initial interview with Director of Athletics Doug Gillin, who asked him about changing the program’s perception. “He believed I was the guy to do it,” Kerns said. “It’s been a lot of work by a lot of people and I thankfully think this perception of App State basketball has officially changed.” On March 22, 2019, Kerns was named the newest head men’s basketball coach at App State, succeeding former coach Jim Fox.

“He believed I was the guy to - Dustin Kerns, App State do it,” Basketball Coach Since his inception, the Mountaineers captured the Sun Belt Tournament title along with an NCAA tournament appearance in 2021, the program’s first since the 1999-2000 season. Additionally, Kerns led the Black and Gold to three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since before the turn of the century. Entering his fifth season, Kerns is 70-58 as the leader of the Mountaineers. Last season, App State

captured their first Power Five win since 2014 when the Black and Gold defeated Louisville 61-60 on the road. Despite the success in his first four seasons, Kerns said he is still growing as a leader and coach. During off-seasons, he and along with staff members frequent different coaching clinics around the country. This past summer, they attended a clinic in Florida in addition to a visit with the Charlotte Hornets’ coaching staff. “If I’m asking our players to get

in the gym and to improve, I have to have the same mindset as a coach,” Kerns said. “I think that as coaches, we’re ongoing learners ourselves and we want that humble attitude just like we want with our players.” Kerns spent 15 years as an assistant coach at Tennessee, Wofford and Santa Clara among others before getting his first head coaching opportunity at Presbyterian in 2017. In two seasons, the Blue Hose went 31-27 earning a playoff appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in 2019. It was the first time Presbyterian finished with a winning season in 12 years. After the 2019 season, the Kingsport, Tennessee native drew interest from a program much closer to home. “I’ve always had an admiration for App State. I’ve always had an admiration of Boone, North Carolina and this community,” Kerns said. “When this opportunity presented

itself, it was a no-brainer for me.” Kerns said the situation at App State was similar to what he inherited at Presbyterian, and it was a familiar feeling. Coming into a program without much recent success gave Kerns a sense of comfortability, knowing he had just turned around another Division I college basketball program. “He’s really good at building those relationships with a lot of different people,” said associate head coach Frank Young. “His approach at building a culture, on a yearly basis with the basketball program has gotten a lot better.” Young said he’s known Kerns for around eight years, dating back to Kerns’ time as an assistant coach at Wofford while Young was the Director of Basketball Operations at North Florida. While out on the recruiting trail, the pair met at a recruiting event in Atlanta. When Kerns was filling out

sports

January 17, 2024

Men’s basketball head coach Dustin Kerns calls out to his team in a game versus Georgia State Feb. 12, 2022. Photo by Hiatt Ellis

his staff at Presbyterian, some mutual connections helped Young join the Blue Hose sidelines. Young followed Kerns when he accepted the coaching position in the High Country. “He’s always been a good teacher on the court,” Young said. “I think as a coach, he’s just grown as far as continuing to be detail-oriented with scouts, with our offense, with our defensive schemes.” Kerns earned a degree in secondary education from Clemson before transitioning to coaching. Originally, he wanted to coach high school basketball until he experienced college basketball from the sidelines. Kerns said having the degree helped in the long run with the different learning styles and demonstrations people require. With years of experience and a handful of different mentors, there were still things Kerns needed to learn. Always having to be “on” is something the seventh-year head coach tries to impart upon other coaches reaching out. “I think that when you become a head coach, it’s something you don’t really think about,” Kerns said. “Being on all the time is new.” Being in front of the team, at

staff meetings, film sessions, timeouts, pregame, postgame, in front of media personnel among others can be exhausting. Kerns said being always on no matter the setting is something he had gotten used to over his tenure as a coach. Whether the team’s expectations change, Kerns still tries to get the best out of each of his players. “The standard has become more and more every year,” to graduate student forward Donovan Gregory said. “So more is expected of us. And that’s just what he shows, shows us that we just need to do more.” Part of that standard has been inviting former players and coaches back to campus to help spread wisdom as well as uphold traditions of past players. For Kerns, any little bit of knowledge passed onto his current group is a win. “I just think that’s the way it should be,” Kerns said. “That’s my mindset is like if we can impact one person during this 10-minute speech, then it is well worth it.” Being a Division I basketball coach often involves long hours and, at times, spending days to possibly weeks away from family, friends and home.

