The Yard: Volume 9 Issue 1

VA L E R I A , 2 1

The “it’s totally nobody’s business but mine” birth control.

The Implant. Now FREE or low-cost. Stop by Student Health Services or visit whoopsproofsc.org.

Fees for extra services requested or required are not covered by WhoopsProofSC. Valid only for students at participating colleges & universities in South Carolina thru 12/31/2020. Schedule an appointment to review your eligibility.

Upcoming Events February 27 CisternYard News February Release

March 12

CisternYard Radio hosts open mic night!

April 2 CisternYard Media’s ďŹ rst ever fashion magazine release!

April 22 Cougarpalooza!

SWIPE THE STAFF design by Tyler McCormack

editor’s

Letter

Zoë Murrie

Editor in Chief

CisternYard News February 2020

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TABLE OF Upcoming Events Letter From The Editor

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Defining the Line

“Essentially, we teeter a fine line between self love and love for self.”

Black Excellence Harken Cafe Who’s Hsu? “President, Andrew Hsu hopes that students “enjoy [their] experience on campus” and wished everyone a safe, happy Valentine’s Day.”

CONTENTS

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Reproductive Health Tinder Stories Global to Local

“Each time he turned his eyes towards Dr. Maldonado, she beamed, emitting the image of love itself. It was this kind of adoring atmosphere which persisted throughout the interview.�

Quiz

Love and Astrology

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Self Love v.s. Love of Self

by Shannon Murray photos by Sophia Barham

Modern self love is too often portrayed as getting a facial while reading the new self help book by Brene Brown. Propping your feet up and sipping on your favorite cheap wine. Telling yourself, “you can do it” while looking at your reflection in the mirror.

pretty positively about yourself. But what if you like yourself a little too much? A little bit of narcissism is normal (and sometimes necessary), but when the love of self is being pushed onto others, that’s when you and I have a problem.

What Gen Zers don’t know is that they have an abundance of self love, more than any generation that has come before them. Essentially, we teeter a fine line between self love and love for self.

Generation Z is marked by selfies, Tinder, and as much as we hate to admit it—narcissism.

What forms this crisis of too much self love? Well some may argue that the idea of self love stems from an even deeper crisis of self hate. Picking apart ourselves in hate has led to an even worse scenario, an overcompensation of love for ourselves. We have all met that overly extroverted people-person who we really know struggles with loving the foundational parts of themselves. These people poke fun at others, use a lot of excuses, can’t get into a healthy relationship and need to be the center of attention.

I’m assuming that you, like most people, think

Patrica Anthony a consultant from Patant

I know I’m guilty of this type of surface level self love. My spacebar on my laptop has a sticker that says “girl, you got this” for God’s sake.

CisternYard News February 2020

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Consultants International expertly explains the fine line between self love and narcissism. “While pride and confidence is attractive, narcissism and boastfulness isn’t; and there is a very thin line between the two. An important skill which a man must develop in making himself appear more attractive to women is to develop the art of heaping praise on himself and declaring his accomplishments, without appearing self-consumed and boastful. He must learn to walk that tightrope between expressing self-love and narcissism.”

Without question, there are narcissists out there who really do hate themselves. We think you have a person in mind. People who say outlandishly positive things about themselves (e.g. “I’m smarter than Einstein”) when it’s obvious that they’re covering up for a perceived deficiency (e.g. they dropped out of high school). But frankly, people can also be arrogant and conceited without any sort of deep-seated anguish. As unpleasant as that is to think about.

Loving ourselves is about taking care of ourselves – mind, body and soul.

It’s about having routines and rhythms which show we value ourselves, and that we believe we have value to give to others.

It’s about seeing ourselves as part of a larger story with a role to play and giving ourselves our best chance to do that.

What I’m getting at here is that we need to define the line of self love and love of self. By loving ourselves in a healthy way— learned through self reflection— we can show others the love they need and enter into a mindset that accounts for the others. Self love is not putting ourselves above others. It’s not about thinking we are better than our neighbor. Because these habits have a negative impact on our health, we get down, and can begin to play the victim, and make life all about us. This leads to the flawed, selfish, egotistical, self-involved, self-centred version of self love which is so so damaging.

The elimination of too much love of self is difficult. It’s about realizing that there is a bigger story being told than just ours. If we all pay more attention to others’ stories, then by default, there will always be someone to hear our story – and when we’re really in need, more people to genuinely support us. If all of us choose to look outwards, then none of us will ever be alone.

“While pride and confdence is attractive, narcissism and boastfulness isn’t; and there is a very thin line between the two.

An important skill which a man must develop in making himself appear more attractive to women is to develop the art of heaping praise on himself and declaring his accomplishments, without appearing self-consumed and boastful. He must learn to walk that tightrope between expressing self-love and narcissism.”

