March 23, 2017 by The Appalachian

THE APPALACHIAN

ON THE RIGHT TRACK PAGES 8-9 J.J. BROWN PROMOTED PAGE 6

EATING BUGS PAGE 14

MAR.

23 2017

March 23,2017

THE TEAM Carl Blankenship @carl_r_blank EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITORIAL MULTIMEDIA BUSINESS

Aleah Warner @aleahwarner MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Haynes @victoriahayness CHIEF COPY EDITOR Sammy Hanf @sammyhanf NEWS EDITOR

Jacob Oller @ollerifyouhearme BUSINESS MANAGER Jordan Boles @jorddb MARKETING DIRECTOR

Olivia Wilkes @theappalachian ADVISER

Angelo Errico @angeloerrico821 OPINION EDITOR Lee Sanderlin @lee_sanderlin ENTERPRISE EDITOR

CRIME LOG CAMPUS

MARCH 18

MARCH 10

1:25 a.m. | Resisting a Public Officer Stadium Drive Cleared by arrest

3:50 p.m. | Vandalism Bowie Hall Leads exhausted

MARCH 18 12:39 a.m. | DWI - Alcohol and/or Drugs Rivers Street Cleared by arrest

MARCH 16 10 p.m. | Vandalism Rivers Street Leads exhausted

MARCH 16 Noon | Vandalism Administration Building Leads exhausted

MARCH 15 7 p.m. | Vandalism Anne Belk Hall Leads exhausted

Halle Keighton @halle_keighton PHOTO EDITOR Maleek Loyd @maleekstuff VIDEO EDITOR Braxton Coats @brxcoats22 WEB MANAGER

Katie Murawski @murawskikm A&E EDITOR Jason Huber @_jasonhuber SPORTS EDITOR

Sydney Spann @spannooo VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

MARCH 10 3:14 p.m. | Vandalism Trivette Hall Leads exhausted

MARCH 10 7 a.m. | Vandalism Rivers Street Leads exhausted

MARCH 6 3:59 p.m. | Vandalism Administration Building Leads exhausted

MARCH 6 Noon | Vandalism College of Education Leads exhausted

MARCH 6 3:40 p.m. | Public Intoxication College Street Circle Leads exhausted

SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

App News is a service of the Division of Student Development. Email wilkeso@appstate.edu for submissions with subject line: APP NEWS PAGE. Submissions should not exceed 100 words and must include the event title, date/time, location and cost, and a contact email, phone and/or URL. Announcements will be edited as needed and will run as space allows. Preference is given for events that are free or have a nominal cost.

WHAT TO DO FREE LEGAL ADVICE The Student Legal Clinic, in suite 324 in Plemmons Student Union, offers confidential advice, information, and referrals provided by a licensed attorney. The attorney can meet with any currently enrolled Appalachian State student and can advise students on any issue that is not directly adverse to the university. Make an appointment by calling (828) 2628284. More information at legalclinic.appstate. edu.

VISITING WRITERS SERIES The Visiting Writers Series is named in honor of Hughlene Bostian Frank (class of 1968), a 2013 Appalachian Alumni Association Outstanding Service award recipient, past member of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees, current board member of the ASU Foundation and generous supporter of Appalachian State University. The spring 2017 schedule of writers includes Rose McLarney on March 2, Bianca Lynne Spriggs on March 30, Al Young on April 6 and Robert Gipe on April 20 in Plemmons Student Union. Admission to all VWS events is free and open to the public. Parking is free on campus after 5 p.m. For further information on the Spring season, please visit english.appstate. edu/events/series/5 or email weinbergsc@ appstate.edu.

STUDY ABROAD The Education Abroad Office is still accepting applications for 2017 Appalachian faculty-led programs as well as Summer/Fall/Academic Year partner programs. For more information about program options, deadlines and how to

get started please visit the Education Abroad web page at https://international.appstate.edu/ education-abroad.

LEADERSHIP COACH Leadership coaching is an opportunity for you to define your current skills and enhance your leadership ability. You will meet one-on-one with your leadership coach on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for one hour. Our coaches are professional staff and graduate students from a variety of backgrounds. They are experienced leaders and are passionate about coaching our next generation of great leaders. Leadership can take place in the classroom, in campus clubs and organizations, in the community or in the workplace. Any ASU student who is currently in a leadership role or is interested in enhancing their leadership abilities is eligible! Please complete the AppSync form to express your interest in leadership coaching. If you have questions about leadership coaching, please contact Dr. Jim Street at streetjl@appstate.edu.

UP LATE APP STATE “Up Late App State” is an experimental comic playground intended to make us laugh and think about issues, big and small. The show is produced, directed, and hosted by students on AppTV. Watch new episodes Monday through Friday at 10:30 p.m. and every night at 12 a.m. AppTV programming is available on campus on Channel 23.3 and off campus on Spectrum Channel 198 and SkyBest Channels 20/1020. Visit the show’s Facebook page to catch the past episodes: https://www.facebook.com/ uplateappstate/. Interested in contributing?

Contact Dylan McMurry at mcmurrydk@ appstate.edu.

SPRING FINANCIAL AID FAIR The Office of Student Financial Aid will be holding its annual Spring Financial Aid Fair April 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sanford Mall. Drop by to learn more about Financial Aid, ask any questions you may have, or enjoy a game of corn-hole and free giveaways! Hope to see you there! For more info on this free event, contact Sheila Burleson at burlesonst@ appstate.edu.

FREE TAX HELP The Department of Accounting in the Walker College of Business offers a free tax help lab for students, faculty and staff beginning Feb. 7 until April 12. Individuals can drop into Peacock Hall Room 4015 on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings between 5-7 p.m. Don’t want to wait? Get started now at: www.myfreetaxes.com. For more information, contact Dr. Mary Ann Hofmann at hofmannma@appstate.edu.

WATER JUSTICE FORUM

short time, there was growing awareness of disparities in access to clean, healthy water, and of the role that racism and poverty play in these inequalities. Though media coverage of this issue has faded, the problem has not. Issues of water justice remain in many parts of the country, including North Carolina. Sustainability and Environmental Education Club and the Department of Sustainable Development and are co-hosting this Forum, which will include two presentations followed by discussion.

