12/02/21 Full Edition

News: WakerSpace marks three years Page 6

Opinion: Trump's infrastructure tirades are hypocritical Page 7

Sports: Previewing the ACC Cham- Life: "THE EMOJI MOVIE" pionship against Pitt TAKEOVER Page 10 Pages 14-16

Old Gold&Black

WAKE FOREST’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1916 VOL. 108, NO. 14

T H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 21 “Cover s the campus like the magnolias”

wfuogb.com

"Turkeypalooza" spreads Thanksgiving joy Campus Kitchen distributed 601 Thanksgiving meals to foodinsecure community members

BY EMILY TORO Asst. News Editor toroer20@wfu.edu

part of the care model at the UCC throughout the Spring 2022 semester. The goal is that, with this addition, students will be able to more readily access quality care.

“We know the pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental and emotional wellbeing of college students across the country,” Wente said.

Sophomore Hasan Pyrali referred to the implementation of TimelyCare as “something that students are really looking forward to.”

Now, one of the biggest challenges is easing the tension between students and the UCC as these changes occur. Coming off of the rapid access model, many students are wary of the possibility of more changes.

The University Counseling Center has been a prominent topic on campus throughout much of the Fall semester.

In an effort to mitigate food insecurity in the Winston-Salem area during the holiday season, during the week of Nov. 13, Campus Kitchen prepared 601 meals during their 15th annual Turkeypalooza.

“Turkeypalooza is our biggest event of the semester, and it is a time that the Wake Forest community and the Campus Kitchen come together to make fresh, scratchmade Thanksgiving meals from donations from people in the community and grocery stores,” Campus Kitchen Co-coordinator Sophie Brown said.

Brown continued: “We also got donations from campus gardens, so we work with a lot of different groups to provide the supplies that we then take and make into a massive meal.”

Brown said that the annual event falls on the same week as Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Campus Kitchen holds events the same week as Turkeypalooza to help address food insecurity, including one that works to recover food from grocery stores and non-profits that would have otherwise been thrown away.

“Thanksgiving, and just the holiday season in general, is a really tough time for some families, especially families who don't have access to fresh food,” Brown said. “This is a time when we can work with the community to provide these meals and provide the holiday spirit.”

Over 100 volunteers helped to prepare meals. Over the course of the week, Americorps VISTA Cierra Palmer helped coordinate the shifts of volunteers.

“My role this year was to make sure we had volunteers to help us,” Palmer said. “I created the shifts in GivePulse based on the shifts schedules we already had. I also coordinated with some student groups to set up volunteer shifts for their organizations.

Throughout the week, I shuttled volunteers back and forth from our lounge to the new kitchen space.”

Last year, volunteers weren’t allowed to work in the kitchen due to COVID-19.

This year, volunteers were able to prepare, cook and deliver meals.

“This year, we were able to have more volunteers in the shifts than in years past,” Palmer said. “Because of the expansion of Campus Kitchen during fall of 2019, we were able to use the old Winston-Salem Christian School kitchen."

See UCC, Page 4

See Turkeypalooza, Page 5

Lucius You/ Old Gold & Black

The University Counseling Center will return to its pre-rapid access treatment model starting next semester, according to Director Dr. Warrenetta Mann. The university will also offer free telehealth sessions.

UCC will return to longterm care in spring 2022 Wake Forest will also partner with an off-campus telehealth provider to ensure care beyond the UCC

BY BREANNA LAWS Staff Writer lawsbn21@wfu.edu

The rapid access model currently used at the University Counseling Center will not be in effect to begin the spring semester, according to University Counseling Center Director Dr. Warrenetta Mann.

Mann supported the rapid access model, as it was intended as a way to quickly give access to students facing short-term difficulties. Rapid access treatment was implemented after midterms and before finals, as this is considered a "high-demand time” in the center.

“Rapid access was a temporary thing,” Mann said. She stressed that the treatment model was intended to allow for more appointments to be made during a particularly high-stress period of the academic year.

It was never intended to be a permanent structure — something that Mann said often got lost in translation between students and the UCC. Starting in the spring, the UCC will revert back to its old structure that it had used before the rapid access model. This structure allows students to contact the UCC and schedule appointments in advance and for more regularity in counseling center visits, which was the primary concern of students regarding the rapid access model.

Before Thanksgiving break, President Susan Wente also announced that the university will be partnering with TimelyCare, a telehealth provider. This service will be a

Old Gold & Black

One final“ letter from the editor This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board.

I have spent nearly four years walking the hallowed campus of Wake Forest. Through multiple academic challenges, personal hardships and times of extreme spiritual and emotional growth, I have spent the most meaningful and formative moments of my life here at Wake Forest. Perhaps the most formative experience I have been blessed enough to partake in, however, is my involvement and position with the Old Gold & Black.

When I came to college, I – like every other human being – was a Pre-med. Shocker. I cited my reasons for studying to be a doctor as wanting to help people and challenge myself academically while doing it. Fast forward three months

And now, my term as EIC is over...My time here has come and gone. And I am ecstatic to see the places the next editorial board brings to this organization and this school.

into freshman year, and that dream quickly fell apart – along with my GPA. My personal and academic identity was gone, along with my sense of self. I was aimless.

Then, I took my first journalism class. Instantly, my passion for journalism took off. I signed up to write for every section (though my true allegiance lies with Opinion), and I was happy.

I’ll save the boring timeline tale for another day, but essentially I went from opinion writer to assis-

Old Gold&Black

tant editor and then to Editor in Chief. And now, my term as EIC is over.

I must admit, I still have imposter syndrome in this position. I recognize the many editorial mistakes I’ve made and know that I am far from perfect. I’m also far from the best EIC this newspaper will have, and that’s a good thing.

I am incredibly proud of the work my team and I have done within the past year.

We started two podcasts, installed an investigative reporting team, covered stories about sexual assault, COVID-19, racial profiling, student organizations and more.

But it is only a step. My time here has come and gone. And I am

ecstatic to see the places the next editorial board brings to this organization and this school.

Sincerely as always, Alexandra Karlinchak Meet the 2022 Ed Board: Editor-in-Chief: Connor McNeely Managing Editors: Selinna Tran (Print), Aine Pierre (Online) and Cooper Sullivan (Multimedia) News: Emily Toro and Christa Dutton Features: Meredith Prince and Chase Bagnall-Koger Opinion: Sophie Guymon and Maryum Khanum Sports: Essex Thayer and Christina DeNovio Life: Adam Coil and Josie Scratchard

Old Gold&In Your Ears

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSIT Y SINCE 1916 ALEXANDRA KARLINCHAK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF karlae18@wfu.edu

BEN CONROY

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR conrbd19@wfu.edu

>> NEWS

Aine Pierre, pierav20@wfu.edu

Assts.

Cooper Sullivan, sullcg20@wfu.edu Emily Toro, toroer20@wfu.edu

>> OPINION

Connor Mcneely, mcnecb19@wfu.edu Asst.

Sophie Guymon, guymsm20@wfu.edu

>> SPORTS

Christina DeNovio, denoca20@wfu.edu Essex Thayer, thayse20@wfu.edu

>> LIFE

Selinna Tran, transn19@wfu.edu Asst.

Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu

>> PHOTO EDITOR

Katie Fox, foxkg19@wfu.edu

>> AUDIO EDITOR

Evan Daane, daanep19@wfu.edu

>> ADVISER

Phoebe Zerwick, zerwicp@wfu.edu

CHARLIE BENEDICT

BUSINESS MANAGER benecc19@wfu.edu

WILL ZIMMERMAN

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR zimmwj19@wfu.edu

>> PODCAST HOSTS

Evan Daane, daanep19@wfu.edu Cooper Sullivan, sullcg20@wfu.edu Edited by Sean Jones, jonesd19@wfu.edu

Scan our code and listen to the latest episode on Spotify.

>> POLICIES

The Old Gold & Black is published Thursdays during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Triangle Printing of Durham. © 2021 WFU Media Board. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all editorials and advertisements contained within this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the OGB. 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 debate, profane, vulgar, or inflammatory comments 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 karlae18@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: @wfu_ogb Instagram: @wfu_ogb Snapchat: @wfu_ogb

Want to write for us?

Email wfuogb@gmail.com

News | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Page 3

Deacon Profile: Mason Goodwyn

BY MEREDITH PRINCE Staff Writer prinmc21@wfu.edu

things that would be popular at Wake Forest. For other ideas, I’ll brainstorm what’s currently popular, what is attracting people online or I’ll go around on campus asking what people would like to see in a new video. I’m planning on hopefully making content in the future with athletes, hopefully football, basketball or soccer, or I’ll make videos with different people in general, maybe across colleges.

I want to just keep expanding my brand as fast as possible.

Mason Goodwyn is a freshman from Leesburg, Va. who intends to major in mathematical business. He is a member of the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) on campus, the Leadership and Character Scholars and Student Government. After gaining popularity on the social media app Tik Tok, he decided to launch his own YouTube channel, where he shares the Wake Forest experience on the internet. He has since earned over 3,700 subscribers, and he hopes to continue growing his channel.

What are your ultimate goals when it comes to your channel? In other words, what do you hope to get out of creating content on YouTube?

Tell me a little about your Tik Tok experience, and how it started your interest in becoming an influencer.

One goal is that I would like to share my Christian faith, what God has blessed me with and what God can bless others with. I want to share that he has given me this platform and that I wouldn’t have this platform or be at Wake Forest without him. Other than that, I would like to have at least 100,000 subscribers on YouTube by the end of my four years, and for Instagram, I would like to be verified with at least 10,000 followers. I also truly want to make an impact on Wake Forest overall and on their online social media presence.

In the summer of 2019, my sister began showing me how funny people on Tik Tok were and how they were going viral.

I always thought I had the potential to become an influencer one day, so I did my research on how to go viral on Tik Tok. I used all the strategies I found to gain around 15,000 followers in about 10 days. Throughout the first semester of my junior year of high school, I grew my account to around 45,000 followers. I made funny content that was relevant, and I did my research on how to keep promoting my videos to a wider audience.

Clearly, you have had a lot of successes as an influencer thus far. However, what are the biggest challenges you face when creating content and trying to make it as a YouTuber?

So, essentially, your Tik Tok fame inspired you to start your YouTube channel. Could you tell me more about that?

Over time, I started thinking about starting a YouTube channel, because Tik Tok isn’t as profitable as YouTube is in the long-term. I thought that if I wanted to do something long-term, YouTube would probably be the best medium and a better form of passive income. I saw how other college YouTubers made great videos for their schools. When I was applying to colleges, I was looking through “Day in the Life” videos. So I thought that whatever school I ended up deciding on, I would start a YouTube channel and make “Day in the Life” videos for that school.

I thought it would be a great opportunity to expose Wake Forest to a wide audience while building my own brand.

Because there were no videos before, now when people look up Wake Forest, I’ll actually be the face of Wake Forest online. High schoolers who are applying are going to know me before they even get to campus. I have kids that are touring now coming up to me and new people on campus noticing me every day.

Where do you find the confidence to openly share your college experience for everyone to see?

Courtesy of Mason Goodwyn

I think my confidence has definitely grown, especially after I started using Tik Tok. I wasn’t really talking on Tik Tok, but I was still showing my face, trying new things and making funny content. People can still joke about me and critique me, and that gave me the confidence to move over to YouTube. If I wanted to achieve my dreams and try to be an influencer, I had to take small risks — one at a time​​ — to put myself out there and try new things. I learned that your first video is never going to be perfect.

When it came time to actually film my first video on campus, I didn’t want to think about what other people thought of me. I just thought of my goal, what I wanted to achieve and where I wanted to be in 4 years. I took out my camera

and just started vlogging on campus. It was a bit awkward, walking around campus with a camera, but I just had to keep going. Over time, more people started noticing the channel, and more people would come up to me during the videos.

I think it’s God who is giving me the confidence to keep pushing on and trying new things.

How do you come up with content for your channel?

A lot of the time, I will look at what’s happening in my niche and what’s working for other curators. I’ll look at the top college YouTubers and their most popular videos — such as “Day in the Life” videos or other videos surrounding college topics, and I’ll replicate it and add

You can’t be a perfectionist, and that’s one thing I had to learn. You can’t always perfect things to the best of your ability or to the level of other top creators. It took everybody time and a process to get to where they are, and 1 million subscribers do not come overnight. You have to realize that you have to put in the time and effort of learning how to edit, create thumbnails, contact new people and buy camera equipment. I’m just trying to trust God and work hard every day to see how far I can take this dream of hopefully becoming an influencer.

