I Can't Believe It's Not Over! — Technician 1/13/22

TECHNICIAN JA N U A RAY 13, 2022

VOL . 102 | NO. 15

I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT OVER! See page 5

Contents

2 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

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IN THIS ISSUE: page

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University experts, students react to looming threat of omicron variant

WHAT YOU MISSED:

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Student shot by airsoft gun near Wolf Village A student reported being shot by a white male in a Silver Acura SUV Jan. 8. The vehicle was carrying four college-age white males. As the vehicle drove by, the person in the passenger seat began firing at the student. The student was uninjured by the incident.

NEWS

page

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

No school or public library should have the right to ban certain books

SOURCE: WOLFALERT

American Idol star to run for NC congressional seats American Idol contestant, Clay Aiken, has a history of taking interest in politics including running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. Aiken said he wants to give back to the community that gave him a platform by running in the upcoming 2022 election. Experts say he is currently among favorites in the current race.

OPINION

SOURCE: THE NEWS & OBSERVER

page

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Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy with events from the AACC

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Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchel were fired in 2017 after they were found guilty of ignoring a call about a robbery to play Pokemon Go. Lozano and Mitchel claimed the use of the in-car recording device that captured their misconduct was illegal, petitioning to be reinstated. Their petition for reinstatement was denied.

SOURCE: NPR

CULTURE page

Two LAPD officers appeal firing decision after ignoring robbery to play Pokemon Go

‘Run it back’ Pack to make some real noise in 2022

Turkish Twitch laundering scheme Turkish police arrested 40 people involved in a money laundering incident involving the popular streaming platform, Twitch. The group was using stolen credit cards to send Bits, a component of the gaming website connected to real money, to streamers that would then use money from Twitch to pay them. There may be hundreds of isolated cases.

SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST

SPORTS Editor-in-Chief Jaylan Harrington

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THE RADAR Events to keep an eye on for the week of Jan.13

CAMPUS COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE Thursday, Jan. 13, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

COASTAL BALLROOM, TALLEY STUDENT UNION Free Join NC State’s four community centers at the Campus Community Open House in the Coastal Ballroom for food, music and games. Attendees can learn more about the many events and activities offered by African American Cultural Center, Multicultural Student Affairs, GLBT Center and Women’s Center.

SUSTAINABLE STUDENT LIVING Friday, Jan. 14, 2-2:45 p.m.

WITHERSPOON STUDENT CENTER Free Swing by the Witherspoon Student Center for a workshop on living sustainably as a college student. Hosted by the Zero Waste Wolves, students will be given tips and tricks about everything from composting to recycling alongside tips from peers.

AVERY BOLDEN ART EXHIBITION: BLACK GIRL MAVERICK Friday, Jan. 14, 5-6 p.m.

AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER GALLERY Free Head over to the African American Cultural Center for artist Avery Bolden’s art exhibition “Black Girl Maverick,” opening for the first time this Friday. The exhibit explores the development of Black homes through a Black feminist perspective.

MLK TEACH-IN: ON BREAKING THE SILENCE Tuesday, Jan. 18, 6-8 p.m.

AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER Free Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the MLK Teach-In is a chance for participants to explore decolonization and critical questioning through authentic storytelling, while educating themselves on the many ways to engage with activism and grassroots organizations.

COVER BY NATALIE FOLSOM

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, JANUARY 13, 2022

A brave new world for graduating seniors PRO TIPS FROM THE CAREER CENTER AND PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Avery Davis News Editor

With the beginning of the spring semester comes some relief for seniors getting ready to graduate in May — but also stress. NC State professionals give their advice on navigating the job hunt, interviewing and making big life changes.

Marcy Bullock, the director of professional development at the Career Development Center, recommends the center and its services for students looking for jobs or internships after graduation.

“I would suggest students looking for jobs or internships log into ePACK,” Bullock said. “This is a database that we offer where students can upload their resume, and employers seeking graduates for internships, co-ops and jobs can post their vacancies.”

Bullock said students should feel encouraged because the job market is good right now.

“I was telling [students] before they left for break that I had employers saying, ‘I don’t have enough students to apply for my job,’” Bullock said. “So the economy is really doing great for college grads, and I think ePACK is a wonderful place to start. I also recommend to students that they tap their own network of contacts, because you never know where someone that you are connected to, like a faculty member, an advisor for a club, a family member, your dentist, it’s just like everyone in your world, kind of knows other people.”

Bullock said the greatest trick applicants can use to make their application stand out is to figure out how to promote themselves.

“I think the key is really knowing what your strengths are and highlighting those in a very persuasive way, and researching what the employers’ needs are, and seeing where that fit is,” Bullock said. “So a lot of that is self-awareness and the ability to promote the things that you’ve done.”

When the time for interviewing comes around, Bullock encourages students to be prepared with knowledge and stories about themselves.

“I like to ask students: think of your top three stories,” Bullock said. “‘Wait, what do you mean, my stories?’ It means: what are the three things that happened to you in college that have shaped you the most? … And the interviewer wants to listen to your story. So liven it up, make it exciting and memorable.”

The Career Development Center provides many resources for students like resume workshopping, a podcast and video tutorials. Students can make ap-

So the economy is really doing great for college grads, and I think ePACK is a wonderful place to start.

-Marcy Bullock

pointments with career counselors here.

CareerCON will be taking place March 27 and will be a great event for students to attend as well.

With many job applications also comes the risk of rejection. If seniors are getting discouraged and stressed about post-graduation life, Shevaun Neupert, a professor of psychology, said continuing to focus on the present moment alongside a “little bit” of future-planning can help.

Neupert encouraged students not to load too much onto their plate by planning too far in advance.

“If you know you’re graduating in May,

maybe thinking about a date for yourself or like a range of dates for yourself when you might think about what kinds of employers you would start doing LinkedIn searches or Google searches [for]; how would you do that?” Neupert said. “Try to imagine what the first step in planning would be. But maybe don’t try to plan out every single possible step. Wait until you get that first step and see what makes sense after that.”

While some amounts of stress are normal when going through these transitions, Neupert said seeking professional help, like through the Counseling Center, is something students who are feeling more general feelings of hopelessness may want to consider.

“It’s understandable that people aren’t feeling happy, joyous all the time,” Neupert said. “Of course, this is a really hard thing. But we don’t want people to suffer.

We want to make sure people are receiving the support and resources to get to a better place. So encourage people to use both those resources that are available on campus and off campus resources as well.”

When worried about the transition away from college life, Neupert said making a bucket list can be a great way for students to feel fulfilled as they leave college.

“We hear people talk about bucket lists, but that usually is for the end of their life-

GRAPHIC BY NOAH WEAVER

time, but you could also have that kind of mentality for any entity that is approaching,” Neupert said. “‘After May of 2022, I will no longer live in Raleigh, North Carolina; what do I want to do in that time?

Who do I want to hang out with? Who are the friends I want to spend the most time with?’ … This is a good time to make sure that you spend a lot of high quality time with really supportive people, to the extent that they’re available around you, and it’s safe to do so.”

Bullock said she wants seniors to remember that they have much to offer to employers and the world, and not to allow their own doubts to hold them back.

“I think people are their worst critics,” Bullock said. “I think seniors that I have interacted with are very hard on themselves. And I would say, think about what got you to here. Think about all the things you did that got you to this semester in college. … You have a pattern of succeeding.”

