Due South Spring 2022

students | campus | community

TEN YEARS OF DUE SOUTH

THE BEST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE

GET READY WITH US

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of our beloved magazine with us!

Do you feel like college isn’t what you expected?

You’re not alone.

Have you ever wondered how other South students start their day?

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spring 2022 | vol. 11, issue 2

DUE SOUTH DUE SOUTH

The University of South Alabama Communication Building, Room 132 Mobile, AL, 36688 Tel: 251-380-2805 | Fax: 251-380-2850 duesouth@southalabama.edu Editor-in-Chief |

Clorissa Morgan

Assistant Editor |

Ryleigh Thornton

Contributors |

Talitha Buettel Liv George Raven Harrington

Gracie King Emma Lamm Rachel Lane Taylor Rogers Gabrielle Taylor Kelsey Taylor Mary Wolf

Marketing and Promotions |

Raven Harrington

Due South is published twice per academic year-once in the fall and once in the spring. Unless otherwise noted, all content is copyrighted by Due South. Due South is a production of USA Student Media and does not necessarily reflect the views of The University of South Alabama’s administration. The Editor-in-Chief is decided by the Board of Student Communications. All contributors are freelance.

Cover photo from “10 Years of Due South” by Clorissa Morgan; Photo

by Raven Harrington.

Best of the South first place for Best College Magazine, 2020

VOL. 11, IS SUE

2

CONTENTS CONTENTS 01

CONTRIBUTORS

02

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

03

TEN YEARS OF DUE SOUTH

09

#FREEBRITNEY

11

THE BEST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE

15

WATCH YOUR DIGITAL STEP

17

LOVE YOUR LOCKS

19

PRINT THROUGH THE YEARS

23

THE CHANGING WORKFORCE

25

THE MUSIC THAT SHAPED US

29

GET READY WITH US

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INSTAGRAM CURATED BY DUE SOUTH

Celebrate the 10-year anniversary of our beloved magazine with us!

Oh baby, baby, haven’t you heard conservatorships are toxic?

Do you feel like college isn’t the perfect movie scene you imagined? You’re not alone.

You’d be surprised how much you can learn about someone from a simple Google search.

Due South’s guide to getting started on your curly hair journey.

Do you ever wonder how we made it from cave paintings to digital magazines?

What does the future work environment look like for graduates?

Cheers to the music that has enlightened our lives.

Have you ever wondered how other South students start their day?

Everything you need to have a steller Instagram feed.

Contributors Contributors CLORISSA MORGAN

RYLEIGH THORNTON

TALITHA BUETTEL PHOTOGRAPHER

LIV GEORGE

WRITER PHOTOGRAPHER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ASSISTANT EDITOR

RAVEN HARRINGTON

GRACIE KING WRITER

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

EMMA LAMM

RACHEL LANE

TAYLOR ROGERS

GABRIELLE TAYLOR

KELSEY TAYLOR

MARY WOLF

WRITER

PHOTOGRAPHER

WRITER

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PHOTOGRAPHER

WRITER

WRITER

Letter Letter From From the the Editor Editor

F

or me, this semester is filled to the brim with “lasts.” It’s my last time seeing some of my friends, the last time attending the University of South Alabama as a student, and, of course, my last issue as Editor-inChief of Due South.

When you start thinking about how everything you do may be the last time you actually get to do it, you’re bound to get just a little overwhelmed with nostalgia. You think about all the fun times you experienced, all the wonderful people you’ve met, and everything that you’ve accomplished.

You’ll think about the ways you’ve grown and changed to become the person you are now. You can reflect on the past like that for a long time, but, eventually, you won’t be able to stop yourself from thinking about the future. After all, an ending is only the beginning of a new adventure.

These were the musings on my mind when we first began drafting this semester’s release. I knew that Due South would be coming up on a special 10-year anniversary and was determined to make it the highlight of the issue. What I didn’t realize is how much my own experiences and reflections would end up shaping and touching (in what I deemed early on) the “Historical Edition” of Due South.

Of course, with a title like the “Historical Edition,” every article was drafted with the past in mind. However, once everything came together, I realized that this “Historical Edition” isn’t just about history. Moreso, this issue morphed into a physical representation of how it feels to reach an ending: from reflecting back on cherished memories to acknowledging growth to theorizing about what the future has to offer.

As always, I hope you love this blast from the past as much as we do. We truly appreciate all of your support.

Clorissa Morgan Editor-in-Chief

| CONTRIBUTORS | 02

TEN YEARS OF DUE SOUTH T

en years ago, in 2012, Due South published its first-ever issue.

If you’re reading this, you probably know what Due South is.

After all, it’s in your hands! However, as the years have passed, the history of Due South slowly became muddled and lost, even to its own staff. For example, do you know what the name and logo of Due South stands for? You may think it’s just a spin off of the University’s nickname, but Dr. Jim Aucoin, the creator of Due South and former chair of the Department of Communication, gave the title much more thought. Due South represents that all roads lead (Due) to our beloved University (South). The logo is a compass to exemplify that Due South will always point students in the right direction. Of course, what better way to kick off the 10th-anniversary edition of Due South than a walk down memory lane? To celebrate, we sat down with past Editorsin-Chief, from 2012 to 2022. Despite the short window of time each creative leader has in university, Due South has managed to become heavily established within the South community and create an organic creative community that is passed from class to class.