So, what’s next for your channel?

I’m definitely looking to hit 5,000 subscribers by the end of this year, which is the next small milestone, and I might get back on Tik Tok. I recently took a hiatus from Tik Tok, so I’m looking to hopefully make Tik Tok content again. I don’t know what, but it might be relevant to what I was doing in the past — relatable, funny content — ​​ or it might be new college content.

Editor's Note: This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.

EDITORIAL STATEMENT As the semester comes to a close, the Old Gold & Black is looking toward the future.

As we wrote in our editorial this week, our new leadership is excited to take the helm of this storied publication. With new faces come new opportunities and so we are excited to announce the creation of the Old Gold & Black investigative committee.

The investigative committee will continue our work of uncovering the ways in which Wake Forest handles sexual violence. We will also be investigating other important aspects of Wake Forest life, such as social issues, physical considerations -- dorms, food, etc. -- and any other issues brought to our attention.

We are now accepting applications to the OGB investigative team over winter break.

Potential candidates may be any individual that is dedicated to reporting Wake Forest news and learning about the university and its surrounding community. The Old Gold & Black is also always open for tips and external help from information-collecting campus organizations.

Please contact our incoming Editor-in-Chief, Connor McNeely at mcnecb19@wfu to express interest. We hope that you will consider joining us as we strive to continue shedding light on this campus’ most pressing issues.

Page 4 | Thursday, December 2, 2021

Old Gold & Black| News

UCC: Center reverts to original model Continued from Page 1 Discussion around the center remains often in a negative light as students become frustrated with the changes that have occurred within treatment options for students.

In response to this, Mann assured the Old Gold & Black that there will be “no more changes for this year” once the UCC reverts back to its original method of treating students. In the spring, students should also expect any changes in the method of treatment at the UCC, either. Additionally, appointments may now be made on a normal basis, according to Mann.

Additionally, Mann states that she believes many students do not have a full understanding of what the UCC offers or how it is intended to be used.

“I do not want students to continue to be confused,” Mann said regarding treatment at the center.

Pyarali said that the communication between the center and students has been “lackluster.” He remarked that many students “needed therapy and didn’t go, because they thought that they wouldn’t be seen” after the announcement of changes from the UCC. “That’s not the students’ fault. It is entirely the UCC’s fault,” Pyrali said.

The UCC itself has been understaffed this past semester, and it has not been able to hire new counselors to fulfill student needs due to a nationwide care worker shortage. These staffing shortages and an influx of students needing support have made the role of the UCC a difficult one to fill. Different tactics have been used to combat this issue.

One tactic the UCC implemented was the rapid access therapy model, which would only allow students to make same-day appointments on a firstcome, first-served basis. This structure was implemented as a way to prioritize students that first made appointments and wished for short-term care.

The transition to this mode of treatment was announced through an Instagram post that used the language of break-up three weeks prior to when the change took effect. Many students found this to be distasteful, and they voiced their opinions in multiple different ways, including sending in comments to the Old Gold & Black.

In addition to the shock surrounding the suddenness of the news, students also held many concerns regarding the new treatment design. Many believed

that this design neglected the fact that many students on campus need more long-term options. For those students, off-campus resources were suggested.

But, access to these resources is often limited for a variety of reasons.

Students can visit counselingcenter. wfu.edu to find out more information regarding its services, as well as to get information regarding appointments.

Currently, appointments are only available virtually. However, this may change next semester as the UCC continues to follow shifting guidelines during the pandemic.

If students want to make an appointment at the UCC, they can call 336.758.5273 during regular business hours. This same number can link students to emergency crisis assistance 24 hours a day.

StArt gallery showcases student artwork The annual StArt exhibit a chocolate company could treat people and family members touching her. She like that but then write happy-go-lucky titled her piece “Equilibrium”. showcases artwork from a quotes inside of their wrappers.”

“All these hands represent something She immediately got to work hot glu- different,” Falletta said. “They are the diverse swath of students

BY CHRISTA DUTTON Staff Writer duttcd20@wfu.edu

“Let it Show!” is the annual holiday student art exhibit at the stArt gallery located in Reynolda Village. The gallery features art created by Wake Forest students and allows students to gain experience in the visual arts market by giving them a space to professionally showcase and sell their work. Submissions were welcomed from all Wake Forest students, regardless of their major or year.

The gallery contains a wide range of artistic media, including photography, paintings, sketches and sculptures.

Some of the featured artists shared what kind of statement or story their piece communicates.

Sophomore Emily Clark created a sculpture that spoke to exploitative labor and poverty. Her inspiration for the work began with a bag of chocolate.

“My friends and I were studying at a table outside of Shorty’s eating Dove chocolates,” Clark said. “And we were laughing at how the inside of the wrappers had funny little quotes inside of them. Like, ‘There’s always a rainbow at the end of the storm’ or ‘You look beautiful’ or just other funny inspirational quotes like that. We just thought that was so silly.”

Their laughter soon gave way to inspiration. Clark had just been assigned a project for an art history class in which she had to create a piece of art that was historically based. While snacking on the chocolates, she remembered some disturbing facts she had recently learned about the chocolate industry.

“I had just learned about the exploitative history of the chocolate industry,” Clark said.

She continued: “A lot of cacao farmers are horribly mistreated and never even get to taste the cacao beans they tirelessly harvest. I found it interesting that

ing Dove chocolate wrappers to bent concrete wire in a tapestry-like pattern.

She titled the piece “Bitter Aftertaste”.

“Having the ability to turn my art into the art show and have it be accepted showed me that it was worthy of being shown to other people,” Clark said.

Sophomore Claire Falletta submitted a photograph that told a personal story of familial love and balance. Her work is a self-portrait she created for an art class she took as a freshman. She was enduring many changes in her life at the time, and she wanted to create a piece that communicated how the people in her life provided her with balance during a time that was anything but balanced. The photograph is of her with the hands of different friends

hands that helped me grow up and made me who I am.”

She continued: “Without all of these people, and without all of these good and bad parts of life, one would not have equilibrium.”

Freshman Sofia Trujillo submitted a sculpture installation piece entitled “Grip of the Past / Silenced” that makes a statement about feminism and sexual assault. The piece contains three distinct layers: the canvas, the painting and the photographs. Each piece communicates and sexual assault survivors.

Her inspiration came partly from the student protest that occurred on Aug. 28 and also the ongoing #MeToo movement. Through knowing survivors of sexual assault and listening to

their stories, Trujillo noticed that survivors often put up a façade and pretend everything is okay even when it is not.

She wanted to capture that in her art and explore why women often feel they cannot speak out.

Trujillo said this is a piece she has wanted to create for a long time and is glad she was finally able to accomplish it.

“Since I had the resources, I decided to do what I’ve always wanted to do, which is create a big installation that makes people a little uncomfortable. It is loud, it draws attention and it has a poignant message that is relevant to our contemporary era,” Trujillo said. “It’s this massive story.”

The gallery contains many more pieces of art from a diverse group of Wake Forest student artists, some of which are for sale. The exhibit will be open until Dec. 11.

Christa Dutton/Old Gold & Black

“Grip of the Past/Silenced” (pictured above), a piece of protest art by freshman Sofia Trujillo, is on display this week and next in Reynolda Village as part of the StArt Gallery.

News | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Page 5

Turkeypalooza: CK delivers over 600 meals Continued from Page 1 Palmer continued: “[The second kitchen] gave us more space to hold volunteers and up the number of meals that we usually do.”

Palmer added: “Last year, we were only allowed to have Leadership Team members make the meals due to stricter COVID-19 rules. Since things have calmed down, we were able to host more volunteers. We just doubled the number of volunteers that we have in our normal cooking and delivery shifts.”

Palmer also helped support Brown, Morton and Brad Shugoll, the associate director of service and leadership in the Office of Civic & Community Engagement, which manages Campus Kitchen.

“We all worked together to figure out how many meals community partners wanted. From there we made a shift schedule for people to come and volunteer," Brown said. “We worked on a lot of the logistics. I did all the numbers for produce and the supplies for the cookies and things like that. We were also heavily involved in the fundraising aspect, so we got the crowdfund link up and running.”

Brown added that, sometimes, executive members ended up working until 1 a.m. to ensure operations were running smoothly after volunteers left.

“Turkeypalooza is one of my favorite times of the entire year, it’s just a really good way to get involved in the community,” Brown said. “I met so many new people by being at a shift and showing people the ropes of the

kitchen. It's a time to build a community and a time to do something to-

gether. I love that kind of community that it builds.”

Courtesy of Spectrum News

During Turkeypalooza, Campus Kitchen volunteers work to make Thanksgiving meals for folks in need.

Campus celebrates winter holiday festivities Some of Wake Forest's beloved winter holiday traditions return in person this week

BY COOPER SULLIVAN Asst. News Editor sullcg20@wfu.edu

When students went home after Thanksgiving break last year and did not return for the end of the semester, many beloved winter traditions were put on hold. There was no Lighting of the Quad, Lovefeast was conducted virtually and Hanukkah festivities were held at home. But now that campus will be full of students yearning for a bright outlook during the end of the semester, winter celebrations are back in full swing.

This past Monday, Nov. 29, marked the second night of Hanukkah and the first menorah-lighting ceremony hosted by Wake Forest Jewish Life. Over 100 members of the Wake Forest community, including students, faculty and President Susan Wente gathered on Manchester Plaza around a giant metal menorah, an inflatable dreidel and tables of latkes and jelly donuts.

“I think we learned two things this year — Wake Forest is a football school and a Jewish school,” Rabbi Levi Gurevitz, co-director of Chabad at Wake Forest and owner of the menorah, said regarding the large turnout on a below-freezing night.

Ella Sadikman, sophomore and copresident of Wake Forest’s Hillel chapter, echoed Gurevitz’s excitement.

“The Jewish community on campus is a little small, but it's definitely strong,” Sadikman said. “We have a lot of people who consistently show up, and it's really exciting to see everybody come because we did not think it was going to be this big. It’s very exciting.”

In addition to the remarks from Gurevitz, Associate Chaplain of Jewish Life Gail Bretan expressed her gratitude to students who came out to celebrate. Wente also spoke before lighting the middle candle, and Dean of Students Adam Goldstein led prayer

during the lighting of the remaining two candles.

“The thing about Hanukkah that’s interesting is that when you light a candle, the flame of the first one is not extinguished,” Bretan said. “The fact that we're all together and we are all sharing our flames, it's beyond belief.”

Throughout the week Hillel will host more celebratory events, like the Dec. 3 Hanukkah party, "events in their lounge," complete with more latkes and jelly donuts.

Tuesday evening saw the return of the Lighting of the Quad ceremony, as luminaries lined the edges of the grass and string lights adorned the trees already covered with toilet paper. Organized by the Student Union, the nearly two-hour long ceremony had a capella performances and a speech from Wente. Students were able to grab cups of hot chocolate as they stood around the front of Reynolda Hall admiring the music and bright lights.

Sophomore Jiayi Zhou helped organize the event and was excited to have the Wake Forest community celebrate in person again as it “allowed people to interact with each other and celebrate this festival season together.”

Another tradition returning to campus on Dec. 5 is the annual Moravian Lovefeast in Wait Chapel. Different from past celebrations, this year's Lovefeast will only be available to Wake Forest students, faculty, staff and invited guests to mitigate potential viral transmission into the Winston-Salem area. Because of the decreased number of guests, there will only be one service at 7:30 p.m. Overflow seats will be available in Brendle Recital Hall.

“The Lovefeast traditionally has been an embodied experience,” University Chaplain Timothy Auman said. “You engage all of your senses. Your senses of taste and smell and sight and hearing with the smell of beeswax candles, the traditional Moravian coffee, the Lovefeast buns, and then the incredible music. And the music this year is just going to be remarkable.”

For the first time, the Wake Forest Gospel Choir will be joined by the

Winston-Salem State Singing Rams, as well as by select instrumentalists.

Auman did caution that the sense of taste will have to take a backseat during this year’s ceremony, as coffee and bread will not be served to stay in compliance with university mask policies. Instead, there will be a reception on Hearn Plaza prior to the official ceremony for students to attend before doors open at 6:30 p.m.

