10/20/22 Full Edition

The Cost of Living: Students share experiences with inflation

In interviews and a survey issued by the Old Gold & Black, students explain how infation has affected their ability to pay for tuition, groceries and social activities, among other expenses

CHRISTA DUTTON, MADDIE STOPYRA & AINE PIERRE News Editor, Asst. News Editor & Online Managing Editor

Global in ation has a ected all aspects of American life, including education. Over the next few weeks, the Old Gold & Black will be report ing on how in ation has a ected the Wake Forest community at large. is week’s installment will focus on students and tuition/cost of living in creases.

Over the past two years, the na tional increase in in ation has con tributed to a spike in Wake Forest University’s campus costs, which some students say have led them to struggle with buying basic necessi ties.

Fees such as tuition, dining and housing have increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pan demic that began in March 2020. Total student charges have risen by 7.47%, from $77,278 to $83,054.

Professor of Economics Dr. Rob ert Whaples explained two key rea sons why in ation is on the rise.

“First, Congress spent a lot of ex tra money ghting the pandemic — multiple trillions of dollars — and then people started spending it, and that's gonna push prices up. e other thing is that the Federal Reserve has been increasing the money supply. ere's a pretty clas sic nding in economics that when you have more money, chasing the same amount of goods, it's going to push the prices up.”

As of August 2022, the annual in ation was 8.3%. In June, in a tion was at 9.1%, the highest in 40 years. Since the pandemic, growing prices of utilities, building mainte nance and dining have contributed to higher student fees.

e increase in cost of living due to in ation has a ected some stu dents’ ability to pay certain expens es. e Old Gold & Black con

ducted a “Cost of Living” survey to gauge how rising campus costs are a ecting students. e survey did not collect an adequate number of responses, making the quantitative data unrepresentative.

Students did however share their experiences with in ation.

Some scholarship students, like senior Jordan Bramley, rely on a stipend to pay expenses during the school year. e increased cost of living has less ened how much students can pay for with that allocated money.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic be gan, Bramley has run out of stipend money by the last couple months of each semester. Before in ation was at re cord heights, Bramley would nish the semester with money left over, and he was buying a similar amount of groceries to what he buys now.

meeting 100% of demonstrated nancial need.

Supreme Court to hear Affirmative Action lawsuits; University will remain committed to diversity

BREANNA LAWS & HOPE ZHU

“There are a lot of friend groups and groups of people in general that I cannot really form relationships with because their interests involve so many excess costs."

“Wake Forest is among a select group of universities in the country that meets 100% of each student’s demonstrated nancial need,” Tom Benza, Director of Financial Aid at Wake Forest, said. “Our nancial aid budget grows each year in propor tion to the cost of attendance. We have a robust analysis process with yearly updates to ensure equitable access to our needbased scholarship funds. If a student has questions about eligibility for institu tional scholarships, we welcome student consultations with the nancial aid of ce.”

Despite the Supreme Court hearing a challenge to a rmative action on Oct. 31, Wake Forest's O ce of Admissions assured the Old Gold & Black that its admis sions process will not change.

ree lawsuits were led against Harvard University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas by the anti-a rmative action group Stu dents for Fair Admissions (SFFA).

A rmative action is a set of poli cies implemented primarily within higher education and employment.

“I am in an apartment this year and planned on using the apart ment-style meal plan,” Bramley responded on the survey. “With the cost of groceries now, the in crease to my stipend was not nearly enough to o set the costs that I will incur cooking for myself. I do not know how I will eat for the entire semester.”

Bramley said that he has had to borrow money from his friends on multiple occasions and at one point in time lost upwards of 10 pounds because he had to limit his eating.

e Financial Aid o ce, in a state ment to the Old Gold & Black, clari ed their stated commitment to

Despite the as surances of the Fi nancial Aid o ce, rst-generation student Dianna LaTerra expressed concern regarding need-based schol arships. When asked how the Wake Forest community has been impacted by in ation and rising tuition prices, LaTerra described the challenges students can face if they are eligible for the FAFSA but do not have a high Expected Family Contribution (EFC) score — an index number that universities use to determine how much nancial aid a student is eligible to receive.

“What worries me the most about tuition is the people who are nan cially eligible for the FAFSA but their EFC score isn’t as high,” LaTerra said. “ ey may have to pay more out of pocket or out of private loans than someone who can pay for [tuition] themselves. I think that those people are the most impacted by it.”

e primary purpose of these poli cies is to encourage the inclusion of individuals of historically un derrepresented groups. is in cludes minority populations in the context of gender, race, sexuality or ethnicity.

ose who oppose a rmative action say that these practices run afoul of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause (in the case of public universities like UNC-Chapel Hill and the Univer sity of Texas) and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits private institutions that receive federal funds (like Harvard or even Wake Forest) from dis criminating on the basis of race.

No matter what the Supreme Court decides, Wake Forest Ad missions told the Old Gold & Black that they remain committed to creating a diverse community.

“We do not know if and how the Supreme Court may reinterpret its position on a rmative action,” Eric Maguire, vice president for enrollment at Wake Forest Admis sions, said.

ENVIRONMENT

Fostering connections on Indigenous People's Day Page Five

FEATURES

Project Pumpkin: a return to normalcy

OPINION

SPORTS Women's soccer goes 1-1 in recent ACC play

Page Twelve

Old Gold&Black

Staff Writers

See Infation, Page 3 See Affrmative Action, Page 4

What's Inside

Old Gold & Black

is column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Today, Oct. 20, North Carolina’s polls open for early voting in the 2022 mid terms. Any voter who is not yet registered to vote may register during the early vot ing period, which ends on Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. e Old Gold & Black encourages students, faculty, sta and administrators to exercise their civic duty and vote in this year’s election.

Whether you are concerned about re productive justice, in ation, the future of democracy or school funding, there is something at stake for everyone in the 2022 midterms. Control of the U.S. Con gress hangs in the balance, and the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina may play a key role in deciding which party will hold power in the upper chamber. e North Carolina legislature’s balance of power will

also be up for grabs, as Republicans are a few seats away in each chamber from gain ing a supermajority. Additionally, the For syth County District Attorney will be on the ballot this year, and that election has broad implications for the criminal justice environment in the county.

Fortunately, those at Wake Forest do not have to travel far to cast their ballots early.

e First Assembly of God Church — ac cessible by either the shuttle to Deacon Place, the shuttle to the Freshman Parking Lot or by foot — is an early voting site. We commend the university for pushing for an early voting site so close to campus, and we commend the city for agreeing to Wake Forest’s proposal. It is our hope at the Old Gold & Black that this early voting site will be available in future elec

tions, as well.

While the Old Gold & Black has not and will not endorse any candidates in the upcoming election, we have published multiple pieces this week on the impor tance of the midterm elections. In the news section, we have an article explain ing why some students have chosen to vote in North Carolina instead of their home state. We encourage you to make use of these resources and to make the de cision that is best for you. e Old Gold & Black also recommends that you go to the polls with a sense of who the candi dates running are and who would be best to represent you and your values. In the coming days, we will be publishing a eld guide to the midterms to aid you as you conduct your voter research.

“

Whether you are con cerned about reproductive justice, in ation, the fu ture of democracy or school funding, there is something at stake for everyone in the 2022 midterms.

Due to the impressive e orts of engaged students and the O ce of Civic and Community Engagement, over 78% of Wake Forest students cast a ballot in the 2020 General Election. ere is no turn ing back now. If we are as “for humanity” as our branding states, then we must use our voice to advance humanity — there is no easier way to do this than voting.

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Infation: Wake Forest families and students suffer the costs of rising tuition prices; Fee increases refect a national trend in higher education

Due to the rising campus expenses, LaTerra began to budget her food dol lars alongside her personal expenses. She described her experience with the cost of meals while living on campus over the summer.

“I was very mindful over the summer,” LaTerra said. “I stayed [on campus] over the summer, and I found myself being a lot more mindful of what I was pur chasing to save more food dollars for the upcoming semester. I am mentally pre paring myself for that.”

Several students who participated in the Cost of Living survey also noted that in ation has caused them to be more mindful of their spending.

“I have a much stricter budget now, and it’s more di cult for me to pay for things like gas when I can’t get a job during the school year,” junior Isabel Lilie responded.

Bramley shared that his scholarship stipend is supposed to help him feel “on par” with other students at Wake For est by allowing him to a ord certain

expenses, however he has had to make budget cuts.

“I nd myself having to make calcula tions between buying what I know will be good for me — things like salads, vegetables, stu that I can cook that’s fresh, even meats and things like that — but I nd myself more often than not switching to ramen,” Bramley said. “ at’s a pretty standard student thing, but I don’t think that should necessarily be for a stipend that is said to help stu dents feel at home and on par with the other students here. I don’t think that’s at all living up to it.”

He also shared how nancial disparity has a ected him socially.

“ ere are a lot of friend groups and groups of people in general that I cannot really form relationships with because their interests involve so many excess costs,” Bramley said. “I think it can be really disheartening sometimes and it has de nitely made me really angry over the past few years.”

It is not just students who are feel ing the pain, however. Families are also struggling to keep up with the cost of Wake Forest’s tuition. Multiple respon dents indicated that they feared their families would no longer be able to re tire due to the increase in attendance costs cutting into savings.

“ e majority of my family’s yearly

income goes into paying for my tuition,” Lilie noted in a survey response. “My parents can’t retire because they have to work to pay for me to go to school here. During COVID-19 we lost a ton of money, and Wake Forest gave us no extra aid and no help whatsoever.”

e e ects of in ation on Wake For est’s campus re ect a national trend in which universities have notably in creased their fees. In the last year, the average tuition and fees at four-year pri vate colleges like Wake Forest have risen by 2.1%.

In e orts to maintain enrollment, many universities, like Purdue Uni versity in Indiana, attened or slightly increased tuition prices. It has been no di erent at Wake Forest.

“In ation impacts higher education institutions, as it does all industries,” Shannon Badgett, Associate Vice Presi dent of Finance, Budget and Financial Planning, said. “ e university’s bud get is approved by the Board of Trust ees each year in April. Departmental managers operate within their approved budgets and work with our procure ment team to ensure competitive pric ing on products and services.”

Contact writers at duttcd20@wfu.edu, stopmf21@wfu.edu and pierav20@wfu.

Students determine which state to cast their midterm ballots; Many opt to vote in North Carolina

Ashlyn Segler Contributing Writer

With Election Day less than a month away, many out-of-state Wake Forest students must decide the state in which they wish to cast a ballot.

On campus, this has forced out-ofstate students to analyze which speci political candidates and localized is sues deserve their vote the most. With the option to register in North Caro lina, students have the opportunity to in uence the outcome in a swing state and potentially alter the partisan bal ance of Congress.

However, many factors have widely in uenced the decision of where to vote among the student body.

For those who made the choice to vote in their home state, the decision often came from a place of conve nience.

“I registered to vote in Pennsylva nia on my 18th birthday and have just kept my registration there since,” soph omore Sydney Pasceri said.

Others decided based on a tie to lo cal politics.

“I’m more invested in the politics of Maryland,” junior Jack Linde said. “I

Carolina based on their stance regard ing a local politician or issue.

could have national and worldwide impacts.”