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Due South with a walk down our beloved magazine’s memory lane.

By Clorissa Morgan. Photos by Raven Harrington.

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Alyson Stokes spearheaded the very first issues of Due South.

More specifically, as EIC during the 2012-2013 school year, Stokes was behind the magazine’s first “technical” issue—that is, the first issue to be printed and distributed across campus. For Stokes (and her staff), Due South was a major learning experience.

In the beginning, Due South had no social media, no website, and no photographers. The audience for Due South was, as Stokes phrases it, “just whoever picked one up off the stands.” The writers took their own photos or—in desperate times—pulled them off of Facebook. It was the

to showcase and tell stories that people may not otherwise know.

That’s always been why I wanted to write.” This push toward storytelling included highlighting more eccentric stories and putting new spins on familiar topics.

Working on the first printed issue of Due South was no easy feat, but—seriously—Stokes crushed it. After all, the goals she set became the very foundation of Due South: telling stories and fostering community.

Lover of creativity, Mary Beth Lursen built upon the foundations of the first two issues, and—for her—it was all about finding

For Lursen, living a better life means cherishing art and tapping into your own creativity a little bit each day. She explains, “I tried to get people to look around them and find some creativity in their day-to-day lives because I feel like it’s something you really can’t live without.” From introducing “The Faces of South” to covering the reopening of the student center, it’s safe to say that Lursen’s time as EIC truly helped solidify Due South’s storytelling tradition.

After a successful run as EIC of the Vanguard, Sam Andrews was searching for a means to express

“I wanted it to be irresistible to pick up when walking by a magazine stand” epitome of the early stages of a publication. Getting it completed was a major accomplishment in itself, but Stokes envisioned more than just the big print day. She wanted to create an environment that set others up for success. A large portion of her time at the magazine was spent “establishing a team and gaining trust from the staff. The goal was for everyone to feel involved, collaborative, and that their voice was heard—that nothing was missed.” However, Stokes’s most significant goal was to ensure uniqueness and depth within every issue. She recalls, “A consistent, similar thread that goes throughout my issues was

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the right balance for the stories.

Lursen recalls, “We were trying to be quirky, but also trying to be relevant with the people of South… Quite frankly, we were trying to get readership up at that point. That’s where the relevancy was needed, to make sure the magazine was still being picked up.” How did she accomplish it? During the 2013-1014 school year, Lursen largely focused on finding stories that would not only draw in readers but keep them engaged with things they haven’t necessarily seen before. However, her biggest goal was more personal. Due South’s purpose is to help students lead a better life.

her creative side. As she recalls, “I relished the opportunity to design something eye-catching.”

So—of course—it only follows that Andrews’s biggest goal was bigger, better visual design. She states, “Stretching the bounds of what Due South could look like was always the goal. I wanted it to be irresistible to pick up when walking by a magazine stand. I knew students seeing themselves in it and being able to really relate was the key.” Naturally, goals never end with just one idea.

Andrews dreamed of a Due South that was “a resource for the entire Mobile community” and had an active online presence. The article

“Making History with Native Studies Program” was the perfect opportunity to make that dream a reality; it gave her the chance to educate the entire community “about what a rich Indigenous history we have in Mobile.” Yet, Andrews’s biggest challenge was to execute her plans in such a short time: “I felt like by the time I had a good rhythm, it was time to pass the torch. That is the nature of college involvement: exhilarating and fleeting.” Though Andrews couldn’t see the totality of her vision in just the 2014-2015 school year, her successors were determined to see that vision to the end.

Knox puts it, “we distributed the magazine to a few local spots, but I don’t even think all of the students knew it existed.”

Growing Due South’s audience has been one of the biggest goals for EICs in the past, and for Knox, it was no different. Getting readership up was a major goal.

She states, “It was important to me that it didn’t look like just another university publication.

I wanted students to see it and think, “Yeah, I want to pick that up.” Beyond bolstering readership and design, Knox aimed to highlight both South’s campus and the city of Mobile to bring new excitement to the places that people had grown accustomed to. More importantly, Knox says, “I just wanted to feel like I made a difference in some way. If one student picked up a copy of Due South and learned something or

felt excited about it, that was an accomplishment to me.” Though she states that there’s a lot of things she would change looking back, she’s still ridiculously proud of her time at Due South.

Sara Isham (previously Sara Boone) was Editor-in-Chief for the majority of her college career; The best way to explain her three years (2017-2020) is “legendary.” Seriously— Isham came into the position at the end of her freshman year and completely changed the magazine’s trajectory. Isham’s vision was all about making print desirable in the digital age. How would she convince people to hold a physical magazine and want to keep it? How would she get the readers to come back each semester? Her first plan was a complete rebranding. She

As Editor-in-Chief for the 20152016 school year, Jordan Knox was able to continue many of Andrews’s goals. When she had the position, Due South still had a relatively small audience. As

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explains, “I wanted it to be a professional magazine that had a consistent look, consistent feel, and something that people that people actually recognize and look forward to each semester.”

Not only did she create the identifiable, classic white frame on the cover, but she was the one to shape Due South into the award-winning publication that you know and love. As her skills as a photographer and graphic designer grew with the magazine, Isham began to focus more on the concepts behind the photoshoots and graphics for each issue.

