March 9, 2017 by The Appalachian

MAR.

2017

SHOWING SCHOOL SPIRIT PAGES 10-11

FEED YOSEF FOOD PANTRY PAGE 4

WOMEN AND VIDEO GAMES PAGES 12-13

OPED: END THE CONFEDERATE FLAG PAGE 19

March 9,2017

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 6

MARCH 3

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

3:00 a.m. | Possession of Marijuana Blowing Rock Road Cleared by Arrest

MARCH 6 12:00 p.m. | Vandalism College of Education Leads exhausted

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

MARCH 6 3:45 p.m. | Larceny Student Recreation Center Unfounded

MARCH 5 2:00 a.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol East Hall Cleared by arrest

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 3 1:00 p.m. | Fraud Mountaineer Hall Further investigation

MARCH 3 11:00 p.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol Cone Hall Cleared by arrest

FEB. 27 7:45 p.m. | Larceny Hoey Hall Further investigation

FEB. 26 12:49 a.m. | Possession of Marijuana Rivers Street Cleared by arrest

March 9,2017

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 STUDENT MEDIA LEADER APPLICATIONS Applications for 2017-18 editor-in-chief of The Appalachian Student Newspaper, editor-in-chief of The Peel Literature and Arts Review, and business manager of The Appalachian are now available on The Appalachian and The Peel AppSync portals under “forms.” Applications are due March 10. Email wilkeso@appstate.edu for any questions or concerns.

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 visiting March 2; Bianca Lynne Spriggs visiting March 30; Al Young visiting April 6; and Robert Gipe visiting 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

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.

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.

CALL FOR LEADERSHIP NOMINATIONS

FREE TAX HELP

spring season, please visit english.appstate.edu/ events/series/5 or email weinbergsc@appstate. edu.

STUDY ABROAD

Each year, the Division of Student Development recognizes student leaders for their service and leadership to Appalachian State University. These awards are presented at the Student Leadership and Legacy Award Ceremony sponsored by the Division of Student Development. This year’s ceremony, “Celebration of Leadership and Legacy,” is scheduled for April 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the Parkway Ballroom in the Plemmons Student Union. Leadership, Service and Legacy Awards nomination process will begin Feb. 16 and are due to the Office of Student Development electronically on March 22 at 5 p.m. The link for the nomination forms for the Leadership, Service and Legacy Awards: https://studentdev.appstate.edu/student-awards.

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

WE CAN APPLICATIONS OPEN

nutrition and sexual health. WE CAN Applications will be open from Feb. 15-March 12 on AppSync.

2017 STUDENT ORG LEADERSHIP AWARDS Join Campus Activities & Club Council for the Student Organization Leadership Award, as we recognize the leadership and achievements of our clubs and organizations and student leaders. Refreshments will be provided. Please encourage club members and advisors to attend! The awards application deadline is Sunday, March 19 at 5 pm. Applications are accepted online via AppSync.

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-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.

Leadership Coaching is an opportunity for you to define your current skills and enhance your leadership ability. You will meet one-onone with your Leadership Coach on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for one hour. Our coaches are professional staff and graduate students

As an extension of the Department of Wellness and Prevention Services, the Wellness Educators for Change, Advocacy and Student Needs (WE CAN) work to positively impact student wellness at Appalachian State University by: empowering peers to change health behaviors, working as an advocacy group for student well-being and addressing student needs to promote and protect healthy lifestyles. WE CAN plans and implements programs encompassing body image, mental health,

FRIDAY, MAR. 10

SATURDAY, MAR. 11

SUNDAY, MAR. 12

MONDAY, MAR. 13

TUESDAY, MAR. 14

WEDNESDAY, MAR. 15

THURSDAY, MAR. 16

University Break

THURSDAY, MAR. 9

LEADERSHIP COACH

“Aladdin” Screening 7 p.m. Greenbriar Theater $1 door

March 9,2017

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY’S FOOD PANTRY OPEN FOR STUDENTS AIDAN MOYER NEWS REPORTER

he Office of Sustain-

ability has opened a food pantry and free store in the basement of East Hall across from Stick Boy Bread Company. The “Feed Yosef” food pantry is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is open to all ASU students, faculty and staff. The food pantry carries and is looking for donations of kitchen staples and non-perishable food items including canned vegetables, dried grains and pasta. Donations can be brought directly to the office. Lee Ball, director of sustainability, said the office plans to work with the Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm CSA, taking in the leftover produce. Ball said he hopes the food pantry will help combat the food insecurity of students, which was recently found to be 46 percent in a study done by Lanae Ball in conjunction with Laura McArthur and several other southeastern schools. According to a USDA survey from 2015, the national average of food insecurity per household is 13 percent. “That was really a call to action for the university when we released the results,” Lanae Ball said. Lanae Ball also said that of the four categories of food insecurity, 24 percent of Appalachian students fall within the lowest category, which is often associated with hunger. Lanae Ball said she hopes to organize more food drives, increase student awareness of food insecurity and develop nutrition literacy among students. Lanae Ball said it is important for students to raise awareness about food insecurity because many students may not realize how many members of the Appalachian community are affected. “The campus food pantry initiatives are very important,” Lanae Ball said. Lanae Ball is also organizing in-class

The Office of Sustainability’s food pantry. The pantry is located on campus in the basement of East Hall. food drives for her nutrition students as a class project. Ball said that she hopes student organizations across campus will organize canned food drives as well. Lanae and Lee Ball both expressed

the importance of food security and social justice. “Social justice is really about people, about social equity,” Lee Ball said. “We want to support people, we want to sup-

port people that might be marginalized, we want to support people that might be struggling. It’s not going to solve food insecurity. It’s our effort to just try to help.”

NEW PARKING REGULATIONS DISCUSSED BEN SESSOMS NEWS REPORTER

he Boone Town

Council and the town’s planning commission discussed new potential parking regulations, specifically in terms of the minimum requirement for businesses, and the current approach to loading zones on Feb. 27. According to the agenda package for the meeting, the new regulations would require certain buildings to provide a minimum amount of spaces based on the number of occupants or square footage of the business.

The facility could either provide the minimum spaces or make a payment in lieu to the town’s off-street parking fund, according to the agenda package. When asked by mayor pro tem Lynne Mason how much the payment would be, director of planning and inspections Jane Shook said that she did not yet know the exact amount. Town attorney Allison Meade said the potential issues with these regulations is that they allow multi-family facilities such as apartment complexes to make a payment instead of being

required to provide parking on site to their residents. “Is the town going take the position that, come hell or high water, we want residential to have parking on site?” Meade said. Mason said that it is important to include residential parking and that the payment option should be geared towards commercial facilities. In regards to loading zones, assistant town manager Jim Byrne said that designated tractor trailer parking is being incorporated into Howard Street and a small portion of King Street.