Wake Forest is home to more than 5,000 out-of-state students, mak ing up 67% of the combined gradu ate and undergraduate population on campus, according to the Wake For est Fact Book. Wake Forest is a com paratively politically active campus as well. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) Report, Wake Forest boast ed a voting rate of 78.2% in 2020, up 29.9% from the 2016 election. is number notably surpasses the national institution voting average of 66%.

With the Nov. 8 election approach ing quickly, students who have not yet made a plan to vote can still register in the state of North Carolina. More in formation on voting can be found on ce of Civic and Community Engagement’s website.

Some students, like sophomore Col lyn Ballentine, chose to vote in North

vote in California said. “However, I think not voting in North Carolina

POLICE BEAT

• An unknown subject entered basement storeroom at Village Tavern and stole food items. e report was led on Oct. 11 at 8 a.m.

Contact Ashlyn Segler at seglal20@wfu.edu

• A wallet was found on the fourth oor of the library. ere was a student ID card and a ctitious Georgia drivers license in the wallet. e report was led on Oct. 11 at 9:35 p.m.

• Unknown subject(s) removed victims unsecured scooter at Deacon Place. e report was led on Oct. 7 at 2:05 p.m.

• Unknown subject(s) entered victims unsecured vehicle, but nothing was taken. e report was led on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.

• e o ender had consumed alcohol at unknown location and was walking back to campus when they fell and hit head on sidewalk on Long Drive. e report was led on Oct. 9 at 1:10 a.m.

• Unknown subject(s) entered victim’s unsecured vehicle, and a wallet was taken. e report was led on Oct. 9 at 10:24 a.m.

Yushuo Wang contributed to reporting.

Affrmative Action: Wake Forest students and faculty share perspectives

He continued: “ roughout the past several years, our admissions and nancial aid o ces have con tributed to a campus community that is increasingly diverse and one that values inclusion and be longing. I don’t foresee that value changing with any potential rein terpretation of a rmative action.”

e justices will hear arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (No. 20-1199) and Stu dents for Fair Admissions v. Uni versity of North Carolina (No. 21707).

Students for Fair Admissions, founded in 2014 by legal strategist Edward Blum, argues against the practice of a rmative action pro grams on the basis that it gives an unfair advantage to these minority populations.

While anti-a rmative advocates insist that considering race as one factor in the admission process might encourage implicit discrimi nation, some Wake Forest faculty recognize that it is too early to cir cumvent race.

Nate French, a part-time assistant teaching professor in the Depart ment of Communication, worked in admissions at Wake Forest from 1995 to 1997. He is also the director of the Magno lia Scholars Program, which enrolls and en courages approximately 30 rst-generation do mestic students in each class through graduation.

“I am worried that the Court is acting as if Amer ica doesn’t have a race is sue,” French said, “I think that’s false. Diversity con tinues to be valuable, but I also see that a lot of in stitutions are go ing to enroll cer tain per centages of people on

their own with or without the Su preme Court, because they have found value in having a diverse student body.”

Carol Torres, the advisor of First in the Forest, a pre-orientation pro gram focusing on rst-generation college students, shares French’s sentiment.

“I understand the anti-a rmative action group’s mentality of wanting to remove race from consideration because they start to move towards equality, but I don’t think that should be our end goal,” Torres said. “I think our end goal should be equity and more consideration should be given to those minority groups.”

At UNC-Chapel Hill — one of the universities involved in the lawsuit — students formed a group called “UNC for A rmative Ac tion” that raises awareness about the importance of a rmative ac tion. No such group exists at Wake Forest; however, students from a variety of backgrounds voiced their concerns about the potential im pact of the a rmative action case by the Supreme Court.

“I feel like on the grand scale, af rmative action is the thing that makes every institution hold each other up,” junior Vianney Man

jarrez, a rst-generation student, said. “I think the big push to diversity and inclusion in higher education happened be cause of a rmative action. If it drops, then there might be no lon ger anything to abide by.”

Junior Jaden Drudge does not view a rmative action as a positive policy as he believes it forces uni versity admissions to place more emphasis on a person’s race than their merits.

“A rmative Action rewards and punishes people not based on their merits, but their race, which is completely unjust,” Drudge said. “People today of certain races are being punished to make up for past acts of discrimination that they didn’t commit, while others are be ing rewarded not for their individ ual e orts or abilities but for their race. A rmative Action reduces people to their color, which is iron ically what this failed program was intended to prevent.”

SFFA claims that the policy dis criminates against other racial groups, yet some students still think a rmative action bene ts applicants from a variety of under privileged backgrounds. Lower-in come students may be bene tted by these procedures since they

are more likely to have less access to tools for academic success, such as tutors and updated education materials.

“I still support a rmative ac tion because it opens up a door for low-income marginalized students to be able to apply to PWIs (pre dominantly white institutions) like Wake Forest,” said freshman Kevin Nguyen, “Many Asian American students who are against a rma tive action still coming from privi leged backgrounds where they have the resources readily prepared for tests and essays.”

Nguyen stated that his high school did not o er standardized test preparation for the SAT and ACT — a resource that might have been more readily available to stu dents attending preparatory aca demics or students with access to paid tutors. In being test-optional, universities are enacting a policy of a rmative action because they are decreasing the likelihood of discrimination based on whether the student can a ord access to re sources.

Following the Supreme Court’s deliberation, you can visit https:// www.supremecourt.gov/oral_ar guments to view the transcriptions of the oral arguments. Cases heard on Oct. 31 will likely be decided in June of 2023.

Contact writers at lawsbn21@wfu. edu and zhuq2@wfu.edu

ENVIRONMENT

Una Wilson, wilsui20@wfu.edu

Asst. Addison Schmidt, schmac21@wfu.edu

Fostering connections on Indigenous Peoples Day

The

BREANNA LAWS Staff Writer

On Monday, Oct. 11, the O ce of Sustainabil ity partnered with the Intercultural Center to host a celebration for Indigenous Peoples Day. is event featured the planting of a new campus garden behind Piccolo Hall — the ree Sisters Garden.

e name “ ree Sisters” pays homage to a Na tive practice of companion planting. is practice involves planting a combination of crops near one another to increase crop productivity. ters in some Indigenous cultures include corn, squash and beans.

e venue was a celebration in itself — ters Garden was created via partnerships with local and regional tribes with the intention of promoting Indigenous leadership, knowledge and cul ture. e university speci cally looks to raise the voices of Indigenous groups upon whose land the Reynolda Cam pus resides. ese include the Saura, Catawba, Cherokee and Lumbee tribes.

“Tending the garden is a small act of re membrance that directs our community’s atten tion toward the Indigenous nations that cared for the land on which our university resides,” said Nathan Peifer, program coordinator with the O tainability, in a statement to the Old Gold & Black.

Peifer continued: “From forest care to food produc tion, Indigenous wisdom can help us transform our current systems of management and production.”

Students attending the event were able to take part in planting and landscaping within the garden. Following this, attendees shared a meal catered by Chef Jordan Rainbolt of Native Root. Native Root is headed by Rainbolt and strives to cultivate learn ing opportunities and the sharing of cultures through food — paying attention to both Indigenous cooking traditions and the seasonal changes of crops.

Many people around the United States still cele brate Columbus Day, but recent years have brought about a new day of celebration in its place — In digenous Peoples Day. is holiday has given many Indigenous individuals a platform to celebrate their heritage and honor their traditions, many of which were repressed by colonizers like Columbus. is, however, is not a resolved issue, and many Native practices are still shunned by Western cultures. e oppression of In digenous cultures is becoming a more publicly recognized social justice issue, but many still neglect to capture the full scope of it.

Not only is this topic a social justice issue, but it is an environmental issue. Indigeneity and environ mental justice have long been intertwined topics, as Indigenous environmental practices are often inhib ited by American overconsumption.

Despite this, Indigenous populations still succeed in advocating for their communities and educating others on their traditions and cultural practices. is act of education was supported by Wake Forest on Indigenous Peoples Day in a celebration of local In digenous people.

In addition to the educational e orts by the Of ce of Sustainability and the Intercultural Center, In digenous students also allow space for conversation. Mahlea Hunt, a Wake Forest senior and a member of the Lumbee tribe, was involved in the hosting of this

Indigenous Peoples Day event. e Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is located in Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties.

“It was amazing growing up being around so many cultural leaders,” said Hunt. “I have been working for the tribe since I was ve years old doing advocacy work.”

Hunt has continued that advocacy work into her time here at Wake Forest, raising awareness of Indige nous issues and working closely with the Intercultural Center. In doing this, Hunt has not only faced the American,” said Hunt. “[At Wake], I’m a part of the one percent of Native Americans.”

Celebrations such as the one held on Indigenous Peoples Day allow Hunt and other Indigenous mem bers of the Wake Forest community to share some pieces of their cultures and traditions. Some of the traditions Hunt shared include a smudging ceremo ny, a song presentation and a talking circle.

Smudging is a closed practice that involves the burning of sacred herbs as a means to encourage balance and healing. e talking circle is a prac tice of sharing and educating in a way that encour ages equality between participants. It is a space for participants to share their experiences and teach one another about any given topic.

“A lot of students that I have come in contact with don’t know a lot about Indigenous people or our is sues…because they weren’t taught it,” said Hunt. “I

use

think that’s the rst step — to educate [others] about what is going on.”

Hunt has done a lot of her work alongside Savan nah Baber, the assistant director of the Intercultural Center. Baber is a member of both the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and the Chickahominy Tribe of Virginia. She was the rst Wake Forest student to be named a national Udall Scholar for her research in tribal public policy.

“I think that Wake is aware of the importance of being inclusive in a way that it wasn’t when I was a student,” said Baber.

According to Baber, Indigenous Peoples Day at Wake Forest initially began as a protest of Columbus is year is the rst year in which there was not a protest, but rather a celebration.

Looking toward the future, the O ce of Sustain ability is hopeful that next year’s cele bration will be accompanied by har vesting the newly founded ree Sisters Garden. ough a small step, managing our campus’ envi ronmental impact through the teachings of Indigenous traditions will cultivate not only an environmental change, but a community of stu dents willing to learn from individuals of all cultural

ts of growing these crops together are plentiful. According to Native Seeds, a nonpro t conservation group based out of Tucson, Arizona, the corn provides a stalk for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by the squash. e beans provide nitrogen to the soil and stabilize the corn stalks, and the squash leaves shade the ground to help retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.

e consequences of gardens not being tended to in a sustainable way can be seen in many agricultural organizations. Many large-scale agricultural groups are involved in the process of overcropping — using a plot of land beyond its capacity and depleting the soil of nutrients. Nutrient depletion in the soil may also be due to crop monoculture and a lack of biodi ese practices often lead to less crop yield, which drives companies to turn to arti cial fer tilizers and pesticides to maintain their elds.

e use of these supplemental products comes with its own set of risks. For one, it prevents the soil from regaining its own nutrients to provide the plants. Additionally, runo pollution from fertilizers and pesticides has wreaked havoc on many communities’ water supplies. Indigenous Peoples are dispropor tionately a ected by these issues, with an estimated one in ten Indigenous Americans lacking access to safe drinking water.

