12/01/22 Full Edition

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 2022 DECEMBER 1,

WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6

We have work to do: Campus Climate Survey data released Wake Forest’s Campus Climate Survey names sexual misconduct as major public health concern BREANNA LAWS, CHRISTA DUTTON & CONNOR MCNEELY Staff Writer, News Editor & Editor-in-Chief Fifty-five percent of the total sample gathered by the Campus Climate Survey reported experiencing at least one incident of sexual misconduct.

The results of the survey, which was conducted by the social research organization NORC at the University of Chicago in the spring of 2022, were released to students, faculty and staff at forums last week. Undergraduate women and transgender, genderqueer, questioning and non-binary (TGQN) students reported the highest rates of sexual misconduct, with the most common experiences being sexual harassment and unwanted sexual contact.

The online survey was designed to provide insight into the prevalence of sexual misconduct at Wake Forest. It was sent to 7,357 undergraduate and graduate students and received a 38% response rate.

The executive summary of the Campus Climate

55%

of students reported one incident of sexual misconduct Survey can be found on the Sexual Misconduct Survey webpage.

Statistical weighting was used to correct for non-response and to ensure that the results were reflective of the student body demographics. The demographic profile of the survey respondents has not published.

The available survey data did not differentiate between students involved in Greek life and those that were not.

According to Jackson Buttler, Wake Forest Student Government Speaker of the House, this decision was made because “this is not a Greek vs. non-Greek issue.”

He continued: “Sexual violence touches every single student on this campus in some way, shape or form so differentiating between these groups would likely not provide much additional information and may serve as a means to unintentionally other or devalue the experiences of students who

may not fall into one group or another.”

In the survey, sexual misconduct was defined as being one of four incidents: sexual harassment, stalking, unwanted sexual contact and intimate partner violence. Findings showed that most sexual misconduct occurs between Wake Forest students in on or off-campus residential locations. The report showed that levels of sexual misconduct at Wake Forest were comparable to other universities, according to a comparison to the Association of American Universities (AAU) Campus Climate Survey — a multi-institution study of sexual misconduct on college campuses — that served as the basis for Wake Forest’s Campus Climate Survey.

Dr. Emily Palmieri is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and the director of the Safe Office.

Upon seeing the results, she said that she was not surprised as Wake Forest’s numbers were comparable to other universities that have been surveyed.

She also noted while the survey received a good response rate, the numbers may actually be higher due to underreporting.

“As somebody who works in a confidential role, and in keeping with what we know to be true about interpersonal violence numbers, there’s always going to be some under reporting, simply because a lot of people who have experienced harm may not be inclined to be ready to engage with the material yet,” Palmieri said. “And that was completely on par with what we would have expected as well. I was really grateful that we got the response rate that we did, and I do think it was a good sample size. The information that was gathered was really helpful.”

The survey found that undergraduate and graduate women were more likely to have experienced

1/3

of students indicated that their experience created a hostile social, academic or work any incident of sexual misconduct than men. Multiracial women reported the highest rates across all four types of sexual misconduct incidents. TGQN students were not included in the significance testing to examine cross-group differences because of the smaller size of the TGQN sample size. Howev-

er, previous research indicates that TGQN students also experience significantly higher victimization rates compared to men.

“I was disheartened to see the extent to which traditionally marginalized groups reported experiencing at least one instance of sexual misconduct at the highest rates in comparison to the rest of the student body,” Buttler said. “This underlines the importance of connecting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts to this work.”

Additionally, TGQN students were not separated by graduate and undergraduate classification. According to Vice President for Campus Life Dr. Shea Kidd Brown, this was to preserve confidentiality as this population made up a small percentage of respondents. Sixty-six percent of these respondents

38%

of students participated in the survey reported having experienced at least one incident of sexual misconduct.

Data on Campus Resources A majority of students who reported experiencing non-consensual or unwanted sexual contact said that the incident negatively impacted their physical or emotional health in some way. However, a low percentage of students reported having contacted on-campus resources for assistance.

The most common reasons why students did not

seek out assistance from these resources were that they were not physically injured and that they per ceived their experiences to be common occurrences.

“We have work to do to make sure that all students understand emotional harm is just as concerning and reportable as physical harm,” Aishah Casseus, director of the Title IX office at Wake Forest, said.

More students reported never contacting a campus resource than students doing so after instances of non-consensual sexual contact. The students that sought out resources were most likely to reach out to the Safe Office, the University Counseling Center and the Title IX Office.

See Campus Climate, Page 3

What's Inside NEWS President Wente delivers...

Page Four

ENVIRONMENT Tohi Talk Asks: Should we go to Hawaii? ...

Page Five

FEATURES Unmasking the Deacon: Caleb Strickler Page Six

OPINION "I Do Not Feel Safe" A deep dive into...

Page Eight

SPORTS Deacon Sportlight: Alex Wood Page Thirteen

LIFE How George Saunders breaks your heart Page Fifteen

Old Gold & Black “ ϐ This column represents the views of the Editor-in-Chief of the Old Gold & Black, Connor McNeely

After a year of working as editor of the Old Gold & Black, it is finally time to say goodbye.

This is the hardest column that I have ever had to write. It has been very difficult to leave behind something that I have been working on for four years. It has been even more difficult to leave behind a community of the most wonderful, talented and creative people that I ever met.

This job has been the greatest challenge of my life, and the greatest adventure. It has rekindled my love of writing; taught me compassion and empathy for those in my community; dared me to become a more creative individual and taught me how to lead others with boldness.

It has been a difficult time in the history of Wake Forest University. Our news team has covered stories ranging from the transition from a pandemic on the college campus, the explosion of a fertilizer plant and revelations about the prevalence of sexual misconduct.

But we have also celebrated the Wake Forest community for the extraordinary place that it is.

We have written stories about the fantastic and

unique people and organizations present at our school and we have celebrated the important achievements of our institution as it breaks down barriers and holds true to its motto: Pro Humanitate.

Throughout my time at this publication, the Old Gold & Black has seen an explosive growth in content and readership, an unprecedented switch to a new publishing schedule, the establishment of an arts and culture magazine, the introduction of a multimedia department and a complete redesign of its newspaper. The Old Gold & Black has received recognition among the best college news organizations in the country and has won national awards for its print publication.

These are not my accomplishments, but the accomplishments of the remarkable staff of the Old Gold & Black.

Although I would like to tell you all the long and boring story of my journey at the newspaper, how it has brought me some of the greatest joys of my life, and some of the most difficult moments of my college career, I think the rest of the space

in this column should be reserved for the people that helped me in my time as editor and enabled this success.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important to me than my faith in God, and without Him, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity.

I would like to thank my adviser, Professor Phoebe Zerwick, who guided me through many of the difficult decisions throughout this year. I would also like to thank my predecessor, Alexandra Karlinchak, who gave me wise advice and put the Old Gold & Black on the path to growth and transformation.

Thank you to my executive team, Aine Pierre, Selinna Tran and Cooper Sullivan. It was an honor to work with you and I am so grateful for the incredible work that you have done for the publication.

Thank you to the editorial board and staff of the Old Gold & Black. Without you, the paper wouldn’t have the groundbreaking content that

This is the hardest column that I have ever had to write ... this job has been the greatest challenge of my life and the greatest adventure." you have worked tirelessly to produce.

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to the loyal readership of the Old Gold & Black. I am eternally grateful for your time and support.

As I look toward the future, I am excited to become an avid reader of the Old Gold & Black once again, and to cheer on the talented editors that will be taking over.

Thank you, Connor Brian McNeely

Old Gold&Black THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SINCE 1916

CONNOR MCNEELY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF mcnecb19@wfu.edu

SELINNA TRAN

AINE PIERRE

COOPER SULLIVAN

EMY YAMAMOTO

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA MANAGING EDITOR

BUSINESS MANAGER

transn19@wfu.edu

pierav20@wfu.edu

sullcg20@wfu.edu

yamae20@wfu.edu

>> NEWS Christa Dutton, duttcd20@wfu.edu Emily Toro, toroer20@wfu.edu Asst.

Maddie Stopyra, stopmf21@wfu.edu >> FEATURES Meredith Prince, prinmc21@wfu.edu Chase Bagnall-Koger, bagncm21@wfu.edu >> ENVIRONMENT Una Wilson, wilsui20@wfu.edu Asst.

Addison Schmidt, schmac21@wfu.edu >> OPINION Sophie Guymon, guymsm20@wfu.edu Maryam Khanum, khanmg20@wfu.edu >> SPORTS ,DQ 6WHIIHQVHQ VWHI¿S #ZIX HGX Aaron Nataline, nataae21@wfu.edu >> LIFE Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu Josie Scratchard, scraja20@wfu.edu >> PHOTO Virginia Noone, noonvc21@wfu.ed Evan Harris, harres22@wfu.edu >> ADVISER Phoebe Zerwick, zerwicp@wfu.edu

>> POLICIES The Old Gold & Black is published every other Thursday during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Triangle Printing of Durham. © 2022 WFU Media Board. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all editorials and advertisements contained within this publication do not QHFHVVDULO\ UHÀHFW WKH RSLQLRQV RI WKH 2*% As part of our commitment to reporting news fairly and accurately, we will not remove any previously published content. If an error in either our online or print content is brought to our attention, we will revise the originally published article with an appended correction. In order to facilitate thoughtful and appropriate GHEDWH SURIDQH YXOJDU RU LQÀDPPDWRU\ FRPments on our website are not allowed and will be deleted. For more information on our commenting policy, please see our website. We reserve the right to reject advertisements deemed inappropriate. Our full policy, and how to advertise with the OGB, can be found on our website. >> SUBMISSIONS The OGB welcomes submissions in the form of story tips, columns and letters to the editor.

Letters to the editor should be fewer than 500 words, and columns should be around 500 words. Send yours via e-mail to mcnecb19@ wfu.edu the Monday before publication. We reserve the right to edit all letters for length and clarity. No anonymous letters will be printed. >> ONLINE MEDIA Web: wfuogb.com Facebook: facebook.com/ogb1916 Twitter: @wfuogb Instagram: @wfuogb TikTok: @wfuogb Sports Twitter: @wfuogbsports

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News | Old Gold & Black

Campus Climate: How we got here and where we’re going

what they choose to do,” Palmieri said. “People choose to process and heal in a variety of ways. One Palmieri said that the low reporting rates speak to of the biggest things that we want to make sure how normalized unwanted touching behaviors are. that people know is where confidential resources “I think that’s a large cultural issue that needs to are available and what support could look like.” be addressed through psychoeducation and giving How we got here: ourselves permission to validate what our bodies sexual assault on campus are telling us,” Palmieri said.

She also noted the difference between the knowl- On Aug. 28, 2021, Wake Forest students proedge of a resource and the utilization of a resource. tested in response to an allegation of sexual asAccording to the survey results, students report- sault against a Wake Forest student. That incident ed high levels of awareness of campus resources. brought the issue of sexual misconduct to the foreHispanic/Latina and Black women reported less front of students’ minds and raised concerns about knowledge about camwpus resources, policies and the campus climate. procedures surrounding sexual misconduct.

Maya Dalton, a Wake Forest alumnus who orga“There’s a discrepancy in the knowledge of a re- nized the protest with junior Elizabeth Langshur, source and the utilization of a resource. A big part said that she was excited to see progress being made of that is helping people maintain autonomy in toward a positive and healthy environment for all

Continued from Page 1

Katie Fox / Old Gold&Black

On Aug. 28, students protested on the quad in response to an allegation of sexual assault against a Wake Forest student.

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Page 3 students.

Dalton said that she did not find it shocking that women were “the only statistically significant findings” in Table 1.

“One thing that the university should take with a lot of weight is that the overwhelming majority of respondents reported that the perpetrators of the sexual harassment behavior they experienced were Wake Forest students,” Dalton said. “What percentage of those perpetrators were reported to Title IX?” The findings in the Wake Forest sample regarding perpetrator characteristics were consistent with broader research literature. In national surveys, perpetrators were most often men, and incapacitation tactics were most likely to be perpetrated by someone the individual knew but was not friends with.

