Care to Color? — Technician 10/29/20

TECHNICIAN OC TOB ER 29, 2020

VOL . 101 | NO. 9

CARE TO COLOR?

WOMEN’S CENTER SUPPORTS SURVIVORS

See Page 9

Contents

2 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

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IN THIS ISSUE: page

03

OpenStax calls for student choice in textbook purchasing, affordability

WHAT YOU MISSED:

page

08

Nervous about the Spring Semester? Trust me— you’re not alone

09

NC State’s European Center in Prague will host students in spring 2021

Women’s center creates original coloring

Gov. Cooper extends moratorium on evictions until end of 2020

National COVID-19 case numbers surpass summer peak

SOURCE: NPR page

11

Improving pack men’s soccer team faces No. 5 North Carolina

Hearings begin investigating the deaths of Nigerian protestors Over 56 people were killed during weeks of protests against Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The #ENDSARS movement grew from allegations of kidnapping, harassment and extortion against the special police force unit. A special state government judicial panel began investigating the violence Tuesday.

Editor-in-Chief Rachael Davis

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The United States is currently experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 following health experts’ predictions that cold weather would contribute to a rise in cases. On Friday, the United States reported 83,000 cases in a single day, a new record. The Midwest and the Northeast regions are reporting the highest increase in cases.

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Student Health Services:

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In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a nationwide moratorium on evictions in cases where tenants have exhausted all other options to pay their rent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement Wednesday, extending the CDC’s moratorium to the end of the year. This will block evictions for North Carolina residents until 2021.

OPINION

page

A quick look at the headlines in and outside of NC State

Twenty students will be able to visit the capital of the Czech Republic for the 2021 spring study abroad term. Due to travel restrictions, there will be limited activities and experiences available for students in Prague. Many of the students attending NC State Prague in the spring had planned to go on different study abroad trips prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NEWS

KNOW YOUR RESOURCES:

Design Editor Ann Salman

Opinion Editor Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen

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Assistant Opinion Editor Shilpa Giri Sports Editor Camden Speight

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Assistant Sports Editors Nicholas Schnittker Tristan Tucker Photo Editor Ryan Farischon

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Assistant Photo Editor Marissa McHugh Video Editor Rachel Amponsah

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Assistant Video Editor Vasanth Ramdas

Technician (USPS 455-050) is the largest student newspaper of NC State University and is published every Thursday throughout the academic year from August through May except during holidays and examination periods.

Opinions expressed in the columns, cartoons, photo illustrations and letters that appear on the Technician’s pages are the views of the individual writers and cartoonists. As a public forum for student expression, the students determine the content of the publication without prior review. To receive permission for reproduction, please write the editor. Subscription cost is $100 per year. A single copy is free to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. Additional copies are $0.25 each. Printed by Triangle Web Printing, Durham, NC, Copyright 2011 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.

News

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

OpenStax calls for student choice in textbook purchasing, affordability Amber Detwiler Free the Textbook, a new nationwide initiative created by OpenStax, calls on universities to reevaluate automatic textbook billing in favor of student choice.

OpenStax held a press conference Oct. 21 to introduce educators to the initiative.

As one of more than eight universities selected for a two-year institutional partnership with OpenStax, the largest provider of free open educational resources (OERs), NC State has been provided with coaching and networking opportunities in order to develop strategies for increasing textbook affordability and accessibility, according to David Tully, an NC State University Libraries fellow.

Christopher Walsh, assistant director for course materials at the NC State Bookstore, said the bookstore does not have any type of direct student billing at this time, and all textbooks and other course materials are under a student choice model. “[Students] are very savvy at finding used textbooks in the marketplace,” Walsh said. “A benefit of [automatic textbook billing] is if it is something that’s required for a grade, making sure that students have access to it. Why we haven’t done it is because we are a strong proponent of student choice and affordability for you guys. If you can go out and get a textbook for 10 bucks, when I’m going to sell you a digital version

CONTRIBUTED BY OPENSTAX

of that same textbook for 40 bucks, you have the right to go and get that textbook for the lower price.”

Walsh said representatives from the NC State Bookstore, NC State University Libraries and NC State DELTA Testing Services formed a group two years ago called the Academic Materials Affordability Committee. David Howard, director of instructional innovation at DELTA Testing Services, is a part of the team dedicated to providing students with access to course materials at the lowest possible cost.