“There's something about the Lovefeast that is transformative,” Auman

said. “It's healing, which seems especially important given what we've all gone through over the past 20 months."

Auman continued: "Doing Lovefeast in person is very different than celebrating from a distance or celebrating virtually. You can gather people around you and celebrate the Lovefeast via live stream, but to do it in person really is quite remarkable. The Lovefeast itself acts upon us in different ways and that can be just a lovely moment.”

Vanessa Christabel/ Old Gold & Black

President Susan Wente lights the middle candle of the menorah on Manchester Plaza Monday night.

Old Gold & Black | News

Page 6 | Thursday, December 2, 2021

Capitol riot reverberates in politics classrooms In the aftermath of the Capitol riot, politics professors retool the teaching of American democracy

BY AINE PIERRE News Editor pierav20@wfu.edu On a chilly October morning in Dr. Sara Dahill-Brown’s Economic Inequality and American Politics class, my classmates and I were greeted by a slide featuring an image of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Brown began their lecture by telling the class that they normally let the class debate whether American politics were broken, but after the Capitol riot, they were skipping the debate and stating the fracture outright.

That is the impetus for this story.

There is no doubt that the events of Jan. 6 opened many Americans’ eyes to the flaws in our political system — but, did the Capitol riot change how politics professors teach American politics?

Moreover, did it change how politics students conceptualized politics? ...

Dr. Zachary Scott teaches what he calls a “trifecta” of courses relevant to Jan. 6. He teaches a class on conspiracy

theories, a class on the American presidency and a class on media politics. The insurrection has played heavily into at least one of his classes.

“In my political misinformation and conspiracy theory class, I have my students working on research projects throughout the semester; specifically, I had them doing projects about Jan. 6, and so they all came up with their own research questions for that,” Scott said.

Scott also began focusing on Jan. 6 in his own research — analyzing Republican attitudes toward Trump and the insurrection on Twitter.

Dr. Tess Wise teaches POL 113, the intro course for American politics. She believes the Jan. 6 attack fundamentally changed how she taught American politics.

“One of the things that the insurrection really drove home for me was the importance of teaching white supremacy as a political system,” Wise said. “The insurrection made students a lot more aware of white supremacists, and I wanted to use that as an opportunity to show them that white supremacy is not just these individual actors. It is a giant structural system.”

Wise also altered the classic order of her intro courses, which usually start with an explanation of institutions like the presidency. Not after Jan. 6, though.

“I wanted to present these institutions as fundamentally contested, as fundamentally constructed and also as being implicated in the politics of white supremacy,” Wise said. “So I did very conscious work early in the semester to discuss things like positionality and intersectionality; and to give students theoretical tools like Racial Contract Theory so they would be able to identify the mechanics of how white supremacy functions as a political system.”

Wise said that students also seem more interested in understanding whiteness and white supremacy in the aftermath of Jan. 6.

For Dr. James Morone, who teaches POL 113 as well as American Political Thought, Jan. 6 underscored a pattern in American politics of more violent polarization.

“I think when we were talking about polarization, there’s a usual set of topics and a study of how polarization has been increasing for decades,” Morone said.

“But, now there’s this additional chapter to that conversation about this further escalation in which people really start engaging in conflict beyond our normal political system.”

Politics major and senior Rory Britt also noted polarization as one of his main takeaways from the events of Jan. 6.

“Before Jan. 6, I truly felt that nearly any political disagreement between the left and right was surmountable with words. Now, I find that there truly is a significant segment that will assert its beliefs through any means, particularly violence,” Britt said.

Other professors are also teaching about this form of non-normative mobilization, but are more interested in why people are mobilizing in this way. One such professor is Dr. Andrew Proctor, who teaches a class on political parties.

“I find students are really engaged with trying to understand what is bringing different people or different parts of society out to the streets and then also thinking about both the democratic and non-democratic aspects of those movements,” Proctor said. “So, what does the mobilization of these citizens on Jan. 6 tell us about how we understand democracy in this country?”

Ultimately, professors have taken this moment to reaffirm the importance of democratic citizenship.

“I think Jan. 6 created new openings for engaging students on what it means to live in a democratic society — or a society that purports itself to value democracy,” Proctor said. “It was a way to invite students into thinking about those big questions we have about what kind of society and world we want to live in.”

WakerSpace celebrates its third anniversary In three years, the space has grown to include more supplies and to reach more students

BY CHASE BAGNALL-KOGER Staff Writer bagncm21@wfu.edu Tucked between Magnolia and Dogwood residence halls lies WakerSpace, a collaborative space filled with creative outlets for WFU students and staff on the Reynolda Campus to use free of cost.

On Nov. 18, after a three-and-a-half-year planning process and years of collaboration with departments in diverse academic and administrative departments, WakerSpace celebrated its third anniversary.

WakerSpace has been used by visitors to work on projects which range from podcasts to 3D printing, leatherworking, printmaking and creating jewelry. It is also available for professors to hold class in and has been used for nine classes this year. For instance, sections of the Spanish department have used the Space to create puppets for upcoming presentations. The only rule: if you are in the WakerSpace, you have to make!

As students walk through the doors of WakerSpace, they find that the room is immediately teeming with life: housemade artwork lines the walls, a brightly colored bulletin board advertises the Space’s upcoming initiatives and armchairs positioned around a central table provide space for students to socialize and create together.

This sense of community is a pillar of WakerSpace — the program is staffed almost exclusively by student volunteers,

who welcome visitors and show them which picked up materials in-person and commodate its expanding array of equipthe ins and outs of what the program put the artwork together over Zoom. ment and more frequent visitors. The has to offer. Anyone is welcome to join The space also organized the creation of Space is currently hosted in “modulars,” in – WakerSpace is always accepting new 5,500 3D-printed facemask clips, which a building created several years ago when volunteers. were donated to Baptist Hospital and six trailers were glued together and oc“I enjoy working at WakerSpace be- WFU Student Health Services. cupied by a branch of Student Health cause, especially this year, everyone here Despite the interruption of COVID- Services. is really good friends,” junior Jazmin 19-related changes on campus — durTo support students and staff during Aguliar said. “We have a really good ing which the space still saw an average “finals season” as the semester comes to group of people.” of 14-15 visitors a day — the Space has an end, WakerSpace has organized addiThe welcoming environment and the experienced exponential growth in the tional events to promote stress managewide variety of materials available at number of daily visitors. WakerSpace has ment; notably, the “Art of Relaxation”, WakerSpace is the product of several also added equipment, including four ad- which will take place on Wednesday, years of work. The idea for the Space ditional 3D printers, an additional laser Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will invite was first pitched in 2014 by a team of cutter and a store-bought CNC router visitors to enjoy music and each other’s Wake Forest students and two employ- that will debut in the Spring 2022 semes- company while working on paintings of ees — Paul Whitener and Pete Santago ter. their choice. In keeping with the spirit — known as the Technology Innovation “There are so many supplies available of WakerSpace, the event will be open to Program (TIP). in one space — it’s amazing,” freshman all.

The concept of the WakerSpace is par- Bella Reyes said.

“We’re very focused on continuing to tially inspired by the “MakerSpaces” that As WakerSpace continues to grow, the collaborate with people from every school the group studied on college campuses Space’s staff hopes to make the facility a on campus,” Whitener said. “Everyone is within the ACC and throughout the more permanent home on campus to ac- welcome at WakerSpace.”

United States. Vice President of Information Systems Mur Muchane aided in coordinating meetings with the appropriate administrators, and, after the group refined and perfected the pitch, the idea was approved and WakerSpace was born.

“The students did all the work, they deserve all the credit for getting everything up to the administration,” WakerSpace Assistant Director Paul Whitener said.

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, WakerSpace was one of the few common areas on campus that remained consistently open for inperson visits. While students navigated the transition to online learning, WakKatie Fox/Old Gold & Black erSpace adapted its programs to align with COVID-19 protocols. WakerSpace Now beginning its fourth year serving Wake Forest, the implemented “Take ‘n Make” crafts, in WakeSpace allows students to pursue a variety of creative projects.

OPINION

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PAG E 7

Online Editor:

OLD GOLD & BLACK

at : w w w. w f u o g b . c o m

C o n n o r M c N e e l y, m c n e c b 19 @ w f u . e d u

Asst. Editor:

Sophie Guymon, guymsm20@wfu.edu

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

Oval Offense

Trump's infrastructure tirades are hypocritical Donald Trump positions himself against the advancement of nation's faltering infrastructure

BY MARYAM KHANUM Contributing Columnist khanmg20@wfu.edu

In August of this year, former President Donald Trump announced his opposition to President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, threatening to withhold support from any GOP senator who supported the bill.

“Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill will be used against the Republican Party in the upcoming elections in 2022 and 2024, Trump said in a statement, "It will be very hard for me to endorse anyone foolish enough to vote in favor of this deal."

In a procedural vote just hours after Trump issued his threat-ridden statement, eighteen GOP senators voted in favor of the bill.

With the bill having been signed into law on Nov. 15 by President Biden, Trump’s criticism towards the Republican Party has persisted, now directed toward the nineteen Senate Republicans that voted to advance the infrastructure bill.

[Despite the former president’s disparaging comments, the infrastructure bill will actually provide a large amount of muchneeded funding in the way of rehabilitating the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.]

According to the White House, about 20% of the nation's significant roads and highways and about 45,000 bridges are in poor condition. The bill dedicates about $150 million to fix these specific issues in what the White House has determined to be the largest dedicated bridge investment since the 1950s. Moreover, the bill contains efforts to improve both transportation safety and mitigate climate change.

Ironically, during his presidency, Trump’s policies indicated that he did actually recognize the need to upgrade the nation’s faltering infrastructure — he was just incapable of accomplishing this goal. A $1 trillion bill was amongst his campaign promises when he first ran for the presidency in 2016. Later, in 2019, he met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in order to discuss pursuing an overarching infrastructure plan. However, mere days after these negotiations, members of Trump’s own party (including his White House chief of staff and congressional Republicans) voiced their opposition to Trump’s plans, and the initiative began to falter. In a later bipartisan meeting with Democratic leaders, Trump stated that he would refuse to work with lawmakers investigating

Photo courtesy of Jim Lo Scalzo/Shutterstock

President Biden signs the infrastructure bill into law at the White House on Nov. 15.

The bill will introduce sweeping changes to the nation's transportation systems. -

his own scandals, and stormed out when Pelosi informed him that his plan to build a giant border wall would not gain congressional backing. His attempts to blame his bill's lack of progress on Democratic leaders was heavily undermined by the fact that he could not get his own party to support him, and despite conducting multiple “Infrastructure Weeks”, Trump was unable to make any significant headway in the pursuit of rehabilitating the nation’s infrastructure.

Yet, Trump continues to denigrate the infrastructure plan as formulated and passed

by President Biden, heavily condemning the members of his party that facilitated the bill's passage, particularly Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“Why is it that 'Old Crow Mitch McConnell' voted for a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Plan, and induced others in his party to do likewise when he was incapable of getting a great infrastructure plan wanting to be put forward by me and the Republican Party?” Trump said in a statement. “All Republicans who voted for Democrat longevity should be ashamed of themselves.”

However, his comments have been surprisingly ineffective in swaying the GOP, instead eliciting critical recoil from Republican lawmakers toward the former President. Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota in particular, who had largely supported Trump, explicitly expressed his support for Biden’s infrastructure bill and disdain towards Trump’s attempts to halt the bill. In fact, Cramer highlighted a particularly significant nuance present throughout Trump’s condemnatory comments.

“He didn’t give one reason why it’s a bad deal, other than it’s Joe Biden’s [bill] ... I think he’s wrong on this issue,” he said.

As a political figure that evidently understands the merits of a sweeping infrastructure bill and recognizes the bill’s necessity, Trump has positioned himself not only against Democrats but against any advancement of the nation in which Democrats have a hand. In fact, he took it one step further, denouncing members of his own party that aimed to work alongside their political rivals in order to rebuild America. Essentially, Trump has indicated that his priorities do not lie with the nation or even with the American people, but in impeding the efforts of his rivals as much as possible.