Visit careers.dasa.ncsu.edu for more information on the Career Development Center, and counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu for information on the counseling center

News 4 TECHNICIAN College of Engineering adds 4,000 students THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Sam Overton Culture Editor

“Engineering North Carolina’s Future,” a state legislative initiative, gave NC State the financial backing to support the College of Engineering’s expansion from 10,000 students to around 14,000. $50 million will be funneled into NC State’s already large engineering program to support the growing student body.

According to NC State’s website, $20 million will go toward hiring additional faculty and staff, and the remaining $30 million will support facility upgrades. Emily Spero, a fourth-year studying chemical engineering, said there’s plenty of potential in terms of equipment upgrades and hands-on learning.

“I think it’d be really interesting to have the … newer technologies that are more industry-standard,” Spero said. “Not like that the ones we’re using necessarily aren’t, but as these industries keep changing, it’d be really cool to keep up with that and make sure students have the most modern or relatively modern version of what we’re using.”

Mason Streppa, a third-year studying mechanical engineering, echoed Spero.

“From a student perspective, I’d like to see it go toward hands-on learning opportunities,” Streppa said. “More than just a nice new classroom or lecture hall or something like that, but research rooms or centers or equipment for research and ways for stu-

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dents to get involved with hands-on engineering problems.”

Although it’s unclear which on-campus facilities the $30 million will go toward, the possibilities are endless. After Fitz-Woolard Hall’s “Public Project of the Year” award in December, it’s clear that more and more engineering departments will make the move over to Centennial campus, requiring more labs, classrooms, offices and more.

The main goal of the initiative is to invite more top students to “the flagship STEM campus of the UNC System.”

“The growth really signifies that NC State is growing, and also the area is growing, especially with all these big tech companies consistently moving to the area,” Spero said.

“I think it shows that there’s this increased investment within the engineering school.”

Although 14,000 students is a large number to swallow, the impact on the graduate school is proportionally larger than the impact on the undergraduate program.

Despite this, Streppa, who’s considering attending NC State post-grad, isn’t worried about the sudden influx of students.

“Adding these students means more resources, more money going into the program and ideally more opportunities for NC State students,” Streppa said. “And so far, NC State’s done a great job — at least for me personally — of making me feel like I have plenty of opportunities and potential for growth.”

Spero, who’s currently planning to move

NATALIE FOLSOM/TECHNICIAN

Fitts-Woolard Hall sits on Centennial Campus on Aug. 20, 2020. The building is for the College of Engineering, and its purpose is for it to serve as a home for the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering and the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

to San Francisco after graduating in May and will not be returning to NC State, is nevertheless interested in observing the changing campus dynamic.

“I don’t actually know where all the freshmen are going to live,” Spero said. “We’re just going to see how that’s going to play out.

And also, I’m interested to see the disparity between engineering and the rest of the

colleges at NC State and see what kind of impact that has.”

The University will enroll the 4,000 more students over the next five years and will hire additional faculty and staff over the next two years.

“I’m hopeful that this would be a good change for the student body,” Streppa said.

“Hopefully beyond engineering, too.”

nals.

Open access is a type of transformative publishing model which allows NC State students and faculty to access and publish articles for free due to NC State’s agreements with the publications. NC State currently has running agreements with other publications, but Cambridge University Press and Wiley are the newest additions.

According to Hilary Davis, the head of collection and research strategies at University Libraries, open access publishing increases the visibility of researchers’ work.

“Some people say that open access articles tend to be read and downloaded four times more than the traditional, non-open access journal articles and that open access articles tend to get cited more by other researchers than the non-open access articles,” Davis said. “So high visibility, and that’s what every researcher wants, and that’s what every researcher’s home institution wants as well.”

According to Davis, NC State is a part of the Carolina Consortium, a group of academic libraries, who negotiated the deal with Wiley, which allows NC State access to this agreement. Darby Orcutt, assistant

head of collection and research strategies at University Libraries, negotiated the agreement with Cambridge University Press. Both began on Jan. 1 and will last for three years.

Davis explained what traditional publishing methods look like. “[With] traditional journal subscription models, a library subscribes to a whole set of journals, from a publisher,” Davis said.

“And that subscription allows the members of an academic community, like NC State, to get access to read any published articles in those academic journals. And it’s only due to the library paying that subscription fee.”

According to Davis, NC State’s new agreements are a hybrid of traditional and modern publishing.

“This model includes both the traditional subscription model; people from an institution can get access to read articles based on the library’s paid subscription,” Davis said.

Open access agreements help researchers Avery Davis News Editor

On Jan. 1, NC State Libraries launched two new open access publishing agree-

ments with Cambridge University Press and Wiley. These agreements will allow NC State researchers to publish their work for free in the companies’ open access jour-

MARISSA MCHUGH/TECHNICIAN

D.H. Hill Library is under construction on May 9th, 2020. The library is still closed to the public due to COVID-19.

Visit technicianonline.com to view the entire article.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

University experts, students react to looming threat of omicron variant Abigail Ali Staff Writer

NC State students start classes this week as omicron, the current dominant COVID-19 variant, spreads across the state.

Julie Swann, department head of the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, conducts research and educates people on how to improve health and humanitarian systems around the world. Swann said omicron is making its way across North Carolina.

“Currently, omicron is spreading very quickly across North Carolina and in many communities,” Swann said. “The count of cases is very high, testivity rate is very high and the hospitalization rate is increasing.”

Swann said despite omicron being less severe than previous COVID-19 variants, people should still be aware of its risks.

“People hear that omicron is mild and think it’s no big deal,” Swann said. “There are two kinds of risk: one risk is to people who are not vaccinated or are not completely boosted. I highly encourage vaccination and boosting to whoever is eligible. The second kind of risk is that our hospital systems become overwhelmed and when that is true, we get negative outcomes for even non-COVID disease, and this year, in January 2022, our hospital systems do not have access to as many employees as they had a year and a half ago.”

Matthew Koci, an associate professor of infectious diseases and immunology, said the speed at which omicron spreads should concern the NC State community.

“If [omicron] is just twice as infectious as

delta, which it might be more than twice as infectious as delta, it can still be 10 times less deadly and kill more people because it moves so much faster,” Koci said. “So, I think people are hearing that it’s not as severe as what they’re used to, and they’re taking that as they don’t have to treat it as seriously as they did the last one.”

Koci said he has not seen people’s behavior reflect the serious nature of omicron.

“I haven’t necessarily seen the push that drives home the message that this is different this semester than it was last semester,” Koci said. “Whether those [precautions] have been put in place or not hasn’t been communicated, so if it is safe, I don’t know if people feel safe.”

Grant Eubanks, a second-year in interdisciplinary studies, said there’s nothing NC State can do to keep students completely safe, but enforcing COVID-19 safety precautions is helpful.

“I don’t think anything is going to be enough to keep [students] safe without some risk,” Eubanks said. “I get that we all want to not get this thing, but honestly we got a pretty good compromise with this. I think it’s going to be okay.”

Olivia Howell is a fourth-year student studying anthropology and film. She said she was unsure about returning to campus.

“I’m a little bit hesitant, like I’m going to go back and I’m going to go to class, but it’s a little bit stressful because the data tracking doesn’t look great, so having more and more people come back to campus I feel like is just gonna exacerbate those numbers,” Howell said. “I know if I get COVID, I’ll be

fine because I’m fully vaccinated and have had my booster, but keeping us in a close area together I feel like will spread it more to immunocompromised or those who don’t have their vaccinations or whatever may be the case.”