November is Native American History Month, and the Intercultural Center will host events throughout the month that continue to celebrate Native cultures and heritage. e O ce of Sustainability will once again be partnering with the Intercultural Center to host Tohi Talks — conversations linking Indigeneity and environmental justice at the Tohi Garden located behind Angelou Residence Hall.

Contact Breanna Laws at lawsbn21@wfu.edu

OLD GOLD & BLACK

celebration of people, land, and nature focused on Indigenous traditions and historical land

Photo courtesy of Olivia Page Design by Jacobi Gilbert/ Old Gold & Black

The “commune” within Silver Moon Saloon

BELLA ORTLEY-GURTHIE Staff Writer

Kimberly Varnadoe stands beside a barstool, adorned in a painting smock with a drink in hand. Her drink of choice at the moment? Tonic water and lime- she’s on duty preparing for her upcoming art show at Artworks down the street.

A former professor of art at Salem College, Varnadoe has attended the Silver Moon Saloon for over 20 years. For her, the arts district and Trade Street are like home.

“When I come here, I know it’s always gonna be around people that care about me and I care about them,” said Varnadoe. “It’s not just a drink and bar. It’s really camaraderie.”

In June 2021, a shooting shattered the communal vibe at the Silver Moon Saloon. The case was resolved in court earlier this month with the acquittal of Mikkcos Quick, 39, who claimed that he shot Caleb Williams, 39, in the face in self-defense during a fight. Even with the charges resolved, staff and customers at the Silver Moon are still grappling with the shooting and their sense of safety and community.

James Douglas sits outside on the side patio of the Silver Moon Saloon. He leans back in a metal chair, having just come back from picking up liquor for the week, one of his many duties as manager and bartender.

His hands gesture behind him towards SilverMoon Saloon’s hand-painted cinder block wall with red and blue letters and speckles of stickers.

“On first glance, you’d say it’s probably like a seedy, scary biker bar type place, but it’s not,” Douglas said, “It’s got its own character. It’s got some aesthetics. It’s honestly more of a commune type thing.”

The bar stands apart from other buildings on Trade Street. The bar, with twinkling fairy lights hanging above liquor bottles, lines one side of the narrow interior, which then opens up onto a back patio. The smell of cigarettes hangs in the air. Boxes of beer bottles crowd the corner, leaving little room for customers, who cram togethersome sitting at the bar while others are backed up against the wall- their voices filling the space.

“I say 90% of the people that come here (are) people that we know already. They’re all locals. They’ll work here. They’re all like the service industry or musicians, academics … like I said, it’s an open environment. But also it’s safe. And so we keep a sharp eye,” said Douglas.

Now that more than a year has passed since the shooting, Douglas said that such violence is a fact of life for local bars. He noted a shooting Sept. 3. at the West End Opera House, not far from downtown. “When I say that we’re a safe space,

that doesn’t mean we are completely safe,” said Douglas. After the shooting, the Silver Moon Saloon has become more vigilant. While not enforcing a dress code, Douglas says that their bouncer (who’s on duty six days a week) will pat people down and bartenders have started cutting customers off on alcohol. “Bartenders have more freedom to be … not discretionary, but conscientious of who they can serve or who they want to serve …who they feel safe serving,” said Douglas.

Additionally, the local bartenders and bars in Winston-Salem keep tabs on each other through text messages or a Facebook group, communicating regarding problems or any news of bad behavior. “I can text somebody on First Street; I can text somebody on Fourth Street,” said Douglas.

John Bridges started coming to the Silver Moon Saloon after moving to Winston-Salem from Massachusetts four years ago and is now a regular and a bartender there. He leans on a fence post beside the Silver Moon Saloon, a cigarette in his mouth and donning a red cap. As he’s lighting the cigarette, a man comes up to him, rubbing elbows with him in a familiar way.

“That’s one thing I love about this place … I love when people come up and try to rub open sores on you,” said Bridges in a joking manner.

“I grew up in a bar room. My mom owned a bar when I was a kid so it’s a very comfortable atmosphere. It’s like family,” said Bridges. “What isn’t there to love? Like … it is one of those places where you can literally run into any kind of

person at any time of the day.”

The Silver Moon Saloon was first opened in 2003 by Richard Emmett and Vicki Moore, but the building itself was originally built between 1910 and 1915. Once a linen press shop, beer hall, and restaurant, the Silver Moon Saloon has encountered and seen a wide array of history and people.

Douglas notes that this diverse community makes Silver Moon Saloon stand out among other bars in Winston-Salem: “It’s not based on race or class or age or sex or even political affiliations, but for the most part is pretty progressive. I mean, we’re all welcoming. And … some people just like strong drinks, cheap beer, and good conversation. And so there’s no … you know, we don’t deal exclusively to … frat boys or hippies, or whatever it is. Just people come in here just for the fact that it is different.”

Both the inside of the Silver Moon Saloon are marked with stickers and black sharpie graffiti marks of names, slogans, and funny phrases. “People come here …you can tell it’s left its mark on so many peoples and other people have left its mark in this place,” said Douglas.

Now with a cigarette in hand, Douglas takes note of the scene around him with customers crowding around the side and back patio -some petting their dogs while others share a laugh together.

“So people go to where they feel comfortable,” Douglas said. “Maybe this place is full of outcasts. So, I don’t know. It’s weird, I haven’t gotten fed up with it yet though.”

Contact Bella Ortley-Gurthie at rollec21@wfu.edu

Photo Courtesy of Bella Ortley-Gurthie

The Saloon draws people from all walks of life to the cozy build ing located in in the arts district of downtown Winston-Salem.

Photo Courtesy of Bella Orttley-Gurthie Bridges makes a drink behind the bar at Silver Moon Saloon. Hearn Plaza in the first decorating session of 2021, passing out

Located in downtown Winston-Salem, the bar has become a local favorite for its welcoming environment

Project Pumpkin: A Return to Normalcy

e rst on-the-quad project Pumpkin in three years excites Wake and Elementary students alike

ELISABETH ROLLINS Contributing Writer

It’s late October; the leaves have begun their annual shift to a compelling shade of crimson and the temperature outside calls for cozy sweaters and nights spent cuddled up under a warm blanket, watching fall films. You spent weeks searching for the perfect Halloween costume, and tonight’s the night you get to show it off. You put your costume on, all the while, thinking about how, in mere hours, you will indulge in some delicious candy while participating in the age-old activity of trick-or-treating.

We’ve all been there, and we all secretly wish we could go back to it. The excitement that surrounds Halloween as a child is unmatched. There’s something about the sticky, candy-coated fingers, the spooky neighborhood decorations and the myriad costumes that create a kind of magic in a child’s mind. Project Pumpkin aims to produce magical memories just like these, with added educational and philanthropic elements.

“I hope just to see happy faces, smiling faces, and people that are actually enjoying themselves,” says Alyssa Goldstein, student director for project pumpkin. She hopes that the event, which aims to raise funds for the Freedom School—a reading literacybased summer enrichment program that brings kids from the Winston-Salem area on campus for six weeks—will be one for the books and will help to inaugurate a new era for the philanthropic project.

crafts and engage in educational activities on Hearn Plaza.

The past few years have proved difficult for Project Pumpkin though, with inclement weather and COVID-19 forcing the event off of the quad for the past three years.

“Nobody on campus at the moment, current undergraduate students, has ever experienced a normal Project Pumpkin— and that’s the big thing,” says Goldstein.

“I think seeing the kids having fun is going to be the main thing that makes me feel like we have an impact; seeing them have fun, running around campus, and just having a good time.” - Kate Hafer (‘25)

“We are rewriting the program, trying to get it back to what it once was,” Annie Russell, internal volunteer coordinator for Project Pumpkin, said.

This year, Project Pumpkin aims to not only return to Hearn Plaza but also to extend to multiple off-campus locations.

“We wanted to continue that connection [in the WinstonSalem area] and promote Wake Forest students going into the community that they’re living in for four years,” Russell said.

the event.”

The on-campus event will take place on Oct. 25 while the off-campus events will take place on Oct. 27.

The event is structured so that students, campus clubs, Greek Life organizations and departments can set up themed booths around Hearn Plaza. This year, Project Pumpkin hopes to have 60 booths participating in the event. It’s not just booths that can get in on the action, though; students who go through special training can volunteer to escort the visiting kids from booth to booth.For Olsen, this is one of the best parts of the event.

“I did Project Pumpkin when I was a freshman and I walked the kids around; and it was probably one of my favorite experiences as a Wake student so far.”

Another fun part of the event is the theme—this year’s is storybooks.

“We wanted to connect with the message behind Freedom School, and promoting literacy,” Russell said. “We thought there was no better way than with a storybook theme.”

year’s event: a haunted house in one of the residence halls.

“It probably won’t be as scary as 21 year olds are used to, but the idea is to make it perfect for six and seven year olds,” Olsen said.“They just get to walk through and might get a few jumpscares here and there.” The haunted house will be located in Sigma Pi’s lounge in Taylor.

It’s not just the Project Pumpkin executive board and the expected 400 to 500 elementary and middle school students that are excited about the events – current Wake Forest students are too.

“I am so excited for my first, real Project Pumpkin on the quad,” junior Marylee Muscari said.

Sophomore Kate Hafer agrees.

“Project Pumpkin is an amazing opportunity for the student body to give back to a subset of the Winston-Salem community.” And give back they will. This year, the event is hoping to raise around $5,000 for the Freedom School.

Project Pumpkin, according to Goldstein, is “one of the big three fundraising-related events that happen on campus.” It was started by Wake Forest student Libby Bell (’93) in 1988. For the past 33 years, the event has allowed students from elementary and middle schools in the Winston-Salem area to trick-or-treat, interact with Wake Forest students, make

The inclusion of off-campus events also stands to directly benefit those in the greater Winston-Salem community.

“We gained a lot from doing [Project Pumpkin] off campus,” Olivia Olsen, Project Pumpkin’s quad operations manager, said. “It allows us to reach more people and be more accessible based on the children and family’s needs surrounding

This year’s theme encourages participating students and organizations to create booths that resemble classic fairy tales—some examples are teaching the importance of trees, as inspired by the story of “The Lorax”, or having an activity where kids throw balls and knock ‘brick houses’ down based on the “Three Little Pigs”.

Another new addition to this

There are many reasons one could look forward to Project Pumpkin, but for Smartt, one reason stands out among the rest.

“I think seeing the kids having fun is going to be the main thing that makes me feel like we have an impact; seeing them have fun, running around campus, and just having a good time. I like when people have a smile on their face.”

Contact Elisabeth Rollins at rollec21@wfu.edu

Photo Courtesy of Project Pumpkin

Wake Forest student volunteers host Project Pumpkin on Hearn Plaza in the first decorating ses sion of 2021, passing out candy to visiting children, who also decorate pumpkins at the event.

OPINION

Sophie Guymon, guymsm20@wfu.edu Maryam Khanum, khanmg20@wfu.edu

Midterms Mania

Voting: that's hot!