The precedent set by the former President, who is still widely supported — by two-thirds of all Republicans and Republican-leaning independents — is one of competition and polarization rather than one of cooperation and advancement. As a potential candidate for the 2024 presidential election, Trump’s apparent vision for the nation following these principles is, quite frankly, terrifying. Furthermore, his chances in a presidential election seem better than before. As of now, Biden’s approval rating sits at about 40%, making him one of the most unpopular presidents of all time at this point in a first term. Moreover, the way the gubernatorial elections in both Virginia and New Jersey transpired indicate a nationwide shift towards the GOP. Ultimately, if this shift continues and is permeated by Trump’s brand of partisanship, it could lead to the inauguration of a newer, more aggressive Trump administration in 2024.

Opinion | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Page 8

“ Injustice persists despite Arbery verdict Racial Justice

The American legal system is still riddled with racism in spite of a just verdict being reached

Sophie Guymon

Asst. Opinion Editor guymsm20@wfu.edu

On Feb. 23, 2020, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was killed while jogging on the outskirts of Brunswick, GA. Arbery was shot twice in the chest, and also wounded in the wrist. This crime did not gain national attention until video footage of the incident was circulated on social media — two months had passed with no arrests made.

On Wednesday Nov. 24, a jury found three white men — Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan — guilty of Arbery’s death. They were also indicted on separate federal charges of hate crimes and attempted kidnapping, and they are expected to stand trial for these charges in February 2021. While this verdict represents a clear strike against systemic racism, racism was still present within the trial.

The jury was stacked with 11 white people and only one Black member, and the

This is not a time to be complacent; we must continue fighting for racial justice if verdicts such as these are to become the precedent." defense played heavily on ugly racial stereotypes.

The most explicit example of stereotyping came from Laura Hogue — an attorney for McMichael — who shocked observers when she said that Arbery was not a victim and described his “long, dirty toenails."

This statement displayed the pervasive view of Black people as lesser and unclean, and was entirely irrelevant to the case at hand and presentation of evidence.

Kevin Gough — Bryan’s lawyer — also repeatedly tried to ban “Black pastors'' from attending the trial on the pretense that they were influencing the jury. The defense portrayed Arbery as a criminal and a burglar, simply because he jogged through a neighborhood that he didn’t inhabit and burglaries had occured in the area in the weeks prior.

While the prosecution rightfully portrayed Arbery’s death as a baseless act of murder rather than self-defense, they did not explicitly mention race until their closing statements. Further, relevant evidence of the defendants’ racism was omitted from the presentation of evidence.

One of the three defendants uttered a racist slur moments after shooting Arbery, and one of the trucks on the scene — belonging to the McMichaels — had a vanity plate displaying the Confederate flag. The prosecution decided not to introduce this evidence into the trial in what they called a “strategic decision” that was likely made to appeal to the mostly white jury.

However, decades of social science research indicate that, when racial bias is highlighted in a trial, jurors tend to treat Black and white defendants more equally.

Conversely, they tend to be more punitive against Black defendants when race is not highlighted.

In her opening statement, district attorney Linda Dunikoski told the jury “we are here because of assumptions and driveway decisions,” alluding to — but not explicitly citing — racial bias. Only in Dunikoski’s closing statement did she address race directly, telling the jury that the defendants “made assumptions because Ahmaud Arbery was a Black man.”

As is standard in court proceedings, the jurors were not allowed to seek information about the case outside of the courtroom.

Thus they reached their verdict off of a limited story. Additionally, while Travis McMichael was found guilty on all counts, Gregory McMichael and Bryan were not found

guilty of malice murder, and could one day be eligible for parole.

While the correct verdict was reached in this case, there is a trend emerging of juries being presented with limited information in cases of racial violence. The trend does not bode well for the legal and racial reform our country is in desperate need of.

The case of Trayvon Martin shared many similarities with Arbery’s case, and his killers were not convicted. Days before the Arbery verdict was reached, Kyle Rittenhouse — a white man who fatally shot two men in Aug. 2020 — was acquitted. While our legal system brought some justice to the Arbery family, it has failed so many other Black families.

Time and time again, verdicts such as these have been followed by complacency.

Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the trial of George Floyd in June, and this conviction was not followed by reform. In fact, many states have taken steps backward by banning the teaching of critical race theory in schols.

This is not a time to be complacent — we must continue fighting for racial justice if verdicts such as these are to become the precedent. Undoing the damage caused by hundreds of years of systemic racism is not the responsibility of any one group or individual, but of our entire society.

“ continues to fail survivors Legal system Sexual Assault

Women continue to face difficulty in seeking justice for sexual assault at a national level

Shaila Prasad

Contributing Columnist prassp21@wfu.edu

As an 18-year-old student starting college this year, I was given a lot of advice. I was told how to keep my room clean and appropriately manage my time. But, as a girl, these conversations inevitably transformed into making sure I only take closed drinks at parties and don't walk home too late at night. Such is part of an acknowledgment that Title IX is not the pillar it was set out to be.

Last week, despite initially facing eight years in prison, 20-year-old Christopher Belter was sentenced to eight years probation. How someone who pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, attempted sexual assault and two counts of second-degree abuse to minors — all within 18 months — can be released without severe consequences is sickening. It speaks to the continued difficulty survivors face in seeking justice at a national level.

The result of Belter’s trial reveals varying concerns. First and foremost is the un-

Title IX is supposed to assist rape victims, but has proven to give rapists confidentiality.

In fact, it rarely results in any criminal consequences. " doubted influence his background had on his limited sentence.

Belter is a white, heterosexual male from Lewiston, N.Y. He lives in a mansion and goes to Canisius High School, an elite private school in Buffalo. He doesn’t fit the stereotype of a “rapist" that is influenced by racist and classist thinking.

Due to this misguided perception, rapists like Belter are given sympathy by judges like Matthew J. Murphy III, who victimize these offenders.

I acknowledge Murphy’s decision to decide Belter would be tried as an adult, although Belter’s offenses occurred when he was 16, and thus he faces greater jail time.

But, at the end of the day, Belter’s future was prioritized when Murphy said that “incarceration … isn’t appropriate.”

Along with Belter’s probationary sentence, he will be put on the sex offender registry. Murphy remarked that the penalty will be like a “sword hanging over his head.” Many fail to remember that the sex offender registry was initially created to prevent child rapists from reoffending by keeping them away from minors. Belter was 16 when he attacked other 16-year-old girls. How is keeping him from schools and

playgrounds going to help prevent future attacks?

Sex offenders are over-registered, which limits the control law enforcement has over the registry. Frequently, law enforcement cannot keep track of sex offenders who move away, especially offenders with high recidivism rates – offenders like Belter. Being on the sex offender registry also means Belter cannot watch pornography, a role which he already violated in the past.

One of the victim’s attorneys — who has been a trial lawyer for over 30 years — stated: “If this individual was not a rich white kid from a privileged background and an influential family, he would be in prison right now.” Unfortunately, this is true and is one of the numerous pitfalls in the Murphy decision.

“I’m not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case because there was great pain,” Murphy said.

I have deep-seated respect for all religions, but I also feel that religious beliefs should not play a role in upholding the law on which society runs. Such leads to reducing the victim's trauma to “great pain” and overplayed concerns for a rapist with multiple offenses.

The attorney mentioned above also defended a victim who chose to go by the name “M.M.” On Aug. 25, M.M made a statement describing how she focused on a potted plant in Belter’s room while he raped

her on Aug. 2, 2018. He called her a baby for resisting. Murphy believed this statement struck an emotional chord in Belter, but Murphy’s disciplinary actions only played into M.M’s statement.

“That 16-year-old girl trusted a bit too much that justice would have been served,” M.M said, “She had just assumed that all rapists go to jail.”

M.M is only one of many women and girls around the country who are disappointed and terrified by the lack of integrity female rape victims are given. My disappointment extends to Title IX. Title IX is supposed to assist rape victims, but, has proven to give rapists confidentiality and often doesn't result in any criminal consequences. Wake Forest University has faced Title IX cases in the past, which has caused chaos within the student body. Frankly, if men and women on campus are under the impression that filing a Title IX complaint will most likely be of no help, isn’t change essential?

So, when M.M threw up in the court bathroom after finding out that Belter, the man who raped her, was walking out of that courtroom a free man, I want you to remember that there are thousands of others like her.

Some women never say anything. Others are too ashamed to publicize their real names, even though the people who should be ashamed are their rapists. Meanwhile, some survivors fight with their names on their sleeves only to live side by side with the same men who scarred them for life.

Opinion | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Page 9

“ division and militancy in America Social media stokes Social Media

The Kyle Rittenhouse trial shows the dangerous effects of conspiracy theories and social media

Conor Metzger

Staff Columnist metzcr19@wfu.edu

A couple of weeks ago, the nation was shocked by the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse for the shooting of three people during a Black Lives Matter protest. Many saw the acquittal as a failure of the American justice system, while others saw it as proof of the efficacy of the justice system.

What should we make of this moment in history? Should we be angry or proud? Or, does asking this question simply show what’s wrong with our society?

The answer is yes. Now more than ever, we are turning our eyes away from nuance and looking for a quick answer about how we should show our emotion. But, instead of taking to Twitter to post hot takes, we should explore the details of the Rittenhouse trial and craft our opinion from facts.

Rittenhouse was 17 years old and used an AR-style semi-automatic

While conspiracy theories are an extreme end, the division in our political spectrum is also a byproduct of social media." weapon in the attack. If you’re not familiar, while this gun is not technically an AR-15, it is still a definite killing machine — it can cause a substantial amount of damage in a relatively open space, within a short amount of time. I personally believe that he should not have been allowed to carry that gun into a known hostile environment — although the question of whether it was hostile before he arrived is debatable, there is no doubt that the presence of that weapon added to the hostility.

Was Rittenhouse legally allowed to carry that gun? The answer is yes. Wisconsin state laws allow minors to carry long-barreled rifles and shotguns. While this legislation was meant to allow minors the ability to hunt, the judge ruled in favor of the plain text of the statute, which put Rittenhouse in the clear.

Nuance is required to understand the more serious murder and assault charges placed against Rittenhouse.

For self-defense to be justified, the writing of the law requires proof that you had a reasonable fear for your

life at the beginning of an altercation. The defense team reasoned that Rittenhouse did fear for his life as people reached for his weapon and pointed other weapons towards him.

Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges after a careful examination of state and federal law and the resulting decision of the jury. This decision does not demand our agreement or appreciation of the result, but it does necessitate our respect. I follow the leadership of President Biden, who released a statement that affirmed the power and authority of our legal system to make these decisions and asked the American people to respect this verdict. I respect the verdict found in this case because it shows that our legal system will not bend to the opinion of the masses. But, my respect for the decision doesn’t mean that I should just accept the verdict and not keep an open mind to the other aspects of the case.

If I have not yet made it clear in this opinion, I do not agree with several points of the state law that were examined in this case.

First and foremost, Rittenhouse should not have been allowed to carry a gun into that environment; further, the law that allowed him to — if set apart for the practice of hunting —

should be redefined in order to make this meaning clear. Additionally, if a person claims self-defense, they must take responsibility for the actions that preceded their need to use selfdefense in the first place.

Rittenhouse did not travel to Kenosha intending to unload a firearm on protestors, but he must have known that it was a dangerous space where an underaged, untrained boy might face danger, especially if he was carrying a dangerous weapon.

Rittenhouse should have been held accountable for the reason that he was in Kenosha, but the law was unable to perform this function.

We do not always consider all the aspects of a case or the law that judges it. We move in a fast-paced society.

Our media works to supply us with a ten-second clip or quick information blast about an event so that we can efficiently move on to the next issue. But, if we could stop every once in a while, and consider the broad effects of a landmark trial, we would see that these are rarely black and white cases. It is rare that someone is 100% right or 100% wrong.

Some arguments are better than others: but, you cannot accurately judge these unless you know the full scope of a story.

especially vulnerable to eating disorders and disordered eating. External stressors, such as a more intense workload and new independence as well as social pressures from being around a new group of people, can cause students to fall into disordered eating for a need of control in these stressful situations.

Stickers on vending machines are not the only triggers to disordered eating on campus. The Health and Exercise (HES 100) course here at Wake Forest is a prime example. A course where students are asked to plan healthy meals, complete food diary assignments with calorie counts and calculate their basal metabolic rate is unacceptable. These class assignments should not be allowed because they are inaccurate and harmful. The recording of meals and calories that a student eats does not consider what is suitable for their body. More importantly, as an HES course, the department and professors should know how many inaccuracies are involved in counting calories and calculating your basal metabolic rate — which is almost impossible to do accurately without a lab test.