These designated spaces will serve as a test, and if they are successful, they will be incorporated into the rest of the downtown area, Byrne said. Mason said there are loading zones on each block downtown, but that delivery drivers do not consistently use them. Shook said that the meeting was meant to start a dialogue over the requested regulations. “This was just to get this out there to get this conversation started again because this is such a big change for some of the items,” Shook said.

Aleah Warner

March 9,2017

SEXUALITY AND GENDER ALLIANCE HOSTS AMATEUR DRAG SHOW

Anita Dickinson, known offstage as Ian Wyatt, during her performance at the Amateur Drag Show. The show was put on by The Sexuality and Gender Alliance club. RACHEL BROWN NEWS REPORTER

rag queens, drag

kings and drag queers came out to the Parkway Ballroom on March 3 to participate in the Sexuality and Gender Alliance amateur drag show. During the show, student performers dressed up, sang, lip synced and danced along to music for an eager crowd. Anita Dickinson, known offstage as Ian Wyatt, said the excitement from the audience members motivated her and the other performers to put on a great show. “The crowd is really good and they’re really fun so the performers feed off of that. It just makes it into a really good show,” Anita Dickinson said. “It’s a joy performing for App State, they’re a really good crowd.” Ivana Dickinson, known offstage as Seb Jobe, said that the amateur shows are a unique event that allow everyone involved to feel secure about stepping outside of the typical gender norms while having a great time. “I like having a fun space to play with gender that’s safe and fun for everybody involved,” Ivana Dickinson said. “It’s just a really unique fun experience that super-non intimidating, we are just here to have a great time.” Vincent Adultman, known offstage as Madison Seale, said he was excited to participate in his first drag show to break the rules and enjoy himself. “I found it already to be pretty freeing actually just to be like sort of deliberately breaking all the rules in a way,”

Halle Keighton

Adultman said. “The entire thing is kind of set around just having the grandest time you can.” Dixie Diamond, known offstage as Cody Holmes, said that SAGA’s amateur drag show is a fun opportunity for those in the LGBT community to feel safe and supported. “Its really fun and I think that Boone lacks a vibrant queer community,” Diamod said. “And for a lot of people, not all, this is a sanctuary for people to be who they are and to invite other people to express themselves as well.” The Sexuality and Gender Alliance is an organization whose goal is to help create an accepting atmosphere for those of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Mother, known offstage as Paige Allen, said SAGA aims to help others become comfortable with their identities while teaching people to accept others identities. “SAGA’s main goal is inclusivity and encouraging everybody to be a member of our community,” Allen said. “Our entire idea is to have everyone and let everybody be a part of it. And I think SAGA just wants people to feel happy and comfortable while accepting that there are other identities in the world.” Wyatt said that SAGA is important to App State because the organization adds to the overall community and culture of the campus. “I think it’s important to show the aspect if the gay community for App State because its like a different subculture

and therefore contributes to the greater culture itself,” Wyatt said. The SAGA professional drag show

will be April 22 at 8 p.m. in Legends. Queens from across North Carolina will perform. Entry is ten dollars.

Dixie Diamond, known offstage as Cody Holmes, performing the song “Defying Gravity” at the Amateur Drag Show. 5

March 9,2017

ETHNOGRAPHY LAB HOSTS VIEWING OF NEW FILM AIDAN MOYER NEWS REPORTER

ppalachian State’s

anthropology department’s ethnography lab premiered a rough cut of their new film, “At the Foot of the Beast,” on March 1. The ethnography lab presented the film and held an open discussion in order to premiere the lab’s first project and introduce the concept of an ethnography to the audience. The talk, led by Jon H. Carter and Christina Verano Sornito, co-directors

of the ethnography lab, was centered around explaining the difference between documentary and ethnographic film. Carter said documentaries are meant to frame a story, while ethnography is meant to change one’s perspective on the subject matter, highlighting the main differences between the two. “Ethnography can try to tap into empathy,” Carter said. “Ethnography is meant to be built on intimacy.” Carter said ethnography is meant for audiences to come at a topic and have

their preconceptions broken down. Carter and Sornito both traveled to Honduras to film “At the Foot of the Beast,” where they studied marginalized societies, drugs and gang violence. The film is centered around an discussion with a Honduran man whose family lives in an area dominated by gang violence and poverty. Sornito highlighted the inherently political nature of ethnography and said it is an act “embedded in politics.” Sornito said that she hopes the ethnography lab will expand beyond the

use of film, finding other ways to share stories. She said she hopes the ethnography lab will “resist documentary,” which loses the focus of who is telling the story, while ethnography allows for the audience to interrogate who tells the story. The ethnography lab is looking into producing podcasts, more film series and finding new forms of expression in the future, Sornito said. “At the Foot of the Beast” is set to release early 2018, and will be the first published work of the ethnography lab.

Graphic by Nora Smith

March 9,2017

WALKING ON WITH A PURPOSE F Junior pitcher Tristan Helms during a game.

BROOKS MAYNARD SPORTS REPORTER

or App State pitcher

Tristan Helms, becoming a Division I college baseball player was always the dream. It was his path getting there that was different from most. “In high school, I wanted to play Division I baseball but I didn’t throw hard enough,” Helms said. According to gobigrecruiting.com, Division I coaches are looking for players who can throw around 85-90 mph consistently. But while recruiting was sour, Helms refused to give up on his dream. “I came in as a regular student. I wanted to go to a school [that] I really wanted to go to, that I would enjoy if I didn’t end up playing baseball,” Helms said. “I came here and found out the tryout date and went from there.” While his playing time was limited as a freshman, he made the most of it. Making appearances in five games, he held opposition scoreless three times and allowed only seven hits, keeping opponents at only one hit per appearance four times. Helms was invited back to the team as a sophomore but was cut from the roster early in the year. For a time, it seemed like his baseball career was over, until he decided to make a change. “That’s when [pitching] coach Aspegren said ‘You can either learn how to throw from down under or your baseball career will basically be over,’” Helms said. Submarine pitching is when a pitcher

drops his arm and releases the ball underhand, just above the dirt, rather than the conventional overhand windup. It is a style that many slower-throwing pitchers have been successful using, most famously former Major League Baseball player Chad Bradford. “It was a last-ditch effort to lengthen his baseball career,” Aspegren said. “He was willing to swallow his pride and do everything that he needed to do to be able to continue.” The challenges continued to pile on. Helms also had no one to coach him, knowing nobody who had experience with submarine pitching. It was a painstaking process of trial and error through self-education. “I spent the next three months practicing by myself, showing coach [Aspegren] video and he would critique what I was doing," Helms said. "It was slow work but I got better and better at it.” Aspegren, who has done some work with sidearm pitchers, helped in any way he could but admits submarining isn’t in his wheelhouse. “I actually couldn’t coach him during that period of time, so he’s having to make the transition from something he’s done for 12 or 15 years of his life, to something he’s never done before,” Aspegren said. “The transformation was very self-guided.” Hard work and education paid off, just before the spring semester started in 2016, when he received a text message saying he had earned his roster spot back. Since making the switch to submarine

App State Athletics Cliff Lavelle and Chris Lang

style, Helms has gone from cut former walk-on to left-handed specialist. “My job on the team is to get lefties out. From dropping down low, my ball comes from behind the hitter a little bit so it’s tough for them to see,” Helms said. “A lot of times I either jam them or [the ball] starts on the outside corner and

lands in.” For Helms, it is very a different experience transitioning away from traditional pitching. But with every day that goes by, he feels more and more confident. “Every time I throw in a practice, the guys I face say ‘God, this is hard to hit,'” Helms said with a laugh.