“Wake Forest needs to take a closer look into how it’s educating students on preventing sexual misconduct, reporting systems and what communities on campus may foster these overwhelming numbers of perpetrators,” added Dalton.

However, Dalton was also proud of the work completed by the university and hopeful for future action.

“Seeing so many years of work across so many different groups come to completion is really satisfying,” Dalton said.

The university’s next steps The university is looking to take steps to educate the student body on safe sexual practices and consent.

“The Title IX Office is working with Vice President Kidd Brown to solicit ideas from students and work towards meaningful peer education opportunities for our campus community,” Casseus said.

“We are also excited to start partnering with our new staff member, Hannah Dean, the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator.”

“Now that we have the data, the work truly begins,” Buttler said. “We now have the ability to truly signal the magnitude of this issue and prioritize this work moving forward to…[create] a campus environment that is centered around student safety and survivor support.

In the summary of the survey, NORC suggested next steps to the Wake Forest community. Among them were an expansion of the university’s outreach and awareness-raising efforts across campus; improvement upon trainings for consent and how to combat rape culture; and having on and off campus residential housing staff complete additional trainings around how to prevent sexual assault and support survivors of sexual assault.

Another survey will be sent to the student body in four years. The university will be hosting “Consent Con,” a campus-wide conference in February 2023.

The university plans to conduct another survey about sexual misconduct on campus in the next four years. Resources regarding sexual misconduct can be found at the Safe Office, the Title IX office, the Counseling Center and University Police.

Contact writers at lawsbn21@wfu.edu, duttcd20@wfu.edu and mcnecb19@wfu.edu

POLICE BEAT • • • • • • • • • • •

A student reported a possible sexual assault which occurred on Oct. 20, 2022. The report was filed on Nov. 17 at 11:31 a.m.

A student’s vehicle was damaged on the upper left rear side of the vehicle. It is unknown how damage was caused. The report was filed on Nov. 18 at 3:54 p.m.

An intoxicated student had attended a Chi Psi event and became sick. The student was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The report was filed at Nov. 18 at 11:01 p.m.

Students in Collins Hall were found to be in possession of alcohol while underage. The report was filed at 10:54 p.m.

Roommates in Deacon Place were having an argument, and the suspect punched the victim in the chest. Prosecution was declined. The report was filed at on Nov. 19 at 12:04 a.m.

A student consumed too much alcohol and had to be transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The report was filed on Nov. 19 at 12:38 a.m.

A visiting Davidson College student was intoxicated and transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The report was filed on Nov. 19 at 1:32 a.m.

An Uber driver exposed himself to a female student while giving her a ride off of campus. The report was filed on Nov. 19 at 4:29 a.m.

A student advised that the suspect assaulted her in a car and her residence. The report was filed on Nov. 19 at 8:08 a.m.

A student knocked down the residence sign at Magnolia Hall. The report was filed on Nov. 19 at 4:32 p.m.

Two students threw items at the football game and were escorted from the stadium. The report was filed on Nov. 19 at 8:40 p.m.

Page 4 | Thursday, December 1, 2022

Old Gold & Black | News

President Wente delivers annual address

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In her second annual address at Wake Forest University after a year-and-a-half in office as president, Dr. Susan Wente reviewed her administration’s accomplishments thus far and offered a blueprint for the university moving forward in its third century of existence.

The address and campus community reception was hosted on Thursday, Nov. 17 on the fourth floor of the Sutton Center. The program was also live-streamed on the President’s website.

When outlining the core commitment to molding individuals into an outstanding institution, Wente proudly declared the increase of diversity and academic excellence in the class of 2026, the renovation of campus spaces and, most importantly, the doubling of the “For Humanity” scholarship initiative to $50 million.

Faculty expressed anticipation of hearing the president’s plan for the years to come.

“I wanted to hear the vision of Dr. Wente about what’s a priority,” Jack Dostal, associate teaching professor in the Department of Physics, said. “In science, it is important to know where research fits into undergraduate education. So it is helpful to know what’s being valued.”

After an a cappella performance of “Dear Old Wake Forest” by the Demon Divas, Tracey L. Banks, associate professor of legal analysis, writing and research, outlined some key achievements during Wente’s first year as the president, such as radical collaboration and the strategic framework.

When Wente took the stage, she conveyed her condolences for the recent violence and loss of life at the University of Virginia. Together, Wente and the audience took a moment of silent tribute.

Wente started her address by recounting moments when she embraced campus traditions with students, such as her first Hit the Bricks, LoveFeast, bowl game win and her first commencement.

“These moments make Wake Forest truly feel like home,” Wente said. “They help us navigate times of change and transition for the university.”

During the past year under Wente’s leadership, Wake Forest navigated through a COVID-19 resurgence, the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire, a winter storm and other challenges. It was a time to test the president’s resilience and commitment, but facing the obstacles collectively, Wente discovered the culture and people of what she called, “a great university.”

From there, Wente posed two critical guiding questions of her address, “who are we now?” and “who will we become?”

To answer the question of “who we are now?”, Wente stresses the role of a great university in being a catalyst of good. The enzyme analogy stems from Wente’s experience as a biomedical scientist, and refers to the expectation that Wake Forest should foster access, opportunity, learning and innovation.

Troy Burnett, the associate director of undergraduate Integrative Student Services at the School of Business, has been in his position for one year. Wente’s vision of Wake Forest’s future granted him a sense of belonging.

“Knowing that I am a part of a community gave me the purpose of what I am working here for,” Burnett

said. “We are all working together for one cause. So why not come together and make a bigger impact?”

Not everyone was excited about Wente’s message though.

“Based on what [Wente] said, it seems like she wants to make a lot of changes while not disrupting the previous tradition,” Tyler Favale, a study abroad advisor who joined Wake Forest center for global program and study in 2022, said. “So I don’t really know what to do with that, in all honesty, especially being new.”

Despite the uncertainty, Favale agreed that going forward in his position, he would continue to focus on what is best for both domestic and international student populations alike.

Wente closed her address with a global vision of Pro Humanitate.

“In giving input into the thematic goals, the Core Planning Team was driven by the desire to identify a distinctive value proposition — our compelling why — which I fully endorse: Wake Forest will embody Pro Humanitate at home and in the world,” Wente said.

Michael Kamtman, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, pictured his version of Wake Forest after hearing the address.

“If we were to come back after we are retired and see new buildings and new programs emerge as the ongoing evolution of a university, it would be fascinating to see how they reflect the seeds that have been planted,” Kamtman said.

Contact Hope Zhu at ]KXT#ZIX HGX

Healthcare service CareYaya expands to WFU 7KH ORFDO FRPSDQ\ PDWFKHV SUH KHDOWK VWXGHQWV ZLWK IDPLOLHV VHHNLQJ DIIRUGDEOH KHDOWK FDUH HOPE ZHU Staff Writer

CareYaya, an online healthcare service platform that connects families with affordable caregivers service, has recently expanded to Wake Forest.

“What we are carrying out is a health equity project that expands access to care for a lot of families,” Neal Shah, chief executive officer of CareYaya, said.

“Hopefully, one day, it will become a model from here to across the nation.”

CareYaya formally launched the pilot test at Wake Forest in the Spring 2022 semester and is expecting 75-100 students from Wake Forest as they ramp up for Spring 2023.

When Shah was in his mid-30s, his wife was diagnosed with cancer, so he understands the hardship of caring for a loved one with a chronic disease.

Shah is not alone. In 2020, more than one in five Americans had provided care to an adult or child with special needs at some time in the past 12 months, and 19% are unpaid, according to The AARP Public Policy Institute. 26% of family caregivers have difficulty coordinating care, and racial minority caregivers, such as African Americans, report lower household incomes than their counterparts.

Shah’s plan to create a platform that matches students seeking careers in health care and families who urgently need elderly care started in the fall of 2020 when he co-founded CareYaya with Gavry Eshet, a graduate student of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) computer science department.

“It’s a new way of caregiving, ” said Shah. “There’s more quality control with written reviews, the scheduling is easier and the cost is more affordable. ” The project was later accepted into a couple of startup accelerators at UNC, went through multiple

rounds of software development and outreach and gained popularity as it expanded. According to The Daily Tar Heel, there were more than 1,500 student caregivers serving 500 families at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.

Shah sees working through CareYaya as a win-win solution for both medical students and families who need care.

“The families love the service because, instead of paying a higher price to local care companies which many of them cannot afford, they could make appointments with great caregiver students whenever they need at an affordable rate,” Shah said. “For students, they would better understand the social determinants [of health] when they spend a few hours taking care of patients one-on-one in their house every week, compared to doing paperwork in the hospital.”

Roxy Garrity, the director of communications at CareYaya, echoed Shah that working for CareYaya is a valuable experience for students to build connections with local communities using their expertise.

“I saw first hand that my dad takes care of my grandmother while working at the same time,” Garrity said. “CareYaya would be a helpful resource for local residents at Winston-Salem who need care when their family is out of state.”

Under the support of CEO Emeritus John McConnell, CareYaya is collaborating with Wake Forest Baptist Health. Additionally, the healthcare service is working with Inmar Intelligence, a data platform company at Winston-Salem.

“A partnership with Wake Forest Baptist Health is very important because the faculty is on the forefront of research for diseases like dementia, which is often what we are working with,” Garrity said.

The CareYaya site is free to use for students and families, and it strives to maintain an hourly wage of around $15, paid directly from the families to stu-

dent caregivers through cash, check or Venmo.

There are no minimum working hours required for students, as they can get notifications from the site about their potential clients and choose the amount of time commitment that works best for them. Certifications including a CNA license are not required for student caretakers, though they could be included as part of the application process.

While working for CareYaya is a chance to earn clinic hours for medical students, they are also expected to provide non-medical services, including helping clients exercise, pet sitting and cooking.

Megan Garrison, ‘22, worked for CareYaya from January to May. She found giving care to elders simulates a warm relationship almost like family, and she enjoyed being paid for the service she is doing — which, for her, is about $55 for four hours a day including tips.

“Being an ear for them, listening and talking to them about their stories and reminiscing is incredibly important for their mental health and cognitive function,” Garrison said. “Small things like those actually improve the quality of life for those clients.”

Garrison also described her work with CareYaya as one of her top experiences in her medical school applications. She appreciates that the platform is still young, so caregivers and executives can try different directions with their services.

“In the end, you are helping someone in need, which is the real purpose of being a caregiver,” Garrison said.

If you want to learn more about CareYaya’s opportunities to be a caregiver or about seeking affordable care for someone you know, visit https://www.careyaya.org.

Contact Hope Zhu at ]KXT#ZIX HGX

ENVIRONMENT OLD GOLD & BLACK

Una Wilson, wilsui20@wfu.edu Asst. Addison Schmidt, schmac21@wfu.edu

PAGE 5 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022

Tohi Talk Asks: ‘Should we go to Hawaii?’

Many Native Hawaiians have asked non-Natives to refrain from vacationing on the islands ADDISON SCHMIDT Asst. Environment Editor

When the average Wake Forest student is prompted to consider the Hawaiian islands, they likely imagine a stunning vacationland ripe with crystal clear waters, surfing and volcanoes. Our thoughts, however, seldom begin with the Indigenous Kānaka Maoli peoples of the islands.

On Thursday, Nov. 10, the Intercultural Center and the Office of Sustainability partnered to host an event at the Tohi Garden seeking to change that association. The discussion, titled “Should We Go to Hawaii?,” was led by Savannah Baber, an assistant director of the Wake Forest University Intercultural Center.

Baber, who is Chickahominy and Lumbee Native American, was inspired by the awareness-raising efforts conducted by Native Hawaiian youth on social media platforms during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Seeing what [Native Hawaiian youth] have been able to accomplish in terms of raising awareness and movement building [on social media]... is really interesting and pertinent when thinking about the university and college students,” said Baber.

