The Appalachian
September 4, 2020
State board of elections votes to keep Blue Ridge Ballroom site Page 5
Turchin Center steps go from monolith to masterpiece Page 7
Football leads protest across Boone against racial injustice Page 8
“Sheri wake up” Black at App State Collective leads march Jackie Park | Editor-in-Chief Emily Broyles | News Editor
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
Nearly 250 students from all walks of campus life, faculty and police gath-ered Monday to share stories and march alongside the Black at App State Col-lective from Sanford Mall to Chancellor Sheri Everts’ office. The group gar-nered attention for demands they sent to the university this summer, and orga-nized the march against injustice to “wake the chancellor.” The collective says the university has not met the group’s demands, which focus on programming like diversified recruiting and a bias reporting system. “We are tired. So that is why we have gathered here today as a collective, to ask for change,” said Korbin Cummings, a leader in the collective. “We are asking for demands to be fully implemented that we have created, and we are asking for these demands to be implemented today. Please participate fully.” Jay Edwards, another leader in Black at App State, asked all non-Black at-tendees of the march to kneel in reflection. “Black folks, look around you,” he said. “See your support system, see your kin, see the folks that love you. White folks, reflect. Reflect on what you’re doing right now. Reflect on what you’re not doing.” Students lined up at a microphone on the mall to share their stories about being Black at App State. “I’ve been an RA for four years. I’ve had to deal with white kids saying (n-word) for four years,” said Charles Fennell, a senior. “(I have to) hop out of my bed at 3 a.m. to go talk to somebody for four years saying, ‘You can’t say that. I’m the only one on the hall who can say that because I’m the only one on the hall that’s Black.’” Fennell has lived on campus for nine semesters now, and said after all his years working to make campus a safe space for Black students, and being silenced in the process, he is proud to leave the work to the collective when he graduates in December. “I’m grateful to see this,” Fennell told the crowd. “I’ve never seen this on App State’s campus. I’ve never seen this.” Olivia Shepherd, a member of the Black Student Association executive board, said she’s wanted to go to App State since she was 4 years old. But, when Everts didn’t say Black Lives Matter in her statement on racial injustice, Shep-herd said she wanted to transfer. “It crushed my heart. It ruined my day,” she said. Shepherd said it’s disappointing that the chancellor is so enthusiastic about the football team, of which many of its players are Black, but can’t say, “Black Lives Matter.” “We should feel safe,” Shepherd said. “It is (Everts’) job to make us feel safe, regardless of race. So we need the change, and we need to see it now. We are the change.” Continued on page 3
News
Sept. 4, 2020
University ITS makes remote learning-friendly adjustments to ASULearn, addresses Zoom issues
News
Sept. 4, 2020
Continued from page 1
Gianna Holiday | Reporter Delays in page loads, inaccessible screens and program crashes clouded the first days of the semester as students began a higher number of online classes than usual. High traffic in the first few days of online classes caused AsULearn service disruptions. Information Technology Services worked to address the connection problems and update students when issues were resolved. ITS made adjustments during the spring 2020 semester for additional server resources to AsULearn, to accommodate the increased demand for online classes after spring break. “Unfortunately, the traffic patterns during the end of the spring term were not indicative of what
we saw on the first day of classes this fall and we found we needed to scale resources up to handle the demand,” said David Hayler, chief information officer. AsULearn currently has twice as many servers, and each server has nearly two and a half times more processing power than they had in April. “We don’t anticipate any additional issues with AsUlearn related to increased demand,” Hayler said. The demand for online presence for the beginning of fall semester was estimated based on the online presence at the end of the spring semester, when all operations pivoted to fully online instruction. “I’ve experienced issues with both AsULearn and Zoom. AsU-
Learn went down for some students during one of my online classes, and only some students had access to the day’s assignments, so we had to screen share to finish the work,” said senior elementary education major Bailey Sparks. “Zoom has also been unreliable.” Other students such as supply chain management senior Mikayla Wilkin said that she and her classmates will often get kicked off of Zoom during classes or that audio is delayed. Wilkin said she feels that AsULearn seems to be down once a week since classes began. “What we quickly realized at the beginning of the fall term, is that in spring many students and/or instructors were not using an online format in the manner we expect-
ed,” Hayler said. “This resulted in a drastically underestimated capacity need. We have since remedied the issue as stated above. We will continue to monitor demand and make adjustments as needed.” Hayler said students should come to class prepared to learn in whatever teaching mode is indicated for the course. “It is my responsibility to make sure the university technology resources you need are available and responsive,” Hayler said. “The biggest challenge we face is that we don’t currently have accurate data modeling that reflects what is happening in this new teaching model. ITS is collecting this data to analyze. As the semester moves forward, they will get a more accurate
picture of daily usage data and to better predict when demand may increase. “I recommend students come to school with a computer that meets the recommended specifications from our support website,” Hayler said. “This will provide them with the necessary tools to be successful in class and access software whether the class is face to face, online, or a hybrid model.”