Sally Pendergrass Contributing Columnist

Midterm elections are fast approaching, and this year, your voice is more important than ever. By registering to vote, you have the op portunity to participate in democracy and ex ercise your power over policy decisions made at the federal and state level. The voter reg istration process is quick and free, making it easy for Wake Forest students to become active members of democracy without impeding our precious studying time.

But why should we care?

In my opinion, the greatest issue by far in this election cycle is abortion. Reproductive rights are on the ballot this November.

The Republican legislature in North Caro lina has previously introduced House Bill 158 (HB 158)— a piece of legislation that would allow citizens to use “deadly force” upon people who terminate pregnancies after the moment of fertilization. If it had been passed, this bill would have excused the first-degree murder of a grown adult if they chose to abort a fetus at even the earli est stage of impregnation — Republicans in the North Carolina House of Representatives have become so “pro-life” that they support killing people. While HB 158 will no longer exist after the new legislature is elected in January, it could be introduced under a new name, and if there is a Republican superma jority, Roy Cooper would not be able to veto bills that take away reproductive rights.

North Carolina is a battleground state, with a Republican-controlled legislature and a Democratic governor. Republicans are two seats shy of a supermajority in the N.C. Senate and three seats shy in the House. If Republicans secure a supermajority, they would have the ability to override Roy Coo per’s veto without support from Demo crats, posing a threat to statewide abortion access. There are 14 House seats and one Senate seat up for election on November 8 as well as several state House seats whose winners will determine whether or not House Bill 158 is passed.

Another one of the driving issues in the 2022 midterm elections is the economy. The rapid inflation that we have expe rienced in recent years has become a top priority for North Carolina residents. While Republicans blame Democrats and the Biden Administration for the rising prices of gas and other products, Democrats take credit for job growth in North Carolina through their investment in pub lic education and workers’ rights. Throughout the past year, inflation has slowly taken a turn in the right direction: down. How ever, this has been a

slow-moving, gradual change, taking a toll on working-class Americans, prompting citizens to cast their vote economically this November. Besides the General Assembly, Senate and House seats, other offices up for election in North Carolina include the state Supreme Court, local judges, sheriffs and county com missioners. While these seats may seem small and insignificant, they are all essential to shap ing our state’s current and future political landscape.

The 2022 General Election will occur on November 8, with online voter registration closing on October 14. Online registration is incredibly simple, taking an average of only two minutes to complete. Visit the registration website and fill out the required boxes to ap ply for a Voter Registration Card by October 14. After this deadline, North Carolinians can continue to register by attending OneStop Early Voting, beginning on October 20 and closing on November 5. If you will not be able to attend the polls in person or wish to vote in your home state, absentee ballot requests will be available until No

Registered voters will be able to find their designated polling location on their Voter Registration Card, which can be found either online or in their Wake Forest P.O. box. Due to Forsyth County lines, the Reynolda Campus is split into two voting districts, so double-check your card to ensure that you arrive at the cor rect site on November 8. If you decide to participate in early voting, WinstonSalem First Assembly of God Church is the closest site to campus, but you can attend any of the Forsyth County des ignated polling locations for one-stop early voting. You will also need to bring proof of residency with you to one-stop voting. On-campus students can attain a printable proof of residency document through the Wake Forest housing portal and must bring their DeaconOne Card with them to vote. Off-campus students can bring any current utility bills, bank statements or government documents with them to early voting as proof of

Exercise your civic duty this No vember by casting your vote for reproductive rights, economic well-being and North Caro lina’s political future. Ev ery vote counts and regis tering is painless and free — what college student doesn’t like free stuff?! Become involved in de mocracy and remember: hot people register to vote.

A CASE FOR CHERI BEASLEY

SOPHIE GUYMON Opinion Editor

North Carolina midterms are quickly ap proaching, and the most important election is by far the close race between former Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court Cheri Beasley and Representative Ted Budd to rep resent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

Currently, Budd is narrowly leading the polls — which is incredibly concerning, given his extremist viewpoints. While Budd pres ents himself as a relatable, all-American can didate who will lead our country towards a brighter, more civil future, he is anything but. Budd’s belief system comprises a plethora of problematic viewpoints that threaten the lives and liberty of everyone who doesn’t share his demographics — that is, white, male, Chris tian, cisgender and heterosexual. Cheri Beas ley, on the other hand, is much more capable of representing the best interests of North Carolina. If elected, she would make history as North Carolina’s first Black U.S. senator.

Of foremost concern is the fact that Budd is among the Republicans who have con tested the results of the 2020 presidential election. In December 2020, he signed onto an amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania, a case contesting the results of the 2020 elec tion in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — all battleground states where Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. On Jan. 6, 2021, Budd objected to the certification of electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election, contending that officials in Pennsyl vania had acted “illegally” and “violated” the constitutions of both the United States and their own state. Budd has recently attempted to distance himself from these viewpoints, but that doesn’t change the facts.

Budd is also vocally anti-abortion, having co-sponsored the House version of Senator Lindsay Graham’s legislation to ban abor tion nationwide after 15-weeks of presidency — a bill that, if passed, would be a devastat ing blow to reproductive rights everywhere. While Budd proudly describes himself as pro-life and a protector of the unborn, antiabortion beliefs are nothing to be proud of. Beasley, on the other hand, is endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and is a champion for reproductive rights and health care, supporting the Women’s Health Pro tection Act (WHPA), as well as the repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

If this wasn’t enough, Budd opposes the expansion of voting rights, criticizing the For the People Act as undermining election integrity and claiming that the bill would allow minors to vote — which is false. Beasley, however, understands the importance of equal voting access, and is a promoter of transparency, fair redistricting, protecting vot ing by mail and mitigating the harmful impact of anti-voter legislation.

Unlike Budd, Beasley is an advocate for all North Carolinians, supporting the expansion of the Afford able Care Act — which Budd voted to repeal in 2017 — with a public option, as well as Med icaid and reproductive

healthcare. Beasley also promises to fight for accessible, well-funded public education for all, championing an increase in Title I fund ing and the full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Budd, on the other hand, has failed to acknowledge the racial and economic disparities in the Ameri can education system, instead dedicating his platform to “[fighting] back against woke indoctrination” and banning Critical Race Theory in the classroom.

“But Budd’s a good Christian just like me,” supporters might say. “I feel confident voting for someone who shares my values.”

As someone who was raised Mormon, I am all too familiar with this phenomenon of making political decisions based entirely on religious affiliation. I know dozens of people who voted for Mitt Romney in 2012 because he was Mormon but were unable to articu late any other characteristics that would make him a good president. Worse still, I know people who threw away their vote for Evan McMullin — a third party candidate who had absolutely no shot of winning — in the 2016 presidential election for the same rea son.

Newsflash: most American politicians are Christians. All 45 presidents have been Chris tian, and 43 of those 45 being Protestants. Beasley is also a Christian who, unlike Budd, has not fallen prey to the “Republican Jesus” phenomena — a Jesus who “loves borders, guns, unborn babies and economic prosperi ty and hates homosexuality, taxes, welfare and universal healthcare” — that is, a Jesus who is antithetical to Christian values.

Beasley is far from a perfect candidate — taking stances on issues such as funding the police and securing the border with which I personally disagree — but she is clearly the better one. In fact, some of her stances that are out-of-character for a Democratic politi cian give her appeal to the moderate voting base that Budd — as a Trump Republican — does not have.

A vote for Budd is a vote for another “Re publican Jesus” candidate who would uphold the worst parts of the American status quo — a vote for Beasley is a vote for America and much of the reform that our country needs.

A CASE FOR TED BUDD

PIERCE SANDLIN Contributing Columnist

Regardless of your political inclinations, it is undeniable that the upcoming midterm elections will be pivotal in shaping the next decade.

As someone from Texas who goes to col lege in North Carolina, I had to determine the state in which I should cast my vote. This decision was simple, as my vote is worth more in North Carolina due to its nature as a swing state. And when November comes, I am con fident that electing Ted Budd to the U.S. Sen ate will be best for America’s future.

Representative Budd, who currently serves North Carolina’s 13th district, has earned my vote because he brings an outside per spective to the Senate.

In a room full of at torneys, his background in business and theol ogy will al low for the presenta tion of new ideas to a largely ho mogenous group.

that critical industries maintain domestic pro duction. On September 29, Budd proposed a bill to close a loophole that allowed chip pro ducers receiving federal funds to move pro duction abroad. Semiconductors are vital to most modern technology, but other nations, mainly in East Asia, manufacture the vast ma jority of the world’s supply. The results would be disastrous if another country ever cut off our access to purchasing chips. Therefore, I applaud Budd for his attempt to protect this domestic industry, as semiconductors are the lifeline of the modern American economy.

FROM THE AUTHORS:

SOPHIE: “Beasley is far from a perfect candidate ... but she is clearly the better one ... a vote for Beasley is a vote for America and much of the reform that our country needs.”

PIERCE: “Ted Budd ... is what America needs right now. I believe [he] can lead us into a brighter fu ture.”

As the strengths of diversity are increas ingly made clear to the world, it is vital to con sider the necessity of electing public officials who possess diverse educational and vocation al backgrounds.

Representative Budd seems to be one of the few members of congress who has maintained a desire to ensure a balanced budget. Cur rently, the U.S. national debt is around $31 trillion, and members of both parties seem to have forgotten the importance of a balanced budget. The evidence for this lies in Budd’s support for an amendment under which three-fifths of both houses of Congress would have to agree to spend in excess of a balanced budget.

Budd also supports a bill to make pre scription drugs more affordable and ac cessible — it is essential for Americans to take care of each other in desperate times. This compassion for others neces sitates finding ways to give Americans the prescription drugs they need. Budd recog nizes this necessity and is attempting to se cure our nation’s posterity by finding ways to provide Americans with the tools needed to live healthier lives.

Budd also has a track re cord of standing up for American industry, which grows ever more critical as American hegemony wanes. As other nations’ economic and military threats loom, the Unit ed States must ensure

In recent years, a familiar choice has faced the American public: to vote for one immoral politician or the other. Yet, I believe that Ted Budd’s background can change this trend, as it has taught him a great deal about morality and Ameri can values, leading to a humble self-per ception. Budd and I are both members of Two Cities Church in WinstonSalem. Knowing the val ues of this church, I can be comforted in know ing that Ted Budd has similar beliefs to me. I am therefore inclined to believe that Budd is an honorable man and that he relates to the aver age American far more than most politicians. Ultimately, Ted Budd’s track record and background have given me confidence that he is what America needs right now. His val ues will guide political discourse more civilly — if elected, future Senator Budd can alter the cruelty and vitriol that have embodied so much of American politics over the past decade. I be lieve that Budd can lead us into a brighter fu

Contact Pierce Sandlin at san

Photo courtesy of the U.S. House Office of Photography

Photo courtesy of Bea sley for North Carolina

Voting

Voter suppression is deeply American

Voter suppression is a historic practice that continues to be visible in American politics today

Maryam Khanum Opinion Editor

It is impossible to discuss modern voter sup pression without bringing up Georgia. Eve ryone talks about the dichotomy of the state of Georgia: on the one hand, you have the thri ving metropolis of Atlanta, a heavily urbanized city, dominated by multiculturalism, hosting an incredibly diverse population who largely vote for Democrats. On the other hand, you have rural, traditional Georgia, which largely consists of white Americans who lean conser vative and overwhelmingly vote Republican. Georgia is a microcosm of the larger United States — it contains shades of New York and shades of Wyoming within its multitudes. However, the state legislature is controlled by Republican candidates and has been for some time, which is why, when the state voted blue in 2020, a whole new conversation regarding voter suppression arose.