SEMICOLON WEEK Join Wellness and Prevention Services in spreading awareness and having conversations about mental health. All events are open to the entire campus community unless otherwise noted. Extra credit slips will be provided. Stop by the student union contact table the week of Semicolon Week, Monday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., for free swag and to pick up a calendar of events. Events include mindfulness retreats, suicide prevention training, peer coaching, rembrance events, mental health monologues and more. For more info visit wellness.appstate.edu.

The forum will take place March 27 from 6-8 p.m. in Belk Library Room 114. Free and open to open to all members of our campus and community. An environmental justice poster session will precede the forum in the Belk Library Rotunda. In the fall of 2015, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan became national news. For a

THURSDAY, MAR. 23

FRIDAY, MAR. 24

SATURDAY, MAR. 25

SUNDAY, MAR. 26

“Moonlight” Screening

1/2 Day Mindfulness Retreat

7 & 9:30 p.m. I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

1-5 p.m. Blue Ridge Ballroom, PSU

Stop Light Observation

“Dead Poet’s Society” Screening

9 p.m. Legends $7 student, $10 public

7 p.m. Greenbriar Theater $1

MONDAY, MAR. 27

TUESDAY, MAR. 28

WEDNESDAY, MAR. 29

THURSDAY, MAR. 30

Taste of Sustained Dialogue

Club Fest 2017

Peer Coaching

Repost:Rethink Trivia

6-7:30 p.m. Attic Window, PSU

11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Blue Ridge Ballroom, PSU

Noon-3 p.m. International Hallway, PSU

3:30-4:30 p.m. Roan Mountain Room, PSU

Water Justice Forum

Free Tax Help

6-8 p.m. Belk Library Room 114

5-7 p.m. Peacock Hall Room 4015

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” Screening

“MONOLOGUE” Screening

“Hero” Screening

6 p.m. Greenbriar Theater free

7 p.m. Greenbriar Theater $1

7 & 9:40 p.m. I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

March 23, 2017

APPALACHIAN STUDENT AWARDED HONOR SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIP AIDAN MOYER NEWS REPORTER

ayla Mounce, a

sophomore sustainable development major at Appalachian State, was awarded a scholarship for her engagement in extracurricular activities. Mounce received the society involvement scholarship from honorsociety. org for her involvement with the extracurricular organizations “Collegians for Christ” and “Students on a Mission.” Mounce was also on both the dean’s and chancellor’s list. Michael Moradian, executive director of honorsociety.org, said that it was Mounce’s extracurricular and academic achievement that set her apart from other applicants. Moradian said that honorsociety.org hopes Mounce will use the scholarship to maximize her academic, leadership and networking potential. Mounce said that the scholarship will go towards paying for summer classes. Mounce plans to go on to work for the Natural Resource Conservation Service as an Environmental Educator. “I enjoy working with people and community members to lobby positive environmental practices,” Mounce said. “I am also interested in environmental education, I love working with all ages and sharing knowledge that I have obtained through my educational experiences.”

The winner of the honors scholarship, Kayla Mounce.

TOWN COUNCIL APPOINTS ASU HUMAN RESOURCES COORDINATOR TO PLANNING COMMISSION BEN SESSOMS NEWS REPORTER

he Boone Town

Council unanimously appointed Appalachian State Human Resources Coordinator Becky Gosky to the town’s planning commission to fill a vacant position during a council meeting on March 16. According to the meeting’s agenda package, there were originally three applicants for the position, but Cathy LaMarre rescinded her application to endorse Gosky. “After talking to Ms. Gosky, I really got an awesome impression,” LaMarre said during a public comment at the

meeting. “I feel like she’s a really amazing representative of our community.” LaMarre also said that the Human Resources office, where Gosky is employed, had sent out an email trying to find housing for new faculty at Appalachian State. “I think [Gosky] would be a really good benefit on the planning commission to have somebody who has some statistics and data,” LaMarre said. Council member Loretta Clawson said that she was going to nominate LaMarre but decided to nominate Gosky instead based on LaMarre’s recommen-

dation. The other council members in attendance followed suit and voted unanimously to appoint Gosky. According to Appalachian State’s Human Resources web page, Gosky oversees housing assistance, dual career services, community connections, the employee discount program and professional development regarding relocation. Gosky wrote on her application in regards to her duties at Human Resources that she is constantly searching to extend a bridge between the university and the community.

Gosky is also a realtor alongside her position at Human Resources, according to her application. The other applicant, Quint David, previously served on the town council and currently serves as a member of the Appalcart board, according to David’s application. Clawson said she selected Gosky over David because the commission could use some fresh faces. “We need some new blood. I really believe that,” Clawson said. The term for the planning commission position will expire on June 30, 2018.

Courtesy

March 23, 2017

Protesters make their way through campus on their march toward Dan’l Boone Inn.

STUDENTS HOLD PROTEST AGAINST REVISED TRAVEL BAN SAMMY HANF NEWS EDITOR

round 60 people

marched from Sanford Mall to the Daniel Boone Inn to protest the Trump Administration’s revised travel ban last Thursday. Diana Feria Mejia, a senior communication studies major, said it’s important for students to raise their voice and communicate that this kind of action is unacceptable. Feria Mejia said the revised ban issued last Monday was just the “Muslim ban 2.0” and that any revisions were just made to curb the nationwide protests against the original ban. Keven White, a senior religious studies major, said no matter how it is presented the substance and intent of the ban comes from a platform of racism. Organizers encouraged those in the audience who have been affected by racism or anti-immigrant sentiment to come forward and share their stories. Kevin Israel Garcia Bautista, a freshman communication studies major, said when he was very young his father was detained without being able to see his family for 20 days after a routine traffic stop. His father signed a voluntary departure form and his mother decided to follow him to Mexico to keep the family together. “For the next seven years I would have to live under the desperate conditions of poverty, crime and lack of op-

Matt Sloyer

portunities within the country,” Bautista said. “During high school I was not allowed to continue my education due to financial instability and since I was not registered as a Mexican citizen the government wouldn’t provide me with any financial support.” Bautista said he was fortunate to be able to return to America to finish his studies but that his family is still stuck in the desperate conditions he managed to escape. Josie Varela, a graduate political science major, said she was inspired to share her experiences as a Cuban immigrant because she feels all voices should be heard, especially those that are underprivileged and often ignored. Evie Giaconia, a senior anthropology major and an organizer with Boone Rising, said they had planned to respond to the second iteration of the travel ban with a protest and that an emergency meeting was held immediately after the announcement to determine how best to respond. Giaconia said Boone Rising reached out to groups on campus that are most affected by the ban to ensure that their voices were central to the march. “We have to make it known that people are here who are affected and we care about them,” Giaconia said. “We want those community members to understand that they have support from us.”