A journey of self love starts when you realize that you love yourself too much. Make this journey your own and begin with one action.

Then each day or each week, choose one more action you can take. In time, healthy self-care, and being outward looking, will become a habit. And not only will you see the difference, the whole world will.

Because ironically, when we try to make ourselves the center of the universe, we’re actually showing we don’t value ourselves. It shows that we value attention from others more than ourselves. And all that attracts, at best, is pity, which isn’t love, it isn’t connection, it’s not genuine.

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CisternYard.com

Black EXcellence Every February we celebrate Black History Month and the achievements of African Americans. In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, started what was called “Negro History Week” and in 1976 it became “Black History Month.” The month of February was selected for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of Fedrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.

By Bryce Warner

Lamar Jackson

Today, Black History is being made just about everyday. This Black History Month, we’ve compiled a list of African Americans who are making history.

Lamar Jackson just got done playing one of the best seasons in NFL history.

The Baltimore Ravens quarterback was unanimously named MVP of the 2019-20 NFL season. Jackson is the second player ever to win the award unanimously. He is also the third youngest player to win the award.

Throughout the season, Jackson became the first quarterback with over 3,000 passing yards and over 1,000 rushing yards. Jackson also broke the record for rushing yards as a QB, previously set by Michael Vick, with 1,206 yards.

Cori “coco” Gauff

Simone Biles

At 15 years of age, Coco Gauff has already made history in professional tennis. She first made history by becoming the youngest player to qualify for the main draw at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. In the first round she upset Venus Williams.

Gauff would make it to the fourth round before she was eliminated from the tournament. Gauff won her first WTA singles title at the 2019 Linz Open. This made her the youngest WTA singles title-holder since 2004.

Lil Nas X In 2019, platinum recording artist Lil Nas X made history as he broke the Billboard Top 100 record. His smash hit “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus spent 17 weeks as the number one song. The previous record belonged to Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber for “Despacito,” which spent 16 weeks on top of the Billboard Top 100 chart in 2017. Lil Nas X would go on to win two Grammys for the song as well.

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Simone Biles is the most accomplished gymnast ever. Last October, Biles won five gold medals at the Gymnastics World Championship, giving her 25 World Championship medals for her career, 19 gold. During that same meet, she became the first to win five gold medals in a single World Championship since 1958. Biles plans on expanding her total this summer at the Tokyo Olympics. She currently has five Olympic medals, four of those gold and one silver.

Marsai Martin

Better known for her role as Diane Johnson in the ABC comedy “Blackish,” Marsai Martin is the youngest person to produce a Hollywood movie.

In 2019 at 13 years old, Martin was the executive producer of the movie “Little,” starring her, Issa Rae and Regina Hall. The movie would go on to make $15 million in its first weekend.

Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele has been making his mark on the movie industry with his thrillers “Us” and “Get Out.” He is the first African American screenwriter to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out.” The movie also received a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest rated wide released movie in 2017. When Peele released “Us” he had the biggest opening weekend for an original horror film. The film made $29.1 million on its first day.

Jennifer King

Recently, the Washington Redskins hired Jennifer King as their assistant coach. She is the first African American woman to hold this type of position in the National Football League.

King was formerly head coach for the Johnson & Wales University women’s basketball team and also worked as intern coach for the Carolina Panthers.

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"Succe is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to sucd."

-Bker T Washington

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CisternYard News Febrauary 2020

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Coming March 2020 @cyfashionmag

What Does it Mean to be a Woman in Fashion?

By Zoë Murrie “During the womenswear seasons of fashion week, it is always the public perception of what it means to be a woman that is most at stake,” according to the founder of the fashion blog Man Repeller, Leandra Medine. If this is true, the runway shows of 2018 surely made fashion insiders question what it meant to be a woman in fashion.

According to Medine, fashion tastemakers have previously been able to remove some of the politics from fashion, and take for granted the implications of feminism and empowerment in clothing designed for women.

Medine credits a large part of this to the genius of Celine Creative Director Phoebe Philo.

For ten years, Philo helmed the design house Celine and is applauded for her oversized silhouettes, sumptuous fabrics and easy-chic aesthetic. Philo is one of the first women designers who understood what it meant to be a modern woman.

She designs clothes for other women to look beautiful, to be comfortable and to feel empowered. Philo’s laid-back aesthetic is so lauded that she is credited with single-handedly bringing Birkenstocks and Stan Smith sneakers back into the fashion mainstream.

CisternYard News February 2020

However, Philo’s legacy came into question when it was announced last year that she would be leaving the design house.

Fans were devastated when it was announced that Hedi Slimane would take over Celine.