Head coach Dustin Kerns high-fives the Mountaineer student section after App State defeated Warren Wilson 142-74 in their first home game of the season on Nov. 7, 2022. Photo by Ashton Woodruff

Scheduling, recruiting and other engagements are priorities among coaches hoping to continue or find success. Young said Kerns designs the schedule so everyone can be with family once the holidays roll around. “He’s been a great example as far as how to be a father and a husband because he’s very family-oriented,” Young said. Kerns’ wife, Brittany, as well as his two kids, Emory and Riggs, are often seen around the program at games and other activities. Young said Kerns invites the team and his staff over to

his home for dinners. “I think that is important,” Young said. “And so just seeing that, that evolution of how he’s able to balance and juggle. So, being a husband, being a father, also being a coach and handling all the duties that come with that has been impressive.” While winning and success on the basketball court are important, there is something that is more important off the court to the App State head coach. “I want to be in the dad hall of fame,” Kerns said. “I don’t care about any other hall of fame other than the

dad hall of fame and the husband hall of fame, and I think that basketball is what I do, but it’s not who I am.” At media day, after all media personnel finished asking questions, Kerns’ children were given the microphone to ask some questions. They asked what his favorite Taylor Swift song and favorite Super Mario character were. Kerns replied with “Blank Space” and Luigi.

opinion

OPINION: App State needs to improve

Bella Lantz | Associate Opinion Editor App State has grown significantly throughout the years. The most well-known instance is App State being founded in 1899 as a training school for teachers, while now having over 150 undergraduate programs. However, most students probably do not know that in 1903, only 250 students attended App State. Now the school is attempting to accommodate over 21,000 students. With the improvements and growth comes the criticism and nitpicking of App State’s current campus problems and issues. While it is good to reflect on the past and see how far this campus has come, it also is necessary to continue progressing App State to its fullest potential, which the school has been having difficulty doing for quite some time. With the overwhelming number of students being accepted and the continuous growth of different undergraduate programs, there are

some areas that were “improved” a decade or two ago, but now need attention more than ever. In the past several years, App State has struggled with providing students with housing, causing many students to go into debt just to afford an apartment. Housing in 2014 was chaotic with students having to live with resident assistants or in lounges just to have a place to sleep. In 2020, Raven Rocks, Thunder Hill and New River became the most recent addition to residence halls. This was great, but when App State converted East Hall into office spaces, along with the demolition of six different residence halls to make space for parking, the building of residence halls became a necessity again. App State needs to build more sustainable dorms that can hold the amount of students they are over accepting.

With the overwhelming amount of students being accepted into App State, the departments continue to grow. In 2019, Sanford Hall had to hold the Department of English and the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Even Sanford was too small of a building to house both departments, causing the English department to split up into different buildings until recently when Sanford finished remodeling. Sanford is not the only building that has ever been under construction; in 2023, Wey Hall began renovations. Since Wey Hall’s construction, the art students have been scattered all over campus, just as the English students were four years prior. Displacing majors is not the main issue, but the growth of degrees, when ones currently on campus are lacking in so much funding. App State recently introduced

an online option to get a veterinary technology degree as a way to allow students more job opportunities. However, it is not possible to take inperson classes for this degree, because there is not enough room on campus. Before adding more degrees, App State needs to continue renovating buildings and distributing their funds better. Sometimes, striving to have the most becomes a hindrance to having the best. There is another thing, other than housing, that App State has consistently disregarded throughout the years: parking. In 2017, there was discussion on parking spaces being distributed at the hospital and possibly at the “new” Beaver College of Health Sciences, which had yet to be fully built; even then they knew that it was not going to work, due to the staff needing to park somewhere. The director of parking and traffic services was right,