Many Native Hawaiians became alarmed during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic when tourists visiting the islands began taxing the healthcare system of a state whose population is around 10% Native Hawaiian, an ethnic group that one University of Hawaii study from 2020 suggests was initially the hit hardest by the pandemic. This prompted youth to take to platforms like TikTok, where they hoped to share their concerns with people around the world.

Online activism during the pandemic opened up a larger conversation about tourism in a state whose history is ripe with the effects of settler colonialism and imperialism.

Hawaii was initially colonized by the British in 1778 and diseases brought by Europeans decimated the Native population in just a few decades. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the Kānaka Maoli population dwindled from 300,000 upon British arrival to 70,000 by 1853. Americans flocked to the islands as well and, by 1893, the United States controlled the Asian immigrant-fueled Hawaiian plantation economy and had overthrown the islands’ monarchy.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Hawaii grew in importance as a US territory and, in 1959, became the 50th state. In the years since, Hawaii has been flooded with massive and increasing

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The Tohi Garden was created in conjunction with the Cherokee Nation and is used to host many events related to Indigeneity, including Tohi Talks.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Native Hawaiians consider both land and water to be sacred. numbers of tourists; in 2017, nearly 9 million people visited the islands.

In addition to pandemic-fueled fears about human health and safety, tourism on the Hawaiian islands has numerous environmental effects. Aside from undoubtedly massive carbon emissions fueled by aircraft transportation to the islands, tourism also increases microplastics both on and around Hawaii’s beaches.

Over 4,500 miles away from Hawaii, Baber’s talk at the Tohi Garden brought the issue to the forefront of some Wake Forest community members’ minds.

As Baber led the discussion, she explained that Native Hawaiians view not only land, but also water, as sacred.

One attendee, sophomore Emory Lewis, mentioned that growing up in coastal Maryland allows her to sympathize with the Kānaka Maoli’s sacred view of not only land but also water. Seeing firsthand the effects of pollution in the waters near her hometown made Lewis aware of the dangers of plastic waste and littering from a young age, something that helps her imagine some of the pain felt by Indigenous Hawaiian communities when tourists litter on and around their sacred waters.

When asked why she came to Baber’s talk, Lewis said she felt as though conversations about Indigenous land issues weren’t happening enough.

“There’s a lot of dialogue that isn’t happening about land,” Lewis said, “Hawaii is a really interesting case study [when it comes to that] because it is physically removed from the mainland United States and has such a rich history.”

While discussions about land may be foreign to many Wake Forest students, Native Hawaiians are no strangers to fighting to protect their homeland.

In addition to activism surrounding tourism, the high-profile controversy that began in 2014 over the construction of the TMT telescope on Mauna Kea concluded in July 2022.

With the history, exploitation, and environmental consequences of Hawaiian tourism in mind, the question remains: should we go to Hawaii?

“I would say that it’s definitely a ripe learning opportunity,” Baber says of the idea of a Wake Forest student visiting Hawaii, “I would hope any student going to Hawaii would use [their visit] as an opportunity to practice the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion and think about what it means to follow the leadership of Black, brown, and Indigenous people.”

Contact Addison Schmidt at schmac21@wfu.edu

FEATURES Meredith Prince, prinmc21@wfu.edu Chase Bagnall-Koger, bagncm21@wfu.edu

OLD GOLD & BLACK

PAGE 6 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022

Unmasking the Deacon Caleb Strickler during his sophomore year to spread spirit even with COVID-19 happening.

“We get a lot of DMs from students and people we take pictures with,” he said. “It’s suThe Demon Deacon is everywhere: football per cool to see people send their pictures to games, soccer games, family weekend, social us and see how much they care about taking a media and every other type of Wake Forest picture.” event imaginable. I know we’ve all wondered Of course, there are many fun events for the at least once: who is the man behind the mask? Demon Deacon to attend, but Strickler has a Well, allow me to introduce you to the man few favorites. who has been the Demon Deacon for three “I really, really enjoy soccer games,” Strickyears: Caleb Strickler. ler said. “We get to give every little kid a high Strickler is a senior from Johnson City, Ten- five and take pictures with them.” nessee who is double majoring in biology and While he loves the energy and excitement of psychology. When he’s not practicing his De- football games, he enjoys soccer games differmon Deacon dance moves, Strickler is apply- ently: he loves the way he can make more pering to medical schools and considering a ca- sonal connections with Wake Forest fans. reer in public health. He has been involved “My first soccer game was really cool,” with campus ministry and has participated in Strickler said. “There’s always a lot of people several research labs on campus, including one there and I have some signature things that I that studies limb regeneration using informa- like to do — this heel click thing and I can do tion gathered from working with axolotls. He a cartwheel in the suit.” has spent nearly the entirety of his time at Think of the size of the shoes: a cartwheel is Wake Forest as the Demon Deacon mascot, impressive. But, what is it like being the Deassuming the role at the second football game mon Deacon — being the face of the school? of his freshman year.

“You represent the university as a whole. You “I was looking for something to be a part of,” get to be that guy that’s excited, really happy Strickler said when describing his first football to be there and get everybody hyped up. But, game. “I wanted to be out on the sidelines.” you’re also the person that gets to make the So, after realizing that he wanted to be more day of some little kid that has never been to involved than he already was cheering from the a Wake Forest game and may never get to go bleachers, he spoke to a friend on the cheer- again,” said Strickler. “You’re sort of the emleading team and made his way to tryouts. bodiment of the university – the whole idea of “We hold tryouts…we put stuff out on In- Pro Humanitate.” stagram, flyers and stuff like that,” Strickler This responsibility comes with a variety said. of fun opportunities. Last year, Wake Forest Strickler described the process. If you’re in- football made it to the ACC Championship terested in becoming a mascot, you have to game: this was both an exciting time on Wake make sure you’re following the various social Forest’s campus and for fans all over. As the media accounts that make these announce- Demon Deacon, Strickler got to be in the cenments. Strickler shared how they created an ter of it all.

Instagram account for the Demon Deacon “Getting to be a part of the ACC championship last year was really, really cool. I got to travel to Charlotte for four days and get to be a part of fan fest,” Strickler said. “I got to ride around on scooters downtown as the Deacon.”

He was involved in tons of photoshoots, greeted countless fans and watched everyone go to Charlotte to support the Demon Deacons at the big game.

“It was really cool to be on the field when Wake Forest scored the first touchdown,” Strickler said. “It was probably the largest gathering of Wake Forest fans ever.”

While you may have wondered who the Demon Deacon is, did you ever consider that he might know who you are? Strickler shared some stories of the harmless pranks he plays on fans.

“It’s fun to mess with people,” Strickler said.

“I’ve got some ongoing relationships with people that obviously have no idea who I am, but I see them around campus and think ‘Oh! Evan Harris/ Old Gold & Black That’s the kid I steal the water bottle from ev ϐ ϐ ery time I see him! Or there’s this one guy who ǡ Ǥ was always taking notes at the soccer game so BROOKE DEGNER Contributing Writer

Evan Harris/ Old Gold & Black

Ǥ Ǥ every time I see him I [mime writing with a pen] and he knows exactly what I’m talking about.”

Amongst all of the pranks and light-hearted fun that comes with being the mascot, Strickler has also been present at some more emotional events, including a wedding for two Wake Forest alumni.

“It’s super sweet to be a part of [the weddings] and how they want to have the mascot at their wedding,” Strickler said. “You get to be on the dance floor and take pictures. A Deacon that graduated a few years ago and trained me got married last year—his fiance asked us to come to the wedding as a surprise to him. I got to go to that, and see him again when he was getting married.”

With a few more wedding invitations coming up this fall, the impact that the Demon Deacon has on Wake Forest students and alumni is evident. People remember the Demon Deacon and love its presence; the mascot brings positive energy wherever it goes, and Caleb Strickler has been a core part of this energy for a long time.

Contact Brooke Degner at degnbl21@wfu.edu

Features | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Page 7

DEACON PROFILE Alice Hauser

ISABELLA ROMINE Staff Writer Since arriving at Wake Forest, senior Stamps Scholar Alice Hauser has advocated for refugees, advised three different Wake Forest administrators, studied abroad twice, completed three internships and participated in several other student groups. Most recently, on Nov. 13, Hauser was awarded an honor only 32 Americans nationwide can claim: she was named a 2022 Rhodes Scholar, making her Wake Forest’s 15th recipient of the scholarship since 1986.

The Rhodes Scholarship funds two years of postgraduate study for any field at Oxford University and provides students with additional leadership and professional development opportunities. The scholarship is one of the most prestigious and selective in the world.

Previous recipients of the award include James William Fullbright, who went on to establish the Fulbright Program, and former US president Bill Clinton.

Hauser, who is double majoring in philosophy and piano performance with a minor in history, described the difficulty of the application process: “You’re not allowed to have anyone else review any of your essays, so the personal statement you craft is truly yours and is reflective of your views and no one else’s,” Hauser said. “It can be scary to sit with your own thoughts and not have anyone to bounce them off of. I learned a lot about myself in that process, which was rewarding even without the end result.”

Hauser had more than enough material to reflect on, as each of her semesters at Wake Forest has been packed with service, hard work, and intellectual inquiry.

From the moment she arrived on campus, Hauser has not only explored new opportunities, but embraced them, too. Reflecting on one of her first weekends on campus, she described how a fellow Stamps scholar invited her to a women’s club ultimate frisbee game.

“I expected some kind of tutorial, but they literally — and I mean literally — shoved me on the field and said you’ll figure it out,” H a u s e r said, laughing.

Given that she is currently the team’s captain, it is safe to say that she rose to the occasion.

Though she has been involved with many student organizations, Hauser names volunteering with the Student Association for the Advancement of Refugees (SAFAR) as one of her most meaningful experiences. SAFAR is an academic tutoring organization that pairs students with families in the Winston-Salem community to help children with schoolwork, which Hauser said allowed her to engage with the community outside the Wake Forest bubble on an individual level.

Hauser also immersed herself in the broader Winston-Salem community through a legal internship with the Forsyth County Family Justice Center in the summer after her freshman year. There, she reviewed domestic violence protective orders to assist research on bias across demographics.

and directly with administrators to advocate on issues important to me, on everything from COVID-19 policies to increasing accessibility on campus to differently-abled people to Title IX transparency and reform,” Hauser explained.

Throughout all her other activities, Hauser has also maintained her passion for piano music.

She first began playing at five years old. Though she did not anticipate majoring in piano performance at Wake Forest, she found that music was too important to her to discontinue her studies.

“One of the wonderful things about music is that it allows you to connect with people across space and time. Even if you’re in a room by yourself, you can find a sense of commonality and communion in the human experience,” Hauser said.

“Whatever emotion you’re feeling, there is often a piece that can encapsulate that emotion.”

In addition to her DC internship this past summer, Hauser received a Richter Scholarship.

She studied composer and pianist Johannes Brahms, traveling between Austria, Germany, and Switzerland to analyze the sources of his musical inspiration.

Before graduating, Hauser will complete a philosophy honors thesis under the direction Photo Courtesy of Kim Mcgrath of Dr. Justin Jennings on the Rawlsian distinction between The internship sparked Hauser’s passion for legal formal and fair value and its application to persistent work, which she has maintained throughout her time racialized inequalities in the U.S. court system. at Wake Forest. Hauser interned at Lawyers without When asked about how she fits all these activities Borders in spring 2022 while completing the Wake in, Hauser laughed and answered: Washington study away program. This past summer, “I am hyperorganized,” she said. “My calendar is she also interned in Washington, DC, supporting the insane. I schedule every minute of my time. I schedattorneys in the Major Crimes Division. ule in my spare time.”