Keven White gets the crowd pumped up before beginning their march. 5

March 23, 2017

J.J. BROWN SELECTED AS NEW VICE CHANCELLOR OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT SAMMY HANF NEWS EDITOR

ppalachian State’s

current Dean of Students J.J. Brown was selected as the new vice chancellor of student development last Monday. An email from the chancellor’s office said Brown has served with distinction as associate vice chancellor for student development and dean of students at Appalachian since 2010. Brown said via email that he is honored to serve Appalachian State as the new vice chancellor for student development and looks forward to working with staff members to further enhance students Appalachian experience. Michael Mayfield, vice provost for

undergraduate education and chair of the search committee, said the search committee was looking for a candidate with a wealth of leadership experience they could bring to heading a division responsible for 18,000 students. The vice chancellor for student development is responsible for a staff of over 250 and an annual budget of $46 million, according to the search committee’s website. Mayfield said the search committee was impressed by Brown’s deep care for students and dedication to the mission of the university. “Well, for those of us who have worked with him since he got here

roughly seven years ago and even those who have only gotten to know him in the last couple of years, his passion and deep care and concern for students comes out in every conversation with him,” Mayfield said. Mayfield said the committee saw many qualified candidates with excellent credentials. Mayfield said there are pros and cons to interviewing for a high level position at a university where you are currently employed and that he did not believe Brown’s current position at the university helped him in securing the job. The search committee compiled its own impressions as well as community

2017 Summer Courses Registration starts March 27th First Summer Session: May 22 - June 28 Second Summer Session: July 5 - August 10 Ten-Week Courses: May 22 - August 10

summerschool.uncc.edu 6

feedback and submitted them to the Chancellor, who made the final decision of who to hire for the position. Mayfield said Brown demonstrated a strong ability to make challenging decisions about what is best for both the development of individual students and the university as a whole. “One thing that J.J. would talk about, if you’ve talked to him I’m sure or if you’ve heard him speak before he always talks about challenge and support,” Mayfield said. “So we challenge our students and we support them as best we can and I think that J.J. epitomizes that approach to college student development.”

March 23, 2017

Junior Scott Webster swings at the ball during his match.

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY MICHAEL PIGG SPORTS REPORTER

unior men’s tennis

player and Australian native Scott Webster found a new home at Appalachian State, and it has been beneficial for both Webster and the university. Webster has excelled thus far in the U.S. and is on his way to putting Appalachian State tennis on the map. Holding a career 31-8 record as a Mountaineer, Webster has made it to the division one regional championship and earned the honors of second all-Sun Belt team last year. But Webster is now ready to improve his game even more to take it to the next level. “Over the offseason I went home back to Australia and that is where I do a lot of intense training,” Webster said. “I wanted to keep my rhythm and fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to hit with some of the top 25 guys in the world.” In Australia, tennis is not a high school sport, and it is not the most popular sport. Webster was able to get recognition from the U.S. through club tennis and went undefeated during his time in Australia which caused him to stand out to U.S. coaches.

Courtesy

This quickly caught the eye of Appalachian State’s head coach Bob Lake who had connections to Australian players. “I have had five Australians on my teams,” Lake said. “I have a guy that played for me, who was one of my first Australian players, who was an all-conference player and is a member of the Australian tennis association. So when I am recruiting a guy from Australia, I make a few calls.” Moving to college can be different, and in Webster’s case, he was coming from a different country to Boone, where he wouldn’t have the opportunity to go back to Australia as much. “I came to Appalachian in January 2015 and before then I had never been to the U.S. before,” Webster said. “The transition to here was really tough. It was the first time I was by myself and to make things worse, not a lot of people could understand me. After my first semester, I was able to settle in and it became normal.” When Webster arrived at App State, senior Jack Maddocks, a fellow Australian, was ready to give him advice and show him around campus. But what

Maddocks did not know was how much Webster’s presence would also help himself out. “I think it was easier for me when he came in, and I instantly connected with him,” Maddocks said. “I was a year older, so I knew what he was going through, so I tried to make sure that he was settled in and everyone got to know him.” During his freshman year, Webster and Maddocks were named to all-Sun Belt second team as a doubles pair, and Webster was named Sun Belt freshman of the year with an 18-4 singles record. Webster finished his sophomore season with a 13-4 singles record, and an 11-3 record at the number one spot. Only suffering one defeat last fall season at the hands of a Clemson player at the UTSA Division One Carolina Regional Championship, Webster said it was a different level of competition. “Playing a guy from Clemson can be a bit daunting at first,” he said. “At the end of the day, you realize they are just hitting a green fuzzy ball like you.” The stellar year that Webster had landed him on the second team all-Sun Belt selection, but his goal is to make first team all-Sun Belt.

“I definitely want first team,” Webster said. “Last year it was easier because we were winning more as a team. I am just trying to do my job, and the accomplishments will come if I focus on the team.” Lake gave Webster high praise and said he takes the place as leader on the team. “Scott has been the franchise player for us. His sophomore year he became the number two player for us,” Lake said. “He has been the senior leader for us since he has been here, and he takes over and makes sure his teammates are doing the right thing.” A guy like Webster also helps other members on the team improve. “Scott really doesn’t miss a lot of balls, and he hits a lot of good balls, so he is good to practice against,” Maddocks said. “He is good for perspective because if you beat him, you feel like you are playing well. Scott helps you become more consistent.” Playing at the number one spot all season, Webster currently holds an 11-3 singles record and looks continue his goal to first team all-Sun Belt when the Mountaineers take on UNC Greensboro on March 31.

