PHOENIX 3D&D
Printing Art and Design
A Higher Standard of Life Beautiful Businesses
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Taylor Buettner ASSISTANT EDITOR Lauren Ramos ADVISER Dr. Debbie van Tuyll DESIGN Kevin Wang Apurva Nemala STAFF WRITERS Emily Garcia Macy Neal Jordan Stenger Jasmin Rivas Loey Hudson Edgar Miles Reach Us augustaphoenix@gmail.com 706-737-1600 2500 Walton Way, Augusta, Ga. 30904-2200 JSAC Room 237 Follow us on: @aug_phoenix @aug_phoenix @aug_phoenix The Phoenix is a student publication at Augusta University. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not the editors or the institution. The Phoenix is published twice a year in the fall and spring. The magazine is printed by Claffey Printing, Augusta, Georgia.
Editor's Note When Dr. Debra van Tuyll announced that the Phoenix needed new staff members, Lauren Ramos, the assistant editor, and I eagerly applied to be a part of the student organization. We spent all summer and all of fall putting this magazine together. Lauren and I had no clue what we were getting ourselves into. Putting a magazine together is not an easy task. We were brainstorming and creating while we were also learning the in’s and out’s of the Phoenix. As Lauren and I were thinking about themes for this edition, I saw that CURS was having a summer research fair in the JSAC. I came across women who used a 3D printer to print pottery. I was beyond amazed with their work, truly astonished and speechless. These women were the driving force of this editions theme: Research & Hard Work. This semester the Phoenix showcases the hard work of our students and the Augusta community with a focus on the research conducted on the AU campus. Lauren and I want the Phoenix to expand and be inclusive for every AU campus, every student and
Taylor Buettner, editor
every community member. We just have so many talented and creative and intelligent students on this campus, and we really want to show you all their work. Not everyone gets a chance to voice their story so we wanted to use this edition for you all to hear their side. I would like to thank every individual who contributed to this edition of the Phoenix. I owe thanks to Dr. Van Tuyll, Dr. Bulla, Kalpana Ramgopal, Megan Drake, Elizabeth Hundt and Lindsay Ramos. Thank you to the Phoenix staff who did an outstanding job, I am deeply appreciative of you and all of your hard work.
Women on the front cover are Brooke Farmer, Ellen Griffin, and TaiKyong “TK” Lee Winter 2019 • 1
FEATURE STORIES
1
Editor's Letter
4
by Taylor Buettner
A Higher Standard of Life by Emily Garcia
8
Fine Arts Major by Macy Neal
12
Antiquarian Society
by Jordan Stenger
14
Spotlight on Eric Frazier by Jasmin Rivas
16 18 2 • Phoenix Magazine
Beauty Downtown
by Loey Hudson
3D & D
by Edgar Miles
WINGSPAN
24 26
Only The Good Die Y Young by Morgan Hunter
Goddess
by Deonte' Screven
27 28 29 30 32
My Canvas
by John Babatope
Not So Happy Prom Poem by Morgan Hunter
Self Portrait in Oil Pastel by Connor Owen
My Secondary Infertility by Dara Wolff
The Fox
by John Babatope
Winter 2019 • 3
A Higher Standard of Life: AU's Medicinal Marijuana Research by Emily Garcia
A Georgia mother considered separating her family and moving to Colorado to get her daughter the treatment needed for her epilepsy. Haleigh Cox’s parents desperately searched for some resolution to their daughter’s suffering. After discovering the potential benefit of cannabis oil in children with epilepsy, Cox’s parents began a struggle with the Georgia legislature to obtain clearance for the drug. Earlier in 2014 Senator Curt Thompson proposed a bill that would legalize marijuana similarly to Colorado. The bill failed, proving to some extent that getting pro medical marijuana policy passed in Georgia was an arduous task. Cox’s mother considered moving to Colorado without her husband to obtain treatment for Haleigh. It wasn’t until Cox’s mother emailed her representative from the Atlanta-area district, Allen Peake, that Cox’s medical necessity for cannabis oil need to be 4 • Phoenix Magazine
taken seriously. “Can you help us? Can you pass laws?” Peake recalls Cox’s mother’s plea in her email. Representative Peake felt prompted to meet with Haleigh, who lay in the hospital at the time. After visiting Haleigh, Peake he states, “It really struck me, and I had to ask myself, what would I do if this was my child?” Representative Peake became convicted to push pro medicinal cannabis legislation into the House. House Bill 885 or “Haleigh’s Hope Bill” would authorize for universities in Georgia to test 100% cannabidiol (CBD) on children like Cox with medication resistant seizures, and would legalize cannabis oil containing less than 5% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for a registry of patients with other life-threatening maladies including cancer, but not limited to, severe epilepsy. The difference between cannabis oil and CBD being that CBD is a pure chemical
Representative Allen Peake and Haleigh Cox, photo by Janea Cox extracted from cannabis whilst cannabis oil is merely a conglomeration of chemicals found in marijuana and inherently far less potent than pure extracts like CBD. Being one of the first few pro marijuana bills to interact with Georgia legislators, “Haleigh’s Hope” did not pass in its first House appearance. According to Representative Peake, Cox’s mother, followed by seventeen other parents and their epileptic children, moved to Colorado to wait out the passage of legislature. Although Georgia did not yet officially support their need for cannabis oil the Georgia government paid for the
families moving expenses and six months of rent in Colorado. Despite this bump in the road Cox’s story progressed. The death of “Haleigh’s Hope” in the House reached Governor Nathan Deal, who after hearing about the possibility for cannabis derived medications to reduce the complications of Cox’s condition and the condition of children with similar forms of epilepsy, felt that cannabis oil possession should be pushed into some form of strict legality. Furthermore, Deal decided that testing the effect of CBD in children with epilepsy was imperative. Deal implored the Vice President of Clinical and
Translational Sciences at Augusta University, Dr. Michael Diamond, to begin a “fact finding mission” to determine the steps necessary in obtaining CBD and conducting research with it for medication resistant epilepsy. Diamond, on behalf of Augusta University, contacted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in search of a pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol for the upcoming research. The FDA pointed Diamond towards GW Pharmaceuticals, a British biopharmaceutical company with a pharmaceutical grade CBD extract (Epidiolex) already approved by the FDA for use Winter 2019 • 5