On campus, as a Leadership and Character AmbasShe also attributes her success to all those who have sador, Hauser has also been heavily involved in their supported her over the years: programming. The summer before her junior year, “I’d like to thank Dr. Michael Lamb, Dr. Justin she participated in the Principled Pluralism FellowJennings, Dr. Peter Kairoff, Dr. Stewart Carter, Dr. ship. Over the course of eight weeks, she researched David Geary, Dr. Mir Yarfitz, Dr. Dan Locklair, Dr. how to combat political polarization and discussed Bradley Burroughs, Dr. Christian Miller, Dr. Larry how to engage with people about politics on a more Weng, Ms. Jackie Sheridan, Dr. Edwin Wilson, Mrs. human level with other Wake Forest students.

Emily Wilson, Ms. Julie Wilson and my wonderful “[The Leadership and Character Program] refamily, friends, and loved ones for their enormous framed the way I viewed leadership from a tool that support of me in all my endeavors,” Hauser said. can be used to manipulate other people to something As Hauser prepares to graduate, she leaves behind that involves shared goals and vision and that is a remarkable legacy and stands tall as an exemplar of based around virtues,” Hauser said. “It has changed Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate motto. the way that I conduct myself as a leader in the stuAt Oxford in Fall 2023, Hauser will pursue a Masdent organizations I’m involved in and how I interact ter of Philosophy in Law and a Master in Science in with the various administrators whose advisory comRefugee and Forced Migration Studies. After committees I’m on.” pleting her master’s programs, Hauser plans to atThough Hauser is best known on campus for her tend law school: refugee advocacy work, she has also advocated di“I want to directly advocate for people in need and rectly for Wake Forest students. She served on an increase accessibility to justice for people who have advisory committee to the provost and is currently a experienced harm. I see law as a great avenue for President’s Aide and a member of the Dean’s Student achieving both of those goals.”

Advisory Panel.

“All three of these advisory positions to administra- Contact Isabella Romine at tors have allowed me to interact with other students romiie21@wfu.edu

OPINION

PAGE 8 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022

OLD GOLD & BLACK

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

PAGE 9 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022

The views expressed in all opinion columns represent those of the article’s author, not the opinions of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board

'I Do Not Feel Safe' Ally Werstler & Isabella Romine Staff Writers Editor's Note: For the Old Gold & Black’s investigation, we interviewed Wake Forest students and parents. Per their requests, we will respect these sources’ privacy by having these community members remain anonymous. The student sources have chosen to remain anonymous because they are concerned about the harasser discovering their identities. The parent sources have also requested to remain anonymous due to concern for the safety of their children.

Introduction It can be easy to get wrapped up in the Wake Forest “bubble.” Our campus lives rarely interact with those in the outside world of Winston-Salem unless we actively seek out the opportunity to engage with the community. However, when a significant event occurs that affects students on and offcampus, the two worlds become one.

In late October, a suspect was charged with trespassing on Wake Forest property. A community advisory was issued on Oct. 27 that included a photo of the suspect after reports that the suspect had been aggressively approaching Wake Forest students.

Many perceived Wake Forest’s response to this harassment as lackluster, as the university released a minor amount of information until after parents and students voiced concerns on social media. Because of this silence, unsubstantiated rumors circulated about the harasser and his whereabouts, increasing panic amongst the Wake Forest community.

When asked about campus safety with regards to this matter, University Police Department (UPD) Major of Patrol Operations Jamie Herring informed the Old Gold & Black that “the safety and wellbeing of our community comes first.” Herring explained several community safety measures: there are emergency blue-light boxes and security cameras located around campus and security officers staffed at entrance gates from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The Office of Communications and External Relations sent another email on Nov. 14 at 7:22 p.m. informing community members that the individual was banned from campus, and would be arrested immediately if he stepped foot on university property. However, this email left out the detail that the suspect was a former Deacon Dining employee, a fact confirmed by Herring and reported by the Old Gold & Black on Nov. 30. Many felt that the time gap between these updates was too long, especially considering the number of reported sightings that took place during this time — substantiated or not. One sophomore parent who requested to remain anonymous claimed that the “university [downplayed] the situation, which [sets] a dangerous precedent for future criminals.”

One female sophomore student expressed concern over the university’s lack of transpar-

ency, and said that she felt that “she [needed] to protect herself” because she does “not feel safe on campus.”

All factors considered, it’s apparent that the university’s security system has major holes in it that need to be filled quickly, a fact that is further signified in the recent Campus Climate Survey results. Completed by 38% of the overall student population — 2,713 students — the survey yielded 55% of participants experiencing sexual assault in the form of sexual harassment, stalking, non-consensual or unwanted sexual contact or intimate partner violence.

Stalking on Campus

As part of the Campus Climate Survey, Wake Forest investigated the prevalence of stalking on campus. which was based on a 2019 survey conducted by the Association of American Universities (AAU) — an organization of 63 public and private research universities including Stanford University, the University of Virginia, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others.

While survey results were comparable to the AAU survey with respect to most categories, they differed significantly when it came to students who reported experiencing stalking on campus. Only 6% of AAU Campus Climate Survey respondents reported experiencing stalking since starting school compared to 19% of Wake Forest respondents.

Part of this discrepancy is likely due to different definitions of stalking between the AAU and Wake Forest surveys. Wake Forest students could report a one-time incident of stalking, whereas the AAU defined the behavior as two or more incidents.

I, Isabella Romine, am in favor of Wake Forest’s choice to define stalking less strictly.

It does not always take more than one instance of unwanted contact or someone showing up uninvited to cause substantial emotional distress, as 33% of Wake Forest students who disclosed being stalked reported experiencing. Underreporting already plagues sexual harassment crimes, as people often doubt if their experience actually constitutes an offense. Further, the nuances of these situations cannot be captured in a quantitative study — one incident of someone showing up unexpectedly and refusing to leave could be as distressing as repeated unwanted messages. The number of times something has occurred does not necessarily have a direct correlation with its emotional impact. If a student feels sexually harassed, their experience should not be readily dismissed — even if it happened only once.

Unfortunately, Wake Forest makes it very easy to find other students through their internal directory.

“WIN-stalking,” a popular pastime on campus, involves looking up people on the Wake Information Network (WIN) Internal Directory to find information about them — including their campus emails, home addresses, P.O. boxes, phone numbers, room numbers and an image of them. Students, faculty and staff can be searched.

In my first semester of college, I was introduced to one of WIN’s most popular

features: finding people’s home addresses, looking them up on Zillow and seeing what their houses look like and how much they’re worth. While this seems to be a breach of privacy, it is probably among the more harmless incidents of WIN-stalking. Most students I informally asked while writing this article were aware of this practice, with some admitting to engaging in it themselves out of curiosity.

Not everyone is aware that this information is readily available. When my classmates and I informed one professor during class that we could find her address, she was understandably horrified. As soon as I learned this information was available, I changed my privacy settings on WIN to show as few details as possible. It’s true that the digital era already makes information such as home addresses easy to find, but this process should not be made any easier — especially when you can search for someone on WIN by first name alone.

While I understand the possible uses of such information being available in the directory — just the other day, I used WIN to find my friend’s room number and meet him in person when his phone was broken — the need for privacy and security outweigh the benefits when the consequences could easily be tragic. Fifty-three percent of Wake Forest students who reported stalking said that the person showed up uninvited or was waiting unexpectedly somewhere for them. If any one of these incidents could be attributed to WIN’s readily available information, that is one incident too many.

As I understand it, the system is opt-in, and all information is automatically displayed when a campus account is set up. If certain categories are not eliminated entirely, then displaying them should at the very least be opt-in. Everyone in WIN — faculty and staff included — should also be made more aware of the information available so they can better choose what to reveal.

Sexual Harassment on Campus I, Isabella Romine, recently attended one of the facilitated forums discussing the Wake Forest University Campus Climate Survey, which the Old Gold & Black has previously reported on.

“Facilitated forum” is not an especially clear term, so I was not sure what to expect going in, but I was surprised and engaged by the format of the event. Vice President for Campus Life Shea Kidd Brown led an initial discussion on the survey’s findings, and then attendees broke off into smaller group sessions with their tables to process the figures, highlight issues on campus and imagine solutions. We then reconvened to share what our table had discussed.

One of the main topics of conversation regarded the lack of awareness about campus resources for those who have experienced sexual harassment. While a majority of students knew about these resources, the exact percentage varied depending on the resources and could still be improved. Part of this problem can be attributed to how information about these resources is disseminated.

During freshman orientation, incoming classes are bombarded with information.

This approach means that details are not likely to stick — or be absorbed at all, as one can only pay attention to so many information sessions. For many students, orientation is probably the first and last time they will hear about the University Counseling Center, the Title IX Coordinator or the Safe Office. And if there's one thing you can count on, it’s that students don’t read their emails.

Ideally, this information would be provided at orientation but also reshared at staggered intervals. One solution might be to integrate information about these resources into a mandatory course such as HES 100. One student at the forum suggested that the university encourage staff to include campus resources in their syllabi and to discuss them during syllabus week.

Another issue many students at the facilitated forum mentioned is the confusion regarding different campus resources and how they differ from one another. “[The Safe Office] helps students understand their options in reporting and engaging in formal processes,” Kidd Brown said. “Because these experiences can be confusing, we encourage students to start with the Safe Office and they can connect them to other resources.”

The Safe Office is part of the Counseling Center. While 79% of students report knowing about the latter, only 60% know of the former, the lowest of any reported resource knowledge. Since the administration advises survivors of sexual assault to go to them first, it follows that raising the Safe Office’s profile should be a priority. Still, the sexual harassment reporting process must be more transparent so that students have a better grasp of their options. This could in turn increase reporting, as students might feel more confident in what steps to take next.

Though there is work to be done, Wake Forest is already moving to address sexual harassment on campus.

In what is perhaps the most important step, Wake Forest acknowledged that there is a problem and commissioned the Campus Climate Survey to investigate its depth. Additionally, the Sexual Assault Prevention Support and Accountability committee (SAPSA) was created in Oct. 2021 to advise on the rollout of the survey and advise the Student Body President on problems relating to sexual misconduct.

Kidd Brown collaborated with the committee to host the facilitated forum.

“Over the past few weeks, I have worked closely with the SAPSA co-chairs, Taylor McCabe and Lillie Davenport, along with Student Body President Pilar Agudelo and Speaker of the House Jackson Buttler,” Kidd Brown said. “Our meetings have helped us keep the student experience centered in the conversation, and their

thoughts have been crucial to making sure students are truly engaged in this process.”

The administration’s focus on students’ experiences is another step in the right direction. While the forum could have been a lecture, instead it was a platform where students could share personal concerns.

This is especially important, as sexual harassment is also a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging issue. Undergraduate women and transgender, genderqueer, questioning and non-binary (TGQN) students reported experiencing sexual misconduct at the highest rates, and students of racially marginalized identities also reported experiencing harassment at higher rates. Latina and multiracial women were less likely to report believing that Wake Forest campus officials would treat their reports of experiencing sexual misconduct seriously.

No one person can view a situation from every angle — engaging varied perspectives is the only way to create holistic solutions. Creating spaces where students’ voices across campus can be heard is necessary for progress. “[The survey’s] findings show that we must connect our work of harm prevention to our work around diversity, inclusion, and belonging,” Kidd Brown said.

“Our prevention plan must consider each student’s lived experience so that our approach will be holistic, comprehensive and effective in improving the overall climate on campus.”

She also stated that sessions such as the facilitated forum will be hosted as often and for as long as needed. Student groups or individuals can request a session on inside.wfu.edu.

Wake Forest has also created a new position within the Title IX Office and announced Consent Con, a campus-wide conference. Hannah Dean was hired as the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator, a new position focused on harm reduction. Consent Con –– a conference designed to bring the campus community together to discuss and elevate the work of consent experts on our campus and externally — is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2023.

Both are further signs Wake Forest is not simply acknowledging a problem, but taking action.