March 26, 2017

TWO SENIOR TRANSFERS SHINE JASON HUBER SPORTS EDITOR

he road to their senior year has been different for App State track and field athletes Chris Anderson and Taylor Drummonds. On the men’s side, Anderson is in his fifth and final year of eligibility as a distance runner for the Mountaineers cross country and track and field team. Drummonds is in her final year as a pole-vaulter and hurdler for the women’s track and field team. Being a track and field athlete is sometimes the only similarity that a pole-vaulter and a distance runner can relate to. With multiple events that take place in track and field, there is one underlying similarity that Anderson and Drummonds have with each other: they’re both seniors who transferred to App State. “We actually don't have too many transfers,” head track and field coach John Weaver said. “We try to have people who want to be here, work hard and fit with the program. It's not too different from any other sport, but with the individual aspect, it can be difficult to adjust as a transfer.” Now in their final season donning the black and gold, Anderson has solidified himself as one of the top runners on the men’s team, recently running a personal record of 8:21.33 in the 3000 meter, and a 14:46.63 5K to place third at the Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships. Drummonds hit her personal record this indoor season in the pole-vault, jumping 13’1.5”, and started off the outdoor season with a first place finish in the pole-vault, jumping 12’11.5”. For both Drummonds and Anderson, there were some roadblocks on the way. Originally from Florida, Drummonds moved to Boone and attended Watauga High School. She was a two-sport student-athlete, playing softball and competing in track and field. Anderson’s father was a professional runner, and he took part in the sport during his sophomore year of high school. Despite feeling that she was a better softball player, Drummonds was recruited by East Carolina, and signed with the Pirates track and field team in 2013. Drummonds found quick success at ECU, setting the program’s school record for the outdoor pole vault as a sophomore and being named newcomer of the year as a freshman during the outdoor season. “Everything was upgraded in college a little bit,” Drummonds said. “In track, you practice everyday, have study hall and you are just working hard everyday, which can be a transition from high school.” Similarly, Anderson, who attended Westchester Day School, was recruited by UNC Charlotte in 2012, and decided to sign with the 49ers, even though his sister attended Appalachian State. “I was a late bloomer as a runner, and in indoor track I was ranked 10th in nation in the 5K and got interest,” An8

Chris Anderson leading the pack at a track meet this winter. Anderson is a fifth-year senior. derson said. “I chose UNCC and really enjoyed it. My sister went to App, and I wanted something different. Charlotte had the best opportunity at the time.” Just like Drummonds, Anderson quickly succeeded at the collegiate level, placing in the top five for the 49ers every cross country race, and posting multiple personal records throughout the cross country and track seasons. “It was different. In high school I was a one-man team. I was five minutes faster than everyone on my team, and it was different to be able to train with guys who really competed with me,” Anderson said. “I was the second man on the team my first year being at UNCC, and it was different having to adjust with people around me and not be solo.”

After competing for two seasons, ECU’s pole-vault team went through some troubles, at one point discussing cutting the team, and Drummonds felt it was best to transfer after being granted her release from the team. Anderson was ready for a change of scenery after his first year, as he felt if his training changed, he had much more potential. Anderson decided to attend Clemson, but just a few weeks in his first semester, a new coach was hired, and decided Anderson wasn’t a good fit for the team. Both having to find a new college to compete at, App State became the choice for Drummonds and Anderson under Weaver and pole vault coach David Ward and cross country/distance coach

Michael Curcio. “Many people have different reasons for transferring,” Weaver said. “It may be coaching, family money or anything really. We just want someone who wants to be here and has the right mindset to be here.” Drummonds was eligible to compete her first year at App, and Anderson went through an appeal process to compete immediately. After a few years of looking to find their home, Anderson and Drummonds could now settle and just focus on school and competing. “I felt that the first summer after I attended App, I lived up here in Boone, and that’s when I really calmed down and was adjusting and getting back into

Courtesy

March 23, 2017

Taylor Drummonds during a pole-vaulting event this past indoor season. a normal life again,” Anderson said. “In the spring and fall, we had [Evan] Laratta, and then [Jacob] Spears who were transfers, and we have had a lot of transfers come in and succeed.” Not only did Anderson and Drummonds transfer for track and field, education became a key factor. With making it professionally being so difficult in track and field, one of the first things Weaver makes sure of is where his student-athletes are academically. “The first thing I ask them is ‘what is your major?’” Weaver said. “If they are wanting to major in something like engineering, I may not recommend coming here. If it's business, I say they can succeed academically. We want them to have the best opportunity they can, because if something were to happen, they need to have other options and feel prepared to graduate.”

Courtesy App State Athletics

Drummonds found her passion in communications sciences and disorders, and found App has the perfect fit. Anderson wasn’t sure on what he wanted to do, but App State presented him with the opportunity to find his passion in marketing. “Don’t go to a school just because you think it is the right fit,” Anderson said. “You have to know the area, the weather, the coach, the team and if school has your major. I told people you can't just make the decision on running, and the best thing for me was finding my major. I didn’t really have it, and now I know what I want to do.” Having the experience of attending another university, a sport like track and field can be difficult to adjust to with the individual aspect of the sport, but for Drummonds, she made sure her voice was heard immediately.

During the Sun Belt track and field indoor championships in 2016, Weaver told the team that they were sitting in second place, which would be the best in App State history. Drummonds, who experienced winning seasons at ECU, raised her hand and said ‘Why don’t we just go for first place?” The Mountaineers would do just that. “Taylor makes sure our voices are heard, even as freshman, we were still important to the team,” sophomore pole-vaulter Sofia San Miguel said. “Taylor is an incredible positive energy, and when she leaves, that is something we need to keep around.” Still needing to prove that she could fit in with a strong Mountaineer team, Drummonds proved her leadership skills early, and helped lead the Mountaineers to a conference championship her first year at App.