Although students are offered an alternate assignment instead of meal planning and counting calories, I do not think that this is enough. Even if someone has not previously struggled with eating issues, these assignments can still be triggering since they can easily implement a new focus on food that can turn negative. If someone has struggled with eating, I believe that most people

would not ask for an alternate assignment because it would single them out and make them feel like they are inconveniencing their professor, even if that is not the case.

How can Wake Forest claim that they are doing what is in "the best interest of the community" when they allow messages that promote this behavior to spread across our campus? The number of people that struggle with an eating disorder in college is estimated to be between 10-20% of women, and 4-10% of men. Wake Forest believes that they have done enough for their students by removing scales and providing blind weight checks, but other harmful promoters of disordered eating will continue to be ignored.

I've eavesdropped on conversations where girls said they need to go on liquid diets to look better for Halloween and cut out entire food groups to maintain weight loss. Whenever so many people obviously engage in disordered eating habits and are especially vulnerable to them, why is it appropriate to allow courses and stickers that further reinforce these ideas?

Wake Forest needs to remove the meal planning and calorie counting assignments and replace them with assignments that focus on healthy habits such as intuitive eating and an emphasis on Health at Every Size (HAES) Removing the scales was a start, and Wake Forest will need to do much more soon to prevent their community from falling victim to eating disorders.

Wake Forest “must remove triggering assignments Student Health

HES assignments promote disordered eating instead of healthy habits

Haley Nowak

Contributing Columnist nowahn21@wfu.edu Wake Forest has signs in the Wellbeing Center stating that they have removed the scales and announced new policies regarding weight checks in the Student Health department. These measures were taken to avoid triggering those with eating disorders, disordered eating or individuals who could be vulnerable to them. Embodied Wake, an initiative led by The Eating Assessment and Treatment Team to promote Health at Every Size (HAES) says the removal of these scales is in the "best interest of the community."

But Wake Forest is still not doing nearly enough.

Disordered eating goes beyond weight and scales. I acknowledge that the process of reforming the issue of disordered eating in college is hard to tackle, but this does not excuse Wake Forest from taking more action.

Additionally, the harmful aspects that Wake Forest has allowed to remain on our

Wake Forest needs to remove the meal planning and calorie counting assignments and replace them with assignments that focus on healthy habits..." campus has caused their message to seem hypocritical.

On Oct. 21, I walked up to a vending machine within my residence hall to buy a soda that I had thought about all day. As I swiped my card and decided what soda I wanted, I saw a giant, unavoidable sticker staring at me, saying, "Calories Count, Check Then Choose." I stood frozen, and my mind began racing as I over-analyzed the amount of calories and sugar in each option. Ultimately, I cancelled my purchase and walked back to my dorm empty-handed.

Although these stickers are put on the machines to help students make healthier choices, they are not at all effective. The message that these stickers send is that counting calories is the way to manage your health. Counting calories is widely inaccurate because it does not take other factors that indicate a person’s health into consideration. While an individual can be aware that counting calories is wrong, this sticker could act as a reminder to count the calories that they consume, which is usually a form of disordered eating.

Placing stickers like this on a college campus is harmful because college students are

SPORTS

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Online at: www.wfuogb.com Twitter: @wfuogbsports Editors: Essex Thayer, thayse20@wfu.edu Christina DeNovio, denoca20@wfu.edu

OLD GOLD & BLACK

Wake Forest wins ACC Atlantic crown With the victory, Wake Forest returns to their first ACC Championship since 2006

BY ESSEX THAYER Sports Editor thayse20@wfu.edu On Friday, Wake Forest fans rejoiced at the announcement of Head Coach Dave Clawson’s contract extension, which will see him stay in Winston-Salem well into the future. The next day, Clawson and the Demon Deacons gave fans even more to celebrate.

With their 41-10 defeat over Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Wake Forest won the ACC Atlantic Division Championship and will return to their first ACC Championship game since 2006.

With Wake Forest set to return to the conference championship for only the second time in program history, the excitement was palpable. Late in the fourth quarter, when redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman was pulled from the game, he raced towards the Wake Forest fan section and cheered.

“It was a cool moment to share with our fans,” Hartman said after the game.

“You want to share it with them. They're a part of this. It was a special moment for the guys and for Wake Forest.”

The win, and resulting birth to the ACC Championship, encapsulates the goal of the Wake Forest football program for this year: Good to Great. Clawson believes that although this win is a big success for the team, it’s just the beginning.

“We've had a great season, and we want it to be greater,” Clawson said. “There's still meat on the bone. Whatever you define as great — whether it's 10 wins, a

division championship and ACC championship, a bowl championship — there's still a lot to play for. We're happy, but we're certainly not satisfied.”

Despite even bigger aspirations for this season, Clawson got into the team celebration after the game. In the postgame media conference, he began his opening statement by holding up the division trophy and introducing it as “our new friend.”

For nearly the entire game, there was no question that Wake Forest was the team that was going to walk away with the win. This outcome was certainly aided by the fact that the Eagles were missing 10 players due to a flu that impacted over 30 on the team throughout the week.

On their second drive in the first quarter, the Wake Forest offense found the energy that was missing most of the previous game against Clemson. With freshman running back Quinton Cooley standing behind Hartman for the entirety of the drive, the Deacons ran the ball seven times for 28 yards.

Using the run for balance, the majority of the yardage gained came from two consecutive passes to redshirt sophomore A.T. Perry for 41 yards. Those passes set up the opening score, a seven-yard touchdown rush from Hartman.

Following a scoreless drive for both teams, quarterback Phil Jurkovic and the Eagles offense made their first big mistake of the game. On third down, Jurkovic passed to the right, but the ball was short and undercut by senior cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor for the interception.

Three plays later, Hartman hit Perry over the middle for a 33-yard catch-andrun touchdown to give the Demon Deacons a 14-0 lead.

In response, Jurkovic and Boston College went on a four minute drive that ended in a 15-yard touchdown pass to Trae Barry.

Following a field goal for both teams, with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, Hartman began a drive that restored Wake Forest to a 14-point lead.

With interspersed passes and runs, the Demon Deacons moved 50 yards down the field, completing the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Perry on third down.

After only gaining three points from their first two drives of the second half, Wake Forest began to separate themselves from Boston College and put the game out of reach. Hartman started the scoring drive with an 18-yard run, and then moved the Demon Deacons into scoring position with a 32-yard completion to redshirt junior receiver Jaquarii Roberson.

From there, redshirt sophomore running back Christian Turner gained the final three yards on the ground to reach the end zone and give Wake Forest the 34-10 lead.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Jurkovic threw another interception, setting up the Demon Deacons to score one final touchdown and close out the game.

On their final scoring drive, Wake Forest ran the ball 11 times. On third down at the goal line, Hartman found redshirt sophomore tight end Blake Whiteheart for the score.

With nearly 10 minutes remaining on the clock, Clawson brought in the reserve offense to run out the remainder of the clock. Then, the celebration began.

After the game, Clawson expressed pride for the win and all that the team has accomplished this season.

“[I’m] so proud of our entire program,” he said. “We knew what was at stake. This was as big of a game as we've coached and played in, and we knew what we had to do.”

Clawson continued: “The defense, I thought, played one of their best games of the year. Offensively, we put another 40-spot on the board. I thought our special teams were critical. We really won the field position battle. This was a great overall effort by our entire program, so we're thrilled to be the Atlantic Division champions."

Despite all the pride and excitement, Clawson also recognized on Tuesday what is still to come.

“Our goal was always to win the ACC Championship,” Clawson said. “Now we have that chance. We don't want to waste it.”

Wake Forest will play to realize Clawson’s goal on Saturday night at 8 p.m. against Pittsburgh at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

Quarterback Sam Hartman celebrates his game-opening score.

Previewing the ACC Championship against Pitt Pittsburgh is led by a strong offense, featuring quarterback Kenny Pickett

BY ESSEX THAYER Sports Editor thayse20@wfu.edu With their win against Boston College on Saturday, Wake Forest is set to return to their first ACC Championship since 2006. With that in mind, it’s now time to turn our attention to the Demon Deacons’ opponents: the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Like Wake Forest, the Panthers were underdogs all year. They were predicted to finish near the middle of their division, below North Carolina, Miami and Virginia Tech.

This prediction was seemingly validated by an early season loss to Western Michigan, a school that went 7-4 and lost to teams like Toledo and Eastern Michigan.

After the loss — disregarding a close defeat against Miami — Pittsburgh

dominated their competition, defeating strong ACC teams like Clemson, North Carolina and Virginia, two of whom Wake Forest lost to.

One can’t talk about the Panthers offense without first mentioning Kenny Pickett, their redshirt senior quarterback who has propelled them to the ACC Championship. With his prolific play, Pickett has put himself squarely in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy.

The quarterback has thrown for 4,066 yards and 40 touchdowns this season, while only tossing seven interceptions.

That comes out to an average of 356 passing yards and nearly three and a half touchdown passes per game. Pickett has also led the Panthers offense to 42.8 points per game.

In his ACC Championship introductory press conference, Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson was very complimentary of the quarterback.

“Kenny Pickett is just a phenomenal player,” Clawson said. “We played against him early in his career in 2018, and he's just gotten better and better. He's one of

the very best quarterbacks in the country.”

The Panthers, similar to Wake Forest, also boast a three-headed running attack made up of Vincent Davis, Israel Abanikanda and Rodney Hammond Jr. The three backs have each ran for at least 470 yards this season and scored at least four touchdowns. Abanikanda and Davis are also potent in the passing game, having both caught at least 20 passes.

In the receiving game, there is one clear-cut star for the Panthers. Jordan Addison, a sophomore, has pulled in 85 receptions this season for 1,353 yards and 17 touchdowns. Those 17 touchdowns are the most for a single receiver this season in the country. For reference, A.T. Perry, who is tied for second in the NCAA, has four fewer touchdowns than Addison.

On defense, leading the team in tackles with 74 is defensive back Brandon Hill.

Leading the Panthers in interceptions is redshirt senior linebacker John Petrishen with three. In the pass rush Habakkuk Baldonado leads the team in sacks with eight.

With Wake Forest also averaging over 40 points, this game is set to be a shootout. Who goes home with the ACC crown will most likely come down to who can best stop the offense. Both teams struggle on defense, but have played better as of late.

Regardless, this game is set to be a close one. Currently, the Panthers are the favorites by two and a half points. But that hasn’t dampened the excitement of Clawson and the Wake Forest program.

“I'm happy for our players, our staff and our team,” Clawson said. “You do this enough years, and every now and then you really have a special year and a special team that buys in. It's the program. It's assistant coaches. It's all the players. It's all the people who have supported us. It's a collective effort. And I just happen to be fortunate enough to be the head coach of this collective effort.”

It certainly has been a collective effort for Clawson and the Deacons to reach this monumental point. Now, they just need to win.

Sports | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Page 11

NCAA Tournament run ends for men’s soccer After beating FIU in the first round, Wake Forest loses to Notre Dame in a gritty Sweet 16 matchup

BY CHARLES HORN Staff Writer mcswdj18@wfu.edu Fighting until the very end, the Wake Forest men’s soccer team ended their season in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen as the Demon Deacons fell 2-0 to Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Dealing with injuries to starters throughout the season, the Deacs rebounded from disappointing early losses to mount a terrific season.

At points, it seemed like Wake Forest’s streak of 10 straight tournament qualifications was in jeopardy — until the team filled with fresh talent and veteran stars gelled to put together a dominant home stretch.

The Deacs began the ACC tournament by hosting Mercer, who stunned the assembled fans at Spry Stadium with a spectacular long-range strike that pinged off the post into the net. Senior Kyle Holcomb then restored order with his 10th goal of the season, connecting with sophomore Hosei Kijima who ran rampant down the right flank.

In the second half, Wake Forest’s relentless front line proved too much for

Mercer, who desperately tried to patch holes as wave upon wave of Wake Forest attackers attempted to win the match.

It was Holcomb again who proved to be decisive, cutting in on the right wing and beating the keeper. From then on, it was the Trace Alphin show. The freshman keeper denied a late Bears equalizer and sent the Deacs to Miami for a clash against 13th-seeded Florida International University.