“The biggest success that we had was with a set of grants that we gave to faculty who committed to adopting an open textbook,” Howard said. “We had five recipients last year, all of whom have

started using a free and open textbook this fall, if not earlier.”

Howard said the largest grant given supported a switch to OER for the BIO 181/183 and BIO 240/245 sequences.

“There’s particularly good OER and a large body of materials more so in the high enrollment, intro classes,” Tully said. “So when I speak to professors, those are normally some of the first ones that are talked to. In terms of OER, it’s not a coincidence that the majority of that content is for the intro classes because you can make a bigger impact affecting a class of 300 than you can a class of 30, for instance.”

Tulley said NC State University Libraries aims to increase course material affordability and accessibility by both

speaking to faculty about the benefits of OER and providing textbook and technology scholarships to students.

“The single largest thing that we’ve been able to do to save students money is for the bookstores to negotiate with publishers on the All-In [digital course material] prices,” Howard said. “Libraries also committed seven years ago to buy at least one copy of every required text at NC State and keep them on reserve so that students can check those out... for a short period of time. Based on usage of those materials, they’ve estimated certainly a million, maybe millions, of dollars of savings over those years.”

Howard and Wa lsh said they are working to gather all possible information about course materials in order to increase course material transparency, potentially allowing for students to choose courses with lower material costs. Howard said, right now, of all the information about course materials that the NC State Bookstore seeks to collect, professors have provided about 80-85%.

“The whole goal of it really is to save students money, to provide faculty with autonomy in choosing their own course materials and not be sort of bound by publishers,” Tully said. “OpenStax essentially supports us in our efforts to speak to faculty on campus, promote alternatives to commercial textbooks and hope, in the long run, that leads to them adopting that open textbook into their curriculum at the expense of a textbook of cost.”

Students speak out on controversial lockdown browsers for online courses Sonia Dubiansky When classes moved online for the fall semester, professors had no choice but to administer exams online as well.

The transition from taking exams in a proctored classroom environment or the DELTA Testing Services has brought into question how professors can ensure that students are following the Code of Student Content on academic integrity while still being properly tested on the material they need to know.

One solution many students have ex-

perienced is professors utilizing lockdown browsers during exams. The Respondus Lockdown Browser prevents the usage of other URLs or applications while it is running. Other students reported their professors requiring their laptop camera to be turned on, through a program called Respondus Monitor, while they take the exam so they can’t use their notes, textbooks or other aids.

Francesca Balestrieri, a third-year studying biological sciences, has taken Organic Chemistry I and II and ST 311 since NC State went virtual. She has ex-

perienced the lockdown browser and monitor in all of these classes.

“We have to have our cameras and microphones on and take a 360-degree video of the room we are taking the test in,” Balestrieri said. “For statistics, they make us use the normal lockdown browser with no camera or microphone.

We can access anything on the Moodle page if we want.”

According to Balestrieri, many students have complained that such programs are an invasion of privacy. Some professors have heard these complaints

and removed the video feature of Respondus Monitor, but many classes continue to use it.

“If you are still in Raleigh, you can take the exam at DELTA Testing Center, or you can take it at an approved testing facility off campus,” Balestrieri said.

Making these options available would help eliminate the concern over a personal computer not supporting the program or having connectivity issues, according to Balestrieri.

LOCKDOWN continued page 4

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LOCKDOWN

continued from page 3

Luke Wlcek, a second-year studying fashion and textile management, took Physics I over the summer and was required to use a lockdown browser during exams.

“My Wi-Fi isn’t the best, so I had a couple of connection issues with it that I didn’t have with Moodle,” Wlcek said.

“It is definitely not conducive to a good testing environment.”

Another concern that students are having as a result of different lockdown browsers is an increased feeling of test anxiety. Samantha Steffanus, a second-year studying psychology and business administration, spoke about this concern.

“Even though I am not cheating, it still makes my anxiety worse,” Steffanus said. “I worry that if the slightest thing goes wrong then I’ll be f lagged for cheating.”

Steffanus said she has adjusted to the browser some since she started using it to take exams.

“At first, the lockdown browser negatively impacted my scores on tests, but since using it so much, it doesn’t have as much of an impact,” Steffenus said.

Clay Flinchum, a third-year studying engineering, describes the limitations on how students can take tests using Respondus.

“I did not know how to do a particular question, but still had a question left, and if the next question was difficult, it was going to take too much time, so I just guessed and moved on to make sure I had enough time left for the last section,” Flinchum said.