As she explains, “I wanted to focus more on the visuals of the

EIC was the first online semester due to COVID-19. George recalls, “by the time it was my turn, I was dealing with a completely new, uncharted territory,” she continues, “it was the first “Zoom University” semester for South.

We had a lot of uphill challenges, and there was a lot of flexibility needed to actually make the magazine work.” But, her initial fear quickly dissolved with the publication of her first issue, and her goals blossomed into bigger things. Every issue had to answer her three base questions: “What’s important? What does my staff care about? What’s trending?”

George carefully balanced the

It’s beautiful to watch those ideas come together, and my staff grow through the process.”

After speaking with each EIC, I’ve noticed a few things between us. Each of us feels an immense sense of pride for the issues we created. Each of us would have never had a successful issue if it weren’t for the amazingly talented Due South contributors and our faithful student audience. And each of us continues to push the magazine to be bigger, better, and more involved with each passing semester. The visions each one of us have had for this magazine only compound the visions those

“I WAS DEALING WITH A COMPLETELY NEW, UNCHARTED TERRITORY” magazine because that’s the thing that people initially care about. I knew that the everyday reader will probably flip by a story if they’re not interested in the graphics or the layout isn’t compelling to them.” From making national news coverage to winning numerous awards for Due South, Isham breathed a new life into Due South that will make it last for many more years to come.

Liv George, EIC for the 20202021 school year, was initially daunted by her role as EIC. Continuing the legacy of those who came before her was a tall order. Plus, her first semester as

lifestyle aspect of the magazine with issues in the Mobile community. By encouraging writers to speak on topics close to their hearts, she helped Due South tackle socially significant issues like Black Lives Matter, QAnon, and Africatown. With many of her obstacles proving easy to overcome, George shifted her goals to return to one of the first aims of the magazine: community and collaboration. She states, “My biggest goal was to create a collaborative space for the artists that I hired on my staff.

I truly saw everyone as an artist and loved taking their ideas and helping bring those ideas to life.

before us had: from storytelling to raising readership to visuals to fostering a strong sense of community, each goal builds upon the last—even if no one knew it at the time. As the current Editor-inChief, I speak for all of us when I say that I know the future leaders of Due South will only continue to foster a creative community and grow this magazine into something greater than any of us could ever imagine. We can’t wait to see what the next 10 years hold for Due South.

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#FREEBRITNEY Oh baby, baby, haven’t you heard conservatorships are toxic? | By Rachel Lane. Graphics by Emma Lamm.

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“THE WAY I FEEL, IT’S LIKE THEY HEAR ME BUT THEY’RE NOT REALLY LISTENING.”

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f you’ve been on the internet recently, then you’re definitely familiar with the words “Free Britney.” If not, then you should know that Free Britney was a hashtag that was trending on the internet around August of 2020, referencing Britney Spears needing to be freed from the conservatorship her father, Jamie Spears, had over her for 14 long years.

If you were born before 2007, you probably remember Britney constantly making the headlines for her “erratic” behavior. From confronting paparazzi and photographers with an umbrella to shaving her head completely, the news back in the late 2000s was usually around Britney and her mental health. The problem is many people weren’t worried about her actual mental health and just used her mental illness for their own entertainment.

When Britney was struggling the most, the media and the general public failed her as they made memes of her, laughed at her, and talked about her as if she was not even a human being. Around the same time she shaved her head, Jamie Spears filed for temporary conservatorship over Britney. The conservatorship was granted with a shared party who was a family attorney.

Believe it or not, 2020 was not the first time Britney complained about feeling trapped under her father’s conservatorship. Back in 2008, Britney had once said that she felt like it was equal to being in jail. She was quoted saying, “The way I feel, it’s like they hear me but they’re really not listening.”

Her father had complete control over pretty much everything that Britney did. Jamie controlled the production of Britney’s music and all of her medical prescriptions. Even with Britney’s fiancé (at the time), Jason Trawick, being added as a coconservator, Jamie was still making the majority of the decisions revolving around Britney.

As the years continued to go on, Britney seemed to be getting worse and worse. In early 2019, Britney was admitted to yet another mental health facility just a couple months after announcing that she was going on an official work hiatus. Britney

cited her father falling ill at the time as the reason for her break, but many fans wondered if this was actually the case, especially once she was hospitalized after this announcement. As 2019 continued, Britney began to fight back against her father’s conservatorship. In late 2019, Jamie Spears stepped back from being conservator and temporarily had Jodi Montgomery, Britney’s caregiver, fill the position. After this was done, Britney filed papers saying she no longer wanted her father to be her conservator. Instead, she requested Montgomery stay her permanent conservator. With this movement, Britney’s conservatorship was extended into February of 2021.

The conservatorship went through a lot of movements from 2020 through 2021. With constant court meetings and arrangements, Britney made it clear that she wanted one thing: She did not want Jamie Spears to be a conservator over her any longer. In early 2021, The New York Times released a documentary surrounding Britney Spears and her father’s conservatorship titled “Framing Britney Spears.” With the popularity that this documentary garnered, many will say that it was the stepping stone that the Free Britney movement really needed. During this time, Britney started to appear and speak for herself in court; however, Jamie Spears was having none of it.

After a lengthy court battle with her father and plenty of others, Britney’s conservatorship finally came to an end on November 12, 2021.

Fans around the world celebrated Britney’s long overdue freedom of 14 years alongside the singer.