March 9,2017

DEFENSE AND BOGGS FINDING RIGHT-HAND MAN IN FLORY

Junior inside linebacker, Eric Boggs, looks back towards his teammates during the game against Tennessee in 2016. The Mountaineers lost the away game in overtime with the final score being 20-13. NOAH GERRINGER SPORTS REPORTER

pring practices

wrapped last week for the back-to-back Camellia Bowl Champs, and the defense is starting to put together another stellar unit for the 2017-18 season. Trying to fill in the vacancies for linebackers John Law and Kennan Gilchrist, speed is already becoming a very noticeable factor. Junior outside linebacker Devan Stringer is continuing to step into his role as a top performer and leader on the defense, and said that this is one of the best springs he has ever been a part of in his time as a Mountaineer. “The defense looks very fast and we have a chance to be even faster this year than we were last year, so that’s always good,” Stringer said. “I do like that we’ve got a bunch of guys getting a lot of reps, moving fast and not really second guessing themselves so it means they’re comfortable.” Stringer has played a vital role as part of this defensive unit having only missed a handful of games since his freshman year and proving to be one of the more passionate players on this Mountaineer

squad. Leading the charge for the defense and always a force to be reckoned with is soon-to-be senior inside linebacker Eric Boggs. Teamed up with now former inside linebacker John Law, the two made up one of the nation’s top inside linebacking forces clogging up the run game and dropping back to manage a handful of interceptions on the season. The two combined for over 150 tackles with Boggs leading the team and making up for just short of 100. "Boggs is and has been a great leader for us and now he’s a little bit more vocal being a senior, it’s his job,” inside linebacker coach Dale Jones said. “The biggest thing is that all of our players look up to him and he does a great job. He doesn’t take a day off, he just does all the things that an outstanding leader does on and off the field.” With that being said, now that Law is gone, Boggs is looking for a new righthand man to step up and be that missing link. “Losing John Law and Gilchrist, it’s definitely a loss but in the same token

we’ve got other guys to play the game and now it’s their time to step up,” Jones said. The defensive depth that the black and gold have had the past few seasons is certainly paying off this spring in helping expedite that search process. Jones said that they’ve been able to get guys playing time and, although less experienced, they know what they’re doing out on the field. Players like sophomore Edward Davis, redshirt freshman Jordan Fehr and senior Rashaad Townes are sure to get more playing time this year as they have been extremely patient and hardworking throughout last season and this offseason so far. Townes specifically is eager to get back to action in his senior year as his past few seasons have been dominated by a list of injuries. One player in particular that seems to be edging his way into that vacancy is sophomore Anthony Flory. Flory got into the action a little last season playing in 10 of the 13 games and sticking his big body and shoulder pads in whenever he got the opportunity. Flory will be a junior next season.

“Flory has done a great job at stepping up and, kind of like Boggs was, he’s starting to be a leader and now it’s his turn and I think he’s accepting that role,” Jones said. After taking Tennessee to overtime and claiming a share at their first Sun Belt Conference Championship, the two hope to make a just as big, or even bigger, impact leading the defense this season. “I think the biggest thing is just making sure we understand fits in our defense, the linebacker makes a lot of adjustments,” Jones said. “It’s a challenge but once you get it you get it.” Both Stringer and Boggs agreed that they don’t necessarily feel any pressure in the offseason so far. Boggs said he knows the defense inside and out and it’s all about being “ready to compete and ready to play” when the time comes. “As a team our expectations are higher than they’ve ever been, we’ve got a lot of guys coming back and a lot of talent filling in for the guys we did lose,” Boggs said. “We’ve got to rally around and play hard.”

Halle Keighton

March 9,2017

GOOD CONTRIBUTIONS JAY BOYD SPORTS REPORTER

reshman point guard Patrick Good has given App State men’s basketball a much-needed lift off the bench this season. With his addition on the team, he has contributed a steady scoring option. In just his second college game, Good provided an immediate spark by scoring 21 points, which were points that kept App in reach of defeating a strong Tennessee team. He followed that performance up two days later with a 16-point game. Providing sharpshooting in pivotal moments, the freshman has never lacked confidence, which has given him an advantage as he has adjusted to the faster-paced college level. “Coming from where he came from, at Crockett High School, he played for his father who did a really good job coaching him and I think that helps any player coming into the college level,” head coach Jim Fox said. “Pat always has a lot of confidence. Everything is moving so much faster at this level than it did at the high school level. When you have that confidence that Pat has, I think that’s the biggest thing that helps him with a smooth transition.” Without the presence of former point guard Chris Burgess this season, the Mountaineers have had to revamp the point guard position. Sophomore point guard Emarius Logan has done his part, carrying the starting job without any issue. Good and fellow freshman Kelvin Robinson have been asked to take the spot that Logan held last year, to come off the bench and give good minutes, while keeping the team in rhythm. He looks to fill this role by giving Logan breaks at the position and letting him work in other areas. Good’s impact can be seen as soon as he steps on the floor, impacts the game by giving the opposition match-up problems and giving them another shooter to worry about. “To me, Patrick is the best shooter in the Sun Belt, so when he comes in, he instantly opens up the floor for everybody to attack,” Logan said. “He can play the one and the two, dribbling the ball, or he can play off the ball to come off screens with the way he can catch and shoot.” Good has successfully filled the second point guard spot, finding his moments to shine while making the most of the minutes he is given. He has seen increased minutes as the year progressed because of these facts. Good’s perforMatt Sloyer

Freshman guard Patrick Good goes in for the layup, but was blocked by a University of Louisiana-Lafayette player. The Mountaineers lost with the final score being 62-77. mance has led him to find himself, along with Isaac Johnson, as the team’s most reliable freshmen role players. Good began the year by lighting up the three-point line, but quickly made it clear that he was more than just a shooter. Though he still leads the team in three-point percentage at 42 percent, he has looked to do more in recent weeks by stepping up defensively, and taking over a bigger role as a pass-first guard. “The coaches have been on me about my defense, screening for other people, not turning the ball over and obviously if I’m doing all of those things, that improves my chances of getting on the floor,” Good said. “I really thrive off playing time because I feel like I can

help this team. But the transition has been different with maturity and speed, and I felt like over the season I have adjusted to it well.” His transformation in such a short time has shown what being a team-first guy is all about. From a player who seemingly shot every time he touched the ball at the beginning of the year, Good has moved into a much different role, one that allows him to help his team in more ways than one. App’s young team has looked to stretch the floor more this year and Good has been just the guy to do that. His ever-changing arsenal has moved his game to more of a versatile threat and has also given the Mountaineers the lift that they

have searched for. “Every guy on the team determines their role, so it depends how they do in practice, how they do in workouts, how they do when we play obviously,” Fox said. “Being able to go Italy for two weeks and get some game action there, it was really important for Pat, and so basically guys earn their roles and Pat went out there and earned his role.” Good has played a big part by giving the team what it has lacked the most: scoring off the bench. Bench contributions have been lacking for the Apps this year but with Good and others, such as Johnson, stepping up, the Mountaineers have gained more youth to look to in the future.