Slimane, the Creative Director, credited with saving the Yves Saint Laurent brand, is infamous for his darkly sexy clothing and dangerously thin models. Before his first collection premiered, fans of Celine held their breath to see if he would retain any semblance of Philo’s creation.

As many feared, Slimane’s first collection for Celine this past fall looked like a repeat of his previous Yves Saint Laurent collections. Philo’s ugly-cool footwear, cozy sweaters and healthy looking models were replaced with teeny sequin mini dresses, skeletal models and bored expressions. With the exception of celebrities who were fans of Slimane’s previous work (Lady Gaga being chief among them), the online fashion community was in an uproar over Slimane’s showing.

While people were upset that it looked nothing like the Celine brand, the bigger issue was people felt like Slimane had regressed to an earlier era of fashion exempt from body positivity, feminist and diversity movements. (in addition to his other errors, there are only about seven models of color in a 150 piece collection).

In a post-Me Too, Times Up era, Slimane’s egregiously anti-feminist collection felt like a slap in the face. For many women, clothing provides an essential part of identity and freedom in an often misogynistically controlling world. Many felt like some of that was taken away by Slimane’s new iteration of Celine.

Despite the fumbles at Celine, 2018 was an iconic and important year for women in fashion.

Between the blackout at last year’s Golden Globes, Serena Williams’s iconic looks on the tennis court, Janelle Monae’s vulva pants, countless brands integration of size and racial diversity and even Melania Trump’s “I really don’t care” jacket, we had to face fashion’s political implications and figure out what kind of sartorial landscape we wanted to exist in.

Fashion is powerful and can be used as an affecting tool for change. As Leandra said, fashion shows us what it means to be a woman in our society. While celebrities and creative directors will surely continue to make bold statements with their clothes, it is time for all of us to hold designers accountable for creating fashion that is inclusive, political and progressive.

While progress is always slow-moving, 2020 has already proven to be upending political norms. Right now we have the most women ever voted into Congress. With all of the hurdles we’ve overcome, facilitating an intersectional feminist fashion landscape should be easy.

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Harken Cafe

By ZoĂŤ Murrie Pictures by Sophia Barham

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CisternYard.com

On a cold, rainy February afternoon I took a damp stroll up King street to Charleston’s newest cafe, Harken.

Harken, located on Queen street close to Husk, is by all accounts dreamy.

The space highlights the building’s original brick from 1705, and is spotted with plants and ceramic mugs that make the place feel like a very elevated version of home.

As soon as I stepped in, the cafe was unbelievably cozy and buzzing with people enjoying slab pies, avocado coffee cake and earl grey lattes. Definitely the perfect place to be on a rainy February friday. As I spoke to the co-owners Cameron Neal and Greer Gilchrist, the cafe only felt warmer.

Neal, a graduate of the College thought throughout her college career that she would eventually become a diplomat.

She studied international business, spoke Spanish and Portuguese and was sent to Brazil for a year on a federal grant through CofC’s business school. Shortly after moving to DC

Shortly after helping open that cafe, Neal and Gilchrist decided that they wanted to open a cafe for themselves.

“Then we talked about it and had some really fun meetings at our favorite coffee shops in DC and were like we’ve done it for other people and we think we have the knowledge and the drive and the work ethic to do it for ourselves.”

After the unfortunate passing of Neal’s mother, her father asked her and her brother to come be with him in Charleston. It was then that Neal asked Gilchrist, who had never lived in the South, if they could bring their dreams of opening a cafe to Charleston. Then in the fall of 2017 they opened the doors of the Harbinger, a cafe on upper King street.

“I think that’s how you do the best job, when you’re not trying to impersonate something, when it is from the heart then I think you do a much better job and then whether someone thought they wanted Harken or not they are drawn to it, because they can feel it.” and working for the Brazilian embassy however, Neal realized it wasn’t the right move for her.

“I worked for a government and realized I don’t love authority and structure. I can’t sit at a desk all day. I get super antsy, I love getting my hands dirty. I love getting my pants dirty.” Neal explained.

“I made the decision during the tail end of my stint at the brazilian embassy to flip my life on its head and move to San Francisco but I did miss DC a lot, so I moved back and met Greer and helped a couple of friends of ours open a cafe in DC.”

CisternYard News February 2020

After only being open for 3 months they were actually approached by the owners of Harken’s building asking if they would want to put another cafe in that space. [It] was very flattering and very sweet. We were like we just opened 3 months ago, we’re not in the position to open a cafe.” Neal said. “We knew if we opened a second one we wanted it to be very different, have its own personality, have its own branding and I don’t think we had the creativity energy at that point to understand what that would be.”