Cameras The results from the Campus Climate Survey and the university’s response to the harasser issue demonstrate an immediate need for increased security on campus, mainly in the form of security cameras in every campus parking lot. Per Herring, “there are over two dozen cameras that provide coverage of more than a dozen parking lots that include Student Drive, Lots B, A, P, N, J, H, S2 and M. In spring 2023, a dozen new exterior cameras will

provide additional parking lot coverage as well as coverage of Davis and Poteat Fields, and Hearn and Manchester Plazas.” Despite this seemingly large number of cameras, the parking lots that most desperately need surveillance, the sophomore and freshman parking lots — known as lots Z2 and Z5 — respectively are excluded from this account.

With no security, students feel vulnerable when walking to and from the lot.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, roughly “10% of all crime happens in parking lots.” This fact prompted the Wake Forest parent previously mentioned to comment that “It really seems like a no-brainer to have cameras in the parking lots. If there’s no deterrent for criminals to break into cars, kidnap or harass people, then they are going to do it. When tragedy does strike, we’ll all wonder ‘why weren’t there any cameras?’”

They went on to say that “there needs to be a security guard stationed at the offcampus parking lots 24/7.” Though a security guard stationed in the lot or watching cameras placed there would be the best solution, even the presence of cameras has been shown to deter crime, especially when combined with other methods such as improved lighting. A New York Times article described a New Jersey town whose crime rate has fallen by 50% over the past year, a decrease attributed to improvements in crime-fighting technology, including hightech surveillance cameras.

Although Wake Forest’s systems would not be so advanced, cameras in every parking lot would provide much greater benefits than that of the blue light boxes — which are essentially emergency telephone boxes — as the majority of these devices do not have a video surveillance component. Even in cases where cameras do not stop crime, recorded video footage can help with criminal investigations on everything from sexual harassment and assault to property crimes such as car accidents.

Students and parents have made it clear that it is necessary to install cameras in every parking lot to better ensure the safety of the WFU community.

The work to make campus safer is ongoing. Students in addition to administrators must ask how to end sexual harassment, and the administration must make changes to WIN and improve camera surveillance. Wake Forest’s transparency about these issues and commitment to action to end sexual harassment on campus are positive signs; however, additional action is required to help further ensure student safety.

Photos by Maryam Khanum/Old Gold & Black Contact Ally Werstler and Isabella Romine at wersaj21@wfu.edu and romiie21@wfu. edu

A deep dive into campus safety at Wake Forest

Opinion | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Page 10

Everything about the Club Q shooting is political Addison Schmidt

Asst. Environment Editor On Sunday, Nov. 20, five families woke up for the first time without their relatives. While gun violence in all forms is abhorrent and devastating, the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, CO, on the night of Nov. 19, was especially harmful to members of the LGBTQ+ community. Club Q is known as a safe space for the overwhelmingly conservative city’s queer community, leading many (including prosecutors who have now charged the 22-year-old suspect with both murder and hate crime charges) to believe that the motivations behind the shooting were anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments.

In the days following the shooting, however, many conservative pundits across media outlets expressed outrage at the mere suggestion that the anti-queer rhetoric frequently espoused by conservative politicians and media likely inflamed and motivated the shooter. In a society where 155 anti-transgender laws were introduced in state legislatures across the country in the first ten months of 2022 alone, the argument that a deadly mass shooting occurring at a queer nightclub could exist in a realm outside of conservative monsterization rhetoric is absurd.

Many of those who oppose gun control measures — especially on the right — explain the issue away as a “mental health problem.” It is ironic that many of those same politicians then do not support expanding access to mental health care in this country through measures such as universal health insurance policies.

While the mental health of millions of Americans should be a top priority for politicians, especially after the rise in mental health issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the refusal of legislatures at all levels of government to pass mental health initiatives indicates what many of us already knew; conservatives use mental "mental health" as a straw man to distract from the fact that widespread access to weapons designed to kill leads to more death.

Policy choices are directly responsible for the continuation of the United States’ gun violence epidemic.

When it comes to the shooting at Club Q, however, antiLGBTQ+ rhetoric exists amongst many conservatives. Just

two weeks ago, 8 days before the shooting on the night of Friday, Nov. 19, Fox News host Tucker Carlson had a teenager that is suing the doctors who performed gender-affirming surgery on her before she chose to de-transition on his prime time show. The conservative fear-mongering surrounding “trans ideology” and “mutilation” (in Carlson’s own words) is a textbook example of a moral panic given that studies have shown less than 3% of transgender people later de-transition.

Carlson has doubled down on his demonization of doctors and parents who provide gender-affirming care to children mere days after the Club Q shooting. On Nov. 22, three days after the shooting, Carlson hosted Jaimee Michell oftheanti-transgroup“GaysAgainstGroomers”onhisshow, where she claimed that gender-affirming care is the culprit of theshooting.ThisaccusationisabsurdandFoxNews'schoice to platform such claims only further elevates the argument that anti-trans rhetoric is to blame for violence against queer people.

AsidefromCarlson’sfrequentshowcaseofanti-transvoices, other conservative pundits appear to devote their entire livelihoodstoensuringthattranspeopleareasmiserableaspossible.

OneofthosepeopleisDailyWirereporterandpodcasthst Matt Walsh who has 1.1 million followers onTwitter. Walsh is so notorious for his hatred of trans people that hisWikipedia page includes an entire section on the subject.

The day before the Club Q shooting occurred, Walsh tweeted this on Nov. 18 in response to Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover: “TheonlynewTwitterpolicyI’minterestedinisonewhere your phone automatically explodes if you put pronouns or a Ukraine flag in your bio.”

Aside from Walsh’s bizarre hatred of those showing support to Ukrainians currently in the midst of a war against Russia, his association of violence with gender queerness is evident given the fact that the inclusion of pronouns in a social media bio is an attempt to normalize the practice and reduce the alienation of trans people.

I could continue to list examples of conservative media personalities and politicians who demonize trans people in particular with their words and policy goals, but the idea remains the same regardless of the specifics: many conservative

politicians believe that queer people, and trans children, in particular, should not exist.

Further evidence of the deep-rootedness of anti-trans sentiment around the country can be seen via the New York Times, a typically left-leaning newspaper, which initially publishedastoryclaimingthatthetranswomanwhohelpeda veteran take down the shooter was a drag performer.

While this was likely an honest mistake, the New York Times’ reliance on the account of only the veteran and their failure to appropriately fact-check his claim about the woman’s identity indicates a society that values the perspective of straight, cis men above all else.

The term that many have used to describe violence like the Club Q shooting is stochastic terrorism. Stochastic terrorism is defined as violence that occurs likely as a result of the demonization of a particular group by another. In this case, the demonization of queer people by the right-wing media has likely resulted in the incidence of a mass shooting, although the link cannot necessarily be proven.

Regardless of the egalitarian utopia we wish we lived in, the reality of modern American society is that gun violence is political. Mental health is political. Queer people are political. If these issues weren’t political, politicians and political commentators wouldn’t talk about them. Entire platforms wouldn’t be based around them.

We may never know if the deplorable actions of the Club Q shooter were directly motivated by Tucker Carlson, Matt Walsh, or any other high-profile anti-trans media personality. However, the suggestion that anti-queer rhetoric leads to violence against queer people is far from outlandish and the attack on those who claim so inherently proves that pointbypittingthoseontheleftandrightagainstoneanother on yet another issue with life-or-death ramifications.

Contact Addison Schmidt at schmac21@wfu.edu

Photo courtesy of PBS

The brutal aftermath of a sexual assault at Wake Forest Lauren Carpenter Staff Columnist

Evan Harris/Old Gold & Black

On the morning of Saturday, Aug. 27, I was sexually assaulted and left on the sidewalk in front of the unaffiliated Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) house.

With no phone or ID, I was left alone to get back to campus and somehow into my dorm building.

Without the help of the people that found me, I do not know what else would have happened to me. The post-traumatic stress responses I have faced have made it nearly impossible for me to continue my life at Wake Forest, and they were worsened by the university’s lack of a student-to-professor liaison.

Sexual abuse on college campuses is devastatingly common, and the aftermath of sexual assault ruins a college student’s ability to thrive, let alone make it through a day free from the harrowing stress that stems from the event.

According to a 2019 Campus Climate Survey conducted by the Association of American Universities (AAU), 13% of all college students experience sexual assault, and the aftermath can be catastrophic. Wake Forest is no stranger to these instances. In the 2021 Wake Forest University Campus Climate Survey, 16.3% of all respondents experienced sexual assault.

Post-traumatic stress is prevalent for many survivors and severely impacts life on campus, engendering devastating side effects.

Memory loss leads to rapidly declining grades, neglect of social commitments and a constant foggy feeling of confusion. Focus also dissipates, making it difficult to finish assignments and put enough effort into extracurricular activities. Isolation quickly sets in, as friends who are unable to understand feel more distant by the moment. Recklessness becomes a threat to personal health and safety. Stress involving schoolwork intensifies as any break taken quickly turns into a massive burden. With family often far away from students, support systems feel few and far between. These common side effects of posttraumatic stress often only get worse as the trauma roots itself

into survivors.

The consequences of experiencing sexual assault are extremely infuriating to realize. Having a glaring “W” now appear on a straight-A transcript. Being replaced by a professional in orchestra. Working tirelessly to catch up on five weeks of missed classes. Realizing the assaulter doesn’t even remember who he has hurt.

Being unable to attend football games in fear of seeing him. Having any sense of security ripped away. Feeling numb. Feeling insane. Becoming panicked in crowds.

Falling apart when catching a glimpse of him on campus.

Having to relinquish privacy in order to make professors understand the situation.

"Sexual abuse on college campuses is devastatingly common, and the aftermath of sexual assault ruins a college student’s ability to thrive."

Wake Forest has several wonderful resources to help survivors. The Safe Office has incredible counselors willing to aid students in every way that they can, the Center for Learning Assistance (CLASS) Office helps students create plans and the Office of Academic Advising (OAA) provides ample information about classes. However, for students who have just experienced a traumatic assault, the weight of communicating with professors and managing academics is unbearable.

Wake Forest does not have anyone or any office to act as a liaison between students and professors. Accommodations such as extra absences and test time can be given to students, but the reasoning and level behind these accommodations vary greatly between students, giving professors no other insight. Wake Forest doesn’t have a system that can serve as a genuine excuse on stu-

dents’ behalf. This position simply does not exist.

As a result, students are forced to give up their own privacy by explicitly telling each of their professors about the assault in hopes of making them understand absences, declining grades and late assignments. Survivors are saddled with this huge responsibility, and there is no one to help them. Emailing each professor with more details than necessary is jarring, panicking in front of them during office hours feels mortifying and facing them in class after having to reveal something deeply personal is horrible. Everything is situational — the survivor can only hope their professors will reason with them, and professor responses vary.

Carrying the weight of trauma is enough for survivors. Having to manage communicating with professors entirely on their own is exhausting, nerve-wracking, deeply upsetting and extremely unfair. It is one of the many ways that students face “survivor punishment”. Wake Forest needs to implement more formal and discretional — yet genuine — resources that provide students with the excuses they need from professors. There needs to be someone to help students who are barely holding on to begin with. Students are falling apart and feeling as though their futures have been ruined due to their declining academic performance and worsening mental health.

It is never the survivor’s fault, and it shouldn’t be up to them to try and piece their life back together after being assaulted, especially not when Wake Forest has so many other resources and more than enough funding.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak at a student panel about campus resources. Sitting in front of President Wente, the Dean and several department heads I explained my experiences involving the lack of resources for survivors. I spoke with passion rather than anger, and I know that those in charge at Wake Forest are genuinely doing their best to listen to students.

This is not a linear journey. Most of my days are poisoned with terrible trauma responses because of what I have been through. But I am very hopeful for the changes that are ahead of us. If you are a survivor of sexual assault, know that I understand you, that I am fighting for you and that spring is coming.