March 9,2017

PREPPING FOR NATIONALS

The App State Cheer squad opens up the basketball game against UL Lafayette with a small routine to get the crowd pumped. JASON HUBER SPORTS EDITOR

t every football

game, basketball game, wrestling match, pep rally or any athletic event, the App State cheerleading team is always on the sidelines or in the stands showing their pride for the Mountaineers. Known for being ambassadors for Appalachian State and for bringing in crowds to cheer on student-athletes, the App State cheerleaders are now preparing to show their own athletic skills competing in the Canam Nationals in Myrtle Beach on March 17. For the first time in almost two decades, the Mountaineer cheerleading team will be competing in a national competition, against some of the best cheerleading universities in the country. “This is our first one,” junior captain Alisha Leonard said. “None of us have the experience of competing at the collegiate level, and I think we are all extremely excited, because we are prepared and we just have to go out there and show what we can do.”

With football, basketball and wrestling season complete, the spring is usually a time for the cheerleading team to host clinics for potential recruits, host camps for younger cheerleaders and prepare for individual summer competitions. This spring has put a lot of that on hold as the intensity at practice is a lot different with preparation for Canam Nationals. “During the summer a lot of us are on UCA [Universal Cheerleading Association] staff, and we get training and collegiate level skills there,” Leonard said. “We go to different high schools and work with camps. That is where we spend our summers with practices, and we are extremely excited to compete. It is just a different atmosphere, and we are ready.” Over the past two years, a great deal has changed for the App State cheerleading team. With cheerleading not deemed a varsity sport in North Carolina, former Mountaineer cheerleader Morgan Rober-

son was hired as the head coach in 2014 during her senior year of college, and immediately began working on building the team’s budget up and increasing the team's skill set. “We didn’t do nearly a quarter of the skills that we try to do now four years ago,” Roberson said, who is now the first full time coach for App State cheerleading. “Just seeing the progression of skill level, and dynamic of the team has been awesome to see. The commitment they have has greatly increased because of the increased appearances we make, and all the things we have accessibility to now such as athletic trainers, and new mats, which has become extremely important.” Being a relatively young team with 19 cheerleaders and no seniors, freshman Olivia Megson and sophomore Tazhia Lovett are two members of the team who have performed at Canam Nationals in high school fairly recently, and are expecting an even better experience at the collegiate level. “I have competed at Canam for the

last four years since my freshman year of high school, so I feel good going in because I am comfortable with the setting,” Megson said. “It is definitely competitive, but I think we can hang. It is really fun, and there is good energy there, and it will be a good place for our team to show off our skills and get our feet wet.” Canam Nationals is part of Cheer Ltd, and requires scholastic and recreation teams to qualify to attend. Being apart of UCA summer camps, App State is eligible to qualify for the competition and was able to raise their budget to do so this year. Anyone from middle school to college can compete if they meet the qualifications for the two-day competition. “It is definitely different because in high school you compete with the same group every year,” Megson said. “I have never competed with App, but we feel prepared. The only thing we are competing against is our past performances, so we are going into it feeling pretty good.” Progress throughout the fall and win-

Matt Sloyer

March 9,2017

Appalachian State cheerleaders perform their competition routine during halftime. ter has been able to help the team prepare for the competition. After working with teams throughout the summer, the football season gives the cheerleading team a chance to work more on game oriented pyramids, tumbles, baskets and partner stunts. Basketball season gives the team a chance to shift more towards specifics such as alternating pyramids and meet more regulations from motions and positions they already have worked on in the fall. “We don’t get any days off,” Leonard said with a laugh. “We wake up at 5 a.m. to lift, then we have class, then practice from 3-5:30 everyday except Wednesday, we work on competition season, or game day oriented things, requests from marketing and then Saturday are dedicated to game days. We are prepared for anywhere people need us to be and we show up.”

Lindsay Vaughn

Some of the cheerleaders that don’t always get recognition are the males on the team. App State cheerleading officially became co-ed with males and females just four years ago, and the guys have played an integral role to the team since. “As a dude, we keep the morale up. We are calling and initiating cheers and we try to be the voices,” junior Logan Brown said. “We are yelling at games with a megaphone so people can hear us, and just two of us make a huge difference as far of volume level and foundation of pyramids. If we are not under it, we are throwing, and as far a guy we are kind of the muscle part of the formations which is important.” In pyramid formations, the guys are usually the ones pitching and tossing, and other cheerleader positions vary from a base, a mid-base, a back spot and a flyer on top. All the positions vary on what level pyramid or formation is being

done. “Cheerleading is based on versatility, and we take pride in that,” Leonard said. “If you can base, you can bottom, if you can bottom, you can base, if you can top, you can bottom. Anywhere, no matter who is hurt, the skills keep going which is extremely helpful.” During the competition, a judging sheet will determine standings and places. Categorized into pyramids, jump sections, an elite partner stunt, intermediate stunts, baskets, tumbling, running and standing a dance to finish, cheerleaders have to show diversity to impress the judging panels. “I definitely have pushed this team a whole lot more than in the past because I feel like I am able to with their skill level and mentality,” Roberson said. “I feel like with their mentality, it is very important, and I feel very comfortable with where they are at with their state of mind