“When Taylor transferred in, we saw her take an immediate leadership role on our pole-vault team,” San Miguel said. “She has helped me so much with getting my confidence back in a mental rut during my freshman year.” On the men’s side, Anderson had a few other distance runner transfers in Laratta and Spears, and another fifth year senior in Andrew Vandenberg to help him with the transition. Drummonds has senior jumper Darlene Girardeau as another senior transfer on the team. “I think our friendship started the first time I met him. He just seemed like a great guy,” Vandenberg said. “I don’t think it was really about coming together in the sense that we all had some meeting or anything. We got to know the transfers, and treated them the same way we treated each other.” Even though building a team culture is important, there is no denying track and field is an individual sport. After redshirting the outdoor season his junior year, the motivation was higher than ever for Anderson. “It made me mentally stronger because Clemson basically told me I wasn’t good enough at the time, and it made me want to beat them,” Anderson said. However, slumps are bound to happen, and one of the biggest changes for Anderson was transitioning from the Southern Conference to the Sun Belt his second season at App. “We always want to talk to them when they go through a slump, but we really make sure when there are outside issues that are affecting them. You just can’t focus on the little things,” Weaver said. “The SoCon to Sun Belt change was a big thing that did affect some of the athletes. The competition was a lot different and the training in the week was different. So that was a time we had to really sit down with them and make sure they’re okay.” The motivation to compete with stronger teams, and wanting to reach his full potential, Anderson set multiple personal records, and he became just one of the guys on the team. “It’s evident that Chris commits his time and energy to bettering himself and the team as a whole,” Vandenberg said. “It has clearly paid off given his recent school record and third place finish at conference. I think the feeling of someone being 'new' disappears the moment that you begin to enjoy their company and are acquainted with them. With Chris, that process didn’t take too long.” As one of five senior pole-vaulters, Drummonds has had to take on a leadership role, and has not failed. “College is hard, life is tough, but good friends and teammates make it easier. Taylor has made it easy, and definitely more enjoyable,” San Miguel said. “She will be missed so dearly, and I'm so grateful her collegiate journey intersected with mine.” With outdoor season being the final time Anderson and Drummonds can compete, the two may be on different sides of the track, but have both excelled as transfer student-athletes. “Everyone knows each other, and there is no separation of what you do,” Drummonds said. “There is just a family aspect, which I like.”

March 23, 2017

Junior Raheem Somersall battles for the ball during the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

APPALACHIAN SOCCER GAINS INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE COLT JENSEN SPORTS REPORTER

pp State men’s

soccer recently had two players representing the Mountaineers in the CONCACAF under 20 World Cup in late February, with junior Raheem Somersall and incoming freshman, Zeiko Harris, both being given a rare opportunity to represent their home countries. In early February, Somersall and Harris were selected to represent their home countries, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Bermuda respectively. The exclusive nature of their selection, and the opportunity to play internationally generated a lot of excitement for the players. “I was extremely excited to be named a member of this team, and to be able to continue my international youth career at a higher level is truly a blessing for me,” Somersall said. Somersall, who plays midfield for Appalachian State, represented his home country of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Harris, who will likely play center back for the Mountaineers, played for his native Bermuda. While they both represented different nations, they had similar experiences leading up to the group stage of World Cup qualifiers. Both started with two

weeks of training with their national U-20 team, before entering into match play. During the two weeks leading up to the competition from Feb. 17-24, players from various countries with different playing styles had to try and mesh all of their talent together, to form one team that was capable of competing with countries that were in some cases more than ten times their size. “I was one of four players to be playing abroad [on Saint Kitts and Nevis], two from England, while myself and another player are playing in the U.S.,” Somersall said. “I think that the best part of playing on the International level is that I learn different styles of play, and am able to play against some of the best young players across the Panam region.” Once play began, the two teams faced some of the best young players from across the Pan-American region, and had to fight an uphill battle in difficult groups as St. Kitts and Nevis was grouped with the United States, the eventual U-20 CONCACAF champion. Bermuda was selected in the same group as Costa Rica, whose national team advanced to the quarter finals of the 2014 World Cup. Harris’s Bermuda and Somersall’s St.

Kitts and Nevis ultimately finished with a combined 0-1-5, and were eliminated during the group stage. However, despite their team's struggles, Appalachian State head coach Jason O’Keefe said he saw their international experience as a valuable one and was happy to see some of his players compete while representing their countries. “I see many benefits to players getting a chance to play for their country and against other international teams. It gives them great pride and confidence,” O’Keefe said. “They are representing something much bigger than themselves. To be able to compete at that level and then come back to the college game, they play at a different level, and bring the things they have learned from those experiences.” While Somersall and Harris may be done representing their countries for the time being, they will still be representing the Mountaineers in the fall, and O'Keefe believes the experiences will help them help make the Mountaineers a better team. “They will come in having played games against top CONCACAF teams in hostile environments, so when we play our games, they should not be rattled

by anything,” O’Keefe said. “For Rah [Somersall] it will be important as he continues to develop in his leadership role in the team, and for Zeiko, he should use those experiences to help him transition to the college game and really help elevate his game and our program.” Somersall hopes that he still has more to gain from playing at the international level, and that one day he can represent his country at the highest levels of world soccer. “My goals at the international level are to represent my country at every stage possible, both in youth and senior team. Now that I've played with the youth team at the U-15's & U-20's, the next step for me is to earn a call up to the senior team,” Somersall said. “I would also like to help the team qualify for a Gold Cup and/or a FIFA World Cup, which is a spot in the future to create history.” While it's unknown as to whether Somersall or Harris will play in a World Cup or represent their senior national team in the future, one thing is certain: these Mountaineers expect to benefit from their World Cup Qualifier experience.

Courtesy App State Athletics

March 23, 2017

(Top left) Senior Cara Parker goes to catch the ball. (Bottom left) Senior Katie Mathewson winds up to throw the ball to one of her teammates. (Right) Senior Vanessa Ciocatto winds up to pitch the ball.

SENIORS STEP UP TO THE PLATE MONICA CRAWFORD SPORTS REPORTER

ith seniority

comes a leadership role both on and off the field for seniors on the App State softball team Cara Parker, Katie Mathewson and Vanessa Ciocatto. Parker, Mathewson and Ciocatto are the only three seniors on the Mountaineer softball team, which is otherwise made up of freshmen and sophomores. Now that they are seniors, they said that they have had to become leaders for the young team. “I think that the four years I’ve been here, I’ve had to sit down every year and think about what my role is and how I’m going to bring what I can to the table,” Parker said. “Now I want to help the younger guys and help them realize that this is their opportunity and that this is something that not a lot of people get to do.” Parker has been a strong force on the field since her freshman year when she received all-freshman team honors from the Southern Conference. She hit