Contact Lauren Carpenter at carple21@wfu.edu

SPORTS

Ian Steffensen stefip21@wfu.edu Aaron Nataline nataae21@wfu.edu

Follow us on Twitter @wfuogbsports OLD GOLD & BLACK

PAGE 11 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022

Demon Deacons fall to the Blue Devils 34-31 Wake Forest's efforts fall short versus rival in last game of the regular season IAN STEFFENSEN Sports Editor

In its final football game of the regular season, Wake Forest came up short when it mattered in a 34-31 loss to Duke. Despite three touchdown passes from QB Sam Hartman — tying the ACC record for career passing TDs — the Demon Deacons couldn’t get the job done. It was Wake Forest’s fourth loss in its last five games, and the Demon Deacons end the season with a 7-5 record as they await their bowl invitation.

“Our inability to execute in the fourth quarter to win close games [is why we ended 7-5 and not 11-1],” said Head Coach Dave Clawson after the loss. “If we had better execution in four games, [we might have won], and last year those were games we won.This year we didn’t. Our fourth quarter execution was poor.”

The game was a quarterback duel, as both Hartman and Duke QB Riley Leonard combined for seven touchdowns. Leonard threw for a career-best 391 yards and four touchdowns as he attacked Wake Forest’s weak man to man coverage. The secondary has been a problem for the Demon Deacons all season long. Several of Leonard’s passes were deep balls, where Wake Forest’s corners were beaten on contested catches. Each of Leonard’s four touchdown passes came on deep balls. Perimeter defense wasn’t the only problem for the Demon Deacons, as the defense as a whole couldn’t stop the Blue Devils on third down. While Duke only converted 6-13 on their third downs, when it truly mattered, they were able to extend their drives and put points on the board.

The Blue Devils got their first touchdown of the day on a 3rd and 7 play, with Leonard hitting receiver Sahmir Hagans across the middle, Hagans extended the play and ran through the Demon Deacon defense for the 30-yard score. And later on in the half, on 3rd and 8 Leonard found wide Jalon Calhoun for 31 yards to extend the drive

which ended up in points to extend the Duke lead to 17. Getting these defense stops early on would have provided the difference in what should not have been so close of a contest.

The passing game returned in full force for the Demon Deacons. In his final regular season game with Wake Forest, Hartman completed 26 of 42 passes for 347 yards. To start the fourth, the Demon Deacons trailed by a field goal — 24-27. Hartman led a stellar drive, finding receiver Donovan Greene on the right sideline for 33 yards to put the offense right in the red zone. Soon after, Hartman connected with his favorite target A.T. Perry with a six-yard laser past the defenders for the score and the lead.

The Demon Deacons’ defense finally got its big play in the fourth quarter.

Defensive back Jermal Martin Jr. got his first career interception at Wake Forest in one on one coverage to stop the Blue Devils attack. Wake Forest had a chance to close out the game but could not.

On 3rd and 2, Hartman was sacked in the backfield, and the Demon Deacons were forced to hand the ball back to the Blue Devils with two minutes remaining in the contest. It only took two plays for Duke to answer. Leonard found Calhoun with another deep ball for 30 yards to start out. Hagans then hauled in a 20-yard pass from Leonard in the right end zone for the game-winning score. Hartman and the offense had around a minute to mount a comeback. Yet, on 4th and 10, with pressure coming Hartman was forced to heave one to Perry who couldn’t hang on and the pass ended up in Duke’s hands putting an end to the contest.

“We came into this year with all these expectations and we had so many guys back,” Clawson said. “Anytime things don’t go well, you have to be self-critical and look in the mirror. There’s some things we would do differently. I’ll have a week to reflect on that.”

Contact Ian Steffensen at VWH¿S #ZIX HGX

WAKE FOREST'S 2022 SEASON

Evan Harris/Old Gold & Black

Sept. 1: Wake Forest 44, VMI 10 Sept. 10: Wake Forest 45, Vanderbilt 25 Sept. 17: Wake Forest 37, Liberty 36 Sept. 24: Wake Forest 45, Clemson 51 Oct. 1: Wake Forest 31, Florida State 21 Oct. 8: Wake Forest 45, Army 10 Oct. 22: Wake Forest 43, Boston College 15 Oct. 29: Wake Forest 21, Louisville 48 Nov. 5: Wake Forest 21, NC State 30 Nov. 12: Wake Forest 34, North Carolina 36 Nov. 12: Wake Forest 45, Syracuse 35 Nov. 26: Wake Forest 31, Duke 34

Page 12 | Thursday, December 1, 2022

Old Gold & Black | Sports

Appleby shines as Wake Forest stuns Wisconsin in Madison The Demon Deacons improve to 7-1 going into ACC play SEAN KENNEDY Staff Writer

If it hasn’t been noticed already, Wake Forest basketball is in a renaissance period under head coach Steve Forbes, and it’s been further proven by one of their most valuable non-conference wins in years.

After Cam Hildreth notched the third triple-double in program history (Tim Duncan in 1996 and Alondes Williams in 2021) against Hampton, the team took a trip to the Kohl Center in Madison, to take on Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin.

The Badgers, who were led last year

by NBA lottery pick Johnny Davis, had a squad full of both experienced returners and highly touted freshmen. Sophomore G Chucky Hepburn, who was featured on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team last year, and freshman Connor Essegian each led the Badgers with their sharpshooting ability. The Badgers also featured former Demon Deacon Jahcobi Neath, who transferred to Wisconsin before the 2021-22 season.

The Deacons started off hot, jumping out to a comfortable five-point lead by the first media timeout. Afterward, a lob to Matthew Marsh sent an emphatic message to the Badgers — this game won’t be easy.

The Badgers responded with hard-nosed play from their experienced big men, Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl. Wahl, an All-Big Ten Honorable mention last year, posted 17 points in the game, including multiple hook shots within the lane.

The score would change back-and-forth during the latter half of the first half. Hepburn posted seven points in the last two minutes, including two threes — one of which was from behind the half court line, beating the buzzer and sending the Deacs into halftime with a three-point lead.

Coming out of halftime, the Deacons scored quickly off a Hildreth layup, followed by a lay-in

by Marsh. The Deacons would get out to a sevenpoint lead before the Badgers could respond in the first media timeout after halftime.

Hepburn would respond loudly coming out of the timeout. He hit two consecutive threes to reduce the lead to one, and later on, two additional three-pointers by Crowl and Essegian would send the Badgers up five.

In the final five minutes of the game, the Deacons’ Tyree Appleby used his experience to take control of the game. Transition threes and assists to the likes of Damari Monsanto would come in clutch, as the previous two possession deficit was reduced down to a single point with two minutes to go. Appleby would finish with a career-high 32 points, proving his worth on a national stage.

With 30 seconds to go and down one, Hildreth proved yet again why he is crucial to the team, hitting a jumper from just past the left block, over a taller defender to send the Deacs up one. Afterwards, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard would take a timeout to draw a play to try to send them

up yet again.

The Badger play was defended mightily by the Deacon defense, and when Wahl went to take a layup, it rimmed out. A controversial out-of-bounds call on Hildreth would potentially give the Badgers the ball with fifteen seconds left. However, after video review, the ball was determined to slightly hit off of Hepburn last — giving the Deacons the ball up one. Hepburn would then foul Appleby to send him to the line.

Hepburn would return the favor with two made free throws.

The ball was be inbounded to Hildreth with nine seconds left, and they fouled him near-instantly.

Hildreth would hit both, and Hepburn would try to become the hero yet again to tie the game from deep — only for the shot to be offline.

The win for the Demon Deacons was its fourth ever victory over the Badgers and their fourteenth of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, which ESPN reported will end this year to make way for the new SEC-ACC Challenge. The Deacons would end up with the second best amount of wins in the challenge, going 14-6, only trailing Duke.

The win would also provide Forbes’ his second straight year with multiple wins over power six non-conference opponents. This year, wins over Georgia and Wisconsin provide quality wins, meanwhile last year the Deacons fended off Oregon State and Northwestern.

“I think it’s good for our narrative,” said Forbes after the game.

“I walk out of here with a lot of pride for Wake Forest winning tonight.”

Photos courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics Contact Sean Kennedy at kennsm21@wfu.edu

Demon Deacon Statistical Leaders POINTS Tyree Appleby, 32 Unlike in the Loyola Marymount game on Oct. 20, the Deacons felt cool and calm minds at the line. Despite the red sea of Wisconsin students behind the free throw line, Appleby hit both to send the Deacons up three with twelve seconds left. The Deacon defense took lessons from their overtime loss against the Lions and fouled Hepburn up three.

ASSISTS Tyree Appleby, 5 REBOUNDS Matthew Marsh, 9 STEALS Damari Monsanto, 2 FT % Tyree Appleby, 1.000 3PT FG % Tyree Appleby, 0.667 MINUTES Tyree Appleby, 40

Sports | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Page 13

Deacon SportlighT: Alex Wood

PRARTHNA BATRA Staff Writer

Freshman powerhouse and forward Alex Wood ended Wake Forest’s soccer season tied for the team lead with five goals. Home for Wood is Huntington Beach, California.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Alex a few days ago to talk about all things soccer.

Why Wake Forest?

The recruitment process started for me probably in my sophomore year of high school. That was when we first started talking to coaches. Before that, I had been emailing a bunch of colleges to come to my games and watch my games. In 2018, my team took a trip to North Carolina to play some soccer games, and my team toured Wake Forest — that was the first time I saw it. I really liked the campus, and we also got to meet the coaches, and then my sophomore year, we started talking to the coaches. I really liked the coaching staff, and they gave me a really good scholarship that my parents liked, and it just ended up clicking. It matched all the boxes that I wanted in school. I also always wanted to play in the ACC, where not just soccer, but all sports are so competitive. It just all worked out.

How was the transition from high school to college soccer?

I think the biggest thing was the speed of play because everyone in college is stronger and faster, and there’s some people that are much older than you. Getting used to the speed of play and how your touch needs to be perfect or else you might lose is what I have been trying to learn. D-1 soccer is just a higher level of strategy and competition. It is insane how talented every single player we face is—they move just as fast as they seem to when you watch them from the stands or at home. The challenge is really fun and a huge step up from high school, What was your favorite moment this past season?

It was definitely when we beat Clemson 4-1 and I got the tying goal in that game.

That was definitely a very exciting moment for our team, and it was really fun.

It was really cool to score a crucial goal

Evan Harris/Old Gold & Black

A l e x Wo o d p o s e s f o r t h e c a m e r a i n f r o n t o f Wa i t C h a p e l . A s a f r e s h m a n , Wo o d s t a r t e d i n s i x g a m e s i n w h a t w a s u l t i m a t e l y a w i n n i n g s e a s o n f o r Wa k e Fo r e s t .

in such a highly anticipated game.

What’s your outlook for the next season?

Next season, I think we will build off this season. We are getting a few more players, and one of the new players was on my club team in high school. She is really good. I think that we will be able to fill up this season and overall improve as a team.

Who is your favorite soccer player or athlete that you look up to?

My favorite female soccer player growing up was Tobin Heath, and she was on the national team. My jersey number was 17 in high school because I wanted to be like her and really liked the way she played. My favorite men’s soccer player is Ronaldo. That is a basic answer, but I feel like everyone is either a Ronaldo or Messi person.

Can you describe your relationship with your coach and teammates?

The relationship between my teammates and I is like a family. Everyone is really welcoming here. What I really like about the coaches here is that they try to become really close to us and like to get to know us personally, rather than just be our coaches, and that really helps. When they’re actually coaching us, it’s like you know them on a personal level.

How do you balance being a college

student, a student-athlete and a person with a social life?

I’m still definitely learning the skill of time management, but something like making sure you have your homework done before you go away for an away game is really important. Trying to stay on top of all your work and communicating with your professors when you are missing classes is also really important.

Have you faced any adversity as a soccer player and how do you overcome that?