Gov. Roy Cooper introduces Phase 2.5, effective Friday Jake Markland | Reporter Additional businesses can reopen at limited capacity on Friday under Gov. Roy Cooper’s Phase 2.5, the next stage of its coronavirus pandemic recovery effort. This new phase comes with strict guidelines and a more serious mask mandate. “Every time you wear a mask or social distance, you are helping our numbers so that we can ease restrictions,” Cooper said. Cooper extended Phase 2 three times over the course of three months. While Cooper said the state is not ready for Phase 3, he said he feels comfortable allowing some businesses and social activities to resume at a reduced capacity. Cooper will move the state to Phase 2.5 at 5 p.m. Friday. “Because of our stable numbers, today we are ready to take a
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careful step forward.” Cooper said. “A new phase is exactly when we need to take this virus even more seriously.” Under Phase 2.5, mass gathering limits will be raised from 10 to 25 people indoors and from 25 to 50 people outside. Outdoor playgrounds can reopen and indoor playgrounds can operate at 30% capacity. Children older than 5 musto wear a mask, as opposed to the previous age set at 11 and older.
“Every time you wear a mask or social distance, you are helping our numbers so that we can ease restrictions,” Cooper said. “You’re protecting people, known and unknown. You’re saving lives and slowing the spread of this virus.” Beginning Friday, gyms, bowling alleys, skating rinks and other indoor exercise facilities, which have been closed since March, can now operate at 30% capacity. Gym reopenings were originally part of Phase 2, but Cooper and other state officials decided to keep them
closed over the potential spread of the virus in conditions where people are hot, sweaty, and in close proximity to one another. An 11 p.m. curfew on alcohol sales at restaurants has also been extended to Oct. 2. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, issued an order allowing outdoor visitation at nursing homes. Nursing homes allowing visitations must not have a current outbreak. They also must have a clear testing plan and updated written Infection Control or Preparedness plan for COVID-19, and must have personal protective equipment. Bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, indoor entertainment and amusement parks will remain closed.
Students stand together in support of the march against injustice on Sanford Mall on August 31, 2020. The event was organized and lead by the Black at App State student organization. Jesse Barber
Kynda Bichara is the president of the Black Student Association and a leader of the collective. She says she’s tired. “I’m president of two (organizations), that’s not by choice,” she said. “Some things you have to step up and do because others are not doing them.” Bichara told the crowd they need to show up all of the time – not just on social media or when there are protests – but in their classrooms and with their families. “This isn’t a trend,” she said. “This isn’t something you post on Instagram cause you look cute with your sign. Our oppression isn’t your hashtag.” In the wake of the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and the most recent shooting of Jacob Blake, Bichara said she is expressing anger, but it isn’t coming from hate. “When we say Black Lives Matter, we say that because we’re being killed, we’re being executed,” Bichara said. “I am Breonna Taylor, my brother is George Floyd .... But they ask why I’m an angry Black woman. Maybe it’s because you’re killing my brothers, my fathers and my son.” Data compiled by The Washington Post show that the rate at which Black people are killed by po-
lice is more than twice the rate for white Americans. Black at App State members shared frustrations at the lack of communication they had received from the chancellor and university administrators. At the march, the collective shared that in a meeting with the Chancellor’s Cabinet this summer, their group was muted and not allowed to use the chat function in Zoom. They also said the university switched to using their own Zoom link at the last minute, instead of using the link the collective shared ahead of time. “I know they see us,” Cummings said. “They send us emails in private, telling us to have coffee. (Emails that say) ‘We support y’all.’ What are they doing?” Everts did not show at the march; however, other administrators, like Jeff Cathey, director of Student Engagement and Leadership, and Willie Fleming, chief diversity officer, attended the march and consistently communicated with the leaders of the collective. In a statement to The Appalachian, Everts said she and her team are moving forward with work on the collective’s concerns and the university’s strategic diversity plan. “Black Lives Matter. Students,
faculty, staff, alumni and members of the university administration share a strong desire, sense of urgency and a steadfast commitment to move forward on the diversity and inclusion work that is underway at App State and to begin on important new work that needs to be done,” Everts said. Later, the group made its way down and across lanes of traffic stopped by App State Police toward B.B. Dougherty administration building, where Everts’ office is located. There, students occupied three floors of the building and chanted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Sheri Everts has got to go.” When participants entered B.B. Dougherty, App State Police informed them that when the building closed at 5 p.m., they needed to leave, said Andy Stephenson, chief of App State Police. When that time came, Capt. Johnny Brown, patrol commander for App State Police, formally asked all attendees to leave the building. But, several participants and mem-
bers of the collective stayed inside. Outside, supporters stayed at the doors to B.B. Dougherty and watched a live stream Bichara posted to the Black at App State Instagram while inside with police and administrators. Cummings amplified the live stream through a megaphone for supporters “There’s some values we have to stand for,” Bichara said on the live stream. When several members of the collective left B.B. Dougherty, they were crying with tickets clutched in their hands. But, Stephenson says police did not issue citations. “After meaningful dialogue, negotiation, and open discussion about issuing citations, participants chose to leave the building with no citations issued. The interaction with participants was calm, transparent and cordial,” Stephenson said. Bailey Gardin, a member of the Black at App State Collective said the citations were rescinded on be-
half of an administrator or faculty member who was present. Mary Lyons, an App State alumna, came to the march after she heard about police presence inside. “This stuff is hard,” she said. “These fights are hard. The meetings that some of y’all have been in that have gone nowhere are hard. The fact that some of y’all have had to leave to go to work, the fact that y’all have to work after this, the fact you got homework, the fact that you have kids at home. All of life is hard. And racism and white supremacy, an absent chancellor, just make it harder.” On Friday, members of Black at App State will meet with six members of university administration, according to a member of Black at App State. As of Thursday, Everts has not communicated with the collective.