Courtesy

her 35th career home run in the Mountaineers’ game against Texas State on March 18 and is only four home runs away from tying the record for second all-time career home runs in Mountaineer history. However, Parker’s growth from her freshman year to her senior year is what sets her apart from other record holders, head coach Janice Savage said. When App State switched from playing in the Southern Conference to the Sun Belt, Parker had to change her mindset and learn how to deal with both successes and failures. Savage said this new mindset is Parker’s biggest contribution to the team. Mathewson has been playing alongside Parker since her freshman year and she said that over the four years that she has been here at App, she has gained a perspective that she hopes to share with the freshmen on the team. “Being mentors for them is just the best,” Mathewson said. “I think it honestly just comes with being a senior and its expectation, but for us to step up into that expectation and actually succeed in

it, which I feel like we have, is big for our team.” As well as being a solid player on the field, Mathewson has always been very encouraging for the entire team at games and practices and in the classroom, Ciocatto said. Ciocatto has been playing for the Mountaineers as their pitcher since her sophomore year, when she transferred from Delaware State. She was the leading pitcher for the Mountaineers last season with a ERA of 5.64 in 152.2 innings pitched, and she currently holds the lowest ERA this season of 1.62. “I would consider myself team captain for about two years now, so going into this season as a senior, I was really looking forward to that final season as a senior captain,” Ciocatto said. Ciocatto added that the three seniors not only lead together on the field, but they are also close as friends, which has helped them develop a chemistry that has earned the respect of the younger players on the team. “You’ve got three different personalities in the three of them, so for them

to come together and get on the same page that they have one common goal to be successful as a team regardless of their personal success is huge and says a lot about the culture that we have now,” Savage said. As they continue into conference play, Savage said the three seniors will have to continue to work together to lead the team to success in the Sun Belt and make a change in the softball program at App. “The biggest thing that I’ve seen out of them is that they’ve accepted the challenge of wanting to see a change in this program and wanting to be successful in the Sun Belt,” Savage said. “In the past, I’ve had some really good leaders, but I’ve not had three of them be on the same page. I give these guys a lot of credit for being able to work together and collaborate.” Conference play for the team continues on March 25, giving Parker, Mathewson and Ciocatto a chance to prove their leadership skills thus far. The Mountaineers will face off against Georgia State in Decatur, Georgia at 1 p.m.

March 23, 2017

GOLDEN COCKEREL STORE LINKS BOONE WITH RUSSIA

(Left) A closer look at the nesting dolls, which were hand-crafted at the Golden Cockerel workshop in St. Petersburg, on display and for sale at the Boone gallery. (Right) Golden Cockerel owner Walton Conway poses with some of the store’s nesting dolls. ADRIENNE FOUTS A&E REPORTER

ighway 194, going

toward Elk Knob State Park, is a winding road that takes the driver out of the town of Boone and deeper into the mountains, through woods and around sharp curves, alongside weathered homes and occasionally past old buildings that house local businesses. One such business, nestled between a surveying company and a general store, sometimes causes drivers to do a double-take when they pass it. A 5-foot-tall Russian nesting doll sits on the sidewalk outside the door and a bright red banner hangs above with golden letters proclaiming the store’s name: “Golden Cockerel: Russian Gifts Fit for a Czar.” “It does jump out at people as they drive by,” Walton Conway, the store owner, said. “It’s what you might call a hidden gem of the High Country.” It’s surprising enough to come across this tiny shop specializing in Russian gifts deep in the mountains of North Carolina. What’s even more surprising is learning that Golden Cockerel is one of the largest producers of nesting dolls in the world.

The business is a result of Conway’s trip to Russia in 1991, where he lived and taught English for a few years, and a lifelong partnership he formed while there. “I had the idea that I would go live in a distant part of the world and meet the people there, be an ambassador of American culture and try to build some links of friendship between the U.S. and Russia,” Conway said. “Having grown up in the Cold War time, I kind of wanted to bust that border and see what was on the other side.” One of Conway’s students in St. Petersburg, Roman Karkachev, helped Conway get through some tough winters when food was scarce, and the two developed a bond. They eventually decided to go into business together, turning to a traditional Russian craft: matryoshka dolls, or nesting dolls. The business started small. In the early 90s, as the Soviet Union collapsed, the Russian economy was falling apart and there was a lot of unemployment, Conway said. Many jobless Russians began buying blank nesting dolls, or matryoshka dolls, and painting them to

sell at flea markets. Conway would shop at the markets, and when he returned to the U.S. in 1993 to teach at Appalachian State University, he brought with him a suitcase full of nesting dolls and the goal of selling the souvenirs to help his friends in St. Petersburg. Not having any business experience himself, Conway didn’t have large expectations for the venture, at first going door-to-door peddling the nesting dolls. But as Conway realized there was more interest and demand for the product, he figured that it could actually be a viable business, so he set up shop and started filling orders. Eventually, he had to quit teaching as the business became a fulltime job. Realizing that buying the nesting dolls from flea markets was unreliable once large orders came in, Conway and Karkachev set up their own production. They put an ad in the paper looking for artists in St. Petersburg, Conway said, and there was a line of applicants out the door. After many interviews, they found a few people who had gone to art colleges and developed themselves as professional painters.

“Once you know a few good painters, then they have friends,” Conway said. “So the team we have now has been with us for over a decade, and we have worked with them to develop a very specific production process utilizing their talents.” Now, Karkachev’s main job is to oversee production in their St. Petersburg workshop, while Conway’s primary role in the business is to get the products sold. Both partners collaborate on all aspects of Golden Cockerel, though, including product design. “We perceive ourselves as toymakers,” Conway said. “We are pushing the boundaries of what a nesting doll is or what it could be, and developing new types of nesting dolls.” Karkachev and the St. Petersburg team buy blank wooden dolls from independent carvers in Russian villages, which are sent to Golden Cockerel’s workshop. About a dozen artists work there, specializing in different aspects of the production process from sanding the blank dolls to painting and lacquering them. How long production takes depends on the sizes and designs on the

Adrienne Fouts

March 23, 2017

The inside of the Golden Cockerel gallery, located on Highway 194 in Boone. dolls, Conway said, but a batch of about 100 dolls is a few-week process with several people involved. The Golden Cockerel gallery in Boone sells the products, but it is also somewhat of a museum of nesting dolls and how they are made, Conway said. Hundreds of dolls, ornaments, porcelain dishes and other products line the walls of the tiny shop. The matryoshka dolls come in a variety of sizes and designs, including the traditional Russian babushka designs, different animals and some sets painted as U.S. presidents. Occasional curious passersby and tourists stop in the gallery to visit, as well as students learning about Russian culture. Boone local Christy McAlister said that she brought groups of homeschooled students into the shop over the years to hear from Conway in great detail about how nesting dolls are made. In addition, Appalachian State Russian language professor Irina Barclay hosted a Russian language summer camp, and her students would visit the gallery during their time at the camp. “The mere presence of the shop in Boone is something we can all take a