I think injuries are the biggest adversity an athlete can face and I’ve definitely had a few injuries. My worst one in the past few years was probably when I broke my foot last year and so I couldn’t play for a few months. It was during my final year of high school, and because of my injury, I had to miss out on my senior season, which was really sad. I think getting through an injury is a really mental process and when you are coming back from it, you just have to push through it, and it is going to be rough in the beginning, but you will get through it and get your touch back.

What does a typical day in your life look like as an athlete?

I’ll describe a typical Tuesday. A typical day in my life when we are in season is that we wake up at 7 in the morning for lift, and then our weightlifting sessions are usually an hour long. I then go back

to my dorm, shower and go to my classes for the day. I have calculus and writing on Tuesdays. After that, we will usually go into the coaches office to do film sometimes, or go to the field to get an extra training in. 4 p.m. is our practice time and we practice till around 6 p.m. I usually get dinner, shower and then finish all my homework for the night.

What is the most important thing you have learned from your coaches and teammates?

I think the most important thing so far that I’ve learned is how to manage time because it has been really hard having to balance season games, practices, film, and, at the same time, trying to keep grades up.

Can you please describe the atmosphere on Wake Forest’s women’s soccer team?

The atmosphere on our team is really positive because everyone is really close and treats everyone involved like family. You always have people you know will have your back and are your lifelong friends now. It is really nice to have this group of people because we can all relate to each other and what the other is going through.

Contact Prarthna Batra at batrp22@wfu.edu

PAGE 14 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022

LIFE OLD GOLD & BLACK

Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu Josie Scratchard, scraja20@wfu.edu

A tribute to Takeoff 7KH LQÀXHQWLDO UDS DUWLVW GLHG RQ 1RY BROOKE DEGNER Contributing Writer

right? That flow was adopted not just by other local Atlanta rappers, but, you know, it was taken on by global superstars like Drake,” Wicker said.

Biggest hits:

In the early hours of Tuesday, Nov. 1, word reached the media that Kirshnik Khari Ball — better known by his stage Honestly, it is nearly impossible to pick name "Takeoff" — was fatally shot at a just one Migos song or album that is the private bowling alley party in Houston. best or most famous. However, I think The 28-year-old was the youngest member “Bad and Boujee”, released in of Migos, a rap trio that dominated the December of 2016, is one charts throughout the 2010s. that just about everyone While Migos was huge for years, unknows — it held the No. known reasons led to the members go1 Billboard spot for three ing their separate ways. Offset became weeks and stayed on the more of a solo artist while Takeoff charts for 36 more. Dependand Quavo formed their own duo ing on one’s age, it’s safe to say “Unc and Phew” (uncle and that the song likely played at nephew). Takeoff also released least once during every midsolo songs, one of the most dle or high school dance. notable being “Casper”.

“Bad and Boujee” is a song After Takeoff’s death, peoon “Culture”, Migos’ secple everywhere are talking ond most popular album about how influential Migos after “Culture II”. (and Takeoff) were in the Some of their world of rap and hip-hop. other biggest hits In an NPR talk with Juana include “MotorsSummers and Atlanta-based port (feat. Nicki culture reporter Jewel WickMinaj and Cardi B)”, “Pure er, the two discussed the ways Water (feat. Mustard)”, “TMigos changed the rap game.

Shirt”, “Walk It Talk It”, “Stir “If you talk to a lot of music Fry”, “Slippery (feat. Gucci critics, they’ll tell you rap didn’t sound the same after the Migos, 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI )OLFNU Mane)” and “Fight Night”.

As an example of one of Takeoff ’s well-appreciated verses, here are some of his lines from Gucci Mane’s hit, “I Get the Bag (ft. Migos)”.

“Back ends I count in my sleep, on fleek / Hundred K spent on a Patek Phillippe (Phillippe) / B*tch, I’m a dog, eat my treat (Hrr) / Hop out the frog and leap (Leap)”.

Atlanta’s Reaction:

Georgia. He attended and performed at Hawks games, making himself a big part of the Atlanta community. Since his death, a mural has been painted of him on the Atlanta Beltline, and a service has been planned at the State Farm Arena to celebrate his life.

Up to 20,000 people — both from Atlanta and across the world — are attending the service to pay their respects to Kirsnick Khari Ball. Knowing that State Farm Arena was where he cheered on the Hawks and even performed at a game makes this celebration especially tearjerking and memorable. Tickets open to the public were sold out fast. His family requests that anyone planning to bring flowers or gifts instead donate to the Rocket Foundation (https://www. rocket-foundation.org/) to help prevent gun violence. Those attending the services are required to check in their devices, and no media outlets are permitted inside, so the memorial is a private, touching event for Takeoff. With the Rocket Foundation, his peaceful legacy will continue.

Takeoff (like the other Migos members) was born and raised in Atlanta,

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How is the media responding to the news?

Takeoff was widely considered to be the peaceful, quiet and reserved member of the trio. As such, his death has hit the hip-hop/rap community with extra force. A video recorded in the moments leading up to the shooting shows Takeoff and Quavo talking with a group of people. At the very end of the video, you can hear the sound of gunshots.

Many people are outraged by the fact this video is going viral, calling it insensitive and disrespectful.

Drake returns to form in 'Her Loss' 7KH DUWLVW V FROODERUDWLRQ ZLWK 6DYDJH LV D VXFFHVV CAROLYN MALMAN Contributing Writer

Drake is arguably the most influential rapper of this generation — he remains relentless in his musical efforts even after almost 20 years in the entertainment world. With his albums “Certified Lover Boy” and “Honestly, Nevermind” coming out earlier this year, the recent release of “Her Loss” on Nov. 4 completes Drake’s impressive discography of fourteen albums.

This album differs significantly from his previous studio album, “Honestly, Nevermind”.

In “Honestly, Nevermind”, Drake focuses o n an EDM s o u n d w i t h dance rifts o n songs like

3KRWRV FRXUWHV\ RI :LNLPHGLD &RPPRQV

“Falling Back” and “Overdrive”.

However, he strays away from this with his new album, using “Jimmy Cooks” from “Honestly, Nevermind”, as inspiration for the sound of “Her Loss”.

On the new album, Drake pairs well-thought-out rap sequences with groovy beats and samples.

For example, Drake samples Daft Punk’s “One More Time” on “Circo Loco” to achieve this electronic, but still R&B-like feeling. This type of sound is a key characteristic to many of Drake's recent releases. On “Certified Lover Boy” the most notable sample was “Way 2 Sexy”, which took inspiration from Right Said Fred’s 1991 hit “I’m Too Sexy”.

This newest album, “Her Loss”, is a collaboration with Drake’s friend and colleague, 21 Savage.

These two have developed a special relationship since their first collaboration on “Sneakin” in 2016

and have since collaborated three more times. Aside from their obvious talent, the pair has developed a real friendship over the years that the album emulates. Specifically, “Treacherous Twins” outlines their friendship and dedication to one another. Drake writes that they “used to have nothin’ to [their] names,” then continues to say to 21 Savage that “when I need a friend, you my only friend”. Initially, this song seems romantic. But with further analysis of the lyrics, it is obvious how this friendship means a lot to the both of them. Although 21 Savage is featured on the album, many critics claim that the album “is too much Drake and not enough 21 Savage”, which affects the album. To many, the album “sounds like a Drake album,” according to DBK News. However,

this is not a problem for a lot of fans like myself. The album resonates with many themes of Drake’s eighth studio album “More Life”, which topped the US Billboard Hot 200 and set streaming records when it came out. The EDM and R&B beats make this album easy to listen to. I am not tasked with deciphering well-crafted bars. Instead, I can sit back and relax to a well-produced album. This new album is not currently on either the Billboard Global 200 or the Billboard Hot 100. It is also important to consider that this album was released about two weeks after the highly-anticipated release of “Midnights” by Taylor Swift, which is setting records on both streaming services and the Billboard charts.

In the past, Drake has released albums almost every year — sometimes even twice a year, but each album does not usually reap the same success. However, the size of Drake’s discography is still impressive and should indicate the level of success he has already achieved in the music industry. &RQWDFW &DURO\Q 0DOPDQ DW PDOPFL #ZIX HGX

Life | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Page 15

Album of the year: 'Un Verano Sin Ti' Making the case for Bad Bunny's sixth studio album CAROLINE MEDEROS Contributing Writer

On May 6, 2022, Benito Ocasio Martínez, more commonly known as Bad Bunny, dropped the album of the summer — and arguably, of the year — “Un Verano Sin Ti”. The album features 23 songs and features from prominent artists including Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortez, Rauw Alejandro and many more.

His album provided a lively, tropical soundtrack for the summer after a lockdown. Even in the colder months, listening to the album’s lyrics — which never miss — transports listeners to a warm beach.

My favorite tracks from this album include “Enséñame a Bailar”, “Tarot”, “Neverita” and “Me Porto Bonito”. Outside of the music itself, the music videos for the tracks on this album are creative and enhance the listening experience by adding more depth to the tracks themselves — set against backdrops from Martinez’s native

Puerto Rico and Miami.

The album stands out among other Latin albums this year because of Martínez’s ability to combine multiple different genres of Caribbean music together.

In my opinion, the combination of these unique genres creates an album that embodies the spirit of current Caribbean Latin music. The upbeat and exciting tracks on this album have an effect on all listeners — even those who don’t speak Spanish can enjoy the vivacious energy that this album brings.

Most of the music on this album revolves around the subject of lust over various women with occasionally more romantic lyrics. Many of the songs on the latter half of this album are more emotional and carry less party energy until the last track, “Callaita”. Songs such as “Tarot” and “Ojitos Lindos” are sweeter and more romantic tracks which still bring an energetic listening experience. If you’re looking for relatively relaxed and low-key tracks, consider “Efecto” or “Aguacero”, but if you want

tracks with unmatched “hype” energy, try “El Apagón” and “Tití me Preguntó”.

“Un Verano Sin Ti” made history this \HDU E\ EHLQJ WKH ÀUVW 6SDQLVK DOEXP WR be nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy award. At the Latin Grammys RQ 1RY 0DUWLQH] ZRQ ÀYH RXW RI WKH ten awards he was nominated for just this year — two of those awards being for “Un Verano Sin Ti”. Martínez won the best Urban/Trap award at Premio lo Nuestro, the most streamed song award at the Spotify awards, and won an award at the ASCAP Latin awards for “Callaita” when it was a single featured as a bonus track in 2020, and now has won Best Urban Music Performance and Best Urban Song awards at the Latin Grammy Awards for “Tití me Preguntó”.

The album’s only drawback is its lack of variety, with the majority of the songs being chill tracks. But when it comes to an album created to be an album of the summer, this aspect is less vital than it would be for other albums. The value this album

Photo courtesy of Deezer

Bad Bunny broke into the mainstream with his 2018 feature on "I Like It". presents extends past a summer soundtrack with tracks that boost listeners up. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to this musical masterpiece yet, I’d suggest listening to it when in need of positive energy.

Contact Caroline Mederos at medecv22@wfu.edu

How George Saunders breaks your heart ADAM COIL Life Editor

(which is only two paragraphs long so, yes, I am expecting you to read it).

George Saunders is one of the most sucFHVVIXO DQG SRZHUIXO ÀFWLRQ ZULWHUV DOLYH today. He has Thomas Pynchon saying good things about him, and he’s got Zadie Smith saying things like, “not since Twain has America produced a sairist this funny” — something that functions as a compliPHQW LQ WKH VXSHUÀFLDO ERRN UHYLHZ LQGXVtry to which we’ve grown accustomed.

One accurate review, though, from Joshua Ferris, describes Saunders as “very easy RQ WKH VXUIDFH EXW LQFUHGLEO\ GLIÀFXOW RQFH you actually read him with any depth.”

Indeed, Saunders seems to be a master at writing for two distinct reading worlds.

He can satisfy someone who’s looking for television-quality entertainment, and he can keep an academic up at night with the same story. It is my belief that his ability to reconcile these two worlds is what ultimately gives his stories their emotional punch.

