March 5, The Appalachian by The Appalachian

The Appalachian

HOW TO CANCEL CLASS page 3

Thursday, March 5, Tuesday, February 24,2015 2015

Up by the BootstrAPPs Student enterpreneurial store works to improve its performance, revenue

by Gerrit Van Genderen Managing Editor

hen Emily Haas assumed the role of manager for BootstrAPPs in September 2013, the store was facing hardships that were close to making the student-run retail business irrelevant. The hardships included struggling to stay open and the lack of employees and volunteers. Haas, a junior hospitality and tourism management major said the store was open roughly five hours per week before she took over, which resulted in a lack of ability to sell any products on a consistent basis. Since Haas became manager, BootstrAPPs jumped from six to 19 vendors, has reached 24 students who work in the store, and is consistently able to remain open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is located in Appalachian State University’s bookstore near the market. The style of business BootstrAPPs runs also separates it from almost every other store in the nation, due to it being completely studentrun and exclusive to selling student-made products. “We needed our brand to be known more,” Haas said, “but before we could advertise and start to market, we had to make an effort to be open consistently. It was going to waste our time to pro-

App State improves Gen-Ed program flexibility by Josh Wharton Intern News Reporter

of the American Red Cross Club at Appalachian. “They provide services for so many people in the darkest times of their lives, not only with the relief work seen with major disasters, but also in the local community.” Appalachian reached its 1,000 pint goal in 2008, which put the university in the top 10 in the country. At the same time, Appalachian broke North Carolina’s record for the largest single-day blood

Revisions in the General Education Program have been created and are on their way to being fully approved by the necessary faculty through the efforts of many departments, administrators and Appalachian State University staff. General Education Assistant Director Kristin Hyle said this revised program should be effective starting fall 2015, if all goes as planned. These revisions should give students more flexibility in mapping out their General Education experience. “This also opens up the program for departments and courses that might not have been a good fit for Gen-Ed before,” Hyle said. The First Year Seminar, writing requirements, quantitative literacy, wellness literacy and science inquiry requirements will all remain exactly the same. The other perspectives, comprising 21 hours of the Gen-Ed program, are the main focus of these revisions. “The perspectives will be gone entirely and the 21 hours are now distributed between a 9-hour integrated learning experience...and the remaining 12 are in a menu-type system called the liberal studies experience.” The integrated learning experience is similar to the themes on the current Gen-Ed system. There are currently 16 themes to choose from on the integrated learning experience. Hyle said the liber-

SEE RED CROSS PAGE 5

SEE GEN-ED PAGE 4

Gerrit Van Genderen

BootstrAPPs, Appalachian State University’s student entrepreneur store, currently has 19 vendors that sell a variety of products. The store is run completely by Appalachian students and only sells student-made products.

mote something that’s never open.” As a result, the BootstrAPPs executive board did a large amount of recruiting during fall 2013 and saw the store take great strides by spring 2014. The store, which was originally known as the E-Store, was created in 2010 as part of a $1 million grant through the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship to give students the ability to gain experience in the field. Through a rebranding initiative in the spring of 2012, the E-Store was renamed

BootstrAPPs. During the time the store was known as the E-Store, Erich Schlenker, director for the Center of Entrepreneurship said there was an impression that it was an e-commerce facility, which prevented it from building a customer population. “BootstrAPPs includes ‘APP,’ it implies that you’re kind of pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and doing it yourself,” Schlenker said. Part of the rebranding revolved around adding more employees to the staff and retaining them. Roughly half

of BootstrAPPs’ “employees” are volunteers. Due to BootstrAPPs’ financing structure, Haas said the store is focused more so on the students being able to make revenue off of their products, not the store making revenue. Vendors make 80 percent of everything they sell through BootstrAPPs while 10 percent goes to the bookstore, 5 percent goes to BootstrAPPs to cover fixed costs and 5 percent goes as commission to the store’s sellers. The 5 percent commission

SEE BOOTSTRAPPS PAGE 5

March is American Red Cross Awareness Month by Chamian Cruz News Reporter

Halle Keighton

Appalachian State University has consistently held the largest single-day blood drive in the United States and is one of the nation’s top 10 blood donation universities.

March is Red Cross Awareness Month, recognized yearly to show appreciation to one of the largest organizations that helps people in need, and to recognize the involvement of students at Appalachian State University, whether members or not of the American Red Cross Club. “I feel that the Red Cross is one of the most important organizations in our country,” said Jessica Roland, senior nursing major and president

TURCHIN CENTER

Gerrit Van Genderen The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, located on King Street, serves as Appalachian State University’s home for visual arts programming. The center currently has three diﬀerent exhibits on display: Les Caison III’s “Looking Up,” Tanja Softic’s “Gathered from Available Data” and Andrew Fullwood’s “Allurement. All three exhibits will be on display until March 21. See page 6 for a Q&A with Caison.

news

School’s out for winter

by Jackson Helms

Senior Videographer

Cancelling classes at Appalachian State University is a decision ultimately made by Chancellor Sheri N. Everts, but it is not an easy one. Mike Mayfield, vice provost for undergraduate education and professor in the department of geography and planning, is partially responsible for making the proposal to Everts on whether or not to delay or suspend classes and operations at the university. “Each semester, I get a dayby-day, hour-by-hour, classtype-by-class type breakdown on a complex spreadsheet from the Registrar’s office, so when we’re contemplating a closure, I open that spreadsheet, sort it and determine how many classes would be impacted by a delay or cancellation,” Mayfield said. Mayfield also corresponds with climatologist Baker Perry, associate professor at the department of geography and planning, to get updates on his interpretations of forecasts from the National Weather