Luckily for Neal and Gilchrist, they had almost two years to consider not only the decor and menu, but to think about what kind of business the space needed. The pair ended up choosing the name Harken to evoke a harkening back to the past. Not only because the building and the neighborhood are historic, but because the menu embodies pieces of their own past and food that’s a little more classical.

When I asked them if it was difficult finding the right aesthetic and structural choices, they explained that they created a business that they were drawn to. “What’s really 18

great is that’s is so much easier to build a business if you are your demographic, we understood what we wanted and we built that knowing that our friends would want it and that there are more people like us.”

Neal said.

“It’s like when they tell you to write the novel you want to read, build the business you want, make the lunch you want to eat.” Gilchrist said.“I think that’s how you do the best job, when you’re not trying to impersonate something, when it is from the heart, then I think you do a much better job. Whether someone thought they wanted Harken or not they are drawn to it, because they can feel it.”

Neal and Gilchrist are proud that The Harbinger and Harken go across gendered and generational gaps. They speak fondly of babies, older men who bring chess sets daily and even a couple who was married in Harken earlier this year.

For Neal and Gilchrist, they want their cafes to be community spaces that their regulars feel ownership over.

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“We were never trying to be trendy, I hope we never are, it is for the community always. Use it as you will.” Neal said.

Neal and Gilchrist have a lot of ideas for the future. “I think Harken would do well for more open to the public events like lecture series, author talks, musicians.” Neal said, comparing Harken to the private events they often do at the Harbinger.

“I think we’ve been overwhelmed thinking about a vision, but we said ten years ago that we wanted a family of three little tiny spaces.” Neal said.

“We have two now, I can’t imagine a third downtown. I don’t know where that would be and I don’t think it would be anytime soon but I think we have these other little passion projects that will drive us.”

“We’re just insatiated people.

Greer’s always hungry,” Neal jokes “I always want to do another buildout, so i think we need to figure that out. We’re often approached with other

possibilities, and we consider them.

We haven’t said yes to anything.”

“There’s also still a lot of work to do on the Harb and Harken. They can always improve. They’re living and breathing little babies, so that still takes a lot of time.” Gilchrist adds.

“I think long term we both expect more and to be challenged continuously because I think that’s how you continue to grow internally and in your business.” Neal adds astutely.

“Yes 33 is old but it’s also still young.”

As I reassure Neal that she is still very much young I’m excited thinking about the future of these two spaces.

Hopefully you’ll become a regular of Harken, take some ownership and watch it continue to grow.

Harken is open Monday through Friday from 7am-3pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am-3pm. Be sure to check out Harken for your next coffee date. and as warm weather approaches spend a leisurely afternoon out on their patio.

CisternYard.com

WHO’S HSU ?

PART TWO

by Alec Abraham photos by Sophia Barham

It’s February. Love is in the air and College of Charleston’s President, Andrew Hsu hopes that students “enjoy [their] experience on campus” and wished everyone a safe, happy Valentine’s Day. In addition to this presidential Valentine’s day message, we caught up with President Hsu in an effort to learn about his adjustment to the College, CofC Day and the President’s vision for the College moving forward.

“I’m really loving it every minute,” President Hsu said of his time at the College thus far. Since his installment, students have been quick to notice President Hsu’s direct activity with them through his his office hours, public appearances and famous exam study playlists.

He credits students for being welcoming, “enthusiastic about the college and extremely kind.” President Hsu believes that Students are “the only reason a university exists.” So for him, building connections with students is paramount to the College’s success. To President Hsu, it is simple, the College is concerned with students in the same way that any industry is concerned with the wellbeing of their clients. President Hsu describes the importance of connecting with students outside of formal

channels as instrumental to their success, as well as the College’s. He notes that faculty, staff and administrators are “here to serve our students.” That they “want to do a good job,” that they “want every student to be successful in getting a good education.” President Hsu described that it is “really important... to have that direct interaction with the students so that students would feel comfortable talking to me if they have any issues or if they need any help.” President Hsu made clear that networking with students was one of the best methods to ensure that the College reaches its goals. Dr. Hsu noted that he regularly participates in the faculty senate and the staff advisory council to ensure that the College meets faculty and staff needs.

As such, President Hsu wanted to ensure that student interests would be represented at the College’s 250th Anniversary celebration during CofC Day on Jan. 30, 2020. The President remarked that planning for the celebration commenced during the summer of 2019 and he was very proud that the College was able to raise about $5 million in one day.

All in all, President Hsu characterized the day as, “rewarding” and his time overseeing the ceremonies as “very exciting.”

