News: Benjamin Crump discusses civil rights Page 5
Opinion: The electoral college creates Sports: A look ahead at the men's baseball season perverse incentives for campaigns Page 11 Page 9
Life: Third-ever production of Ever in the Glades premieres Page 16
Old Gold&Black
WAKE FOREST’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1916 VOL. 106, NO. 18
T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 13 , 2 0 2 0 “Cover s the campus like the magnolias”
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Building on Davis Field in design phase The university is planning to expand through construction of a new academic building BY CAROLINE WALKER News Editor walkct18@wfu.edu Conversations about a new academic space have recently materialized in the form of bright orange stakes on Davis Field, demarcating the proposed boundaries for a new institutional building called the College Academic Commons. The Board of Trustees has recently approved the design phase for the academic building, though further plans and fundraising for the construction are still in progress. The building will not only be a potential space for classrooms and academic departments, but also will be home to the Program for Leadership and Character, the Office of Academic Advising and scholarship offices for the university.
See Davis, Page 4
Photos courtesy of Andrew Dye for the Winston-Salem Journal
Clockwise from left: Freshman forward Ismael Massoud is fouled by a UNC player; senior guard Andrien White celebrates; senior guard Brandon Childress prays before the second half; Cole Anthony shoots over Andrien White.
Deacons beat UNC, 74-57 For the first time since the 2013-2014 season, the Demon Deacons defeat Carolina BY CHRISTIAN ODJAKJIAN Staff Writer odjact18@wfu.edu When North Carolina came to the Joel last season, they were ranked No. 8 in the nation, and embarrassed Wake Forest in a historically dominant 9557 win, the largest margin of defeat in their 228 game series history. This year, however, Carolina’s team looks much different from that squad after losing their top five scorers. The
team seemed to have elevated their level of play in recent games, losing their last three games by a combined nine points. Last time out, the Tar Heels fell in overtime at the buzzer to No. 7 Duke. Yet for the first time since 2014, the Demon Deacons (11-13, 4-10) were able to defeat rival North Carolina (10-14, 3-10), 74-57 at home Tuesday night. “Wake Forest had more want to be out there today, more effort, more enthusiasm, better coaching, everything that was involved in the course of the game, they had it better than we did,” said UNC Head Coach Roy Williams.
Medical campus to be built in Charlotte New campus arises through a partnership between the university and Atrium Health BY ELIZABETH MALINE Online Managing Editor mailed17@wfu.edu
About halfway through the first half, up 12-10, Wake Forest decided to turn on the jets. The Deacs exploded on a 32-16 run, seizing a 44-26 lead going into the break. The run was highlighted by a four point play by redshirt senior guard Andrien White, that stretched the lead to 10 for the first time of the game. White had 12 in the first half, and 15 for the game, continuing his strong stretch of play. “We were desperate for this one,” White said. “Everyone came in and did what they needed to do.”
On Jan. 31, the Board of Trustees decided to move forward with plans to build a second campus for the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Charlotte in collaboration with Atrium Health, the city’s dominant hospital system. “The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing our proposed relationship,” said Cheryl Walker, the director of News and Communications for the university. A press release on Nov. 4, 2019 officially announced the partnership between the university, Wake Forest Baptist and Atrium.
See UNC, Page 11
See Charlotte, Page 7
OGB
“ find balance in future endeavors University must This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board.