One of the stricter rules Respondus puts on students is the inability to f lag

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAYLAN HARRINGTON AND ALICIA THOMAS/TECHNICIAN

questions and go back to them later.

Also, in certain classes, particularly in physics courses, tests are broken into sections. Once a student completes the section, they must wait until the time runs out to go on to the next section, according to Flinchum.

“I finished that section and had to wait for 11 minutes before the next part opened, after practically guessing and skipping a question to make sure I had time,” Flinchum said. “If I had been able to go back, I would have been able to keep working on it, but I couldn’t.”

Many students have had to adjust to this new system of testing because it

is required for their course. Some said that downloading the programs led to other computer problems, including being locked out of the computer or being unable to shut it down. Other computers cannot support downloading the program in the first place.

M ichael Litavecz , a second-yea r studying chemical engineering and paper science and engineering, had a bad experience with using the lockdown browser.

“It froze one time and locked me out of my computer,” Litavecz said. “It is pretty bad. Very jankey, but there aren’t any better options.”

Many NC State courses are requiring students to download Respondus lockdown programs for exams, including EC 202, MA 242, FLS 101, PY205, PCC 302, MA 341, ECE 209 and MIE 305, most of which are high level STEM courses or language courses, according to the NC State subreddit.

Students have expressed their concerns with the lockdown browser and monitor, but it looks like it will be here to stay in order to enforce academic integrity in some capacity. For more information on the Respondus Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitor, visit this page.

TECHNICIAN 5

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

Students need more opportunities to complete the English Honors Program It’s that time of the year where everyone has begun enrolling in classes. While everyone is struggling to enroll into a physical education course or other classes required to graduate, there is another group of classes we need to discuss: honors proDestry gram courses.

Adams I am currently enrolled in the English Honors Program, and I am having some difficulty completing the program. It’s not because I find the courses extremely challenging; it’s because I have trouble enrolling in classes that fulfill my degree requirements.

While I can’t speak for other honors programs, in English honors, we have to take an honors seminar class, a graduate class and either an independent study or another graduate or honors seminar. On paper, this seems plausible, but in reality, it leads to many problems. Here are some problems that persist in the English Honors Program and some suggestions to fix them:

ors Program, to clarify this issue. She responded by saying the program is still working with administration to determine what corequisites the class will fulfill.

While I understand a lot has to be taken into consideration when creating these special topics courses, I wish they would determine what requirements they fulfill in the early stages of planning.

Another suggestion I have is that they should offer at least one more honors seminar each semester, as it could give students more chances to take courses that fulfill some of their degree requirements.

3. Public Presentation The last requirement to complete the English Honors Program is to give a presentation about a creative project or research we have done in one of our classes. While this seems fine on paper, there are some problems.

An obvious one is that we are in the middle of a pandemic, meaning it will be difficult to host a public presen-

tation. Furthermore, a classmate of mine in the program emailed Simon about this issue, and she said the English department is still working on the format.

Well, the semester is coming to a close soon, so here are some suggestions on how to complete it.

One way is we film our presentation, and the English department sends a list of expectations. Another way is we submit our project and write a reflection paper. My last suggestion is we present it through Zoom, which would honestly be difficult and cringey.

Even though I have been in the honors program for one semester, I have enjoyed my time and plan on completing it. It is evident the professors and the administrators care about the students in English honors and want to see them to succeed.

However, there seems to be limited opportunities for students to fulfill these requirements. I hope the administration in the English Honors Program at least considers some of my suggestions for future improvement.

1. Graduate Courses One of the requirements for English honors is to take at least one graduate-level class. I have no problems with this requirement. The problem is signing up for them.

We can’t normally enroll in these courses through MyPack Portal. Instead, English honors students need to email the professor teaching those courses and forward the permission to the graduates office so they can enroll them.

The problem with this is that most graduate courses in the English major have a small class size, around 15 students. In addition, professors can only enroll two undergraduate students into their courses until after a certain deadline. Plus, some professors are bad at responding to emails.

A suggestion to improve this is to expand the class roster by two or three more students. That way, it gives undergraduates a chance to enroll and not take spots away from graduate students.

Another way is to put the undergraduates on a special waitlist. This still gives graduate students priority, and it’s up for the professor to determine how many undergraduates can take their course. Also, it avoids the problem for when professors don’t respond to their emails quick enough.