The number of positive cases on campus is already going up as students return to class.

“We’re already seeing there’s a lot of disease transmission,” Swann said. “I anticipate that continuing for a number of weeks on campus. I know how much students have valued the return to campus and student decisions play a big role in making sure that we can continue in person operations in ways that are safe for students, staff and faculty.

Everyone’s decisions make a difference in the pandemic.”

Koci recommends that those eligible for the vaccine should get fully vaccinated and boosted.

“For students on campus, if you’re not vaccinated, get vaccinated,” Koci said. “If you’re not boosted, get boosted. That’ll at least shorten the duration of which you might be contributing to transmission, but also it greatly increases the chances that whatever infection you get will be asymptomatic to mild.”

Koci also said vaccines are more effective in protecting people from severe symptoms than natural immunity.

“There is ample data to show that the vaccinated are getting milder cases,” Koci said.

“The vaccine is keeping you from having the most severe disease you probably would have had without the vaccine, and there’s ample data to suggest and otherwise demonstrate

EMILY PEEDIN/TECHNICIAN

Signs direct students during COVID-19 testing Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021 at Witherspoon Student Center. Testing locations are available on campus for students and staff.

that immunity from the vaccine is superior to natural immunity.”

Swann recommends people get tested from time to time, even if they are not showing symptoms.

“I make a practice of getting tested periodically, even after getting vaccinated, and I recommend the same to the faculty, staff, and students in my department,” Swann said. “This is important for reducing disease transmission which can help the campus stay in person for learning.”

Howell said she plans to do what she can to stay safe and keep others safe on campus.

“I’m gonna hopefully buy some N95 masks, if there are any left, and just be really careful,” Howell said. “I’ll wear my masks indoors, if there’s another booster, I’ll get it.

I feel like there is not a whole lot that we as students can do about what the University is doing, but hopefully as a student body we can help put pressure on the University and government to allow us to have a safer learning environment.”

Eubanks said NC State is doing a good job making sure students are taken care of.

“Honestly, the best thing the school can do is foster an environment of a lot of rest and taking care of yourself and exercising, and they do a pretty good job of that,” Eubanks said.

Swann said the future of COVID-19 on campus is unclear.

“People sometimes ask, ‘Is this going to keep happening every semester?’ and so we don’t know for sure what will happen,” Swann said. “It is possible that this is the last big surge for some period of time. I anticipate that we will integrate some risk management into our daily lives for disease outbreaks of many types including hand washing, mask wearing or awareness of disease outbreaks.

We could see other variants in the future, but things could get better in the short to medium term after this wave passes.”

Koci said omicron should pass through faster than the delta variant of COVID-19 did.

“The one sort of good news is as fast as this thing moves, this wave should end faster too,” Koci said. “So instead of lasting three months like the last two waves, this could take three to six weeks. At some point it’ll run out of people to make ill and [the number of cases] will come back down.”

View NC State’s COVID-19 Updates page to stay informed on the status of COVID-19 on campus.

Grant Eubanks is an employee at WKNC – part of NC State Student Media.

Opinion

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No school or public library should have the right to ban certain books

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Reading in school can seem like a chore for most people, but I’ve always enjoyed reading both in and out of the classroom. I love reading so much because it gives us a chance to enCaroline ter a new world where the Wilbourne possibilities are endless. It Correspondent allows you to escape from reality for a bit, and I think that’s a really cool thing.

Schools have banned books for a long time now, but just recently, Wake County made headlines for banning the LGBTQ+ book “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe for its explicit imagery. I’ve always believed schools shouldn’t control what their students can and can’t read, especially for such a vague reason like this one.

The specific book “Gender Queer” was

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banned because of its explicit imagery but The News & Observer’s Sara Pequeño read the book and counted herself, and she only found nine pages that could be seen as explicit. Pequeño also points out how there are many more obscene books available in Wake County’s libraries, including the extremely sexual series “Fifty Shades of Grey.” This is just one of many instances where Wake County has taken out books from their libraries for ridiculous reasons due to peer pressure from parents.

Many were outraged by this decision made by Wake County, and some even said it was unconstitutional because of the vague reason Wake County gave for banning the book.

Schools shouldn’t ban books. Everyone must have the freedom to be able to read any book they want — regardless if it aligns with other people’s beliefs and

values or not. At the end of the day, everything is subjective and no one is ever going to agree on the same thing — we should be allowed to read any books we want.

Honestly, I love reading books that don’t align up with my beliefs because it gives me a different perspective. I see the beauty in our differences as human beings. I enjoy having open conversations about any topic, and I feel like students in school should be encouraged to do the same, especially through books.

Thankfully, NC State’s libraries are full of all different kinds of books, including “Gender Queer.” NC State gives us the freedom as students to read whatever we want, which I am extremely grateful for.

Our libraries even have an event called Banned Books Onstage, where they have different people read aloud scenes and monologues from banned/challenged

books. It’s to help celebrate the freedom to read, and I definitely am going to check out this event this year, and I encourage you all to as well.

Books can be a really great resource for creating enlightening conversations and meaningful discussions. If schools continue to take away books that spark those conversations then they’re not letting their students grow and they’re not helping them accept others’ differences.

Overall, I firmly believe no one should be told what they can and can’t read. We as students should have the freedom to delve into any sort of books we want to learn more about so we can learn more about the world around us. I’m super happy I go to a university that not only gives me the opportunity but also encourages me to read any sort of book I want to.

Wait before getting annoyed with dining services this semester

It will not be news to anyone that the number of coronavirus cases has completely changed for the worse over winter break. The omicron variant spreads much easier than the original COVID-19 Debra strain or the delta variant and Mullis Correspondent is also shown to still be transmissible amongst vaccinated individuals. It’s only a matter of time before cases begin to grow amongst NC State students and staff, especially in the dining setting. COVID-19 has inconvenienced everyone, but that’s not an excuse for rudeness towards anyone, even though we can expect disruptions this semester.

While the symptoms have shown to be milder than the previous strains, especially for those with the vaccine, receiving a positive test result can still cause major problems. As with the beginning of the pandemic in the winter of 2020, New York City is serving as a predictor for the rest of the country. Entire restaurants have had to close after exposure to one sick staff member.

This could soon happen at dining halls, restaurants and coffee shops at NC State.

Throughout the fall 2021 semester, NC State was already experiencing staffing shortages in dining evidenced by the constant recruitment emails, posters and long wait times. Case Dining Hall remained closed for the general student body for breakfast through the first month of

classes, and restaurants like Red Sky Pizza have remained closed.

As commented on by Technician correspondent Lauren Richards, Grubhub helped to alleviate some of the gaps from staffing shortages and protected staff from as much face-to-face contact with students. However, with so much close contact between staff there is most likely to be plenty of breakthrough cases.

Even though long waits, canceled orders or closures can be an annoyance, now is not the time to get aggravated with dining services. Employees of NC State’s dining services work in an environment with a high spread of COVID-19 and no opportunity for tips as they might have in other restaurant jobs where they would also risk exposure.

As of Jan. 10, over half of all positive cases reported by NC State employees since Aug. 1, 2021 have occurred in the last 30 days. This has occurred even with 82% of staff being vaccinated, more than the rate of undergraduate students.

We all know it is terrible when you have a 15-minute break between classes to pick up your Starbucks order and it’s late, but please have compassion for the food service workers that continue to show up for us. They’re providing the best service they can, awaiting their turn with the virus and quarantine.

None of these workers need the glares of college students to add even more to their already very full plates.