The Editorial Board ... is also concerned that the university’s business goals do not always align ... with student needs. "
The Board of Trustees recently signed off on two monumental projects for the university, a second medical school in Charlotte and the College Academic Commons, a new building on Davis Field (more information on page 1). Although there is merit in the university working to provide new academic resources for students, the Editorial Board of the Old Gold & Black is also concerned that the university’s business goals do not always align well with student needs. Although the establishment of a new medical school campus in Charlotte does not directly impact undergraduate students, it does elevate the local and national image of the
university. Another medical campus in the university’s name can only bolster its overall reputation. In addition, the new medical school may encourage students from North Carolina to potentially pursue a career in medicine in Charlotte, which in turn could help increase the medical alumni network in the area. However, the choice to fund a project so disconnected from campus does call into question how the university is going to handle current cri-
ses. For instance, Johnson, Bostwick, Luter and Collins Residence Halls are all in dire need of renovations — and the university has not announced any plans to address this. While the College Academic Commons will be an exciting addition to the Reynolda campus, especially for students studying the humanities, it is concerning that the university’s most exciting on-campus construction endeavor does not address the housing crisis. There is no doubt that this building will be a state-of-theart construction, but it is also worth noting that juniors are living in Luter Residence Hall and Palmer and Piccolo Residence Halls are permanently closed to residents. With the purchase
of Winston-Salem First Church's property, the Editorial Board of the Old Gold & Black is hoping that the university announces plans to expand housing in the near future. As the campus continues to expand, it's imperative that the university considers the needs of the ever growing student population. Whether that be in the form of constructing new academic buildings or new housing for students, working towards a more successful future ultimately has to be a dual effort on behalf of the university. Innovative endeavors in creating new academic spaces must be balanced with addressing current concerns about student life and wellbeing.
Old Gold &Black
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSIT Y SINCE 1916 OLIVIA FIELD
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF fielor17@wfu.edu
CHARLIE BENEDICT
BUSINESS MANAGER
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EMILY BEAUCHAMP
ELIZABETH MALINE
PRINT MANAGING EDITOR
ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
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>> OPINION Jack Portman, portjt17@wfu.edu
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News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 3
Deacon Profile: Monet Beatty I want it to be able to connect all the way through the beginning to the end of the show, so that’s another really essential part of being behind the scenes and making sure that I’m thinking about the story being told in a cohesive manner.
BY EMILY BEAUCHAMP Print Managing Editor beauea17@wfu.edu
When thinking about ways to educate others about environmental issues, dance probably isn't the first way that comes to mind — but that is exactly what senior Monet Beatty hopes to do. With a passion for dance and environmental justice, Beatty decided to combine her knowledge in both fields to create and produce a dance production titled Breathe. Beatty received a grant from the Interdisciplinary Performance and the Liberal Arts Center (IPLACe) to aid in the costs of her interdisciplinary production. Premiering during Earth Month in April, the show will work to bring the causes of sustainability and art together under one roof.
You’ve talked about this a little bit, but what other things are you involved in on campus?
I heard you received a grant from IPLACe to put on the production of Breathe, could you tell me about your plan for the production? Beforehand I hadn’t thought about applying for a grant. The production itself started becoming so expansive that it was pricey. Chief Sustainability Officer, Dedee Johnston, suggested I apply for the IPLACe grant. I proposed an interdisciplinary initiative that incorporated the dance and theater departments, engineering department, environmental studies department as well as the Office of Sustainability and we came up with the Breathe production. The interesting thing about this production is that it is being presented in so many different mediums, whether that be dance, projection mapping or lining. It’s pulling from so many different areas and that’s what IPLACe is all about — being interdisciplinary. It was a perfect match to reach out to them and I’m so grateful that they agreed to fund the event. How did it feel to receive the grant? It was a huge shock. I’ve done quite a few performances and I’ve been doing choreography for as long as I can remember, but being able to have a funded event is such an incredible feeling. I’m so grateful that I’m a funded artist. I think this has opened the doors to more opportunities in the future. You mentioned this production is interdisciplinary and that engineering will be playing a role — what is it? Another thing about this production is projection mapping. Projection mapping is being able to map out a space
Photo courtesy of Monet Beatty
and not only have a projection on it but it’s going to be the size and the shape [of the space]. They will be working on calculating the specific boundaries of whatever shape the projection might be on. My sister is an engineering major, she’s the liaison between me and the engineering department. Another important thing is I have had to find different liaisons between these different departments because again this is what makes this project so expansive — it’s bringing in all those different people.
My sophomore year, I did a performance for the Wake Forest spring dance concert and it was focusing on climate change. Breathe is an expansion on that because it was just one piece but now I’m doing a whole production. The response I got from people who watched the piece — I can definitely see that there is a demand for people to see environmental issues in a different way.
How has this experience shaped your time on campus?
