Old Gold&Black “Covers the campus like the magnolias”
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WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 2022 MARCH 16,
The days the world shut down: 7KUHH \HDUV VLQFH &29,' VZHSW WKH ZRUOG VWXGHQWV UHÀHFW RQ WKH beginning of the pandemic and the chaotic semesters that followed AINE PIERRE Online Managing Editor At Wake Forest, everyone knew that March 6, 2020, was the last day of classes before spring break. However, few imagined that it would be the last day of in-person classes for the Spring 2020 semester. There were some warning signs. The previous day, the Old Gold & Black ran a front-page story reporting that students studying abroad at Casa Artom in Venice, Italy, were sent home. This raised some alarm from students, but most seemed confident that, at least by April, Wake Forest would return to in-person classes. A Tale of Two Student Leaders One such conversation played out in the Old Gold & Black office, according to the Editorin-Chief at the time, Olivia Field (‘21). “I remember talking to some of the other editors, specifically Andy Killebrew, who was one of the Life editors and Jack Portman, who was one of the Opinion editors, and they were like, ‘oh, yeah, that's the end of the world, it was nice knowing you guys,’” Field said. “[They also said:] ‘You know, we're not coming back after spring break.’ I remember joking around with them and not really taking what they said seriously.” On March 11, 2020, the Old Gold & Black reported that after an extra week of spring break, all Wake Forest classes would be held virtually for the remainder of the semester. The previous day, the News
& Observer reported that the Wake Forest administration asked professors to look into virtual teaching that could extend through the Fall 2020 semester. Mellie Mesfin (‘20), who was student body president for the 2019-2020 academic year, was in Mexico for spring break when the news about classes broke. She and her friends debated returning to campus for the remainder of spring break or staying in Mexico. “I remember talking to friends and realizing that everything was just going to have to be a day-to-day, intuitive decision because there was no right answer that anyone could provide,” Mesfin said. Both she and Field had to consider how their respective organizations could continue operating virtually. The Old Gold & Black already published all of the articles it printed online, but the camaraderie of the Old Gold & Black office was not so easily digitized. “It was an adjustment,” Field said. “As I'm sure everyone who has participated in a group activity knows, not being able to be in person and brainstorm together or be creative together — that’s a chal- lenge.” Field continued: “How [did] we recreate the newsroom in a virtual setting? It was a ton of Zoom meetings, and using Google Drive and online resources that we never really took advantage of.” Mesfin faced issues with the transition, too. For one, Student Government’s spring elections, during which the student body selects its executive of- ficers and sophomore, junior and senior senators, were scheduled for just after spring break. “So we started planning for virtual Student Government elections, which meant new rules and different challenges,” Mesfin said. “And we had to field questions at every
stop and to some extent, adapt things as we went because no one had been in this situation.” For Mesfin and her fellow seniors, though, it was hard to balance one’s responsibilities and the feeling of loss that came with having one’s senior year cut short. “[Some of ] my friends were super, super anxious or super upset and really grieving the loss of those precious last few months of being a senior in college,” Mesfin said. Part of those precious months, as Mesfin points out, involve transitioning leadership positions, finishing classes and finalizing postgraduate plans. “A lot of my peers and I missed the camaraderie and celebration that goes with [those moments],” Mesfin said As Mesfin and Field worked to serve the Wake Forest community, the community continued to expand. By March 21, 2022, the Class of 2024 received their acceptance letters. Most of them had their senior year of high school similarly cut short, and many were apprehensive about their first few semesters of college. While most Class of 2024 members came to campus in Fall 2020 for a mix of online, blended and in-person classes, some stayed home. Some then-sophomores also stayed home, like Marilla Morrison (‘23). “Though being stuck at home with my two parents and three siblings was not ideal for a first-year college student having just gotten a taste of freedom, it seemed safer than putting my life in the hands of hundreds,” Morrison told the Old Gold & Black in writing. “Already I was dealing with the feelings of helplessness, confusion, and betrayal as many of my friends had different standards than my family (in terms of even outdoor, socially-distant small gatherings). It felt like I could no longer rely on the people who I thought I could trust with my life before the pandemic.” Morrison believes she made the right choice, saying she has never tested positive for COVID.
See COVID, Page 3 Virginia Noone/Old Gold & Black
Old Gold & Black This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Executive Board
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From Exec: Celebrating our success and moving forward This past weekend, editors from the Old Gold & Black traveled to New York City to participate in the College Media Association (CMA) spring conference. The sessions there sharpened our skills as reporters and encouraged us to think deeply about the identity of the Old Gold & Black as we approach our 108th birthday. We will have more to say about these changes soon, but for now, we want to recognize the work that received recognition at the CMA’s Apple Awards. Opinion Editor Lauren Carpenter received first-place recognition in the opinion category for her column, “The brutal aftermath of a sexual assault at Wake Forest.” Carpenter, who was still a staff writer at the time,
worked closely with the opinion and executive editors to share her story, and she never once wavered in her bravery or dedication to telling hard truths. We are so proud of Carpenter and thankful to her for sharing her story with us. Additionally, our magazine, The Magnolia, earned second-place honors in the Feature Magazine (3,0009,999) category, beating out many prominent magazines from across the nation. We could not be prouder of The Magnolia’s work to cover important stories that often do not receive the attention they deserve. You can read the Fall 2022 issue, which focuses on organizations and individuals often overlooked by the Wake Forest
community, here. We also look forward to The Magnolia’s Spring 2023 edition, which will focus on the wider Winston-Salem community, with anticipation. We think we speak for every member of the Old Gold & Black, however, when we say that we do not do what we do for awards. Our commitment is not to trophies, but to covering the campus like the magnolias. Awards like these remind us that there is a lot to be proud of in our coverage these past years. However, as the workshops sessions at the conference and reader feedback remind us, there are always ways we can improve. Today, we celebrate our past successes and renew our determination to get
Today, we celebrate our past successes and renew our determination to get even better." even better. Wake Forest and its community deserve nothing less, and we welcome any and all feedback on our coverage. The Executive Board of the Old Gold & Black comprises Editor-in-Chief Christa Dutton, as well as Managing Editors Breanna Laws, Maryam Khanum and Aine Pierre.
Old Gold&Black THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SINCE 1916
CHRISTA DUTTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF duttcd20@wfu.edu
BREANNA LAWS
AINE PIERRE
MARYAM KHANUM
SOFIA SCORDLEY
PRINT MANAGING EDITOR
ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
MULTIMEDIA MANAGING EDITOR
BUSINESS MANAGER
lawsbn21@wfu.edu
pierav20@wfu.edu
khanmg20@wfu.edu
scorse20@wfu.edu
>> NEWS Daniel Parolini, parodj20@wfu.edu
>> LIFE Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu
Maddie Stopyra, stopmf21@wfu.edu
James Watson, watsjc22@wfu.edu
>> FEATURES Chase Bagnall-Koger, bagncm21@wfu.edu
>> PHOTO Virginia Noone, noonvc21@wfu.edu
Isabella Romine, romiie21@wfu.edu
Evan Harris, harres22@wfu.edu
>> ENVIRONMENT Addison Schmidt, schmac21@wfu.edu
>> VIDEO Asheton Ayotte, ayotag20@wfu.edu
Bella Ortley-Guthrie, ortlbs21@wfu.edu
>> COPY CHIEF Josie Scratchard, scraja20@wfu.edu
>> OPINION Shaila Prasad, prassp21@wfu.edu
>> EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chair: Aine Pierre, pierav20@wfu.edu
Lauren Carpenter, carple21@wfu.edu
Members: Sophie Guymon, guymsm20@wfu.edu
>> SPORTS ,DQ 6WHIIHQVHQ VWHI¿S #ZIX HGX
Shaila Prasad, prassp21@wfu.edu
Aaron Nataline, nataae21@wfu.edu Asst. Sean Kennedy, kennsm21@wfu.edu
Lauren Carpenter, carple21@wfu.edu Ashlyn Segler, seglal20@wfu.edu Hope Zhu, zhuq21@wfu.edu
>> ADVISER Ivan Weiss, weissij@wfu.edu
Want to write for us? Email wfuogb@gmail.com
>> POLICIES Our job as a newspaper is to be a platform for all voices, not just the ones we agree with. However, we reserve the right to reject advertisements that are vulgar, inaccurate, obscene or violate Wake Forest’s policies on nondiscrimination, diversity, equity, and inclusion as they pertain to student organizations. We will also reject any advertisements that promote illegal activities according to the state of North Carolina. Not only do we hold our newspaper and its contents to a high standard, but we also expect that those who choose to use us as an outlet for their ideas, opinions and skill hold themselves and their content to a high ethical standard. The Old Gold & Black is published Thursdays during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Triangle Web Printing of Durham. The views expressed in all opinion pieces and advertisements contained within this publication do QRW QHFHVVDULO\ UHÀHFW WKH RSLQLRQV RI WKH 2OG *ROG %ODFN $V SDUW RI RXU FRPPLWPHQW WR reporting news fairly and accurately, we will not remove any previously published content online unless it is retracted. If an error in either our online or print content is brought to our attention, we will revise the originally published article with an appended correction. In RUGHU WR IDFLOLWDWH WKRXJKWIXO DQG DSSURSULDWH GHEDWH SURIDQH YXOJDU RU LQÀDPPDWRU\ FRPments on our website are not allowed and will be deleted. Comments which incite violence, target individuals in a form of cyber bullying, or which promote ideas which vilify marginDOL]HG FRPPXQLWLHV ZLOO EH GHOHWHG DQG SURSHU DXWKRULWLHV PD\ EH QRWL¿HG DQG LQYROYHG >> SUBMISSIONS The OGB welcomes submissions in the form of story tips, columns and letters to the editor. Letters to the editor should be fewer than 500 words, and columns should be around 500 words. Send yours via e-mail to duttcd20@wfu.edu the Monday before publication. We reserve the right to edit all letters for length and clarity. No anonymous letters will be printed. >> ONLINE MEDIA Web: wfuogb.com Facebook: facebook.com/ogb1916 Twitter: @wfuogb Instagram: @wfuogb TikTok: @wfuogb Sports Twitter: @wfuogbsports
News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Page 3
COVID: Wake Forest remembers the pandemic Continued from Page 1 Fall 2020 and Beyond But most of the campus settled into a new normal. Mandatory testing, quarantines and Zoom screenings quickly became a way of life. Gathering limits were imposed by Campus Life officials, and those who broke them faced disciplinary action. Masks were required not only in classes and academic buildings, but everywhere, including outside. A dashboard, which was in place up until the Fall 2022 semester, kept track of COVID-19 cases on campus. For the 2020-2021 academic year, university operations were classified by a color system. Green meant the pandemic was over. Yellow meant that everything operated as “normal” but with social distancing and some limits on gathering sizes. Orange meant limited hours for campus offices and further restrictions on gatherings and movement. Red meant, essentially, a two-week period of isolation in dorms with extremely limited on-campus services. Purple would mean sending everyone home. For the entire period the color system was in effect, Green, Red and Purple were never reached. Current campus operations in 2023 at the time of publication, however, would be the university’s status quo under a Green operating system.
On Oct. 22, 2020, the university ramped up its COVID-19 restrictions. In-person dining was suspended at all campus dining halls, and all planned, in-person gatherings were moved online or canceled. Homecoming was moved online, and since student attendance at sporting events was suspended, Wake Forest athletics teams played in vacant stadiums. This was the dawn of Orange status on campus. These restrictions remained in place until Thanksgiving break, after which students remained home to mitigate post-holiday spread of COVID-19. The university also revealed in its Spring 2021 calendar that there would be no spring break. Students returned to WinstonSalem for a delayed Spring 2021 semester — the first day of classes was Jan. 26. Eleven days later, COVID-19 restrictions increased again, creating what many students not-so-affectionately referred to as “Burnt Orange” status. Under “Burnt Orange,” the Z. Smith Reynolds Library closed, visitors were completely banned from dorms (i.e. only a student and their roommates could be in their room), dining once again moved to take-out only and student organizations were banned from meeting in-person. This caused wide disruption. For example, during those weeks, the Old Gold & Black did
not publish a print edition because students were barred from the organization’s office. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases remained high, and the university acquired more hotel space for quarantining students who could not find rooms in on-campus living spaces. On Feb. 13, 2021, students held a protest at the University Parkway gate to demand increased safety measures from the administration — many resident advisers, who organized the protest, were especially concerned about hazardous working conditions in their halls due to the virus. “It seems like time and time again, the university is choosing ‘pro dinero’ over ‘Pro Humanitate,’” Pheng Pickett (‘22) told the Old Gold & Black at the protest. “There’s just a real lack of care for the welfare of students in more than one way.”’ Student mental health, especially with no spring break to look forward to, began to worsen. “To be blunt, [mental health is] not good, at least for myself and the people I spend my time with,” junior Caroline Parrish told the Old Gold & Black for a Feb. 25, 2021, article. “It’s difficult to find places to spend time with friends (especially if the weather is bad), and being completely alone for days at a
time feels like punishment for a crime I didn’t commit.” Eventually, on Feb. 22, 2021, “Burnt Orange” was lifted. In early March, student employees became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine (the university would later require the COVID-19 vaccination and booster doses for its students). Later that month, the university returned to Yellow status, where it had begun the Fall 2020 semester. Almost exactly a year later, the university lifted its indoor and classroom mask mandates, though until Fall 2022, professors were able to require masks on an individual basis. In Fall 2022, the case dashboard was also taken offline. For Morrison, Wake Forest life is similar to how it was in her first semester — Fall 2019. “Wake feels more the same than different… the daily campus life still feels as timeless as it did when I arrived [in August 2019],” Morrison said. Three years on from mid-March 2020, COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, but the world and Wake Forest were profoundly impacted. Throughout this issue, you will find stories of how Wake Forest and its community have changed in the three years since the world shut down. Contact Aine Pierre at pierav20@wfu.edu
As restrictions lift, Chinese international students look back Students share their experiences with travel restrictions and COVID-19 case surges HOPE ZHU Staff Writer
In a less-than-ideal journey back to her hometown of Xuzhou, China, on Dec. 14 last year, sophomore Lavender Wang was required to undergo a rigorous quarantine process — three days of quarantine in Shanghai, China, followed by an additional two-day quarantine in Xuzhou and finally three more days of isolation at home. “I regret returning to China for winter break,” Wang said. “The only worthwhile part was to be at home with my parents.” Approximately 60 students remained on campus during winter break, according to Associate Director of Residence Life and Housing Zachary Blackmon. But others, like Wang and junior Eric
Gai, returned to China to reunite with friends and family. As Gai packed his bags to leave Beijing and return to campus, he faced a new kind of struggle. The newly eased restrictions in China coincided with a surge in cases, which resulted in several countries, including the U.S., placing restrictions of their own on travel from China. Both Wang and Gai, however, were among the last cohort of travelers to face such stringent travel restrictions. The Chinese government has been gradually loosening its zero-COVID policies following a Dec. 7 announcement, and by Jan. 8, travelers from abroad were no longer required to quarantine. More recently, on March 10, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention officially lifted the special COVID
testing requirements for those traveling from China, which were put in place on Jan. 5 during a major outbreak in China. Today, the prospect of future international travel looks brighter — but some, less visible challenges persist. Alongside travel restrictions, some students have faced challenges in the classroom, such as explaining China’s complex COVID policies to their American classmates and professors. While travel restrictions were still in place in the fall of 2022, some Chinese students reported that professors were not aware of the evolving protocols. Sophomore Echo Liu expressed that some professors may not support the need for extra time off during the exam period to finalize preparations for a trip home. “Some professors are understanding
and may allow you to turn in assignments early or take exams early, but others may not be as accommodating and suggest dropping the course if it’s a problem,” Liu said. According to Associate Professor of Mathematics Sarah Mason, some Chinese international students in her class requested to take exams early due to the required quarantine period for individuals traveling to China. “I have at times allowed students to take a different version of the exam early so that they could still spend time with their families despite the quarantine restrictions,” Mason said. “It is important to me that we show compassion to all our students, especially those who are far away from home.”