2. Honors Seminars All students in the English Honors Program have to take ENG: 491H, which is a special topics course. This means that the content and course material changes each semester, fulfilling a different degree requirement.

The English Honors Program sent an email listing future special topics courses and what degree requirements they fulfill. While this is a great improvement, there are still some areas that need to be addressed.

For one, the email doesn’t specify what literature requirements the special topics course fulfills. For English majors, each student has to take an American literature course, a British literature course and a world literature course. As someone who has already fulfilled his American literature requirement and is taking a British literature course next semester, it would be nice to know this information in advance.

I emailed Margaret Simon, director of the English Hon-

Grocery Run

Kiara Bush, a second year studying design studies and statistics

6 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

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TECHNICIAN 7 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

Opinion

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Nervous about spring semester?

Trust me — you’re not alone WE NEED MORE THAN JUST FOUR WELLNESS DAYS DURING A PANDEMIC

As the end of our fall semester inches closer, I, and thousands of other students, feel overwhelmed, burned out and exhausted, to say the least.

Mari Since the release of the Fabian spring academic calendar, opinions about it have varied. But for most, the loss of spring break will take a toll on all students academically, mentally, emotionally and physically.

To gain some insight into a student and teacher’s perspective, I decided to interview Meagan Pittman, a graduate student instructor in NC State’s sociology department. Pittman is also currently a Ph.D. student in sociology with a concentration in crime, law and social control.

According to Pittman, this semester has been tough on everyone, including her.

“It’s been a lot, as far as being a teacher; it breaks my heart for my students,” Pittman said. “Having no breaks has been draining, mentally, emotionally and physically for me, and I’m sure many of my students. I know they are worried,

just as I am, about school, relationships.

They’re burned out and tired.”

According to the National College Health Assessment, feeling burned out is not something new for college students.

In fact, in 2018, only 1.6% of undergraduates reported that they felt no stress in the last 12 months. Piling on the fact that we are all living through a pandemic and dealing with the current political climate, these feelings are only exacerbated.

MercerCluster.com tells us that the racism in America has caused a new type of trauma for students, especially Black students living in the U.S. Similarly, Anxiety.org points out that, through the use of national surveys and polls, research indicates 88% of Black Americans experience racism in the U.S., 87% of Black Americans characterize racism as a “very serious” or “serious” problem and 78% of Black Americans see racism as widespread in the U.S. Pittman said the lack of breaks was what she disliked the most about the setup of the fall semester.

“No breaks at all took a toll on everyone,” Pittman said. “I know that no university could have won in this scenario, but we can always do better. If they

stayed open, a lot of pushback would have opened, and with all online, they also received harsh criticism.”

While NC State is offering many online delivery-style courses, in-person classes are still being pushed for. This is not only an ignorant choice, but it’s as if they’ve learned nothing, something a Technician editorial pointed out recently.

“Not having spring break will affect many students and teachers, period,” Pittman said. “While it is great that we are receiving wellness days, I am a firm believer that the University should have already had these in place, as in before COVID-19.”

While many adults have left comments on Technician’s Facebook account, saying things like “It’s not that hard,” “It’s life, get used to it!” and various other dehumanizing statements, it is a proven fact that college is difficult for every student that attends. Putting on the front that life should only be a depressive and meaningless journey really shows a lack of care and decency.

While it is a great experience and we as students get to experience an abundance of freedom, this comes with a price. Having to juggle classes means: struggling

The Spring Break Solution

Patrick Delaney, a fourth-year studying English

with coursework, being social and finding friends, figuring out who you are and what you want and worrying about how you will have to pay for tuition. According to Mashable, there is an increasing number of college students who are already experiencing panic and anxiety attacks.

One last message from Pittman is some advice for the rest of this semester and the upcoming spring one.

“Don’t be afraid to prioritize your mental health,” Pittman said. “Take some breaks from your work because all of this is so draining. Productivity isn’t consistent and that’s OK. Know what to prioritize when you do it.”

As for the professors here at NC State, she had some words as well.

“You are human too,” Pittman said.

“This pandemic may be affecting you as well, more than you imagine. Don’t be afraid to put your mental health first too.

You should also remember that your students are not real adults like you are yet.

You’ve had stressful experiences before that may have prepared you before this pandemic. Your students have not, and they will not be motivated and creative all the time. It is unfair to ask that of them.”