The scheduling is the biggest part. The cast is a combination of Wake Forest dancers and dancers from multiple studios, [such as] Institute of Divine Arts, which is a local dance studio in Winston-Salem. Extravadance & Tumble as well, which is based in Kernersville, and Center of Performing Arts in Burlington. The great thing is that people are able to dance with each other that they probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to dance with. Another behind the scene thing I have to think about is how I am creating this storyline between all these different pieces. I don’t just want it to be a collection of dances about specific things,
This experience has combined all of my passions at Wake Forest so it’s a bitter-sweet ending. I intern with the Office of Sustainability; I’m one of the environmental education interns so, in a way, I am educating the audience about environmental issues through dance. I’m also a Presidential Scholar in dance and I’m in the Dance Company. I’m combining those avenues and the things I’m passionate in and reflecting that upon the Wake Forest Community. What was your greatest influence when you were producing Breathe?
Could you tell me about the behind the scenes processes that go into producing a dance show?
I have my internship with the Office of Sustainability, I’m in the environmental education intern [program]. Essentially my role is we recruit volunteers and then we train them in the environmental curriculum that is provided by the Piedmont Environmental Alliance. Once they have that knowledge they are able to go into a majority of the middle schools of the Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools and teach that curriculum. It’s such a great way to get off campus and have community engagement which is something that is really important to me. I’m also a President’s Aide. In that role, I’m ushering for many of the events that President Hatch is hosting or events in general at Wake Forest, as well as being an ambassador for the campus and being a liaison between the student body and to the president. I’m also in the Dance Company which I’ve been in for the past four years, which has shaped my perspective in dance. Has being a President’s Aide impacted your production of Breathe? I think so. I attended From the Ground Up and I was able to usher that and just seeing all the expansiveness — I believe that event was also funded by IPLACe. [The show] was another inspiration, to see just how much momentum it created and the broad education of it all and bringing everyone together. I think going to different events and seeing different productions in that way has inspired me. How has your production impacted your time at Wake Forest? Breathe has enabled me to align all my passions together in such an unique and special way to do so. I’ve also been able to engage in stakeholders at Wake Forest, so strengthening those bonds that I probably wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t done Breathe. Editor's note: This interview has been edited and condensed. The full audio can be found online.
POLICE BEAT Miscellaneous • Unknown caller obtained $200 by telephone fraud on Polo Road. The report was filed on Feb. 4 at 12:24 a.m. • A fake ID belonging to suspect was found. The report was filed on Feb. 6 at 6:00 p.m. • Offenders were issued citations for noise on Howell Street and Deacon Point. The party was a joint event hosted by the residents of both homes. The report was filed on Feb. 8 at 4:39 p.m. • Officers responded to a disturbance call at North Campus Apartments and located a large jar containing 10.518 grams of marijuana. Offender is a former student visiting from Gardner-Webb University. The report was filed on Feb. 9 at 2:11 a.m.
• Unknown subject(s) took victim's keys from a locker in the Sutton Center. The report was filed on Feb. 9 at 4:10 p.m. Underage Consumption/Alcohol Abuse • Offender had consumed a whole fifth of rum and some beers and was unresponsive in Davis. They refused medical transport. The report was filed on Feb. 8 at 1:02 a.m. • Offender had consumed alcohol underage and was allowed to remain in room in Martin by ERTs. The resport was filed on Feb. 8 at 5:13 p.m. • Caller reported two females on the bathroom floor in Zick's. One subject left prior to arrival and the other was taken to Student Health. The report was filed on Feb. 8 at 6:46 p.m.