See International, Page 4
POLICE BEAT • • • • • • • •
One truck and landscaping trailer was stolen by at least two individuals. The trailer was located by the Winston-Salem Police Department, but the truck remains missing. The report was filed at 6:20 a.m. on March 6. Unknown subject(s) stole two utility trailers from outside of a garage. The report was filed at 8:06 a.m. on March 6. A Budd Group employee reported a car being broken into and items stolen. The report was filed at 6:53 p.m. on March 9. The Winston-Salem Police Department advised a student who reported that his neighbor accidentally discharged a firearm in the student’s apartment. The bullet traveled through their shared wall into the students apartment. No injuries were reported. The report was filed at 5:19 a.m. on March 11. Unknown subject(s) damaged a victim’s vehicle by breaking the front passenger window. Nothing appeared to be stolen, and the vehicle was towed by the owner to Mazda for repairs. The report was filed at 9:14 p.m. on March 11. Unknown subject(s) damaged a victim’s vehicle by cutting the rear passenger vinyl window. Owner was advised to check their vehicle on March 12. The report was filed at 11:14 p.m. on March 11. Unknown subject(s) damaged a victim’s vehicle by cutting a vinyl window in a Jeep Wrangler. Campus police was unable to contact the owner. The report was filed at 12:11 a.m. on March 12. Unknown subject(s) removed a secured bike from a bike rack. There is no suspect. The report was filed at 9:43 a.m. on March 12.
Page 4 | Thursday, March 16, 2023
Old Gold & Black | News
International: &KLQHVH VWXGHQWV UHÀHFW RQ FODVVURRP H[SHULHQFHV Continued from Page 3 According to Associate Professor of Mathematics Sarah Mason, some Chinese international students in her class requested to take exams early due to the required quarantine period for individuals traveling to China. “I have at times allowed students to take a different version of the exam early so that they could still spend time with their families despite the quarantine restrictions,” Mason said. “It is important to me that we show compassion to all our students, especially those who are far away from home.” Outside of the classroom, some students feel desensitized to negative portrayals of China’s COVID situa-
tion. In July 2020, the Pew Research Center found that 73% of U.S. adults have a negative view of China — an increase of 26 percentage points since 2018. Explaining the intricacies of their situation is exhausting to some international students, and many feel a sense of indifference toward the portrayal of their home country. “It seems like, suddenly, we are the ones who failed to resist COVID all along,” Gai said. “I don’t know what to do with it. There is not a single best way to solve such an issue.” However, many international students at Wake Forest feel that their American peers do not target them for their ethnicity. While the pandemic has presented challenges for these students when it comes to travel
and health requirements, many Chinese international students do not feel overtly targeted for their nationality. Junior Richard Zhang, who returned from Beijing last winter, offered his insights on the varying attitudes toward the virus and the implications for people coming from high-risk areas with a history of infection, noting the influence of cultural differences. “My hometown community is greatly concerned about how Americans perceive the Chinese people and whether they consider them good people,” Richard Zhang said, “though I don’t believe Americans hold a generalized perception of the Chinese people.” Andrea Zhang, a sophomore from Nanjing, China, observed that COVID-19 is seldom a subject of daily con-
versation — except when she discusses her plans to return home. Most people she knows view the virus as a subject of the past. “Honestly, I felt like nobody cares,” Andrea Zhang said. COVID-19 might be brought up less in conversation today than it was last year — or the year before that. However, Chinese international students are continuing to find ways to navigate their lives in two nations as both China and the United States work to move past the pandemic. However, some are just happy they can return home. “It was almost like a dream,” Gai said.
Contact Hope Zhu at zhuq21@wfu.edu
Looking back: Life on campus during the pandemic Photographer Katie Fox (‘23, top center) captures the student experience during COVID-19 restrictions
FEATURES
Chase Bagnall-Koger, bagncm21@wfu.edu Isabella Romine, romiie21@wfu.edu
OLD GOLD & BLACK
PAGE 5 THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023
WFU law graduates on the NC Supreme Court:
Phil Berger Jr.
AINE PIERRE Online Managing Editor
Long before Phil Berger, Jr. (R) was an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, he was a third grader roaming Wake Forest’s Reynolda campus. His father — who went on to be President Pro Tempore of the N.C. Senate — was attending law school at Wake Forest, and his mother had a job in the admissions office. “After school every day, I was on campus,” Berger remembered, smiling. “I was running around Carswell Hall, which used to be the law school, and running around the quad. So that was my first exposure to Wake Forest — it was a place where Mom and Dad spent a lot of time, and I got to go shoot basketballs in the old Reynolds Gym.” Eventually, Berger would also attend Wake Forest law school after studying history at UNC Wilmington. “It was really a dream come true to be able to return to Winston-Salem and Wake Forest and be able to follow in my dad’s footsteps a little bit,” Berger said. Berger often referred to the concept of a “Wake Forest lawyer,” or a lawyer who serves smaller, more rural and often underrepresented communities. “There was a time in the school’s history where most
of the lawyers in North Carolina, and particularly [in] the rural areas, were graduates of law school at Wake Forest,” Berger said. “And there was a standard that they had set with their professional standards — competency standards and leadership in the community.” Berger said later: “It’s a standard I hope [the law school faculty] are attempting to instill today…The idea that you can go into certain communities and be a real messenger of Pro Humanitate is, I think, very important.” It appears as though “Wake Forest lawyers” are still abundant. In a graduate employment survey, about 20% of Wake Forest School of Law’s Class of 2021 (the latest class for which data exist) reported working in public interest or government. Shortly after graduating from law school, Berger joined his family’s firm. As a private attorney, he worked on cases in many different areas of the law. “[In a] small town, you do just about anything that walks into the door because that’s just the nature of business there,” Berger said. Then, in 2006, Rockingham County voters elected him to the position of district attorney, where he served for eight years. After losing a bid for Congress in 2014, he became an administrative law judge. Berger said he never seriously considered going further than that, but in late 2015, the phones began to ring
Photo courtesy of Phil Berger for Judge
after a prominent Republican candidate for the Court of Appeals dropped out of the race. “I started getting phone calls saying, ‘Hey, you, you really should look at running for the Court of Appeals,’” Berger said. “I told everyone who called, ‘No, I’m not interested.’ And phone calls continued to come in… it really was like this, ‘We don’t have anybody else to do this. We need you to do this.’” Berger eventually decided to run and filed just before his family left for a winter vacation to Disney World in Florida. Berger won, defeating incumbent Democratic Judge Linda Stephens. Then, in 2020, phones started to ring again — this time about the N.C. Supreme Court. Now, Berger ran without hesitation. He defeated Democrat Lucy Inman in 2020 to become a justice. Throughout this time, Berger said he never lost sight of his desire to be in public service. “My service in the public sector came out of a desire to do things or to try to do things better [in Rockingham County],” Berger said. “Again, I think that fits into this notion of a Wake Forest lawyer — that you want to serve the community and do it in a way that you improve and follow through with what you say you’re going to do.” However, Berger’s life in the public sector has come under fire. In 2013, it came out that a live feed of all courtrooms in the Rockingham County Courthouse were broadcast to Berger’s office. More recently, Berger has come under fire for participating in a case about voter identification laws while his father, Phil Berger, Sr., is president of the North Carolina Senate. Berger, Jr., who said he has received death threats at times, detailed his general views on criticism; it is N.C. Supreme Court policy that justices cannot speak to the media about individual cases. “It’s something you have to experience and go through [to prepare for], and the more those sorts of issues present themselves, the easier it is to absorb constructive criticism and ignore the noise,” Berger Jr. said. “One of the benefits of having people like Justice [and fellow Wake Forest graduate Richard] Dietz, and others in your close circle is if there is criticism that comes from individuals that I have a great deal of respect for, then that criticism or direction tends to mean a great deal more than somebody on their keyboard sending messages through Twitter.” Berger Jr. continued: “[Tweets] are easy to ignore, but [if it’s] somebody you know and respect, if they give you some pointers, you tend to take those to heart a little more.” Berger Jr. also spoke about the experience of having another Wake Forest lawyer on the court with him. “It’s just a real pleasure to have not only somebody from Wake Forest with that experience, but somebody who enjoys many of the same things to work with and bounce ideas off,” Berger Jr. said of Dietz. “And then the other thing with Wake Forest, as I mentioned previously, is just the ability to give back to the community, and Justice Dietz shares that philosophy.”
This story is the second in a two-part series featuring Wake Forest School of Law graduates who now sit on the N.C. Supreme Court.
Phil Berger Jr., who graduaded from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1999, stands with his wife and sons. There are now two Wake Forest alums on the NC Supreme Court. Contact Aine Pierre at pierav20@wfu.edu
Page 6 | Thursday, March 16, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Features
Two years later: the pervasive effects of Long COVID-19 Wake Forest sophomore Annie Russell recounts her experience with Long COVID AINE PIERRE Online Managing Editor Annie Russell is a sophomore from Belmont, N.C., who is majoring in Business and Enterprise Management and minoring in Health Policy and Administration. She is also one of the approximately 20% of American adults who still displays symptoms of the COVID-19 virus long after her infection — a phenomenon called long COVID-19 or long COVID. The Old Gold & Black spoke with Russell on March 14, 2023 — just more than two years after she says she first displayed symptoms of COVID. Her conversation with Online Managing Editor Aine Pierre, below, has been edited for brevity, clarity and AP Style. Can you walk me through the first days of your COVID infection, when you found out, what was going on in your life, etc.? It was the spring of my senior year of high school, and one afternoon, I noticed I had a bit of a cold. My grandfather was living with us at the time, so my family was very COVID conscious. So I stayed in my room for a couple hours, and then my mom brought me something to eat. I noticed that I couldn’t taste it, and then I tried to smell the candles in my room, and I couldn’t smell those, either. So I went and got a test and, of course, it came back positive. I had to start quarantining in my room, staying home from school. This was also before the CDC had decided to reduce the length of quarantine to 10 days — I know it is further reduced now. So I did have to quarantine for a full 14 days in my room, which was a lot.
of salads and pieces of toast, and then I remember coming home from school one For a month or so, my diet was very limited. I basically ate cucumbers, carrots and sweet potatoes for about six weeks. I lost a lot of weight. As the symptoms faded, my tastes and smells did not come back, but I was just grateful that things weren’t tasting rotten anymore. Would you say any symptoms continue today? I still can’t really taste or smell. I feel like my smell has made less progress than my taste. The way I describe it is that I can taste spicy, sweet and sour, but I can’t really identify specific flavors. I still often smell something bad when no one else smells anything. I can smell strong candles and strong perfumes when they’re very close to my nose, but I don’t really pick up on much else. So it’s definitely coming back very slowly, but it’s been more than two years. What would you say have been some of the more profound effects of Long COVID on your life and in your work? I think my diet [has been affected significantly], which is a big contributor to everyday life. When I first came to Wake Forest, I was still having trouble with things tasting bad and not enjoying the same foods I used to. Finding foods to eat at school was difficult, and that was hard to adjust to because I couldn’t go and prepare something that I knew suited my needs. Today, I feel like there aren’t any major effects because I’ve learned how to navigate my limitations, but definitely as a freshman, there were some difficulties.
Tell me about when you first started noticing symptoms of Long COVID.
Tell me a little bit about your state of mind during that time.
