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NO. 22 | APRIL 2020 | FREE

ANIMAL CROSSING NEW HORIZONS: A REVIEW | PG. 4 TOP FIVE SHOWS TO BINGE DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING | PG. 6 DECLASSIFIED DISTANCE-LEARNING SURVIVAL GUIDE | PG. 08

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: ADDRESSING COVID-19 Hello Reader, How have you been? I hope you are staying healthy and safe. You’ve probably heard this greeting many times from your peers, professors, or employers. It might have been a while since you’ve seen them in-person since you’re keeping in touch with them through Canvas, emails, or Zoom. I don’t know about you, but transitioning to online has taken a big hit on my motivation and timemanagement. My daily routine is gone, and there is little structure to my week. Usually, I am able to be flexible to fit in a last-minute meeting and some extra studying time but not so much a lifestyle change. Change has been a bit stressful for me, especially since I’m expected to graduate in May. How are you coping with change? During this time, you are being bombarded with news about COVID-19, and it’s

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hard to escape conversations about it. It’s always on the news. Heck, this article you’re reading right now is talking about it. Your friends and family are talking about. Even on social media, you see posts or memes about it. It’s everywhere, and it’s hard to take your mind off of it. As a news source, writing about COVID-19 is unavoidable. The Bark will be covering news related to COVID-19 and how it relates to our campus and our community. The Bark will be not be printing our monthly magazines until further notice. However, you will be able to read them online as well as our daily content on our website, thebarkumd. com. However, instead of only negative news about COVID-19, we want to write stories to help you cope with the changes that are happening in your life and in your community. We want to write stories that you care about and that you

can relate to. We want to give you a platform to write, express, and share your stories, concerns, and ideas. Tell us about what it’s been like living back with your parents. Tell us how you’ve been using your new amount of free time. If you found yourself much busier, tell us what you’ve been up to these days. Please feel free to send us messages of story ideas or questions you may have for us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @thebarkumd.

I want to thank you for doing your part in flattening the curve by social distancing and being mindful of your health and others’. And if you’re an essential worker, thank you for what you’re doing to help our community-and this ‘thank you’ is not exclusive to this COVID-19 period. I am thanking you for every single day. You have always been essential. Sincerely, Suenary Philavanh Editor-In-Chief

Animal Crossing New Horizons: A Review

Declassified DistanceLearning Survival Guide

Students Mask Out Coronavirus

Top Five Favorite Novels to Help Cope with Quarantine

06 Top Five Shows to Binge During Social Distancing

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITOR

REPORTER

Suenary Philavanh barkumd@d.umn.edu

Paying Thao thaoo369@d.umn.edu

Izabel Johnson joh18708@d.umn.edu

BUSINESS MANAGER

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Courtney Cornelius barkumdbiz@d.umn.edu

Abigael Smith smit9087@d.umn.edu

PHOTOGRAPHER

MANAGING EDITOR

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Brianna Taggart tagga015@d.umn.edu

Brett Sharp sharp402@d.umn.edu

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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Evan Hughes hughe656@d.umn.edu

Atticus Hodges hodge270@d.umn.edu

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

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Heidi Stang stang344@d.umn.edu

Sarah Brown brow5867@d.umn.edu REPORTER

EDITOR

Dominic Bisogno bisog003@d.umn.edu

COVER PHOTO: HEIDI STANG

Christyna Yang yang6308@umn.edu

Madison Hunter hunte557@d.umn.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Karli Kruse kruse292@d.umn.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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Chas Morgan morg0323@d.umn.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lydia Johnson joh15235@umn.edu

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ANIMAL CROSSING NEW HORIZONS NINTENDO

By Heidi Stang Nintendo dropped the latest installment to their Animal Crossing franchise, Animal Crossing New Horizons, on March 20, 2020 much to the delight of fans. Prior to that day, I had barely heard of Animal Crossing. But now, almost 30 days later, not a day has passed that I haven’t logged in and checked in on my cartoon island. This game has come at the perfect time as most of everyone’s lives have been impacted by the COVID-9 Pandemic. This is meant to be a lighthearted review on a lighthearted game during a serious time. To start, Animal Crossing is arguably the cutest game playable on the Switch system. I think the animation style is brilliant and fun. The whimsical music can get stuck in my head for hours on end. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the cutest most fun games I’ve ever