Rather notably, during his address during CofC day, President Hsu recalled parts of the College’s dark history “intertwined with the history of the South and the history of slavery.” President Hsu mentioned that acknowledging the College’s past is one of the beginning steps of forming “an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcome” which relates to one of the objectives in the College’s strategic plan. Accepting our history is the first step in doing “a better job in recruitment so that the campus is more diverse more reflective of South Carolina. And also, we need to develop the support system for all. For all students from different backgrounds, so that everybody can be successful.”

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President Hsu’s recognizability on campus and his CofC day speech demonstrate that the administration views openness and diversity as crucial to student success.

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Additionally, President Hsu mentioned the College’s strategic plan, the College’s longterm initiative, during the 205th Anniversary Speech. The President shared that the College is beginning the third phase of the strategic plan. He explained that, “focus areas for the next ten years...are taking shape.” At this stage, the College now has a draft of what the strategic plan is going to look like. This comes after months of evaluating the College’s “strengths and weaknesses” through student, faculty and staff input.

President Hsu outlined the focus areas of the strategic plan which include student success, staff/employee success, diversity and inclusion and finally innovation. The President and others want the College to be, “one of the most innovative universities.”

Through the strategic plan, President Hsu desires, to “achieve better success,” and a “better student the experience, better retention better graduation rate and so forth.”

The President remarked that a full draft with the Board’s blessing should hopefully be available in May. A steering committee is currently “filling in the details” and is “looking at all the input and trying to make sense of it. We’re trying to put everything together.” The President said that a version of the plan that the College is constructing for feedback should be available in another month.

As for now, President Hsu is looking forward to his next student event. He is preparing to deliver valentines to students on February 14 signaling that the College is a place loving and welcome to all.

CisternYard News Febraurary 2020

Deter mined toRise: South Carolina’s Reproductive Health Crisis

By: Katie Hopewell “The thing is: it’s not about women and what [they] need—it’s about an agenda” notes College of Charleston Junior and Planned Parenthood Generation Action President and Founder, Makayla Cook, in response to recently proposed South Carolina legislation to further restrict women’s access to safe abortions. Cook is not alone in her perception; the flurry of statewide abortion bans and restrictions which arose in May 2019 have women across the nation scrutinizing decisions grounded in general neglect for female healthcare—and rightfully so. But this battle between women constituents and their unreceptive representatives is nothing unfamiliar.

An image of female political triumph remains in the forefront of many individuals’ memories during this recent upheaval; Roe v. Wade’s Plaintiff cisternyard.com

Norma McCorvey (aka “Jane Roe”) and attorney Gloria Allred standing on the steps of the Supreme Court immediately after the decision, with arms raised hand-in-hand, revelling in the glory of their 7-2 win. It was at this point, many agree, that women’s reproductive rights in the United States reached their pinnacle. Not long after the decision, states began attaching legal stipulations to what was originally a constitutional protection of a woman’s right to safe abortions. South Carolina swiftly followed suit, banning abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy within only a year of the historic case.

In the four decades to come, South Carolina legislators pared down the law, becoming increasingly restrictive with each new bill.

The status quo for women’s reproductive health in South Carolina now—nearly fifty years after the fact of Roe—is a total of 3 state-recognized abortion clinics (in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville) and a firm promise from Governor Henry McMaster to sign a bill restricting abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, with exceptions only for cases of rape or incest that have been reported to the 25

state. This is only a bill, but it should be acknowledged that South Carolina women are already required to have an ultrasound and stand by for a 24 hour waiting period before they can receive an abortion. Futher, abortions cannot exceed 20 weeks of pregnancy—explicitly defying the Roe v. Wade cutoff set at 24 weeks.

Forcing women to wait a full day to receive treatment insists that they are unable to make tough decisions on their own terms; diminishing numbers of clinics legally enumerated to provide abortions indicates a lack of concern for women’s accessibility to healthcare; requiring women to report sexual assault cases in order to receive care undermines the trauma associated with such incidents.

Regardless of individuals’ beliefs on abortion, it should be abundantly clear that these are not just abortion restrictions, they are government efforts to subdue women and their right to bodily autonomy masquerading as abortion restrictions, and regardless of how individuals perceive them, that is what they are.

behind their efforts was only the first step, as reversing nearly half a century of abortion restrictriction legislation is no simple feat. Numerous state institutions require reformation in order to rectify healthcare wrongdoings, one of the most consequential is education. Much of the discourse opposing abortion is ill-informed and based on a projection of one’s ideological and religious views onto another, signalling a need for increased public knowledge about what truly takes place during an abortion and why restricting access to them places women in more peril than not.

well-informed and tenacious activists like Cook to continue pushing against state lawmakers and their anti-women agendas. It is crucial to acknowledge that no individual should ever have legal protection to strip another of their bodily autonomy—not even those enacting the laws.