It began when I first lost my taste and smell. I know that was a super common symptom, especially during the height of COVID, although it doesn’t happen to everyone. Then, when my quarantine was over, the loss of taste and smell continued for several weeks, which turned into months. Eventually, about two months after I first tested positive for COVID, it kind of morphed into something different. My taste and smell started to change — foods that I used to love started to taste bad. Random things would smell horrible. That was the worst part of it — it persisted for about six weeks, maybe a little bit longer. started eating lots
Because of how long-term it had been by the time I came to Wake Forest, it was something that I had adjusted to. So I don’t think it had a huge weight on me. In the early days, and in those two months where I couldn’t eat anything, it was really difficult. It was just a new pattern that I had to adjust to. But navigating that low energy and not consuming much food was definitely difficult. I had a lot of support from my family, so that’s a privilege. It surprised me just how much it really impacted my life, and it was something that extended into parts of my life that I didn’t expect.
Earlier, you mentioned that your family’s already pretty COVID conscious. Did having the disease and experiencing the after-effects of it impact your worldview on COVID? It definitely made me realize that COVID isn’t something that’s necessarily one-and-done. Everyone experiences it differently. Obviously, I had some long-term effects, which some people don’t — and others have worse Long COVID than what I experienced. But it did make me realize how individualized diseases are. People who had COVID two years ago are still dealing with it today, which is scary and not something that I had experienced with any illness before. So medically speaking, in a larger sense, it taught me a lot about how diseases work and how long-term they can be, which was very interesting, especially because I’m studying health policy. Tell me a little bit more about studying health policy. I want to pursue a career in the healthcare and medical field — something that connects with my interest in business. Healthcare is a huge part of our country, our world and our economy, so as someone with a business mind, it’s a stable field to go into. I also believe there’s a lot of potential for making change and having a positive contribution; it takes people on all sides of that field to make it a more positive system. The physicians and doctors can’t change it alone. It takes hospital administrators and policymakers, too. I’ve been interested in that throughout high school, and luckily, here at Wake Forest, I’m able to pursue that interest. Would you say that your experience with COVID impacted your view on that future career? Tell me a bit more about some of those positive impacts that you’re hoping to bring about. I think it did. Not just because of having COVID myself, but just because of some of the perspectives that I saw during the pandemic. Like I said, my grandfather lived with us, so I was able to see it from a perspective of how it affects lots of different age groups and socioeconomic statuses. Luckily, we were able to have him come live with us. Some people can’t say the same — they couldn’t afford to have, or didn’t have space for, for grandparents and parents to move in. Similarly, I saw how it impacted migrant communities and people without access to health care. My mom is involved in a migrant assistant program in Charlotte. Throughout COVID, we drove to local high schools, which had food banks for impoverished families to come and pick up supplies. I saw how COVID impacted people who typically hold blue-collar jobs, how they had to continue to work, and sometimes that endangered them. I know someone who was a construction worker, and he had to continue to work because COVID impacted us in a way that we needed to convert buildings for other uses. He ended up getting COVID at work and was hospitalized for heart complications. He’s an asylum seeker from Honduras, so he doesn’t necessarily have his own medical coverage. So COVID definitely impacted my views of the healthcare system and motivated me to want to pursue this as a career. I think it wasn’t only because of my personal experience with COVID but because of the things that I was able to witness, as well. Is there anything that you feel it’d be important for the world to know about what you went through or what you’ve seen?
Photo courtesy of Annie Russell
Sophomore Annie Russell first had COVID-19 in the spring of 2021. Today, she continues to experience symptoms such as loss of the sense of smell and taste.
I don’t think there’s any pressing information from what I went through just because I had support systems to be able to properly navigate it. So as much as it was a hindrance to my everyday life, it wasn’t something that impaired me severely. In terms of what I’ve seen, I think it’s just important for people to remember that COVID and large illnesses are some things that impact us differently. We’re so far removed from it now — or many of us are, at least. And when we’re approaching how to handle issues like this on a national and global level, it’s important to remember those perspectives that we don’t often see ourselves, especially in terms of setting up systems to help one another.
Contact Aine Pierre at pierav20@wfu.edu
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Page 7
Old Gold & Black | Features
Creativity during COVID-19 Sophomore Georgia Kathryn Duncan spent time during quarantine to develop her jewelry business
“It gives new life to When the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly something that may have shut down the world, millions were left previously been thrown isolated in their homes. Before this, our overly regimented lives were scheduled down to the away. Without COVID, minute, crammed with school, sports and extracurriculars. Free time was a luxury left I wouldn’t have had the far behind in our toddler days. Suddenly, our lives turned upside down, and we were left with too much time with time to look at my busiour families, our screens and ourselves. The desperate search for hobbies began. We baked ness model and evalubread, made pasta from scratch, went on walks, played guitar hero — anything to keep our ate what wasn’t working days filled and our minds sane. Georgia Kathryn Duncan, a sophomore from creatively.” Blacksburg, Va., decided to use her time in a VIRGINIA NOONE Photography Editor
creative way. She began to handcraft jewelry and sell the pieces from the basement of her family home. The “Beads by Georgia” Etsy page began in Sept. 2019, but Duncan was able to devote more time to her business once the pandemic hit. Similar to most schools, her high school went completely online, and her grades were frozen to relieve students of academic pressure. She then filled her time, previously occupied by school, with jewelry making. “It was scary back then, but now I look back and can see it was a good period for rest,” Duncan said. Many small businesses faced challenges through the pandemic, and Duncan’s business was no exception. Virginia banned all nonessential travel, which meant Duncan could not travel to the post office to mail her orders. “I had to close down my shop for a little bit and figure out ways to revamp my business while still following COVID protocols,” she said. “That month-long period when I had to close Beads by Georgia was when I decided to shift gears and make spoon rings instead.” Duncan crafted rings from old spoons that were lying around her house from when her mom had collected them as a teenager. She takes these antique spoons, cuts them, sands them and bends them to form a ring that can
-Georgia Kathryn Duncan
Photo courtesy of @beadsbygeorgia on Instagram
Wake Forest students qualify for a discount on sales from Duncan’s jewelry page.
be worn on a finger. “It gives new life to something that may have previously been thrown away,” Duncan said. “Without COVID, I wouldn’t have had the time to look at my business model and evaluate what wasn’t working creatively.” Like many, Duncan used her hobby as an outlet to improve her mental health during a tumultuous time. She quarantined with her parents and brother, which she says proved to be difficult despite her immense love for them. “I love my family more than anything, but it was hard to find a balance between supporting each other and finding time for myself,” Duncan said. As someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Duncan says having large pockets of free time was a challenge for her as she struggled to organize her days during the lockdown. School had always given her a routine and a sense of stability, so the loss of that structure was problematic. She believes being able to go into her jewelry workshop and create unique pieces helped her feel normal despite the outside
Photos courtesy of Beads By Georgia Etsy page
world being anything but normal. It was her coping mechanism for surviving the pandemic mentally. “I was involved with a lot of things in high school, but jewelry making was something that I was able to do for myself,” Duncan said. “I created it on my own, so I felt like my own boss for the first time in my life.” Beyond the business aspects of her hobby, making spoon rings helped Duncan connect with her mother like never before. She says that she remembered seeing all of her mother’s spoons while she was growing up, and being able to repurpose them felt like a way to grow closer to her. “My mom had a spoon that was given to her when she was born with her name and her date of birth on it,” Duncan said. “For Christmas that year, I made it into a ring for her that she now wears all the time.” Her mom now frequently sends her pictures of her wearing the ring as a way to show she misses her daughter. Three years later, Duncan’s business has taken a backseat to her rigorous academic schedule and extracurriculars. Although, she says, she has a greater appreciation for the free time she does manage to carve out. As for her spoon rings, she is forced to wait until breaks to continue making them. “I don’t think my neighbors in my dorm would appreciate me using a hammer to make spoon rings at odd hours,” Duncan said. “It’s disappointing, but I can’t make my art here.” At times when she realizes she needs to rest and unwind, she misses her workshop the most. During the pandemic, making rings and eventually delivering them served as an emotional sanctuary from the uncertainty beyond her basement. “When customers would send me pictures of them with their spoon rings, it made me so happy to see how something I made could make someone feel more confident and make their day in a very dreary time,” Duncan said. Duncan continues to make and sell jewelry online and plans to expand her business. She’s unsure of the exact future of the business, but she believes jewelry making will be a lifelong hobby for her to enjoy.
The “BeadsbyGeorgia” Etsy page, which boasts dozens of highly-rated sales, displays a Contact Virginia Noone at message stating that new jewelry will be posted during Duncan’s breaks from college. noonvc21@wfu.edu
ENVIRONMENT OLD GOLD & BLACK
PAGE 8 THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023
Addison Schmidt, schmac21@wfu.edu Bella Ortley-Guthrie, ortlbs21@wfu.edu
The good, bad and ugly truth: Environmental impacts of COVID-19 We’ve come a long way but still have a long journey ahead ROKSANNA KEYVAN Contributing Writer
In March 2020, the world came to a halt. Lives were turned upside down in a matter of days as businesses shut down and schools closed their doors. Two weeks of what initially seemed like vacation turned into months of quarantine and isolation for individuals across the world. What sounds like the prologue to a dystopian novel was actually the onset of a global pandemic known as coronavirus or COVID-19. Prompt and decisive health measures were taken in response to the crisis. However, their consequences sustained a profound impact on both human health and the global economy. This has significantly impacted the environment — for better and for worse. The Good: When the world came to a halt, industry followed suit. Factories closed their doors, employees stashed away their uniforms and global pollution rates began to drop. The decrease in industrial activity during the pandemic led to a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from factories and power plants. In 2020, The Earth Observatory at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported that levels of harmful anthropogenic airborne particles, known as aerosols, had dropped significantly in India since the onset of the pandemic. NASA also reported that the economic slowdown correlated to significant decreases in nitrogen dioxide emissions over China, a shift unprecedented in prior years. Similar declines in GHG emissions had been observed and reported across the world. As the world ceased its daily processes, the lessened consumption of fossil fuels slowed the onset of global climate change. The absence of industrial pollution also led to cleaner water sources, specifically in developing countries that previously dumped domestic and industrial waste into untreated bodies of water. Water bodies that were characteristically turbid or discolored, such as the Bay of Bengal and the ports of Venice, were clearer due to decreased boat activity. While water and air pollution have visible effects, noise pollution is an invisible threat that has harmful physiological and psychological effects on humans, other living organisms and natural ecosystems. Noise pollution is unnatural sound generated from different human activities, such as construction, and is considered by the World Health Organization to be the third-most hazardous pollution after air and water pollution. Satellite images taken by NASA during lockdown periods in the city of Wuhan, China, reveal how decreased air travel and road transportation significantly lessened anthropogenic noise pollution in China. Similar results were recorded in Dublin, Ireland, where noise pollution levels decreased due to lockdown procedures, according to Assistant Lecturer at Munster Technological University, Bidroha Basu. These changes were reflected in other major cities across the globe. Restrictions in transportation and travel have allowed nature to heal itself. With the absence of human activity, popular tourist sites experienced ecological restoration and assimilation with the natural environment. Research findings from Eulogio Soto of Universidad de Valparaíso reported that, with the lack of human waste and disturbance, urban-coastal ecosystems displayed an ability to recover in terms of biodiversity and system functionality, dropping from high levels of turbidity with many aquatic and local species returning. NASA reported that social distancing and the lack of human disturbance correlated to a decline in the frequency of forest fires in the Southeastern United States, especially
Photo courtesy of Brian Yurasits via Unsplash Photos
A disposable face mask found on Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, during a beach clean up demonstrates the environmental effects of PPE. on federal lands, which house popular tourist spots such as national parks and wildlife management areas. The Bad: Although the onset of COVID-19 reduced anthropogenic waste, it fostered an increase in biomedical waste. Biomedical waste relates to chemicals from disinfectants and infectious remnants from non-biodegradable personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves. According to Manuel Zambrano-Monserrate of Universidad Espíritu Santo, Hospitals in Wuhan produced an average of 240 metric tons of medical waste per day during the outbreak — much higher in comparison to their previous average of fewer than 50 tons. This waste now poses a major threat to public health and the environment. Professor Ana María Rule of John Hopkins University stresses that overuse of PPE has resulted in a surge of plastic waste that will take hundreds of years to break down. Smaller and smaller microplastics from plastic waste will accumulate throughout the environment — in the soil, water and air. Invisible and omnipresent, these harmful microplastics will inevitably be consumed by all organisms — including humans. PPE plastic and medical waste increase the risk of disease transmission to waste workers and thus require special disposal methods, like incineration. Although these disposal methods are designed to prevent contamination and reduce the volume of waste, they still harm the environment by emitting heavy metals, particulate matter and GHG. Disinfectants and surface cleaners also contain particles and chemicals with harmful byproducts. These byproducts, which take many years to degrade, are unable to be processed in water treatment plants and will resultantly accumulate in municipal wastewater across the globe. Furthermore, pandemic conditions have caused people across the world to turn to online shopping and home delivery as a health-friendly, though unfortunately not environmentally-friendly, alternative. Justine Calma from The Verge claims that this alternative has correlated to an exponential increase in household waste that has waste centers working overtime. This new imbalance disrupts routine