In an interview with The New Yorker in 2020 about his most recent short story collection, Saunders said that his “main JRDO LV WR WU\ WR JHW WKH UHDGHU WR ÀQLVK WKH story.” I read this interview after completing his short story “Ghoul” — a tale of an abandoned, underground amusement park where no visitors ever show up, and the workers get kicked to death if they speak out of line — and I must admit I felt a little bit cheated, confused and even irritated.

How could this story, which has so much going on, be made with such a simple, banal goal in mind?

A fundamentalist but not exactly fun way to go about explaining his work would NHHS LQ PLQG ÀFWLRQ ZULWLQJ DV D SURIHVsion and the art of adhering to consumer demands. It would imagine Saunders imagining his reader as a very busy woman who just got home from the grocery store and could easily turn on “The Real Housewives of Orange County” if she so pleased.

But none of that is really romantic or conducive to understanding why Saunders is a great artist.

Instead, let’s take a look at one of his most celebrated short stories, "Sticks"

"Every year Thanksgiving night we ÁRFNHG RXW EHKLQG 'DG DV KH GUDJJHG WKH 6DQWD VXLW WR WKH URDG DQG GUDSHG LW RYHU D NLQG RI FUXFLÀ[ KH G EXLOW RXW RI PHWDO SROH LQ WKH \DUG 6XSHU %RZO ZHHN WKH SROH ZDV GUHVVHG LQ D MHUVH\ DQG 5RG V KHOPHW DQG 5RG KDG WR FOHDU LW ZLWK 'DG LI KH ZDQWHG WR WDNH WKH KHOPHW RII 2Q WKH )RXUWK RI -XO\ WKH SROH ZDV 8QFOH 6DP RQ 9HWHUDQ·V 'D\ D VROGLHU RQ +DOORZHHQ D JKRVW 7KH SROH ZDV 'DG V RQO\ FRQFHVVLRQ WR JOHH :H ZHUH DOORZHG D VLQJOH &UD\ROD IURP WKH ER[ DW D WLPH 2QH &KULVWPDV (YH KH VKULHNHG DW .LPPLH IRU ZDVWLQJ DQ DSSOH VOLFH +H KRYHUHG RYHU XV DV ZH SRXUHG NHWFKXS VD\LQJ JRRG HQRXJK JRRG HQRXJK JRRG HQRXJK %LUWKGD\ SDUWLHV FRQVLVWHG RI FXSFDNHV QR LFH FUHDP 7KH ÀUVW WLPH , EURXJKW D GDWH RYHU VKH VDLG ZKDW V ZLWK \RXU GDG DQG WKDW SROH" DQG , VDW WKHUH EOLQNLQJ :H OHIW KRPH PDUULHG KDG FKLOGUHQ RI RXU RZQ IRXQG WKH VHHGV RI PHDQQHVV EORRPLQJ DOVR ZLWKLQ XV 'DG EHJDQ GUHVVLQJ WKH SROH ZLWK PRUH FRPSOH[LW\ DQG OHVV GLVFHUQLEOH ORJLF +H GUDSHG VRPH NLQG RI IXU RYHU LW RQ *URXQGKRJ 'D\ DQG OXJJHG RXW D ÁRRGOLJKW WR HQVXUH D VKDGRZ :KHQ DQ HDUWKTXDNH VWUXFN &KLOH KH OD\ WKH SROH RQ LWV VLGH DQG VSUD\ SDLQWHG D ULIW LQ WKH HDUWK 0RP GLHG DQG KH GUHVVHG WKH SROH DV 'HDWK DQG KXQJ IURP WKH FURVVEDU SKRWRV RI 0RP DV D EDE\ :H G VWRS E\ DQG À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

Whether you are reading that story for WKH ÀUVW RU WK WLPH ,·P JXHVVLQJ \RX DUH feeling slightly jarred. Like when you’re out walking and someone in very tight athletic clothing runs past you before you even have time to register their presence. Saunders is that kind of writer. He’s quick; he’s in and out, and you’re still thinking about him even after he’s crossed the street.

How does he do this?

I think one pair of sentences from “Sticks”, in particular, encompasses what Saunders does with the short story: “When an earthquake struck Chile he lay the pole on its side and spray painted a rift in the earth. Mom died and he dressed the pole as Death and hung from the crossbar photos of Mom as a baby.” In isolation, it becomes clear that he’s pretty much using the VDPH WRRO H[SHULPHQWDO 6RYLHW ÀOPPDNHUV like Kuleshov and Eisenstein used in the twentieth century — dialectical montage.

Essentially, he’s constructing meaning at PD[LPXP HIÀFLHQF\ E\ OHWWLQJ WZR YDVWO\ different sentences play off of each other and enrich one another.

What’s unique about Saunders’ juxtaposition, though, is that it’s not only used to make meaning bounce around like a beam of light between mirrors, but it also allows the story to advance at a staggering pace. It’s more than taking an absurdly funny line and putting it next to something devastating to create a unique emotional effect — it’s simultaneously generating movement, both within the reader and in the text. All of a sudden, this quirky anecdote about a dad who is a compulsive decorator turns into a sobering piece on grief and coping with mortality.

In that small couplet, Saunders completely ÁLSV WKH WRQH DQG GLUHFWLRQ RI WKH VWRU\ This concept of moving with speed and purpose is one that is consistent throughout Saunders’ work. “It’s a story, after all, not a webcam,” he writes in “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain”. It would be an understandable yet grave mistake to overlook the fact that Saunders’ dedication to keeping the UHDGHU HQWHUWDLQHG DQG HQJDJHG DQG ÁRZing alongside the story is doing more than helping him sell books — it’s actually one of his crucial devices for delivering pathos.

Let me try to explain.

The world that Saunders writes in is an extremely cynical and ironic one. It’s a world where there is little room, if any, for anything cliché, sentimental, authoritative or vulnerable. Saunders steers clear of excessively elevated language in order to avoid being seen as pretentious, and he uses humor and absurdity to avoid being seen as preachy or sappy.

He uses concise sentences that are jampacked with meaning, each one leaping from its predecessor so that, before you know it, you’re engrossed in this world that is foreign and perplexing. You become uncomfortable and confused — entirely unable to make the kind of criticism applicable to the everyday world we know and understand.

The beauty of Saunders’ style is that it is right at the moment in which you begin to understand the story world — the moment in which you are learning to play by its rules — that he drops the emotional hammer on you. It’s the moment when you least expect it. It’s after a laugh or a smirk or a scoff, but it always comes.

Just as soon as you think you understand this world that is bizarre and unrelated to you, Saunders makes his characters painfully real, and he shows you that you’re not much different from them, after all.

Saunders has mastered this timing mechanism. He knows exactly how long to leave you suspended in a bewildered state, and he knows exactly when to break your heart, too. What makes Saunders worth studying is the fact that he is a writer with the kind of dazzling postmodernist toolbox that excites and challenges the reader who’s interested in what stories can GR but he hasn’t lost or forgotten about that same reader’s visceral desires.

He knows that at the end of the day, the goal of a short story is to move someone, to make them feel something. And isn’t it much, much easier to make someone feel a story when they’re sitting there and really believing in it?

Contact Adam Coil at coilat21@wfu.edu

Page 16 | Thursday, December 1, 2022

Old Gold & Black | Life

Exploring the magic of Bollywood The incomparable charm of Indian cinema never fails to deliver PRARTHNA BATRA Staff Writer

In such a diverse country as India where there are so many different languages, cultures and walks of life, there are two binding factors that unite the country as a whole — Bollywood and Cricket. Bollywood, the Indian Cinema, is the one I prefer.

Bollywood is one of my favorite aspects of being Indian. It’s the aspect of Indian culture that makes me feel most connected to my roots and is the part of the culture that I enjoy sharing with the world the most. It’s probably annoying how much I talk about it, bring it up in conversation, reference its movies and randomly burst into singing Bollywood music.

Bollywood and Indian cinema is one of the most artistically rich fields of culture and media, and its contributions to pop culture will always be remembered.

The most common films are masala films, which freely mix different genres including action, comedy, romance, family, friendship and drama along with dramatic and highly produced musical sequences.

The most common themes that Bollywood movies explore are cheesy romances, family, marriage and all the complications that those entail when discussed in an Indian context. However, my favorite Bollywood movies are those that are progressive, modern and explore the

This particular scene in “Wake Up Sid” was shot in Mumbai and, like the character Banerjee says, week crash course in the bustling New York City. She turns herself into a confident citizen of the world who knows her self-worth and how she deserves to be treated.

This movie’s message is important for Indian women who, like the main character, haven’t ever been presented

Photo courtesy of IMDb

Shahrukh Kahn and Kajol are pictured in this scene from “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, which was shot in Switzerland and still is remembered by Bollywood buffs 27 years post-release. coming of age storyline or themes of friendship.

If I had to ask you to watch one Bollywood movie that is known worldwide but also entails the entire Bollywood movie experience, it would be “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”. Popularly known as DDLJ, this movie has been screening in one of the most iconic theaters in India, the Maratha Theatre in Mumbai, for 24 consecutive years.

Its legacy is iconic. A huge chunk of the movie is shot in Switzerland, and to this date, there are tourist locations that tons of people visit just to see where the movie was shot. It contains all the classic elements a Bollywood movie should have, the drama in the family setting, the cheesy romance plot line, grand production in terms of the location, outfits and songs. The cast bursts into song, dance and fully coordinated sequences randomly at multiple times in the movie, giving you the entire experience.

Some of the critically acclaimed and globally renowned movies that Bollywood has contributed to pop culture — that also happen to be some of my favorites — are “English Vinglish”, “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, “Dil Dhadakne Do”, “3 Idiots” and “Wake Up Sid”.

“English Vinglish” follows the mission that screen legend Sridevi takes on the impactful mission of the awakening of a woman’s self-respect. Written and directed by Gauri Shinde, it follows the transformation of a meek and simple housewife, who isn’t respected by her community or family and speaks only Hindi, but decides to take on the mission of learning English through a four-

with opportunities to discover who they really are as individuals.

“Wake Up Sid” is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. It is simple, comforting, refreshing and yet, so charming. At this time in my life, I see its hold over me more than ever. This coming of age movie is about

at the

the city

Photo courtesy of IMDb

iconic Marine Drive is indeed magical.

the two sides of growing up. When standing on the cusp of adulthood and stepping out into the real world, there are two sides to the story. One is filled with young adults who are ready to take on the world, full of ambition and hope. On the contrary, there are those who are confused, lack direction and wish they could hold on to their childhood just a little bit longer.

Released in 2009, Ayan Mukherji’s directorial debut perfectly captures both of these sides of growing up. The story follows a young Siddharth Mehra, a rich and pampered brat from Mumbai, who has to face the fact that it is time to give up his childish antics and step up as an adult. It is at this point that he meets Aisha Banerjee, who moves to Mumbai to pursue her journalistic dreams.

I remember watching this movie when I was younger.

I did not really understand the hype nor think it was irrelevant to my life. Now, the film charms me more with every rewatch. Even when I didn’t understand much, I remember fantasizing about Banerjee’s independence and her zest for life, — something I aspire to when I grow up. It was also transformative to see how the people around you can shape the person you become, like the influence Banerjee had on Mehra. This movie is about finding yourself, owning your unique personality boldly, choosing how you want to shape your life and rising up from instances that have brought you down. Thirteen years later, it is still relevant, nostalgic and hopeful and reminds us of the stories we write of our own lives.

I could go on forever talking about all of my favorite Bollywood movies, why they are all so important to pop culture and the immense impact they have had on their audiences, but I hope I have left you wanting to learn a little more about Bollywood and all of the great art it encompasses.

Contact Prarthna Bartra at batrp22@wfu.edu

The powerful Sridevi plays the role of Shashi ing her confidence and strength when she arrives in

Photo courtesy of IMDb

in “English Vinglish”, displayCentral Park in New York City.