Service. Appalachian has cancelled classes seven times so far this academic year, once for a full day, compared to nine class cancellations last year. The university currently has 3,634 active courses, of which 7,315 individual classes are affected either partially or in entirety. If a cancellation interrupts a class, teachers may suspend class in full or hold class until the time of the cancellation. Lab and studio classes are often longer and meet less frequently than regularly scheduled classes and are more difficult to make up. Mayfield describes them as “problematic.” Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Greg Lovins is also responsible for the proposal to the chancellor. He pulls together information from AppalCART, the Physical Plant, the university and police departments, Ray Russell of Ray’s Weather Center, the National Weather Service, University Communications and occasionally the Department of Transportation. Lovins contacts the chancel-

lor with a recommendation after reviewing information across the departments and consulting the Provost’s office about class schedules. “We’re very thorough with this process with the primary goal that our students and our faculty and our staff are prepared and that they are safe,” Lovins said. Mayfield said in most cases, if AppalCART can’t operate, the university will not be open as a whole. During a weather-related event in the early morning, AppalCART Operations Manager Tim Townsend patrols parking lots, inspects hills and problematic areas for issues. He then reports his findings to Lovins or ASU Police Chief Gunther Doerr, and decides whether or not AppalCART should cancel transportation. “We’re the public transportation agency for Watauga County,” Townsend said. “The least bit of snow is challenging to us due to the hills that we have to encounter.” Delaying class can be beneficial to clearing roads during heavy snow, allowing extra

time for workers to clear sidewalks and parking lots. Landscape Services are responsible for maintaining the roads and sidewalks for traffic during inclement weather. Before the winter season begins, 250 tons of calcium chloride, used for salting roads, arrives at Procurement Services from Knoxville, Tennessee. Three to four truckloads of bagged salt is also stored for sidewalk use, said Jim Bryan, Landscape Services superintendent. Bodenheimer Drive, a road extending from Rivers Street to the old location of Broyhill Events Center, is a primary concern for all departments. “That particular area is one of the first areas that we hit because it is so critical,” Bryan said. Bryan said each snow is different and has its own identity, making its circumstances and class cancellation decisions unique as well. “The best tip on safe driving during winter is not to drive unless you have to drive,” Townsend said. “If you do have to be out, be prepared.”

March to raise money, awareness for suicide prevention by Thomas Culkin News Reporter

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention established the Out of the Darkness movement in 2007, a series of marches that seeks to raise awareness and funding for suicide prevention efforts. Appalachian State University will hold its first Out of the Darkness walk on April 25. “It’s a support for survivors of [attempted] suicide, and families and friends of suicide victims,” said Jodie Clouser, a junior middle grades education major and one of the organizers of the walk. “It’s to get people talking and to get change from the way things are currently going.” Clouser believes events that raise awareness of suicide are important because the issue is often ignored. “I think there’s this stigma about mental health, or when it’s talked about, it’s not in a way that’s productive,” said Clouser. “That’s why I feel like it’s called Out of the Darkness: because we’re bringing light to the issue.” Sami Damsky, a senior appropriate technology major who’s one of the organizers of the walk, said the walk has a heightened importance this year because of the tragedies Appalachian has had. “It’s definitely im-

portant after losses to suicide to bring our community together, because now people are aware, and want to learn about it and do something about it,” Damsky said. “Not that it’s more important because of the things that have happened, but people will understand its importance more.” Clouser said the committee organizing the event is trying to reach out to different clubs and organizations on campus to convince them to walk as teams. In addition to the outreach to clubs and organizations, the Counseling Center has agreed to help promote the walk. In addition to the walk, there will also be a memorial to the Appalachian students who have committed suicide, speakers before the walk begins and booths of mental health providers that will give out information. “It’s a three-in-one event, because you’ll memorialize it, learn about it and spread awareness by doing something positive,” Damsky said. The walk will begin at 9 a.m. on Sanford Mall and will last until noon. It will cover roughly three miles, although the route has not been formally determined yet. People can register to walk or donate money at afsp.donordrive. com. Participants will also be able to register

Halle Keighton

The Counseling Center will work with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to host an Out of the Darkness walk for suicide prevention.

at the event, beginning at 8 a.m. until the walk starts. The Out of the Darkness walk is not restricted to Appalachian students and faculty, and community members are welcome to partici-

pate as well. Although registration is free, people are also encouraged to donate. Half the donations will go directly to the AFSP for research, education and advocacy. The other 50 percent will be used

locally to expand suicide prevention efforts at Appalachian. The event organizers set a donation goal to raise $5,000 by the day of the walk. At press time, $1,430 have been donated.