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ANIMAL CROSSING NEW HORIZONS: A REVIEW played. I almost cried when one of my villagers said he was considering moving to a new island! What makes it so fun is its simplicity and ability to be whatever game you need it to be. You start on your very own cute deserted island with your very own designed character, two animal pals and three raccoons that run the place. The main raccoon, Tom Nook, is in charge and helps you design and build your island but for a cost. The whole game is built around buying and selling in the hopes of creating your dream island home. Frankly, my island is going amazingly if I do say so myself. It is cute and organized. I have an orchard coming along but it hasn’t even begun to reach its full potential. The possibilities are truly endless in this

game as there are tons of furniture to collect, wallpaper and flooring to choose from. Part of the appeal is the total freedom from the loose and lack of storyline. While you can work to have a musical guest come visit your island, you can also just work on whatever pieces of the island you want and decorate however you see fit. I’ve spent my days catching butterflies, buying clothes and creating outfit combos and being sure to talk to all my villagers every day. You can have up to 10 villagers live on your island with you, and you get to decide where they live, truly creating the island paradise of your dreams. Through crafting tables and recipe cards there are endless things to create. Something else that takes this game to the next level

is the ability to have friends come visit your island. Anyone with a Nintendo Switch and the game can come visit your island. In a time we can’t literally go visit our friends, being able to go see their dream islands and creativity is such a highlight of this game’s brilliance. Obviously, this was an in-game feature with or without the global pandemic, but the feature especially shines now. My take is that even though it is simple, repetitive and a game about paying off debt, Animal Crossing New Horizons is just what we need at a time like this. With a gentle storyline propelling the game, the fun doesn’t stop there. You can catch all the fish and bugs you want forever. Rearrange and redecorate the island however you see fit. This game is fun, vibrant and perfect for our quarantined lives.

STUDENTS MASK OUT CORONAVIRUS The past few months have turned face masks from a commonly used tool in healthcare to an every day clothing article. Send us a photo of you and your mask to barkumd@d.umn.edu and we will do our best to share it on our social media platforms!

MADALINA KELNER (SENIOR) SUBMITTED

MICAELA DEN HARTOG SUBMITTED

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By Dominic Jose Bisogno With many people being forced to stay home at almost all hours of the day due to concerns and policies related to COVID-19, finding ways to stay entertained has become crucial. One way to get through the day is finding shows and movies to watch by yourself, with roommates, with your family or even with friends from afar through group streaming services like Netflix Party. With that in mind, let’s go through some of the shows and movies, new and old, available for people to watch while they manage their new lifestyles. Breaking Bad available on Netflix, Amazon Prime First airing in 2008, Breaking Bad rose to become a global obsession when the first few seasons were added

TOP FIVE SHOWS TO BINGE DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING on Netflix. The final episode may have aired in 2013, but the show is still a favorite binge option for new and old fans of the award-winning AMC series. The show follows Walter White, a high school teacher who finds out he has life-threatening cancer. He goes on a deadly journey into the world of drugs in search of a way to pay the bills and provide for his family, triggering one of the most fascinating character arcs in television history. Breaking Bad provides a combination of heart breaking drama and tearworthy laughs across its five seasons and has proven extremely rewatchable for many long-time fans. If you have seen the show, but live with others who haven’t, introducing them to Breaking Bad can be a great way to get through the week. The final benefit of binging Breaking Bad is that it’ll open the doors to watch Better Call Saul, a prequel series, and El Camino, a sequel film. Both are available on Netflix. Brooklyn Nine-Nine available on Hulu, Amazon Prime

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This Andy Sandberg-led sitcom has risen to the top of the comedy mountain as of late. The show

survived an unpopular cancellation while taking home awards from the likes of the Emmys and Critics Choice Awards. With its seventh season premiering on February 6th, 2020, the show is available for Hulu and Amazon Prime users to binge and enjoy. The show follows a group of effective, if slightly odd, police officers. Led by Sandberg, the cast provides plenty of laughs, but also makes room for heartwarming moments with a little bit of action and tension. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a show that checks off an almost unbelievable range of checkboxes. Its cast is a diverse range of actors who all hold their own and work together with ease. The show manages to be extremely funny while maintaining a moral compass and making viewers feel like there was a lesson to learn after every episode. It’s a show to watch now and in the foreseeable future.