and hitting their routine.” Intensity has changed at practice as the competition is on the team's mind, but at the same time, Roberson wants to make sure that the team doesn’t burn out, and that they save their best for the tournament. “Whenever you are building for a competition and looking to compete, you don’t want to tire out of the routine, and you don’t want to think that ‘we hit this a lot,’ be overly confident, and then bomb,” Roberson said. “You almost want to try and hit your peak at the competition. In order to prepare, you work it, and work sections and you make sure it is not getting old so we can stay fresh.” Being such a close-knit team, the team spends plenty of time bonding and enjoying their time representing App State, but Roberson reminds them that while having fun is a good thing, they must remember that focus is key. “Football and basketball season is fun, but now it's competition season, and we got to get our mind right and get it done,” Lovett said. “Intensity level is high, and yeah it's fun, but we also have to focus." Not only does the competition give the team a chance to show off their skills for the first time at the collegiate level, but it may also play a role in future recruiting. Every cheerleader on the current team is from North Carolina, but with App State football’s consistent success in the FBS and the increase of athletics viewership, Roberson is hoping more cheerleaders out of state will see App State as a place to attend and try out for the team. “We have been talking to people from South Carolina, Tennessee and some from Florida, who are interested,” Roberson said. “I think a lot of that is because of the success from all the sports that App is known for, and which people want to cheer for a successful team and also to compete.” While hoping to place at Canam, the team also knows it will be a learning experience, and the first building block for future competitions to compete at. “It is a different focus than game day cheerleading, which we will always focus on, because that is our job to promote school spirit and promote crowd involvement during the games,” Roberson said. “But this competition is to show how we are also talented athletes and can compete. The whole mindset of working towards a goal is important.” Cheering on App State every week and taking pride into being ambassadors of the university, the Mountaineers will experience something a little different at Canam Nationals: not being the ones cheering, but the ones being cheered on.

March 9, 2017

Screenshot from the game Horizon Zero Dawn™.

REVIEW: HORIZON ZERO DAWN VICTORIA HAYNES AND TORI YOUNG CHIEF COPY EDITOR AND A&E REPORTER

orizon Zero Dawn,

a long-anticipated, open world role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with mechanical beasts, was released on Feb. 28 as a Playstation 4 exclusive. The game revolves around the life of Aloy, an outcast of unknown birth who makes it her goal to discover the identity of her mother and prove herself worthy of rejoining society as an accepted citizen. The family hierarchy in Horizon is matrilineal, which is how Aloy became an outcast. Without any idea of who her mother was and with no one to claim her, Aloy was cast out. As a child, she found a token of the old world called a focus, a device which gives her special powers and the ability to understand old world technology. Essentially it is the Google Glass of the future, but amped up. You can scan the Earth with the touch of a button, locating enemies and highlighting their weak points, as well as picking up footprints, blood trails and audio logs that keep you informed about the environment. The game is set in a time after our civilization has gone to waste; only certain elements of the past human footprint remain, such as the focus and other rare technologies. Most characters fight

with bows and swords, and hunting and gathering is a big aspect in the game, if you want to survive. Perhaps scarier than the enemies of opposing tribes that you have to worry about are the giant mechanical beasts who roam the land. Regardless of what you’re doing at the moment, it is almost impossible not to stop while playing the game and take in the world around you. Every remnant of the old world is covered with overgrowth. The colors of the world are rich and striking, and the land is packed with detail. Even if you finish the main quest first, you’re going to have a whole world left to pick through. Horizon combines a lot of elements that are lost in other open world games. Usually, there is a lot of give-and-take with games like these. The graphics are beautiful, but the mechanics are limited. The movements and abilities of characters are diverse and realistic, but so much so that they seem a burden and affect the playability of the game. Horizon combines playability with beauty, and does it better than almost any open-world game that has been released in years. The visuals are striking, but so is the gameplay. The movements are fluid and intuitive, and the incorporation of the focus gives the player a feel of the land that most other games lack. After years of playing games, there is something very satisfying about

sliding down a steep hill, rather than awkwardly glitching to the bottom. While the game at the beginning equips you with the basics, players must figure out how to work out more complex controls associated with trading and combat. Aloy has an ingrained connection to the land, when you pass over materials to harvest, she comments on them, reminding players that they’ll need those resources soon enough. The controls and the landscape work together to make a game that plays well and looks revolutionary. Horizon is the biggest game to be made thus far by developer Guerilla Games, and when the idea of the game was being pitched back in 2011, director Mathijs de Jonge described Horizon as being the “most risky” of all the ideas the company had thus far. Apparently, being risky paid off. As far as critics are concerned, the game has high marks all across the board, with Metacritic giving it 88 percent, Gamespot giving it a 9 out of 10 and IGN giving it a 9.3 out of 10. At the 2016 Game Awards, Horizon was a nominee for the most anticipated game. In top UK sales, Horizon has passed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to the top of the charts, with only two extra days of sales to climb to the number one spot. Breath of the Wild, which was a release title for the Ninten-

do Switch that came out last Friday, was also a highly anticipated game with the weight of a long-running series and new console to encourage sales. Yet, Horizon prevailed as the most successful title. As a female, a huge part of this game’s appeal to me was the fact that the main protagonist was also female. Playing as Aloy isn’t a choice, she is the main character that the game was built around. In an industry where most single-protagonists are exclusively male, it is refreshing to see a reversal of the tired norm. Representation is a heavily debated topic in the video game industry, and having someone like Aloy in the spotlight finally lands a victory on the side of the underrepresented. Aloy will likely go down in video game history as an iconic female powerhouse, much like Samus from Metroid, Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, Chell from Portal 2 and Ellie from The Last of Us. She can’t be removed or switched out, because she is unique. While the premise was nothing too mind-blowing or innovative, it still managed to grab me in a way most games lately have failed to. Combined with Horizon’s beautiful scenery and progressive character choice, the game gets high marks from me. I won’t stop playing it any time soon, and if I do, it’ll be hard not to think about going back.

Victoria Haynes

March 9,2017

(Top Left) Students’ work hanging in Katherine Harper Hall for the Cooper Lighting Competition. (Top Right) A close-up look at Elizabeth Hundley’s first-prize winning project for the Cooper Lighting Competition. (Bottom) The interior design students from App receiving their PAVE competition awards. They won first, second and third place in the international competition.

INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS: MORE THAN DECORATORS ADRIENNE FOUTS A&E ASSOCIATE EDITOR

he students in Ap-

palachian State’s interior design program are tired of being compared to HGTV decorators. In reality, the study and practice of interior design involves much more than simply choosing the colors and decor of a room. “I honestly feel like what we do is interior architecture,” Rebecca Ballard, a senior interior design major, said. App State’s interior design program is tucked away in Katherine Harper Hall, along with the other applied design programs such as industrial design and apparel design. The program is relatively small, with about 20 to 25 students per graduating class, but according to interior design professor Alex Poorman, it is one of the greatest untold success stories of the university.

Students who choose to major in interior design go through a very structured four years: classes in the curriculum are built on one another and some are only offered one semester each year, so there is a very particular order in which students take interior design classes. Students are introduced to design classes their first semester of freshman year, with general education courses mixed in with the design classes throughout the four years. “The structure of the program gives us a very good way to build on each other and get more complex,” Poorman said. “Then by the time you graduate, you’re completely ready to go out and start in the business world.” Interior design as it is practiced today, Poorman said, is largely aligned with other professional building trades such as architecture and engineering.