Page 4 | Thursday, February 13, 2020
Old Gold & Black | News
Davis: New building to house the humanities Continued from Page 1
“It should be a terrific building,” President Nathan Hatch said in an interview with the Old Gold & Black editorial staff. “It will be the home of the humanities.” Proponents of construction on Davis Field recognize that new classroom and department spaces would be able to alleviate the pressure placed on other overcrowded academic buildings, especially Tribble Hall. As a proposed solution, the College Academic Commons would likely contain 17 classrooms, each designed to fit approximately 30 to 60 people. Emily Neese, vice president of Strategy and Operations, commented on why the new building is so critical to the university. She said it focuses on providing students with a liberal arts education, which prepares them for personal, academic and occupational success. “This a home for the humanities and and for students for the first two years before they declare their majors,” Neese said. “It is a studentfacing institution.” In fact, the building will serve as a support system and home to underclassmen, while they develop the academic goals that will guide them throughout the remainder of their four years at the university. Within the humanities building, freshmen and sophomores will be able to fulfill divisional requirements, explore var-
ious academic disciplines and attend advising appointments before deciding upon major(s) and minor(s). While students pass each other while walking to and from classes in the new academic building, they will also be able to experience the closeknit community and small academic environment that they are promised upon arriving at the university. The additional classroom space will allow departments to reallocate space and return academic settings to the smaller, more intimate class sizes that have been viewed as attractive to many incoming students. In fact, expansion in order to meet the needs of the student body is critical, with an increasing number of students being admitted to the university during each new admission cycle and more departments experiencing trouble fitting students into existing classroom spaces. To resolve spatial issues, the rooms will be multifunctional, with dividing walls that can be removed in order to create larger spaces with capacity for approximately 100 people. Demonstrating remarkable flexibility, the rooms can be converted into anything from one-tiered lecture halls for introductory chemistry classes to venues for holding keynote addresses, receptions for guest speakers and many other campus events. “[These are] flexible teaching spaces that could be used by any department on campus,” Neese said. In addition to providing space relief, the university plans to expand
current dining offerings with the establishment of a new dining service within the building. Although the specifics are still undecided, the university is currently working with Aramark on plans for a fresh-food oriented option, rather than a restaurant franchise like those found in Benson University Center. The vision for the dining location also includes an open atmosphere with patio seating, which would be a way to encourage students to see the building as an extension of campus and the field as another social gathering space. “We’re hoping to engage Davis Field in a way that it hasn’t been up to this point,” Neese said. In order to attract more students and reorient campus life toward Davis Field, the building will also feature many glass windows that face the field and provide students with beautiful views of campus. The design will be compatible with recent buildings on campus, incorporating traditional elements with collegiate Georgian architecture. While these are the wish list items, the realization of these goals is dependent on the amount of fundraising achieved by the university over the next few years. For comparison, the fundraising goal was met in three years for Farrell Hall and in five years for the renovation of Reynolds Gym. Though the exact timeline is still unclear, President Nathan Hatch said in an interview with the editorial board of the Old Gold & Black
that groundbreaking would likely occur in the late fall of 2020, and that the building would likely open no sooner than the fall semester of 2022. Even so, the road will have to be rerouted through Davis Field before the construction phase begins for the College Academic Commons. The road will run straight up the hill and continue to an intersection at Davis and Taylor Residence Halls. The completion of this project will return the university to the vision originally conceived by architect Jens Frederick Larsen upon development of the original master plan in the 1950s. However, the new route is also important for other reasons that have arisen over the years. The creation of the road traversing Davis Field and intersecting at Davis and Taylor will create a more central location for the shuttle system and provide a safer experience for students riding the shuttles. Additionally, the redirection of traffic to the left upon entering the gates to the university will lessen the flow of cars along the road that runs past the library, and allow this section to be pedestrianized. Finally, the hope of the university is that the combination of a path through the grassy field and a thriving humanities building will likely contribute to the impression of a more inviting atmosphere when prospective and incoming students enter the university.
SG GENERAL ASSEMBLY BY JESS SCHMIDT Staff Writer schmja19@wfu.edu
views has been successful. He urged all other organizations that have not yet submitted their budgets to do so as soon as possible. I. New Business Chief of Staff Isabella Ryan spoke about her work on the upcoming There was one resolution on the Mental Health Week. agenda involving National Women Staff Advisor Tim Wilkinson inand Girls in Sports Day. The resolu- formed the Senate that the President’s tion asked for $300 from Student Aide application is currently open to Government to buy food and coffee at all undergraduates. the women’s basketball game against Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16. III. Committee Reports The event aims to encourage attendance at female sports competitions. The Academic Committee shared The resolution passed unanimously. about the Faculty Appreciation Day event tentatively planned for March II. Executive Reports 31 and their idea to host an ice cream social and an a cappella concert for all President Mellie Mesfin began by faculty. sharing her contributions to the NaThe Campus Life Committee entional Women and Girls in Sports couraged senators and other underDay and promoted attendance at the graduate students to volunteer for and event. participate in the many events that Treasurer Andrew Wilson reported will be held during Mental Health that the second week of budget re- Week.