in clinical trials. Recognizing GW Pharmaceuticals merited medication and participation in studies at 29 other universities, August University made GW Pharmaceuticals a key partner in the State Cannabidiol studies. Working in tandem with Augusta University, the goal of this partnership was to design a research program focused on collecting data to expand the scientific community’s understanding of potential treatments with CBD for children with medication-resistant epilepsies, and to eventually collect sufficient evidence to prove that CBD should become a nationally available pharmaceutical drug. According to Dr. Yong Park, a practitioner at the Augusta Children’s Hospital and an epileptologist leading the study, Augusta University elected to take in a wide variety of epileptic patients below the age of 18 and conduct what’s known as an open label study. An open label study differs from a typical drug testing or double-blind study in that in an open label study, patients receive no placebo. Dr. Park explains, “We give everyone the medicine and test for benefit or not; our control [is] for two months prior we observe the subjects without medication and use these results to compare to the ones we receive with medication.” With an open label study more, children like Cox are able to receive potentially life changing medication. 6 • Phoenix Magazine
Because there are no legal dispensaries in Georgia, the bill is vague regarding where patients source their cannabis oil Although the legislation found in “Haleigh’s Hope” which would officially approve the clinical cannabidiol studies at Augusta University did not yet pass, the clinical CBD trials proceeded uninhibited with approval from the FDA. Notwithstanding the obvious obstacles, “Haleigh’s Hope” was voted into law later on in 2015, allowing for Cox and her mother to return to their home and receive treatment. The effects of the bill opened a few new doors for cannabis oil using patients and potential cannabidiol researchers, yet it did not detail how patients are to go about obtaining the drug. Patients in research studies, such as the one at Augusta University, received medication free of charge, yet patients not enrolled in a study are left to navigate obtaining the drug by themselves. The bill’s primary concern was to pave the way for researchers to receive state approval for their work with cannabidiol and grant possession of medicinal marijuana derivatives to a select few patients with diseases severe enough to be granted a “Low THC registry” card by the Georgia Department of Health (GDH). Because there are no legal
dispensaries in Georgia, the bill is vague regarding where patients source their cannabis oil. According to the Georgia Department of Health website, “individuals in the “Low-THC Oil Patient Registry” are exempt from prosecution in Georgia for possession of medicinal cannabis oil as long as it is obtained in another state, and no more than 20 fluid ounces, containing no more than 5% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with a content greater than, or equal to, of CBD.” Moving a Schedule I drug like cannabis oil across state lines violates federal law and raises more than a few concerns with potential users. On the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) website, a schedule I drug is defined as, “...substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Also, in order for qualifying patients to become part of the Low-THC Patient Registry, they must submit a form describing their case along with their physicians “proof of practice” to the Georgia Department of Health, wait several days for state approval and pay a $25 fee for their card. In the summer of 2017, Deal
signed another bill amending “Haleigh’s Hope” to improve some of the issues with the Low-THC registry. In effect, Deal added six other medical conditions to the list of cannabis oil approved, including Tourette’s syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS at “end stage,” autism spectrum disorder for patients 18 years or older, and severe autism if the patient is under 18, peripheral neuropathy, epidermolysis bullosa and physician-authorized hospice patients. Additionally, in the following spring of 2018, several more were added to create sixteen cases of viable recipients. These moderate expansions notably made Georgia one of the first states to authorize cannabis oil use in patients with any form of autism, yet do not touch on the dilemma of incurring the medication. Hemp oil is a widely available and somewhat-viable substitute, yet it contains less than 0.3% THC by law, and typically contains between 2-3% CBD. Hemp oil, unlike cannabis oil, is legal for commercial purchase nationwide, as it is heavily diluted enough to be labeled a “supplement.” The health-oriented stores speckled around
Georgia sell small vials of hemp oil at upwards of $50. Still, cannabis oil’s case is not closed in Georgia.. “It’s been five legislative sessions with this issue, and each year we take small baby steps,” Peake comments. To those who believe the stigma surrounding this form of medication Peake encouragingly states, “You need to talk to the families that have been affected. Talk to the mom with cancer. Talk to the college kid with Crohn’s disease. Talk to the dad that has to watch his daughter suffer a seizure. What would you do if you were in this situation? You would crawl over glass to help a loved one.” On an optimistic note, the study at Augusta University, apace with many others across the country, pushes the FDA to revisit the classification of CBD. In fall 2018, the FDA announced that CBD will be moved from a schedule I drug (high chance of abuse) to a schedule V drug (minimal to no chance of abuse). According to the DEA website, “Schedule V of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) [is] the least restrictive schedule of the CSA.”
Slowly but surely the path is being paved for cannabis products to become pharmaceutically available in Georgia. In October of 2018, patients with LGS and Dravet syndrome, two severe forms of epilepsy, will be the first to obtain Epidiolex in a local pharmacy. Of course, the hope is to expand the availability of the drug as pure CBD extracts like Epidiolex are costly and insurance is currently only willing to pay for patients with LGS and Dravet syndrome, according to the FDA online press release. As for the future of the cannabidiol trials at Augusta University, they are to be ended this year and patients will cease receiving Epidiolex in six months, with the hope that six months is enough time for insurance companies to approve paying for their cannabidiol medication in the future. “For now, private insurance may not pay for [the medication]. But look at the studies we have done in Georgia. There is always hope that the gate will open,” according to Dr. Park.
Talk to the dad that has to watch his daughter suffer a seizure. What would you do if you were in this situation? You would crawl over glass to help a loved one Allen Peake, representative Atlanta-area district Winter 2019 • 7
Life Fine Arts Major as a
Hard work is just one part of life for these rising seniors. Here's the rest of the picture. by Macy Neal
8 • Phoenix Magazine
T
hree rising seniors disclose their
difficult but rewarding journeys with in arts majors. Ontario Williams, above, left, Erica Langsam, above right, and Rachel Singletary are in fine arts programs. Each has his/ her own unique stories. and career paths.