Interior designers and these other professionals often work together collaboratively to put a project together; interior design just happens to be focused specifically on the interior spaces of a building. “It’s largely not what people see on HGTV; it’s not just flipping houses or picking the red chair in the corner,” Poorman said. “It is an integrated approach to the design of a building. It’s a much broader scope than people realize.” From the beginning, students learn that interior design is much more technical than the general misconception that interior designer equals interior decorator. During their first year in the program, students take classes on the principles and elements of design, learn how to use programs such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, build hand-

made models of interior spaces and learn how to communicate design ideas. As students move into their upper-level classes, studio classes become specialized into particular kinds of buildings, such as residential design and commercial or office design. One studio class is a global studio, where students work on designing projects such as restaurants and hotels for other cultures. This class regularly Skypes with designers in other countries, Poorman said, so that the students and designers from other cultures can bounce ideas off each other. “Our primary role in the profession is communicating our ideas with a client,” Poorman said. “We’ve got to know how to tell our story, to tell the design ideas graphically as well as in writing, because we ultimately do both.”

Adrienne Fouts and Courtesy

March 9,2017

A junior interior design studio class visiting the simulation lab at App’s nursing school to learn how to design interiors for healthcare facilities. In addition to their classes, students gain real-life experience by going on field study trips to places such as High Point, North Carolina, and New York City, where they meet professional interior designers, visit design firms and see historic architecture. Faculty-led and other study abroad trips to London, Paris and Belgium have also offered students the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the design world. Between their junior and senior years, students in the program are also required to complete an internship. By the time they reach senior year, students are ready to begin working on their final projects. They typically develop the project in the fall semester, doing all the necessary research, Poorman said. “They go find the evidence to prove that there’s a particular way in which to solve a design problem,” Poorman said. “They’re looking for facts that would drive the design to a particular solution; rather than just doing what they like or what they think looks good, it’s based on a foundation of research.” Then, during their final semester, students execute the design from start

Courtesy

to finish. They get to choose what kind of project they would like to do, with some guidelines and criteria from their professors. Senior interior design major Caroline Malak, for example, is working on designing a children’s oncology center that would appeal to both young children and teenagers. “Interior design is more technical; there’s more science behind it, like the psychology of how people interact with a space,” Malak said. “For example, in hospitals natural light is really good because it helps keep your circadian rhythm intact. There’s more to it than just pillows and paint.” Finally, the seniors present their portfolios, which include work from all four years, to a jury of interior design professionals who have established relationships with App State’s program. “The professionals are typically not squeamish about giving their opinions and, usually, high praise because the students do a good job,” Poorman said. “And part of that is bragging on our students, and part of that is because, professionally, they know what it takes to get the job done and they are able to deliver.”

Every project the students produce has that level of professionalism, Poorman said, and that’s what contributes to the success of App State’s program. Measures of this success include a high job placement rate: about 85 percent of graduates are placed in the field within six months of graduating. The professionalism and quality of the students’ work has also led to them being highly successful in a number of international interior design competitions. In the fall semester of 2016, one studio class entered the PAVE Student Design Competition for store design and visual merchandising. Students were tasked with redesigning and rebranding the pharmacies in the grocery store Kroger, which was the competition’s sponsor, so that the store could compete with pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens. All semester, students worked on figuring out how to design the pharmacy, taking into account the layout and flow of the design, how consumers would navigate it, how merchandise is presented to a potential customer and the overall appeal and functionality of the space. Each student in the class

submitted their own individual project to PAVE, and by the end of fall semester, App students had won first place in the store design competition and second and third places in the merchandising competition. “So we swept it,” Poorman said. “That set us up on an international stage, and it’s also a great draw for the program, once people know about us, that we’re that caliber of a program.” Hundley, who won first place in store design for PAVE, said that she put in more hours working on the competition than she has on any other project. The professors and the studio class knew that they had a good shot of winning that year, she said, which made them all work especially hard to give their program a good name. Ballard, who won third place for visual merchandising, said that despite all of the stress, time and effort put into the competition, she had a lot of fun working on the project. Since she focused on merchandising rather than store design, she got to do something different than usual by designing one small aspect rather than the entire store. “It was also a very conceptual project, where we didn’t have to specify exactly how it was built,” Hundley said. “They wanted us to think big, so we just got to let our creative juices flow.” That creativity and ability to think outside the box is balanced with a lot of technical skills that the students learn throughout the program, such as lighting and construction classes, Hundley said, which makes the program very well-rounded. “We have some professors who are very technical and some who are very conceptual thinkers, so I think that teaches us to be both, which is a very valuable asset in the workplace,” Hundley said. “A lot of people are very creative and while that’s fantastic, you also need to know how to build it, and I think I can say with confidence that all of us have both of those skills.” Despite all the long hours students spend in the studio, and despite all of the accomplishments that the program has achieved, there are still many misconceptions about what interior design students really do. Even many of the students in the program were unaware of what is involved when they began. “The thing that’s forgotten about all the time is the difference between interior designer and interior decorator,” senior interior design major Sarah Dicker said. “People generally jump to the finishes and materials of things and that’s truly maybe a tenth of what we do.” In supporting one another and spending so much time together in classes and working on projects, the senior class in the interior design program has grown into a tight-knit community. “We joke that we need one of those ropes that kindergartners have to go from class to class, because we all have the same schedule,” Hundley said. “Some of my best friends in college are in this program. You can’t really help it; you spend so much time in here that you naturally get close with everyone,” Malak said. “Our professors are supportive of us. It’s definitely a lot of work, but it’s a good environment and a lot of fun.”

March 9,2017

(Top) Defend Your Home was created by Kellee Morgado. This piece was made with dyed, carded and needle felted wool. (Right) The Lament of a Colored Person was created by Valeria Oha. The piece was made with Earthenware. (Bottom) The exhibit AppRoach consists of 10 artists and will be open in the Looking Glass gallery till March 10.

LOOKING GLASS PRESENTS “APPROACH” ART FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE STEVEN CAUGHRAN A&E REPORTER

idden away on the bottom floor of Plemmons Student Union across from Crossroads lies a small, student-run art gallery. The Looking Glass Gallery provides a space to showcase art created by Appalachian State students, alumni, faculty and staff. From Feb. 20 to March 10, the Looking Glass Gallery will be a showcase to raise awareness of social problems that are important to App State students and alumni artists. Looking Glass curator Ariel Moran and Plemmons Student Union art collection manager Doe Lee have pulled art from previous collections and other artists around campus to create an exhibit discussing a wide variety of social justice issues, titled “Approach.” Moran said since the submission period was only about a month, the art created was not specifically for this exhibition. “I think that these artists just focus on these topics generally. They just find them of interest, and they maybe have worked with them across a variety of classes,” Moran said. “Some of these pieces are more recent than others, there are certainly some that I know the artists had been holding on to, because they are so interested in these topics.” The exhibit was designed to be an accurate representation of the attitudes of students on campus. “We wanted to create an exhibition to represent the different perspectives and attitudes of Appalachian, and their views 16