municipal waste management, waste recovery and recycling activities, increasing landfill and environmental pollutants worldwide. The Ugly Truth: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant environmental impacts, both positive and negative — but we are not in the clear just yet. With almost all lockdowns ending and economic activity resuming pre-pandemic normalcy, NASA reported that levels of air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, have returned to near normal in China. As typical pollutant levels rebound worldwide, an imminent return to environmental problems awaits us. Global climate change has already resumed its course, with NASA reporting that dust storms and other weather phenomena, induced by high global temperatures, have already begun to offset reductions in aerosol pollution in China. As a society, it is important to assess our next steps and consider what changes need to be made to improve ourselves and our planet. Not all PPE is necessary, and its overuse does more harm than good. COVID-19 spreads via airborne means, not surfaces, as the virus can only exist on surfaces for about three days. Anna María Rule, an assistant professor in Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins recommends that it is more effective and environmentally efficient to consistently wash your hands with soap and water. Other sustainable environmental management strategies, as recommended by Professor Tanjena Rume of Jahangirnagar University, include sustainable industrialization. This strategy focuses on investing in emission-reducing technologies and utilizing more renewable energy sources. It also emphasizes the improvement of wastewater treatment and waste recycling while finding ways to reuse these resources. Rume also emphasizes ecological restoration and ecotourism, a measure that requires international cooperation to ensure a more sustainable future. Individuals can also make behavioral changes to be environmentally conscious. Contact Roksanna Keyvan keyvr22@wfu.edu
Environment | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Page 9
Gateway Nature Preserve seeks to mend environments and minds Located 12 minutes from campus, the preserve is open for exploration year-round MIA SPRINGER Staff Writer
A 12-minute drive off campus down University Drive and Marshall Street leads to a nature sanctuary called Gateway Nature Preserve. The preserve is a 19-acre site located near Old Salem and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Several trails, a pollinator garden and a Story Circle are a few of the opportunities for visitors. Whether splashing or skipping rocks on the sandy beach near Salem Creek or sitting on the wooden stumps of the Story Circle with friends and family, the preserve serves as a place to take a breath and escape the busy world. According to its website, Gateway Nature Preserve’s goal is to create environmental and climate change awareness while working toward a more sustainable future through programming and events. Its many community education programs, such as hosting a booth at the Piedmont Earth Day fair during Forsyth Creek Week, display a connection between humans and nature. Gateway Nature Preserve’s Executive Director Dianna Costello highlighted the importance of nature conservation to both the environment and our souls. “When we immerse ourselves in the natural world, our worries and concerns seem small and insignificant, and we learn how to soothe our soul with the stillness surrounding us,” Costello said. Open year-round during daylight hours, the preserve has multiple nature exhibits. One of Photo courtesy of Gateway Nature Preserve these is the pollinator garden on the meadow side Visitors stand on tree stumps at the Gateway Nature Preserve’s outdoor story across from South Broad Street. circle and classroom, which borders a section of the Salem Creek Greenway. In the pollinator garden, multiple food sources and native plant species such as various shrubs from a place that pollinators visit to becoming a and protect the 19 acres from being commercially and perennials (plants that live for more than catalyst toward the rebound of native pollinators developed. The Gateway Environmental Initiative
and creating a haven for them in the heart of the now has a public-private partnership with Wincity.” ston-Salem’s Parks & Recreation Department. These efforts are critical, as urbanization and Eight years later, this well-preserved land holds the introduction of non-native species to the many opportunities for student involvement and environment puts pollinator populations at risk. volunteering. Wake Forest students can work in Non-native species can harm an ecosystem by the pollinator garden to lay mulch, pick weeds, competing with native organisms for resources, prune and pick up litter. causing native species to face extinction. Rebekah Lassiter, a Wake Forest freshman, “Our long-term goal has been to complement works at Gateway Nature Preserve as a secretary. the canopy trees — and replace the invasives — She became interested in working here after seewith native understory trees and native wildflow- ing an advertisement online. ers that provide visual interest and benefits for “[Gateway Nature Preserve is a] great outlet to wildlife,” Costello said. help with environmentalism and connect with the In addition to the pollinator garden, Gateway community,” Lassiter said. Nature Preserve is home to many educational naLassiter, also a part of Gateway’s diversity, eqture trails. On the trails and around the preserve, uity and inclusion team, has worked to install an there are signs highlighting what tree species are accessible boardwalk around the garden. present and how they add to the thriving forest. If not volunteering, anyone and everyone is Photo courtesy of Gateway Nature Preserve Signs throughout the trails point to how a healthy welcome to walk around the nature preserve and Gateway Nature Preserve is home to a pollinator forest is essential for the many species that live settle back into their roots in this urban oasis. garden that is a habitat for bees and caterpillars. within the nature preserve, providing information “Nature has a way of putting your life in perabout animals like box turtles and barred owls. spective then you contemplate the beauty and two years) are grown for pollinators. Pollinators, The preserve’s history comes from a place of magnificence of the natural world,” Costello said. like bees and butterflies, are critical in maintainconservation, as the nature preserve was initially ing the health of an ecosystem — helping aid the meant to be turned into commercial development “It happens when you watch clouds drift aimlessly in the sky or hear birds chirp gleefully in reproduction of native plants. over Salem Creek Greenway in 2005-2006. The the trees, when you smell the sweet scent of damp “Adding the pollinator hotels will allow us to earth or admire the brilliant color of wildflowers.” create a symbiotic relationship, where the pollina- commercial development was overturned, and in 2007, the Gateway Environmental Initiative was tors help keep our garden healthy and beautiful,” Interested students can sign up as a volunteer on born. Costello said. “The native ecosystem we’ve cretheir website: https://gatewaynaturepreserve.org/ This same year, the initiative reached out to ated in our garden will help pollinators thrive and support/volunteer city officials to analyze how this land could be hopefully increase their populations beyond our preserved, and it later raised $409,000 from comfootprint.” munity donations to protect the land. Finally, in Costello continued: “The next step we want to Contact Mia Springer at accomplish is for the pollinator garden to evolve 2014, the initiative was able to purchase the land spriml21@wfu.edu
Environment | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Page 10
Skiing: a slippery slope 6QRZ VKRUWDJHV OHDG WR LQFUHDVHG XVH RI DUWL¿FLDO VQRZ MIA SPRINGER Staff Writer
For Wake Forest students who enjoy winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding, this annual hobby may soon turn into a once-in-a-while luxury — snow is in short supply. “Sometimes I have friends post joking photos on a ski lift of the ground because there is no snow on the ground, and it almost looks like it could be summer,” senior Kate Smith said. The controversial solution: making artificial snow. According to an article from Recreational Equipment, Inc.“All about Artificial Snow,” artificial snow uses heavy amounts of water and chemical additives to create a real snow feel. Artificial snow is used at ski resorts where getting an adequate amount of real snow is not guaranteed. According to WUNC , a North Carolina public radio station, the first snowmaking machine was made in 1952 and implemented at a ski resort in New York. The manufacturers said, “[artificial snow] is no longer a luxury but an absolute necessity for our winter operation.” It continues to be a necessity today as Earth’s global surface temperature continues to rise. According to NASA, the year 2020 was the hottest year to date.
REI’s article states that 95% of world ski resorts use snowmakers and that an estimated 200,000 gallons of water are used to cover a single acre with a foot of snow. Additionally, two-thirds of a ski resort’s energy goes toward snowmaking, according to REI. Where does this energy come from? Fossil fuels. According to USA Today, fossil fuels release greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide that act as a blanket and trap heat in our atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Junior Emily Craig was an alpine ski racer in her hometown of S t e a m boat Springs, Colo. Growing up, she saw the climate crisis affect her ski season firsthand. “We would ski from October through November,” Craig said. “In more recent years, we’ve had to push this back because there would be no snow… and each year there would be another snow machine going.” Craig contemplated skiing in North Car- olina, but after seeing Outdoor Pursuits post the barren slopes on Instagram, she decided
just to ski when she was home. Ricky Maleczka is a sophomore at Wake Forest and an avid member of Outdoor Pursuits, the Campus Recreation offshoot that runs ski trips in the area for students. About a month ago, Maleczka led a group of 20 students to a ski hill in West Virginia. When asked how the snow was, Maleczka responded, “Most of it was man-made snow, but while we were driving up, we went up in elevation, and it started to snow here and there.” This past weekend, Maleczka was supposed to return to the same resort to lead a new group. However, due to the lack of s n o w and warm temperatures, he canceled the ski trip. Junior Andrew Calfa took a ski trip with friends to Sugar Mountain, N.C. in December. “The snow was terrible — it was mostly ice, and it had snowed the night before,” he said. “You can tell that the snow base wasn’t deep, and you can tell they were making a good bit of manmade snow.” With the burning of fossil fuels warm-
ing our atmosphere, snowfall will not occur as frequently as it once did, according to the EPA. The downside of artificial snow isn’t just that it lowers the probability that real snow will fall the next year. It also causes a noticeable difference while skiing. “There is a huge difference…the snow is stickier because it is the frozen water, and it isn’t the soft and fluffy actual snow,” Maleczka said. “This makes it hard to turn as it clumps underneath your skis.” The probable solution: renewable energy. Renewable energies do not create greenhouse gas emissions as burning fossil fuels does. Brian Cohen, the Assistant Direction for Sustainability Engagement at Wake Forest, believes that implementing this type of energy will mitigate the effects of global warming. “Renewable energies are the number one solution….In mountainous areas, we must look for opportunities for solar energy or wind energy” he said. As Cohen suggests, to make progress and regain our once naturally snowy slopes, sustainability is a step in that direction.
Contact Mia Springer at spriml21@wfu.edu
Wake Forest alumnus works toward environmetal justice Peter Schlachte (‘19) works as a liaison between Earthworks and donors ANITA DONGIEUX Staff Writer
Wake Forest alumnus Peter Schlachte (‘19) is making strides in sustainability outreach. Schlachte joined Earthworks in the Spring of 2022, three years after graduating from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. Earthworks is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the protection of communities and the environment across the country. From California to Washington, D.C., the organization fights against the harmful effects of oil, gas, and hard rock mining. Schlachte was directly hired to be Earthworks’ Foundations Relations Associate. In this position, he collaborates with Earthworks’ field teams to document the impact of Earthworks’ efforts and raise financial support from foundations. “This job is a wonderful opportunity for me to highlight the need for a global, just transition to renewable energy that phases out fossil fuels without placing frontline communities at risk from the impacts of mining for the minerals used in electric vehicles,” Schlachte said. He continued: “As our Foundation Relations Associate, I fundraise for Earthworks by writing grants and reports to our foundation funders, coordinating with our program staff to gather up-to-date in-
formation about our work, and representing our nonprofit on calls with potential and current funders.” Schlachte’s passion for sustainability began during his time as a Wake Forest student. “I grew up with the privilege of great access to the outdoors and fell in love with nature,” Schlachte said. “It wasn’t until becoming a student at Wake Forest and minoring in environmental studies that I was challenged to think more critically about my privilege and to recognize that the large majority of people aren’t afforded the same opportunities to enjoy nature.” This realization prompted Schlachte to get involved. He began his career in sustainability when he interned for the Wake Forest Office of Sustainability during his junior and senior years at Wake Forest. There, Schlacthe worked for two years as an environmental education intern. Schlachte’s time at the Office of Sustainability was focused on thinking of ways to address environmental inequalities. “Learning about the multitude of environmental injustices in North Carolina and Winston-Salem was a major catalyst for me,” Schlachte said. “The knowledge and skills I gained through that internship have guided me ever since.” Schlachte’s inclination toward environmental issues did not stop at Wake Forest.
Later, he worked and volunteered for various local environmental nonprofits in North Carolina. Some of these organizations include Yadkin Riverkeeper, where Schlachte managed volunteers; the Piedmont Environmental Alliance, where Schlachte taught energy conservation to local middle school students; and, through the AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program, SHARE (Supplying Honest And Respectful Engagement) Cooperative of Winston-Salem, where Schlachte served to help open a cooperative grocery store in one of the city’s food deserts. “In each experience, I was guided by strong and thoughtful mentors who cared deeply about the communities they were working with,” Schlachte said, regarding his internship experiences. “[These experiences] influenced my own approach to environmental justice work; I try to emulate the same thoughtfulness and care that [those organizations] demonstrated in their work.” Schlachte, who has departed from his previous homes in North Carolina and California, shares that he truly values the people with which he works. “My coworkers are knowledgeable, passionate and delightful,” Schlachte said of his position at Earthworks. “It’s incredible to see the hard work of our program staff to advocate for the frontline communities that they work with, and it’s such a joy to celebrate victories together when
Photo courtesy of Peter Schlachte we have them.” Outside of his role at Earthworks, Schlachte continues to volunteer with organizations in his new home, Washington, D.C. There, he volunteers with the Washington Youth Garden. “The climate crisis is daunting and dispiriting, so it’s important to be surrounded by a strong support network,” Schlachte said regarding the struggle of dealing with a multitude of environmental problems daily. Thankfully, Schlachte seems to be surrounded by others pursuing the same cause. Contact Anita Dongieux at dongap21@wfu.edu
OPINION OLD GOLD & BLACK
Shaila Prasad, prassp21@wfu.edu
Lauren Carpenter, carple21@wfu.edu
PAGE 11 THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023
The views expressed in all opinion columns represent those of the article’s author, not the opinions of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board
Pandemic politics: who won and who lost? COVID-19 has led some politicians to reveal their true colors DILLON CLARK Staff Writer Leaders are not determined to be great by their leadership during civility and peace. Rather, leaders are born out of the rubble, during times of difficulty and chaos. Certainly, one thing we saw since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was chaos: hospitalizations, school closures, an unstable economy, racial division and even an attempt at an insurrection. The pandemic showed America who is ready to become a leader in our country and who is not. Here are my top four winners and top two losers of politics after the COVID-19 pandemic. Winner: Ron Desantis, Governor of Florida
his candidacy for the 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial Election. Despite being a political newcomer, Youngkin narrowly won the general election against the favored and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Youngkin’s victory was a significant achievement for Virginia Republicans, who had not won a statewide election since 2009. Yet Youngkin’s strategic approach to campaigning, focus on unifying the party and emphasis on conservative values set the tone and an example for Republicans across the country. Youngkin’s commitment to conservative principles, experience in business and successful gubernatorial campaign make him a potential contender for a higher office in the future.