What’s your major and what made you decide fine arts? Williams: I major in Music Education with a concentration in voice. I decided fine arts because music, singing, and performing are my happy place. Fine Arts gives me a since of direction and helps me get through the roughest times of my life. Langsam: I am a Fine Art major with a concentration in
Photography and Printmaking. I originally started my college career as a marketing major, yet there was something about the creative side of marketing that intrigued me more than the financial aspect. I soon realized that I was no longer in love with my major, and that I was just attending class because it would make others happy. My roommate at the time suggested that I go and speak to the photography Winter 2019 • 9
professor and check out my options. Ten minutes into the meeting with Randy Pace, I knew this was where my heart truly belonged. Singletary: My major is a bachelor’s in music with a vocal concentration. I grew up playing the piano from 2nd grade all the way through high school. It was always a skill that made me feel special. I struggled in a lot of subjects, but music was always my strong suite and my passion. Why did you choose Augusta University? Williams: I chose AU mainly because of the music professors. When I began looking into the school, the music professors were extremely helpful and showed a lot of interest in furthering my education. I love AU because of the diversity on campus and leadership opportunities. Langsam: My parents chose the school. My parents felt it was safest for me to stay in the city of Augusta, instead of spending my first year of being 18 elsewhere. At first, I didn’t care for it much, but it’s become a stable element in my life for years; it has always given me a place to run to when I needed to escape the rest of the world. I can come to Washington hall at any time of the day or night, and work on my art until the sun comes up without being disturbed. Singletary: I chose AU because it was close to home.
10 • Phoenix Magazine
What’s the best thing about your major/career path? Williams: The best thing about being a music education major is learning new things about music. Also, preparing to do the thing I love which is teaching music is amazing! Each day I get to do the thing I love and learn more about the voice. Langsam: The sense of Freedom and family. No two artists are alike, yet we accept each other as if we are family. Singletary: I think the best thing about my major/ career path is the community you meet. It is always nice to find people with a common interest. Every major is different when it comes to putting in hard work; for your major what does that ‘hard work’ entail? Williams: “Hard Work” entails taking time to practice every day. Practicing in music is extremely important especially to enhance your technique. The hardest part about my major would be time management because we take 10 – 12 classes, sometimes it gets hectic. Langsam: For me, my hard work is expressed through my hours spent working on a piece. For example, for printmaking I stay the night at the school 3 times a week working on projects. We don’t have the privilege of quickly writing a paper an hour before class because we forgot. I have to
create a physical representation of expression, which is extremely difficult and time consuming. The idea of creating the physical representation of an expression on top of working with mediums that are not within my concentration is challenging. I am constantly being challenged to step out of my comfort zone and experiment with new materials. Singletary: A typical music major takes 9 classes or more a semester. It can be hard to find time for everything. Most of us (me included) have part time jobs on top of school work. We also have a lot of outside performances to attend and perform in. Most of my days I would only have a one-hour break. On my days of work, I would be working on homework, in a practice room, or even signed up for a private accompanist. The key is to always be doing something, either constantly practicing or time managing What are some notable accomplishments that you’ve completed in your time here at AU? Williams: I’ve had many solo appearances with Augusta University’s Singers. I have also had the opportunity to prepare and perform many masterworks, as well as student teaching at local schools. In addition, on November 19th, I will be performing my Junior recital that consists of solo vocal selections from different time periods.
Langsam: I am interning with the school this semester. I am in charge of creating marketing content for Augusta University, AU Health, Children’s Hospital and AU Alumni social media pages. I absolutely love it. It finally gave me the opportunity to combine art and marketing. Also, in April I showcased my own art show where I challenged myself to redefine the context of beauty and expose the linkage of the world to social issues of self-identity. Singletary: Last spring semester, I performed my senior recital, it was a lot of work! What is your favorite project you’ve created? Williams: My favorite project would be my Junior Recital. Preparing is the most stressful thing because as a performer, you want everything to be right instantly. However, it is important to remember for it to be right, you must practice. The pay off will be amazing! Langsam: My senior art show; it taught me to be confident in my art and myself. Not be too afraid to express myself and speak out for those who are unable to, or are too scared. Singletary: My senior recital! If you could tell people one thing about your major what would you tell them? Williams: I would tell people, music is a challenging major. We spend countless hours preparing music and learning the theory, history and training.
Langsam: Choosing fine arts was the best decision I ever made. Singletary: I would tell them that it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Music is a learned and applied skill. Not only are we studying like a regular major, we are practicing and performing what we learn regularly. What are some things people assume about your major? Williams: “OMG! You have an EASY major. You just sing all day?” Langsam: “Do you not care about making money?” “Can’t you get a real job, and do photography as a hobby?” “You aren’t living up to your true potential.” Singletary: “What are you going to do with that degree?” This is a question I get a lot. It sucks having to validate something you enjoy and work hard for. What would you tell freshman going into your major? Williams: I would tell incoming freshman to stay focused and be sure to spend time in the practice rooms. Langsam: Don’t worry about the idea of not making money. Life is about passion. Through passion you find success. Also take a chance to get to know the professors and the head director; they are some of the most amazing inspiring people you will ever come across. Singletary: Don’t wait until the last minute to learn your music! Also, your professors
are there to help you, don’t be afraid to ask! When are you graduating and what will you be doing after graduation? Williams: I will be graduating in Spring 2020. After graduation, I hope to attend the University of North Texas and get a Master of Vocal Performance. While obtaining a master’s degree, I hope to teach at a public high school in Texas. Langsam: I graduate December 2018. Once I graduate I plan on taking a couple of months to travel and relax. However, I would love to become a head Photographer of marketing for a company. I would love to create marketing content for social media and advertising, or potentially build my photography business and travel around the world freelancing! Singletary: I graduate this fall! It took me 5.5 years! (I was undeclared for my first year and I just added a minor) I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with my degree yet. Guess I better get on that!
Winter 2019 • 11
The American Antiquarian Society by Jordan Stenger It’s going to be cold. That was the first thing that popped into my head after Dr. van Tuyll said she had received a study away grant to take Zhenya Townley and ME to the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts in January. This society houses a huge collection of documents, books, images, and more that relate to the United States, and I was thrilled about the prospect of researching there for a week. My only concern was wading through all the snow. I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on my research. My passion is studying North American indigenous peoples of the 18th and 19th centuries. Those centuries were formative for today's thinking about indigenous populations. My research would focus on the Choctaw tribe's monetary gift in 1847 to the Irish during the Great Famine. This gift was of particular interest to me because it occurred just over a decade after the Choctaw were forced to move west off
their ancestral homeland in Mississippi. Why would they send money across the Atlantic Ocean to a group of people they had never met before? I was determined to find out. When January finally rolled around and we made our way to Boston, it was a relief that they were experiencing a milder winter normal. Because we arrived at our lodgings Saturday evening and the society wouldn’t open until Monday, we chose to drive around New England on Sunday. We drove to Salem, Massachusetts and wandered around the grounds of the town famous for their 17th century witch trials. Then we went up to Maine along the coastal highway to visit the Portland Head Lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth to have dinner. On Monday morning, I was more than ready to head over to the society and get to work. After orientation we received our library cards and entered the library through huge glass doors where I found myself in the main study room at the
I wanted to see how the Choctaw were being portrayed by the press before and during the time of their removal.