on different social justice issues around the world,” Lee said. “We wanted to see how different student artists would represent that.” Moran said that herself and Lee were very open about accepting submissions for the exhibit. “Social justice is broad. It’s really just another term for controversy,” Moran said. “For example, there is a piece called ‘Appropriation,’ which is not political in any form really. It’s more of a piece on how cultural appropriation runs wild in America.” Moran said that the goal was not to talk about the political climate specifically. The art is based how one specific student was feeling, and the purpose is to showcase important topics that people maybe don’t think about every day. “The overarching goal is to just get it out there and talk about it, and don’t let it be an elephant in the room, don’t let it divide us,” Moran said. “We need to create a dialogue with it, and learn from each other. Change will come out, but you have to start talking about it first.” Moran said personal experiences can shape the way a person creates and views works of art. “There is also appropriation in the art world. Appropriation definitely plays a role in how you interpret the work,” Moran said. “There’s a piece called ‘They Told Me We Were All Dead,’ by Raven Moffett, and her background or heritage is Native American. Pieces like that are like primitivism, like taking a more simplistic culture and treating it like it’s a spectacle. It’s not always political. We

chose the strongest pieces basically.” Moffett contributed four pieces to this exhibition, “They Told Me We Were All Dead,” “Sex Object,” “Necessary Control” and “Shame.” Moffett’s contributions covered a wide variety of issues. “My art as a whole speaks a lot to my own personal issues, which I feel are social justice issues,” Moffett said. Moffett’s piece “Shame,” which is composed of cyanotype printed on panty liner, deals with issues of taboo surrounding menstrual flow and how it affects women in modern society. Moffett believes that “Necessary Control,” which is another cyanotype depicting a gun, is particularly pertinent in our current political climate. “It was the first of a series of images that I had made, looking specifically at objects,” Moffett said. “The series was based on objects that people ascribed danger to our society, and I think this first one is really relevant.” “Sex Object,” which was a collaboration between Moffett and other artists, is a statement about how in our culture, female’s hair can play a role in them being viewed as feminine and that others have some sort of control over women. Moffett also discusses how hair and styling can portray female empowerment. “My friends and I have had long hair, and it has contributed to us being viewed as inherently sexual beings,” Moffett said. “They Told Me We Were All Dead” relates to Moffett’s Blackfoot Native American heritage. Moffett was on the receiving end of an appropriating com-

ment while in the ninth grade. “My friend, who is African American, both his parents are from Nigeria, heard that I was Native American. He turned to me and said ‘Oh, I thought all your people were massacred and your race no longer exists,’” Moffett said. “That kind of validation, even between minority groups, is something I’m very concerned with.” This piece is also part of a series documenting Native American people around Moffett’s age. “The goal is to say that we’re here, we have a voice, it’s just not being represented in mainstream society,” Moffett said. “The invalidation that I faced even claiming my heritage, I feel, is very prevalent on this campus and in American society.” Moffett is concerned with where people are getting their ideas about cultural appropriation, and that people are perhaps unaware of how cultural appropriation harms other’s cultural identity. “It’s our job to showcase the issues facing Appalachian students, and let people know that these are issues that are prevalent and need to be talked about,” Lee said. “Not talked about in a hateful way, but just in a discussion, and hopefully these art pieces will accomplish that.” There will be two more exhibitions this semester at the Looking Glass Gallery. The Looking Glass Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 11 p.m.

Lindsay Vaughn

March 9,2017

NEW ADDITION TO TAPP ROOM: THE ANNEX KATIE MURAWSKI A&E EDITOR

he Annex, which took the place of Klondike, is the newest addition to the trailer bars and an extension of TApp Room that offers a music venue, arcade games and an additional bar. “We needed the extra space and the parking more than anything,” Joshua Keranovic, assistant kitchen manager of TApp Room and the music coordinator for The Annex, said. “We have always joked about kicking this place over, expanding and blowing out a wall and it kind of became a reality.” The Annex was purchased by TApp co-owners Danny Mauney, Meredith Williams and Bill Schneider in August of 2016 after Klondike’s closing. Keranovic said annex, by definition is an extra, auxiliary room and that is where the name of the bar came from. The process of opening The Annex took six months and constant discussion, Keranovic said. Keranovic said at first, management and Pierce were not sure of what to do with the extra space. Back in the 1990s, Keranovic said, Klondike had a reputation of being the spot with great music. With there already being a stage, Keranovic said they are incorporating Klondike’s preceding reputation and are going to see how it goes. Opening night was Feb. 3 despite setbacks from Alcohol Law Enforcement requirements. The Annex was originally scheduled to open on the weekend after the spring semester started, Keranovic said. Opening night hosted local bands DisFunktion, Spectrascope and Funkelstiltskin. “We had a line from [The Annex’s front door] all the way to the dumpsters from like 9:30, 10 p.m. to about 12:30 a.m., 1 a.m. when people were finally like ‘I am not waiting in this line anymore.’ Yeah, that was a crazy night,” Keranovic said. Keranovic said The Annex differs from other bars because it is essentially a separate bar. Keranovic said there is different house music in each establishment and when there are live shows, someone sitting on the other side of the bathrooms in TApp would not be able to hear the live music in the stage room of The Annex. “You can sit there and hang out with your friend and talk and it’s not like there is even a bar,” Keranovic said. “You can walk into this side and it is like a whole other bar that you didn’t have to wait in line for, get your ID checked again or even go outside. And you know, Skee Ball is cool.” Since the opening of The Annex, Keranovic said business has been crazy and awesome. “We have definitely picked up a lot, especially being across from the Convocation Center with basketball games like yesterday for example, it was crazy,” Keranovic said. Allie Murphy is a bartender at TApp Katie Murawski

Allie Murphy bartender at TApp Room and The Annex makes a mixed drink at The Annex’s bar. room and she said with the addition of The Annex there is more to do like play arcade games and pool. “We have a different crowd now too, and the music venue has been a lot better and there is always a good crowd here, regulars even love it,” Murphy said. Murphy said with the extension, the bars have a better bottled beer section and there is more room for different liquors as well as more draft selections. “Now we have 26 [draft beers],” Murphy said. “So we have a range for everyone; if you like dark beer or IPAs, we have a range of every kind for you.” Murphy said as far as customers, TApp and The Annex have many more late night people come in and it is a different scene. “It is not like a college party scene

that it used to be with Klondike,” Murphy said. “Now it is more so live music venues. Last night we had a bluegrass band, it is just a different kind of scene.” Murphy said nights at TApp before when both Klondike and Parthenon closed down, no one would come out because they would be worried that they would be stuck there. “It was like, you can come here and have a couple drinks, but you can’t drive out to other bars because we are not near anywhere else,” Murphy said. “So it has definitely helped out a lot business wise, for all of this to be open because there is more for every kind of person.” Ed Copeland, App State alumnus and father to App State students, is friends with the owner and heard about the addition of The Annex said his first

thought was, “they needed the space, and this will be great for ball game weekends.” Copeland said having an extra bar will speed up the bar traffic on weekends is nice as well. When Copeland walked into The Annex, the pool table was the first thing that caught his eye because he and his son love to play pool when they go out. “My son shoots pool,” Copeland said. “So, I can’t wait until I tell him they have a pool table in here now.” The Annex at TApp Room is open Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. The Annex hosts trivia nights on Mondays and closes their bar side on Sundays, but the rest of the restaurant is open.