Student Vice President, Cameroon Hunter, expresses his frustrations with the administration’s lack of response with injustice at Appalachian State.(Left) Student Korbin Cummings leads the gathering of Wake the Chancellor march at Stanford Mall. (Right) Andy McLean
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News
Sept. 4, 2020
News
Sept. 4, 2020
App State meets UNC System Benchmarks, enrollment reaches 20,023 students
State Board of Elections votes to keep early voting site in union despite opposition from App State administration.
Xanayra Marin-Lopez | Multimedia Editor
The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted a 3-2 party line vote to keep the Blue Ridge Ballroom as the on-campus one-stop early voting site this election year. The state board had to decide between the Holmes Convocation Center concourse or the Blue Ridge Ballroom in the Plemmons Student Union after the Watauga County Board of Elections could not come to a unanimous decision. “Nothing that happens in our society can happen unless we get voting right,” said Damon Circosta, chair of the state board. “I am hopeful that the board of elections in Watauga County and ASU can continue this great working relationship.” Originally, App State administration said the only available space for a voting site was the Holmes Convocation Center because there are nine classes taking place in the ballroom. Watauga County BOE members disagreed and argued the site should remain the same because it’s one of the most heavily trafficked voting sites in Watauga County and the university could move around classes for
App State reached a total enrollment of 20,023 students this fall semester, Chancellor Sheri Everts announced in an email Friday. Fall 2020 census and Office of Admissions data showed this record-breaking enrollment number for App State’s return to campus and more. The data highlights a significant increase in underrepresented first-year students. In fall 2019, Everts announced the university’s goal to reach an enrollment of 20,000 students by the fall 2020 semester. “These promising statistics during extremely challenging times speak directly to the tremendous efforts of our faculty and staff to recruit, retain and graduate high caliber students,” Everts wrote.
The UNC System’s strategic plan benchmark includes system-level goals for student success, creating more diverse schools, affordability and other areas. Each institution has its own unique missions. App State’s dashboard of goals prioritizes rural enrollment, increased low-income graduates, graduates from rural areas, reducing achievement gaps for low-income students, and critical workforce credentials for different fields.
App State Enrollment Goals Achieved Total Fall 2020 enrollment of 20,023 - done Undergraduate enrollment up 3% for a total of 18,061 - done Graduate student enrollment up 11% for a total of 1,962 - done Online undergraduate and graduate enrollment increased by more than 18% for a total of 1,513 - done Rural student enrollment is 5,992, more than 300 students above the UNC System's strategic plan benchmark for this year - done First-generation undergraduate students total 6,100, 34% of the total undergraduate population - done A record 18% of the total population is racially/ethnically diverse - done Increased total underrepresented student population by 56% since 2014 - done First-year underrepresented enrollment nearly doubled in the last six years for a 97% increase. Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
Watauga County Schools continue providing meals amid remote learning
Moss Brennan | Political Editor
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tion to that, we have a very caring staff that works with families and students to help meet their needs,” Blanton said. According to No Kid Hungry NC, school districts expected a change in service beginning Sept. 1 because of U. S. Department of Agriculture waivers affecting school meals. Schools in Watauga will operate as meal distribution sites. On weekdays, schools will serve lunch and a packed breakfast for the next day from noon to 1 p.m. in a drivethrough line. The USDA is funding the program through Dec. 31.
“As of now, (Watauga County Schools) students can receive meals, but they have to be picked up at school. The district is working on another plan, but that is dependent on state funding,” Blanton said. Watauga High School will follow Watauga County Schools’ plan for a 2x3 schedule to start the year. The 2x3 schedule allows half of the students to attend school Monday and Tuesday while the other half attends Thursday and Friday. Wednesday will be a remote learning day for all students. Garrett Price, director of communications for Watauga Coun-
ty Schools, said that because the governor made the announcement that schools will open on Plan B, they have been working to prepare Watauga-specific information for staff, teachers and parents. In Watauga County, 28.3% of the population lives below the poverty line, which is 13,600 out of 47,900 people. That number is higher than the national average of 13.1%. During COVID-19 spring and summer school closures, a texting hotline and an online map provided information on meal sites across the state, but those resources are not
yet updated with information about fall meals. “At the school level we have resources available in a wide range of areas, from our technology help desk, to (the Assessment, Support and Counseling) center for mental health concerns, and counselors and teachers,” Blanton said. “The community also has a number of resources available to help students and families with food insecurity.”
president Dalton George created the petition. “I’m really appreciative that the petition we made could have the impact it did. The state board was on the right side, they protected student voting rights,” George said. “I just wish I could be proud of my university and say they did the same.” Matthew Dockham, director of external affairs for App State, was one of the representatives from university at the meeting. He said the administration would advocate for the Holmes Center because the Blue Ridge Ballroom will still hold classes during the early voting period. “The chancellor did make the decision to use every nook and cranny that we have available on campus to make sure that we maintain safety and health for our faculty, students and staff, and part of that was utilizing states in the space of the student union,” Dockham said. Dockham said there were issues of internet connectivity and that the chancellor didn’t want to disrupt students’ semesters any more, which is why the administration wouldn’t want
to move the classes to the convocation center. App State has not responded to a request for comment at this time. Stella Anderson, App State professor and state board member, argued that of the classes held in the Blue Ridge Ballroom, six of them could be moved to a different spot in the union at the same time while the other two could be moved to the solarium. “It is my view that it’s not asking too much to make temporary arrangements if there are still classes meeting face-to-face at that time,”
Anderson said. Anderson said the Blue Ridge Ballroom is the best choice for the on campus voting site. “We, as the state board, can demand the use of a building for early voting in this election,” Anderson said. Early voting will begin Oct. 15. “We, the state board, the county boards recognize that with COVID, the university is rightfully concerned about university operations,” Anderson said. “But we, however, are required to be concerned with the suitability of a site for voting purposes.”