12 • Phoenix Magazine
center of the society. Looking up I could see open hallways that stretched around the library and all along the halls and above the reference desk were some of America’s earliest portraits hung. In essence, it is a amazing place to study and collect materials and I certainly never thought that I would be studying there as an undergraduate student. Taking a seat at one of the tables, I opened my laptop and logged into the library database. Now I was able to start my research. I began by looking at the society’s extensive American newspaper database. I wanted to see how the Choctaw were being portrayed by the press before and during the time of their removal. What I found was quite upsetting but not surprising. The majority of newspapers pushed the idea that the Choctaw and other tribes were happy to leave their ancestral lands and move west of the Mississippi. The Cherokee Phoenix and Indians Advocate was actually the first newspaper in the United States to publish in English and a Native American language which in this case was Tsalagi, also known as Cherokee. I read heartfelt letters to the U.S. government where the speaker asked that President
Jordan Stenger with Vince Golden, AAS newspaper curator photo by Dr. Debbie van Tuyll
Andrew Jackson treat Native Americans with respect and allow them to stay on their homelands. The voice of The Cherokee Phoenix and Indians Advocate would unfortunately not be strong enough to fight against other newspapers who supported Jackson and his plan to open Native land for American settlers. After reading about the treatment of the Choctaw in newspapers I moved on to researching their removal and how it affected them. Accounts of the brutal march west show that those who survived the trek found themselves facing more hardships and natural disasters in Oklahoma. The resilience of the Choctaw became something I knew I would stress when I started writing my paper. I had gathered all I could about the Choctaw began conducting my research of the Irish famine. The similarities between the Irish experience and Choctaw experience were evident. The
Irish were subject to eviction from their homes during the famine and the poor house they were offered as an alternative to starving in the streets resembled the reservation system put into place in the United States. Sifting through newspaper accounts of the Irish famine I found that American newspapers were especially quick to criticize the Irish Landlord, calling them heartless and cruel for evicting their tenants in order to profit from their land. The irony here is apparent because American newspapers turned a blind eye to the suffering of the Choctaw as President Jackson removed them from their homes, hiding behind an unlawful treaty. In 1847, at the height of the famine, the Choctaw sent $170 to the starving Irish across the Atlantic and I could only find two newspapers that reported, briefly, on this remarkable gift. As the week drew to a close I was so excited to start
writing my paper and tell this incredible story. I reached out and spoke to the Choctaw Nation about the gift and how it is still making waves in the 21st century. Their act of kindness has led to the building of a monument in Ireland representing the Choctaw’s compassion during a time of hardship for the Irish and moving forward there are even plans to create a study abroad program to Ireland for Choctaw students. My goal for my research paper was not to just focus on the incredible hardships the Choctaw and Irish had to endure, but share how an incredible friendship has formed in result. My paper has recently been accepted as a chapter in an upcoming book on the history of the Irish American Press and it just goes to show that when you have a passion for something and want to share it with the world, great things can happen.
Winter 2019 • 13
A Spotlight On Eric Frazier by Jasmin Rivas
AU senior psychology major Eric Frazier describes himself as dull, a conclusion solely based on his focus on self-care, nature, bird-watching and other relaxing past-times. However, this bird-watcher’s journey has been anything but dull. When Frazier first started at AU, his major was cellular and molecular biology. A year later, as a 20-year-old sophomore, Frazier wanted to explore beyond the confines of the biology department due to his desire for more than biological interpretation. When Frazier became aware that he was suffering from depression and was no longer interested in any of his classes he realized his mental health had become an issue. He states one class kept him going - one where he felt that he could be himself and where people were supportive of him. The course was one of his psychology courses: Intro to Human Diversity. Frazier was passionate about researching psychology and decided to pursue his interests. Psychology is both fact-based and analytical, according to Frazier. The field requires students to think critically. “Most people don’t like that there is so much gray 14 • Phoenix Magazine
matter, but I kind of enjoy it, because listening to other people’s opinion is interesting which helps shape my way of thinking.” Frazier stated. Having researched and studied extensively with the psychology department, Frazier developed an interest in all the ways in which psychology helps people with the same mental health background as his, and also affects the world around him. For example, Frazier is always working on more than one project at a time, constantly staying busy between his classes, research, projects and presentations. He challenges himself with higher expectations and is working to develop new techniques for his research and projects. He believes that the switch in his major was a second chance at pursuing his life’s passions. As of now, Frazier is working on three research projects. The first involved a biology research project presented at a National Conference in Ohio that was published in October of 2018. The biology project is about the influence that traffic noise has on song-bird vocalizations. Frazier states that the research is drawn from, “If the geographic locations affect the frequencies of song-bird
vocalizations.” He hopes that the research in this narrowed down area will lead to discovering broader influences on song-bird vocalization. While the first project involved biology the following two research projects were psychology based. The second project Frazier is working involves the effect drugs and pain have on memory and recognition. Frazier notes that this project involves mice and they present the mice with three beads, one from the mouse’s actual cage and two from different mice. They then observe through different trials how the mice react to the beads. These trials record how mice react to the objects after being introduced to a pain-stimulant called lactic acid. Frazier explains, “It [lactic acid] can increase the pain in the mice and what we predict is that-because pain has a negative impact on memory, we think that it’s going to cause memory loss in the mice in terms of recognizing the object.” After administering a pain-reliever, Ketoprofen, they predict that the mice may have a recovery in memory. The third project that Frazier is currently working on focuses on the perceptions of aggression: both physical and psychological. Frazier explains two scenarios both involving a married couple. The first scenario shows a husband being abusive to his wife in the public eye, while the second shows a wife being abusive
Eric Frazier, AU senior Psychology major
to her husband. The basis of this project is to predict and observe what reactions people have toward the two scenarios and whether the anger toward the woman will be less than that of the anger toward the man. The opportunities presented to Frazier will help prepare him for future conferences and presentations while introducing him to new techniques and ways of thinking. He has learned to read more in depth
and ask more questions in order to shape his career goals and future. More than all of his accomplishments, Frazier has focused on the good and thrived beyond the normal mental restraints presented to those with depression. Frazier proved to himself and to others that it is possible to surpass depression and not let mental health issues control him by focusing on his accomplishments.