ASU police’s ‘Shots Fired’ program remains successful by Josh Wharton Intern News Reporter

The Appalachian State University Police Department offers a program called “Shots Fired: When Lightning Strikes,” aimed at educating students and faculty in the proper way to respond, should one find oneself in the middle of an active shooter situation. University Police began offering this program in 2007, and Lt. KC Mitchell said in the five years he’s been presenting this program, it has been very well received by the many people who have seen it. “This is an awareness program more than a checklist of things,” Mitchell said. “This program gives people the ideas to think about those situations and, if it did happen, to have a plan”. While the likelihood of an active shooter appearing on campus is slim, the possibility must be acknowledged, Mitchell said. This program allows its viewers to not only avoid denial in such situations, but also to know what to do. The program combines a video, created by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, a private organi-

zation, and a presentation from Mitchell to get across its point. The video gives a general overview of different effective response techniques, which include “get out, hide out and take out”. These methods are explained and dramatized in the video. “I show the video, we talk about the different key points, and then we have a question [and] answer session,” Mitchell said. Many sections and departments of the university require their staff to either watch the video or attend the program. Mitchell said Plemmons Student Union employees and resident assistants are among those required to receive this program every year. This program is offered by request to organizations, clubs and classes and is also available online. “The main thing I want for folks to take away from this program is the will to survive,” Mitchell said. “Refuse to be a victim.” “The reality is an active shooter could appear anywhere,” Mitchell said. “The more educated and planned people are, the safer they will be. Freshman Christopher Jones was required to watch this video for his freshman

Alan Beauvais

ASU Police present the “Shots Fired” program to a freshman seminar class earlier this week to teach Appalachian students what to do in the case that an on-campus shooting occurrs.

seminar class earlier this week. “Although many of us received much of this information in high school, this program was definitely useful in both reinforcing the information we already had, and supplying more knowledge on the subject,” Jones said. Jones admitted he had never really thought about

the possibility of an active shooter appearing on Appalachian’s campus. This program, he said, made him acknowledge the possibility. “Running and hiding probably would make sense to me in such a situation, but I never would have thought of fighting back, had I not seen this program,“ Jones said. While Jones said he would

recommend this program to others, he probably would not have watched it on his own time. “It’s hard to find time in a busy schedule for something that isn’t required,” Jones said. “For this reason, I’m glad I was required to attend this program and hope this requirement is extended to other students.”

GEN-ED

“We are not quite ready to unveil too much detail regarding the project until it has been presented to and a number of faculty/ staff bodies,” said Paige Marley, SGA’s head of the Academic Affairs committee. The program Marley mentioned is called “APP101”. According to the Cabinet Committee Report for spring 2015, APP101 would be “a six-week, onecredit required course added to the freshman seminar courses”. This proposed course was devised to instruct students in the ways to be a conscientious student. It would focus on “interpersonal violence prevention training, access to campus resources, surveys, and major selection guidance,” according to the committee report. Freshman biology major Maddie Wise said she is supportive of these revisions.

“I wish these changes were made last year,” Wise said. “This new program seems more flexible than the current one, which makes me want to change my catalog class year.” However, because she has already completed a number of Gen-Ed classes in the current system, she has second thoughts about changing her catalog class year. “Transferring my current Gen-Ed credits over to the new system seems like it would be too much work, considering how much I’ve already done in the current program.” Wise is also in support of the changes SGA wishes to make. “I wish my seminar had given me help on transitioning to student life,” Wise said. “I thought freshman seminars were supposed to give students aid in transitioning to both campus life and the academic world of university students.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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-al studies experience works on a menu-type system, requiring students to take classes in a minimum 3 disciplines. These changes aim “to honor that integrative learning that was the hallmark of our current Gen-Ed by keeping the 9-hour integrative experience but then give students added flexibility by giving them this liberal studies experience,” Hyle said. Incoming freshmen for the fall 2015 semester will be required to follow this program, whereas current students will have a choice to change their catalog class year if they wish to adhere to this new program. Student Government Association also wishes to implement its own changes to the Gen-Ed system, though this proposal is still in the works.

5 BOOTSTRAPPS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 was added last semester and Haas said the BootstrAPPs team is trying to find more ways to incentivise employees. With a focus on student vendors being able to make the revenue, BootstrAPPs has seen sales increase rapidly in the past year. “The top sales number in the past [before spring of 2014] was $500 – for the course of an entire semester,” Haas said. “In the month of February [2014], we ended up selling roughly $1,000. Those records continued to soar, as BootstrAPPs saw its sales reach $2,785 in April of 2014. After bringing in approximately $6,500 for the fall 2014 semester, BootstrAPPs has earned $1,850 so far for the spring 2015 semester, with

RED CROSS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 drive, Roland said. Last year, about 1,160 units of blood were collected during this event, said Brian Womack, disaster program manager for the Blue Ridge Piedmont chapter of Red Cross. “[Appalachian] keeps on being the single largest one-day blood drive in the nation and that is something that you guys should be proud of, because it is consistently done every year,” Womack said. “There’s people trying to beat you guys and they just can’t do it.” This semester, the American Red Cross Club

$1,387 of that total coming in February, according to numbers provided by BootstrAPPs accountant Cameron Barnett. All 19 of BootstrAPPs’ vendors are Appalachian students, including brands such as Local, whose creators have passed the on-campus business branch to currently enrolled students despite having already graduated. One of BootstrAPPs’ brands, TrAPPings, is run by sophomore biology secondary education major Mackenzie Trapp, who started working with the store in spring 2014 after transferring to Appalachian halfway through her freshman year. “I sell mainly jewelry – rings and earrings – and also make scarves in the winter,” said Trapp, who was so excited about working with BootstrAPPs that she picked up an application to become a vendor even before she officially transferred.