Voters stand in line to vote at the voting site in the Plemmons Student Union voting site. Moss Brennan
The “Michael Jordan” of politics
Gianna Holiday | Reporter Low-income families often depend on free or reduced lunches for students in school, but with students learning remotely this year, Watauga County Schools has proposed plans for ensuring students’ access to free meals. Watauga High School Principal Chris Blanton says North Carolina school districts will continue serving students meals, but each district will have its own plan inspired by protocol used during the summer. “We are helping families as much as possible through our social worker, Jennifer Wandler. In addi-
those two-and-a-half weeks. In 2016, nearly 6,500 people voted in the Blue Ridge Ballroom while over 4,700 people voted there in the 2018 general election. Eric Eller, Watauga County BOE member, represented the Holmes Convocation Center plan and argued that it would be a better site because it would be easier to maintain social distancing guidelines. Eller said that the longest line at one point during voting at the Blue Ridge Ballroom was 170 people long, which, accounting for 6 feet of social distancing, would stretch over 700 feet through the union. “That wouldn’t even make one lap around the concourse at the convocation center,” Eller told the state board. “It’s not even a close call.” Jane Hodges, chair of the Watauga County BOE, represented the Blue Ridge Ballroom plan to the state board. She mentioned that during the BOE vote, the county board received a petition with over 1,000 signatures in support of the Blue Ridge Ballroom. Senior political science major and App State College Democrats
Abi Peqqpin | Senior Political Correspondent You won’t find her on the basketball court or the sidelines. Even though you won’t see her there, her friends say she has a drive like Michael Jordan — but for politics. Emily Hogan is all about politics. Ever since the 2016 election, she has dedicated her free time to help Democrats get elected. While some people aspire to be president one day, Hogan dreams of being behind the scenes — promoting candidates’ ideals and policies. “I am definitely interested in getting people elected,” Hogan said. “One day I would really like to be the executive director for a state party and
be the person who runs the show.” At the beginning of August, Hogan, a junior political science major, was offered a job she couldn’t refuse: digital organizing manager for the South Carolina Democratic Party. When Hogan was offered this job she knew she had to focus on advancing her career over school. Instead of taking her normal course load, she only enrolled in one class — Diversity in Appalachia — this semester. “I always knew in the back of my head that I was going to take a gap semester if an opportunity came out to advance my career,” Hogan said. Hogan is now working in Colum-
bia, South Carolina, though most of her tasks are virtual. Some of Hogan’s responsibilities include coordinating volunteers, overseeing the digital organizing process for the board of democratic ballots and managing social media accounts. Before she left for Columbia, she resigned from her position as the App State College Democrats president. Friend and partner for many political projects, Dalton George said he feels like his relationship with Hogan is similar to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s dynamic. “She kind of has that Jordan-esque drive,” George said. “She has the
determination to just absolutely give it her all.” George, who was Hogan’s vice president and took over as president of App State College Democrats when she left, said it was “bittersweet” when Hogan resigned. “Emily is honestly a lifelong teammate,” George said. “I’ve never met anybody who is as good and willing to put in the hours as much as she is.” When she was hired for the most senior position that she applied for, Hogan was shocked. Her friends, however, were not surprised by the news.
“Emily gravitates to the hard work because she knows she’s capable of doing it,” said Devin Mullins. Mullins, a junior political science major, met Hogan through the App State Student Government Association and bonded over their mutual interest in politics and student advocacy. “I noticed when Emily decided to leave SGA and focus on other opportunities, how much less of an experience that became for me,” Mullins said. Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com
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A&C
Sept. 4, 2020
in the time of
Quarantine boredom inspires twins to express themselves through podcast
corona
It's also kind of cool that we're freshman, we've been here three weeks, and people from campus are listening to us...