Even more dire, the necessity for sex education reform, as to ensure adolescents receive only true, comprehensive and unbiased lessons about sex and the mechanisms of their reproductive systems remain unequivocal.

Cook noted, “So many things could be prevented if sex and your bodies weren’t such mysterious and dangerous things.” And she’s right. South Carolina, among many other states, needs more than an election to reverse decades of anti-abortion legislation— veritably incorporating women’s needs in state politics requires prudent,

Unearthing the lawmakers’ true intent

Interested in Taking Action?

Contact CofC’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action Chapter at ppgacofc@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved.

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CisternYard News February 2020

CofC Takes Tinder

by Tyler McCormack and Iriana Rucker Tinder is a hallmark of college life. The app has brought many happy couples together through its system of swiping right and left based on people’s profiles. However, along with those happy couples, the app has brought hilarious horror stories to many of CofC’s students. After talking with the masses, these are some of the staff’s favorite Tinder stories. Note: Responses have been edited for clarity without changing content.

“I set my age range up all the way, found my dad, and deleted the app.” -cofc Sophomore “I once got super drunk and just started swiping right on everyone and sending them my address.” -Cofc senior

“He didn’t speak english and he stuck it in my b***.” -Cofc junior “The first guy i ever matched with bought feet pics from me for $75.” -cofc Freshman “Me and my friends placed bets to see how many guys we could get to stick their d**** in bagels and send us pictures of it. i won.” -cofc senior

Global

to Local

Finding Love in the most unlikely places

By Emily Turner Their matching flannel shirts and grins indicated a simultaneous excitement and nervousness – the kind of feeling right before your first kiss. Dr. Max Kovalov, normally a stoic eastern European man, fell into a comfortable position on the couch sitting next to his wife. Each time he turned his eyes towards Dr. Maldonado, she beamed, emitting the image of love itself. It was this kind of adoring atmosphere which persisted throughout the interview.

Conversation held equal amounts of agreement and playful interruption.

While many students at the College may notice the small, fleeting inter-

CisternYard News February 2020

Having been married for almost nine years, they are sharing their story with the College of Charleston community for the first time.

A coffee shop near campus at Oklahoma University is an essential place to begin this love story. It was Dr. Kovalov’s friend – later a groomsman at their wedding – who initiated the couple’s connection by introducing himself to Dr. Maldonado and her roommate in Norman, Oklahoma. Dr. Maldonado remembers that despite stealing glances between previous study sessions, they never spoke until that day.

Throughout the interview, they recall memories made from over a decade of dating and marriage. It’s a love story which – told in their words – could pull tears from any hopeless romantic, and reach deep into the coldest hearts.

After meeting each other there for the first time, the coffee and studying transitioned into a night of pancakes. Dr. Kovalov described the eastern European tradition of Maslenitsa, also known as pancake week.

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“It’s a Pagan holiday based on pagan traditions and we celebrate the end of winter. So, pancakes represent the sun, something bright, something sweet. It’s a whole week event. Everyday we go and eat pancakes, we make pancakes, we cook them for different groups of people.”

“So that was my introduction to him. My first impression was like, ‘yeah, a guy who can cook!’” Dr. Maldonado said.

For their first date, Dr. Maldonado invited Dr. Kovalov to see “23”; a horror movie that she happened to have an extra ticket for.

“By the way, it’s one of the best movies –” “It’s so bad! It’s such a bad movie,” Dr. Maldonado interrupted playfully.

“Since then, we actually have established this as a tradition. We go to see a bad movie on our anniversary, then we go to some kind of Asian cafe,” It was one of these cafes where Dr. Kovalov popped the question. Throughout the cafe, “My Sweet and Tender Beast” – one of the only Russian songs Dr. Maldonado knew – played in the background and grew to its crescendo as he presented her the ring.

While visiting his family in Crimea, Dr. Kovalov had asked his brother to help him shop for the perfect engagement ring; he purchased the ring in the city of Feodosia.

Looking back, Dr. Maldonado remembers her reaction to the proposal. “I was not expecting it. It was a complete surprise.”

They later used that same Russian song for their first dance at their wedding on October 22nd, 2011 – the same day that Oklahoma University happened to be playing Texas Tech.

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In a place like Norman, Oklahoma they knew it would be difficult to find a date for their wedding. “In the fall everything revolves around the football schedule. So facilities were busy, there would be no way to book something during a football game,” said Dr. Kovalov.

While Oklahoma would always remain an important cornerstone of their relationship, Dr. Maldonado’s career led the couple to a new chapter at the College of Charleston. Although Dr. Kovalov remarks that Charleston is very different from Oklahoma and they really knew nothing about the city, it was “much easier than to move from Ukraine to Oklahoma!”