at Appalachian will host its annual blood drive on April 2. Last year, they were able to collect 250 pints of blood, a goal they are hoping to meet and surpass this year, Roland said. The American Red Cross Club began to officially operate in fall 2011 and continues to work closely with the local chapter. In the past, the club has had a Halloween bake sale to raise money for the local chapter, sent Christmas cards to the military and has also participated in the Red Cross’ fire safety campaign to raise awareness in the community. For Red Cross Awareness Month, the local chapter

One of Trapp’s success stories was deciding to customize her rings for various sororities at Appalachian. To incentivise sales of the customized rings, Trapp donates 10 percent of the money she makes off of them to different philanthropies each month based on the sororities at Appalachian. Trapp’s ability to reach out to a specific consumer group with her products and ability to keep improving those products is what makes her and TrAPPings such a successful vendor, Barnett said. In order for a vendor to become involved with BootstrAPPs, it is required to have an Association of Student Entrepreneurs membership, business license and be a full-time student at Appalachian – undergraduate or graduate – according to BootstrAPPs’ vendor application. Since BootstrAPPs rents space in the bookstore, Haas said one limitation

of the American Red Cross is canvassing in neighborhoods as part of their fire safety campaign. Womack said single family fires are the most common cases that the local chapter deals with. Single family fires tend to most commonly affect those living in poor communities and those under 5 or over 65-years-old, since smoke detectors stop working after 10 years. “We’re working with fire departments trying to find out which communities are at most risk by finding out who has smoke detectors and who needs them and then coming in at a later date and installing them,” Womack said. “We had

of the location is being unable to sell Appalachian-based merchandise, due to a conflict of interest. Moving forward, Haas said some of her future aspirations for the store include finding its own location on campus and implementing the ability to purchase items through its website. “I believe it’s very reasonable to picture BootstrAPPs moving locations in the future,” Haas said. “I may not be here, but that foundation could be laid in the next year.” While Haas said it is realistic to have online shopping at BootstrAPPs in the future, some of the vendors’ products pose issues with it because of the uniqueness. “We have such individually unique products – pottery and jewelry, for example – that there are one-of-a-kind pieces,” Haas said. “We have to learn how to cater to that before going online with everything.”

two fatalities in Caldwell County last week so there’s a big push to find those areas at high risk.” Along with house fires, the disaster team of the local chapter with its office in Boone also provides families with money for necessities such as food, clothing and a hotel room when disaster strikes, Womack said. The American Red Cross has also consistently been involved in heart health by hosting Health Fairs where people are informed on symptoms for heart diseases and other issues as well as tips on how to maintain overall heart health. In correlation to heart

health, last week Alpha Phi’s chapter of Theta Nu celebrated Heart Health Week as part of their philanthropy by hosting a series of events and contact tables. The sorority has hosted Heart Health Week for over 10 years, said Ashtine Tapanes, junior communications major and vice president of marketing for Theta Nu. They gave out red ribbons for heart health awareness, hosted a Panera Give Back Night, a Zumba class and gave out dark chocolate, which in moderation is good for the heart. During Panera Give Back Night, Alpha Phi raised $350, which broke the previous record of $150.

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Appalachian graduate Les Caison III’s “Looking Up” is currently on display at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, located on King Street. Caison’s artwork explores using whatever people have in order to move forward in life.

Q&A: Les Caison III on ‘Looking Up’ by Lovey Cooper Senior A&E Reporter

ince December, artist Les Caison III’s work has been on display in the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, a space that did not exist when he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art from Appalachian State University in 1998. His most recent collection contains paintings constructed with multiple layers of oil paint and graphite illustration. The overarching concept of “Looking Up” revolves around the notion of moving two steps back, with one’s best foot forward. “These paintings explore using whatever we have to go forward. Sometimes carrying on is as simple as acknowledging the heavens,” Caison said in his artist’s statement. “Sometimes we are celebrating life and our spirits are light-footed. Other times we are overflowing with contemplation and seek solace amid whatever environment we can find. We just have to keep Looking Up.” Thursday, he returns to give an artist’s lecture at 7 p.m. in the Turchin Center. “All of the lonely figures in Caison’s new series ‘Looking Up’ are engaged in a private dance,” curator Mary Anne Redding said in the gallery guide for this exhibition. “Even the couples appear solitary, lost in private reverie, looking to the stars for inspiration, listening to music only they can hear.”

The Appalachian: Tell me about this exhibition. How is it similar to or different from your other work? Les Caison III: “Offering sto-

ries is my mode of operation. It is a goal to engage the audience as if they were walking into a story inprogress just before or slightly after something has occurred. The stories change with each new body of work. Technique-wise the intertwining of graphite drawing and oil painting is ever constant. The topics explored with each series definitely change as does the color palette. “Looking Up” cascades with pinks and periwinkles as the concept of “hope from your own devices’ is explored.” TA: How has it been received in the time that it has been at the Turchin so far? LC: “Folks are picking up on the ‘oohs’ behind the depictions of clouds. They’re also expressing ‘aahs’ from experiencing the warmth in the Turchin upon entering from the cold. “ TA: How does the “two steps backwards with your best foot forward” idea relate to your own experience? LC: “It’s an illustration of perspective. What one would normally experience as detrimental may be sincerely positive, if one can simply get past their own biases and preconceived notions. That is often a daily experience for me. Some days it’s a struggle, other days it’s viewed as an opportunity within myself and/or amid interactions with others. I believe if one is able to truly see something in a positive light, then that filter colorizes the experience and not soon after comes the smile. In that manner it does not matter where one is traveling as long as they are doing the best they can.” TA: Tell me a little bit about your artistic process. How do the meth-