TECHNICIAN 9 Women’s Center creates original coloring book in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

THE RADAR Events to keep an eye on for the week of October 29th

FEMINIST FRIDAYS: BODY POSITIVITY AND DIET CULTURE Friday, Oct. 30, 2:30 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT Free

This virtual event hosted by the Women’s Center will discuss the history of the body mass index measurement, the Health At Every Size movement and the representation of body types in popular media.

COURTESY OF CARLYN WRIGHT-EAKES

Emilie Osborne Correspondent

Editor’s Note: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and domestic violence and may be disturbing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and survivors and allies across the country have been supporting and standing in solidarity with one another against this pervasive and deeply personal issue. To promote healing and growth, the Women’s Center at NC State is creating the Colors of Healing coloring book, featuring designs from students that represent strength and empowerment that will be released in November.

According to Carlyn Wright-Eakes, interpersonal violence prevention education coordinator for the Women’s Center, the Women’s Center regularly distributes similar coloring books, but this project is the first original, collaborative effort to create one of its own with contributions from students. Wright-Eakes hopes that the project will be beneficial for survivors.

“We have lots of coloring books that we’ll often give out or use with students that have experienced interpersonal violence, but we’ve never done one where we’re creating our own,” Wright-Eakes said. “We’re excited to see what comes from it.”

The deadline for submissions has been extended to Oct. 31, in the hope that more students share their drawings and words

of affirmation, Wright-Eakes said.

“It is an opportunity for...anybody who has been impacted in some way by any form of interpersonal violence to create their own design,” Wright-Eakes said.

“We will combine [the submitted designs] all together and create a PDF that will be available for the survivor community to download and use as a grounding and healing exercise.”

The book’s full title is “The Colors of Healing: Designs for Survivors by Survivors.” Juniper Nie, a fourth-year studying communication media who serves as the vice president of The Movement, a division of the Women’s Center, said the project is a meaningful way to uplift the voices of those who identify as survivors.

“It’s a way of providing a platform and a voice for individuals,” Nie said.

“The whole theme is to provide quotes or phrases that help you through hard times, and we thought that would be a good idea, especially during a pandemic.”

While the initial release of the book will be in a digital format that can be printed by individuals, the Women’s Center also hopes to distribute printed copies, Wright-Eakes said. Nie echoed this idea, adding that being able to hold something physically can be more comforting now, considering the digital age we live in.

“There’s various aff irmations and phrases that could assist with your daily self to just keep going, keep fighting, especially as we’re in a pandemic,” Nie said.

“Being stuck in front of screens all the time, it does help a little to see little aspects of the Women’s Center, or even en-

couragement from other peers on a piece of paper or book or something tangible.”

Ongoing quarantine conditions have exacerbated many of the issues survivors of interpersonal violence face, as outlined in an article from NC State’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity in April. These individuals may be facing volatile or triggering home environments, as well as decreased access to in-person resources. To combat this, the Women’s Center has been hosting many virtual events on its Instagram Live.

Previous events this month have included the Silent Witness Exhibit, honoring lives lost to interpersonal violence, and an “Interpersonal Violence in the Southeast Asian Community” workshop. On Halloween, the center plans to hold its annual “Candy, Condoms and Consent” event, which promotes information about what consent means as well as rape prevention, to a livestream on both the Women’s Center and The Movement’s Instagrams, Nie said. They also host a weekly virtual counseling session every Monday.

In light of the extended submission deadline, the Women’s Center plans to release “The Colors of Healing: Designs for Survivors by Survivors” in November of this year. They hope the simple concept will bring a meaningful amount of change and healing for students, Nie said.

To learn more about the Colors of Healing coloring book, visit the submission page. To learn more about the Women’s Center, visit their website.

HAUNTED CLASSROOM Friday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m.

YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK LIVE Free

The A/V Geeks and NC State’s film studies program are joining together to show and discuss three 16 mm films that showcase the Halloween spirit: “Dirt Witch Cleans Up,” “Mrs. Ainsworth” and “The Mannikin.”

CANDY, CONDOMS AND CONSENT Saturday, Oct. 31, 1 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT Free

Join The Movement Peer Educators’ Instagram Live to learn about “sexual safety”and on- and offcampus resources for survivors of interpersonal violence. Attendees will have the chance to win prizes.

DE-STRESS: LET’S NOT TALK ABOUT IT Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT Free

Come hang out, destress and not talk about it. The GLBT Center is hosting a destressing event with talking and dancing with only one rule: the election cannot be discussed.