It’s a witty comment which obscures some of the complexity of this experience. While Dr. Kovalov summarizes this transition in one word – “different” – yet his story is much more enticing than he indicates. Born in what was then Soviet Union, Dr. Kovalov’s undergraduate degree comes from the Vinnytsia National Technical Center in Ukraine. Upon receiving a grant from the U.S. State Department to pursue his Master’s Degree in America, Dr. Kovalov enrolled at Oklahoma State University and graduated in 2004. He met Dr. Maldonado while pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma.

Born in Puerto Rico, Dr. Maldonado moved to the United States in her early childhood. Her father’s career as a physician led their family to Anadarko, Oklahoma; a small town only one hour away from Norman and the University of Oklahoma.

She received her undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. degrees at this university.

On paper, the difference in their backgrounds outweighs their commonalities.

Dr. Maldonado comments that their roles as non-English speakers and as academics allow for greater understanding and appreciation of each other. “We get to talk about stuff that we study, and disagree about the stuff that we study, and I think that we understand each other – because of this work – more than some couples coming from different fields or have different jobs,” Dr. Kovalov said.

The narrative of Dr. Kovalov and Dr. Maldonado’s marriage is refreshing in that it does not follow any kind of formula or fit a single stereotype. Their first fight consisted of a disagreement regarding populism in Latin America and Europe. Their backgrounds learning English as a second language posed language barriers when Dr. Maldonado met her fiancé’s parents for the first time (Dr. Maldonado says playfully, “As far as I knew, they loved me!”).

There are endless vignettes and anecdotes to justify their uniqueness while also conveying the respect and love within their relationship. But, perhaps most importantly, this love remains strong after almost nine years of marriage. In the words of Dr. Kovalov, “It felt like we had been together for a long time, we’d known each other for a long time without really even being together for a long time.” Although the last nine years have passed quickly, it seems that for Dr. Kovalov and Dr. Maldonado, time has stood still.

CisternYard.com

Which celebrity couple are you and your boo?

You and your signifigant other have been dating for a looooong time You and your boo have definitley had some rough patches

You love to be showered in gifts. Jewlery, clothes, the whole nine yards You and your partner are very romantic There is a signifignt height differnce between you and your partner

You and your signifigant other do everything together... I mean everything.

You and your partner would perfer the bars over

You love commitment. Put that ring on my finger!

Your bestie loves you and your signifigant other together

You and your partner wear matching outfits to Disneyworld

You and your partner want a lot of babies

Your signifigant other thinks you would be the perfect president

You and your boo both LOVE attention

Your relationship took a long time to start

You met your cutie pie at a party

Food is at the center of you and your boo’s relationship

Match the majority of colors you relate to with the celebrities

Love in the

Stars

Aquarius, Virgo, Taurus, Capricorn, Scorpio, Gemini.

The list goes on. But how much validity does the zodiac hold? Can we really find love based on the stars?

Although lots of people believe it, zodiac signs actually don’t have any scientific basis. But first, what exactly is astrology and the zodiac?

“Astrology has always been ‘how can we use what we see in the sky to make meaning in our lives?’” astronomy professor Dr. Ashley Pagnotta said. The zodiac is classified as the 12 different constellations that sprinkle our sky and where the sun is in relation to those constellations at any given moment The study of stars and cosmic events historically has been used by ancient astrologers to predict certain events and influence decisions made by kingdoms and rulers. As centuries passed, seeking meaning out of what’s in the heavens has evolved into how we see astrology and the zodiac today.

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For example, I am a Cancer born on July 15th. Cancer is a constellation depicted as a crab that the Sun faces in the day during the month of July. At night however, the constellation visible during the month of July is Scorpius. This is due to the Earth’s rotation around the sun relative to the stars’ position in the sky and time of year.

Being a cardinal water sign, some personality traits said to be typical of Cancers include being highly intuitive, they can easily detect the energy or atmosphere of a room, they are self-protective and highly sensitive to their environments and tend to adopt caregiver roles.

Cancers tend to be attracted to domestic environments; they enjoy being in safe spaces and find comfort in familiarity. Now take, the word “Cancer” and fill in the blank with whatever your zodiac sign is: Do you think any of these qualities apply to you?

CisternYard News February 2020

If I had said that these were the qualities of any other sign (say Libra for instance), what’s to say you wouldn’t believe it? How could you tell? You can’t. Each person is different and all have desires. Most of you would say that these qualities used to describe Cancer also apply to you to some extent.