Frazier proved to himself and to others that it is possible to surpass depression and not let mental health issues control him by focusing on his accomplishments.
Winter 2019 • 15
Beautiful Businesses story and photo by Loey Hudson Female business owners are taking charge of downtown Augusta, increasing the beauty of the historic district one salon at a time. Spa Bleu, Men’s Refinery Barberspa and Halo’s salons and spas, all owned by women, are contributing to the gentrification process of Augusta by providing a luxurious experience with a local, hometown feel. Spa Bleu, downtown’s newest addition, has been on Broad Street for about three years. The beautiful, rustic-inspired salon and spa is owned and operated by Mirenda Petrea, who has been in this industry for more than 18 years. Talking with Petrea, you can feel her ardor for the craft. At the age of five she had dreams of being a makeup artist in the big city, and began an apprenticeship in 2000 where she developed a support system and the inspiration to start her own business. Before moving downtown, Spa Bleu was located in Surrey Center. Petrea saw the potential of downtown, and with the addition of Augusta University’s cyber security campus, she made the move to 1141 Broad Street. When Petrea opened her own business, she immediately began to talk of how exciting it was and how terrifying it was as well. 16 • Phoenix Magazine
In the early phases of her business, she had to consult business owners in various other fields and rely heavily on her experience as an esthetician. She says, “Customer service is my first passion,” and believes in having a hard-working staff that have both fervor and talent; she always reminds her staff, “You take care of the person that’s standing right in front of you.” She wants patrons to enjoy their time and feel as though they were catered to and well-pampered. The Men’s Refinery Barberspa has been established for over ten years but has moved from North Augusta in the last three years to be a part of the growing downtown scene. The business renovated a hollowedout building to accommodate a larger staff and clientele list, creating the ultimate man cave experience. When walking in, men from all backgrounds sit enjoying comfortable leather chairs and a large television in the waiting area. Some patrons lounge at the bar drinking local beer and utilizing the shop’s golf simulator. The owner, Shelley Craft, began cutting hair at the age of 15 and never stopped. Driven by her passion in high school, Craft looked all over the country at different business
Interior of Spa Bleu 1141 Broad St.
models to aid in her endeavor and had done enough research to have her own business plan at the age of 19. Craft surrounded herself with people she trusts, requiring excellence from them. One of Craft’s spa managers, Jordan Chambliss, commented about how Craft had each new staff member take a personality quiz to highlight their strengths and weaknesses. Craft wants the Men’s Refinery Barberspa to focus on experience, saying, “A person can get a haircut anywhere, but for a man to get a service such as a massage, manicure, or facial, I wanted to create an environment where they can receive those services and still feel like a man. I didn’t want them to go into a salon and feel like they stick out.” The Men’s Refinery Barberspa has a large emphasis on the local community, with Craft mentioning, “To me, success is knowing you made a difference
in the lives of people.” Halo A Salon and Spa, the most established business on Broad Street, recently had a makeover to celebrate its ten year anniversary. Owned by Sarah Bunjevac, who has more than 20 years of experience, Halo prides itself on being a big center for education with a hands-on hiring process for its employees. A newer stylist at the salon, Michaela Mathewes, says the environment is very energetic and friendly, “We all know each other’s regulars. It’s a great environment for success.” The salon is very diverse not only in staff, but in the variety of services offered. Halo is a
full service salon specializing in ethnic hair, fashion coloring and “diva curls,” a special technique for cutting and styling very curly hair types. Halo focuses on community with their efforts as well, hosting different events to support other local business and charities. Salons of all specialities and aesthetics have made their way onto Broad Street, bringing with them a boost of local charm to historic downtown. Catering to a diverse range, these local shops show hard work aids in bringing more revenue downtown and increasing the happiness of its patrons.
To me, success is knowing you made a difference in the lives of people.
Winter 2019 • 17
3D&D
story and photos by Edgar Miles
I
f you think that research and role-playing games have little in common, you’ve probably never played Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) in the Ceramics and Sculpture Studio with students from Augusta University’s Department of Art and Design. This summer, senior art majors Brooke Farmer, Ellen Griffin, and TaiKyong “TK” Lee joined forces to embark on a semesterlong journey that would require a bag of tricks that included the development of problemsolving and team-building skills, the honing of individual expertise, and the creation of an unbreakable camaraderie. And while those skills are helpful for characters involved in gameplay, they also aid in the successful accomplishment of a research project. As a part of the AU Summer Scholars Program, in May 2018, Farmer, Griffin and Lee began a research project that combined the new technology of 3D printing with the age-old 18 • Phoenix Magazine
practice of pottery-making. The Summer Scholars Program was established by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) to encourage increased student involvement in research and scholarly endeavors, which, in this case, has had the added outcome of impacting students in more creative fields like the fine arts. “Research is an interactive form of inquiry that increases one’s awareness and knowledge,” says Scott Thorp, professor and chair of the Department of Art and Design who also serves as Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research. “Through learning new things, people become more curious. And curiosity is the fuel for creativity. So, since art is meant to be a creative domain, the more research we do, the more creative we become.” With an eye on both the academic and creative aspects of an art education, Assistant
Professor of Art Raoul Pacheco acquired a 3D printer that, instead of printing a plastic polymer, is capable of extruding clay. Pacheco had the idea to bring in visiting artist Bryan Czibesz to set up the printer after seeing Czibesz’s work at a conference of The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). “I was in the Art Department office talking about how cool it would be if we could get him to come set up a printer here. Cheryl Goldsleger, our Morris Eminent Scholar, overheard the conversation and agreed to fund the project.” Goldsleger has been using 3D printing in her own art practice since 2000, so when she heard of the opportunity to introduce students to a new method of artmaking she knew immediately that she wanted to devote funds to help make the program happen. “I think it’s good for students to have hands-on experience in school,” says Goldsleger. “I
P_ERR begins to lay the foundation for a printed vessel knew there were clay printers, but Raoul knew someone who goes all over to introduce students to 3D printing and even builds the printer. So, he’s the one who brought it to me and I said, “Oh that’s fabulous! That’s what we need to do.” Czibesz, who is a professor of art at State University of New York at New Paltz, came and gave a workshop at which he constructed a brand-new 3D ceramic printer to leave behind for the students at AU to use. Renovation of the sculpture and ceramics studios temporarily derailed the effort. Once the new studios were completed, Pacheco brought in another artist, Matt Mitros, Professor at The University of Alabama, to do some testing and demonstrations with the machine. This allowed another group of students the chance to get excited about the possibilities of printing with clay. And this is where our adventurous trio’s journey began.