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee discussed their ideas on textbook affordability. There are a couple options, such as administering a flat fee to every student or waiving the fee for students with financial aid. They are also asking academic departments to consolidate their required books list in order to reduce prices for students through bulk orders. The committee also shared their concerns with the university’s freshman housing assignment survey and how they would like to expand the form to allow for better suited roommate pairings. The committee is also hoping to push for an alternative to substancefree halls that is more practical than simply a hall in a dorm surrounded by halls that are not substance-free. The Judiciary Committee reported that their research on the Colonial Group’s student governments is almost complete. The committee is also planning to amend the language used in the Student Government constitu-
tion in order to codify properly the de facto rule that prohibits newly appointed senators from voting in their first senate meeting. The Public Relations Committee was pleased to share that the live streaming of Student Government meetings have been successful and that they are also going to update the website soon. The Physical Planning Committee updated the senate on their meeting with Dining Services that included the addition of La Croix in the Pod and the possibility of replacing a food option in Benson University Center with Chipotle, Panera or another studentsupported dining option. There will be surveys asking for student opinions on the topic throughout the spring semester and the committee asks that all students participate. The Student Organizations Council reported on their work to create a nondiscrimination policy in regard to chartering new organizations.
News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 5
Benjamin Crump discusses civil rights Civil rights attorney known for involvement in high-profile cases Benjamin Crump converses about his recent work BY WILL MAY Senior Writer mayws16@wfu.edu On Wednesday night, members of the university community united in Pugh auditorium for a conversation with renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. Crump is known for his involvement in many contentious, high-profile court cases in the United States, including the murders of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and Michael Brown in 2014. The event was sponsored by the School of Law, the Intercultural Center and the university’s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, an African-American fraternity. The conversation included Student Government Speaker of the House Miles Middleton and Maya Angelou Presidential Chair and Professor Melissa Harris-Perry. The event began by establishing Crump’s extensive involvement in civil rights and justice, asserting that his legacy is built around the idea that the United States constitution applies to everyone, on every level of society. Middleton said that they took the opportunity to invite Crump largely because of the university’s recent discussions regarding racial inequality. The impetus for such discourse stretches across the university’s history. From 1860, when the first endowment profited off the auction of slaves by the board of trustees, to 2019, when campus was wracked by a racist Instagram post and the resurfacing of old yearbook photos depicting students in blackface and current university deans posing in front of Confederate flags when they were students in the 1980s. As such, the administration has launched several initiatives seeking to address the issue of racism in the university’s past and present — examples of which include the President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community and the Committee on Slavery, Race and Memory. Middleton stated that he believed conversation to be very important in enacting progress in social justice, and that Crump was the best person to help facilitate that. “I learned about [Crump] when I was 13 years old,” he said. Harris-Perry helped established the context of the Trayvon Martin case to the audience by stating the basic facts: a 17-year-old African-American boy carrying groceries back to his home in Sanford, Fla., was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a local community member of the neighborhood watch who believed Martin was acting suspicious. Zimmerman was not arrested, and only one television news outlet provided any coverage of the event at the time,
largely because of the NBA All-star game taking place in Orlando. “I cannot describe the voice coming out of the other end of the telephone,” Crump said, describing one of the initial phone calls he received from Martin’s father. At the time, Crump assumed the police would arrest Zimmerman immediately. This was not the case. The arrest took 32 days, after social media activists and later news coverage prompted it. Crump said that he had many doubts about the possibility of success for Martin’s family, which he discussed with his law partner at the time, Daryl Parks. “Daryl told me, ‘you know, we’re going to spend all our time, our resources and our money and they still probably won’t arrest [Zimmerman],’” Crump said. “And I remember telling Daryl, ‘you’re probably right, but if we don’t do something, who will?’” Crump went on to discuss the context of Martin’s death among the other major instances of racial injustice throughout the history of the United States. He recalled the 1857 case Dred Scott vs. Sandford, the torture and murder of Emmett Till in 1955 in Mississippi and the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in front of 14 witnesses in broad daylight. Crump shifted his focus again to discuss a 2015 case he was involved in: the prosecution of Daniel Holtzclaw, an Oklahoma city police officer who used the power inherent in his position to sexually assault 13 black women in a six-month period in 2014. The
victims’ ages ranged from 17 to 55 years old. One of his final victims was Jannie Ligons, a 57-year-old grandmother who managed to file a police report despite her fear, igniting a chain of events that led to Holtzclaw’s arrest and eventual conviction. Crump deplored the minimal media coverage that the case received, asserting that the racial and socioeconomic demographics of the victims caused news outlets to be uninterested. “If [the victims] weren’t black women, Nancy Grace would be crying about it every night,” he said. Other audience members agreed that there still is inherent racial prejudice in the viewpoints of many people in the United States. “Though I can build a computational model and use it to graphically recreate the U.S. prison system based on how it functions and how it treats black people, I can still have a conservative sit there and tell me that our experiences are subjective lies and propaganda,” junior Chi Nwakuche said. “I love that [Crump] is here, and that in moments and spaces like this we get to speak our truth.” The conversation ended with a question-and-answer session. One query was related to how young people and students can be engaged in politics. “Voting is one tool in the toolbox,” Harris-Perry said. “Being informed at the most local level possible is also important. It may be hard to change who the president is, but you can definitely change who your city councilmember is.”