Arts & Entertainment

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Who’s Who at Student Media: Nubian Message Editor-in-Chief Elikem Dodor Austin Dunlow

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Sometimes our job happens to match up with our talents. For Nubian Message Editorin-Chief Elikem Dodor, a third-year studying science, technology and society, there was no lack of the talents required for her to fill the role of her job.

Dodor had an early connection to Nubian Message because a previous editor-in-chief went to high school with her sister. It was then when she was introduced to the world of Nubian Message and knew she wanted to work at the publication.

Similar to her managing editor, Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe, Dodor began as a layout designer, putting together the structure, designs and framework of the pages that Nubian Message published. She later expanded and diversified her interests and began to show her talents in other areas, eventually working her way up to editor-in-chief.

“I started off as a layout designer,” Dodor said. “I became a staff writer. I became a photographer. I became a social media manager.

I was doing all the aspects of being editorin-chief.”

Dodor said this experience in different areas around the publication allows her to be a better editor-in-chief and do more for the publication as a whole.

“Being editor-in-chief of Nubian Message means filling in the gaps,” Dodor said. “While I do have a staff, if I notice that something is lacking, I have the capabilities to fill in those blanks. I’m always seeing what we need.”

Dodor said Nubian Message’s already small staff requires her to “go behind the role” of what an editor-in-chief would normally do, like checking in with section editors, being a bridge between the public and the paper and focusing on the business side of the paper, but that has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the staff decrease that resulted from it. However, Dodor said she’s willing to do all of this because she wants Nubian Mes-

COURTESY OF ELIKEM DODOR

sage to succeed and flourish, as it is embedded into the fabric of campus.

“I feel like Nubian is giving the voice to the unheard,” Dodor said. “Because a majority of our staff is minorities or of marginalized communities, we have that viewpoint of looking into things, and we seek out stories and look at things in a different way. We’re more than

just a newspaper. We’re the confidant to help you figure things out and ask questions that haven’t been answered on a university level.”

Furthermore, Dodor feels like the events of this summer — with the effects of COVID-19, the nationwide protests against police brutality and the University’s response to these — has shed a light on Nubian Message and allowed it

to take a more active role in the conversations being held within the University.

“We started off with summer coverage, which Nubian has never done before,” Dodor said. “Especially with our meeting with the chancellor, our summer work really opened doors for us to allow us to be part of committees and getting us updates from the University that we haven’t had before.”

According to Dodor, the staff reduction and remote work that has come out of the pandemic may change the way Nubian Message could run in the future.

“Working remotely is a whole different thing, but I think it’s pushing us toward the future and being more efficient,” Dodor said.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to go back to having more than two people in the office at a time because you realize a lot of the work is done remotely.”

While the hours and amount of time that she and her staff put in may not be ideal, Dodor said she is grateful for those hours because they have allowed her to build friendships and relationships that keep her returning to Nubian Message.

“It pushes me to know that there are people out there who have my back,” Dodor said.

Looking to the future, Dodor would like Nubian Message to be able to experiment more with what it publishes. She wants to see an expansion into less “hard-hitting news” and recently started a series called Elikem’s Corner, where she publishes poems.

Learning about Dodor, it’s not shocking that she can also write poetry. Dodor excels in many areas, and that is evident in the work that she does.

“I consider myself a multifaceted individual,” Dodor said. “I dance. I write poems.

I like to read. I do yoga. I do hair. I do a lot of different things. I’m interested in science, finance and law. I have many layers.”

For more information about Nubian Message, visit the publication’s website.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

Improving Pack men’s soccer team faces No. 5 North Carolina Rachel Umbach The NC State men’s soccer team will travel to Chapel Hill this Sunday, Nov. 1, for its second-to-last game of 2020 against No. 5 North Carolina.

Continuing an entire season full of tough ACC matchups for the Wolfpack (0-5, 0-4 ACC), the Tar Heels (2-1-1 ACC) certainly will not be an easy mountain to climb. The Pack most recently lost a 1-0 thriller against No. 3 Clemson and is still searching for its first win this year.