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
Rebecca Parker | Reporter Ansley Puckett | Arts & Culture Editor
App State might be home to a lot of students, but in East Hall lives freshman twins, their microphone and a podcast about life, college and comedic moments. The Twin Talk podcast, where Hayden and Alex Morrow talk about their lives as college students and twins, was inspired by an Instagram ad and quarantine boredom. “It’s kind of a funny story,” Alex Morrow said. “One day I was on Instagram, and I saw someone make a podcast, and it was sponsored by this app called Anchor, and so I just downloaded it, and I started talking into a microphone, and I just gave it a name.” Anchor is an app where users can record, edit and distribute podcasts. The podcast premiered with their first episode, “The Twinterview,” where the sisters interviewed. According to Alex Morrow, the pair’s content is impromptu and created from bouncing ideas off one another. “It’s a very split-second decision. It’s not like we plan or write out what we’re going to say,” Alex Morrow said. “Whatever is on the top of our heads comes out of our mouths. It’s not as fun when you have something planned, it’s more fun when you’re just randomly talking, and then the title comes later.” The spontaneous format of The Twin Talk gives the sisters freedom to explore comedic aspects of their lives. “My favorite part about doing the podcast is whenever we get into a conversation, and it gets really funny and then the finished product with the music. I just think it’s hilarious to add in music to it, to like the dumbest conversations,” Hayden Morrow said. Both Hayden and Alex Morrow view the podcast as a fun side hobby and a way to stay busy when their online classes offer them downtime. However, the twins said producing a podcast is not all fun and games. They quickly had to adjust to college while also recording and promoting The Twin Talk. “As cliche as it sounds, it taught me a ton of time management. You really don’t know how hard it is until you actually do it,” Alex Morrow said. “Sometimes it’s just hard coming up with ideas, and I guess posting on a regular schedule is hard too because we’re in college now, and we’re trying to get adjusted to it.” Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com
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Self-quarantine gave me, like many others, a lot of free time. While scrolling hopelessly through every streaming service I’m subscribed to, a new show captured my attention. Freeform released “Love in the Time of Corona,” a four-episode miniseries, on Hulu Aug. 22. “Love in the Time of Corona,” tells four stories about four different quarantine experiences. It takes place in California around April, just as COVID-19 was sweeping the nation. Elle, played by Rainey Qualley, and Oscar, played by Tommy Dorfman, are two roommates desperate for love, with one issue: Elle is in love with Oscar, and Oscar is interested in men. Meanwhile, Sade, played by Nicolette Robinson, and James, played by Leslie Odom Jr., struggle to decide whether or not they are ready for baby number two. At the same time, James’ mother, Nanda, played by L. Scott Caldwell, is anxiously preparing to bring her husband home from his nursing home for their 50th wedding anniversary. Paul, played by Gil Bellows, and Sarah, who is played by Rya Kihlst-
edt, struggle to keep their separation a secret from their daughter Sophie, played by Ava Bellows, who is returning home from college to quarantine with them. The show’s plot centered around the pandemic felt too cliche. Watching the actors speak to each other over Zoom calls felt to me like when your parents try to “fit in” with you and your friends by making Tik Tok videos. There were parts that made me cringe, but rom-coms are my kryptonite. In the span of four episodes, we witness new relationships form, old relationships rekindled and the reunion of a sweet married couple. Despite the show being cheesy, they addressed heavier topics like racial injustice and kept up with the current events such as “drive-thru celebrations” and the importance of social distancing in just four episodes. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching how their lives all connect in some way or another. However, I did find Elle and Oscar’s roles unnecessary. By the end of the show, you learn that the other three parties all know each other in some way, yet Elle and Oscar have no relation to anyone else. They also don’t appear at the end of the last episode, but everyone else does. I also appreciate the fact that the acting was relatively good for something streamed on Hulu. It probably helps that Odom Jr. is a Broadway actor. “Love in the Time of Corona” is a feel-good, easy watch that I grew to love. If you’re ever looking for a show to watch in between classes or just something to fill the void, I would recommend this one, especially if your favorite genre is romantic comedies.
A&C
Sept. 4, 2020
PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK Ansley Puckett Arts & Culture Editor
MONOLITH MAKEOVER Artists create new mural on Turchin Center Steps
Tucker Wulff | Reporter
Let’s face it, things have been tough lately. It’s easy to dwell on everything that’s going wrong right now. But, music can help you stay positive in the worst of times. Music also serves as a soundtrack to your good day. This week we put together a playlist of happy and uplifting songs to help you look on the bright side. So, whether you’re dealing with personal issues, worldly issues, or just want a playlist to fit your good mood, here are 15 songs that are sure to raise your seratonin.
Baltimore artists Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn transformed 36 steps of rough, gray concrete into an explosion of color and intricate design outside the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. The Turchin Center’s grand staircase, which leads students and Boone community members from campus to King Street, represented an opportunity to display beautiful artwork, said Lynn Rees-Jones, director of marketing for the Turchin Center. The staircase was “just a monolith of concrete steps,” Rees-Jones said. “We saw that as basically a blank canvas.” Turchin Center staff, along with the center’s advisory board, began brainstorming ideas about incorporating more outdoor pieces three years ago, Rees-Jones said. “We wanted to look at what we could do on the outside of the building that expressed the presence of art inside the building,” she said. The Turchin Center contacted artist duo Jessie and Katey approximately a year and half ago, Rees-Lynn said. From that point, the process of creating the mural followed a back-and-forth negotiation between the center and the artists. Unterhalter and Truhn typically start their creative process by taking specific measurements of a space, creating templates, and exchanging ideas before they draw anything, Truhn wrote in an email. “We begin by passing the templates back and forth, interlocking lines and shapes until we feel we have achieved an interesting and balanced composition,” Truhn said. “Some-
We think it’s really important to invest in spaces for the sole purpose of shared joy...
The mural on the stairs adjacent to the Turchin Center was painted by Jessiue Unterhalter and Katey Truhn Max Correa
times that takes a couple of rounds.” Truhn said after deciding which design to use, the pair is “good to go.” Though negotiation can be simple, the actual creation of the piece is not always easy. “No matter how prepared we think we are, there are always surprises during installation,” Truhn wrote. “Our final paintings are usually an evolution of our orig-
inal design.” Unterhalter and Truhn both earned their bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art and have worked together for the last 11 years. “We probably spend 40% of the year out of town painting murals,” Truhn wrote. “If we only painted murals in Baltimore, everyone there would be very sick of us. So we spread the love.” The grand staircase mural draws inspiration primarily from Boone’s “craft culture,” Truhn said, and plays on the idea of a giant loom. While the mural can generally be described as abstract, aspects of the design hint to its Appalachian inspiration, Rees-Lynn said. Sharp edges of bright oranges and reds contrast with deep blues and black lining to give the appearance of mountains and valleys as the eye travels up the staircase. Unterhalter and Truhn were also inspired by the architecture of the space and tried to incorporate a design that complimented the steps, Truhn said. “We think it’s really important to invest in spaces for the sole purpose of shared joy,” Truhn wrote. “Capitalism has got all of us desensitised to advertisements, and it’s refreshing to experience creativity for the sake of smiles.” As of Sept. 2, the mural remains nameless; however, the Turchin Center is accepting votes to name the piece until Sept. 30. To vote, visit https://tcva.appstate.edu/.