“When we first started, we were actually just barely getting to know each other,” says Lee. “We had started playing D&D for maybe two weeks before spring semester let out.” “Raoul saw us together and knew that I had experience working with the 3D printer and that we each had some interest in working with it,” Lee adds. “I had helped with both the initial set-up and when Matt Mitros came to do a guest lecture, so I was quite familiar with the program.” “But Brooke and I had never touched a modeling program at all before this summer,” says Griffin. “I had looked at it and thought, ‘That’s too complicated.’” Griffin was partly right. The process is complicated, but, as it turned out, it wasn’t too complicated for the three of them to learn. She describes the process, which included familiarizing themselves with a number of computer-aided
design (CAD) software applications, figuring out the most ideal consistency of clay for printing, and a lot of trial and error. “We wanted to explore 3D modeling and CAD software to see how it intersects with a traditionally hands-on artmaking process,” says Griffin. “We also wanted to see how it can influence and impact our own existing processes.” And so they spent the summer exploring the possibilities and problems of printing clay. Even the name of the printer itself reflects the difficulties encountered along the way. During its initial setup, even after they felt they had properly executed each step of the process, an error message consisting of just five characters kept appearing on the screen: P_ERR. “It just kept displaying P_ ERR for printer error over and over again,” says Griffin. So Winter 2019 • 19
RIGHT An urn created by the 3D printer A freshly printed vessel dries on a pottery bat
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it was decided that the print- with the success of such a er’s name would be P_ERR project, there’s also the possi(pronounced Pierre). bility for lifelong impact. “Having accomplished an in-depth summer-long research project in 3D printing, “It just kept displaying P_ERR the students now have a head for printer error over and start,” says Goldsleger. “They’ve over again,” Griffin learned some of the language. They’ve used a machine. And in a lot of industries just a little bit of knowledge will get “3D printing can be frustrat- you in the door of companies ing on a number of levels,” says where they’re willing to train Goldsleger. “First off, you have you further.” to learn modeling software The students decided that which is an enormous learn- one of the components of the ing curve. And then you also project would be the incorpohave to learn the printer. So ration of a live video stream of not only do you start drawing the work they were doing, and things virtually that you want that highlighted a less technito print, you have to make sure cal issue. One of the members that they will print.” of the group has what she calls Despite how tough it was, “a potty mouth.” the trio gave it the old college “I jokingly made the try. And in much the same way comment that we needed to they’d built a team to complete watch our mouths and what missions in the D&D realm, we all say,” says Farmer. “So we the three students brought kept tally marks on the blacktheir individual skills together board for every time someone to work through the issues of said a cuss word.” the project. They assigned a small “We all had our strengths monetary penalty for each time and weaknesses going into it, someone violated certain rules, so it balanced out perfectly,” depositing a quarter in a jar for says Farmer. each time someone crossed a “TK packed the tubes, I line. looked at the programs, and “It was like a sin jar, basicalBrooke ran the prints. Mostly,” ly, because it couldn’t be like a adds Griffin, noting that while swear jar,” says Griffin. “Since each of them performed specif specif- I don’t cuss, for me it was bad ic roles in the research, they’d puns or jokes.” all need to learn the process Lee points out that the from beginning to end if the way to tell if the joke is bad project was to be successful. is by noticing who laughs. “If Along with the feeling of someone laughed besides you,” accomplishment that comes she says, “you were excused
from your bad joke.” There is a little dispute among the trio as to how much money was in the jar at the end of the summer. Lee says it was around $30, and Farmer says $25. Considering how small the penalty for each “sin” was, either amount gives an indication that the process brought out plenty of swearing and bad puns. Full disclosure: at the end of the research period, the three of them used the cash to go to lunch and, since I was there to talk with them about the work, they insisted that I join them. We piled into a car and headed to a buffet where we swapped stories, shared food and laughed heartily before returning to campus with our bellies a little too full. The buffet luncheon is just one example of how friendly the group really is. Lee, who transferred from another university where she said the art department was far less welcoming, describes her experience at AU with obvious affection. “We’re not like most art departments,” says Lee. “We’re weird and we’re intimate and we want to know and love everybody down here in the art department. That’s why a lot of people who come down as non-majors and take a class end up switching majors or minoring in art. They become a part of the family.” Watching the three of them interact, it does seem that their friendship has evolved beyond Winter 2019 • 21
the kinds usually developed between students over the course of a few semesters. They laugh quickly and easily. (Griffin’s chuckle in particular is so infectious it could be marketed as a non-pharmaceutical treatment for depression.) But 3D printing in clay can be frustrating, and, when the stressors of college life are compounded by an additional research project, even the most cheerful students can reach a breaking point. “The three of us have seen each other cry at least three times over the summer,” says Lee. “Some more than others. But between the three of us, at least, I believe we’ve made a really big support system.” And the support system they’ve built has spilled over from the realm of research into the more personal aspects of their lives. “It’s become very personal,” says Lee. “I don’t have actual sisters, so it’s really cool to get to think of these two as my sisters.”