Not Ready for 2022

Emma Reid, a first-year in exploratory studies

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Sleep Schedule

Emma Reid, a first-year in exploratory studies

Opinion

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Live music is a wonderful way for students to connect To get lost in something with others is a familiar feeling that seems to be fleeting in today’s society.

It’s sad, yes, but music is one of the few things that can bring us to this feelRiley ing time and time again.

Sipe Music, while incredibly Correspondent specific, can also be enjoyed as a collective.

Have you ever been in the car with friends and your favorite song comes on, and the volume is blasted and whatever day it is, wherever you guys are going, whatever it is on your mind, suddenly it doesn’t matter anymore for a few seconds? Those few seconds where time stops and you are truly in the moment is a feeling I crave every day. And here, on NC State’s campus, my peers have successfully brought me that feeling.

The bands created by the students of NC State are like hidden happiness gems that have been emerging from the surface at parties the more and more I listen to them. It seems like now everyone knows a person who is a part of a band, or is friends with someone who knows some-

one in a band. Nevertheless, there is a surplus of musical talent on NC State’s campus, with DJs also being a part of the live music scene on campus. This is leading to a more musical party life that creates an environment that may be less intimidating to new and or outcast students.

The great thing about live music is that you don’t have to worry about awkward conversations or standing, you can just dance and listen to the music. Recently I have been to parties where the host has their friends playing in a band to entertain people, whether it is their music or covers of popular songs, the people in the crowd love it. I remember, in one instant, hearing enthusiastic comments from the girls behind me as they bobbed their heads to the music. This brought a huge smile to my face as I realized the genuine happiness this band playing music was bringing to those around me.

Growing up listening to live music, I didn’t quite realize the appeal it has for others, and to see this shared love for live music when it pops up on campus is a pleasant sentiment to have. The emergence of so many bands at parties is just

one example of the growing love for live music on campus.

Not only is it exciting to see people your age jamming out and performing for you and your friends, it is also exciting to know the people on that stage in return. As you are dancing, you can look to your left and right and see people that you may have never expected to dance along, completely getting lost in it. What a tender and wholesome scene to be experiencing first hand, and all because of a small band a few feet in front of you.

I love seeing the new-ish bands gaining popularity and appreciation for their music, which is probably exactly what they are looking for. I imagine the feeling of looking slightly down at the crowd sprawled in front of you, them moving along with the beat that you are playing, has got to be a great one.

Where the music is being played isn’t too hard to find as social media plays a large role in the live music culture at State. Bands like Late Notice, By George, and Weston Estate are North Carolina and NC State centered to an extent, though they may be looking to extend their reach.

New Year, New Persona

Pearl Knight, a third-year studying art and design

Late Notice is performing on Feb. 3 and

By George is performing Saturday, Feb. 5 at The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh, which is a great opportunity for them to play in front of an audience apart from students. As these bands grow, there is real potential for them to make money and develop a career from this passion as well.

If other students who go to NC State want to try and make music, they can use the music booths located in D. H. Hill Jr. Library. Here one can find full 88-key MIDI controllers/keyboards, professional microphones, turntables, cassette decks, sequencers, digital audio workstations, media editing tools and software. This provides students with a lot of resources to experiment with making music.

Everyone can gain something from listening to the live music available on campus. There is no list of who can get in, and truly everyone is welcome.

There is safety in knowing that everyone around you is there to enjoy the music as well, creating an atmosphere where people can get closer, and be more real with one another.

Culture Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy with events from the AACC TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

Sam Overton

vMLK project.

MLK Active Citizenry Series: Policymaking While Black Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m., Talley Student Union To honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy A small panel of Black local and state and the Civil Rights Movement, the Afripolicymakers will discuss strategies for can American Cultural Center (AACC) will students to become changemakers through host a commemorative series of events from policymaking in their community. RegisJan. 17-21. tration is required, so sign up now to join According to AACC program coordian informative discussion with a knowlnator Isaiah Lucas, this year’s theme for edgeable panel.

MLK commemoration week is “They tried MLK Abolitionism with Niki Franco to bury us, but they didn’t know we were Jan. 21, 11 a.m., Witherspoon Student Center Join Niki Franco, a.k.a. Venus Roots, in discussing abolitionism, grassroots activism and solidarity in a workshop at Witherspoon. Storytelling, Black queer feminism and joy as liberation will be the center topics during the interactive event.

MLK Fireside Chat Jan. 21, 3 p.m., Talley Student Union If you need an afternoon pick-meup and you’re looking to hear from three impassioned panelists regarding MLK’s legacy and the need for structural change, check out the MLK Fireside Chat in Stewart Theater. Frederick Engram, Akinyele Omowale Umoja and Niki Franco will host a lively discussion surrounding various ways to implement structural change.

SWATHI KARTHIK/TECHNICIAN March Like Martin Jason Miller, an NC State English professor, presented “When MLK and the KKK Met in Raleigh” on Jan. 15, 2020 at Witherspoon Student Center. Afterwards, photos from the event were displayed at Jan. 21, 4 p.m., Talley Student Union the African American Cultural Center gallery.

The final event from the AACC this week comes in the form of a commemorative march beginning at Stafwith others or simply watch from afar. seeds.”

Food, Activism and Strivings for a Com- ford Lawn and ending at Harris Field. The “When you think about some of the racAACC, Eta Omicron Chapter and NC plete Life ism and injustices that turn into murders State National Pan-Hellenic Council are Jan. 20, 5 p.m., virtual of innocent Black people, harassment of If you’re more comfortable participat- planning to celebrate King’s legacy with a innocent Black people, this quote signifies that they tried to bury us,” Lucas said. ing from your bedroom, look no further. peaceful, nonviolent demonstration that “They tried to stop us, they tried to kill us, Lynn Johnson, a professor and scholar of all students are welcome to join. they tried to stop the revolution. But they Africana studies and food studies at Dickdidn’t know that… they were birthing a inson College, will host a lecture about the legacy of greatness. And that’s rooted in complete life MLK advocated during the civil rights movement. Johnson’s 45-minute Dr. King’s work.”

Attendees are encouraged to celebrate lecture will give participants the opportuMLK’s legacy by discussing their stories nity to learn about the history of food from — good and bad — and listening to oth- the perspective of the civil rights movement ers share their own. All events are free to and contemporary food justice movements.

The vMLK Project: Embodiment, Affect attend. and World Building MLK Teach-In: On Breaking The Silence Jan. 20, 6 p.m., virtual Jan. 18, 6 p.m., Witherspoon Student The Virtual Martin Luther King ProjCenter Kicking off the week’s events, the AACC ect, created in 2015 by the White Rock will be hosting a teach-in centered around Baptist Church congregation in Durham the topics of decolonization, authentic sto- alongside NC State students and members rytelling and grassroots organizing and ac- of the community, allows participants to tivism in alignment with North Carolina’s engage in guided tours of the vMLK project at Hunt Library. Hosts Victoria Gallagher state motto: “to be, rather than to seem.” and Elizabeth Nelson will be hosting a virMLK Pop-Up Exhibit tual talk regarding the history behind the Jan. 19, noon, Talley Student Union Culture Editor

From the time MLK stepped foot in Reynolds Coliseum in 1966 to today, his mark on NC State is undeniable. Witness his impact on the campus community in the main lobby of Talley.