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Sports
Sept. 4, 2020
“3, 2, 1. End injustice together:” App State football leads peaceful protest through Boone
Silas Albright | Sports Editor
It was Easter Sunday. A friend was driving a friend from North Carolina back home to Florida for his mother’s funeral. They were pulled over by police. The two friends were asked to step out of the vehicle and put their hands on the back of their heads, which they did. Ten cop cars were on the scene by this point. The police claimed they pulled them over because of their rental car’s Georgia license plate. App State defensive lineman Elijah Diarrassouba was in the driver’s seat of that car on Easter, taking his teammate Demetrius Taylor to Florida. “Soub, stay cool. Soub, stay cool,” Taylor reminded his friend repeatedly as the situation on Easter unfolded. The police searched the car and didn’t find anything. Eventually, they let Diarrassouba and Taylor, both Black men, go on their way. On Friday evening, App State football led a peaceful protest against racial injustice through the town of Boone and the university’s campus. The sign at the front of the group had just three words on it: end injustice together. The protest came one day after the team elected to cancel practice and instead use the time to talk about racial injustice and share thoughts and experiences. “We said if we’re going to make a change it has to be together,” head
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coach Shawn Clark said on Thursday after the cancellation of practice. He also stressed the importance of action over words. Five days before the protest, police shot seven times at Jacob Blake’s back in Kenosha, Wisconsin. On Aug. 26 NBA teams boycotted playoff games to bring attention to racial injustice. Many teams in different sports and levels across the country also halted play, practices or team activities, including MLB, NFL and college football teams. Fellow App State teams and organizations also participated in the protest, including women’s basket-ball, women’s soccer, volleyball, and the Black Student Association. App State administrators, coaches, staff and community members attended the demonstration, too. At 5:25 p.m., the group started the march outside of Kidd Brewer
Sports
Sept. 4, 2020
App State WR Corey All App State sporting Sutton opts out of events through September 2020 season to be held without fans
Cameron Burnett | Reporter
On Friday, App State football led a protest on racial injustice through the streets of Boone and the campus. Connor Davidson
Stadium and made its way down Stadium Drive, marching along Rivers Street and cutting through Raley parking lot to King Street. They marched the downtown stretch of King Street before looping back and congregating on and around the stairs of Peacock Hall. Diarrassouba addressed the crowd. “To address the problem, (you’ve got to realize the problem exists itself,” Diarrassouba said.
The protest led by App State football Aug. 28 included many community members, other sport teams and campus organizations. Andy McLean
Diarrassouba, a redshirt senior, said he realizes his status as a student athlete is going to expire sooner than later. He knows he’ll lose the protection and support that comes with the title of student athlete when he graduates App State, and he credited this as a reason for speaking out. While Diarrassouba spoke, it began to rain, but nobody flinched. At one point, Diarrassouba’s voice rose and became more passionate, as he publicly shared challenges he has encountered because of his race. “I come from the police pulling guns on me,” Diarrassouba said. “I come from all that, man,” he said, slamming the sign he was holding to the ground in frustration. “I come from that,” he continued. “But I don’t have hate toward nobody, because my mama always told me, ‘One day it’s going to get better if you stand for what you believe in, and don’t (ever) let nobody change that about you.’ That’s the reason why I do what I do. That’s it,
it’s not political.” Cornerback Shemar JeanCharles shared thoughts next. “It’s not going to take just one collective group,” he said. “It’s going to take everybody, but it’s possible, bruh. If everybody puts their foot down and really pushes for this, it could happen. It could really happen. I have aspirations of having children someday, and I don’t want them to have to experience some of the stuff that Soub had to experience, I had to experience.” After Diarrassouba and JeanCharles finished speaking, Diarrassouba thanked attendees for coming out and supporting the cause, and invited everyone to put their hands in and break it down. “3, 2, 1. End injustice together,” the crowd yelled out in unison.
Preseason first-team all-Sun Belt wide receiver Corey Sutton announced Tuesday that he will opt out of this upcoming season. “After thinking and battling thoughts about this decision, I feel that it is in my best interest to opt out of the 2020 season,” Sutton wrote in a tweet. Sutton plans to return to App State for 2021 to take advantage of the NCAA waiver that grants all fall 2020 athletes another year of eligibility. “He decided he wanted to opt out for this season and we support him 100%. He’ll spend his time with rehabbing his knee and getting ready for the 2021 season,” head coach Shawn Clark said after practice Tuesday. After being a member of the Kansas State Wildcats for his freshman year in 2016, Sutton transferred to App State and sat out the 2017 sea-
Jayson James | Reporter
son per the NCAA’s transfer rules. Over his two seasons at App State, Sutton totaled 85 catches for 1,374 yards and 17 touchdown catches. His 17 touchdowns are tied for fifth all-time in program history. As a Mountaineer, Sutton was a two-time second team all-Sun Belt player and helped his team win two conference championships and New Orleans Bowls. Coming into this season, Sutton was listed as preseason first-team allSun Belt by Lindy’s Sports and the conference itself. Lindy’s ranked the Mallard Creek High School product as the No. 7 NFL prospect in the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers will start their 2020 season Sept. 12 at home against Charlotte. Kickoff is set for noon and the game will air on ESPN. No fans will be in attendance at App State sporting events through at least September.