In the years following the 2020 general elec tion, the term “voter suppression” has become a household phrase within America’s political atmosphere. Irrespective of your side of the aisle, you’ve likely discussed policies that seem to be geared toward suppressing the minority vote. But voter suppression itself is not a new feature of American politics; in fact, it’s a part of America’s historical “democracy”. As Alzo Slade stated in his video in collaboration with VICE media, voter suppression is the American way.

If you took AP U.S. History in high school, you know all about the historic 15th Amend ment that granted African American men the right to vote, solving the historical injustice of unequal voting rights within the United States. Except, it didn’t, because women still couldn’t vote. en, the 19th amendment was passed in 1920 granting white women the right to vote, and voting nally became an egalitarian

process. Except it didn’t, because southern states such as Alabama, Mississippi and even North Carolina used literacy tests amongst other ra cist policies enacted with the sole purpose of disenfranchising Black voters (and some wor king-class white voters) during the Jim Crow era. en, in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed, which outlawed literacy tests and orde red certain states with a history of passing racist voting legislation to have the federal govern ment approve any new voting-related policy from there on out. And nally, the problem of unequal voting rights was solved.

Except it wasn’t, because portions of the Vo ting Rights Act of 1965 were overturned by the Supreme Court in the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder. Following this decision, GOP lawma kers presented a variety of bills that seemingly aimed to accomplish one common goal: to prevent certain demographics from voting.

In the modern era, contrary to what Georgia governor Brian Kemp might have you believe, this racism still exists. e overarching injustice of voter suppression is still alive and well, and has taken on many di erent faces. Last year, a plethora of restrictive voting bills were passed by Georgia’s state legislature aimed at suppres sing the vote in the state’s urban areas. Senate Bill 325 heavily curbed the usage of drop boxes, and it’s no coincidence that over half of the absentee voters that relied on these drop boxes lived in four metro Atlanta counties: Cobb, De Kalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. It’s also no coin cidence that about 50% of the voters in these counties are people of color. Yet, despite all of these non-coincidences, a U.S. District Court judge did not nd these new voting provisions unconstitutional at all. And this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true extent of enacted voter suppression in Georgia, the same state whose legislature produced 22 restrictive voting bills in the 2021 legislative session.

Gov. Brian Kemp bears some semblance to a kind of gurehead of voter suppression. He continues to sign bills perpetuating disenfran chisement by limiting early voting, voting by mail and the use of ballot boxes, even suppor ting the decision of GOP lawmakers to crimi nalize handing out water to people waiting in line to vote. Even more interesting is Kemp’s position prior to becoming the governor of Georgia— he used to serve as Georgia’s secre tary of state, tasked with overseeing elections, appointing members of boards of elections and certifying election results. Essentially, Kemp oversaw the 2018 gubernatorial election, which he won. Considering his track record, I think it’s safe to say that if this election was redone in circumstances that actually allowed minorities to vote, the results would have been incredibly di erent.

In North Carolina, 40 out of 100 total coun ties were required to seek federal approval before altering any election-related legislation under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Considering that this exact section was the biggest point of contention in Shelby County v. Holder and was ultimately overturned, it is no surprise that suppressive legislation came into e ect almost immediately. In 2016, a federal appeals court had to cut down sections of an elections bill including a voter ID mandate presented by the state, that the court believed attempted to disenfranchise Black voters with “almost sur gical precision”. e bill essentially stated that government-issued driver's licenses would be acceptable as identi cation at the polls but go vernment-issued public assistance cards would not be. is seems mundane enough until you realize that public assistance cards are used disproportionately by minorities in NC. Of course, North Carolina’s state legislature which consists largely of Republicans was absolutely furious at this ruling, with then-Governor Pat McCrory stating that these stipulations were

needed in order to avoid voter fraud. e same voter fraud that doesn’t actually exist, or that voter identi cation laws have little to no e ect on, in accordance with a study conducted by Enrico Cantoni at the University of Bologna and Vincent Pons at Harvard Business School. ese suppressive tactics don’t actually ac complish any of the goals that GOP lawmakers claim they do, but that isn’t even the main issue. It’s the fact that the perpetuation of this igno rance has been instrumental in rallying millions of Americans behind policies that suppress mi nority votes, whether or not these people un derstand the true e ect of this legislation. e threat to democracy that this kind of ignorance poses isn’t a back-burner problem anymore; it has developed into an incredibly pertinent issue front-lined by a former president who conti nues to posit baseless claims that mail-in ballots allow for the possibility of massive voter fraud and deny the outcome of one of America’s most signi cant elections. is has caused voter sup pression in and of itself indirectly, with GOP lawmakers and supporters supporting Trump calling for an end to early voting and mail-in ballots. Essentially, the GOP will continue to lie about the true purpose of their proposed election-related legislation in order to make the disenfranchisement of minorities more pala table to the people.

e fact that voter suppression continues to evolve in accordance with America’s social and political climate is a testament to how deeply our nation is divided along party lines. Ultima tely, voter suppression is incredibly intertwined and deeply embedded into not just American history, but present-day American politics. Despite the fact that it continues to undermine American principles of freedom and democra cy, voter suppression is deeply American.

Contact Maryam Khanum at khanmg20@wfu.edu

"

e fact that voter suppression continues to evolve in accordance with America’s social and political climate is a testament to how deeply our nation is divided."

"

e overarching injustice of voter suppression is still alive and well, and has taken on many di erent faces."

PhotocourtesyofSouthernPovertyLawCenter

Ian Ste ensen ste p21@wfu.edu Aaron Nataline nataae21@wfu.edu

Men’s soccer falls on road, dominates at home

The No.10 Demon Deacons made a return to their winning ways

EVAN HARRIS Photography Editor

The past week for Men’s Soccer proved to be an up and down slate, as the Demon Deacons once again split a pair of games. Oct. 11 saw Wake Forest fall 2-1 to William & Mary, but the team bounced back on Oct. 15 against Boston College with a comforting 3-1 victory.

No. 10 Wake Forest suffered a loss against William & Mary away in Williamsburg, Virgin ia. Despite outshooting their opponents 14-5, the Demon Deacons were not clinical enough in the final third. The defeat marked the team’s second in a row, following a 2-0 road loss against No. 5 Syracuse.

The first half ended in a 1-1 draw, both teams going back and forth offensively. The Demon Deacons were aggressive from kickoff, creating two goal bound chances within the first 10 min utes of regulation. The Tribe reciprocated Wake Forest’s early intensity, winning two corners just moments later—both were defended well by De mon Deacons.

In the 18th minute, a shot fired by sophomore forward Roald Mitchell from afar was quickly saved and followed up with a William & Mary counter. A shot from outside the penalty box found its way in the back of the net giving the Tribe a 1-0 advantage in the 19th minute.

Wake Forest rallied in the 33rd minute with sophomore midfielder Ryan Fessler netting a bril liant freekick from outside of the box, drawing the match at 1-1. Towards the end of the first half, Wake had one more breakthrough chance on goal off of junior defender Jahlane Forbes’ corner kick, which forced a save from the William & Mary goalkeeper.

At the beginning of the second 45, the Dea cons maintained their first half energy, making several attempts on goal. A high missed shot off of a corner kick attempt by Forbes in the 50th min ute opened the action. Wake Forest created chance after chance, featuring shots from sophomore for wards Babacar Niang and Roald Mitchell in the 59th and 60th minutes, respectively.

Junior midfielder Chase Oliver also got in volved, forcing a diving save from the goalkeeper after Oliver fired a shot from inside the 18 just two minutes later.

In the 70th minute, the Tribe’s keeper recorded his fifth save following another attempt on frame by Niang. Despite being under constant pressure by the Demon Deacons, William & Mary man aged to break the deadlock in the 75th minute of the match, squeaking by with a 2-1 decision.

With the defeat in Williamsburg and thus a pair of successive losses, a win against an unranked Boston College team at home was needed by the Demon Deacons.

Adorned in pink jerseys, the players dedicated the match to the commemoration of Genna Wi ley, wife of former Wake Forest athletic trainer Steve Wiley, who passed away of breast cancer three days after the 2007 soccer program won the NCAA championship. The team raised $5,090.32 for the Breast Care Center Patient Support Fund at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. The stands were filled with a medley of black and pink— a compassionate scene that certainly added to the

lively atmosphere needed for an important, in-con ference matchup.

As the match kicked off, Wake Forest estab lished dominance in the midfield early, creating two chances on goal within the second minute by junior and sophomore midfielders Colin Thomas and Ryan Fessler. The Boston College defense was caught on its back foot from the start, allowing a flurry of attacks from the Demon Deacons to break through their backline—freshman defender Vlad Walent and sophomore midfielder Leo Guarino both contributed heavily down the left and right sides.

Possession was a one-sided affair in the first half of play, with the Demon Deacons moving the ball from the back efficiently. Offensive opportunities continued to open up for Wake Forest, with nine of their 15 shots coming in the opening 45 minutes. Despite the one-sidedness of the first half, both teams entered the locker room scoreless.

The second half presented a closer contest. Bos ton College regained lost footing and began to cause problems for the Wake Forest defense. The game quickly became more and more of a physical battle, with both teams combining for 16 fouls and seven yellow cards in the second period.

Boston College retained much of the possession early on, creating chances consistently for the first time in the competition. A frustrated Wake Forest team was constantly under threat for the first 25 minutes of the period, having to constantly thwart the Eagles’ attacks. Wake Forest allowed six unan swered shots, two of them forcing saves by sopho more keeper Trace Alphin. For a moment it seemed the momentum was with the away side, as each chance came closer and closer to the back of the net.

The course of the game shifted after a moment of brilliance in the 73rd minute by midfielder ju nior Colin Thomas. Assisted by a sweeping ball from junior defender Jahlane Forbes, Thomas bur

ied the ball into the top right corner, breaking the deadlock. The stands erupted - Wake Forest had finally made a decisive move late in the game.

The Demon Deacons were reinvigorated by Thomas’ heads up play and began to ramp up offensive pressure in emphatic fashion. Boston College was a shell of themselves compared to the beginning of the second half, retreating and defending against confident counters from Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons now asserted a high press that would last till the end of the game, slipping balls through the Eagle’s defense with the same ease they did in the first half. The Eagles began to express their frustrations through three more yel low cards and numerous fouls. The Deacons kept the intensity, with junior midfielder Oscar Sears netting another goal in the 80th minute.

Weaving through defenders, Sears curled the ball into the left-upper 90 from just inside the box, scoring a wonder goal to further cement Wake’s hold on the contest. Just three minutes later, freshman phenom Vlad Walent sealed the deal, slotting home a one-on-one attempt to make it 3-0. Spry was electric.