January 17, 2024

because students are having to take the bus or walk to the Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences. In 2018, there were parking passes for cars to park on campus after 1:30 p.m., which was only $144. Compared to now, that seems like the dream, but people in 2018 were not looking at the future problems. Instead, they disagreed with the idea that students had to pay to park on campus earlier than usual, just because the $276 semester parking pass was either too expensive or unavailable to lowerclassmen. Sadly, the university has yet to change their ways and despite the push back from those parking passes. In 2023, App State released a parking pass that would allow students to park on campus from 5 p.m. onward for $120 a year. Students were in an uproar due to the fact that for the past few years, students were allowed to park on campus for free past 5 p.m., but now they would have to pay for the right to park until 7 p.m. Instead of making it better and listening to the student body for a change, App State went against everyone’s wants and needs, becoming money hungry in the process. App State has attempted to fix things in the past, but instead of getting better, things have only gotten worse. A lot of it can be blamed on the over acceptance of students and the money grabbing person in power. If the student body is continuously getting told that things will be fixed or things will be better, eventually people are going to stop listening if they have not already. Being disappointed over and over again is not what the student body wants to go through, but when scrolling through 2011 archives of The Appalachian, there were many that were easy to relate to. There is barely a difference between the complaints of the past and the complaints of the more recent print editions, such as the November 2023 paper.

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January 17, 2024

Leah Boone | Opinion Editor Opinions make the world go round. Whether it is something mundane, like chocolate ice cream being better than strawberry, or something much more serious, like abortion rights, your opinion is important. Most newspapers have an opinion section in which these stances are written in a more professional way, giving readers the chance to do what they do best: fight. College journalists often write pieces about their opinion on both local and national events, which can easily catch the attention of most.

opinion

Leah’s Lens: Opinion journalism takes the cake While it may seem counterintuitive, a disgruntled reader who lights up the comment section is actually a prized possession within opinion journalism. Eliciting a reaction is the goal of many opinion journalists, and the passion that these pieces bring out in readers has the ability to keep college journalism alive. News and opinion journalism work hand in hand, often feeding off each other. A news article will provide the facts and figures in an unbiased manner to bring awareness of a situation to readers. An opinion article will also present factual information, but journalists use it to further their stance on the topic. Opinion articles discussing the same subject as a news article will sometimes be released soon after the news piece, allowing readers to understand the subject and then

read an in-depth opinion on it. The news and opinion desks of The Appalachian often use this technique. For example, a news article was published regarding the renovation of Wey Hall with an opinion article about the same topic being published two weeks later. Opinion journalism can often be a way for readers to dive deeper into the topic, and therefore have a better understanding. In this day and age, with opinions being spouted out every which way, it is often difficult to form your own due to all the noise. Opinion journalism, especially in college, is sometimes the only way students can find their voice. It is common for people to change their political views in some capacity after moving out of their childhood home, and in some cases college is the

next step. Whether it be writing for an opinion desk or just reading the articles, opinion journalism can play a very large role in people’s stance on the matter. It can also shed light on the different viewpoints on one situation, allowing readers to make a more informed conclusion. The opinion section of a college newspaper is also something that many students lack: a safe space. Whether it is coming from an unhealthy home, school or town environment, college is a place for some that ends up feeling more like home than anywhere else. With a sense of comfort should also come a sense of safety, especially to be yourself. Seeing undeniable proof that you are not alone in your opinion, as well as seeing that it is okay to have differing opinions, can offer a sense of peace. Opinion journalism in college is not only important for these significant reasons; it also offers the opportunity

to start an argument on a silver platter. Readers get into arguments in the comment section or while walking around campus. There is no denying that humans love to argue; opinion journalism gives them an excuse to do just that. For many, college is a time to find yourself and learn who you truly are. Journalism is becoming less and less prevalent in today’s society, with a lot of information being one swipe away on social media. Keeping college journalism especially alive is of the utmost importance in order to provide students with a safe space as well as accurate information regarding what is going on around them. Opinion journalism specifically is a way to get people involved with current events in a way that often holds their attention far longer than facts and figures. After all, who would want to turn down a debate on holidays, ducks or serial killers?