The point I’m trying to make is this: the assumptions about the traits of different zodiac signs and their apparent compatibility are not backed up scientifically. Dr. Pagnotta performed a similar social experiment with her students. Asking them what each of their signs were, she passed out slips of paper with a list of different character traits according to each student’s sign. She then asked the class if they thought these qualities typical of their sign applied to them in some way.

The students all agreed that their individual slips of paper were applicable to their individual lives and described them accurately. She then had the students reveal their slips of paper to each other. Everyone was given the same exact sheet of paper with the same exact descriptions on them. But despite them being the same, each student got something different from it.

a t s ju is c ia od z e h t d n “Astrology a ple eo p t a h t s f ie el b e h t m r f n way to co This e. v a h o t t n a w or e v a h y d alrea ou y t a h t n ea m y il r a s es ec n doesn’t shouldn’t read your g in t es er t in d n a n u f e r ’ ey horoscope, th ber em em r o t t n a t or p im is t I to read. y a w e h t e, k a m ou y s n io is ec that the d ou’re y o h w d n a f el s r ou y e ib cr you des to s r ou y e r a h it w e l ib t a p m co control.”

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“You can write them (horoscopes or zodiac descriptions) in ways that are universally appealing because we’re all people and we all are uncertain about things and worried about the future,” Dr. Pagnotta said. People want to trust their partners in committed relationships. Dr. Pagnotta continues, “we have very similar desires and so it’s almost like a psychology experiment of how you write these horoscopes; to appeal to people and be generally useful. You read it and you’re like ‘oh yeah this is great advice!’ or ‘I really needed this today!’ and...everybody needed that today.”

The truth is, astrology and the zodiac is just a way to confirm the beliefs that people already have or want to have. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t read your horoscope, they’re fun and interesting to read. It is important to remember that the decisions you make, the way you describe yourself and who you’re compatible with are yours to control.

In terms of love, don’t base your relational decisions off of what astrology says would be your ideal partner; you make it true for yourself.

Even though it might be easier to write off other signs to narrow down your choices in an ideal mate, don’t limit yourself to what your horoscope says. You have control over the decisions you make in your love life, not the stars. As cool as that might be if it were true.

Learn more about voting at Berniesanders.com/SouthCarolina/students

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF AMERICA, FROM TOM STEYER Your concerns about climate are completely justified and on target. It's ridiculously unfair for you to inherit an uninhabitable planet because self-interested politicians refuse to stand up to corporations. But they can’t dismiss you. Your voices rise with the conviction of truth and the willingness to act. You’ve called yourselves “the voiceless future of humanity,” but you are not voiceless. For too long, members of my generation have chosen short-term profit over anything else, even people’s lives. But you’ve broken through — using every tool at your disposal to demand a voice.

It’s imperative for those in power to treat the climate crisis with the urgency it demands. I'm the only candidate who will openly make fighting climate change my number one priority. If it's not number one, it won't get done ... and it has to get done.

On the first day of my presidency, I will declare the climate crisis a national emergency and invoke the emergency powers of the executive office, including enacting power plant regulations, instilling stricter pollution standards on cars, and revamping building codes.

I will hold all corporate polluters accountable for their environmental crimes against humanity.

No other candidate sees it this way, but we have no choice — we’re running out of time. It’s why I left my company a decade ago to start NextGen America, and worked with students all across the U.S. to mobilize the largest youth voter registration and turnout effort in American history. Young people lead the charge; and in 2020 you’ll vote out the most corrupt president this country has ever seen.

Climate justice is at the heart of this struggle. Far too much pollution is located in communities that lack political agency, and especially in communities of color. My climate justice plan (tomsteyer.com/climate) focuses on bringing justice to those whose air and water has been poisoned by corporations over decades of discriminatory, environmentally racist policies.

We must redress this historic and continued discrimination if we are going to build a better America and transform our economy safely and equitably.

On day one of my presidency, I will declare the climate crisis a national emergency and invoke the emergency powers of the executive office.

When we put justice at the center of fighting climate change, we'll bring this country together and create millions of good, high-paying, green jobs in the process. The future of this planet and our economic future can only be assured together. We must turn the most powerful tool in history — the American economy — toward healing our planet, restoring our communities, and building a government that is truly of, by, and for the people.

This is the election that will determine the course of all our lives. Trump has made it clear that he is willing to destroy our health and our planet to please the oil and gas industry. We must stop him. We can safeguard our futures while restoring the health of the planet. We can become global leaders again through climate action. And together, we can win.

Regardless of who you’re voting for in 2020, I know you’ll show up. I know you’ll speak out.

I know you’ll vote, because there’s so much at stake — everything.

TOM STEYER, DEMOCRAT FOR PRESIDENT

Let’s save the world, and let’s do it together.

Text climate to 46866

PAID FOR BY TOM STEYER 2020