NC State’s offense has suffered all season, especially with the added effect of COVID-19 complications and contact tracing. Junior forwards Ivy Brisma, Kuda Muskwe and junior defender Alex Bautista are the only three who have scored a goal for the Pack in 2020, while redshirt sophomore midfielder AJ Seals and junior defender Pepe Garcia are the only two to record an assist. The Wolfpack averages eight shots per game, but a majority of the time, these shots don’t translate well to the scoreboard.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Leon Krapf

EMMA VAWTER/TECHNICIAN

Sophomore forward Kuda Muskwe passes the ball to a teammate. Kuda attempted four shots throughout the game on Friday night. NC State lost to Clemson 3-0 on Nov. 1, 2019 at Dail Soccer Field.

has been a bright spot for NC State this season though. He had a career-high seven saves in the last match against Clemson, allowing only one goal in the 63rd minute to give the Tigers the lead.

Now looking to Sunday against the Tar

Heels, these two teams played each other earlier this season in an exhibition game, resulting in a 1-0 loss for NC State.

The Tar Heels are coming off a 3-3 double-overtime tie with the Clemson Tigers back on Oct. 27, but UNC also defeated

Clemson in a 1-0 matchup earlier this season in intense fashion, with a goal in the 90th minute.

UNC’s offense is led by senior forward Santiago Herrera, who has two goals, including a late goal in the recent tie with Clemson, and senior defender Matt Constant, who has one goal and one assist.

Sophomore forward Key White, senior forward/midfielder Lucas del Rosario and graduate student midfielder Filippo Zattarin are the other three with a goal for North Carolina.

Junior goalkeeper Alec Smir has been in the net for UNC all season. He currently has 13 saves and has only allowed four goals, three of which came in that recent game against Clemson.

Like almost every game this season, this will be another tough matchup for the Wolfpack. To have a shot at victory, it needs to score and keep the pressure on early, while continuing the strong defense it has shown in the last couple of games.

The game will kick off Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. and be aired on ACC Network Extra.

Wolfpack Wager: No Pack football game, no problem Bryan Pyrtle With three new squads entering the top 25 in week nine, the college football landscape may not look very stable at first glance. However, there is enough predictability in these three games to make some easy picks.

No. 16 Kansas State at West Virginia (-3.5) (Total: 45.5) The eye-catcher here is an unranked West Virginia team being favored by 3.5 points against the 16th-ranked Wildcats. Kansas State’s only loss this season was to Arkansas State in week two, but the Wildcats have rattled off four consecutive wins since then, including an upset of the then-No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners in week four.

The season has been less straightforward for the Mountaineers. After trouncing Eastern Kentucky in its season opener, West Virginia lost to now-No. 6 Oklahoma State.

Following a win in double-overtime against a struggling Baylor squad, the Mountaineers split the next two games, with a win over Kansas and a loss to Texas Tech, bringing their record to 3-2 on the season.

With a lackluster West Virginia as their opponent, the Wildcats should be able to easily cover the 3.5 point spread. Additionally, the over/under of 45.5 is surprisingly low for two teams scoring over 30 points per game and surrendering over 20 points per game, so taking the over here would also be a good pick.

Pick: No. 16 Kansas State +3.5

No. 20 Coastal Carolina (-2.5) at Georgia State (Total: 61.5) This game features two high-octane offenses, each averaging over 35 points per game. Given the observable prowess of each with the ball, this game will be decided on the defensive side of the field.

The Chanticleers have certainly earned their spot in the top 25 with an upset over then-No. 21 Louisiana, which put Coastal Carolina at 4-0 on the year, and a win over Georgia Southern last week to remain undefeated.

The Georgia State Panthers have played comparatively worse so far. The Panthers, unlike the Chanticleers, lost their matchup against Louisiana to start the season, even if the game did go to overtime. Georgia State also fell to Arkansas State in week seven, a team that Coastal Carolina beat by 29 points just 12 days prior.

Additionally, the Panthers have had a tough time defending the pass so far this season, giving up 368.3 yards per game through the air alone. This is a favorable matchup for Coastal Carolina, whose offense leans towards the passing side, so the Chanticleers should have no problem beating the spread.

Pick: No. 20 Coastal Carolina -2.5 Boston College at No. 1 Clemson (-31.5) (Total: 61) Though the No. 1 Tigers will mostly likely dominate this game, there still is an interesting prediction to be made on the total.

Clemson has scored at least 40 points in

GRAPHIC BY JOE LINGO

each of its last five games, putting its points per game average at 48.2. Boston College will be no pushover either, as the Eagles come into this matchup with a 4-2 record and averaging 27.5 points scored per game.