The Free Britney movement had finally come to an end for the singer. While it may be a happy ending for Britney, that might not always be the case for other people that are stuck under abusive conservatorships. This step forward for Britney will hopefully make it easier for other people to escape and leave conservatorships they no longer want to be in. | 10 |

The Best Years of Your Life If college didn’t turn out to be exactly what you expected, you’re not alone | By Taylor Rogers.

Photos by Gabrielle Taylor.

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A

lmost everyone has been told at least once that college is going to be the best years of their life. The reality is, sometimes the college experience isn’t what you thought it would be. I graduate in May, and I can say I learned this the hard way. When I was in high school, I dreamed of college. I couldn’t wait to leave my hometown and have a fresh start in life. However, when I finally made it here, it wasn’t like what you see on TV or in the movies. If you’re reading this and feel the same way, just know that you’re not alone. It’s important to know that everyone has their own experiences in college, and maybe it’s not what you expected, but life doesn’t end after you graduate. It starts. I see college as a free trial in life. You learn more about yourself than you ever have before, you “reinvent” yourself a million times, and you make mistakes, but that’s okay because this is the first time in your life that you’re on your own. In this article, I’m going to be honest about life in college, and hopefully, some of you can relate to my experiences.

Before college, I had expectations that, at that time, I didn’t know were unrealistic.

I thought that I would be going out every weekend and have a big group of friends that I saw all the time. Let’s just say that wasn’t the reality. During my freshman year, I drove home almost every other weekend and spent most of the weekends in between in my dorm. Not to say I didn’t have any good times, because I did, but they weren’t as common as the other. I think the main source of my unrealistic expectations came from social media. Of course, you know people put their best moments on social media, and not every day of their life is like their posts, but that’s a hard thing to convince yourself of. I’ve spent so many years of my life comparing myself to others, and it’s exhausting. When you think everyone is happy and having the time of their life in college, it’s hard to admit when you’re struggling. No one talks about how lonely college can be for people, especially during a pandemic.

The pandemic has altered our world in many ways, and the college campus is no exception. Before the pandemic, the campus was lively; it was the place where you made connections and had most of your social interactions. Whether you hung out in the student center, under the bell tower, or at one of the many picnic tables around campus, there were always people there to talk to. Once the pandemic hit, classes went online, and the campus turned into a ghost town. With the move

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to online classes, people were no longer able to satisfy their need for personal connections. Life became lonely for many. I was in my sophomore year when the pandemic started and for most, they only know post-pandemic college. With this new college dynamic, the way we meet people and make friends has changed. In some ways, it has become harder. Slowly, we are getting back to how it used to be, but we still have a way to go in terms of normalcy.

My advice to freshmen, or any college student, is it’s okay to be excited about college, but don’t put so much pressure on it that it ends up ruining your experience.

I’m a huge perfectionist, so when it comes to doing things, I have a very specific idea of how I want it to happen. When plans don’t go exactly as I thought they would, it’s hard for me to fully appreciate the experience for what it was instead of dwell on what I thought it would be. As I’ve gotten older it’s something that I’m working on, especially during my time in college. I’ve been slowly trying to adopt the “go with the flow” mentality and it’s honestly been kind of refreshing. It also helps to take a step back from social media. Don’t get me wrong, I love scrolling through Tik Tok as much as the next person, but at some point the mindless scroll takes a toll on you. Watching a video of a girl showing her photo album of all the memories she’s made in the past year of college only makes me think about why I haven’t done enough things to fill a photo album yet. I’ve noticed that spending less time on social media has allowed me to appreciate my life for what it is and finding beauty in the mundane moments.

With all this being said, there is so much to look forward to after college. Don’t restrict yourself to the belief that college will be the best years of your life. Once you realize that there is so much more to life, then you’ll truly be able to start living. If your college experience isn’t what you thought it would be, that’s okay.

You have your whole life to live to make memories, make friends, find love, etc.

As my graduation date grows nearer, college isn’t exactly how I planned it out to be, but I’ve learned to find comfort and love in these past four years of my life.

However, I will never forget how many nights I spent alone in my dorm thinking that I was the only one that felt this way. I’m not here to tell you it gets better, but I will say you’re not alone. Here’s to the best years of your life.

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Don’t restrict yourself to the belief that college will be the best years of your life. Once you realize that there is so much more to life, then you’ll truly be able to start living.

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Watch Your Digital Step!

You’d be surprsied how much you can learn about someone from a simple Google search. | By Mary Wolf. Graphics by Emma Lamm.

I

magine you’re going in for an interview for your dream job. You ace the interview, and the manager says he'll get back to you within a few days. One week later, you receive an email politely rejecting your application because of some “disturbing footage” found on your social media. You’re probably very confused.

After all, you didn’t tell them about your Instagram or Tik Tok. How did they find your account name? You may be wondering why the FBI agent in your phone would choose such an inopportune | 15 | DUE SOUTH |

moment to give out your personal information, but what you’ve actually encountered is your digital footprint.

You have probably heard the terminology “digital footprint” in a middle school seminar about the dangers of the internet, but just in case, I am here to give you a clear definition. A digital footprint is your unique record of traceable, online activities.

It’s a collage of all the social media posts, subscriptions, and online purchases you have ever made (and much more). Much to our dismay,

every weird search or latenight YouTube binge is accessible by government agencies, private companies, and your internet service provider.