Will May/Old Gold & Black
Benjamin Crump, center, had a conversation with junior Miles Middleton, left, and Professor Melissa Harris-Perry, right, in Pugh Auditorium on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
WAKE IN A WEEK Wake Forest Baseball vs. Seton Hall Time: Friday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. Location: David F. Couch Ballpark Come spend Valentine’s Day at the David F. Couch Ballpark, cheering on the Deacons as they take on Seton Hall.
Queen of Hearts: A Drag Show Time: Friday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. Location: Benson University Center 401 Student Union hosts their annual Drag Show with an amazing line up of drag queens ready to perform their hearts out.
Student Union Art Acquisitions Committee Informational Meeting Time: Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Location: Benson University Center 401 Learn about applying for the art acquisitions committee for 2020-2021.
Boy Band Karaoke Time: Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. Location: Zick’s Underground Come sing at Student Union’s karaoke, featuring the musical stylings of your favorite boy bands.
CORRECTIONS Several updates have been made to the online version of the article “Kappa Sigma Operates Without WFU Approval” from the Feb. 6 edition. In print, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) was incorrectly referred to as the International Fraternity Council; the online edition of the article has been updated to accurately reflect the correct name. A sentence referred to the expansion process as an IFC process when in fact it is a university process; the sentence has been updated to accurately reflect the situation. The article also incorrectly stated that Kappa Sigma did not have insurance as a colony when in fact they did; the sentence has been updated to accurately reflect this. Lastly, a response by Betsy Adams to a quote from Hogan Disbrow, which was not included in print, was added to the online version.
Page 6 | Thursday, February 13, 2020
Old Gold & Black | News
Charlotte: School of Medicine expands Continued from Page 1
Teams from each organization have been working to turn their vision into reality since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2019. President Nathan Hatch stated that plans for this project have been in the works for 18 months. “Simply stated, we have a bold vision to combine our respective talents and create the nation’s leading modern academic healthcare system,” said Eugene A. Woods, president and chief executive officer of Atrium Health a press release. “We have now taken a giant step forward in bringing that collective vision to life.” Hatch said that it will be at least four years before the “sister” medical school campus will accept a full class of students. “This is an exciting prospect that will have positive state and national impacts in addition to benefiting the Charlotte and Winston-Salem communities,” said Hatch in a press release. “By strengthening medical education in WinstonSalem and bringing a medical school to Charlotte, we will open many doors for future health care leaders and also play a nationally leading role in research.” Wake Forest School of Medicine currently focuses its research on aging and Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, neurosciences and regenerative medicine, according to an article in The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte is among the biggest U.S. cities without a four-year medical
school, despite health care being one of from North Carolina, which presents an business related programs, according to its the region’s biggest employers, as report- opportunity for improvement when es- website. In addition to building the medical ed by The Charlotte Observer. Having a tablishing the new campus. When considering the partnership, school campus in Charlotte, the partnerfour-year medical school in Charlotte is something that industry officials and Atrium was particularly impressed with ship will also invest in new emergency economic developers in the city have the developments of Wake Downtown. services, operating rooms, critical care longed for. The city does, however, have Atrium had previously been in conversa- centers and a surgery tower in Winstontion with University of North Carolina Salem. A new stand-alone Eye Institute medical training programs. According to the Winston-Salem Jour- Health Care in regard to construction of a will be established for Wake Forest Bapnal, Julie Ann Freischlag, chief executive medical school in Charlotte. However, the