MLK Solidarity Fishbowl Conversation Jan. 20, 2 p.m., Witherspoon Student Center Join the AACC for a conversation about the whats, whys and hows of solidarity. Participants are more than welcome to join the discussion considering the act of solidarity

TECHNICIAN 9 THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Technician’s resolutions for 2022 Editorial Staff

Jaylan Harrington, Editor-in-Chief: My goal is to find a hoodie for every single occasion. Dress hoodie, swimsuit hoodie, pajama hoodie — you name it, I’ll find a hoodie for it.

Tristan Tucker, Managing Editor: Be cute. But for real I’m cutting down on fast food, learning to cook more and going to the gym a minimum of four times a week.

Normally I’m awful at keeping resolutions, but I’m off to a good start this year.

Caryl Espinoza Jaen, Managing Editor: All I want is to go to grad school and undergo himbo-fication (hot chest, Twitter famous, army of stans/simps).

Allie Remhof, Copy Desk Chief: My resolution is to read more nonfiction, from books to magazine profiles and hone my writing skills. I also want to prevent any mispellings in Technician this year.

Sam Overton, Culture Editor: I’d like to get my first “real” job this summer and take a shot at corporate 9-to-5 life. In the short term, I’m trying to run two or three times a week and go on a hike at least once a month.

Myra Bari, Asst. Culture Editor: My resolution is to listen to new music and artists and travel more!!

Avery Davis, News Editor: My resolution is to get a job so I don’t have an existential crisis about life after graduation :p Shilpa Giri, Opinion Editor: My new year’s resolution is to get back into reading for fun, experiment with new recipes when it comes to cooking and also make it a point to try restaurants I haven’t been to before.

Mariana Fabian, Asst. Opinion Editor: My resolution is to write more, make more

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‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ delivers on hype, vastly exceeds hefty expectations Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

Editor’s Note: This review contains heavy spoilers for “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Like the character’s namesake, almost everything about “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is spectacular; from developing the lore, the characters and Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, the film does it all.

As someone that grew up collecting and reading comics, nothing was more fantastic to see than the epic final battle that took place in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”

And while some of Marvel’s other “Phase 4” projects have been solid, such as “ShangC h i a nd the Legend of the Ten Rings” and Disney+’s “L ok i ”, not h i ng quite came close to that awestruck feeling I had when watching “Endgame.”

So when “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was revealed, I was extremely excited as actors like Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx were announced to be reprising their roles from older Spider-Man movies. The hype train on this film continued to accelerate all the way to release, as evidenced by the shocking $668.7 million domestic box office earnings thus far. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” delivered on the hype and offered a moviegoing experience I hadn’t felt since “Endgame.”

L e t ’s s t a r t with what helped bui ld t he hy pe: the cameos and role reprisals.

Dafoe’s Green Goblin f rom Sa m Raimi’s “Spider-Man” (2002) is always touted as one of the best on-screen supervillains of all time and somehow

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short films and be less insane <3 Wade Bowman, Assistant Sports Editor: If there’s one thing I’d like to improve on this year I’d say it’s expanding the media I consume. That means anything from

Dafoe managed to build on that character in this movie. Dafoe’s acting is by far the best from a comic-book movie in the last year, and his Green Goblin becomes even more menacing in the film, demented smile and all.

Molina’s Doctor Octopus from Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2” (2004) is another fan-favorite villain and, like Dafoe, Molina manages to build on a character he portrayed all those years ago. I won’t completely spoil it, but there’s a moment near the end of the film involving Molina and another actor that will warm the heart of any comic-book fan.

Foxx rounds out the main villainous trio, t hough his portrayal of Electro in Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014), was much less adored by fans, even Foxx himself. However, Fox x had more i nput on his character this go around and absolu-

the case of a certain Marvel-Netflix superhero returning in cameo fashion (something I predicted long ago, no flex intended), which got everyone in the theater amped up.

O f c ou r s e , you can’t have Raimi’s and Webb’s v i l l a i n s w it hout also including the Spider-Men that made t he ma g ic happen. Part of the reason that “No Way Home” had hype surrounding it was t he incessant rumors and subsequent denials by studio execs and t he actors themselves t hat Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would return to reprise their respective roles as Spider-Man. M a g u i re a nd Garfield are in fact in the film, playing pivotal roles in

GRAPHIC BY JOE LINGO

tely redeems the character.

There are some other returning villains including Rhys Ifans’ Lizard and Thomas Haden’s Sandman, but neither character does much to stand out. This is one of the main weaknesses of the film as you can tell that Marvel just reused shots of Haden’s Sandman from Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3” (2007). And then there’s

the movie’s final act. “No Way Home” is at its absolute peak when it features all three Spider-Men on camera, with their dialogue shining bright.

There’s a shocking moment midway through the film that Holland’s character has to deal with and Maguire and Garfield excellent- ly portray their emotions as they at t empt to console the younger web-slinger.

The inclusion of Ma g u i re a nd Garfield also subsequently

listening to new genres/bands, watching more movies and finally giving reading for pleasure a fair shot.

Bryan Pyrtle, Assistant Sports Editor: It might sound counterintuitive to my occupation as a writer, but my resolution is to hold my tongue. This past year I’ve found myself complaining about circumstances or speaking ill of others without their knowledge far too much, and I do not

think such practices are good for my wellbeing or the well-being of those around me.

I hope that by holding my tongue I can learn to reserve judgment more willingly than I have in the past.

Ann Salman, Design Editor: My resolution is to prioritize my responsibilities, create healthier habits, and spend more time on my hobbies :) Chloe Allen, Video Editor: My reso-

makes their respective Spider-Man movies even better by adding more depth to their characters. Not to mention that theaters went wild when the characters were revealed on-screen one at a time.

One of the other things I enjoyed about this film is the fact that, unlike many other Marvel movies, this is a dark film. There’s no happy ending here, and the biggest tragedy in the film comes as a total surprise and pushes Tom Holland’s character into new territories unexplored by the Spider-Men before him. And when “Spider-Man: No Way Home” does commit to jokes, it doesn’t overly rely on in-your-face humor, oftentimes it succeeds by going for a more subtle approach through the dialogue of its biggest stars.

By doi ng this, and having Holland’s Spider-Man deal with a tragedy, we will finally see one of the bigger complaints about the character addressed in future films.

Holland’s Spider-Man has continuously been criticized for not being developed as an individual since so many of his scenes depended on the existence of other characters, primarily Robert Downey Jr. ‘s Iron Man. But now, as Spider-Man swings through the snowy streets of New York City in the final moments of the film, audiences finally get a sense of individuality that they haven’t gotten f r o m Ho l land yet, and one that will be sure to get fans back in their seats for the inevitable sequel trilogy.

Despite a hefty runtime, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” doesn’t feel bloated at all.

It’s a rollercoaster from start to finish and had a chokehold on my attention all the way through. It’s one of the better comic-book movie adaptations and is absolutely worth your while. lution is to start prioritizing the things I love by planning time each week for me to practice piano and creative writing.

Mollie Mitchell, Photo Editor: This year I am focusing on traveling more and getting out of my comfort zone. I am studying abroad this summer in Prague and am excited to go to different countries and be immersed in a new culture.

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The questions and answers behind invasive species in North Carolina Patsy McKee

cal management for emerald ash borer will serve as a short-term solution as researchers look for long-term options.