In the dying embers of the game, Boston Col lege managed to poke in a consolation goal off of a Wake defensive error, so the Demon Deacons were denied a clean sheet in the 88th minute. At the sound of the final whistle, Wake Forest im proved to 11-3-0 overall and 4-2-0 in conference play.

The No. 10 Deacons made a return to win ning ways following two losses on the bounce. The game marked 200 career wins for head coach Bobby Muse. Wake Forest Men’s soccer next sees

Contact Evan Harris at stefp21@wfu.edu

ACC action when they travel to Charlottesville to play Virginia on Oct. 22.

Evan Harris/Old Gold & Black

Junior midfielder Oscar Sears (No.10 in pink) celebrates with the crowd after scoring his second goal on the night against Boston College.

Women’s soccer goes 1-1 in ACC play

The Demon Deacons easily handled Miami but fell short in Chapel Hill

AARON NATALINE Sports Editor

In a pair of ACC matches, Wake Forest Women’s Soccer went 1-1 this past week to bring its overall record to 9-4-2 and their ACC record to 3-4. The Demon Deacons defeated Miami 2-0 at home but could not topple the No. 2-ranked North Caro lina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, where Wake Forest fell 1-0.

Wake Forest welcomed the Miami Hurricanes to Spry Sta dium on Sunday, Oct. 9 for an afternoon match that continued conference play. The Demon Deacons looked to regroup after dropping an away game versus Duke, and they did just that by dominating this game on both sides of the pitch.

The tone was set early, almost as if the Wake Forest squad came into the match with twice the energy that Miami did. Right from kickoff, the Demon Deacons applied pressure to the Hur ricanes’ wingers, overwhelming them on short-lived counters. Sophomore defenders Zara Chavoshi and Laurel Ansbrow were constant disruptors whenever Miami attempted to fip the feld. Early on, this meant possession appeared one-sided, favoring the Demon Deacons.

To say Wake Forest made effcient use of the advantage in possession time would be a severe understatement. Four eager shots were launched within the frst ffteen minutes in a match that saw the Demon Deacons generate plenty of opportunities to penetrate the goal.

The spacing of the midfeld unit allowed for those neutralized Hurricane attacks to be quickly converted into potential scoring opportunities. Freshman midfelder Caiya Hanks stood out as a player constantly leading the way for a defensive stop to be fed into the attacking third quickly. As the game moved into the 20th minute, her spacing within the midfeld allowed her to send a crosser to the forwards picking apart the Miami defense around the penalty box. Eventually a clinical through pass set up junior forward Liv Stowell to fre a low but speeding shot at the Hurri cane goalkeeper, who managed to recover from a slip and make a diving defection out of the well-timed shot. While this led to one of the Demon Deacons’ fve corner kicks of the frst half, Wake Forest was unable to capitalize.

That shot on goal may have woken up Miami, as from there the Hurricanes began to win some possessions back. They were more often able to send forward passes in the latter phases of the frst half, but Wake Forest could count on their fullbacks to keep

the opposition from putting together any build-up plays around the box. Defensive play was most secure here, for the Hurricanes did not tally a single shot in the frst half.

Eleven frst-half shots for the Demon Deacons made for a more attention-keeping battle on the other side of the green. The tenacity of Wake Forest’s offense in pouring on shots paid off in the 31st minute when they took the lead 1-0.

Spacing paid dividends with this score, as sophomore de fender Kristin Johnson was able to send the ball to the sideline on a one-touch pass to defender Taryn Chance. The quick ac celeration of the play allowed the freshman Chance to outrace a Hurricane defender down the far sideline as she looked to set up yet another scoring opportunity. Her through pass sliced through the six-yard box and past two defenders to the cutting Liv Stow ell, who chipped the ball directly from the air into the top of the goal despite the goalkeeper being inches away.

The energy of the frst half defnitely carried into the next, as by the 68th minute, Wake Forest led 21-0 in shots. The Demon Deacons’ second goal unfolded along the baseline in front of Alumni Hill, much to the viewers’ excitement.

Forward Liv Stowell was once again involved, setting the play in motion by sending two defenders the wrong :away at the top-right corner of the penalty box before sending a back pass along the sideline to defender Kristin Johnson. Before a Miami player could even catch up with her, Johnson sent a pass skip ping to midfelder Giovanna DeMarco at the edge of the 6-yard box. Without even turning to face Alex Wood and her slippery cut into the box, Demarco pushed the pass forward to the fresh man forward Alex Wood. Wood dived to propel a shot into the top-right corner and improve the lead to 2-0 in the 72nd minute.

After the second goal, Wake Forest was able to park the bus and allow for smart defense to close out the game. In addition to the shutout, the Demon Deacons closed the match with a 28-0 shot advantage. While the victory was satisfying, the next game against nationally ranked North Carolina proved much tougher.

Wake Forest traveled to Chapel Hill to face off against the No. 2 ranked Tar Heels on Oct. 14. The evening match presented a prime opportunity for Wake Forest to impress against a for midable ACC rival. While the Demon Deacons could not come away from the game with a win, they surely brought a battle to Dorrance Field.

Fierce defensive pressure characterized that battle on Wake Forest’s side, as they stifed the North Carolina offense into their lowest number of shots on the year with ten. Wake Forest also

goal.

had to endure tough defense as well, but the team smartly sided with patience on frequent pack passes to allow for an effective counter to develop.

One of these counters pushed the Demon Deacon attack for ward inside the seventh minute, with sophomore defender Zara Chavoshi leading. She eluded defenders from her team’s own penalty box to midfeld, where she set up sophomore midfelder Emily Morris to make a soaring forward pass. Junior forward Liv Stowell collected the ball in stride and was able to shake multiple Tar Heel defenders in the penalty box before fring a shot. While the ball was defected, the well-orchestrated attack early in the game gave Wake Forest some control of the frst-half pace.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks played a crucial role in keeping North Carolina scoreless going into the half. In the 34th minute, a Tar Heel forward on the back end of a counter brought the ball into Wake Forest’s 6-yard box, but sophomore midfelder Malaika Meena was able to disrupt her dribble to force the ball to another Tar Heel with a worse angle at the goal. Parks defected the shot from close range, effectively frustrating North Carolina as they were shut out in the frst half for the frst time in ACC play this season.

Unfortunately for Wake Forest, a home-feld penalty allowed North Carolina to break open the scoring just four minutes into the second half. With the score favoring the Tar Heels 1-0, there was renewed urgency for a score from the Demon Deacons.

The best chance at one came in the 60th minute after Wake Forest forced their frst corner kick of the game. While a de fender for North Carolina was able to send it sky-high with her head, freshman forward Hannah Johnson miraculously tracked its descent and was able to get a header out of it. While the shot did not land true, Johnson had managed to notch the frst shot on goal for the Demon Deacons.

While Wake Forest was able to build up more and more hopeful attacks as the match stretched on, the Tar Heel defense refused to allow a goal. The Demon Deacons fell 1-0, but they tested the No. 2 ranked team in a way that no other opponent has been able, especially in ACC play. Now holding an overall record of 9-4-2, Wake Forest next takes on Virginia in Charlot tesville on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Contact Aaron Nataline at nataae21@wfu.edu

Photo

Defender Kristin Johnson elevates over the competition to clear the ball away from Wake Forest’s

The sophomore was everywhere versus Miami, as she assissted on both scores for the Demon Deacons.

Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

College Football Week 7 Recap

Unbeaten juggernauts like No. 3 Alabama fall in tumultuous week

SEAN KENNEDY Staff Writer

Wake Forest had an o week, but exciting college football never sleeps.

is past weekend, the college football landscape saw a historic slate of individual and team performances that included upsets of multiple top-ten programs and broken records.

e most notable game of the weekend stemmed from one of the largest rivalries in college football be tween No. 3 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee. e rivalry, also known as “ e ird Saturday in October,” has been dominated by the Crimson Tide in recent years, with Alabama having been on a 15-game win streak heading into Saturday’s matchup in Knoxville.

History doesn’t always repeat itself, though. Led by a surging Heisman trophy candidate in redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker and upstart wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, the Volunteers took down the Crimson Tide 52-49 on a game-winning eld goal from Tennes see kicker Chase McGrath. Hooker threw for 385 yards and collaborated on ve touchdowns with Hyatt.

Record books were positively shattered by junior Ja lin Hyatt’s performance against the Alabama secondary. Hyatt racked up six receptions for 207 yards and ve touchdowns while becoming the rst player in Division 1 football since 2000 to have ve touchdowns on six catches or less. is was against a stout Alabama defense that only let up 12.5 points per game entering Saturday.

Tennessee is now their rst top-three AP Poll ranking since the preseason of 2005. ey are also in a position to join the College Football Playo s for the rst time in program history, pending the results of a provisional top-3 matchup between them and Georgia on Nov. 5.

Tennessee wasn’t the only orange-clad team to have a successful weekend. In the ACC, the No. 18 Syracuse Orange took down No. 15 NC State 24-9 in a matchup that saw the former squad move to 6-0 for the rst time since 1987.

e Orange took advantage of an injury-riddled

Wolfpack squad that was led by backup quarterback Jack Chambers, a transfer from Charleston Southern who was starting his rst game with his new team. Chambers had large shoes to ll in replacing preseason ACC player of the year Devin Leary, NC State’s red shirt junior quarterback who tore a pectoral muscle in a close win versus Florida State the week before. Under Chambers, the NC State o ense never got rolling, as they were held to single-digit points total for the rst time since 2018.

e same can’t be said for the Syracuse o ense, though. Led by running back Sean Tucker and quarter back Garrett Shrader, the Orange outgained their op ponents 389-255 in total yardage. e Syracuse defense has been tough to go against all year as well, but that reputation will be tested when they face o against No. 5 Clemson in “Death Valley” this upcoming weekend.

e Big 10 featured another matchup of previously unbeaten top-ten teams, as No. 10 Penn State traveled to Ann Arbor to face the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines.

e game was set up to be an intense contest. Penn State came into the day with quality wins against teams like Auburn and Purdue, and the Nittany Lions were expected to give Michigan a tough battle.

Yet, a tough battle the game was anything but. as coach Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a convinc ing 41-17 victory.

e game was highlighted by a pair of Michigan players in running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. e two would launch a dynamic, balanced rushing attack where both had over 150 yards rushing and a pair of scores. All told, Corum and Edwards com bined for 339 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

In yet another high-ranked matchup between con ference title contenders, No. 13 TCU defeated No. 8 Oklahoma State 43-40 to continue their unbeaten sea son and to stay atop the Big 12 conference standings.

e game was headlined by the thrilling back-andforth overtime period after TCU came back from a 17-point de cit in regulation. Oklahoma State got o to a hot start after two consecutive touchdown runs by quarterback Spencer Sanders, who threw for 245 yards and an additional touchdown.

But in the long run, Sanders was out-dueled by TCU quarterback Max Duggan, who ran for a score in ad dition to throwing for another pair of touchdowns in the air. A majority of Duggan’s 286 passing yards

were hauled in by the sure hands of receiver Quentin Johnston, who went for 180 yards and a touchdown. Johnston, who had a spectacular performance against No. 19 Kansas the week before, aunts a combined 22 receptions for 386 yards receiving and two touchdowns in these back-to-back weeks.