TK Lee mixes pigment into the clay body
Ellen Griffin enters data into P_ERR's control panel
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Photo by Ryan Krafthefer
WINGSPAN
A spotlight on creative student work
Contributors Ryan Krafthefer Morgan Hunter Deonte' Screven John Babatope Connor Owen Dara Wolff Winter 2019 • 23
Only the Good Die Young by Morgan Hunter
I heard the song when I was driving down the road recently-- Only the Good Die Young. I think about Carly every time I hear it because we’ve always agreed that’s why she’s gone. At 15, it was the only way we could comprehend what happened. I think they even said it at her funeral, only the good die young. I used to think that after she died, I’d probably go sometime soon after. I was a cocky kid, and assumed if she was too good to live, I definitely must be too good for this world as well. Like Billy Joel said, the good die young and we were both so young when it happened. I was so sure of my own death that I even planned my ideal future funeral and wrote it in the notes on my phone after her funeral. Her funeral was nothing like I would imagine she’d want it to be, so I planned mine myself and told my best friend Jess exactly what to do if I were to die. My favorite songs would play, there was a
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do-not-let-in-the-door-list for those who I did not like, and I even wrote goodbye letters for Jess to distribute to my closest friends and family members. I wasn’t alone in this, Jess did the same thing. So maybe we weren’t crazy, maybe this was the only way we could cope. Carly and I met while playing softball, and was originally introduced to me as “Aubri’s friend Carly.” However very soon, though I ignored the signs, it became quite apparent that Carly was MUCH more than Aubri’s friend. I ignored the obvious answer, that Carly was Aubri’s girlfriend, (which was so apparent in every aspect, she didn’t even wear a bow to our games- ‘no bow lesbo’) because I couldn’t bare to accept that Aubri, my best friend Aubri, could be, dare I say it-- a lesbian. Aubri denied it for years, though Carly shouted it at the top of her lungs. Carly and Aubri were “special friends” for around two years
before it happened. Throughout these years, Carly and I became so close that people often joked that perhaps Carly was my girlfriend and not Aubri’s. Over the course of these two years of friendship, Carly taught me so many things. I found out soon after meeting Carly that all of my friends were gay: Aubri. Jess. Carly. Everyone I loved outside of my family ended up being gay, so I changed my opinions. I eventually grew to become much more open minded and respectful of other people’s lifestyles and opinions. Carly was the first person to introduce me to things which my simple-minded, conservative, Southern Baptist parents never dreamed I would learn. Carly was the first proclaimed lesbian I ever met, the first to talk about sex, the first to drink, and the first to mention suicide. As I was driving, after I heard the song, I couldn’t stop thinking about her so I went to the one place where I could embrace thinking about her and then ignore the thoughts of her and get lost in someone else’s world. Once we went to this place together. We were at a softball tournament in Jacksonville waiting on our table at the Cheesecake Factory. All of our friends wanted to go shopping, but she, like me, wanted to go to our safe place-- the book store. We walked inside and I followed her to her favorite genre section. Teen depression.
I was always interested in the books which Carly recommended to me, even though I couldn’t relate. After the incident happened, I realized that maybe she was trying to tell me something. She showed me so many books, tried to tell me so many times. But I was so young, so naive, so oblivious. She showed me six books that night and I remember every single one, every single title. By The Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead. Hate List. Thirteen Reasons Why. Girl In Pieces. This Is Where It Ends. The Last Time We Say Goodbye. I read one of them before it happened and I loved it but was very confused. I didn’t understand suicide, didn’t want to understand it, didn’t think I would ever need to understand it. That all changed afterwards, of course. Afterwards, I dedicated years of my life to reading every book written on suicide to try to comprehend what happened. I became obsessed with understanding the human mind and understanding depression, anxiety, mental illness, and suicide. There was one other book in particular that she pointed out, that I’ve read cover to cover too many times to count. All The Bright Places. One of my bright places is that book store. And every single time I step foot into there, she’s with me. She made it my happy place. She was so good, much too good for us. And so for years I thought
it must be inevitable, what they say, only the good die young, and maybe they were right because we would all agree that she was the best of us. But that all changed today. Because today I was driving my car, on the same interstate where she decided to jump out of the car, and I heard a new song. Lana Del Rey, her favorite fucking singer said, “They say only the good die young, that just ain’t right.” If Lana, the same Lana that she listened to hours and hours on end, says this just ain’t right, well Lana must be right. It hit me so hard, I actually teared up while driving. Because I never considered that maybe Billy Joel was wrong, maybe all of the good people in the world didn’t have to die young. In this moment, I felt as if Carly must be with me, laughing. She was probably mocking me, laughing because here I am, still good, no longer as young, but still alive. So perhaps we should change our ways. Because I used to think only the good die young, but I’m still here, so that just can’t be right.
Cover photo by Ryan Krafthefer Winter 2019 • 25
Goddess by Deonte’ Screven Stick thin and yet to be Envy of the world You think that’s a woman? She is but a girl in the eyes of a goddess. You are a goddess! Do you know what your ancestors And their predecessors Had to secure and endure So that YOU could be? Not to be a branch from an old oak But to be the whole damn tree! To have hips, curves, and bosom Not for you to look at in shame. Sweeter than honey, you are a goddess! That bosom and those curves Are born to make Men lose their words At the site of you. Those hips in your lineage Are not to be hidden But to be bent and broken To bring forth life to an entire village.
You hold a universe within you Your black girl magic Has never been more visible Than when held up to the light Of your own truth. Never allow yourself to be Picked apart Prodded Worn down Discarded Beaten Made shame Dishearten Or blamed, for my dear YOU ARE A GODDESS! Walk with your head higher than high, It knows its place among the clouds and stars Let your curvy hips swivel with grace To sway those near and far Let your magic show you your place And never let you forget who you are, Goddess.
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My Canvas by John Babatope I often wondered why I started this art. The more noble motive would be to simply express myself, But I worry Sometimes that it’s just for the attention it brings. I claim to be an avid artist, An artist who can’t even force himself To craft anything of quality on a dusty old canvas. I’ve held onto it for twenty-one years now, Without making a single adjustment to it. I look at the canvas and at how empty it is. It’s so fragile, I can’t help but hate it. Every day this Cheaply-made, crap-filled blank slate Reminds me how frightened I am. The texture is so rich and sinfully smooth that Attempting to make any visible marks on it Would only decrease the value, Thanks to my minimal talents. So, I don’t. I deftly and gently make my marks on it. The canvas holds marks so feint that you can’t see my mistakes And it has been pressed just hard enough by my strokes That you could experience the ending of a tragedy and the beginning of a comedy Just by brushing your hand against it. I chant to myself, “Careful, Careful, don’t press too hard.” I don’t want them to see me bleed.