Against a red-hot FIU, Wake Forest abandoned their usual possession dominant style in favor of a conservative counter-attacking approach. Missing junior starters Omar Hernandez and Takuma Suzuki, the shorthanded Deacs battled for every ball, seeking a shot at tournament glory.

Holcomb continued his First Team AllACC form with an early goal against the run of play, silencing the raucous Panther crowd. FIU equalized late in the first half, but the Deacs immediately responded with a goal from sophomore Chase Oliver, who hit his trademark celebratory flip for the first time since September.

In the second half, the Deacs consistently overcame FIU’s comeback attempts.

Near the beginning of the half, FIU equalized in the 63rd minute, but 26 seconds later sophomore Garrison Tubbs charged forward from right back and as-

sisted freshman Roald Mitchell for his second goal of the year.

Alphin was again sensational and kept the Panthers at bay despite FIU recording three times as many shots on goal as the Deacs. However, all six of the Wake Forest shots were on target, a decisive finishing performance that set the team on the road to the Sweet-16.

The journey would stop there, but not without a valiant performance that showcased the team’s tenacity against a formidable, in-form opponent in Notre Dame.

The Irish marauded their way through the ACC tournament, narrowly beating Louisville on penalties before beating two top teams in Pitt and Duke. Notre Dame’s success is largely reliant on their defense, which had improved in quality.

The Irish have reached a new level of play in the postseason and have not conceded a single goal since the ACC tournament began.

For a Wake Forest team missing a prime contributor in Hernandez, still out from a knee injury he sustained against Duke in the ACC tournament, the Irish proved to be a stern test. Holcomb provided flashes of hope, registering the Deacs’ only shot on goal early in the first half, but was continually stymied by a seemingly endless onslaught of Irish defenders.

Notre Dame took the lead in the 19th minute after a moment of individual

brilliance from Mohamed Omar, who pivoted away from the freshman Julian Kennedy and bent in a curling effort that flew past a leaping Alphin. From then on, Notre Dame buckled down, denying Wake Forest any clean shots on goal and stymying all prospective attacks. Hernandez was missed, as his on-the-ball abilities and set-piece prowess had been key aspects of Wake Forest’s offensive structure.

Notre Dame doubled their lead in the second half, with a looping cross finding an unmarked Matthew Roou whose header proved too much for Alphin.

Following the game, head coach Bobby Muuss, who has made the tournament every season as head coach of Wake Forest, emphasized the defensive strength of the Irish, saying, “Their box defense is as good as I’ve seen… We just couldn’t break them. They bent but they did not break.”

With a strong underclassmen core, the team seems set for the future. Yet the end of the season does mean a farewell to seniors Holcomb, Holland Rula, and Aristotle Zarris, whose 2019 knee injury sustained against Louisville ultimately ended his collegiate career. With his goal against FIU, Holcomb became tied for the seventh-most goals in program history. Rula is a mainstay at left-back, establishing his place over the last three years, starting 75 matches in total.

Coach Dave Clawson earns new contract Demon Deacon football fans can look forward to more stellar seasons led by Dave Clawson

BY CONNOR MCNEELY Opinion Editor mcnecb19@wfu.edu

Wake Forest head football coach Dave Clawson will remain with the program on a new multi-year contract extension, director of athletics John Currie announced Friday.

“Dave Clawson is an elite coach, leader and program builder and we are excited to announce this reaffirmation of his long-term commitment to Wake Forest University,” said Currie. “Our desire is for him to finish his coaching career as Wake Forest’s all-time winningest coach.”

After serving as head coach of the Bowling Green football program, Dave Clawson arrived at Wake Forest in 2013.

He led the Demon Deacons to a 2016 bowl game in his third season as head football coach. Clawson has a 49-47 record in his eight year at Wake Forest, winning three bowl games and earning five consecutive appearances since 2016.

Athletic Director John Currie initially approached Clawson about a longterm extension before the 2021 season.

Clawson responded by producing his greatest season yet.

Wake Forest has broken multiple records amid an unprecedented 10-2 campaign. At Truist Field, the Demon Deacons are undefeated and have won nine straight games — the longest home winning streak in program history. This

tally includes a close victory against No. 16 NC State, which attracted a recordbreaking 34,503 fans.

The Demon Deacons also boast the fourth-ranked scoring offense, which averages 43 points per game. This production has been a key part of Wake Forest’s emergence on the national stage. The Deacs’ No. 10 spot from early November is the school’s highest ever Associated Press ranking.

Clawson — whose 139 career wins rank him as the 16th winningest active head coach in Division I FBS — spoke about the importance of maintaining program staff in a Friday press release.

Although the details of his extension were not disclosed, it was reported that one of his priorities is a large budget for assistant coaching staff.

“Continuity of our staff has been a key factor in the success of our program and this is another key step in ensuring that we have the resources necessary to compete for championships and sustain and enhance the level of success our student-athletes have achieved on and off the field,” said Clawson.

Clawson has created a philosophy of long-term player development at Wake Forest. By placing an emphasis on continuity, Clawson turned threestar recruits like Sam Hartman and Jacquarii Roberson into players who are among the best in their position groups nationwide.

Clawson’s development of talent is even more impressive considering Wake Forest’s high admission standards and the football team’s struggles before the 2013 season.

“We can’t take lesser talent and win the race,” Clawson said in an interview

with ESPN. “So we had to change the race.”

Wake Forest is certainly making strides in the race to college football excellence. The development of the football program recently hit another peak when alumnus Bob McCreary made a donation of $20 million to fund the new McCreary Football Complex — a facility that the university said will become “one of America’s best.”

Securing Clawson is another step in Wake Forest’s move to becoming a top Power Five team in the years to come.

Clawson’s name appeared amid the head-coaching vacancies at multiple top football programs, including Virginia Tech.

The extension arrived just before the Demon Deacons’ final regular season game against Boston College. Now after defeated the Eagles, Wake Forest currently sits atop the ACC standings with a 7-1 record.

The win also means that the Deacon Deacons will be heading to the ACC title game on Dec. 4 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Photo courtesy of Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Coach Clawson will lead the Demon Deacons in the 2021 ACC Championship game against Pittsburgh this Saturday.

Page 12| Thursday, December 2, 2021

Old Gold & Black | Sports

Men’s basketball experiences first defeat Wake Forest bests Oregon State before falling to LSU at ECC tournament

BY CHRISTIAN ODJAKJIAN Staff Writer odjact18@wfu.edu

Wake Forest Men’s basketball traveled to Charleston, S.C. over Thanksgiving break to compete in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Demon Deacons defeated Oregon State 80-77 in overtime in their opening game, but fell 75-61 to LSU in the championship for their first loss of the young season.

The Deacs stormed out of the gates versus Oregon State, using hot shooting to build a 48-29 lead heading into halftime. Junior Jake LaRavia and senior Daivien Williamson combined for 23 first-half points.

Oregon State surprised the college basketball world last season by making a run in the Pac-12 Tournament and going on to reach the Elite 8 in March Madness as a 12 seed. The Beavers returned four key pieces from that team, but they have struggled early on this season. They entered this game with a 1-4 record, which includes one-point losses to Princeton and Samford.

Trailing significantly at the start of the second half, the experienced Beaver team refused to go away. Oregon State went on a 30-10 run in the second half to tie the score at 63 with five and half minutes remaining.

“We have to give a lot of credit to Oregon State for how they got back into the

game,” Wake Forest Head Coach Steve Forbes said.

With the score tied at 69 in the final moments, Alondes Williams had a chance for a game-winner but couldn’t get the shot to drop, so bonus basketball was necessary. Williams and LaRavia scored in the lane on back-to-back possessions to put Wake Forest in the driver’s seat and lead them to the three-point win.

“We found a way to rally and a way to win,” Forbes said. “The most important thing is that we did not come out of here with a loss. We will learn from it and we will move on.”

Williams finished with 24 points, three rebounds and four assists. LaRavia scored 17 points to go along with seven boards and five helpers, and Williamson chipped in 14 points of his own.

The win gave Wake Forest a 6-0 record for the first time since 2008-09.

However, the Demon Deacons’ undefeated run came to an end when they crossed paths with a very strong LSU team.

It was a very sloppy first half, with 24 combined turnovers, 13 of which were committed by Wake Forest. The half was also defined by several key scoring runs.

A 10-0 run gave Wake Forest an 11-6 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half. LSU answered with a 15-0 run of their own to build a 21-11 lead, and Wake Forest responded with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 21-19.

LSU then finished the half strong with a 10-2 run and took a 31-21 lead into break.

“In the first half, we battled and we stayed in the game,” Forbes said. “We were turning the ball over and having a hard time making shots, but we were still in it. We played really hard. Our guys competed but we just couldn’t overcome the turnovers.”

LSU is the best team Wake Forest has seen so far. They extended full-court pressure that forced the Deacons into a lot of turnovers, and their length and athleticism never allowed Wake Forest to ever really settle into an offensive groove.

Wake Forest hung around in the second half, during which they only were outscored by four points, but they never were able to cut the lead to anything smaller than nine.

The 22 turnovers for the game and a 31% success rate shooting from the floor were not going to cut it against a top team. The Deacons looked outmatched and out-coached for the first time in the young season.

Williamson finished with 20 points, LaRavia and Williams joined him in double figures with 15 and 14 respectively. Wake Forest got no contribution from their bench, as a Khadim Sy threepointer was the only scoring to come from a non-starter.

This LSU team probably would be the second-best team in the ACC, and the loss definitely displayed some areas of necessary improvement, but it in no way taints the strong start that Forbes has gotten his guys off to in his second year.

“Playing in games like this is good, and it’s not the end of the world,” Forbes said. “We have to learn from it. We have

to look in the mirror and figure out what those issues are and get ready for another really tough game on Tuesday at home against Northwestern.”

The Deacons most recently beat Northwestern 77-73 on Nov. 30.

Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

Daivien Williamson scored 20 points in 28 minutes against LSU.

Women’s basketball remains unbeaten The Demon Deacons sail over Charlotte, East Carolina, High Point and UMBC

BY ESSEX THAYER Sports Editor thayse20@wfu.edu Over the course of the past two weeks, the Wake Forest women’s basketball team has continued their early success, winning all four of their games to move to 7-0 on the season.

Against Charlotte on Nov. 18, the Demon Deacons conceded an early lead before making their way back for the close win. Freshman guard Elise Williams led the team with 15 points, while sophomore guard Jewel Spear added 12.

The first quarter was highlighted by a 9-0 run by the 49ers that saw them lead 17-8 going into the second quarter. In the second quarter, the Demon Deacons embarked on their own 9-0 run to close their deficit to four points, but by the end of the half, Charlotte had extended its lead to seven.

In the third quarter, the Deacons made their move. With seven minutes remaining, Spear knocked down a three to bring Wake Forest within four. Later in the quarter, a Williams and-one play tied the game at 36.

A layup by junior forward Olivia Summiel then gave Wake Forest their first

lead of the game. The Demon Deacons closed the quarter on a 6-2 run to give them a six-point cushion entering the fourth quarter.

From there, the Deacs took care of business, matching every Charlotte score to close out the 49ers with the same lead they held entering the quarter.

Three days later, on Nov. 21, Wake Forest secured a much more comfortable win over East Carolina. The team was led by Spear, who scored 19 points in the game.

In the first quarter, the Demon Deacons attacked the basket and drew fouls, allowing them to attempt nine free throws. Despite the shots from the charity stripe, Wake Forest trailed by three at the end of the quarter.

In the second quarter, Wake Forest’s defensive prowess and ability to score allowed them to surge ahead.

On defense, the Demon Deacons held the Pirates to three scores from the field.

On offense, they scored 23 points, giving them a 36-22 lead at the half.

In the second half, Wake Forest outscored ECU in both quarters, allowing them to coast to a comfortable victory.

The win marked the program’s best start in the Jen Hoover Era. On Nov. 24, the team celebrated Thanksgiving a day early by easily defeating High Point. The team was once again led by Spear, who scored 17 points. Spear was joined on the scoresheet by junior

guard Alexandria Scruggs, who also totaled 17 points.

In the first quarter, Wake Forest took control of the game, pushing out to a 21-9 lead. In the second quarter, though, the Panthers picked up their offensive game, matching the Demon Deacons with 19 points. Thus, Wake Forest went into the halftime break leading by 12.