Adrienne Fouts

great deal of pride in,” Barclay said. Most of Golden Cockerel’s business, however, is done through online orders. Boone is the mail-order headquarters of the business; the dolls are sent to the store from St. Petersburg after they are made, and are then shipped all over the world. “Anywhere you travel, you’ll be likely to find our nesting dolls in gift shops, be it Alaska or New York or Florida,” Conway said. “We recently sold to a gift shop in Greenland, and Newfoundland, Australia, the Middle East, so we are supplying the world with nesting dolls and they all come right through Boone here.” One aspect of the business that has been a surprise, Conway said, is the number of orders from large corporations that Golden Cockerel receives. Companies such as Microsoft, John Deere and Cartoon Network have ordered customized nesting dolls, usually as gifts for employees. In addition, Golden Cockerel created several thousand nesting dolls as promotion for the 1999 film “Being John Malkovich.” “We didn’t realize we’d be making

nesting dolls for the big boys,” Conway said. Despite Golden Cockerel’s huge success in the nesting doll business, times are more uncertain now due to the current political climate and U.S. attitudes toward Russia. Politics have always affected some aspects of the business, Conway said. The giant nesting doll sitting outside the gallery’s front door was originally requested by the U.S. Olympic Committee when the Winter Olympics were being held in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Times Square in New York City had booths set up for the countries represented in the Olympics, and the nesting doll was meant to sit at Russia’s booth. However, when tensions arose that year because of Russian involvement in Syria, the Olympic Committee was worried about a large Russian presence at the event, and canceled the order. “It has been tougher ever since the political climate soured, especially in the corporate gifts,” Conway said. “It has definitely been a challenging environment.” U.S. imports from Russia used to be

duty-free, Conway said, but there is now a 10 to 20 percent duty on everything he imports. At the same time, the cost of living in Russia has gone up, which has put additional financial strain on the business. If the U.S. starts sanctioning all products coming out of Russia, Conway said, then the whole business shuts down. Besides the hope that relations between the U.S. and Russia turn around, Conway plans to stay in business by rolling with the times, keeping up with the Internet market and innovating new products. Though the large success of Golden Cockerel has been somewhat of a surprise, there is another success that Conway is proud of: achieving his original goal of forming a lasting link between people in the U.S. and Russia. “Karkachev is still involved, he is still my Russian business partner and that alone is very unique, I would think,” Conway said. “The two of us have worked together as equal partners in the business for 20-some years now, and it has helped to connect Russian culture with Americans for many years.”

March 23, 2017

VISITING PROFESSOR TALKS EDIBLE INSECTS

Julie Lesnik was the presenter of the Eating Bugs lecture. She left samples of different cricket products for the crowd to taste if they wanted to. ASHLEY GOODMANA&E REPORTER

ugs, despite turning some

stomachs in western culture, have been a staple of the human diet since humans were mere hominids, and are still a prevalent food source around the world today. Julie Lesnik, assistant professor in anthropology at Wayne State University in Detroit, visited App State on March 21 to remind students of the nutritional value of bugs in her public talk, “The Evolution of Insects as Food, From Hominids to the United Nations.” The talk was coordinated by Appalachian State anthropology lecturer Colin Quinn. “This talk explores what makes us human,” Quinn said. “Eating is one of those major things that unites us; it’s something we all have to do every day.” In the talk, Lesnik examined insects as food throughout history and across the world, discussing how humans have developed a reliance on insects for nutrition as well as how the bugs influence human diet in some modern cultures. “Dr. Lesnik’s work really focuses and challenges us to rethink our models about what our ancestors were eating and recognize that they were probably eating insects,” Quinn said. Lesnik has devoted her career to researching the importance of insects in the diets of prehominids and beyond, examining fossilized artifacts as well as the diets of primates and insect-eating humans today. Lesnik has sought through her research to discern the differences in insect consumption between primates and determine whether these differences have affected human evolution. For example, while chimps seek out protein rich termites of the Macrotermes genus, gorillas prefer Cubitermes, which are rich in micronutrients and minerals

such as iron. Lesnik’s findings revealed that the early primates who would eventually evolve into humans preferred termites high in fat. Fatty acids are essential in brain function, and as prehuman primates developed larger brains with evolution, fats became more essential in their diet with time. These hominids, Lesnik said, developed eating habits similar to those humans who eat termites today: eating protein rich Macrotermes year-round, but taking advantage of the seasonal flying termites which had a higher fat content. While the history of human evolution evidences the importance of insect consumption in humans’ development over time, Lesnik also put focus on the humans that are still eating insects today. Her more recent work examines humans today, why some cultures eat bugs and why others shun them. Looking at current mapped data, Lesnik connected latitude lines with prevalence of bug eating across the world today. Lesnik analyzed information as affected by the “latitudinal diversity gradient,” which essentially asserts that biodiversity is greatest along the equator. There is more sunlight and in turn photosynthesis closer to the equator, and seasons fluctuate significantly less. This allows for greater insect growth and diversity in these areas, one aspect influencing which cultures rely more on insects as food. “Latitude predicted edible insects 80 percent of the time, which is a very strong result for logistic regression models,” Lesnik said. While insect consumption is common in equatorial regions such as Mexico and Africa, it is significantly less prevalent in more northernmost areas such as Europe, Canada and much of America. Because of their lack of year-round availability,

insects could not serve as a consistent resource in human diet. Further, Lesnik said, Europe was under ice until about 18,000 years ago. By this time, Neanderthals were extinct and modern humans had taken over the domain. As a result of this “little ice age,” she said, insects were far from plentiful in Europe and thus not considered a nutritional resource. This does not, however, fully explain Western Europeans’ distaste for bugs. Even after colonizing the Americas, where indigenous people have utilized insect resources for generations, Europeans resisted the adoption of insects as food. Lesnik said that this was not a result of evolution, but culture. “This really is a good example of ethnocentrism and othering,” Lesnik said. “Insects are something that we don’t eat but other people do, so they must be starving, or they must be unable to produce any other resource or they must not be smart enough to have the technology that we have.” This was especially relevant in the European colonization of African and Native American territories. Europeans saw these people as “other,” as people whose customs were backwards and savage simply because they were different from their own. As a result, customs such as eating insects were looked down upon and vehemently resisted. Lesnik said that Americans today typically view insects as a “fallback food,” a source of nutrition only when nothing else is available. They think of lost hikers and people of impoverished, developing countries who have no other choice but to rely on bugs. With time, Lesnik said she hopes that Americans can increase conversation about edible insects and one day learn to think of insects as a healthy and sustainable resource. “I offer samples all the time and get