I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t care if the government steals my information from TikTok.” Unfortunately, there are far more risks involved with our digital footprints than we think. Today, cancel culture thrives because of this. Almost every canceled celebrity was called out because of old tweets and/ or resurfaced videos. It is understandable that older generations would have been less prepared for the exposition of the internet age, but our technological experience does not make us immune. In the summer of 2021, Billie Eilish received severe backlash for a resurfaced video she had posted years ago. She was only 13 or 14 in the video, but internet mobs do not tolerate excuses of any kind. The resurfacing of these videos often leads

to the loss of brand deals, sponsorships, and other jobs.

This punishment may seem unfortunate for the wealthy, but it means even bigger trouble for those who can’t afford to lose any source of income. While celebrities seem to be getting hit the worst, any one of us can be googled and studied by administrators, employers, and the six billion other people in the world who have internet access.

As I mentioned, this isn’t a scary story to tell in the dark.

Many of us have grown up with the internet, so we’re not used to considering its dangers. By making sure you are on a secured network, making online purchases from trustworthy sites, and using strong passwords, you are taking small steps to improve your safety and your online image. So continue your weird Google searches and YouTube binges; just remember to be safe and make responsible choices while surfing the world wide web.

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love your locks

Due South’s guide to getting started on your curly hair journey. Because, in the words of Rachael Gibson, “Throughout history, curls have been coiffed, relaxed, slathered in chemicals and now will the rise of the natural hair movement, thankfully embraced.” | Story by Ryleigh Thornton. Photos by Gabrielle Taylor.

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The Basic Curly Hair Routine Step 0: The Reset Wash Shampoo with sulfates to remove the silicone and wax build-up from your previous products. but stay clear of silicones.You should only do this step the first time you start you Step 1: Co-wash Co-washing is basically just washing your hair, but with conditioner instead of shampoo. This helps lock in the moisture that is so vital for curly hair.You want to do this for at least 60 seconds, really scrubbing your scalp.

Step 2: Squish to Condish Run your fingers through your hair with conditioner until it feels slimy. Then detangle with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb. Next, scrunch your curls before rinsing give your hair get the extra hydration it needs.

Step 3: Style & Gel Rake a palmful of gel or leave in conditioner through your hair from roots to tips and scrunch.

Step 4: Plop & Dry Wrap your hair in a microfiber towel or a cotton t-shirt and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then diffuse or air dry your curls. Once your hair dries, “scrunch out the crunch” from the dry gel in your hair.

Tips & Tricks • •

• •

At night, sleep on either a satin or silk pillowcase or wear a bonnet. These won’t rough up the beautiful curls you worked so hard to get!

Always check your products for silicones and sulfates! Sulfates remove the build-up of silicones, but they also strip your hair of moisture, the biggest necessity for beautiful curls. If you have products with silicones, you won’t have products with sulfates to reduce the build-up. This will weigh down your curls and ruin all your hard work.

Try out this routine for 1-2 months before you start looking into any deeper treatments.

Remember to also avoid over-washing your hair! This can cause your scalp pH to rise, which leads to irritation and flakiness. Having a consistently dry scalp can result in your hair overcompensating and producing too much oil.

Recommended Products: Cantu Curl Activator, As I Am Coconut Cowash, Shea Moisture conditioners, Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk products, Denman Brush, Terra Beauty Bars products.

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Print Throu S

ince the dawn of man, the innately human need to communicate ideas, feelings, and emotions has led to the colorful evolution of print. What started out as cave paintings of prehistoric mammoths and saber-toothed tigers and printing cultural symbols onto clay tablets has turned into a multibillion dollar media staple that continues to heavily influence its readers.

Print media’s illustrious history began when our earliest ancestors took raw pigments like dirt, blood, and charcoal to deep cave walls, recording environmental conditions, close encounters with wild animals, and even depictions of shamanic practices. While their purpose as a whole hasn’t really been defined, it’s clear that whatever they were, they were important to those who made them.

As time went on, language became more sculpted and print served as a form of leisure. The evolution of printing methods allowed religion, education, and literature to flourish rapidly from Asia to Europe, and later to the Americas. Books, newspapers, essays, journals, and pamphlets became staples of printed media in the mid-15th century.

When radios and TVs first came on the scene, the way we began consuming news and entertainment adapted as word could now travel even faster. However, print still remained relevant in the 20th century due to its ability to reach niche markets and audiences.

Do you ever wonder how we made it from cave paintings to digital magazines?

Story by Gracie King. Graphics by Ryleigh Thornton. | 19 | DUE SOUTH |

gh the Years As counter and subcultures emerged, magazines became a form of encyclopedias. You’d read Creem and Rolling Stone for rock music, Vogue for fashion tips, and the Muppet Magazine for laughs.

After we realized that the internet could archive anything and everything print, the familiar smell of a paperback or glossy feel of a magazine seemed to be on its way to obsolescence. While the classic publications like Life, People, and Sports Illustrated remained intact because they had the resources to move online, smaller magazines and print media as a whole began to steadily dwindle.

While flipping through magazines while waiting your turn at the grocery store isn’t nearly as commonplace as it used to be, this evolution of media has allowed for a flourishment of creativity in the industry. More accessible versions of magazines and newspapers allow for more opportunities to gain potential readers, develop new design methods, and create a new form of journalistic writing.

Despite the widespread inundation of virtual media in the Information Age, print continues to remain relevant as it influences how we view and present information today.