In the third quarter, Wake Forest took control once again by dominating the glass. The Demon Deacons outrebounded the Panthers by 11, allowing them to push their lead to 25 points by the end of the quarter. From there, Wake Forest cruised to a 79-50 win.

On Nov. 27, Wake Forest moved to 7-0 against UMBC in their largest win of the season. Spear led the team in scoring with 18 points, while Scruggs added 16.

In the opening quarter, Wake Forest shot the lights out, hitting 75% of their field goal attempts. Their prolific shooting allowed them to score 32 points and enter the second quarter with a 22 point lead.

Despite losing some of their touch shooting the ball in the second quarter, the Demon Deacons were still able to extend their lead, going into halftime ahead by 27.

In what proved to be their best quarter of the game, Wake Forest held UMBC to just eight points in the third quarter.

With their impressive defense and solid

play on the boards, Wake Forest entered the fourth quarter leading by 40.

From there, Wake Forest rolled to an astounding 94-48 victory. After the win, Hoover complimented her team’s ability to dominate.

“I am really proud of the way we came out and played tonight,” Hoover said.

We played well as a team today. Everyone up and down the team contributed in some way to this win and that is something that you love to see as a coach.”

Next up for the Demon Deacons is Troy at home on Dec. 4.

Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

Jewel Spear (right) led the Deacons against UMBC with 18 points.

Sports | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Page 13

Women’s soccer falls to Michigan 2-0 The Demon Deacons get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in Ann Arbor

BY CHRISTINA DENOVIO Sports Editor denoca20@wfu.edu Wake Forest women’s soccer faced frigid temperatures in Ann Arbor, Mich. only to be disappointed.

The Demon Deacons sailed past Harvard to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and entered the game against No. 2 seed Michigan on Nov. 19 with high hopes and aspirations to make it far in the tournament, but the day ended in heartbreak.

Wake Forest looked like a true threat to their opponents at the beginning of the game. Within the first five minutes, the Deacons had recorded five corners. Despite an abundance of early opportunities, the team couldn’t reach the back of the net.

The Wolverines got on the board early with a goal in the 15th minute. Wake Forest redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Katlyn Parks initially blocked a shot by a Michigan player, but the ball ricocheted off of a Wake Forest defender and into the net.

Redshirt senior Sofia Rossi almost scored the game-tying goal in the 36th minute, but her shot — one of two for her on the day — sailed just over the crossbar. The Deacons went to the locker

rooms at halftimewith a 5-3 shot advantage but a 1-0 deficit.

Early in the second half, sophomore Sophie Faircloth took a corner that threatened Michigan’s backline and goal. The Michigan keeper was however able to save the ball at the goal line, keeping the Demon Deacons from tying the game.

Redshirt senior Hulda Arnarsdottir came close to scoring in the 53rd minute, but her shot went wide of the post. Arnarsdottir also created a number of Wake Forest’s opportunities, as she totaled three shots, two of which were on goal.

The Deacons’ situation only worsened as the game continued. In the 66th minute, fans were on the edge of their seats when the Wolverines were allotted a penalty kick. Michigan’s Meredith Haakenson put the ball in the back of the net, weakening Wake Forest’s chances at a comeback.

In the 76th minute, it looked like Wake Forest might chip away at Michigan’s lead on a shot by senior Shayla Smart. After hitting the post, the ball bounced to Rossi, who shot the ball over the crossbar.

Despite the loss, Wake Forest had a great season. They finished with a 16-6-0 record (6-4-0 in the ACC) and reached the 16-win mark quicker than any previous Wake Forest team.

“Unfortunately, we gave up the early goal, which is a big setback in NCAA games,” Head Coach Tony da Luz said.

Da Luz continued: “The second half, we played well and created chances but it wasn’t our night. I feel terrible for the

seniors because it was a really good performance and fantastic year.”

Wake Forest exited its 21st-overall NCAA Tournament appearance earlier than they hoped, but they set several records. It was a stellar season for the defense, who held their opponents to just 17 goals, a program record. The Deacons also set a record for most consecutive

shutouts when they gave up no goals during the first eight games of the season.

“We held a high expectation throughout the year and now we have to build on it for next year,” da Luz said.

Smart was the leading scorer this year with 11 goals, and both Smart and freshman Nikayla Small earned all-ACC honors.

Photo courtesy of Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Through 22 games this season, the Demon Deacons scored 43 goals, the most goals a Wake Forest team has scored since 2011 (52).

CFB Rivalry Week features wild finishes College football teams delivered for the most exciting week of the season

BY DYLAN TYNES Staff Writer tyedw19@wfu.edu In the world of college football, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is one of the most important days of the year.

It is the culmination of Rivalry Week, during which many of the most storied and hotly-contested games take place, home teams take the field for the last time of the season and visitors try to spoil the Senior Days of their most hated rivals.

While this year’s installment of Rivalry Week was a bit lacking in jaw-dropping upsets, it featured tension between fans and casual viewers alike.

The tone was set Friday evening as No. 21 NC State fell behind North Carolina by nine points with just over two minutes remaining. The Wolfpack took shots downfield in hopes of coming back. A 64-yard touchdown brought them within two, and the onside kick recovery was successful on the ensuing kickoff. Two 15-yard defensive penalties committed by UNC helped NC State move downfield as the clock ran down, and a late 24-yard pass from quarterback Devin Leary to Emeka Emezie capped the extremely unlikely comeback for the Wolfpack, who improved to 9-3 on the season with the 34-30 victory.

Saturday began with an upset in its most-anticipated matchup. Secondranked Ohio State was riding an eightgame winning streak against hated rival Michigan when they walked into the Big House amid snow flurries in Ann Arbor. The No. 5 Wolverines had revenge on their minds, however, and after six running touchdowns and a smothering defensive performance, Michigan emerged victorious, 42-27.

The Buckeyes played admirably, and past offensive performances kept viewers believing they could storm back to the lead within a matter of minutes. In the end, though, Michigan’s old-school schemes drained the clock while limiting Ohio State’s attack for long enough to ensure a massive win for the Wolverines, who now head to the Big Ten Championship to face Iowa with a potential playoff spot on the line.

Iowa’s berth in the Big Ten title game was improbable entering the week, and they took the first steps toward clinching by struggling past Nebraska 28-21. More importantly, the favorites of the Big Ten West, the Wisconsin Badgers, lost Paul Bunyan’s Axe to Minnesota in a similarlyunwatchable 23-13 game, as quarterback Graham Mertz was forced to throw the ball 38 times for only 171 yards and an interception.

Wisconsin led for much of the first half, and trailed by a score or less for most of the second, making for a nerve-wracking game for fans of either side.

Michigan State and Penn State get a pass for the slowness of their second half on

Saturday. The Spartans emerged victorious amid an ever-worsening snowstorm that defined a second half featuring an interception return, two fumbles and lots of slips. Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III led the 12th-ranked Spartans to their 10th win with 138 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

In one of the most startling contests of the season, six-win Auburn led No. 3 Alabama 10-0 well into the fourth quarter of the Iron Bowl behind a ferocious passrush that racked up seven sacks on the night.

After a Crimson Tide field goal and a later clutch stop for the Tigers, Auburn got the ball back with under two minutes remaining in the game, a position normally resulting in a win. But Alabama managed to prevent a first down, receive the ball with 1:32 remaining and march97 yards to tie the game. Four overtimes ensued, and the Crimson Tide came out victorious, 24-22, to avoid a monumental upset and keep their playoff hopes alive going into the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. The top-ranked Bulldogs, for their part, annihilated rival Georgia Tech 45-0 on Saturday.

The major upset of the evening slate came in dramatic fashion as the five-win LSU Tigers, who led for most of their game against No. 15 Texas A&M, rallied to win in the final seconds. Quarterback Max Johnson hit a narrow over-theshoulder window to WR Jaray Jenkins for an unlikely 28-yard score to complete the upset in fan-favorite coach Ed Orgeron’s final game and send the Tigers. With the

win, LSU is now bowl-eligible. Elsewhere, No. 7 Oklahoma State outlasted No. 10 Oklahoma in a Bedlam game for the ages.

A kick-return touchdown, two muffed punts, two interceptions, a missed field goal and a safety added to the tension as Oklahoma jumped to a 33-24 second-half lead, only for the Cowboys to storm back to a 37-33 lead.

The Sooners were unable to break Oklahoma State’s strong defense in the final nine minutes, and the Cowboys came away with the victory and playoff hopes.

Quarterback Spencer Sanders led the Cowboys in both passing and rushing in a personal-best performance, while Oklahoma’s true-freshman quarterback Caleb Williams was efficient with 252 yards and three scores in the loss.

Further under the radar, the UTSA Roadrunners suffered their first loss of their season against North Texas in a surprise 45-23 blowout. While the magical winning streak ends here for UTSA, they still play in the Conference USA Championship next weekend against Western Kentucky, which boasts a strong 11-1 record.

Even with conference championships and bowl games ahead, the most important games of many teams’ seasons have now been played. The traditions, competitiveness and atmosphere of college football’s best rivalries cannot be replicated, and the electricity in the air of these contests fuels some of the most improbable comebacks and emotional wins in all of sports. It is the perfect end to the regular season in college football.

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OLD GOLD & BLACK

"THE EMOJI MOVIE" TAKEOVER | Analyzing Gene

Exploring the psyche of the meh emoji, Gene Gene is a multifaceted protagonist who teaches audiences a valuable lesson

BY SELINNA TRAN Life Editor transn19@wfu.edu

The protagonist of "The Emoji Movie", Gene, is more than just a character in a film. He is the protagonist of our lives. He is a representation of all of those loners, nerds and plain ol' outcasts we can all sympathize with.

Gene is an American hero and fights the uphill battle of fitting into a society that wishes to ostracize anyone that is different from the status quo. It is hard to progress as a society when we are stuck in egregious social practices of conformity and fail to celebrate the power of our differences.

That is why popular culture and media require the necessity of having a powerful protagonist. Gene fulfills this role within "The Emoji Movie".

Now, there are many critics and naysayers that will look into "The Emoji Movie" and fail to see the subtle message that the film seems to portray.

Many look at the film and see a childish animated movie that has little to no meaning.

For the wise, "The Emoji Movie" is a perfect mirror that we can hold to our very own society. Any flaw that movie watchers want to point out in

the film represents a flaw that is present within our own community. Gene is the main proprietor of these harsh expectations to which society has subjected him.

In the film, Gene is supposed to represent the "meh" emoji and emotion, and he is required to fulfill this identity at all times. However, our protagonist is not one to allow society to put him in a box.

Photo courtesy of IMDB

Gene, the yellow "meh" emoticon from "The Emoji Movie" stands saddened and trapped in the fact that he is so much more than his expression.

The psyche of Gene is multifaceted.

It is not that Gene desires to be rebellious and to overturn societal standards.

If anything, he works to change himself and everything he believes in so that he can be a part of the 'great' system.

However, his tenacity and will are both aspects of his character that won't allow him to be put into a box.

On a deeper level, Gene was probably named to be representative of the genetic traits that we all possess and believe define us. Where "The Emoji Movie" excels is its ability to supersede these notions of genetics and inherent traits. There is more to one's character than the role that we are assigned to fulfill at birth. Gene exemplifies just that.

The progression of the film follows the progression of Gene's identity and his growth to love who he is: "malfunction" and all. That is something that we need to learn, to love who we are without any reservations or preconceived notions. Thank you, Gene, for teaching us this. Thank you.

"THE EMOJI MOVIE" TAKEOVER | "The Emoji Movie" is Neoliberal Propaganda

“The Emoji Movie” reflects Red Scare American ideology "The Emoji Movie" indoctrinates America’s youth into toxic individualism

BY ADAM COIL Asst. Life Editor coilat21@wfu.edu Columbia Pictures’ “The Emoji Movie” was harshly received — to say the least — by the five-and-older demographic upon its initial release back in 2017. It received a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 3.3/10 on IMDb, likely for its reliance upon poop jokes and Internet tropes to keep the dialogue moving along. However, there remains a hidden evil within the film that is far more treacherous than simply lackluster screenwriting.