OPINION: Best ways to cope with seasonal depression El Shedrick | Opinion Writer

Seasonal Affective Disorder, appropriately named SAD, is a condition that millions of people suffer from each year, predominantly during the winter season. College students experiencing seasonal depression have it rough, with finals during the winter semester already making it tough to find motivation to get through the end of the year. There are many different ways to cope with seasonal depression, but here are some of the best ones. First, try light-therapy. This is the best-investigated and most successful intervention. There are many benefits to this therapy, but perhaps the best one is that it can be done from home. Light therapy is done immediately upon getting out of bed, in which the person sits in front of a box that emits

a bright light similar to the levels of outdoor light shortly after sunrise. It is already hard enough to leave the house once seasonal depression takes hold, so a tool like this that students can use from the comfort of their own home is key to fighting SAD. Similar to light therapy, dawn simulators are another tool to help those struggling with seasonal depression. These devices are sort of like an alarm clock, but instead of using noise to wake the person up, the simulator produces light that gradually gets brighter, just like the sun. The best versions of these devices use full spectrum light because this is most similar to natural sunlight. This is another intervention that can be done from home, offering a good starting point for those who are already

out of the house is the best option to experience the most benefit from struggling to get out of the house. socialization with others, but if it is For this next strategy, students will too cold or too difficult to get outside, have to leave the comfort of their there are other ways to socialize. homes. There is a relationship between Students should remember that social isolation and depression, they can check in with friends and meaning that staying connected with peers through FaceTime, or set up a peers during the winter is important, Zoom meeting to chat with family. just like in the summer. A coping strategy that is often First-year college students can find overlooked, especially by college the experience isolating, as it is difficult students, is the benefits that come with to be in a new place away from sticking to a schedule. Those affected friends, family, and their home. Living by seasonal depression often have on or near a college campus can help trouble sleeping at night. Maintaining with this, because there are many a consistent schedule is one of the people living in the dorms together, best ways to improve sleep health, the same with student apartment which in turn alleviates some of the complexes. It is important for students symptoms of seasonal depression. In to get to know the people they are addition to helping with sleep, sticking living in close proximity to, because to a schedule also exposes individuals when facing seasonal depression to light at a consistent time each day, students will want to be able to rely on which is beneficial for the circadian their peers that live closeby. Getting rhythm.

Graphic by Yakira Gurganus

If none of the above tips are working, it is important to recognize that reaching out for help is okay. It is extremely important for students to know that this is a common experience that many people go through.

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2024

January

Happy New Year

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

CDO Coffee Hour w/ Jamie Parson @ Crossroads, 9:3010:30 a.m.

First Day of Class Best of Boone voting opens!

Winter Chill, Plemmons Student Union, @ 7-10 p.m.

NAMI on Campus, Plemmons Student Union, room 413 @ 7:15-8:15 p.m.

Winter Club Expo, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Understand DEI, on Zoom @ 10-11 a.m. Leadership & Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Parkway Ballroom @ 5:30-7 p.m.

Sustainable Energy Speaker Series w/ Mike Kapp, Plemmons Student Union, Rough Ridge room 415 4-5 p.m.

Internship Expo, Grandfather Ballroom, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

25 Marc Chagall and Shtetl Life: Interactive Public Seminar on Jewish Diaspora Paintings, Turchin Center, room 102 @ 5:45-7 p.m.

The Appalachian, January 2024 edition