The Florida Governor emerged from the pandemic as a rising and popular conservative figure in politics. During the 2016 election, Florida was considered to be a crucial swing state, yet it now hardly stands as a swing state. Ron DeSantis won his 2022 gubernatorial election by a margin of 19.4 percent: the highest margin of victory in 40 years. Only 44 years old, DeSantis offers a younger and more efficient form of Trumpism that appeals not just to extreme conservatives but also to moderates. In particular, his strong and outspoken opposition to Critical Race Theory gained national attention and caused Photo courtesy of Getty Images him to gain popularity amongst conservatives. Whether you support him or not, DeSantis’ quick Through heated debates involving the panrise to popularity and his ability to appeal to both demic, politicians have shown their real values. sides of the Republican party are indicators that he is here to stay and possibly be the future of the Repub- Winner: Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan lican party. Winner: Jon Ossoff, Georgia Senator Before running for Senate, Senator Jon Ossoff had experience as a journalist and documentary filmmaker yet was largely unknown outside of Georgia. Ossoff ’s campaign focused heavily on his opposition to former President Donald Trump and his support for liberal policies including raising the minimum wage and reducing income inequality. He also emphasized his experience running a small business and his commitment to fostering job growth and economic development in Georgia. Strong grassroots support and effective social media and digital marketing tactics made Ossoff ’s Senate campaign stand out. He broke all previous fundraising records for his campaign, with a large portion of the funds coming from small-dollar donors and progressive organizations. Despite being viewed as the underdogs in their senate campaigns, Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, another Democratic contender, both prevailed in their runoff contests, giving the party its first Senate majority in six years. As a result of his successful campaign, Ossoff is largely viewed as a young and rising star within the Democratic Party, and many regard him as a potential candidate for higher office in the future. Winner: Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia The rise to popularity of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been a gradual and strategic process. As a former business executive at a large private equity firm called the Carlyle Group, Youngkin announced
Emerging during the pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is another rising political star due to her proven resilience and effectiveness in dealing with the pandemic. Whitmer was decisive early in the pandemic, which helped to flatten the curve of COVID-19 in Michigan. She quickly implemented a stay-at-home order, closed non-essential businesses and required masks in public places. Her effective orders earned her national attention and praise. In addition to her leadership during the pandemic, Whitmer has embraced a progressive agenda, calling for repeal of abortion restrictions, introducing policies for criminal justice reform, expanding access to voting rights and prioritizing climate action. Despite a significant amount of opposition and criticism, including protests at the Michigan State Capitol and attacks from Trump, Whitmer has remained committed to her values and continues to push her progressive policies that have thus far benefited the people of Michigan. Whitmer’s leadership during the pandemic, her popularity among the people of Michigan and her commitment to progressive reform have made her a viable candidate for higher offices in the future and a rising star in the Democratic party. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.)
larity and ultimately contributed to his defeat in the 2020 Presidential Election. Trump’s handling of the pandemic was frequently criticized for being slow, ineffective and inconsistent. At first, Trump severely undermined and downplayed the severity of the virus, contradicted public health experts and delayed taking action to contain its spread. Without proper decisiveness and leadership, the virus spread rapidly and led to a higher number of infections and deaths. Trump’s rise in politics was in large part due to his non-traditional personality and statements. Simply put, he broke the political mold. Yet his charisma and character were not fit for leading a nation during the pandemic. Rather than taking a more empathetic approach, Trump dismissed the seriousness of the pandemic and refused to wear a mask in public, which many Americans found insensitive and disrespectful. Furthermore, his leadership in the economic sector quickly dwindled during the pandemic. The pandemic, his fault or not, led to widespread job loss and economic stability. Following the economic impact of COVID-19, Trump had a large decline in popularity. Overall, Trump’s insufficient handling of COVID-19 hurt his popularity and demonstrated his inability to lead the country during a time of distress. Loser: Andrew Cuomo, Former Governor of New York At first, Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared to be a major political figure emerging from the pandemic. He was hosting daily press briefings to keep New Yorkers informed about the state response to the pandemic. He was an effective communicator and clearly emphasized the importance of masks to his state citizens. One thing we learned during COVID though is that things are not always as they seem. Transparency was a big issue for Cuomo. In March 2020, he ordered nursing homes to accept patients who had tested positive for COVID-19, which many felt contributed to the higher number of deaths among nursing home residents. Furthermore, his administration was accused of underreporting the number of nursing home deaths. Such a lack of transparency quickly eroded any public trust in the governor’s leadership. In addition to his handling of the pandemic, Cuomo lost popularity due to numerous sexual assault allegations. Several women accused him of making unwanted advances, inappropriate comments and creating a hostile work environment. These allegations led to an investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office and further damaged Cuomo’s reputation. Cuomo’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was marred by controversies around nursing home deaths, lack of transparency, sexual harassment allegations and political backlash. These factors all contributed to a decline in his popularity and undermined his leadership during the crisis.
Loser: Donald Trump, Former President
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Bill De Blasio (D-N.Y.) and Brian Kemp (R-Ga.)
As the president during the pandemic, Trump’s handling of COVID had a serious impact on his popu-
Contact Dillon Clark at clardj22@wfu.edu
Page 12 | Thursday, March 16, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Opinion
The pandemic prepared us for climate change +RZ RXU VDFUL¿FH LQ RQH JOREDO FULVLV FDQ SURYLGH SUHFHGHQW IRU RWKHUV ASHLYN SEGLER
Staff Columnist
In March 2020, reality shifted. The coronavirus upended life, derailed normalcy and sent us into lockdown. Schools closed. Work was conducted from home, when and if possible. Things like traveling, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends became luxuries of a distant past. The economy lagged as consumption dropped. We cloaked our smiles with masks, wedged a six-foot radius between us and dubbed this era of irregularity as the “new normal.” And the underlying motif to the “new normal” was sacrifice. If you were a high school senior like me in 2020, maybe you had to sacrifice your graduation. If you were already in college, maybe you sacrificed your opportunity to study abroad. Maybe you sacrificed in-person classes, time on campus or other aspects of the normal college experience. Sacrifices were commonplace. Amidst surging numbers of confirmed COVID cases, we all sacrificed something in lockdown. But we didn’t do it without good reason.
Individual sacrifices were a small price to pay for collective wellbeing. During the pandemic, we learned to be selfless for our communities. We protected those most vulnerable to the virus. We embraced a new normal. Now, nearly three years since the start of lockdown, we can reflect on this selflessness with the comfort of hindsight. In the wake of the pandemic, we can admire the ways in which our world drastically changed to adjust for a crisis. We worked together to beat one global crisis. Now we face another — climate change. As global temperatures creep past pre-industrial levels, we must continually foster our communities’ capacity to change. In a warming world, life as we know it will again be upended. We’ll have to change the ways in which we commute to school and work, and we’ll have to change the ways we used to travel as we wean ourselves from a global dependency on fossil fuels. We’ll have to change our diets to account for agriculturally driven deforestation, conversion of ecosystems and land degradation. And we’ll have to reevaluate our culture’s attitudes towards consumption as we
reconcile with the consequences of exploiting entire ecosystems. Sound familiar? Once again, individual sacrifice will constitute collective wellbeing, this time of both people and the planet. It’s important to note that sacrifices will of course look different for climate change than they did for the pandemic, but at least this time we have a precedent for the necessary cultural and societal shifts required to adequately address the climate crisis. And where we once had to distance ourselves from our communities, this time we must embrace them. A recent study explored the influence of our peers on environmental behavior; people are most likely to engage in sustainable behaviors if their neighbors do, as well. Alter-
Photo courtesy of Cartoon Movement
ing the course of climate change will require collective community action. By embracing the role we play as members of a larger community, we can better support sustainable changes on a community scale. As we adapt to climate change, we’ll need to be selfless again for our communities. We’ll need to protect those most vulnerable — racial and ethnic minority communities who have been historically marginalized. We’ll need to, once again, embrace a new normal. The climate crisis will require drastic change on a condensed timeline. But it’s nothing we haven’t done before. Our new normal will be a better one — one with environmental justice, racial and gender equity, clean water, sustainable cities and affordable and clean energy. The human world and the natural world will coexist as a symbiotic state. Ecosystems and the species that inhabit them will be protected. Through community, collaboration and sacrifice, we’ve prevailed once in the face of a global crisis. We can do it again. Contact Ashlyn Segler at seglal20@wfu.edu
Let yourself embrace post-pandemic change <RXU VRXUFH RI KDSSLQHVV GRHVQ W KDYH WR VWD\ WKH VDPH
PRARTHNA BATRA
Staff Columnist
Three years ago this week, things were very different. The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, impacting the way we interact with the people around us and our surroundings forever. When a life-altering event like this takes place, it will inevitably leave us with a lasting impression, and I know many people who claim the pandemic changed their fundamental character traits. Sometimes that can be hard to accept, but it is a reality. We should all embrace how we’ve changed postpandemic because maybe that change isn’t a bad thing. As technology advances, and access to vaccinations increases, our social lives are back to how they were before the pandemic in most ways — but I refrain from using the word “normal.” A defining characteristic of our personalities as human beings is whether we are introverts, extroverts, ambiverts or somewhere in between. Although I find it difficult to have a clear-cut definition of introversion and extroversion, I like to think of them as what fuels or recharges your social battery. Let me explain. If being around people, talking to strangers or partying sounds energizing after you’ve had a long week at work, you are extroverted. If a quiet evening at home by yourself and the comfort of not having to “entertain” anyone fuels you, then you are more introverted. I don’t think, however, that either label is the be-all, end-all — we’re all a mix of both. Having a balance of selfcare and socializing is completely normal, and so is having a different definition of balance from your best friend or family member. Everyone’s needs are different and vary across a spectrum. But after the pandemic, where on that spectrum people identify has been altered. My entire life, I have been extremely extroverted. I thrived in social situations, be it a crowded party, people-watching at a cute coffee shop or even one-on-one time with the people I love.
Before the pandemic, I couldn’t bear to spend any time by myself. I would go out of my way to be with others. Pre-pandemic, no one would ever catch me planning intentional alone time. The pandemic forced me to learn how to spend time with myself. This resulted in long walks with my thoughts, reading books and having solo movie nights. Fulfilling my social craving simply wasn’t possible — so these were the things that fueled me. Slowly, intentional alone time inside the house morphed into solo dates. Going out to lunch by myself, going shopping or even something as simple as going to the bookstore by myself. Because of the pandemic, the thing I dreaded the most has become something I treasure. I no longer feel the need to constantly be around people. I felt comfortable in my own presence. This isn’t to say that I am not extroverted anymore. I still have extrovert qualities. I actively sit outside and do my work on campus when the weather is nice just so I have an excuse to peoplewatch. Sometimes I will pick a spot in the ZSR atrium where I know I will probably bump into someone and have a conversation. I’ve just become more selective. I know not to take my company for granted anymore, so I choose to share my time with people who fill me up and don’t drain me. Embracing the introverted side of my personality was something I needed. Sure, it was strange at first, but I’ve gotten to know myself better in a way that prepared me for college. The alone time I spent in high school leading up to my freshman year was worthwhile because, as many of us know, freshman year can be lonely at first. You have to know how to tackle that challenge by yourself, be it studying on your own or overcoming the hesitation to eat alone. My alone time is sacred to me — it allows me to reconnect with myself, my thoughts, my passions and my hobbies. It refuels me as much as it still excites me to see the people I love. Many of my current passions wouldn’t be as
important to me without the time I had to learn about what I like. Some of my proudest moments and accomplishments are all a result of opening myself up to my more introverted side and taking the time out to work on the things about which I’m truly passionate. The pandemic increased my appreciation for spending time with friends and family, being in social settings, parties and all things extroverted, but it also helped me gain comfort in the areas I
refused to embrace earlier. Navigating life in this new world is scary and confusing. Embracing a long journey of selfdiscovery is okay, and if anything, I encourage it. Whether you’re like me, and the pandemic pushed you to look inside yourself, or if you found new social energy in this post-pandemic world, you’re moving in the right direction.
Contact Prarthna Batra at batrp22@wfu.edu
Photo courtesy of @invertdoodles
This cartoon depicts a common conflict regarding which personality type is superior, when neither are.