The landscape of printed media is constantly changing, but its relevancy will always remain. There will always be a need for it, so it HAS to adapt to the ever-changing world around it.

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36000B.C. First cave paintings recorded

2022C.E. Due South celebrates 10 years of print

First recorded block, The Diamond Sutra

Protohieroglyphics on clay tablets

TIME

1944C.E. Seventeen is published

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877C.E.

4000B.C.

of

1923C.E.

Time debuts as first weekly news magazine in the US

1916C.E. The first gossip magazine, Broadway Brevities and Society Gossip

1297C.E.

1440C.E.

1517C.E.

More functional woodblock printing method

Gutenberg Printing Press developed

Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses

LINE print

1665C.E. First newspaper printed in English, The Oxford Gazette

1892C.E.

1888C.E.

1741C.E.

Vogue is published

National Geographic is published

First American magazines published

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In an ever-changing world without a precedented time to be seen, what's the work environment going to be like for South Alabama grads?

Story by Rachel Lane.

Photos by Liv George.

D

ue to the recent pandemic, people have been looking everywhere for places of employment. With the unemployment rate reaching 6.7% in 2020 and 3.9% in 2021, to say a lot of people were unemployed during the peak of the COVID pandemic would be an understatement. Despite this, people are still having problems finding jobs.

Places of business need workers now more than ever. There are job listings posted everywhere for people to view and submit applications to, but, for some reason, fewer people are being hired. This could be because the minimum wage is still set at $7.25 an hour. As the cost of living and commodities continues to rise, living off of minimum wage even at a 40-hour work week isn't something that’s doable. For some, even $15 an hour is not a livable wage anymore.

Businesses are complaining about the lack of workers; however, none of them are willing to make the changes necessary for basic survival. People can’t make a comfortable living for themselves at $15 an hour. College students are limited to how many hours they’re allowed to work, and most places on campus don’t offer over $9 an hour. Parents have to spend their time looking after their children while also providing a steady income for themselves. People don't want to work at these places because they’re not going to spend their time working for someone who refuses to treat them like a human being. Rent for most one-bedroom apartments here in Mobile is over $700 a month. A college student working 40 hours biweekly can‘t make a living wage to afford just rent on its own.

This problem lies not only in businesses outside of colleges but also within on-campus jobs.

Not only is the problem of being paid only minimum wage a serious issue, but many employers aren’t taking positive COVID cases seriously. Even with deaths from COVID now being just short of 1 million people in the United States, employers are still forcing their employees to come into work. Employers won’t say it, but this is 23 | DUE SOUTH |

THE CHANGING WORKFORCE a huge reason for the recent increase in worker shortages. People aren’t willing to put their lives and other people’s lives on the line for minimum wage. They shouldn’t be expected to risk their lives to work in the first place. Employees deserve to be treated with basic human decency, and respect (and paid sick leave) should be part of that. People shouldn’t be threatened to be fired if they don’t come in while they’re sick. The reality is that employers are so money-hungry that they don’t even care that they’re putting their workers at risk.

The workforce since COVID has most definitely changed, but many could agree that it’s not for the better. The minimum wage hasn’t changed in the past 13 years, even though the cost of living has gone up tremendously. If employers want people to actually work for them and continue to work for them, they should offer their employees livable wages, benefits that genuinely help them, and—the least they could offer their employees— compassion. The past three years have been extremely hard on many people, and making ends meet is just one more thing that people in America have to worry about.

It shouldn’t be this big of a problem for people to live.

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The Music That Shaped Us Cheers to the music that enlivened our lives. | Story by Kelsey Taylor. Graphics by Ryleigh Thornton.

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T

he importance of music has been decided by us: the way we listen, the consistency, and the purpose. We’ve decided that music takes a place in our lives that can’t be otherwise fulfilled.

The music we grow up with sets ideas, standardizes emotions, and even helps dictate some of our personality traits. Our choice in music shapes the way we think, which in turn shapes the way we act.

Music captures our attention and makes us dive deeper. There are many reasons we find music so fascinating. Over time, music has been more widely shared, created, and listened to. Since then, the music industry has expanded, creating something for everyone. From streaming apps to the multitude of genres that follow how we live, music defines our lives.

Certain people have noticed the hold music takes on us and have invented streaming services that better help us define music for ourselves. Streaming became most popular around 2013. Before our largest streaming service Spotify came out in 2008, we had the iPod in 2001, iTunes in 2003, Pandora in 2005, Soundcloud in 2007, and Amazon Music in 2007. After Spotify, Apple and YouTube created their own streaming service, which were introduced as Apple Music in 2015 and YouTube music in 2015.

This freedom allowed us to choose our music and in turn our mood, goals, and personality. It’s funny to me how it took us so long to really grasp the genius of Spotify and streaming apps. We lived our lives with music yet waited to take advantage of streaming until 2013. I guess that it was just because we were so used to the radio and being told what to listen to. We didn’t embrace the choice of our music for so long and now we can’t rid ourselves of it.

We’ve decided that music takes a place in our lives that can’t be otherwise fulfilled.

Radio was the first modern thing to launch us into the phenomenon that is music. From driving in the car to school dances, radio played a huge part in our lives. After radio came vinyl, cassette tapes, and CDs. For each generation, vinyl, cassettes and CDs were used constantly and helped introduce more selective music. These were our pre-streaming app intro to understanding music. Today, we have grown incredibly since the times of radio. Now, Bluetooth is found everywhere. Whether it’s a secondary device that connects your phone to the car speakers or the car itself comes with Bluetooth features, it speaks to how dearly we hold music.