follows the unlikely story of a devout virgin who becomes pregnant due to an accidental artificial insemination. Full of humor, drama, and moments of love, the show never ceases to entertain as Jane navigates a world full of obstacles and brilliantly acted characters. The entire main cast is near-perfection, but Gina Rodriguez (Jane Villanueva), Andrea Navedo (Xiomara Villanueva), Justin Baldoni (Rafael Solano) and Jaime Camil (Rogelio de la Vega) all shine brightly with series-defining performances almost every episode. Consisting of five dense seasons, eventually reaching 100 episodes, the show is also fitting for a few quarantine streaming sessions. Jane’s chaotic life in the show, while extremely chaotic, may also provide a little relief for viewers feeling stressed out by current affairs.

Jane the Virgin available on Netflix, Amazon Prime

Kim’s Convenience available on Netflix, Amazon Prime

Running from 2014 to 2019, Jane the Virgin remained one of the most creative and genuine shows on TV until the very end. Structured like a telenovela, and based on Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen, the show

This Canadian sitcom may not be well-known in the States, but it’s a great option for Netflix subscribers looking for a series they haven’t already watched through once or twice. Following the lives of a Korean-Canadian

family, Kim’s Convenience is full of heartful laughter while also providing a perspective uncommon in the average sitcom. Kim’s Convenience provides a genuine look at Canadian life, and Korean-Canadian life, while offering a wide range of topics throughout its episodes that keep the show entertaining, regardless of the viewer’s nationality or ethnicity. The show has four seasons, with the latest coming out

in January 2020 and can provide plenty of binge material for those looking for a new show to change things up in the midst of quarantine. Groundhog Day available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Now, a movie about being stuck in one day and being unable to escape a cycle of repetitiveness may seem close to home right now, but if Bill Murray can escape his supernatural Groundhog Day cage,

surely things will be okay for us too. For those unaware, in Groundhog Day, Murray plays a news anchor who is stuck in a singular day, waking up the morning of Groundhog Day every morning. This movie is a classic and a perfect choice for the family to watch together. It’s funny, heartwarming, weird and is intensely easy to empathize with given the current situation. One might even say that Murray provides

the audience with a lot of ways to spend their time while stuck at home, as his news anchor character uses his time learning skills and how to bond with the people around him. If you haven’t seen Groundhog Day, now’s the perfect chance. If it isn’t lost somewhere in your family’s DVD or VHS collection, it’s also available on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

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By Izabel Johnson Zoom meetings, syllabus changes, distractions, slow internet: College students everywhere have found that distance learning can be quite a challenge. Help yourself to navigate these foreign waters with some simple tips, tricks, and hacks. First and foremost on the list is Zoom: Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing app available on most computers and smart devices. It is also becoming a main substitute for faceto-face interaction during COVID-19. Odds are that almost everyone at UMD has had to do a Zoom meeting at least once in the last month. For some professors, it has become the new way to do weekly class meetings, meaning that some of us are in Zoom as much as we would have been in a classroom. Even if this isn’t the case, office hours, advising appointments, and other meetings now require the use of Zoom. That being said, here are a few simple things that you should know before your next Zoom call: There are two views available in Zoom: gallery view and speaker view. To change the view, click the icon in the top righthand corner. The icon will either say “gallery view” or “speaker view” depending on the setting that you are on. Gallery view is great for class, as it allows you to see everyone in equal-

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DECLASSIFIED DISTANCELEARNING SURVIVAL GUIDE sized boxes on the screen. Speaker view can be a great option for interviews or one-on-one meetings. If you choose a speaker view, you will have one larger image of whoever is talking in the meeting. Now, let’s say you just want to see your professor the whole time and not a jumping mix of all your classmates. To keep one person on the larger display box, click the ellipses on their image and hit the “pin” option. This allows you to keep the same person in the center, regardless of who is talking. You can turn your audio and video on and off. In the bottom left of your Zoom screen there is a video icon and a microphone icon. By clicking these, you have the ability to turn your camera and microphone on and off. So, if a sibling, parent, or pet interrupts, clicking one of those options can save you from disrupting a meeting. You can change your username. Going into a Zoom meeting, you don’t get to choose what displays as your username; the app automatically creates one based on your profile. Once in the meeting, however, you can change it simply by clicking on where your username is displayed on your video image. Some options will pop-up. If you click “change username,” you can type in what you want to show to the rest of the group. Sharing your screen is not