ods you use relate to the concepts in this collection? III: “It’s like a faucet. The floodgates open up to receive ideas, inspirations, and pulp that relates to the topic being explored. During that period of time, mental and sometimes subconscious notes are made concerning color choices, emotions to express/explore, and music echoes about – serving as the coach with a bullhorn on your back. All are sought to help get the creativity to flow and the paint spread. I employ what is around me to create and move forward.” TA: What will your upcoming lecture focus on? LC: “The lecture will provide an opportunity to consider how the world about me influences the topic explored in a given body of work. The creative process for “Looking Up” is documented in-progress with the ease of contemporary technology and images from the trusty sketchbook.” TA: What do you feel you have to teach students here? LC: “Not sure. I do hope to receive an opportunity to interact with the students through discourse either in the gallery or the classroom. It has been a treat thus far when strolling through the local spots to chat with folks -- students and otherwise -- and feel the sincere interest they show when they learn about “Looking Up”.” TA: As an Appalachian graduate, what is it like to return to the university to show your work? What has changed? What drew you back? LC: “I am grateful to exhibit with ASU. The Turchin is a beautiful facility and hosts numerous fantastic

exhibitions. Turchin wasn’t here back in the day. The art students mounted exhibitions in universitysanctioned locations, but also in non-conventional places -- like Wey Hall’s elevator. We didn’t have this level and quantity of guest exhibitions to consider. ASU helped me hone my ability to live creatively in a variety of ways. “Looking Up” is a way of saying ‘thank you’ while continuing to more forward. It’s hard to say what has changed -- obviously the lay of the land has a few more buildings and several businesses have changed owners. The wide-open desire to learn seems consistent though. The students have time and interest to hear what each other has to say and they give themselves an opportunity to contemplate. Upon further interactions with the university next week it is a goal to observe and glean a more informed point of view. There will always be a piece of Boone with me. So many firsts occurred for me here: submersion into the beauty of life as a student; a first time dweller in a hill town; a young artist full of drive and piss and energy -- these are portions my history and will always strike a resounding chord with me. “

TA: What about the university, if anything, has influenced your work in the long term? LC: “If you have to speak at length about the artwork in order for others to comprehend it, it is failing at visual communication.”

TA: What’s next for you? LC: “Back to basics: drawing from life. Getting more familiar with white conte [crayon] on tinted paper. Atypical flesh tones.”

Imagine Dragons fail to excite with second album Intern A&E Reporter

In 2013, Las Vegas band Imagine Dragons debut album “Night Visions” dominated the airwaves. Backed by infectiously catchy singles such as “It’s Time,” an uplifting stadium rock track with booming drums and handclaps, and their biggest single, “Radioactive,” a dubstep infused rock track filled with apocalyptic angst and crooning vocals from lead singer Dan Reynolds, “Night Visions” was an impressive kick-in-the-door album. The band continued having success all the way through 2014 with a remix of “Radioactive” that featured the young hit rapper Kendrick Lamar. “Smoke + Mirrors,” the band’s sophomore album, has them continuing on with the same electronic infused rock formula – both musically and lyrically – that they followed on “Night Visions.” Some of the tracks deliver effective hooks and choruses, and in some cases, the band takes leaps that produce some very delightful surprises. However, some of the tracks are so typical and uninspiring that it makes you want to skip the track entirely. The highlights of the album contain some of the bands most catchy songs and Reynolds’ best vocals. The stand-out tracks show the band straying away from the sound of their debut album and exploring all of the things that they’re capable of. The album begins with the new wave dancesounding tracks “Shots,” and “Gold,” which both incorporate some reverb-packed guitars and ’80s retro-inspired synths. While this sound isn’t out of the ordinary for the band, Reynolds’ vocals are still booming and entertaining. With his ability to belt out intense choruses and delicate falsettos, the

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singer definitely makes the songs entertaining. The lead single from the album “I Bet My Life” resembles that of other lead singles “It’s Time,” and “Demons,” except this single isn’t nearly as thrilling. It features boring lyrics that don’t give off any real emotional meaning. It also contains the same old pop-rock guitar riffs and drum fills that sound just as bland as they do on other Imagine Dragons tracks. The track is perfect for being used in a cliché, overly dramatic Urban Outfitters commercial. While the lead single from the album is disappointing, the next three tracks make up for it. “Polaroid” takes a different approach with a darker lyrical tone. “I’m a hold my cards close/I’m a wreck what I love most/I’m a first class let down/I’m a shut up sit down,” Reynolds sings as heartfelt as he can without breaking away from a catchy pop sound. “Friction” has a Classical Bollywood inspired guitar riff that surprisingly turns into an electronic rock banger. The soaring guitars and tribal drums that sound too familiar somehow make the track even better. “It Comes Back To You” takes down the tempo, but it is the catchiest track on the album. Backed by beautiful synths and an standard drum beat, it shows that the band doesn’t need to be overly flashy in order to make a good song. The track “Trouble” is the band awkwardly attempting to pull off a Mumford & Sons style. Fueled by fast paced acoustic guitar strumming, hard hitting drum fills and too much production, the song is more embarrassing and cheesy than anything. The next track, “Summer,” still continues on with the rock hip-hop sound that made them famous in the first place, but this track sounds very uninspired and overproduced. While the interesting guitar chords and fast paced drum beat save it

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from being a terrible track, it still doesn’t save it from being boring. Overall, if you were a big fan of Imagine Dragons’ first album, then you’ll most likely enjoy this new project. However, if you’re bored by repetitive sounding songs but still enjoy a catchy tune every now and again, then it’s OK to skip this one and stick to the radio singles. Imagine Dragons will be going on a world tour to support the new album starting in Chile April 12.