Music makes the silence interesting. It makes our moment in life more memorable.

Before streaming became popular, our generation grew up with simplistic genres like “pop” “country,” and “rock.” With streaming, more genres expanded and grew into mini-genres. Pop slowly evolved into a number of different subgenres like country pop, indie pop, dance pop, and art pop. Country turned into classic country, Christian country, folk country, and blues country. Rock became alternative rock, indie rock, modern rock, and classic rock. The list goes on and on. There are so many other subgenres that fall under these, and many other genres in general now. There‘s more music to help us discover our personalities.

Music more specific to us. We are finally able to find the one genre or genres that we most relate to. Because of this, music is used in so many more situations. Music has suddenly become necessary for working out, car rides, hangouts, and many other instances. Now, we rely on music. It’s not a choice but a necessity. Even as infants, music was important.

Mothers often even play classical music for better | 26 |

development. Music begins for many of us at infancy and has followed us into adulthood. What we grew up listening to may have helped us find our roots in the genres we love.

Why does music have such a hold on us? Why do we as humans find simple notes and melody so interesting and enticing? There are several reasons.

Music is a way to release dopamine.

Dopamine, if you do not already know, is a neurotransmitter in the brain that brings a feeling of reward when it’s released. This means that the brain processes music itself like a reward, like you’ve earned something and should be proud.

Music also produces different types of emotions. Depending on what you listen to, music can evoke anger, greed, joy, sadness, and almost every other emotion. We often listen to the type of music that makes us feel a certain way, because we want to continue or change our mood. Music also makes us feel as if we are understood. It’s comforting sometimes to hear a message that you can relate to; it makes you feel as if you have support because there is someone else who understands what you’re going through. Understanding is important when it comes to music.

This is because our brains are wired to favor patterns. Repetition is actually a positive response trigger for the brain. Also in many, including musical, instances humans tend to lean more towards what we are familiar with. Even our heart’s beat and our lung’s breaths recognize and match the music.

Music produces these patterns creating that enticing atmosphere. Music leads us certain ways and we enjoy the walk.

It’s comforting sometimes to hear a message that you can relate to; it makes you feel as if you have support because there is someone else who understands what you’re going through.

Patterns are also ridiculously important for understanding why humans are so attracted to music. In fact, human brains have been scientifically proven to be attracted to patterns. As we know, repetition creates a better chance of remembering.

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Music is reliable, fascinating, and understanding.

Through the years, we’ve found ways to stay more in touch with music through streaming services. We have found genres that describe us or who we want to be. We have found something that best captures our attention. We have found something that enlivens our lives.

Scan

this song Spotify c s th at sh ode to lis aped who ten to s we a ome re!

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Get Ready With Us Have you ever wondered how other South Students start their days? | Story by Gracie King. Photos by Talitha Buettel. Modeled by Andie Gorowsky, Mohammad Hamo, and Kinleigh Thompson.

U

nless you’ve been living under a rock for the last six months, you’ve likely caught on to the recent “Get Ready With Me” trend, most prominently featured on TikTok. It’s pretty self-explanatory—in 60 seconds or less, viewers can watch how their favorite influencers start their day and pick up some tips on how to possibly better their own routine.

But with this new trend, the phenomenon of “that girl” was born. You know, that girl that drinks her greens after she mixes them with a frother, has time to actually make breakfast and not just run through Starbucks, and always wears matching jewelry that doesn’t turn her fingers green.

We all know this metaphorical “her,” and she’s quite infuriating. She sometimes makes us feel like we’re not trying hard enough, we don’t have our lives together, and we’ll never be able to have a life like hers. It’s almost comforting to watch these videos because it could be the closest we’ll ever get to a life like that. But at the end of the day, life is often not the glamorized walk-in-the-park it’s made out to be on TikTok. It can be exhausting to just wake up in the morning. Having any kind of intentional routine in the morning is a win in my book, especially on the days I only have time to brush my teeth and feed my cat.

While influencers and trends have the power to make us feel small or insufficient, they can also give us the power to improve ourselves and build the life we deserve. They can help us look forward to the future by changing something as mundane as our daily routines. They can teach us to reflect on our pasts by living more fully in the present Let’s take a look at a few typical morning routines for South students, Mohammad Hamo, a senior Biomedical Sciences student, Andie Gorowsky, a senior Spanish major and Vocal Performance minor, and Kinleigh Thompson, a junior Social Work major and Criminal Justice minor.

Mohammad Hamo 1. Wake up.

2. Shower and brush teeth to save time while getting ready for classes.

3. After showering, apply skincare—Mo uses a Neutrogena face wash and moisturizes with Cetaphil.

4. Spray cologne.

5. Pick out a fit and get dressed while keeping Mobile’s ever-changing weather in mind.

6. Make a well-rounded breakfast.

Usually with fresh fruit, some form of granola or oats, and peanut butter.

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Andie Gorowsky 1. Greet cat on the way to the coffeemaker.

2. Brush teeth.

3. Decision time: glasses or contacts?

4. Wash face and apply CeraVe daily moisturizer.

5. Wet and style clean hair with a quick blowdry.

6. To the closet for a business casual fit!

Andie’s go-to is a pearl-studded jean jacket, a t-shirt dress, and Converse.