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O S T O N
Y P P HA
by Morgan Hunter
I went to prom with you when I was eighteen. And that night, you know I said no, But you decided you were going to get with me. Your eyes were red, beer in one hand, “Come with me,” you said, Ignoring that I could hardly even stand. When I refused to move, you dragged me outside, Leaving fingerprints on my arm. But everyone believed me, when I made up some lie. You threw me against the hood of a car, And I did try to fight, for a while. But it didn’t help much, so I just stared at the stars. I stared until my eyes filled with tears, And I couldn’t see them anymore. Later, they all asked about my makeup smears. Embarrassed to say, that wasn’t the end of it, Unfortunately. Talk about bullshit. Because nine months after our great sin, A child came out of the place, That you came in.
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Self Portrait on an
Oil Canvas
by Conner Owen Winter 2019 • 29
My
Secondary
by Dara Wolff
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Infertility
My second husband Matt, and I suffered from secondary infertility. My first child Gabriel, was conceived with my first husband and we had no problem getting pregnant. Matt and I had been married about a year, when we started to talk seriously about a baby. At the time we talked about a second child Gabriel was 8. We had been consorting for about 3 years total and had stopped using birth control 6 months in. We were discussing his eyes and my nose, names from our families and silly little booties. And what about a last name? I didn’t take his last name when we married. We had talked about hyphenating, but decided that Wolff-Sisk sounded like a venereal disease or a heart condition. We came to an agreement; a daughter would take my last name and a son would take his. Both of us having medical
backgrounds, he had been an EMT and was attending nursing school. I was a military laboratory technician. We realised after having unprotected sex for 30 months, that I should have been pregnant. Again, being medical professionals, we both hated going to the doctor but, we wanted a baby. I didn’t want to have a baby past the age of 32. I was 29 years old when we went to the doctors. I was apprehensive when it came to the doctor. I felt great, healthy, didn’t smoke or use drugs, exercised regularly and everything had been normal with my annual military physical four months prior. My husband had some medical issues; diabetic, prior smoker, had hypothyroidism, and a family history of heart disease. He had cancer in 2002 when a high grade sarcoma was removed from the back of his neck. He went through chemotherapy and treatment with minimal problems. I was a little worried about the chemo, but very hopeful. I went through the checkup. When I was in the hospital working I never noticed the smell of cleaner or the snap of gloves. Under normal circumstances I was in control,
capable, mighty, and disciplined. This situation was outside of my control and I hated every second of it. The civility of the technicians made me want to slap them. I was angry every time I saw a pregnant woman or a brand new baby. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t we get pregnant? I was pronounced healthy as a horse. My labs were great, my hormone levels were perfect, and I had no genetic defects. My uterus and fallopian tubes were normal. The doctor did everything but slap my butt and tell me I had child-bearing hips. Due to the fact we had been trying to conceive for so long I started taking prenatal vitamins and the doctor prescribed a fertility drug. I was so relieved. Okay it wasn’t me. I wasn’t less of a woman because I could still have a child. Why couldn’t we get pregnant? Matt was up next. He went to the doctor who only said his health was fair. It was recommended he lose a little weight and include more exercise in his daily activities. The next step was a semen analysis. As a lab tech I had done these for school. The test was not invasive, but a little embarrassing. Sex and masturbation must be refrained from for 72 hours. A semen sample has to be brought into the lab within 60 minutes. According to Lab Corp this count, “is measured in millions of sperm per milliliter of semen. Normal is at
least 20 million or more sperm per milliliter.” The tech will look at volume and some other technical necessities. The tech also will look at the sperm’s movement and appearance. We waited anxiously for about a week, wondering and hoping that the results would be good. I was irritated because I knew Matt’s semen analysis only took 15 minutes to complete and I worked in the same damn hospital. We waited. I couldn’t focus on my day. I was consumed by waiting for the results. However the military doesn’t give you breathing room for family things like secondary infertility, you still do pt, go to work, eat lunch and deal with personnel issues. The doctor called Matt into the clinic and gave him the news. “You have three abnormal sperm,” the doctor said. “3 billion?” Matt asked. “No,” the doctor said. “3 million?” Matt asked. “No,” the doctor said “about 3 abnormal sperm total.” “Oh,” Matt said defeatedly. The doctor told Matt the next step could be a testicular biopsy. Matt was wrecked and said that he would think about it. Immediately after his diagnostic, he called me at work. “Hey sweetie,” Matt said. People never call me at work. “What did the doctor say?” I have rules against people calling me at work. I knew this
was a terrible moment and took a deep breath. “3, only 3 abnormal sperm.” “Oh no that doesn’t sound good,” I answered quietly. “What’s the next step?” “A testicular biopsy, but it probably won’t work due to only 3 sperm. I really don’t want to do that.” I would have done anything in the world to remove that ache in his voice. “Okay, what do you want to do?” “I want a dog,” he murmured. I didn’t want a dog. I wanted a baby! “What kind?” I asked. “A corgi.” “I will get you a corgi.” I didn’t want a dog. I wanted a baby! We would search for six months looking for the perfect puppy. I scoured the humane societies within 50 miles. I looked high and low online. Finally I resorted to answering newspaper ads. We met a nice lady who had two girl corgis in Hondo about 20 minutes away. All of us piled into the truck and anxiously drove there. We met up in a dirty Walmart parking lot. The puppies were both adorable 9 week old fluff balls of energy. The tricolored one with the brown eyes seemed friendlier toward all of us and begged us to take her home. Morrigan, had found her forever home. My husband Matt died 1 April 2017.
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The Fox by John Babatope
Everyone knows about the circle of life. The bunny eats the carrot. I eat the bunny, and sooner or later I am to be eaten by the cougar. However, I did not like this cycle, and neither did my master. She saw potential for me in her home. Sadly her friends said I could never be held in a house, but she chose to go against the majority, by taking me into her abode. Sometimes, she locks me in her closet, but every time she takes me out, I embrace her forgivingly. No longer do I feast on the hair, but rather the left overs of tuna fish sandwich when she spills them. I keep her warm when she is cold. Our first encounter is still a vivid image in my mind. She picked me up with deep interest. She stroked my bright red fur and politely asked, “Can I use a check to buy this coat?�
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