The Tigers and the Eagles have faced a common opponent in Georgia Tech, with the teams scoring 73 and 48 points, respectively, against the Yellow Jackets. Since both games occurred in the past two weeks, they are a nice measurement of how well each team is performing.

Since both Clemson and Boston College won their offense-heavy matchups, it is safe to say the two clubs are capable of putting large numbers on the scoreboard. Even with Clemson being favored by 31.5, the Tigers have shown they can make up that 61 point

total almost by themselves, so the over should be a safe pick for this game.

Pick: Over 61 Last week, staff writer Will Thornhill posted an 0-3 record, as Missouri and Kentucky both lost as the favorite, and NC State was unable to stick close to North Carolina.

2020 Wolfpack Wager Record: 5-10 Will Thornhill: 1-5 Camden Speight: 3-3 Andy Mayer: 1-2 Disclaimer: Gambling is a form of entertainment and can become addictive. If you think you have developed a problem, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700.

Sports

12 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

Pack cross country prepares for ACC Championships in Cary Rachel Bilenki

Senior Sports Writer

The NC State cross country teams will travel a short distance to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary to host the ACC Cross Country Championships this Friday.

The women’s team will be looking for its fifth ACC title in a row, having won every year since 2016. The women are also currently ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Senior Hannah Steelman is expected to have a strong performance in the race, recently winning the Virginia Tech Invite with a time of 20:36.2, which is slightly faster than Wolfpack graduate and All-American Elly Henes. Also a top contender for the Wolfpack is senior Dominique Clairmonte, whose strong performances all season have earned her the honor of Women’s National Runner of the Week on Oct. 13, in addition to ACC Performer of the Week.

The men’s team will go into the ACC Championships as the fourth highest-ranked ACC team, only behind Notre Dame, Virginia and Syracuse. The men currently sit at 21st in the national poll.

Looking to lead the men’s team is redshirt senior Joe Bistritz, who claimed the title at the Virginia Tech Invitational.

Also leading the Wolfpack for the men are graduate student JP Flavin and senior Ian

JAY ENCARNACION-RIVERA/TECHNICIAN

Freshman Mariah Howlett finishes the race with ease at the Adidas XC Challenge on Sept. 20, 2019. Howlett finished sixth, with a time of 17:15.1. In the women’s 5k race, NC State took first overall.

Shanklin. Shanklin had the highest finish at last year’s ACC Championships, taking third place. These three have consistently

Tristan Tucker Asst. Sports Editor Record: 42-28 Rank: T-4

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Kansas State

West Virginia

Kansas State

West Virginia

Kansas State

West Virginia

Kansas State

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

UCF

UCF

Houston

Houston

UCF

UCF

UCF

Houston

UCF

LSU

Auburn

LSU

LSU

Auburn

Auburn

LSU

Auburn

Auburn

Auburn

Texas at No. 6 Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Texas

Texas

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State

Virginia Tech at Louisville

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

Louisville

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

Louisville

Virginia Tech

Louisville

Louisville

Charlotte at Duke

Charlotte

Duke

Duke

Duke

Duke

Duke

Duke

Charlotte

Duke

Duke

No. 3 Ohio State at No. 18 Penn State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

Wake Forest at Syracuse UCF at Houston LSU at Auburn

No. 15 UNC at Virginia

Rachael Davis Editor-in-Chief Record: 45-25 Rank: 1

Will Thornhill Sports Writer Record: 44-26 Rank: 2

Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen Alicia Thomas Opinion Editor Managing Editor Record: 40-30 Record: 38-32 Rank: 8 Rank: 9

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Kansas State

West Virginia

Kansas State

Wake Forest

Wake Forest

Houston

followed by the women’s 6k at 11 a.m.

Due to COVID-19, no spectators will be allowed to attend this year.

Rachel Bilenki Senior Sports Writer Record: 41-29 Rank: T-6

Memphis at No. 7 Cincinnati No. 16 Kansas State at West Virginia

Austin Dunlow A&E Editor Record: 41-29 Rank: T-6

been the top-three finishers for NC State this season.

The men’s 8k will race first at 10 a.m.,

Nicholas Schnittker Camden Speight Asst. Sports Editor Sports Editor Record: 43-27 Record: 42-28 Rank: 3 Rank: T-4

Jaylan Harrington Multimedia Manager Record: 35-35 Rank: 10

Classified

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