7. Get dressed and put on deodorant.

8. Greet BB the hedgehog and make sure both animals have food and water for the day.

9. Pack backpack with iPad, laptop, chargers, water, snacks, and Korean textbook.

10. Give Koda treats and open blinds for his enjoyment.

11. Make sure lights are off, straighteners are unplugged, and head out for the day!

Kinleigh Thompson 1. Brush teeth and get ready for the day.

2. Make a cold brew with Cafe Bustelo or use Starbucks cold brew with nut pods, creamer, and skinny caramel syrup.

3. Read a little bit (her current book is A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas) and scroll through TikTok. 4. After figuring out hair situation, apply Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe spray, scrunch and brush through.

5. Spray Elf’s Face Restoring Mist all over face.

6. Put on makeup. Kinleigh’s current routine features the Elf Camo Concealer, L’Oreal True Match Powder, Nyx Tinted Brow Mascara, L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara, Hoola Bronzer, Tarte’s “I Feel Beautiful” Blush, and Lipstick Queen in “Girls Will Be Boys”.

7. Get dressed and prepare for class. | 30 |

31 | DUE SOUTH |

It’s undeniable that social media makes up a big part of our lives. Whether posting cute cat videos, getting in comment section fights with complete strangers, or even publishing and promoting content as a job.

Arguably, one of the most essential parts of social media is the pictures, the aesthetic.

Trying to capture your exact essence in a photo can be challenging to say the least. Suddenly, features you love aren’t so great anymore, and the qualities you aren’t so fond of are on full display. The posing’s off, the lighting’s weird and the filter looks wonky.

That’s where we come in. For the past 10 years, Due South has been filling magazine pages and social media feeds with superb photography and now is the perfect time to impart our photography wisdom with this guide to your Instagram, curated by Due South.

The Concept What kind of pictures are we talking about here?

Is it just golden hour and you look great? Are you taking pictures with your bestie before a night out on the town? Taking some cute pictures with your pets?

Understanding the vibe you’re going for will help you flesh out details like posing and editing styles.

Really nail down your aesthetic here with your outfit and accessories too.

Hot Tip: Use an app like Pinterest or VSCO (or an issue of Due South) for some inspiration The Location Where the picture is taken is almost as important as the picture itself. Luckily for us, Mobile is stunningly beautiful. We’ve got a bit of everything aesthetically, from gorgeous parks and nature trails to opulent historical buildings. Think back to your concept. Does it call for indoor photos? Or would outside be better? Do you want somewhere upscale and fancy or somewhere a bit more rustic? Choosing a location can be difficult, so if you’re in a bind, South’s campus also makes some beautiful pictures. | 32 |

We do have a short list of some photogenic places around Mobile to get you started: • • • • •

The Battle House Renaissance Hotel & Spa, downtown Mobile History Museum of Mobile, downtown Mobile Charles Wood Japanese Garden, West Mobile Monterey Place, midtown Mobile Greer’s Market on St. Louis Street (they’ve got an open rooftop!), downtown Mobile

The Angles The angles are everything in photography. You can fix lighting in an editing app, but you can’t change the angle after the photo’s taken.

If you need some help nailing down your angles, prop your phone up and use the timer feature to take photos of yourself from a bunch of different angles.

The clothes/makeup don’t matter here. This is just about angles. That way, you can see the difference between the camera angled below you, straight ahead, and above you and figure out which is the most flattering.

Play around with this as much as you like because everyone has different angles they prefer. You may even want different angles for different poses. This is about building the connection between what you see when you look in the mirror and the picture on your screen.

When taking your pictures, the angles will help you capture the perfect aesthetic. For example, say you find a really cool door or hallway in an otherwise not-very-interesting building. The angle here can make sure you capture just what you want and nothing more. As my dad likes to say, “It’s not about what you take a picture of; it’s what you don’t take a picture of.”

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The Posing This one is, genuinely, the hardest part. Too posed and you look stiff, too chill and the photo looks accidental. Similar to the angles, playing around with self-timer photos on your phone can help you find some great poses for yourself.

To get the best Insta-ready faux candids, which are super on-trend right now, add some movement while taking pictures. Adjusting your outfit is a great way to add a little bit of motion, making you look casual and nonchalant without having so much movement that you’re blurry.

If you want to go more avant-garde or editorial with your posing, the weirder, the better. Big swings of the arms, kicks of the legs and other significant movements will help you capture exciting motion and an editorial vibe.

The Editing Editing is the icing on the cake of your photography.

It takes pictures from 0-100 every single time. If you like to manually edit your photos and adjust everything individually, the iPhone editing app is a great resource. VSCO is another photo editing app that allows you to change values individually.

Filters are the easier way to add some extra oomph to your photos. Apps like VSCO, Google Photos or even Instagram itself have a whole host of filters you can choose from.

If you really want to go the extra mile with your editing, use an app like PicsArt or Canva to personalize your pictures with graphics, doodles, frames and more.

Photography isn’t always easy, but it is supposed to be fun! So, grab your bestie, phone, and favorite outfit and take some fabulous Insta-worthy photos.

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We applaud your Achievements and wish you future Successes!

Best Wishes to the University of South Alabama Students

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DUE SOUTH Student Magazine for The University of South Alabama