tist’s growing ophthalmology department, officer of Wake Forest Baptist and dean groups were unable to come to an agree- which attracts more than 90,000 patients of the Wake Forest School of Medicine, ment and the plans never came to fruition. each year. A Wake Forest School of Medicine “Phenomenal things can happen when said that the majority of the existing medical school faculty, including herself, campus in Charlotte would allow the like-minded partners, committed to the would remain in Winston-Salem, and university to increase its presence in the same transformative vision, come together that the Charlotte medical school would city. The Wake Forest Charlotte Center in new ways to better serve our patients hire new faculty and utilize health care in downtown Charlotte was conceived in and communities,” Woods said in a stateprofessionals within the Atrium hospi- 1989 and offers both pre- and post-college ment. tal system. Atrium currently employs roughly 35,000 people in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Wake Forest Baptist is also a nonprofit that employs more than 19,000 people. In addition to its main hospital and Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, the system includes five hospitals in Guilford, Wilkes, Davidson, Davie and Alleghany counties, according to the website for the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. By partnering with the university, Atrium expects that it could cover healthcare for 80% of western North Carolina’s rural population. They also hope that more in-state students will choose to study and complete a residency at the Charlotte campus so they will stay in North Photo courtesy of John Simmons/Charlotte Observer Carolina after graduation and continue to practice there. Currently, only 40% To build the new Charlotte campus, the university is partnerof the university’s medical students are ing with Atrium Health, whose flagship hospital is shown above.
Former assistant basketball coach convicted
After fatally punching a man in August 2018, Jamill Jones was convicted of third-degree assault BY OLIVIA FIELD Editor-in-Chief fielor17@wfu.edu
On Feb. 6, the former assistant coach of the Wake Forest men’s basketball team, Jamill Jones, was found guilty of assault for fatally punching a man in New York City. As reported by the Winston-Salem Journal, Jones was convicted of a misdemeanor by a Queens, N.Y., criminal court jury. Jones faces up to one year in prison for a punch that led to the death of 35-year-old Sandor Szabo in August 2018. The sentencing will be held next month. The New York Post reported that Jones showed no emotion when the verdict was reported by the jury. At the same time, Szabo’s friends and family, who were present in the courtroom, consoled one another as they learned the results. “I am so relieved it’s over,” said Donna Kent, Szabo’s mother, to the New York Post. “I’m ready to sleep and move on. This has been my life for 18 months.”
Jones was charged with third-degree assault, and pleaded not guilty on Aug. 10, 2018. The New York City medical examiner ruled Szabo’s death a homicide, citing “blunt impact injury of head with brain injury” as his cause of death. In April 2018, The Charlotte Observer reported that the attorneys representing Kent argued to the Queens County District Attorney’s office that Jones should be charged with criminally negligent homicide. This was ultimately not pursued by the office, as Jones was only convicted of the original charge. According to a press release from the Queens District Attorney’s office, Szabo, who may have been intoxicated, was knocking on car windows searching for his Uber driver on Aug. 5, 2018. He appeared to have knocked on and shattered the rear window of Jones’s car, in which he was sitting at the time. Jones left his vehicle, punched Szabo and then drove away. Szabo, whose head hit the concrete, was taken to the hospital and “his injuries included a laceration to his chin, a skull fracture and other traumatic brain injuries.” He died in the hospital on Aug. 7, 2018. “The defendant could have driven away from the scene or call[ed] 911. Instead,
he retaliated by getting out of his car and punching the victim,” said Melinda Katz, Queen’s district attorney, in a press release. “This was a death that could have been avoided, sparing the victim’s family the loss of a loved one.”
Jones resigned from his position in the university’s basketball program on April 13, 2018, after being placed on leave in early August 2018. Originally from Kernersville, N.C., Jones had joined the coaching team in May 2017.