gut reactions from people,” Lesnik said. “A lot of times, people will say, ‘Ew, that’s gross,’ and I’ll say that that’s just your biased cultural opinion. So I try to explain to them that that’s a product of their culture, and that people all over the world eat insects.” Though parents can be grossed out by bugs, Lesnik recommended that parents keep those opinions to themselves and allow their children to develop their own. She hopes that this way children will be allowed to look at food with their own ideas, free of the influence of a culture that tells them to shy away from edible insects. “There are a lot of things that my parents would be icked out by that I’m not. Crickets might have an ick factor for me, but my children might not be freaked out by it,” Quinn said. Quinn hopes that products like cricket flour and cookies can allow consumers to move past the image of the insect to embrace the concept in the future. “There’s such a good payoff to eating insects; we’ve talked about the protein, iron and calcium. Plus, I think this is a really good way to incorporate new foods that we’re not used to,” Shelby Smith, a junior biological anthropology major, said. “I’ve always been very open-minded. So I’ve been open to the idea of eating insects; this has just really made me think about how to incorporate that into my own diet.” Quinn said the talk did “a great job of connecting the past with the present, making information about the archaeological record and the paleoanthropological record meaningful and impactful in the modern world.” Lesnik is continuing to study the hominid diet in south and east Africa, and is currently working on her book, “Edible Insects and Human Evolution.”

Lindsay Vaughn

March 23, 2017

A RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S BUDGET

resident Donald

Trump finally figured out who was going to pay for his wall, and, as expected, it isn’t Mexico. It’s the American people. But that shouldn’t have surprised anyone, especially with his track record of keeping his other campaign promises. Everyone should have seen it coming after his Jan. 11 press conference, where he said that Mexico “in some form, and there are many different forms, will reimburse us, and they will reimburse us for the cost of the wall.” It should have been explicitly clear that Mexico wasn’t paying when Mexican President Enrique Peña said, “It is evident that we have some differences with the new government of the United States, like to the topic of the wall, that Mexico of course will not pay.” But now it’s been made absolutely clear that is the American people who are paying for the wall with his proposed budget plan released Thursday. According to the plan, Trump wishes to “invest” $2.6 billion in “high-priority tactical infrastructure and border security technology, including funding to plan, design and construct a physical wall along the southern border.” So there it is, 2.6 billion taxpayer dollars are going into building a wall that, according to the Pew Research

Q Russell is a sophomore journalism major from Charlotte, North Carolina Center, only 35 percent of Americans are in favor of. With the question of who is paying sorted out, attention must be turned to how Trump will pay for his wall. He’d pay for his wall by making $54 billion worth of cuts to parts of the federal government and a variety of government programs. While the wall accounts for roughly five percent of the cuts, where would the rest of the money go? To defense funding of course, specifically to the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. In the budget plan, Trump says that America must “ensure that our courageous servicemen and women have the tools they need to deter war, and when called upon to fight, do only one thing: win.”

The thing is, the U.S. is already well-prepared for such an eventuality, in fact, there aren’t any militaries that are as powerful as America’s. According to a study done by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, in terms of defense spending, America spends more on defense then the next seven countries combined. In 2016 the US spent $596 billion on defense, whereas the next seven countries, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UK, India, France and Japan, spent a combined total of $567 billion. The only reason Trump wants to increase defense spending is so that he can pander to his Republican voter base. The list of programs he’s diminishing is a long one, so here are the most important ones. In terms of budget reductions, he proposes a $2.6 billion cut to the Environmental Protection Agency (which, oddly enough, is the same amount put toward the wall), an $11 billion cut to the State Department, a $2.5 billion cut to the Labor Department, a $5 billion cut to the Agriculture Department and a $1 billion cut to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Trump also plans to eliminate programs such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (which contains PBS and NPR), the Global Climate Change Initiative, the National Endowments for the

Arts and Humanities, the State Energy Program, the Global Climate Change Initiative and many others. This is appalling. Who in their right mind would cut arts and education programs, popular programs that benefit people all across the country, for building a bigger stick? Because that’s all that would come of these losses: a bigger stick and a pointlessly expensive wall. But of course Trump is going to push for it, and of course the Republican congress is going to pass it through. Because why wouldn’t they? This budget plan is everything they ever dreamed of and there really isn’t anyone who can stop them. And that’s why people need to speak out against this. This is only a proposed budget plan, an outline for what the current administration wants to happen, so there’s still time to fight it. Write to your congressional representatives, call their offices, let them know that you won’t stand for them supporting this. Remind them that the people should not be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of them. Because at the end of the day we elected these people, they represent us, and just as soon as we elected them, we can replace them.

Forum Series David Pogue America and Science: The Path to Success in the Unrecognizable New World of Tech and Culture

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 7PM SCHAEFER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 733 RIVERS STREET, BOONE, NC Free and Open to the Public

For 13 years, David Pogue was the weekly personal technology columnist for The New York Times. He joined Yahoo in 2013, where he founded a new Web site for non-techies called Yahoo Tech. He’s won three Emmy awards for his TV work, which includes hosting “NOVA” on PBS and serving as a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning since 2002. With over three million books in print, David is one of the world's best-selling how-to authors. He wrote or co-wrote seven books in the For Dummies series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music). In 1999, he launched his own series of complete, funny computer books called The Missing Manual series, which now includes 120 titles. David graduated summa cum laude from Yale in 1985 with distinction in music and he spent ten years conducting and arranging Broadway musicals in New York. He has won two Emmys, a Loeb Award for journalism and an honorary doctorate in music. He has been profiled on 48 Hours and 60 Minutes.

www.universityforum.appstate.edu University Forum Committee and University College, with additional support from the Joan Askew Vail Endowment