as scary as it seems. To show everyone else in the meeting something on your computer screen, click the bright green “share screen” icon in the center bottom of your screen. Zoom will then give you options of what to show your peers. Once you select a screen to show, it will be mirrored to those in the meeting until you stop sharing. You can chat with everyone in the group or select individuals during a Zoom meeting. Click the “chat” icon to the left of the “share screen” icon. This will open a chat bar on the right side of your screen. To change the members of the chat, click on the dropdown box on the recipient bar of the chat. These are just your basics. There is a lot more to Zoom. To get the hang of it, I would recommend scheduling a practice meeting with a friend or two and clicking all of the different icons and buttons. This can be a fun way to see your friends while preparing for working online. Next on the list is wifi and internet issues: It’s no secret that Zoom and other online-learning tools can take up a lot of bandwidth. If you’re like me and share your wifi with multiple people, this can be a problem. To prevent your wifi from being too slow, I would recommend these simple solutions: Schedule

meetings

opposite times of the other people in your household when possible. If this is not an option, asking everyone who does not need to be online to log off while you have your meeting can be helpful as well. Be sure to close any unnecessary tabs before a meeting and make sure that Netflix or Hulu is turned off on your T.V. If your wifi is just being stubborn and slow, something as simple as unplugging your router for a few minutes can do the trick. If you have unlimited data on your phone, hotspotting can be a good way to go too. Even with these solutions, it’s no secret that sometimes the internet is just unreliable and it is out of your control. While frustrating, this is a valid reason for not being able to attend a meeting and most professors will be understanding. These are unprecedented times and it is important to communicate the issues that you are having. Can’t keep track of deadlines? Here’s a few helpful tools: Canvas Calendar is a great way to keep track of what is due in your classes. The button for your calendar is located on the left side of your screen in Canvas, on the toolbar. Once in the calendar, you can see the due dates for all of

your assignments in every class. They are color-coded according to what class the assignment is for. Google Calendar is another great option for keeping meetings and deadlines in order. I personally use Google Calendar for keeping track of meetings and Canvas Calendar for class deadlines. Setting a reminder for a meeting half an hour before it starts can be helpful too. Speaking of reminders, setting up alerts on the “reminder” app on your smartphone can help to remember anything and everything, whether it’s a phone call or paying a bill. If you do not have a smartphone, leaving yourself notes around your room or workspace as well as keeping a paper planner

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or calendar can help to keep your days straight. Creating structure: Working from home can make it difficult to find motivation and focus. Making a rough daily schedule for yourself can help. Try having a set time that you wake up as well as hours set aside specifically for school work. Even a little bit of structure can make a big difference. Take breaks: When making a schedule, be sure to factor in some time for breaks. Take time to look away from a screen and maybe get outside or do some other form of exercise. Downloading an app to remind you to take a break or setting certain

break times throughout the day can be a great way to manage stress and maintain mental health. Have your own space: One of the hardest things for me with distance learning is all of the distractions I encounter when working in my home. There’s family, pets, television, and countless other reasons for me to not get work done. Something that can help is to have a space specifically for work. This can be something as simple as a specific desk or table meant only for work. It could also be a guest room turned into an office, or even a closet. Turning your phone on “do not disturb” mode or silencing it during work hours can help to cut out the temptation to stray

away from your work. It also eliminates one more screen that you’re looking at during the day. It is important to stay in touch with friends and family during this time, but, if possible, setting aside even an hour without your phone can greatly increase your productivity. Have fun: There’s no way around it: Staying home sucks. It is also saving lives. Mixing in some fun throughout your day can make this important task a little easier. Take time to cook a homemade meal, listen to your favorite songs, call loved ones, watch a funny movie, or anything else that brings you joy. You are not alone and this will not last forever.

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By Madison Hunter Here are some of my favorite books that I have read countless times. These books will take you away and let you forget the world around you, just for a little while.