App State announced all fall sports will be played without fans through at least the end of September. “We will continue to work with university leadership and university medical professionals to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 conditions with the hope that we can welcome fans to our athletics events in October. Gameday tailgating information will be released soon,” Gillin said. Sports affected include football, cross country, women’s soccer, and volleyball said athletics director Doug Gillin in a statement Tuesday night. The announcement means fans will miss two home football games: Sept. 12 against rival Charlotte and Sept. 26 against Campbell. Gillin encouraged football season ticket holders to donate the prorated amount of their tickets for the two September games to the Yosef Club’s new Keep Climbing Initiative.
App State launched the Keep Climbing Initiative to give fans the opportunity to donate to benefit student-athletes. The initiative started earlier this year and will run through June 2021. Season ticket holders who donate money to the initiative will receive Yosef Club priority points, which can be used for things like better parking and priority seating. “We know this is disappointing news. Our games and matches will not be the same without the App faithful,” Gillin said. “Your passion and enthusiasm make game day one of the best experiences in college athletics. We will especially miss our App State students loudly cheering on their classmates.”
App State announces COVID-19 cluster within wrestling program Silas Albright | Sports Editor
on Tuesday, bringing the active number of student casApp State announced that 10 members of the wres- es to 46. tling team have tested positive for COVID-19 within the Students can get tested at a pop-up testing site Sept. past 11 days according to an email Tuesday night. Eight 5 in the Rivers Street Parking Deck from 11 a.m. to 5 wrestlers are in isolation, while two are past the isolation p.m. stage. The wrestling team is not currently practicing. Student Health Services discovered two initial cases, three cases were confirmed in student athlete testing last week and the most recent five cases were confirmed Monday. This cluster is the second group the university has announced, both related to athletics. App State announced an 11-person cluster stemming from the football team Aug. 18. The university reported 16 new overall student cases
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Opinion
Sept. 4, 2020
caleb’s
CONCEPTS
Journalists aren’t neutral Caleb Garbuio | Opinion Editor In early 2019, I learned how to become an “objective” journalist in my introductory journalism class. Yet, I have always questioned how objectivity exists when media outlets offer different accounts despite reporting the same events. It is no secret that The Wall Street Journal is different from The New York Times and The Economist. These outlets interview different people and dif-ferent experts, offering their audience different truths. Let us play devil’s advocate, say a publication presents news from a left/right perspective. The publication’s“objectivity” is not compromised because they are still factually accurate, albeit biased. Being impartial means telling both sides which equals longer pieces. Intuition suggests that the press must capture viewers from other entertainment industries. Media assumes readers will not spend time reading longer articles. Therefore, journalists shorten stories to captivate readers and filter which truths to tell. Following this logic, we run into a problem. Pew Research states that readers spend more than twice as much time on longer articles, implying no inverse relationship between length and engagement. Thus, we reject journalists who are constrained by space hypothesis. Maybe the problem is not with readers, but with journalists themselves. Journalists have the power to tell a story in the order of importance, known as structural bias. You heard that right: journalists pick what readers look at, supplying them with information. Post-structuralist philosopher Michel Foucault breaks this relationship down in “What is an author?” The journalist controls the reader because the journalist possesses information the reader wants. The reader trusts the journalist to provide accurate information about events. Thus, the media controls the consumer, giving the reader what the reader believes is true. Yet, in this process, current events lose value. The story is not real because it depicts a snapshot. Reporters decide who to interview, choosing key witnesses for their impression since talking to everyone is impossible. This depreciates the story’s value because journalists cannot capture the fullness of an event. As live footage circulates the web readers are empowered with truth. The journalist loses power because readers now paint self-portraits of events, resulting in chaos between the media and its once loyal subjects. Readers no longer need the media to determine importance since they now bear witness. When the media offers a different account than someone’s perspective, watch out!
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Adding insult to the reader’s injury, media sneers at different truths claiming impartiality. As if someone can remain neutral and stoic covering controversial topics. Human emotion determines reasoning and reporters are people, therefore, emotions determine emotional reasoning. Let us reject the objectivity myth and accept that journalists are products of their environment. While journalists follow ethical codes to maintain “neutrality,” emotions complicate neutrality. Not voicing personal beliefs does not mat-ter because emotions impact decision making. If you are disgust-ed with something, facts justify feelings. It doesn’t matter if feelings are right or wrong, what matters is the after-the-fact justification. In “Righteous Mind,” moral psychologist Jonathan Heidt argues “rightness and wrongness” occurs only when others are watching. Translation: social pressure makes adhering to norms stronger than innate morality. Journalists claim neutrality because it is the industry expectation. The New York Times, Associated Press and CNN all have ethical guidelines preventing their journalists from donating to campaigns, the Center for Public Integ-rity said. Yet, that does not prevent news organizations from pri-vately donating to presidential campaigns, The New York Times reported in 2012. Yes, journalists and editors use tools hoping to prevent bias in event coverage. These include fact checking, interviewing different sources and using original sources. However, modern bias research tells us that these precautions are not enough. For example, motivated reasoning is a psychological error letting people think they let evidence speak when their bias selects the evidence. Confirmation bias, accepting information you agree with and rejecting contrary evidence, is also present. These errors occur in other subjects like statistics. Bad data means bad results; however, statisticians do not claim objectivity and leave error margins. Yet, people pretend that statistics are more than what they are. They are not a truth bank; stats are a hypothesis testing tool constrained within empirical limitations, as Immanuel Kant demonstrated in “Critique of Pure Reason.” Do you need to flip a coin an infinite amount to know the probability of heads is 1 in 2? The same should be said for journalistic integrity. Yes, journalists are biased – their emotional response to stimuli bleeds into coverage. For example, the media destroyed Richard Jewell’s life, labeling him a terrorist when he wasn’t. However, the press caus-es positive social change such as exposing Harvey Weinstein and spearheading the #MeToo movement. Truth is always in the middle and I encourage the press to approach truth like statisticians and use “neutrality” as a tool.