Nearly every aspect of the Emoji Movie is tailored to the westernized perception of communism, creating a deceitful and malicious allegory that seeks to brainwash unsuspecting youths everywhere. From the oppressive red bots that resemble the secret police of the Soviet Union to Smiler, the fierce and cruel dictator that aligns with the depictions of many communist leaders in the 20th century, there are allusions to textbook Red Scare pillars throughout the film.

The citizens of Textopolis are divided into two categories: the ‘favorite’ emojis, which enjoy VIP treatment and the privilege of their own private lounge, and the rest, or the ‘normal’ emojis. This class structure loosely parallels that of the

wealthy aristocracy and the peasant working class which has come to define communism in so many people’s minds.

Gene, a “meh” emoji, is the face of this propaganda and the embodiment of American exceptionalism and individualism. He’s not like other boys. He’s weird.

He doesn’t quite "fit in" — and he doesn’t want to "fit in." Gene is incapable of keeping his ‘meh’ face active at all times, which gets him into serious trouble within the world of the phone.

Because Gene cannot do his job properly, he disrupts the life of Alex, the owner of the phone in which he works. His tomfoolery and funny business go so far that Alex schedules an appointment to have his phone wiped clean. Smiler, in a heroic effort to save her constituents from this mass extinction event, sends her bots after Gene to have him erased.

In the end, Gene saves the day because of his unique abilities as a malfunctioning emoji. Textopolis rejoices at his quirks and absurd facial expressions, but no one goes on to ruminate upon the fact that Gene was the one who put them in such danger in the first place.

Textopolis was a happy, thriving community before Gene decided to pull that malarky, and now the entire society has been thrown into political turmoil and unrest.

No amount of dance parties can rationalize the fact that there is no form of government or organization in play to keep order.

I dare venture to guess that Textopolis is a post-apocalyptic wasteland as we speak.

Furthermore, Gene is credited with helping Alex court his crush, Addie, and

take her to the school dance. This is simply utter defamation to my boy Alex’s character and abilities. Not only does Alex have curly-wavy brown hair, but the kid can also seriously spit game. That is, at least, when Gene isn’t mucking things up for him.

In every epoch, the art which society upholds always reflects the ideals of that society or a reaction to it. “The Emoji Movie” is no different. It is simply a fairytale of the magic and splendor that awaits those in a free-market society. It brainwashes our youth into believing that their lives are more important than others — that being unique is all that matters in life. It throws

away values of camaraderie, community building and equality. It holds up the American ideal as someone who cares only about themself, and maybe a few of those closest to them, and no else. The American hero who challenges authority because of an inclination towards contrarianism, not because it’s for the good of everyone. It’s really no surprise that just a couple of years after the premiere of “The Emoji Movie”, we all sat in front of the TV and watched as the Capitol building was vacuously stormed and ransacked.

In short, “The Emoji Movie” is a bunch of neoliberal bull****.

Photo courtesy of IMDb

Each emoji in "The Emoji Movie" has a specific role in Textopolis, functioning like people in a corrupt neoliberal society.

Life | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Page 15

"THE EMOJI MOVIE" TAKEOVER |Changing Hollywood

"The Emoji Movie" spreads wholesome messages THE HOT LIST Characters in "The Emoji Movie" portray valuable lessons, creating a paradigm of a healthy lifestyle

BY SOPHIE GUYMON Asst. Opinion Editor guymsm20@wfu.edu In the years following the release of "The Emoji Movie" in 2017, it faced a myriad of criticism despite the authentic and wholesome message it offers viewers. Critics have called it “very, very bad”, “a soul-crushing disaster” and “nakedly idiotic.”

These critics who see "The Emoji Movie" as tired and unoriginal lack the sophistication to understand what it really is: a welcome change from the sinful ideas promoted by the American film industry.

Since its inception in 1903, Hollywood has become increasingly characterized by glorification of materialism, violence, drugs and sex. Raising children on these films has produced generations of shallow, apathetic and violent nymphomaniacs, with each generation coming out worse than the last. If you don’t know what I mean, open TikTok and spend a few minutes observing the appalling state of the modern teenager.

We must save the next generation from this bleak and seemingly inevitable fate by shielding

them from the horrors of “mature” Hollywood, and instead limiting their scope to wholesome family films that offer positive worldviews and valuable life lessons. "The Emoji Movie" is a great place to start.

The film stars Gene (short for Generic), a “meh” emoji who yearns to express other emotions. His journey celebrates individualism and those who dare to be different, setting an example of love and acceptance for future generations.

"The Emoji Movie" also normalizes the expression of a wide variety of emotions, unlike more popular children’s movies like "Inside Out", which postulates that humans are driven by only five basic emotions.

Gene shows children that no dream is too big, and they can be whatever they want to be ­— they are not doomed to become materialistic Hollywood zombies. The film encourages viewers to retain their childlike innocence — a quality that is sorely lacking in our society.

Gene’s star quality is amplified by the delightful ensemble of supporting characters we meet throughout his adventure, from his parents, Mel and Mary Meh, to his girlfriend, Jailbreak.

Jailbreak breaks barriers by leaving her cushy life as a princess to become a nomadic hacker and is a true feminist icon for young girls everywhere.

She is not like other girls, and "The Emoji Movie" celebrates that fact.

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Jailbreak shows Gene that it’s okay for him to be different too, and they fall in love, presenting audiences with a wholesome romance free of sex and violence. Gene and Jailbreak exemplify a healthy relationship model, while other Hollywood films such as "Titanic" and "The Notebook" — and even the seemingly-wholesome Disney princess films — glorify toxicity.

Near the end of the film (spoiler alert!), Gene’s father Mel is also revealed to be a glitch, and Gene is welcomed home with open arms. Mel shows us an example of unconditional parental acceptance, even though Gene has rebelled from societal expectations to an extreme degree. Exposing children to this message will foster their growth into confident young adults with the capacity to change the world for the better.

The next time you want to watch a violent war film or a toxic, anti-feminist romantic comedy, I suggest you check those urges and turn on "The Emoji Movie" instead. If we as a collective society give this masterful film a chance, it can change lives. I encourage you to look beyond its seven percent Rotten Tomatoes score and abundance of critical reviews and give it a watch, reflecting on its societal and moral implications.

Critic Jake Wilson said it best: “If I’m not dreaming, I’ve just seen one of the boldest mainstream American movies in ages. 'The Emoji Movie' is an allegory that can be read on multiple levels — from the political to the religious.”

ANIMATED MOVIES WORSE THAN THE EMOJI MOVIE 1. "Shrek 2" (2004)

2. "Ratatouille" (2007)

3. "Coraline" (2009)

4. "The Incredibles" (2004)

5. "Meet The Robinsons" (2007)

6. "Luca" (2021)

"THE EMOJI MOVIE" TAKEOVER | Ahead of the Curve

Emojis look toward the future "The Emoji Movie" is forward-thinking in its grasp of communication and is deserving of a better reputation

BY CONNOR MCNEELY Opinion Editor mcnecb19@wfu.edu The Oxford English dictionary defines the word “meh” as an interjection used as an expression of indifference or boredom. Tony Leondis’ "The Emoji Movie" makes me feel anything but.

When our Life Editor, Selinna Tran, presented me with the incredible opportunity to write about one of Leondis’ greatest films, I jumped off the couch and raced to my computer. I can’t describe the feeling of joy that rushed into my chest as I thought about how much time I was going to spend writing this piece.

“This is going to be the most significant article that you ever produce,” Selinna texted.

“I know,” I replied.

Right away, I knew that this was more important than anything else that could occupy me, so I rushed through all of my term papers and take-home exams in order to have more time to think about "The Emoji Movie". After four days of watching, reading and engaging in forward-thinking dialogue about the film and its endless supply of rich storytelling, I couldn’t find a better way to start discussing the movie than by talking about myself.

I am a writer living in an era where authentic art must be protected and its artists galvanized.

And there is no better writer to guard the legacy of Leondis and his masterpiece than someone who has watched multiple Youtube videos about "The Emoji Movie". I will be helping to ensure that the critical reputation of the film is reversed by writing this article.

When all of Wake Forest’s student body picks up a print edition of the Old Gold & Black, they will read this column at the very back of the paper and immediately take a picture of it so that they can share it on their social media profiles.

From there, it will only be a matter of time before this story gains national attention. After an overabundance of positive media coverage and public opinion, Rotten Tomatoes will be forced to change its rating of "The Emoji Movie".

Frankly, I can’t understand why "The Emoji Movie" got such bad reviews. Doesn’t having Maya Rudolph and Sir Patrick Stewart mean that old people will automatically enjoy the film?

The Emoji Movie had a star-studded cast that even included James Corden. How can you not laugh whenever you hear him talk?

One day, emojis will most likely be our primary form of communication. The critics and naysayers who ruined public sentiment towards "The Emoji Movie" are going to look stupid when computers and phones don’t have keyboards anymore. Think of all the time we could save when we just have to read a couple of emojis instead of hundreds of words!

The article that I am writing now is a necessary evil. I am looking forward to the day in which

journalists will simply type a bank emoji, a facepalm emoji and a stock-going-down emoji, and then watch as a powerful businessman is held accountable for his illegal actions. I will be excited to watch as a struggling community is lifted into the international spotlight through the power of the praying hands emoji and different heart and money emojis. Writing will be much more emotive and efficient.

I don’t foresee any personal difficulties with the fame and notoriety that will be forced upon me after I single-handedly reset this movie’s critical reception. I was an extremely popular individual in high school, which my fellow students at Wake Forest tell me is really impressive. I understand that it is critical to use my influence in a constructive way.

The only favor that I ask in advance for this act of societal benefit is that Leondis would watch one of my favorite movies of all time with me: “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch”. This is his second greatest film, behind “The Emoji Movie”, of course. If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I am the biggest Stitch fan on the planet. I can do the voice and everything.

7. "Toy Story" (1995)

8. "Monsters, Inc." (2001)

9. "Megamind" (2010)

10. "Finding Nemo" (2003)

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Look

Essex Thayer

Photo courtesy of IMDb

"The Emoji Movie" follows an emoji that embarks on a quest to become like all other emojis, which becomes a journey of self acceptance.

Adam Coil/Old Gold & Black

Page 16 | Thursday, December 2, 2021

Old Gold & Black | Life

Emoji/SMS Talk:

Understanding Millenial/Gen Z Textspeak

It has become evident in recent years that members of older generations have little to no understanding of the hidden meanings that lie behind the conversations of teenagers. Oftentimes, oblivious onlookers mistake a harmless text as something perverse or vile. In much more serious situations, they will think nothing of conversations that are, in reality, concerned with nefarious plots or inappropriate behavior.

The connotations that accompany emojis undoubtedly appear complex to the uncultured mind, which is why this guide needed to be created. Below, you will not only discover explanations for some of the most common Gen Z slang and emojis, but you will also find ways in which to use this enlightening dialect.

BY ADAM COIL Asst. Life Editor coilat21@wfu.edu

😂 : I'mEx:soI can’t sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences. believe Roxy died 😂😂😂 She was such a sweet dog 😂😂😂

Courtesy of Creative Commons

FOMO: Fear Of Making Out

Ex: I’m thinking about breaking up with my girlfriend, she has terrible FOMO.

😈‼ : Beware of the devil!

Ex: Just got done with church. It’s going to be a wonderful Sunday 😈‼ SMH: SO Much Herpes

Ex: Just got my test results back... SMH.

💦🍒🍑🍆💦 : Don’t forget to wash your produce.

Ex: We have a lot to do when we get back home 💦🍒🍑🍆💦 IDGAF: I Don’t Give Alms Frequently

Ex: I’m going to be excommunicated by the Catholic Church because IDGAF.

😜😝 : You’re so goofy

Ex: OMG you make me laugh so hard, you goofball!😜😝 WTM?: Where’s The Molly?

Ex: I have no plans this weekend, WTM?

👬👭 : You’re my best friend

Ex: I’m so lucky to have you in my life! 👬 OMW: Ordering My Weed

Ex: I’ll be there soon, I’m OMW!

🤮🦠🐍😷 SLATT: Sorry, Laid-up Ailing This Thursday...

Ex: Unfortunately, I can’t make it to brunch this week... 🤮🦠🐍😷SLATT TTYL: Totally Take Your Lexapro

Ex: I’m so depressed, I have to go... TTYL!

🤤👀 : Did you see that?!

Ex: That guy over there just did a backflip! It was crazy!🤤👀