TOP FIVE FAVORITE NOVELS TO HELP COPE WITH QUARANTINE everything changes. This is a great book to read during this time because it just sweeps you away. The storytelling pulls you in to fully immerse you into the book. With fantasy and romance it is easy to forget the problems of today, helping ease the mind.

prejudice, the hate, and conflict in their world, Sephy and Callum spark a dangerous romance. Can this forbidden love last in a world full of hate? This book is exciting and enthralling. It keeps you on your toes. It will be hard to pull away, a nice distraction.

The Wrath and The Dawn By: Renée Ahdieh Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology The Wrath and The Dawn is an amazing reimagination of Arbian Nights, a book written during the Islamic Golden Age. The Murderous boy-king Khalid brings death to each dawn. Every evening Khalid takes a new wife and every dawn that wife has a silk cord wrapped around her throat. Nobody knows why. When Shahrzad’s best friend falls victim to Khalid, she vows revenge against the Caliph. Shahrzad volunteers to be his next wife, with a plan to stay alive, find a weakness in the Caliph, and end his reign of terror once and for all. With Shazi’s intelligence, strength, and wit she lives to see another dawn. But when she starts falling in love with Khalid,

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Naughts & Crosses By: Malorie Blackman Genre: Action / Adventure, Romance This book takes place in a 21st-century parallel universe, where black people (Crosses) are considered the ruling class, and white people are considered the lower class (Naughts). The story follows Sephy, a Cross, and Callum, a Naught. Sephy and Callum have been friends since childhood, when Sephy’s mother, Jasmine, hired Callum’s mother Meggie to be her nanny. Friendship is as far as their relationship can go. Naughts and Crosses are not supposed to mix, even friendship with each other is looked down upon. Amid all of this, the

The Devil All the Time By: Donald Ray Pollock Genre: Thriller/Suspense, Gothic fiction, Crime fiction In this book you follow an array of characters, from the end of World War II to the 1960s. It explores the topic of good and evil, following different characters through radical religious escapades, murder, and poverty. It takes place in rural Ohio and West Virginia. You start with Willard Russell, a man tormented by war, who can’t save his dying wife from cancer, no matter how many sacrifices he commits on his prayer log. Instead of finding treatment for his wife he leans towards radical religion. You then follow serial killer

couple, Carl and Sandy, who scour the United States for “models” they photograph and kill. When they aren’t murdering, Sandy works as a waitress/prostitute to pay the bills, while Carl sits at home and does (quite literally) nothing. Then there is Roy and Theodore. “Preachers” who take radical Christianity to another level, as they run from the law after one fateful night. Finally, there is Arvin Russell, son of Willard Russell, who despite his childhood is a good person, but is violent in his own way. If you are looking for a very scary, yet compelling novel, this is the book for you. If life is feeling dull because of quarantine, this book is sure to get your heartrate up, and bring some excitement into your isolation!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe By: C.S. Lewis Genre: Fantasy A classic. I am sure most of

you have seen the movie, but the book is so much better, as any bibliophile would say. This is a very quick read. Though it is considered a children’s novel, I didn’t read it until I was an adult, making it all the better. The book is set in England during World War II. You follow Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter who are being sent away to live with a professor in the countryside of England, to protect them from the war. Lucy finds the mysterious wardrobe first. At first, her siblings do not believe Lucy was in the mythical land of Narnia, but they see she was telling the truth. While in Narnia the kids find a land in an eternal winter because of a spell the White Witch has put on the land. The story follows the kids as they go on the journey to free Narnia. This book pulls you into a fantasy world of wonder and magic. This book is perfect if you are not a huge reader. It is a quick read that will definitely entertain you during this time.

This story follows Dinah, a minor character in the Bible. She is the daughter of Jacob and Leah, and the sister of Joseph. All having major roles in the book of Genesis. The author expands on the life of Dinah, following her life through ancient womanhood. The story of the red tent. The story begins with Dinah’s four mothers: Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah, the four wives of Jacob. Who, throughout her childhood, loved Dinah and taught her the role of the woman in the tribe. We follow Dinah on her journey of life, through the wonder of caravans, the relationship between Jacob and his four wives, the practices of the religious and sexual ways of her tribe, the love and death she experiences, and the wonders of the red tent. This novel is enthralling and an amazing take of womanhood in the Bible, reaching to a remarkable period of early history. This book is amazing and emotional. You will feel what Dinah is feeling. It will take you back in time, so you don’t have to think about the present for a while.

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