Opinion | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Page 13
We're still recovering from the pandemic Workplaces and academic environments are still suffering LOURDES LOPEZ Staff Columnist “Breaking News!” was a monotonous phrase I heard throughout 2020. When my high school transitioned to virtual learning because of the pandemic, I was dismayed but intrigued to see how events would play out, especially academically. We came to realize that a Zoom classroom was not as effective an environment for teaching — especially regarding students in primary and earlier level schooling. I was lucky to have a reliable source of Internet to connect to my classes; however, many families struggled in this sense as they could not provide their children with the necessary resources for online school. Even though many school districts established programs to help these families, it took time for those programs to reach these households, and often, help didn’t effectively reach all of them. The COVID-19 pandemic created a serious gap in many children’s educational track. Learning regressions and delays were most severe in children from low-income households and in developing nations, increasing preexisting gaps and posing a risk for carrying over into higher education and the workforce as children grow older. A study by Harvard University found that the average public elementary or middle school student lost the
equivalent of a half-year of learning in math, and 6% of students were in districts that lost more than a full year’s worth of learning. Many students inevitably experienced a decline in academic performance due to having to endure remote classes for an extended period of time. However, not everyone fell behind simultaneously and equally. Since the impact is uneven (especially on college admissions), this could make inequality worse throughout adulthood for the entire generation — raising concerns on a worldwide scale. Teachers were unable to simply speed up instruction or extend the school day to catch up, and conventional solutions like private tutoring are rarely available for disadvantaged populations. The labor market needs to "brace for major downstream impacts" in the absence of innovative solutions, according to an article in the New York Times. This is all without mentioning the emotional and social impact that it had on children, as well. This shift toward a more digitized socialization has left many students dependent on their devices to interact with others, making them unable to partake in a civilized conversation in a respectful manner. Students are then entering a more digitized workforce with significant gaps in socialization. The setting in which these younger generations live allows them to easily transition between the physical and digital worlds. Kids are creating their identities, forming relationships,
learning to control their emotions and actions and avoiding an onslaught of misleading information in this mixed digital and analog world. Also, people are spending more time online than they did prior to the pandemic. As more jobs are transitioning to a virtual environment, many of the young generations continue to lack in their socialization and empathic qualities. The impact of COVID-19 on the workplace is no small matter, either. Many offices required their employees to be vaccinated and tested regularly since the COVID-19 outbreak, and some have shifted to being completely remote. However, as the world enters the pandemic’s fourth year, some offices are starting to relax their safety precautions. Some even abandoned vaccination requirements, creating some controversy over the leniency in COVID regulations. Many people still have serious health concerns about returning to work, especially those who are immunocompromised or have family members who are. One is more likely to be back at work if they commute by car and live in a city that did not experience a rigorous COVID-19 lockdown. Hence, while offices in San Francisco and New York City still appear to be largely empty, many other cities, particularly in the South and the Midwest, have people returning to work — often five days a week. However, there are certain essential workers like healthcare providers and
public transportation drivers that are not given the option to do their job remotely since it is not physically possible. Depending on where a person's office or workplace is located in the country, the manner in which they work or the demands of their jobs can suddenly appear to be different in an era when so much is politicized. An employee's position will be impacted by their employer's politics more than ever. Whether one’s company requires vaccinations for COVID-19 may be impacted by this. The gap between blue and red enterprises is now manifesting itself in a significant way for both employees and employers. One’s political and religious views are playing a role in the extent of precaution and safety they take or implement in the workplace. These are just some of the many effects and impacts that COVID-19 has had both in the workplace and academic environment. Although restrictions are beginning to ease up, COVID-19’s effect is still apparent, as more companies are shifting to a virtual workroom. Furthermore, the time spent in confinement will also leave a detrimental effect on younger students’ academic performance as they were forced to learn fundamental lessons on a screen. Contact Lourdes Lopez lopelm22@wfu.edu
Why Wake Forest students need an algorithm to find love Unveiling the truth behind the Marriage Pact's success ASHLYN SEGLER Staff Columnist Just over 327,600 participants, 78 schools, 50 questions and an economic algorithm designed to help match you with “the one”: This is Marriage Pact. The week of Valentine's Day, with the subject of love still dense in the cool February air, news of a Wake Forest “Marriage Pact” swept through campus. Social platforms like Fizz and Instagram sprouted discussions, group chats grew tired with notifications and the question “Did you do Marriage Pact?” became commonplace in student conversations. The data-driven possibility of a potential life partner was warm-welcomed on Wake Forest’s campus. After all, who knew? You might only be 50 questions and a short skip across the quad from meeting your soulmate. Then, at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, students across Wake Forest’s campus surrendered their 50-question surveys to the matchmaking algorithm of Marriage Pact. Founded in 2017 by two students at Stanford University, Marriage Pact combines psychology, market design and computer science to provide college students with the “most compatible backup plan on your campus, down to the percent.” Come 10:30 p.m. later that same Monday night, amidst the inflated anticipation of hopeful romantics who had completed the questionnaire, the marital matches popped into student inboxes. The subject line read simply: “Match Announcement…” Once again, the Marriage Pact news cycle was revived. In the moments post-pact announcement, notifications fought for attention on my phone screen. Fizz. Instagram. Every group chat I’ve ever been remotely involved in throughout my time on campus. That night, the previous hot topic question yielded popularity to its successor: “Who’d you match with?” In total, the Wake Forest Marriage Pact campaign received 2,068 submissions. On a campus
of 8,963 students (5,447 undergraduate and 3,516 graduate, according to Wake Forest’s website), nearly a quarter of all students participated. But how is it that something as simple as a dating questionnaire was able to strike such popularity across our campus and beyond? In an academic setting like that of “Work Forest,” where fatigue and burnout are mere side effects of a promising GPA, why are college students so eager to take another test? Of course, we can’t discount the most obvious answer — it’s fun. The questionnaire is low risk and high reward. At worst, you get a good laugh with your friends. But at best, you might meet your match made in heaven (or in this case, Palo Alto, Calif.). But the anticipation that swept through Wake Forest speaks to something much larger looming on campuses across the country. Our school's amiable acceptance of a marital “backup plan” can be attributed in part to two larger cultural trends currently facing our generation. The first trend confronts our digital existence. Dating apps, social media platforms and the general prevalence of smartphones have distorted dating culture as we once knew it. Where potential partners were once determined solely by geography, convenience and happenstance, we now have millions of potential partners available at our fingertips. With a profile on Tinder, Hinge, Bumble or any other dating app, our generation is now plagued with the paradox of choice. This paradox, a psychological theory published by Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper in 2000, suggests that too many options can prompt decision-making paralysis. In the world of online dating, this translates to a cultural phenomenon in which participants in the dating pool either feel overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of potential options or unreasonably raise their standards to account for an illusion that a better match might exist in the next swipe. From its creation, Marriage Pact was founded on principles of behavioral economics. By cleverly eliminating the paradox of choice, Marriage Pact was able to successfully capitalize on an experi-
ence that exempts choice altogether. For many students, this experience was alluring. On top of that, Marriage Pact was a refreshing change from modern dating culture in that it circumvented society’s high standards placed on physical appearances. Unlike Hinge, Bumble or Tinder, Marriage Pact prioritizes moral values above all else, and participants lack the option to linger on looks. So even on a small campus like Wake Forest, where the paradox of choice might be limited compared to larger schools, the Marriage Pact offered students a chance to meet their match without initial anxieties about appearance.
skills. Unsurprisingly, it also affected modern dating culture. Dating app activity surged during the pandemic. In a positive feedback loop, the pandemic exacerbated loneliness, which promoted singles to turn to dating apps, paralyzing them in their abundance of choice and leaving them feeling lonely and overwhelmed. Again, amidst this feedback loop, Marriage Pact creatively intervenes. A dating questionnaire is all that’s separating you from a promising marital backup plan. With it, you can evade the existential question of dying alone. So on college campuses, a once ideal setting for meeting your potential partner, the scene has
Photo courtesy of Marriage Pact
With more than 2,068 submissions, the Marriage Pact got nearly a quarter of students to participate. The second trend is a lasting byproduct of the pandemic — loneliness. A recent survey conducted by Boston University reports feelings of depression, anxiety and loneliness in college students are at an all-time high. The survey specifies that “two-thirds of college students are struggling with loneliness and feeling isolated.” The COVID-19 pandemic, at its peak, predisposed us to intense feelings of isolation. In the aftermath, the pandemic atrophied our social
shifted. Loneliness and technology have compounded on one another to exacerbate existing changes in dating culture. And the solution? How are college students supposed to find a match amidst these daunting trends in modern dating? Well, the answer might just lie in 50 questions and an economic algorithm.
Contact Ashlyn Segler at seglal20@wfu.edu
SPORTS
PAGE 14 THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023
Follow us on Twitter @wfuogbsports OLD GOLD & BLACK
Ian Steffensen stefip21@wfu.edu Aaron Nataline nataae21@wfu.edu Sean Kennedy kennsm21@wfu.edu
ǣ ϐ ʹͲʹͲ Head Coach Dave Clawson discusses the hardships of Wake Forest's 2020 football season AARON NATALINE Sports Editor
A tease of Wake Forest football is just around the corner. The spring game on April 15 will bring the Demon Deacons back to the gridiron for the first time since the end of the 2022 season. This week, the team will hold their first practices in preparation for its return to Truist Field. Three years ago, it was a similar story. In March 2020, the team practiced just twice before spring break. Those practices would never resume once the faculty and students learned on March 11 that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic would delay the post-spring break migration back to campus. Everyone can recall the ways in which their daily lives were uprooted by COVID-19, but as the Demon Deacons look ahead to their spring game, I wanted to learn more about the canceled game that began the strange 2020 college football season. I spoke to Head Coach Dave Clawson about his team’s experience navigating the pandemic. “We had spring break, and then all of a sudden during spring break is when the pandemic happened,” Clawson said. “They said not to come back to campus, and at that point we had no idea if it was going to be a week, two weeks, two months or two years. And then when the rest of the semester was canceled, at that point we didn’t even know if we were going to have a football season. It was just about sharing the information that we did have, which wasn’t much.” The standstill that came about as a result of COVID-19 could be summarized as just that — a search for information. Every facet of society was pressed to use each day’s breaking news to form long-term plans on how to handle the novel situation. Clawson was presented with this herculean task as leader of his football team, and the first step involved creating a communication network. “This is when we learned how to implement Zoom, and we got to a point where we had weekly meetings,” Clawson explained. “We tried to get [the players] back on schedule by having positional, offensive and defensive meetings. We were worried about how some of our players didn’t have access to WiFi. We had one player that would have to pull his car up to the local library and try to access the WiFi from the parking lot.” The issue of maintaining consistent contact with players extended to the high school class of 2021 — the junioryear recruits with which Coach Clawson and his staff had to familiarize themselves. Not only were in-person visits off the table, but so was film on these players’ senior seasons because they may have never happened. “Everything became virtual with the 2021 class,” Clawson said. “The other problem was that a good percentage of the country didn’t even have a senior football season. So it was really, really hard to evaluate. There were players that we liked as juniors, but we wanted to see them play as seniors. They never got that chance to play.” Just as high school seniors had to wait in uncertainty to learn whether or not they would have a football season in fall 2020, NCAA teams across the country scrambled to form their own plans. At one point in the summer, Power 5 conferences such as the Big Ten and PAC-12 had declared their initiatives to delay the season until the spring. All the while, ACC teams, including Wake Forest, were making long-awaited returns to campus with no confirmation of a season in sight. “I believe Duke, Virginia and us were the last three teams to come back,” Clawson said. “We were not only
Mike Liu / Old Gold & Black
Photos courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics. Photo collage by Jacobi Gilbert.
still figuring out the schedule, but our players also got back so late that instead of them having gotten into shape in the summer, we were straight to preparing for the season.” He continued: “We had to really adjust what we did in camp. It became the most responsible thing to change those practices so that there was less risk of injury for players who hadn’t seen much wear and tear yet. We still weren’t sure we were going to play, so I wasn’t comfortable having our team scrimmage and tackle for a season there was still a very good chance that we weren’t playing.” Wake Forest's strength and conditioning staff had done their best with limited options to keep their players in shape before returning. "Some of our players had access to gyms, some had home gyms, and some of them had nothing," Clawson said. We were coming up with workouts they could do with body weights and things like that just to try to stay in shape and try to maintain some degree of strength level." Concerns about his players’ health encompassed more than just their physical wellbeing. “Especially before we came back, the many Zooms were just about trying to keep the players engaged,” Clawson explained. “We were very worried about their mental health. We were very worried about the isolation.” The August announcement that the ACC would play in the Fall came with the caveat that the once pre-determined schedules were completely rearranged. Teams would play just one non-conference game, and that change dramatically bolstered Wake Forest’s schedule and made preseason preparation even more difficult. “We’ll usually plan in the preseason for our first three to four opponents, and those all changed,” Clawson said. “We had done a lot of work for teams that we ended up not playing, and then we had to rush and prepare for games we weren’t expecting to play.” The erratic transformation of schedules did not end once the fall season actually began. Surges of COVID-19 cases led to three game cancellations for the Demon Dea-
cons — contests against Duke, Miami and Florida State — and the effects of these occasions wore on the mental health of both players and coaching staff. “It was hard because we had put in all that work, and then the games were getting canceled, and some of them, like the Florida State game, got canceled last minute,” Clawson said. “We put in all that work, all that preparation, all that practice time, and there was no reward. That became very hard on the players, and it took a toll on them. It took a toll on all of us.” Despite the adversity that the 2020 campaign presented, Clawson expressed pride in the way his team handled the uncertainty of the season. “I think that one of the positives was that we finished when a lot of teams opted out,” Clawson said. “We had very few players opt out. It’s not that we didn’t have moments when I’m sure they wanted to, but I was proud that our football team stuck out the season. And getting some guys back with an extra [year of eligibility] was great.” The Demon Deacons finished the 2020 campaign with a 4-5 record, capped off by a loss in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Wisconsin. The results fail to paint the full picture of the work the team put in during such a chaotic season. The development that occurred over the season was apparent in 2021, however, which saw Wake Forest’s best record — 11-3 with a Gator Bowl victory — since 2006. “In a lot of ways, I believe the struggle and the challenge of COVID-19 and 2020 set us up to have a great 2021,” Clawson said. “I thought we had some leadership emerge. I think that what happened is we had some of the players — like Luke Masterson, Sam Hartman, Ja’Sir Taylor and Miles Fox — find their voices and become strong leaders for us. And because those guys came back in the 2021 season, we had very, very strong internal leadership. So there were definitely some silver linings.” Contact Aaron Nataline at nataae21@wfu.edu
Sports| Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Page 15
Thank you, Demon Deacons A heartfelt thank you to the departing players that contributed this season SEAN KENNEDY Asst. Sports Editor DAIVIEN WILLIAMSON Daivien Williamson has been the true embodiment of one of Steve Forbes’ team mottos, “Gritty, Grimey, Tough, Together.” Williamson has been through thick and thin with Forbes throughout his collegiate career, and the two have brought back unheralded success into Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Williamson came back home to WinstonSalem for his junior season in 2020-21 and immediately contributed. He led the team in points in his first year at Wake Forest, with 12.9 points per game. His career was highlighted by clutch moments and fantastic performances. His best single-game performance occurred late last season, when he scored 28 points en route to a 101-76 victory over NC State. Arguably the best shot of his career came in his penultimate game when he hit a game-winning three against Syracuse to give the Demon Deacons’ their first ACC Tournament win since 2017. He will leave Wake Forest as a hometown hero that remained loyal and trustworthy throughout his career as a Demon Deacon, and he will be truly missed. GRANT VAN BEVEREN Grant van Beveren has been through it all