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Fat Cats Employee and Drummer of local band Way Das

Local acoustic folk, roots and blues 7 p.m. @ The 3rd Place FREE / ALL AGES

“Since most people are going home for the break, I thought I’d suggest some things from venues where a lot of students come from. In Raleigh, check out Of Montreal, who I’ve seen a couple times and they are fantastic. Modest Mouse, in Raleigh, who are headlining shows across the country and their new music is great. Also, if you are in the Charlotte area, I think Moon Taxi would be what I would go to.”

THE UKIAH DRAG WITH KONVOI AND SEXINJURY

President of the Appalachian Popular Programming Society

MERRICK MARQUIE,

Florida post-punk / heavy psych with local electronic new wave 10 p.m. @ Black Cat $5 / 18+

“Thursday, Boy Harsher crafts delectable, gritty and danceable minimal/cold wave – like Chromatics gone noir – alongside Tann Jones’ razor sharp modular dance cuts and Housefire’s heavy tape and sample-based rhythms, manipulations and experimentations. Friday, Providence’s Ukiah Drag churns out demented postpunk, creep beat, gasoline-soaked swamp rock and swaggering heavy psych. Konvoi is a new Boone band cranking out amphetamine-laden, skeletal post-punk. SexInjury pulls dance music straight outta hell and channels it through a triple-headed synth beast.”

DEVON TUTTLE Local Booking Agent and Cultural Curator

opinion

Misplaced state priorities make tuition increases inevitable Kevin Griffin Opinion Writer

Responding to the requests from UNC schools, the Board of Governors has officially approved a tuition increase of 4.3 percent on average for in-state students the 2015-16 school year, according to the News & Observer. Tuition for Appalachian State University students will increase from $6,438 this year to $6,719 next year, according to the News & Observer. News of tuition increases is likely unwelcome for all

students in the system, but the rise in tuition is an inevitable result of years of misplaced political priorities by state leaders. A May 2014 study by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities found that while many states were funding higher education at prerecession levels, many had started increasing funding on education. Eight states had not, including North Carolina, which cut funding per-student 2.3 percent. All of this goes back to the mindset of the Republican leadership that dominates the state. There is no doubt the recession was going to affect higher education, but the priorities of state lawmakers can make an important difference. Republican lawmakers

pushed through personal and corporate tax cuts in 2013 in the hopes that the cuts would benefit the state economy. However, we now know that the effect of these tax cuts has been to cost the state far more than originally projected. Tax cuts cost the state $680 million, while the original estimate was $475 million, according to a July 2014 analysis from researchers in the Fiscal Research Division. Between the current year and 2018, the costs of the tax cuts are projected to outpace the original forecasts. The diminished state revenue that results from this hampers our ability to fund education, at all levels, going forward. For university students,

this means higher tuition to make up for the loss. This unfortunately places a burden on students, particularly low-income students and hinders access to higher education. Given North Carolina’s historical and constitutional dedication to education, this is disgraceful. The leaders of the state have put us in this position thanks to these inadvisable policy decisions. Certainly there should be a change in favor of students in which the government cares about the appropriate level of public support for higher education. At this point, a change in leadership is the only option. Griffin, a junior journalism major from Madison, is an opinion writer.

Zachary Shadomy | Contributor

Privilege and its blinding effect on microaggression Lauren Burrows Opinion Writer

Microaggressions – remarks made with negative or discriminatory implications – are phrases that are quick to leave a scar but slow to heal, and are entirely too common in our world today. Walking across campus, you are most likely to hear a few of these microaggressions. Some of us have become so accustomed to these stereotypical racial, ethnic, gender and sexual slurs that we no longer even recognize them for what they are: hurtful and violent attacks on entire populations of people.

Microaggressions are both rooted in and also work to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and stigmas that have a direct effect in the marginalization of others. Contrary to what most believe, microaggressions are often expressions without conscious choice of the user, but it is still important to become conscious of such insensitivity so that we can respect and not offend those around us. Privilege is one of the ideas that backs up microaggression, often unknowingly. Privilege is, simply put, an advantage or special right a certain group of people holds. Privilege should not be envisioned as a white person or a straight person, but instead we need to view privilege as a spectrum. Its range reaches across a broad spectrum

of the global population, regarding the race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation of a person. There are things about all of us that speak of our privilege, and also the lack thereof. That is why it is important to inquire of your own privilege in the world, and be knowledgeable and sensitive to those who land on a different scale of the privilege spectrum. “That’s so gay!” should not be an exclamation used to describe something unfortunate or unsatisfactory. Telling an African American that they “sound white” is not okay either; neither is asking an Asian-American which country they come from; or telling a woman to “get back in the kitchen.” All of these phrases are examples of microaggression that negatively impact our

entire community. Last week, Appalachian’s Young Life College chapter, a Christian ministry organization, held a controversial “Thug Life” party, where students were encouraged to dress up in snapbacks and over-sized T-shirts. This event upset many individuals who found its conduct extremely insensitive. Not only do the people we offend with these outbursts suffer, but we suffer as well. We suffer because stigmas that evolve from our ignorance of privilege are blinding us from encountering the true beauty of diversity. When we are microaggressive, we are missing out on what can be offered to us as a world through each other.