Balancing out the lethal Duggan-Johnston connec tion was 104 yards of rushing done by TCU running back Kendre Miller, who picked up his sixth straight game with a rushing touchdown. Of the two scores Miller punched in, his most important was his two-yard rush to end double overtime and complete the Horned Frogs’ comeback over the Cowboys.

e wild day of games was nished o by a heated PAC-12 matchup between the No. 8 USC Trojans and the No. 20 Utah Utes. e game had large implications for the PAC-12 title picture, especially with four teams still in contention for the conference title game.

USC, led by quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Lincoln Riley, paved the way to a productive start, leading Utah by as much as two touchdowns in the second quarter. Williams threw for 381 yards and ve touchdowns, while receivers Jordan Addison and Mario Williams combined for 11 catches for 251 yards.

Despite the stat sheet stu ng by the Trojans’ o ense, nothing came close to another historic receiving per formance from Utah’s Dalton Kincaid. e senior tight end strung together 16 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown, leading the team to the comeback along with quarterback Cameron Rising.

Rising proved to be the hero of the day, however, when he led the Utes’ o ense on a 15-play, 75-yard drive to bring the game to within a point with 48 sec onds remaining. Instead of opting for a eld goal, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham bet on his quarterback, allow ing Rising to go for the two-point conversion. Rising scrambled out of the pocket on a designed pass play, snuck through his o ensive line and secured the gamewinning score to put Utah on top at 43-42.

After a wild week of record-setting performances across the nation, next week still features high-stakes matchups like No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Oregon. No. 13 Wake

will also come out of their o week to

College at home.

Contact Sean Kennedy at kennsm21@wfu.edu

Forest

battle Boston

Utah wide receiver Jaylin Dixon looks up field. The No. 20 Utes upset No. 8 USC.

Photo Courtesy of Utah Athletics

After watching their team topple the Crimson Tide, Tenenssee fans stormed the field. Oh, and they ripped out the goalpost for a solid crowd-surf through Knoxville.

Photo courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu

Josie Scratchard, scraja20@wfu.edu

BERNISH Contributing Writer

I’m sitting in the Reading Room of ZSR right now, dancing to Florence + the Ma chine. I see someone to my right tapping their foot in rhythm to a tune unknown to me. I’m often curious what other people are listening to as they make their way across campus, study in the library and workout in the gym. Odds are, we probably are listening to some of the same songs or artists but have no idea because we are all existing in our own worlds. So cial convention prevents us from asking one another what’s floating out of our headphones.

What would happen if we broke this convention? We could share music with each other around campus to weave together a collaborative community play list. In a similar pursuit of breaking so cial conventions, I asked people if I could share a song with them as I walked be tween classes for a social psychology pro ject last fall. It was a bit awkward at first, but the people who agreed to my prop osition enjoyed the song and seemed to leave in a good mood. It showed me that we don’t really have to be strangers if we don’t want to be. Asking people what they were listening to further reaffirmed this because it showed me that it just takes a

hello and a question to break through so cial convention.

During the summer of 2021, I conducted research with Dr. Donovan Livingston on the roles and perceptions of music for Wake Forest students during the sum mer of 2020. We found that the classes of 2021 - 2024 listen to a wide variety of music and are generally open to new music and song recommendations. While I conducted qualitative interviews and a survey to learn more about what students were listening to and why, I couldn’t share all of the individual results as part of my report. Though my research technically concluded with Undergraduate Research Day in the fall of 2021, I’ve continued to think about students’ connections to music and further questions that could be explored. This column is another means of fostering dialogue around music across the student population because it allows us to find new songs and share common ones with each other.

What we listen to can be very personal to us. Listening to music with headphones can be a time to reflect and disconnect from the world — something not always for sharing. Additionally, people have numerous reasons for listening to music: while driving or riding in the car, during household tasks, while working, study ing, getting ready for the day and while

being creative, to name a few. There are several emotions associated with listen ing to music as well, including anger, joy, stress, need for motivation and the desire to move/dance. We all have our own con nections and memories associated with our music. What purpose does music serve for you? What can it do for others? Should you listen to an artist’s music if you don’t agree with them? Music, to me, is an ever-evolving expression and explor ation of the human experience. I invite you to reflect on your connections to music and to share your thoughts with us as we continue to explore what WFU stu dents are listening to.

Thank you to everyone who shared their music with me. Stay tuned for the next volume.

Tune in to Sundays with Leanna at 8:00 p.m. on Wake Radio to hear some songs from this column.

Contact Leanna Bernish at bernlm20@wfu.edu

LEANNA

Breaking social conventions and fostering community, one song at a time

Junior Leanna Bernish asks a student to share the music she is currently listening in an effort to break social norms while outside Tribble Hall.

Leanna Bernish / Old Gold & Black

A true crime triumph: the Adnan Syed story

Notable podcast, "Serial", leads to exoneration

CAROLINE MEDEROS Contributing Writer

“If you want to fgure out this case with me, now is the time to start paying atten tion”, Sarah Koenig says as she draws in her audience during the fourth episode of her critically acclaimed podcast “Serial”. The podcast’s frst season recounts the details of the case of Hae Min Lee — Adnan Syed’s alleged murder victim — taking the audience from beginning to end with testimonies from the court, interviews with Syed and other im portant personnel and vital sources such as police reports. The podcast is one of the frst to cover this case in meticulous detail — 15 years after Syed was incarcerated.

Syed was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Hae Min Lee when he was in high school and has never stopped claiming his innocence despite his conviction. He pushed for a retrial which was denied a few years ago but has continued fghting since then with little success until now.

Simultaneously, the true crime genre is growing increasingly popular among teens and older audiences. It gives audiences the feeling of being a detective and uncovering the truth piece by piece as if they themselves are working on the case. Taking such a large

audience through the evidence of these crimes makes the general public feel as though they have concluded that the individual is guilty.

“Serial”, however, shows a different story — within the frst few minutes of the frst episode, Koenig states that there is little to no incriminating evidence and spends the major ity of the podcast discussing his trial. While she hints at his innocence, she also discloses that she cannot defnitively conclude either way. This new attempt to prove innocence rather than guilt is a breath of fresh air, catch ing the attention of the general public with its uncommon format. Instead of searching for damning evidence like the detectives, they are able to fnd the clues that prove Syed was just a regular high school student. This change enraptured the audience by fipping the typical narrative and empowering them to feel like justice warriors — later pushing for a retrial to prove Syed’s innocence.

With all this new attention on a so-called closed case, things began to change. New questions emerged about the legitimacy of conducting a retrial or dropping all charges.

Koenig highlights the case’s mishandling by prosecutors and the defense — concerning other suspects – which turned heads. Fresh eyes on the case resulted in Syed’s release on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022 — 22 years since his

conviction — and charges against Syed have since been dropped.

The community of true crime fans en thralled by the HBO docu-series and “Serial” podcast rallied behind Syed, which eventual ly lead to a retrial in 2016. During the retrial, the presentation of new evidence and ruling in his favor led to later success in the court of appeals. The progress of this case excited fans only to lead to a disappointing rejection by the Supreme Court. Syed’s fanbase pushed on, however, leading to his ultimate release.

Koenig, other podcasts and the HBO show were able to rile up enough of the general public to instigate the dropping of his charg es. The power the media holds on the gen eral public can be frightening as it can move a large audience to act in a way that shifts generational perspectives and calls to action a mass of people. Due to the accessibility of the podcast and social media, the news about Syed spread quickly, causing instant push back on his original ruling. Because of the ease of spreading information and misinfor mation, the media can warp details and mis lead the public who can be easily convinced that what they read is true. These skewed judgments can cause harm, especially when dealing with convicts. Without the correct

facts, those pushing for justice may fght to free others believing they were wrongfully convicted while armed with misinformation. Syed’s case shows the impressive potential of the media to declare justice, but it also il luminates the potential danger of such rapid conclusions to which the public may jump.

Syed’s story sets a precedent for future cases. With enough public concern for cases such as Syed’s, the public has demonstrated its ability to infuence the justice system. While popular trials such as the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case earlier this year and the OJ Simpson case were widely known during the trial itself — allowing people to make real-time speculations and judgments — Syed’s case was different. Audiences be gan to fght for justice for Syed long after his conviction and were able to persuade the court to retry him in an attempt to prove his believed innocence. The success of his retrial could inspire future efforts from the media in advocacy for those who have been wrongful ly convicted. With a newfound power in true crime media and its supporters, Syed’s case has the potential to inspire a new approach to justice for future generations.

Contact Caroline Mederos at medecv22@wfu.edu

Unearthing the lost art of Arthur Russell

The legacy of experimental composer Arthur Russell and the ethics of posthumous releases.

JAMES WATSON Staff Writer

e Village Voice obituary read, “He simply vanished into his music.” Arthur Russell passed away at the age of 40 on April 4, 1992, and apart from the principal members of the New York un derground, few cared. He left behind a musical mausoleum: 166 linear feet of tapes and papers re siding in the New York Public Library — the ana log remains of a man and his cello — a life spent restlessly experimenting, pursuing reinvention and chasing fame.

For Russell and his art, however, death was not the end, but the beginning of a new life.

ough he only released one album in his tragi cally short life, Russell’s varied, endlessly creative body of work has garnered an almost cult follow ing in the past decade thanks to posthumous re leases. With these archival compilations, folks have rightly begun to conclude what many of his peers did decades prior — Russell was a genius.

Born Charles Arthur Russell Jr. in Oskaloosa Iowa, he was desperate to shake the con nes of ru ral America and chart his own path as a bona de artist. Russell’s move to San Francisco in the late sixties netted his rst major connection: Allen Ginsberg. e angelheaded hipster was Russell’s avenue into the avant-garde, shaping his trajectory as a classically trained cellist-based experimentalist. Ginsberg would later refer to his star pupil’s music as “Buddhist Bubblegum”. Like any champion of bold, exciting art, Russell found himself in New York City only a few years later. His impact can be found throughout the music of lower Manhattan during the 70s and 80s. He rst gained acclaim for his deep involvement in the dance scene of the time, producing hits like Loose Joints’ “Is it All Over My Face?” and Dinosaur L’s “Go Bang!”. Russell also wandered into the avenues of New Wave, appearing as a contributor on an early ver sion of the seminal Talking Heads song “Psycho

Killer”. It is ironic then that, despite his notable in uence in and around the thriving New York art scene, he is all but unremembered. Without his solo e orts, Russell would be nothing but a mytho logical specter whose existence can only be traced back to the grooves and scratches of those albums and 45s he produced.

Perhaps the greatest misconception about artists like Arthur Russell or e Velvet Underground is that their forward-looking, non-mainstream lean ings meant they didn't want some element of com mercial fame — when in reality they did (see the rest of e Velvet’s catalog after John Cale’s exit, for example). Russell truly wanted fame. He wanted to make it big — and had nearly every opportunity to do so. Russell lined up major label recording sessions and auditions that were all fruitless due to his creative discontent and micro-managerial engi neering. He was an insecure perfectionist, and it cost him in the industry. at's why so little of his art ever saw the light of day while he was living. But ironically, perfectionism is precisely why Russell's music soars.