No matter which way you spin it, invaIf left untreated, Oten said, invasive spesive species are harmful to the environment. cies can “forever change the landscape of According to the United States Geological our state.” For instance, chestnut blight, a Survey, invasive species contribute to over historic fungal disease, ravished the once $100 billion in damages to the U.S. economy dominant American chestnut tree for many each year. The NC Invasive Plant Council’s years. list of invasive plant species grows longer “Chestnut blight has killed the majority and longer every year, contributing to crop of our large, mature chestnut decimation, human disease transtrees,” Oten said. “Although mission and more. you can still find American If you’re concerned about exotic chestnut seedlings in the forcritters invading campus, you’re est, the species is considered not alone. Check out this Q&A with functionally extinct.” campus experts to learn the basics What does the research say? of invasive species, including the Moorman elaborated on the precautions students can take and newness of the research on how how they can spread awareness reinvasive species might impact garding the impact of invasive plants native species conservation. and animals.

“This is an emerging area What are they? of research,” Moorman said.

The harm caused by invasive spe“It’s hard to paint with a broad cies can be measured across three brush, but typically, when we sectors. Assistant professor and have non-native plant invaforest health extension specialist sions, they outcompete native Dr. Kelly Oten incorporates those plants and they reduce the disectors into her research at NC State. versity of native plant species.”

“An invasive species is a non-native At the J.C. Raulston Arbospecies that causes harm either to retum, Weathington encourour environment, to our economy ages the use of the Arboretum’s or, in some cases, human health,” landscape plant collection for Oten said. research purposes. In the past, The term “invasive” can also be the Arboretum’s collection has ambiguous; its interpretation overbeen used in support of native laps with other species identifiers ecosystem rehabilitation projfor introduced organisms, such as SARA TRUDAN/TECHNICIAN ects. “naturalized” or “non native.”

BugFest is an annual event that attracts over 30,000 people each year to experience and learn from over 100 “If you are rehabbing a naAccording to Christopher Moor- exhibits, crafts, and bug-related activities. The theme of BugFest 2019 was beetles, and visitors can explore the tive ecosystem, then you would man, professor and associate head in North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences to learn more about these interesting creatures. Photo above of certainly want to plant native the department of forestry and en- caterpillar species, Eumorpha Pandorus, was taken on September 21, 2019. plants, preferably with genetic vironmental resources, these defini“If you think about it, there’s wood crates, invasive species populations in the United material from close-by populations,” Weathtions occupy a gray area. ington said. “I believe in cultivated land“To be naturalized means that the intro- pallets and support beams. If there’s a wood- States, specifically North Carolina.

“There are tactics that we use generally,” scapes — we should plant the right plant in duced species is able to survive and repro- boring insect inside, you might not even duce on its own,” Moorman said. “To make know,” Oten said. “A lot of those things are Oten said. “There are three major things that the right place.” it simple, I say that any naturalized species supposed to be treated, but sometimes things we consider: chemicals, biological control Educating yourself and others about invasive species is also invasive. If a species can survive, re- slip through the cracks and there’s human and host plant resistance.”

The proliferation of invasive species across Currently, the only treatment for emerproduce and is outcompeting native species or equipment error.”

To reduce those accidental introductions, ald ash borer infestations are insecticides, a the United States will undoubtedly continue for space, then it has caused harm.”

So what makes a species “native”? Mark there are measures in place to treat wood and type of chemical approach. The emerald ash into the future. An unfortunate “new norm,” Weathington, director of the J.C. Raulston other plant products before they are shipped borer, a metallic jewel beetle, attacks native as Moorman described it. However, there are options for students who want to assist with ash trees.

Arboretum, commented on the elusiveness to different locations.

“Our most recent [invasive] introduction invasive species prevention.

“Shipments that come into the country are of a definite definition.

“Advocate for the value of native plants “Native implies time and place,” Weath- inspected by [U.S.] Customs and Border Pro- was the emerald ash borer,” Oten said. “It ington said. “In North America, most of the tection and there are agricultural agents at has also spread very quickly. It can be found and plant communities that are dominated definitions for ‘native’ center around what all of these international ports,” Oten said. in over 60 counties in the state, and we only by native plants,” Moorman said. “Probably was here when the first white people came “But, there’s a lot coming in so they can’t just detected it in 2013. It has been detected the best way to do that is through education.”

At NC State, there are many educational and recorded it. But, we need to decide: is check everything. The numbers are actually in Raleigh, and there are infested trees on resources on invasive species. Those can be pretty shocking; less than 2% of imports are campus.” that a valid definition anymore?”

Research on biological control and host found at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum and actually inspected by these agents.”

Where do they come from?

However, beyond these protocols, there plant resistance is being done for the emerald online via the University’s several extension So, how do invasive species enter into our ash borer. Oten expressed hope that chemi- tools. communities? How should we monitor their are precautions normal citizens can take.

Correspondent

spread?

“A real common way that [invasive plants] enter and have entered is through the ornamental plant trade,” Moorman said. “Another way is by accident. We’re a globalized economy and a globalized world with people and supplies moving all over the place.”

According to Oten, accidental introductions of forest insects can occur from trade involving wood as packaging material.

“One of the best things that people can do is not move firewood,” Oten said. “We are accidentally moving these things hundreds of miles, sometimes within the span of a single day in our firewood.”

How should we approach them?

The evolving nature of the invasive species issue within North Carolina is not lost on Oten. Her research involves the implementation of management approaches for

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Swimming Takeaways: Women’s team gears up for two tough meets Sam Overton Culture Editor

As the swim and dive season nears the halfway mark, the Wolfpack remains undefeated ahead of a slew of meets in January. Although the No. 5 women face some tough competition in the weeks to come — No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 Texas, to name a couple — that’s not to say that the team has underperformed so far this season.

Katharine Berkoff, Sophie Hansson dominant on the world stage Last month’s FINA World Championships in Abu Dhabi were absolutely electric for two Wolfpack women in particular — junior Katherine Berkoff and senior Sophie Hansson. Berkoff picked up three medals for the United States: gold in the 4x50 and 4x100 freestyle relays and bronze in the 100-meter backstroke. Hansson, who competed for Sweden, not only won five medals but set a world record in the 4x50 medley relay alongside her teammates.

Of course, these times don’t translate into NCAA standards — all of the events were in short course meters, not short course yards. Still, with a combined four gold medals between Berkoff and Hansson, it’s not hard to imagine that they’ll bring some serious speed to the pool in front of tough competition such as Virginia and Texas. Both of their performances bode well for the next couple months of swim meets leading up to ACCs and NCAAs. Men’s breaststroke showing some deficiencies Breaststroke has been the men’s team’s

weakest discipline for years, and unfortunately, the 2021-22 season hasn’t been any different. Senior Rafal Kusto has been running a one-man show in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events for the last several meets, thanks to the Wolfpack’s lack of depth in this stroke.

Things were looking up slightly when freshmen Nathan Kempiak and Sam Hoover joined NC State’s roster last year, but both have failed to show any outstanding swims since the beginning of the season — plus, Hoover’s more often put into freestyle and I.M. events.

There are some promising recruits in the distance, such as star breaststroker Will Heck who is slated to join the Wolfpack in fall 2023, but nothing in the short term suggests that the No. 2 men will be within scoring range in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke at NCAAs. Small freshman class a bit of a boon for the Wolfpack women Although NC State’s swim and dive program boasts one of the best recruiting classes to date, there are noticeably less star-studded freshmen recruits on the women’s side than the men’s. Since the Wolfpack women retained the majority of last year’s NCAA squad, they’re still in contention to place top three once again, but there may be only so much talent the team can truly add at NCAAs this year.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some fast first-years on the women’s team. The Sheble twins and Annabel Crush consistently finished in the top eight at the GAC

JESSICA HAWKINS/TECHNICIAN

Senior Sophie Hansson swims the 200-yard breaststroke during the meet versus Tennessee on Oct. 15, 2021 in the Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center. Hansson finished first with a time of 2:09.89. The Wolfpack women’s team beat the Volunteers 182-118.