throughout his career at Wake Forest. Despite not getting much floor time, he’s been underappreciated for how much he means to the Demon Deacon program. Van Beveren went through a rough first two seasons in his career at Wake Forest. He suffered through a combined 19-34 record throughout the pair of campaigns, although he did score his first collegiate basket in a home game against Boston College during his freshman year. Despite rarely touching the floor, van Beveren contributed highly to the morale amidst a renaissance of Wake Forest basketball within his final two seasons. Along with the program’s 39-24 record throughout his junior and senior seasons, he’s witnessed a tremendous amount of winning at home — including wins over a ranked Duke and Clemson squad this past season. He’ll leave Wake Forest with a legacy of transformation and determination, sticking through highs and lows to prepare the Demon Deacons as best as possible each gameday. TYREE APPLEBY There’s too much to say about Tyree Appleby. When Appleby made his decision to transfer to Wake Forest for his final year of eligibility, nobody saw what was coming. He was labeled as “too short.” and “too scrawny.” His physique “wouldn’t match the aver-
Evan Harris / Old Gold & Black
Ǥ ͳͷ ͳʹ Ǥ level of scoring — and passing with 6.4 asage athlete’s in the ACC.” Yet, the Associated Press’ ACC Player of sists per game — allowed him to be the first player in ACC history to lead in both points the Year persevered, as always. The first signs of a special season came and assists. He will leave Wake Forest as yet another early in the season when Appleby led the Demon Deacons to a signature win against transfer success story that led the program the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison. His to another great season, despite the postsea32-point display put his name on the map. son snub. Thank you, Tyree. Appleby only had a single-digit points performance once in his Wake Forest ca- Contact Sean Kennedy at reer in the first game against Fairfield. His kennsm21@wfu.edu
Men’s tennis defeats No. 60 Miami and Coastal Carolina The Demon Deacons are now 6-1 in their last seven matches ALEX MOJICA Contributing Writer The Demon Deacons moved indoors for a double-header at the Wake Forest Tennis Center this past Sunday, March 12. They squared off against No. 60 Miami — including two top-100 ranked singles players — to start the day and emerged with a 4-1 victory. Shortly after, they returned to the courts to claim a 4-0 victory over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The Hurricanes got off to a quick start
in doubles, swiftly winning on Courts 1 and 3. Miami’s No. 1 doubles team, Juan Jalif and Martin Vergara, defeated junior Filippo Moroni and senior Juan Lopez de Azcona (6-1). On Court 3, Miami’s Martin Katz and Antonio Prat defeated seniors Melios Efstathiou and Matthew Thomson (6-1). This brought an early end to graduate Jurabek Karimov and junior Luciano Tacchi’s doubles match on Court 2, where the score was tied at three games apiece. After the rough start in doubles, Wake Forest stormed ahead in singles, with six
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics
Senior Matthew Thomson celebrates after clinching a set versus Ǥ ϐ Ǥ
of seven Demon Deacons winning their first sets. Tacchi was the first man to finish his match, defeating Leo Bierbaum in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) on Court 4. Moroni was the next man to win, defeating Prat (6-4, 7-5) in a back-and-forth battle on Court 2. Moroni started the day with a Division I singles ranking of 122, which should improve after his performance against Miami. Although Lopez de Azcona suffered a tough loss in his first doubles match, he was the third man to finish his singles match. He defeated Nacho Serra Sanchez (6-3, 6-3) on Court 6, putting Wake Forest ahead 3-1 in a first-to-four match. Wake Forest’s top singles player, Melios Efstathiou, played a hotly contested match against Miami’s No. 44-ranked Dan Martin. After Martin double-faulted on match point, Efstathiou sealed the match for Wake Forest with a victory, (6-4, 6-3). No. 21 ranked singles player Mefstathiou should see his placement rise as he has won five-straight singles matches against top-100 opponents in March. Doubles versus Coastal Carolina began just 90 minutes after the clincher versus Maami. The Demon Deacons on Court 3 got off to a hot start, with sophomore Vikas Deo and freshman Božo Barun defeating Guilherme Toresan and Ryuya Ata (6-2) to put Coastal Carolina behind in the doubles. While Deo and Barun had already put their opponents away in the first 30
minutes, the Demon Deacons and Chanticleers were tied at 5-5 in the other two matches. Coastal Carolina’s Lucas Wayenburg and Steve Mundt came out victorious on Court 2, where they defeated Thomson and Tacchi (7-5). With the doubles series on the line, Lopez de Azcona and Moroni fought, going down a break to win a close match against Carlos Berna and Mac Tomac (7-6[5]) and put Wake Forest ahead 1-0 going into singles. This was the partnership’s 13th win of the season. In the singles, Lopez de Azcona wasted no time, winning the first 11 games of his match. His opponent, Toresan, fought back to win three games, but Lopez de Azcona was still the first man to win. His victory over Toresan (6-0, 6-3) put the Demon Deacons two matches away from a sweep. A few minutes later, Moroni defeated Berna Ruiz (6-2, 6-2) to finish his Sunday with three wins. To end the day, Barun won the clincher on Court 4, defeating Ryuya Ata (62, 6-2) to complete the sweep over the Chanticleers.T The men’s tennis team’s next competition will be Sunday, March 19 in Waco, Texas, where the Demon Deacons will face Baylor University. The Bears boast an impressive roster, with two top-20 doubles teams and two top-100 singles players starring in their lineup.
Contact Alex Mojica at mojiag22@wfu.edu
Page 16 | Thursday, March 16, 2023
Sports | Old Gold & Black
Women's basketball goes 2-1 in ACC Tournament 7KH 'HPRQ 'HDFRQV TXDUWHU¿QDO UXQ HDUQHG WKHP D :1,7 ELG
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest's bench celebrates a scoring spree against Florida State. The Demon Deacons made a memorable run in the ACC Tournament with a 20-point comeback against the Seminoles in the second round before falling to the Louisville Cardinals in the quarterfinal round. IAN STEFFENSEN Sports Editor
There is truly nothing like basketball in March. Teams can turn around a bad season, get hot at the right time and make a run for the ages. Wake Forest women’s basketball looked to be following this trend as they opened up their postseason play in the first and second round of the ACC Tournament. The Demon Deacons entered Greensboro on an alltime low, having lost five straight and being the No. 13 seed in the tournament. They were underdogs, and everyone counted them out except themselves as they cruised to an easy victory in the first round over Virginia and made the second-largest comeback in ACC tournament history to win over Florida State. However, their luck soon faded as Wake Forest’s memorable run ended in the quarterfinal round to Louisville.” “Credit to our young ladies,” Head Coach Megan Gebbia said. “They were tired. They were willing to fight through and just keep talking about them believing in themselves.” Wake Forest opened up the ACC Tournament facing off against the Virginia Cavaliers for the second year in a row. The Cavaliers jumped out to an early start with a 4-0 lead, but the Demon Deacons were able to counter with 16 unanswered points. After a dominant first quarter, Wake Forest led 198. The Demon Deacons continued to leave the door open though, as the Cavaliers began to hit their shots from the perimeter late in the first half. Virginia went on a 6-0 run to close out the half as they trailed by only three going into the locker room. In the third quarter, Wake Forest kicked it into
high gear, scoring a total of 28 points. The Demon Deacons went on a 9-0 run, capitalizing on the Cavaliers’ turnovers and poor transition defense. Wake Forest built a lead of 21 with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Yet, Virginia refused to back down as they responded with an 11-1 run. Junior guard Jewel Spear went on a personal 6-0 run as Wake Forest led 56-41 going into the fourth. The Cavaliers came out aggressive in the fourth with a 14-4 run in the first five minutes, but the Demon Deacons answered on the other end and made their shots to hold on for the 68-57 victory. Spear finished with a game-high 19 points, and sophomore guard Elise Williams added 16 points. Defense was definitely the story of this one as the Demon Deacons forced 16 turnovers and were able to turn it into 23 points on the other end. Winning in the first round is certainly becoming a Wake Forest tradition as the team advanced to the second round for the fourth-straight year. Facing off against the No. 5-seed Florida State, a team Wake Forest faced a week ago and lost by one point, the Demon Deacons looked to flip the script. Down 20 points in the third quarter to the Seminoles, many expected the Demon Deacons to back down as they have so many times this season, but that all changed on Thursday as the team clawed its way back for the win. Florida State got out to a hot start offensively, draining shots from beyond the arc and jumping out to a 12-2 lead. Wake Forest finally found its footing and cut the deficit to seven as they trailed 21-14. However, the second quarter had to be one of the roughest quarters for the Demon Deacons this season. Wake Forest shot one of 12 from the field, and the usual tournament standout and
secret weapon, Spear, was 0-for-8 and 0-for-5 from three. The Seminoles stretched their lead to 20 in the opening minutes of the third, but the Demon Deacons would not go away easily. Spear finally found her touch, as Wake Forest looked to mount a comeback. The Seminoles collapsed, and the Demon Deacons exploded offensively with a 26-0 run in the second half. Wake Forest repeatedly drove to the basket, and the shots began to fall as Spear scored all 19 of her points in the second half. The Demon Deacons pulled level before the end of the third, and senior Olivia Summiel added more insult to injury as she canned a triple to give her team the edge going into the fourth. Spear continued the run with back-to-back threes in the fourth. The Seminoles were able to end their drought halfway through the fourth, but the Demon Deacons kept them scoreless for more than nine minutes of action. That margin proved to be too much as Wake Forest held on to victory and closed things out 65-54. Spear was 6 of 11 from the field in the second half, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Summiel, who put together one of the best performances of her career, added 13 points and a gamehigh nine rebounds. The shocked Seminoles left Greensboro, and Demon Deacons faced the No. 4 seed Louisville Cardinals on Friday. Despite an upset victory against the Cardinals earlier this season, the Demon Deacons could not pull it off again, losing 74-48. Wake Forest will return to action in opening round of the WNIT vs. Morgan State on Thursday night. Contact Ian Steffensen at VWH¿S #ZIX HGX
PAGE 17 THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023
LIFE OLD GOLD & BLACK
Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu James Watson, watsjc22@wfu.edu
‘No Bears’ should have been nominated :KLOH VDGO\ EHDU OHVV WKH ¿OP LV D WULXPSK RI DUWLVWLF SURWHVW JAMES WATSON Life Editor
Bears are so hot right now. The titular bear from “Cocaine Bear,” Paddington Bear, the bear from “Annihilation” and the bear from “The Revenant” represent some of the industry’s hottest mammals. The fact is, bears are in — which is why it was unnerving when persecuted Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi entitled his latest film “No Bears,” all but confirming this to be a bonafide bearless feature. How could any filmmaker in 2023 have a bearless production and still expect to make a return on investment? Not to mention the vast bear market which might feel excluded by such a title. Skeptical, I came into “No Bears” expecting the worst, but instead, I left with a renewed excitement for the medium. Despite the notable absence of North American grizzlies, “No Bears” was a triumph of artistic protest and a breath of fresh air for filmmaking. Firstly, “No Bears” should not exist. I say this not out of malice, but rather because, for more than a decade, Pahani has been barred from making movies by the Iranian government. The production of Bears was done entirely in se-
cret. In fact, he was arrested and jailed as recently as July 2022. The mere act of watching it in a theater was, frankly, a miracle. In the past, Pahani famously had to get creative in order to get his films shown (a popular anecdote recalls the time a flash drive with his film’s file was smuggled out of the country in a cake). This contextualizes the critical stakes of “No Bears” — why its creation is so miraculous, and why its voice could not be more urgent. The film follows Pahani himself directing a feature film while exiled on the border of Iran and Turkey. The plot is not too dissimilar from reality, as the film itself was obviously made under the guise of secrecy. Pahani quickly stumbles into trouble as he photographs a soon-to-be wife with another man. The town's leaders then embark on an interrogatory mission to accuse and silence Pahani. But this reasonably simple conflict has drastic implications for both Iran and filmmaking itself. This directorial meta-ness recalls a similar filmic excursion by Frederico Felini, who poured his creative anxieties into an analogous vessel in “8 ½.” The best art is channeled through introspection, and self-reflexive films about “pro-
cess” often represent the highest form of medium-pushing art. But in 2022, “No Bears” is not peerless in this regard. Steven Spielberg released the quasi-Freudian, career-defining “The Fablemans” — achieving similarly revelatory notions about the act of filmmaking. Spielberg may be far more romantic with his use of the camera, but Pahani reveals a somewhat darker aspect of filmmaking. Pahani demonstrates the incomparable power of the camera. The simple, innocent act of photography in which Pahani engages nearly rips the town apart. The gaze of the camera can drastically alter and shape reality. Images can be shaped and weaponized to suit destructive, political agendas. Pahani profoundly asserts that filmmaking itself is a defiant political act. Where Spielberg reveals that, for him, filmmaking came about as a means of controlling his deepest anxieties and sadnesses, Pahani makes the case that filmmaking is his survival. Both features act with similar urgency and carry similarly apocalyptic stakes — albeit one is familial, and the other is political. Thematically, Pahani centers the film on a distinct tension between modernity and tradition. A mirrorless camera
appears to be as destructive to the social order of the small village of Joban as, say, a small insurgency. It’s this same tension that also underpins much of the sociopolitical violence occurring in modern Iran. In scaling down this conflict into one village, making it personal, “No Bears” reveals its brilliance. “No Bears” is not just a commentary on filmmaking itself, but a much larger protest about Pahani’s persecution and the struggle of Iranians to free themselves from the orthodox tyranny causing so much strife and violence. As much as I regularly loathe film critic Richard Brody, I can't deny that his frustration is correctly placed at the Academy for not nominating “No Bears" for anything, let alone best international picture. This is one of the most remarkable, creative and innovative films in recent memory, and it deserves to be treated as such. Hopefully, cinematic history will reserve a coveted spot for it. So while “No Bears” is (sadly) bearless, it remains some of the most cutting-edge filmmaking from an artist who has everything to lose and everything to prove. &RQWDFW -DPHV :DWVRQ DW ZDWVMF #ZIX HGX
A COVID-19 odyssey: Constructing a new me 5HÀHFWLQJ RQ WKH PRQWKV RI WKDW DOWHUHG P\ OLIH IRUHYHU ADAM COIL Life Editor
When the pandemic hit, copious amounts of free will were heaped upon me. The 11 hours of the day dedicated to school and sports evaporated into thin air, and the only thing resembling a temporal land marker in sight was my daily walk with my grandmother’s dog and my mom. Like most kids, though, all this time and freedom had a paradoxical effect — it left me with less motivation or sense of direction than I ever had before. If I had to give one word to describe those dreary months of 2020, it would be futility. Indeed, it felt impossible to justify any action. Exercising was a waste of time because baseball season was canceled and soccer probably would be, too. My birthday passed by without so much as a passing wave. Schoolwork was somehow less rigorous and demanding than it had been while in person. Travel was simply not an option. Happiness was rare to come by, even more difficult to retain — it simply didn’t feel right. I felt like a willing victim of time — an apathetic hostage on a ship that was going nowhere. Luckily for me, though, I had one of those English teachers that people in movies or on TV talk about — the
kind of criminally underpaid superstar educator that holds up every public school system. At one point or another, a book club was established and “The Plague” by Albert Camus fell into my hands. I read the salubrious novel at an incorrigibly slow pace — weeks would go by with only five or six pages of progress being made. This went on for months. Finally, though, the fictional plague passed, Dr. Rieux survived and the town of Oran began to live something like a new abnormal, doing the most to maximize life in honor of the dead. I had done it; I had finished a book. Furthermore, I understood the book. I felt an emotional connection to the book. I cried when I finished it because there was something like life teeming in those worn-down pages, and they were speaking directly to me. The parallels were undeniable. Like the novel’s protagonist, I was living amidst a deadly pandemic. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of my own ineptitude and futility, and I was searching for a sense of self in the midst of quiet chaos. Poetically, though, I was able to derive a feeling of purpose and forge a path forward through the philosophies of the characters in the novel. One of the most famous quotes is delivered by Dr. Rieux as he is in
the midst of the plague: “I have no idea what's awaiting me, or what will happen when this all ends. For the moment I know this: there are sick people, and they need curing.” The gist of the book resonated strongly with 17-year-old me because it empowered me to take action even when I could not logically trace a reason for it. It told me that it was okay to wander in the dark if the intentions were pure. After finishing “The Plague,” I kept reading. Over time, it became easier to read for long stretches and get lost in a story world. I was able to explore experimental and laborious prose with increasing ease. I had found something that could satiate me and strengthen my mind. I began to start writing a little myself. Most importantly, though, in reading and writing, I had found something that needed no justification. I found something that seemed to be inherently good, so long as it felt right to me. This was my key insight from all of the stress, lethargy and loneliness of the COVID-19 pandemic — that, in life, we need activities and duties which become a part of us. We need to devote our time and energy to certain things without any sort of explanation other than it makes us feel good and makes living worthwhile.