Burrows, a freshman journalism major from Mint Hill, in an opinion writer.

classifieds

CRIME LOG BOONE

March 3 3:30 p.m. | Larceny - From Buildings Belk Library Complex This incident is under investigation. March 3 2:39 a.m. | Vandalism to property Rankin West This incident is under investigation.

Use of App Card Central Dining Hall This incident is under investigation. March 1 11:39 p.m. | Possession of marijuana Justice Hall An arrest was made for the possession of marijuana. March 1 10:59 p.m. | Possessed weapon on educational property Living Learning Center An arrest was made for the possession of a weapon

March 3 1:24 a.m. | Vandalism to Property Outside of Rankin Hall March 1 This incident is under inves- 9:32 p.m. | Vandalism tiation. Legends Parking Lot An arrest was made for March 2 vandalism 7:19 p.m. | Unauthorized

Feb. 28 11:45 p.m. | Larceny - from Building Appalachian Panhellenic Hall This incident is under investigation. Feb. 28 10:38 p.m. | Underage consumption of alcohol Coltrane Hall An arrest was made for the underage consumption of alcohol. Feb. 27 10 p.m. | Underage consumption of alcohol Gardner Hall An arrest was made for the underage consumption of alcohol.

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The Appalachian 217 Plemmons Student Union, Boone, N.C. 28608 828 â€˘ 262-6149 Copyright ÂŠ 2014 The Appalachian

WHO ARE WE? The Appalachian, a student-run publication at Appalachian State University, strives to provide fair and accurate news for the campus community; to inform, entertain and create a forum for ideas; to provide an outlet for reader's opinions; to be a champion for student, faculty, staff, and community interests; and to remain independent, exercise and ensure its First Amendment rights.

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Joshua Farmer Managing Editor Gerrit Van Genderen Visual Managing Editor Malik Rahili Chief Copy Editor Abbi Pittman News Editor Laney Rucksthul A&E Editor Emma Speckman Sports Editor Cory Spiers Graphics Editor Samantha Cordialini Photo Editor Alex Gates Video Editor Chris Deverell Enterprise Editor Michael Bragg

BUSINESS OFFICE Business Manager Paul Heckert

ONLINE Web Manager Justin Perry Community Outreach Stephanie Sansoucy

ADVISER Assistant Director, CSIL Allison Bennett Dyche

Contact Information EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (828) 262-6149 BUSINESS OFFICE (828) 262-2157 ADVISER OFFICE (828) 262-2245

Associated Collegiate Press

app news

10 Submit Announcements App News is a service of the Division of Student Development. Email dycheab@appstate.edu. 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 given for events that are free or have a nominal cost. Free tax assistance ASU’s Walker College of Business will provide free tax assistance for individuals or families with a combined household income of $60,000 or less. Anyone can prepare and e-file their own federal and state income taxes for free using www.myfreetaxes.com. The Free Tax Help Lab, will be held 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, through April 15, room 2014, Peacock Hall. Email hofmannma@ appstate.edu.

Center. Call 828-262-3180 or visit counseling.appstate.edu. • Ask a Question/Save a Life: Suicide Prevention Training, 5:307:30 p.m. March 4, Rough Ridge, PSU • Stress Management: Finish the Semester on a Strong Note, 5:306:30 p.m. April 8 and 9, Rough Ridge, PSU Outdoor certifications University Recreation recently created a partnership with Landmark Learning, a wilderness certification provider education center to offer wilderness medicine, emergency medicine and leave no trace outdoor ethics courses for students and the community. For more information, go to https://op.appstate.edu/certifications--trainings. • March 7-15, Wilderness First Responder • April 10-12, Wilderness First Responder Re-Certification • Leave No Trace Master Educator, Aug. 10-14, 2015

Red Flag Campaign The Red Flag Campaign is accepting applications for the 20152016 academic year. Open to students who want to educate Appalachian’s community on being active bystanders and are dedicated to ending violence. Visit redflag.appstate.edu to learn more. Applications are due March 6. Email hartmanep@appstate.edu.