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March 9,2017

END THE CONFEDERATE FLAG

o some it’s a represen-

tation of their heritage and southern pride, but to others the Confederate flag represents an integral part of their identity. To minority groups, it’s the ultimate symbol of racism, hatred and a history of subjugation. In recent years, there has been debate over whether the flag is appropriate to be used in today’s society, especially in the South Carolina capitol building after the Charleston shootings. However, the Confederate flag that is used by people today is not the actual flag used by the southern states during the Civil War. What it actually is, according to CNN, is the battle flag for the Army of Northern Virginia under the command of General Robert E. Lee. The actual Confederate flag was the “Stars and Bars” that was flown from 1861 to 1863. The battle flag was later incorporated into the second and third flags, “The Stainless Banner” and “The BloodStained Banner” respectively. However, it was merely the sign for the Navy and not for secession as a whole. After the end of the war, most forms of the flag saw little use, with famed Confederate general Robert E. Lee writing that “[I] think it wiser moreover not to keep open the sores of war, but to follow the examples of those nations

Q Russell is sophomore journalism major from Charlotte, North Carolina who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife and to commit to oblivion the feelings it engendered.” Nearly 80 years after the end of the war, the flag began to see use, as, according to The Week, Strom Thurmond’s State’s Rights Party began using the flag in 1948 as a sign of defiance against the government The specific actions they were defying were the president’s rights to enforce Civil Rights laws in the south. Further into the future, Georgia modified its state flag into a version of the contemporary Confederate flag in protest of the Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling, which integrated African American children into public schools. The flag then went on to be used by protesters at the University of Missouri to protest the integration of schools. In a more modern day example,

a 2015 NBC News article shows the flag being defended en masse by KKK members from all across South Carolina in response to flag protests by African Americans in the wake of the Charleston shootings. A pattern pops up when the contemporary use of the flag is scrutinized, which is that more often than not, the flag is used as a racist reaction to the progression of civil rights. Since the mid-1900s the Confederate flag has been raised by racist organizations and people as a symbol of hatred and oppression. While some may claim that it is a proud aspect of their heritage, the use of the flag amounts to little more than an admission to ignorance at best, and thinly veiled hatred at worst. The use of the flag by shows an ignorance of history, of the subjugation and oppression that African Americans have experienced throughout the history of America. By others it is malice, it’s meant to be a reminder to African Americans that they aren’t welcome, that those who fly the flag will never consider them to be equals. On a positive side, according to a Pew Research Center study, only eight percent of people across the United States actually display the flag in their home or office. Additionally, they found that only

eight percent of white people across the country display a positive reaction to the flag, with 29 percent showing negative reactions and 61 percent not caring either way. So the good news is, not a lot of people actually use the flag. The bad news is that roughly twenty-five million people across the US still display the flag and show pride in it. Frankly that’s disgusting, not only for the racism inherent in the flag, but also for the anti-patriotism associated with it. The Confederacy, essentially a rebellion by the south in response to the north wanting to end slavery, lost the war. There wasn’t a truce, the south didn’t get to remain a separate entity, it lost, and had to be reintegrated with the Union. Flying the flag in any way should be seen as an act of treason, as the person flying the flag is supporting a long dead insurrection against the government. In the end, either way you look at it, the Confederate flag is a blemish on society. It’s a treasonous symbol of racism that has no place in modern America and it’s absolutely disgusting that people defend its use. So as a society we should do our best to end the use of the Confederate flag. If not for unity, do it so that at least America doesn’t look more ignorant than it already is.

A MOUNTAINEER IMPACT

ppalachian State

unveiled the “A Mountaineer Impact, A Drive for Excellence” project on Tuesday in hopes of raising $60 million over a six-year period for facility enhancements and benefits for student athletes. Currently, less than half of athletic scholarship funding is provided by The Yosef Club, athletic’s revenue and student’s fees, which will increase from $735 to $755 next academic year. The proposal will be dependent on increasing Yosef Club membership to 10,000 and basing donations off of an endowment program where donors will receive recognition on facility plaques if they donate a minimum of $25,000 through either three annual payment plans differentiating in recognition cases: $25,000-$100,000, $100,000-$1,000,000 and over $1,000,000. A press release from App State Athletics said there is a need to develop a sustainable funding model. The project will fund building a field hockey stadium locker room, a baseball

Angelo Errico is a senior journalism major from Charlotte, North Carolina. batter’s eye, a volleyball locker room, a weight room in Holmes Convocation Center, an indoor tennis facility, a softball hitting facility, a men’s and women’s soccer complex, a track complex, and multiple improvements to student-athlete experiences, like travel arrangements or the multi-purpose student-athlete north end zone facility that will also be a part of the Kidd Brewer stadium expansion. All these renovations are not necessary, but they are all understandable for Appalachian State’s growing athletics program spearheaded by Director of

Athletics Doug Gillin. Gillin should be commended for aggressively making sure each sport is supported by the department evenly with football looking down on the 19 other varsity sports. But before he receives praise, there must first be mention of the 2,500 square foot video board, the largest of the Power Five schools, and the center-hung video display with a convex curvature being installed in Kidd Brewer and the Holmes center respectively. The video boards were part of an initiative, also launched by Gillin, called the Go Fight Win campaign, and will be the first completed investments which are proposed to be done in the fall. Football’s board, containing the same 13HD technology as the Carolina Panthers, is a completely non-conservative investment, especially for a program that entered FBS play three years ago and should first expand the stadium or, more importantly, focus more on providing full scholarships to their players. Convocation’s four-sided, 1,200 square foot total display is even more

wasteful since the Appalachian State basketball team, and even the much more successful and deserving volleyball team, does not get enough attendance for this investment to be useful. It’s also worth pointing out that this display is so unnecessary that only two other universities in the country have one. As a program that hasn’t surpassed a .500 season in seven years gets awarded with outrageous commodities, and the young, growing ones receive necessities in order to succeed, our wrestling team is still practicing and competing in Varsity Gym, a going-on 50-year-old building. They have been easily one of the most, or arguably the most, nationally successful athletics programs to come from Appalachian and aren’t even mentioned on the list of future endeavors. Even when the money is only just planned, the priority of investments seems to still place the football program number one in the athletics department hierarchy. Until that favoritism is no longer practiced through frivolous expenditures, this plan will have no Mountaineer impact.

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