Foucault once said, “What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something which is related only to objects and not to individuals, or to life… Why should the lamp or the house be an art object, but not our life?” This is a question that I believe we should be asking ourselves right now more than ever. When everything is stripped away, can we find the sublime beauty that we all need in ourselves — in what we do every day? I feel extremely confident that I would not have become an English major if the pandemic hadn’t happened. Consequential events leave us no choice but to take a hard look at ourselves and ask the difficult questions that get pushed down the queue by the tedious monotony of daily life. Of course, I am not in any way glad that the pandemic happened, as nothing can justify the immense amounts of suffering that took place, but I do believe that it is the responsibility of the lucky ones who make it through dark times to learn from them and extract as much as possible from the life before them. Whatever that may entail. “But what does it mean, the plague? It's life, that's all.” &RQWDFW $GDP &RLO DW FRLODW #ZIX HGX
Page 18 | Thursday, March 16, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Life
The Crossword
ADAM COIL Life Editor
Across: 1. Second ever consumer of the forbidden fruit 4. Fast fashion or exotic spelling of Sarah? 7. Poetic word for face 8. A Supreme rival of the dry primate 9. __ Computer 10. Where the The Angels Angels play
(abbr.) 12. "And I got a colorful ____ / like I got neon guts" 14. Where a house filled with balloons might take you 15. "Wake Forest students are always worrying about their ____" 17. Stinging insect or common American archetype? 19. Where you might find a bloke enjoying a full English on the
tube 20. A couple of these and you might have a Philadelphia quarterback 23. __ Neighbor Totoro 24. The Patriots, on the scoreboard 25. Hard-to-pronounce berry bowl. 27. Who up pondering they ___? 28. A bad sample has a lot of this. 29. Home vs. ____
Down: 1. Suspectly popular game in 2020? 2. ___ Prescott, Cowboys QB 3. Canonical Updike short story without the &
4. Slang for lasagna, according to an SNL skit 5. Future employer of psychology majors? 6. About; concerning 8. This exam does not involve the limbo 10. Popular Snail
Mail album 21. 4-star Japanese Steak house in Win11. ACC basketball ston-Salem player of the year 22. A YMCA without snub or a great place the kids, say for half-priced apps? 24. One of the larg12. A safe space for est lobbying agencies recovering alcoholics in American politics 13. "Oh, no! Our 25. "The Answer" plan has gone terribly or a great place to ____!" 14. A film with a lot get some, if you don't of layers to Peele back mind cheating 26. Crucial ingredi16. The 2022 World ent for a simile Cup set a new record, 27. "Hey, that hurt!" deciding 5 matches with these shootouts Contact Adam Coil at coilat21@wfu.edu 18. @
Life | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Page 19
On appreciating pop music What ‘Tom and Jerry’ and Drake taught me about the arts ADAM COIL Life Editor
“Tom and Jerry” is comedic perfection. Way back in the mid-2000s, I adored the recyclable premise and the over-the-top gags to the point where I would stay up past my bedtime and sneak into the living room to catch the reruns. “Tom and Jerry” is also undoubtedly a kid’s show. So you can understand my surprise to find myself sitting on the couch with my friends in 2023, all of us watching a cun-
ning mouse evade a tenacious, if unlucky, cat for seven-minute intervals. Even more surprising is that we really enjoyed it. I can posit with certainty that, had none of us ever watched the show before, Jerry’s narrow escapes and Tom’s beatings would not have been nearly as entertaining. Because while I will push back on anyone who argues that “Tom and Jerry” is not a quality show in its own right, I have to admit there is something magical happening behind the scenes that has nothing to do with the program, really. Because even while sitting on a couch in Colorado in
Adam Coil / Old Gold & Black
2023, a small part of me is actually in a shared experience, the total surrenderdark living room in Ohio, transfixed on ing of the self. Music becomes this vessel the bluish glow of a 120-pound TV, wor- through which an otherwise impossible rying that the vague creak I just heard connection can be formed. It is a powermay or may not be Dad walking down- ful sense of belonging and communion. stairs to tell me to go to bed. Is it any wonder that concerts and certain There’s something like this “Tom and religious services sometimes feel eerily Jerry” phenomenon going on in popular similar? music, too. After all, it is hard to stake a No song exists in a vacuum. It is where real claim for any kind of timeless genius you were and who you were when you being intrinsic to the most successful pop first listened to it. It is all of those mosongs. There’s the problem of commer- ments in which you grew more familiar cialization and the industry’s power to with it, and it is right now, as you are surskew art toward a profit motive. There’s rounded by other people who have also also the vapidness of the lyrics — the ones that often glorify wealth and sex and experienced the song. The fact that a certain song or artist can capture the zeitgeist sometimes are simply misogynistic. But there is a fascinating and complex of a generation or tether people together aspect to pop music that I am embarrassed like children crossing the street is wonto have overlooked for so many years. Pop derful. Sure, there is a zero-denominator music has the luxury of not needing any quality to this phenomenon as well, but a staggering depth or awe-inspiring sounds part of me also respects a song that has no since the communal experience of bond- barrier to entry — that meets everyone ing over a piece of art is more beautiful right where they are. Of course, I didn’t always see music than any artistic masterpiece could posthis way. I have been one of pop music’s sibly be. It is a beautiful and vitalizing thing that most tenacious critics over the years. I’ve I can read James Joyce and feel like I’m re- learned recently that it is easy to be cynially talking to someone — like I’m a little cal, but it is also unrewarding and self-deless alone. It’s also perverse and pernicious structive. Creating art is difficult, but that to deem that kind of art as more power- is where all of life’s spirit can be found. ful than dancing around the kitchen with I guess what I’m saying is, if you’re your friends, singing along to “Nice For someone like me — a person who used What” or “Doo Wop” or “Get Lucky” or to scoff at pop music — you might find it “family ties.” worthwhile to ask yourself whether anyTo do so is to totally miss the point and thing can be gained from all the criticism forget that, at the end of the day, art is and iciness, or if something is only lost. about humanity. It has not been, nor will it ever be about Contact Adam Coil at the song itself, really. What matters is the coilat21@wfu.edu
‘You’ switches it up in its fourth season Fans react to a brand new scenario for Joe SOPHIE GUYMON Staff Writer
Season 4 of “You” starts off unsurprisingly — Joe Goldberg obsessively stalks the latest object of his affection who, having seen the real him, no longer feels the same way. However, once this storyline is — seemingly — resolved, “You” departs from its typical formula. While the previous three seasons of “You” revolved around Goldberg’s stalker tendencies, this season, he is the one being stalked. Instead of attempting to cover up his latest kills, he is trying to catch a killer. In an Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit storyline, Goldberg joins a circle of the British elite and methodically goes through a list of suspects until he finally lands on the real killer … or so it seems. One of Goldberg’s primary character flaws — apart from his penchant for murdering and stalking — is his lack of self-awareness. He is deeply judgmental of everyone around him but excuses his own worst behaviors. Rather than seeing himself as the murderer and stalker that he is, he sees himself as a white knight and
noble savior for each of the women with whom he is obsessed. Every time a relationship inevitability goes south, Goldberg isn’t the one to blame, the woman is. That’s another reason this season is a breath of fresh air — Goldberg finally seems to recognize that he isn’t good for the women with whom he’s obsessed and manages to refrain from entering a relationship with the latest object of his affections — Kate Galvin. In exploring Goldberg’s burgeoning relationship with Galvin and attempts to escape his past wrongdoings, this season features cameos from fan favorites and ex-girlfriends, Guinevere Beck and Love Quinn who are, of course, merely hallucinations as both women died at Goldberg’s hands. As has been true in previous seasons, while Goldberg may be able to escape his past in the eyes of the law, he can only pretend to be someone he is not for so long. One of the most hotly debated questions among fans of the show is whether Goldberg is a redeemable character or a narcissistic psychopath. In any other show, he would be a villain, but because “You” is narrated from
his point of view, fans often forget that he is not someone for whom we should be rooting. This season, Goldberg loses his grip on reality as he himself finally grapples with this question, seemingly culminating in a self-awareness that we have not seen from him before. The question of the last few episodes is this: will this awareness result in Goldberg giving in to his dark side and emerging as a coldblooded, soulless killer, or will it result in him finally making an effort to repair his wrongs and end his cycle of murdering and stalking? One way to interpret “You” is as a commentary on society and the fact that attractive, charismatic white men can seemingly get away with anything. Time after time, Goldberg has evaded the law — not just because of his talents for destroying evidence, hiding bodies and diverting blame but because of his numerous privileges and ability to attract rich, powerful friends. Despite condemning everything to do with wealth, Goldberg always finds himself entrenched in and dependent on these connections that have repeatedly given him a clean slate and a chance for self-improvement — a
privilege that many are not afforded. This season, his circle is richer than ever before. In the past, he relied on big-city influencers and affluent suburbanites to get him out of trouble with the law — this season his friends are heirs and estate owners who come from countless generations of wealth. This season comes with twists, turns and resolutions that some fans may have seen coming — especially given the month-long wait between episodes that gave viewers plenty of time to theorize and pick apart every conceivable clue and easter egg — but they were well-executed nonetheless. While some viewers may not have enjoyed the big twist of the season (my roommate texted me while watching the final episodes that she was mad the fan theory I told her about was right) it serves as a stark reminder of who Goldberg is and that his murders cannot be rationalized. However you choose to interpret “You,” it is undeniably entertaining. If you like suspense, mystery and British accents, this latest season is worth a watch. Contact Sophie Guymon at guymsm20@wfu.edu
Page 20 | Thursday, March 16, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Life
The media that got us through quarantine JAMES WATSON Life Editor
For the first time in modern history, it was in the public’s best interest to stay indoors and do nothing. As a result, people flocked to media for comfort and familiarity in such a turbulent time. More than ever before people watched, read and consumed at record rates to stave off quarantine boredom. Luckily, in the streaming age, there was more content than ever before to pick from. Word-of-mouth helped spread the influence of TV shows like
“Tiger King” which became immediate quarantine iconography, wowing audiences with absurdly entertaining antics. Independent media like John Krasnksi’s “Some Good News” gave many people an outlet for seeking affirming news in the midst of political strife and increasing mortality statistics. Video games like “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” gave users a chance to escape to their own island and start from scratch, constructing a newer, cuter reality.
Despite the halt in tours and recording, 2020 proved to be no slouch for music releases. Phoebe Bridgers’ totemic “Punisher” will likely go down as one of the preeminent albums of the 2020s and Fiona Apple netted the first score of 10 from Pitchfork in a decade. Below we’ve highlighted the art, movies, music and media that guided us through those bleak months of quarantine. Music Tame Impala, “The Slow Rush”; Phoebe Bridgers, “Punisher”; Lil Uzi Vert, “Eternal Atake”
Movies “The Lighthouse”; “Tenet”; “King of Staten Island”; “Soul” TV “Tiger King”; “Ozark”; Banks”; “Stranger Things”
“Outer
Video games “Among Us”; “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” Contact James Watson at watsjc22@wfu.edu
Adam Coil / Old Gold & Black