Spring Performing Arts Series All events to be held at the Schaefer Center. For more information, email boxoffice@appstate. edu, call 828-262-4046 or go to pas.appstate.edu. • A Broadway Tour of RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles, 8 p.m. March 4, $25-$30 • The Peking Acrobats, 7 p.m. March 17, $10-$20 • Koresh Dance Company, 8 p.m. April 17, $10-$20

Transfer Connect Open to transfer students, and presented by the ASU Counseling

Intramural Sports Registration for Co-Rec Volleyball and Tennis will be open until

March 17. Men’s, Women’s, and Co-Rec divisions offered. Registration is free and is available to all students and full-time faculty and staff. Go to imsports.appstate.edu or call 828-262-2100. Expressive Arts Group for Veterans Open to any faculty, staff and student veterans at Appalachian State University. The group’s purpose is to allow for the establishment of community amongst veterans and to offer creative outlets to explore through multiple modes of expression. Email falckms@appstate.edu or call 828-262-2696. All sessions will be held at 5:45 p.m. in room 306, College of Education. The dates are: March 17, March 31, April 14 and April 28. UREC jobs UREC is hiring volleyball officials. Must attend clinics 7 p.m. March 17 and March 19, room 202, SRC. Go to imsports.appstate.edu. CareerFest Employers will be in attendance to discuss career insights, internships and job opportunities. The event will be held noon-4 p.m. March 17 in Holmes Convocation Center. Open to all majors. Bring your App State ID to sign in. Professional dress is required. Registration is recommended via Career Gear. Women in the Army ROTC will host Army Colonel Wendy Graham in the presentation of “Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment, A Personal Presentation,” 5:45 p.m.

March 18, Three Top Mountain, PSU. Colonel Graham will discuss her career and insights into the accomplishments and challenges regarding the roles of women in the U.S. Army. Light refreshments available before and after the presentation.

Bike Maintenance 101 Bike App and Outdoor Programs are offering a free bike maintenance class from noon-1 p.m. March 20. Bring your bike, or learn on a demo bike. Learn how to change a tube, lube a chain and other basic bike maintenance needs. Space is limited. Participants must register at Outdoor Programs.

Panorama 2015 The TedTalks-inspired event, for the exchange of student perspectives, will be held 7-9:30 p.m. March 24, Blue Ridge Ballroom, PSU. Light refreshments will be served. Panorama is presented by AppSpeaks and sponsored by the Department of Communication. For more information, email motterjb@appstate.edu. Speakers include: • Kelly Bayha, Public Relations, “How to Take Women From Bitch to Boss” • Chappy Cottrell, Sustainable Development, “How to Pursue Your Passion” • Mary Claire Grube, Religious Studies, “Getting God Out of the Closet: An Introduction to Queer Theology” • Jessi Lancaster, Apparel Design, “Introversion in the Workforce” • Victor Moore, Graphic Design, “Black Lives Matter”

March

sunday

monday 1

tuesday 2

wednesday 4

friday

thursday

Midterms

Tai Chi, 5 p.m., Turchin Center, free for students

Coffee with a Cop, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., PSU near information desk, free

Krista Lounsbury & Robert Steinhour Student Voice Recital, 8 p.m., Recital Hall, free

“E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial” screening, 7 p.m., Greenbriar, PSU, $1

Turchin Center Lecture Series: Les RMI Career Fair, 1-4 Caison III, 7 p.m., p.m., second floor Turchin Center, free Boyles Lobby, Peacock Hall Crafting a Compas“E. T. the Extra-Tersionate Sense of Self workshop, 4:15 restrial” screening, “Made in India: A p.m., Rough Ridge, 7 p.m., Greenbriar, Film About SurrogaPSU, $1 cy” film screening, PSU 5:30 p.m., room 114, River Whyless with Belk Library, free Chinese New Year, 6-9 p.m., Blue Ridge From Bears concert, Ballroom, PSU, free 9 p.m., Legends, $7-$10

9 Spring break

Midterms

Grant Smith Student Trombone Recital, 6 p.m., Recital Hall, free

saturday

10 Spring break

Spring break

Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition begins with People’s Choice Voting, all day, Turchin Center, free Turchin Center Lecture Series: Ben Butler, 4 p.m., Turchin Center, free

12 Spring break

Spring break

14 Spring break

sports

Menâ€™s looks to close strong by Cory Spiers Sports Editor

End of season streak The Mountaineers snapped a season-long five-game losing streak with a 66-43 win over ULM at home Feb. 28. Now, the team focuses its attention on the last two games on the schedule â€“ both of which are home contests. App State is 1-1 against its final two opponents, Texas State and UT Arlington. The team lost on the road to UT Arlington but knocked off Texas State 64-58. TheMountaineershavealreadysurpassedtheirwintotalfromlastyear,andanextra win or two to close the seasononapositivetrendwould be great for a team in its first year withanewheadcoach. How does the future look? The Mountaineers will lose fifth-year senior forward Tommy Spagnolo next season, but there should be a lot of familiar faces returning to the App State lineup next season, so the last two games will culminate a season-long learning process for a lot of players who will return next season. Players like junior forward Michael Obacha and junior guard Frank Eaves will likely be called upon to be regular contributors again next season, so finishing strong would be a definite plus.

game day Chance to generate momentum for womenâ€™s by Cory Spiers Sports Editor

Powering into the conference tournament After reeling off twostraight wins, the Mountaineers will likely finish the season as higher than the eighth seed in the upcoming Sun Belt tournament. However,AppStatewould be wise to focus all of its attention on Texas State and UTArlingtonastheteamhas beenplayinggreatandwith a lot of confidence of late. Assessing the young pieces App State will lose two key contributors to graduation after this season as senior guard Katie Mallow and senior forward Maryah Sydnor will not return. WithMallowinjured,the Mountaineers have had to look to other contributors and have benefitted from the inspired play of freshman guard Madi Story and others. There are many young players on the roster like Story and sophomore forwardKeKeCooper,solearning how to close out a season and getting a taste of conferencetournamentplay should be vital to their development going into next season.