Single-use plastic waste is justified during a pandemic Ella Adams | Opinion Writer App State prides itself on its sustainability. In 2019, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rat-ing System awarded the university a “gold rating” of 73.93/100 after evaluating aspects of sustainability such as waste management, energy, and public engage-ment. The Faculty Senate unanimously passed a res-olution of a climateneutral campus by 2035 on Oct. 31, 2018. App State has a track record of being en-vironmentally conscious, but the COVID-19 pandemic altered sustainability practices around campus. In the case of a pandemic, this is acceptable. There is a significant increase in single-use plastic around campus due to COVID-19. The increased use of plastic foam containers, disposable cups and plas-tic eating utensils are only a few examples of the waste caused by the pandemic – most coming from the dining halls. But, the dining halls aren’t the only culprits. The plastic waste from cleaning public areas around campus and from COVID-19 testing facilities are also factors. Is this waste necessary? Under normal circumstances, no. But, a global pandemic is not a normal cir-cumstance. COVID-19 unfortunately forced the university to put sustainability on hold in favor of keeping students and employees safe. Administration has made opera-tional changes around campus to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. For example, dining halls pre-package food in plastic and plastic foam containers, rather than reusable silverware and plates, to keep both food and staff exposure at a minimum. Staff are required to use plastic gloves to keep themselves and others safe. Additionally, COVID-19 testing centers are essential and there is no way to avoid using single-use plastic. In many aspects of the university, single-use plastic is be-ing used to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Reusable products are labor and time consum-ing to sterilize after each use, so using disposable prod-ucts is the best method to keep students and employ-ees from exposure. If the university remains open, single-use plastic products are a necessary evil to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
Opinion
Sept. 4, 2020
Hope for
the Future Stephen Leverton | Opinion Writer Let’s be honest: 2020 has been a terrible year. From COVID-19, wildfires, police brutality, unexciting presidential candidates and a failing economy, 2020 is a rocky start to the 20s. That being said, this year shouldn’t define the rest of the 20s. There is hope that this decade will be better than the last. This year has shown the world something that hasn’t been seen in a few generations: young people leading. During the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summertime, young people organized protests and rallies to advocate for an end to police brutality. App State students even held a Black Lives Matter protest in Boone back in May. An organization called the Black at App State Collective, led by Black students and alumni of App State, continued to fight for racial equality throughout the summer. The members organized a protest on Aug. 31 after Chancellor Sheri Everts didn't take clear action on the group’s demands, which it sent in July. While it’s unclear if Black at App State got through to the chancellor, however, the group's dedication to ensuring equality is inspirational. College students like the leaders of Black at App State are tomorrow’s leaders. If they can organize a protest and gain traction to get staff members on board, they must be doing something right. Though the present looks gloomy and depressing, it will get better. The world has bounced back from worse situations. From the Great Depression from World War II to the 2008-09 market crash, the United States will bounce back from 2020. In order for us to do so, we must do what previous generations have done: hold on to hope for the future. As we move out of 2020 in the coming months, it’s up to young leaders to continue the momentum they started the year with. These leaders are the future; we must hold onto hope for their sake.
Democrats
must find themselves Ricky Barker | Opinion Writer The general election is coming up fast and people around campus and the local community are getting ready to vote, the question is, for who? Both parties had their national conventions over the last two weeks, demonstrating their strategy and state of their party. The Republican National Convention was troubling for various reasons. However, there is a certain issue in the otherwise mundane and predictable Democratic showing that is important to focus on. The Democratic National Convention was full of familiar faces from the blue side of Congress, including speakers like Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The DNC’s major figures backed Vice President Joe Biden and spoke about Biden’s decency and how voters need to reset the country. They spoke on the damage that President Donald Trump caused and why he needs to be removed from office. It’s the kind of rhetoric that might have been expected at an event like this. Admittedly, a safe dialogue, because while it may certainly be true, it’s the same message they’ve had since the begin-ning of Biden’s campaign. However, there was a shift in the narrative when a newer generation took the stage: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a
strong speech during the convention. She stated “In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking for deep systemic solutions to our crises of mass evictions, unemployment, and lack of health care.” In a symbolic move, she endorsed Ber-nie Sanders as the presidential nominee. She wouldn’t be the only one during the convention to do that, in fact it began to show a crack in the event. There is a noticeable rift in the Democratic Party, and it’s undeniable that the party is going through an identity crisis. There’s a goal that’s clear for everyone: they need to win this election and beat Donald Trump. But there needs to be another goal, and it needs to happen quickly. The Democratic Party must decide what it is, whatever that is. Because the split message of moderates versus progressives hurts their overall movement and creates doubts, what is the future of their party? Do they fully adopt the objectives of the more progressive members or do they continue to move with the safer moderate aims they have now? The answer is undoubtedly some-where in the middle, but it can’t be reached without serious con-versation and consolidation of the entire party’s platform.
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