“World of Echo”, Arthur Russell’s only album released while he was alive, is his most iconoclastic and revelatory work. A dark, introspective, mini malist meditation — Russell contorts his cello into breathtaking passages of experimentalism. Songs like “Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun/Let’s See” demon strate Russell’s relentless toying with song structure, owing between cohesion and fragmentation. It is a quiet, sometimes violent barrage of abstract noise — and it’s really quite spiritual. It is the sound of a man being in complete and total control of his art istry. He has unobstructed power over the force of his bow, the modulation of his voice, his distance from the microphone and the e ects twisting and mutating the strings of his cello. It is pure mastery — a record that is totally, ultimately Arthur Rus sell. e sonic documentation of a revolutionary genius. But for all of his technical pioneering, he was deeply indebted to pop sensibilities. is side

of Russell went all but unknown until a few years ago.

Sadly, Russell passed away in 1992 due to com plications from AIDS. He left behind his partner, Tom Lee, along with a mountain of experiments and songs. Whether as a means of coping with the incalculable pain of losing a romantic partner or a noble desire to see his music released, Lee began loosely organizing the music and releasing post humous compilations. Beginning with “Another ought” in 1993, these releases have been an unbelievable gift — treasure troves of incredible art that double as introspective visions of a revolu tionary’s process. Country/folk, minimalist, newwave, pop, shoegaze, chamber-pop, experimental, electronic and disco are all represented through this posthumous body of work. My personal favorite release is “Calling out of Context”, an ex citing, unique work of dance and electronic music that features arguably the most popular of Russell’s songs, “ at’s Us/Wild Combination” (a strong contender for my favorite song of all time). But the sprawling, singer/songwriter-focused compila tion “Love is Overtaking Me” is equally impor tant thanks to its chronological documentation of Russell’s brief career, ending with the devastating “Love Comes Back” — the last he recorded.

ough Russell’s art has yet to nd its justi mainstream foothold, his in uence is pervasive — and growing — in certain music circles. Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), Frank Ocean, Su vens, James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), James Blake and Kanye West are all Russell devotees. West went so far as to prominently sample Russell’s “Answers Me” on the 2016 track, “30 Hours”.

Only through posthumous album releases has Arthur Russell’s art found new life. But is this practice entirely ethical? What makes posthumous albums critical documents rather than cheap cashins? In Russell’s case, it's quite obviously the former, given the releaser’s intent and relationship with the

artist, but it is worth examining this practice as a whole. When rapper Pop Smoke’s label released a second posthumous album after his murder in 2020, Pitchfork said “it’s solely designed to gener ate clicks…”. Posthumous music from the likes of XXX Tentacion and Juice WRLD has been met with similar criticism. If the artists have no nal oversight over the music they release, is it really theirs? Would Russell, with his obsessive ne-tun ing, have been comfortable with these albums? It’s impossible to know. But I think it’s reasonable to be simultaneously thankful for having this music and cautious about the ethics. At least in Russell’s case, these releases have been treated

Contact James Watson at watsjc22@wfu.edu

Discover Arthur Russell's music for yourself: Photo courtesy of Spotify

Hans Neimann cannot be trusted

Behind the mysteriously good looks of the professional chess player lies something devious

SOPHIE GUYMON Opinion Editor

If you’ve been keeping up with the world of chess, you’re probably aware of the current cheating controversy between World Champi on Magnus Carlsen and Grandmaster (GM) Hans Niemann. While there is no defini tive proof that Niemann cheated in his game against Carlsen or in other over the board (otb) chess games, it is proven that he has cheated in upwards of 100 online games between the ages of 12-17, some in tournaments with prize money at stake. This evidence contradicts Nie mann’s previous claims that he only cheated in one Titled Tuesday game when he was 12, and in “random games” when he was 16 with no prize money at stake.

Carlsen has also received his fair share of criticism surrounding the situation — for not making a concrete statement on the matter until weeks after the fact, for not bringing evi dence to the table and even allegedly colluding with chess.com to unjustly destroy the career of someone 12 years his junior.

While many fans are firmly pro-Carlsen or pro-Niemann in this debacle, others are undecided, believing that both men have conducted themselves poorly, or that Niemann’s online cheating makes him untrustworthy but does not merit a ban from otb chess or sanctions on his ca reer. If you’re attempting to pick a side, you might think to consult the chess. com report, other high-level chess players and experts or even — every one’s favorite — random strangers on the internet.

However, these perspectives have al ready been exhausted, and who cares what they have to say anyway? In stead you should listen to me — a 20 year-old college student who has never played a game of chess but went to school and church with Niemann for

approximately one year. Having (somewhat, vaguely) known Niemann long before he was climbing the ranks in chess, I have a new and unique perspective. In fact, I might just be the ultimate authority on this matter.

Place yourself in my shoes for a bit. It’s 2013: and you’re finishing out your sixth and final year of elementary school. Middle school is just around the corner, and you’re bored. You know that better things are on the horizon and that in a matter of months you’ll have a chance to reinvent yourself as a cooler, more interest ing person.

Enter: Hans Niemann, the mysterious new boy in the grade below you, who just moved in from the Netherlands. He walks around the cafeteria with a sense of purpose and an aura of self-assuredness and frequently misses Sunday church service to compete in chess tourna ments.

Having spent the majority of your life in a town with a population of 17,000 people, go ing to school and church with the same set of people and rarely going on vacations more interesting than visiting your extended family in Utah, you’ve never met someone so worldly. However, you’re cripplingly shy and rarely venture outside your close circle of five friends. You’re also slightly em barrassed by the fact that Hans is a full grade younger than you — the scandal! — and thus, you harbor your crush in secret. When you pass by him, you do that dumb elementary school thing where you pretend to be mean and uncaring, thinking he’ll somehow be impressed. Months go by, and you finally make it to middle school, where you find a new, unattainable boy to crush on and forget all about Hans. Your opinion has also been soured by Disney’s “Frozen”, where the villain is — you guessed it —

a bad boy named Hans. By the time you’ve finished sixth grade, the Niemann family has packed up their bags and moved out east to pursue opportunities in the world of chess.

You grow older and wiser, finally dipping your toes in the dating pool after starting your freshman year of college a safe 2,700 miles away from your parents. You major in psychol ogy and begin to construct explanations for all of your failed love connections and minor in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, in which you discover your worth as a woman. Armed with this academic knowledge, as well as years of teasing and admonishments from your friends, it occurs to you that maybe your taste in men isn’t the best.

So, you resolve to not waste your time pursu ing men who are emotionally unavailable and focus your energy towards your social, aca demic and family life, establishing yourself as the opinion editor of your college newspaper. Now fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago. You’re texting back and forth with your coeditor, Maryam Khanum, deliberating which article ideas you should send to your staff writ ers this week. She mentions something about drama in the chess world, and you agree to add it to the list but don’t bother looking into it. So imagine your surprise when you begin reading an article submission from Life Editor Adam Coil and see the name Hans Niemann. “Wait a minute,” you think. “I know that kid.”

Wanting to be sure, you consult your trusty friend Google Images, and find that the man staring back at you is exactly who you think he is. To be even more thorough, you check the “Early Life and Education” section of his Wikipedia page, and find confirmation that he did, in fact, attend your elementary school.

For the first time since “The Queen’s Gam bit” was released, your interest in chess is piqued. You peruse subreddits, watch postmatch interviews on YouTube, scour Twitter

threads and generally gather all the informa tion you can on Niemann and his alleged cheating without actually understanding the game of chess.

Your conclusion is this: none of the men you’ve ever liked have done anything but disappoint you, so why should Hans be any different? You pegged him as a mysteri ous, aloof bad boy way back in elementary school, and now the chess world has only confirmed your 11 year-old self’s impres sions, branding him their poster child of cheating and bad behavior.

Furthermore, if Hans has cheated in chess, who’s to say that cheating hasn’t carried over to *ahem* other aspects of his life. As the saying goes, “once a cheater, always a cheat er.”

So to the girls who might be crushing on Hans and romanticizing his bad boy im age, here’s a piece of advice: don’t. You can’t change him, and you don’t want your name attached to someone with so much negative press. Dark, brooding and Heathcliff-esque anti-heroes like Hans might belong in the pages of romance novels, but that doesn’t mean they deserve space in the pages of your life.

Contact Sophie Guymon at guymsm20@wfu.edu

the 2022 halloweekend movie lineup

ADAM COIL Life Editor

Whether you are looking for a fun, lighthearted movie to watch with your family; an obscure, underground film to impress your film major significant other; or something in between to appease all of your friends, I’ve got you covered. Here are ten movies perfect for any Halloweek end situation you might find yourself in.

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”

This is canon in the October family movie gospel.

“Halloweentown”

If you’re looking for something spooky with the same youthful warmth as Char lie Brown, “Halloweentown” is perfect.

“Hocus Pocus”

One of the funniest Halloween movies ever made, “Hocus Pocus” is still relevant

for good reason. While the sequel may have been a total disappointment, the original is still a masterpiece, and you’ll be surprised at how many jokes you missed when you were younger.

“Coraline”

One of the best animated movies of all time, “Coraline” is a perfect pick for any occasion. Originally a book by Neil Gaiman, the story world you’ll find in it is captivating even if it doesn’t scare you. With complex characters, stunning visu als and a surprisingly grown-up take on the Uncanny, there’s a reason why teens and young adults still love this movie that came out when they were in Elementary school.

“Halloween”

This is classic American horror. The Ja son and Freddie Kreuger stuff work here as well, but I think Michael Myers is the most terrifying slasher — mainly because “Halloween” seems to take its backstory pretty seriously

“The Shining”

It’s more or less capital T true that “The Shining” is one of the best horror movies of all time. And it’s ripe with rewatching value...

“Eraserhead”

David Lynch’s debut, this low-budget film is one of the most unnerving pieces of media you will ever stumble across. Even if you have no idea what’s going on, your mind will be able to pick up on how distressed it should be and react accordingly.

“House”

An indie cult classic, “House” is one of the weirdest horror films ever made. Some people find it funny, others find it terrifying and most don’t know what to think. This ambiguous, hallucinatory masterpiece is a must-watch for any film nerds out there, but I suspect it’s pretty entertaining to watch in a giant group as well. After all, whether you’re paying

attention or not, you’re going to know about as much as everyone else.

“Cronos”

This is cinema legend Guillermo del Toro’s feature debut. Not only did it set up del Toro as a future pioneer in the in dustry, but it’s also a dangerously enter taining movie in its own right. With an interesting take on the vampire genre, this movie is perfect for a group viewing — potentially even a Spanish study group.

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”

A silent horror film, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is not only a staple in Ger man expressionism but film history in general. If the outrageously formalist set design doesn’t transport you somewhere chillingly uncomfortable, then Werner Krauss’s performance as Dr. Caligari cer tainly will. Play this if you want to forget that you’re spending Halloweekend alone.

Contact Adam Coil at coilat21@wfu.edu

Sophie Guymon/ Old Gold & Black

Neimann stares down GM Carlsen during an intense chess match.

Photo courtesy of Hans Neimann