Invitational in November, and freshman Kenna Smallgange has shown some impressive talent over the past few meets.

However, there’s only so far this new talent will go, and the NC State women will have to double down in the weeks ahead to take on Virginia and Texas.

No slowing down for the Wolfpack, even with losing Ponti Preemptively ranked No. 1 in the nation

by Swimswam ahead of the 2021-22 season, the men’s team gained some incredible swimmers last year, including the No. 1 recruit in America. Amid all the talented freshmen, Noe Ponti was arguably the most exciting — fresh off a third-place

finish in the 100-meter butterfly at the Olympics in August, fans were thrilled to have the Swiss native swimming with the Wolfpack.

However, that all took a turn when Ponti decided to return to Switzerland to train in late September, leaving NC State short of one incredible butterflyer. Luckily, the Wolfpack didn’t seem too affected by Ponti’s move back, retaining its winning streak in the process. Freshmen Aiden Hayes, Arsenio Bustos and David Curtiss have had some incredible swims throughout the season, and veterans such as juniors Ross Dant and Kacper Stokowski have been consistent in their respective events.

A glimpse into Wolfpack track and field’s upcoming season Rachel Umbach Staff Writer

The start of the new semester marks the beginning of the spring collegiate sports season, and for NC State fans there’s a lot to look forward to this year. One team in particular to keep your eye on is the Wolfpack track and field team.

The NC State athletes are following a very successful season in 2020-21 and a cross country campaign this past fall that led to an NCAA Championship win for the NC State women. With a full slate of invitationals stretching from now until the beginning of June, it is bound to be an exciting next few months, so let’s dive a little deeper into what fans should expect.

Featuring a talented roster with depth all around the track, this article would be much too long if every individual was listed out one-by-one but here’s a few highlights of

NATALIE WARNER/ARCHIVE

Freshman Timara Chapman leaps over the final hurdle as she finishes 17th overall in the women’s 100m hurdles. Her time was 14.77 at the Raleigh Relays on Paul Derr Track on Friday, March 29, 2019.

names to look out for this spring.

There’s redshirt senior distance runner Ian Shanklin, a two-time ACC champion who will look to defend his 10,000m title from last season. Also defending a title is senior distance runner Hannah Steelman who took first in the 2021 ACC outdoor 3000m steeplechase.

Another group of note are the hurdles, NC State’s strongest events. Junior Joshua Brockman, senior Cameron Murray and freshman Alexander Nunley make up the team for the Pack on the men’s side, and juniors Ally Henson and Akira Rhodes and graduate student Brandi Hughes represent the women.

The season began with the Winston-Salem College Kick-Off Classic and Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener back in December, but after roughly TRACK continued page 15

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

NC State football post-mortem: ‘Run it back’ Pack to make some real noise in 2022

Jaylan Harrington Editor-in-Chief

As the 2021-22 college football season comes to a close, it’s time to look back on the No. 20 NC State football team’s 9-3 (6-2 ACC) campaign. The Wolfpack made a splash in 2020, and the 2021-22 squad proved that was no fluke.

Nothing is ever easy or by-the-book for NC State. Though it looked impressive early to start the year, losing to Mississippi State in the uncompetitive fashion it did shellshocked the team and its fans. It also began a storyline which would dominate the season, as at different points redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson, graduate safety Cyrus Fagan, redshirt freshman defensive tackle C.J. Clark, graduate left guard Chandler Zavala, redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore and sophomore defensive end Savion Jackson suffered season-ending injuries.

Despite this, the team ripped off four straight wins after losing to the Bulldogs, including a 27-21 overtime upset over the Clemson Tigers which was a long time coming. Easily the biggest win of head coach Dave Doeren’s tenure, the victory silenced a narrative that the ninth-year head man couldn’t win the big game.

Then, in its last regular season game, Doeren finally got one over on Mack Brown via a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback led by senior receiver Emeka Emezie, who scored two straight touchdowns to shock the Tar Heels in the waning moments of an instant classic.

While losses to Miami and No. 15 Wake Forest derailed its ACC Championship hopes, the team showed a ton of heart throughout the year.

Three losses should be the floor for this team, and should the offense shore up its deficiencies, that number could drop to one.

GRIFFIN BRYANT/TECHNICIAN

Sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas celebrates a sack during the last home football game of the season against the UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels at Carter-Finley Stadium on Nov 26, 2021. The Wolfpack won 34-30.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary took a huge step forward, leading the offense with 3,433 passing yards and 37 total touchdowns on a nearly 66% completion percentage. Though the running game struggled mightily as the season went on, Leary was exactly what the offense needed him to be, which is a testament to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck’s ability.

On the defensive side, the team showed off its depth time and time again, with graduate defensive tackle Cory Durden and sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas especially putting up incredible performances despite injuries among their position groups. Along with junior safety Tanner Ingle, they led a top tier defense, and each of them was rewarded with first team All-ACC honors.

If any individual assistant proved their worth this year, it was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tony Gibson.

The Broyles Award contender’s defense ranked No. 14 nationally in scoring defense, No. 5 in third-down defense and No. 14 in interceptions as the secondbest unit in the ACC. His position group was the heart and soul of the defense, as Wilson, Moore and Thomas established themselves as a top linebacking corps —

each of them capable of competing for the mantle of top ACC defensive player.

The best player on the team, though, played in the trenches. Sophomore tackle Ikem Ekwonu was a force on the left side of the line, and the Outland trophy winner and consensus All-American will find himself handsomely paid come the 2022 NFL draft. Despite his presence, though, the offensive line as a whole had a down year.

NC State’s rushing offense ranked second to last in the ACC, 99th in the country, and that’s with two of the best backs in the conference in sophomore Zonovan Knight and junior Ricky Person Jr. Both of them are headed to the NFL draft, which is a definite cause of concern.

The Wolfpack does not lose too many starters, all things considered, but the losses are piling up in certain areas. The 2022-23 running back room, led by sophomore Jordan Houston and freshman Demie Sumo, will have a lot to prove, as will the offensive line, which loses Ekwonu and Zavala, whose medical waiver was denied by the NCAA. The left side of the line was its strong point, and now redshirt junior center Grant Gibson is the lone standout remaining.

At wide receiver, senior Emeka Emezie

is the lone departure. Behind him, sophomore Keyon Lesane showed decent playmaking ability during the season, and position coach Joker Phillips’ Maryland transfer Darryl Jones may also compete for the job. Whoever takes over has huge shoes to fill.

On special teams, losing punter Trenton Gill to the NFL is also a heavy loss, but one the coaching staff must’ve seen coming. With the top punter in the ACC gone, Towson’s Sean McDonough transferred to Raleigh. McDonough averaged just over 41 yards per punt, a mark that would’ve been middle of the pack in the ACC, but special teams coach Todd Goebbel will likely get the best out of him.

Nearly everyone else is coming back, though. “Run it back” has become the mantra for this team, even without the UCLA fiasco which ended the 2021 season. The defense is stacked across the board, while the special teams unit looks to reload at punter and the offense is more of a work in progress. If O-line coach John Garrison can score a transfer lineman or two to shore up his unit, and if Sumo lives up to the hype the coaches have for him, next year’s squad could be special.

FOOTBALL continued page 15

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Women’s basketball takeaways: Staunch defense, dominant bench leading charge Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

While students were away from campus, the No. 4 NC State women’s basketball team continued to roll through its schedule. Let’s take a look at how the team fared over the winter break.

Pack dominating conference play Ever since the disappointing loss to No. 17 Georgia, the Pack has been a different beast, holding Virginia, Clemson and No. 21 North Carolina to just 152 combined points.

Though Virginia and Clemson are the two worst teams in the ACC, North Carolina is a ranked team and is coincidentally the team the Pack fared best against in terms of raw shooting numbers.

In those three games, NC State held opposing teams to 32% shooting from the field (58 of 181). That’s unheard of. As it ran UNC out of the gym, NC State held the Tar Heels to a measly 23.1% clip from the floor.

In that stretch of games, NC State forced 60 total turnovers and the team recorded 42 stocks. Having junior forward Jada Boyd

fully healthy has helped, and she recorded six stocks in those games.

NC State let Miami score a bit more in its most recent win, going up against a pressuring Hurricane defense that outrebounded the Pack. Head coach Wes Moore was quick to assess the team’s weaknesses, particularly wanting to tighten up on rebounds (more on that later).

Regardless, the Pack’s current conference schedule is encouraging, to say the least, especially against a then-undefeated UNC team that has been a thorn in the side of the last few iterations of the Wolfpack.

Bench players having moments All year long, the talk of the town has been how deep this Wolfpack team is. Plenty of the Pack’s recent games have put that on full display. Look no further than NC State’s outing against UNC in which it recorded 23 bench points compared to Chapel Hill’s eight. While the Pack’s bench production is due in large part to sophomore guard Diamond Johnson, who averages 12.6 points per game, NC State is getting some solid in-

dividual performances from its second unit.

Against Clemson, the Wolfpack got 11 points and four boards from sophomore guard Madison Hayes. The Pack got 10 points from junior center Camille Hobby against Virginia and more recently, nine crucial bench points from the center against Miami. Hobby is usually the least-utilized player in Moore’s eight-woman rotation; she tends to play in ranked matches and similarly competitive games.

Despite the fact Moore does shorten his rotation and players like Hayes or freshman guard Aziaha James won’t get these opportunities often, it’s incredibly encouraging he has those players as fall-back options, especially considering those players are better than most programs’ starting units.

Team still has issues to sort out Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows over the break. Coach Moore is never one to be satisfied with how things are going, even if his teams are blowing out the opposition, and it’s part of what has put the Pack in prime position to contend in the

ACC and for a national title.

In the team’s first loss of the season, to powerhouse No. 1 South Carolina, the Wolfpack fell behind early and had to battle back into the game late. While it wasn’t to the same extent, the Pack found itself facing a 20-8 scoring deficit in the second quarter of its loss to Georgia and was forced to claw its way back in before falling in a disappointing fashion.

And despite outscoring Clemson by 24, Moore quickly and bluntly said he was disappointed in the way his team didn’t completely close a Tiger team out that was missing some of its best players. He’s got a point. The Pack is a quarter-by-quarter team at times — something it tightened up against teams like UNC, but is still an overarching theme.

It’s easy to tell after the Pack’s loss to Georgia in which the team was narrowly outrebounded, that Moore emphasized rebounding, especially when you consider WBB continued page 15

Sports

TECHNICIAN 15

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

a month long break the Pack will be back in action to officontinued from page 12 cially start the spring schedule with back-to-back weekends at Virginia Tech at the Virginia Tech Invitational and Hokie Invitational on Jan. 14.

“It’s, let’s see where you’re at, your training, what do we need to work on and raise your level,” said men’s head coach Rollie Geiger.

“I don’t expect NCAA type qualifying marks after a layoff that long, but it would be a developmental meet, both those meets. What I expect is towards the end of January and February that the marks will get much better after some early season competition. So, a check, where you’re at in your training, and what do we need to do” A few more meets in the Carolinas and Virginia make up the rest of the schedule through the ACC Championships at the end of February, marking the end of the indoor season.

NC State will then head down to Florida for the UCF Invitational before returning to Raleigh to host the Raleigh Relays at the end of March.

“Well, it’s got a history and every high level program in the country is interested in coming to Raleigh,’’ Geiger said. “Recently we actually had to cap it and I think it’s a great event. It’s a turning event for the city, for the university and for the city of Raleigh. … It’s a great event and it’s got a great tradition.”

The Pack will spend the later part of the season traveling around the east coast before the ACC Championships in mid-May and NCAA Regionals and Championships which conclude in June.

It’s a long season from early January to the beginning of June and the main focus through those six months is on development.

“It’s about development, athletes need to get better every day,” Geiger said. “Preparing for indoor championships, and then all of a sudden you turn around and you’re outdoors so the idea is that their best races or jumps or throws that are done will be in May. So some of this is development for the ACC Championships indoors, but then we turn around and in May we do the outdoors so again it’s about development and progression.”

The next competition for NC State, the Virginia Tech Invitational, is set to begin Jan. 14 in Blacksburg, Virginia.

TRACK

FOOTBALL

continued from page 13

NC State will begin the 2022-23 season as a clear contender for the ACC title,

WBB

the fact that the Pack outrebounded the continued from page 14 Tar Heels 5340. Those kinds of improvements are going to be key as NC State once again picks up with ranked opponents later this month.

Elissa Cunane’s professional optics The WNBA recently held its draft lottery,

and its schedule is much more manageable than even this year’s. Texas Tech will provide a nonconference test for the Wolfpack, but the Red Raiders will do so in Raleigh. The team travels to Clemson, but it does so as the first game in ACC of the year — the best time to play the Tigers, who will still be led by D.J. Uiagalelei,

and who will be without Brent Venables.

It draws a rebuilding Virginia Tech as its other Coastal foe, and it gets Wake Forest at home. UNC went 6-7 with its best quarterback in program history, and now he’s gone. The ACC is once again between the Wolfpack and Wake Forest, and the Demon Deacons just lost one of their best

players to the portal.

Three losses should be the f loor for this team, and should the offense shore up its deficiencies, that number could drop to one. Next year isn’t “the” year by any stretch, but it’s going to provide NC State its best chance yet to do something special.

with the Washington Mystics surprising all and jumping the lowly Indiana Fever to get the first overall selection. This year’s draft class looks to be especially loaded in tandem with one of the best free-agent classes of all time. So where does that leave senior center Elissa Cunane?

In ESPN’s most recent mock draft, Cunane was mocked to the New York Liberty at fifth overall behind the likes of Kentucky’s

Rhyne Howard and Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith.

Another mock has Cunane at eight, behind Georgia Tech forward Lorela Cubaj, who has given the Pack problems in the past.

Winsidr’s Adam Miller has Cunane going seventh overall.

It’s clear that the Wolfpack’s best player is safely in the first round but it remains to be seen if she’ll be able to boost her stock.

With upcoming challenges against No. 15

Georgia Tech and No. 16 Duke on the way, Cunane will have no shortage of opportunities to do so.

SARAH COCHRAN/TECHNICIAN

Graduate guard Kai Crutchfield celebrates making a 3-point shot during the game versus the UNC Tar Heels on Jan. 6, 2021 in Reynolds Coliseum. Crutchfield scored six points against UNC. The Wolfpack beat the Tar Heels 72-45.

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