Photo courtesy of Associated Press
Former assistant basketball coach Jamill Jones had been charged in August 2018, following the death of a man he punched.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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Proposed construction removes heritage trees Potential academic building on Davis Field will require cutting down heritage trees BY LAUREN BERRYMAN Contributing Writer berrlt17@wfu.edu
Maggie Burns also contributed to the reporting for this article. The university's campus is adorned with hundreds of trees — magnolias, ornamental cherries, oaks — leading to an apt nickname: “The Forest.” These trees perform a multitude of ecosystem services, which help keep "The Forest" green, but plans for expansion may result in a thinner forest in some places. In 2010, the university developed the Tree Care Plan, which raised the standards for justifying why certain trees should be cut down and requires that for every tree cut down on campus, another tree must be planted. The mission of the Tree Care Plan is to “ensure a safe, attractive, healthy and sustainable campus forest,” which is becoming increasingly more crucial
as the infrastructure on campus is expanding. Although construction has not yet been approved, the first two design phases of the College Academic Commons have been approved by the Board of Trustees. If the board signs off on construction of the building, trees will be uprooted from Davis Field as a result. Some of the trees that would come down during construction, if approved, are called “heritage trees.” Heritage trees are defined in the Tree Care Plan as trees “that have developed exceptional historical, cultural or aesthetic value” due to age or other important circumstances. The plan also expresses that the “expectation is that these [heritage] trees will not be affected by the development of the campus,” which is directly at odds with the potential construction plan. Trees act as carbon sinks, meaning they take in carbon from the atmosphere and store it. This ecological role helps mitigate greenhouse gas emissions largely produced by humans. Many of these trees have been storing carbon for a number of years, and
cutting them down has the potential to release that carbon back into the atmosphere if they are burned or left to rot. With the Tree Care Plan in effect, there will be new trees planted, but it takes some time for young trees to mature enough to perform the full ecosystem services of an older tree. Although there is a plan in place to plant new trees, replacing a very old tree with a new sapling does not immediately offset the carbon emissions. It takes time before new trees efficiently and effectively sequester a similar amount of carbon from the atmosphere as trees that are decades old. “A smaller tree just doesn’t perform the same ecosystem services as an older, larger tree,” said Chief Sustainability Officer Dedee Johnston. According to Johnston, planting new, young trees does not immediately mitigate the effects of cutting down an old tree. “We have a very emotional relationship with our trees, I love that about us,” Johnston said. “If students graduate and leave with that visceral relationship to non-human others, then that's really great.”
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The proposed plans will require the removal of several heritage trees.
Those shoes are made for more than walking Classic "Chucks" have a large carbon footprint, along with thier social implications BY MEIRA CLARK Contributing Writer clarmg16@wfu.edu Whether your shoe size is a seven or a 12, the size of your footprint on the environment is much larger than you might think. According to a ScienceDirect study, anywhere from 18 to 41 kilograms of carbon is released into the atmosphere in order to make a single pair of shoes. That is equivalent to keeping a 100-watt lightbulb on for between one and two weeks straight, or about 252 hours of constant electricity. When buying a pair of shoes, people often think about how supportive they are, the price tag and the style. Rarely do they consider the impact their purchase could have on the environment when the shiny new pair of shoes looks so nice in the box. For many university students, Chuck Taylors, or “Chucks,” are popular shoes — and popular carbon dioxide emitters. For about $50 you can choose from 13 different color options, or if that’s not enough, you can design your own. These shoes check the boxes of trendy, cheap and also, typically have high rates of carbon emissions to make them.
Many chemicals and machines are typically used during the manufacturing stages of making shoes. In order to power these machines, large amounts of fossil fuels — like coal — are used. These fossil fuels then emit greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, into the environment. The machines can produce large amounts of shoes at once, which is why large companies choose to use them despite their high rate of emissions. According to a New York Times article titled “Converse Treads Carefully in Updating Well-Worn Chuck Taylor Brand,” Converse — the company owned by Nike who makes Chuck Taylors — sells over 100 million pairs of Chucks every year. That’s a lot of lightbulbs. When new members join sororities on campus, it is common for them to buy a pair of Chuck Taylors that match their sorority colors. These chucks serve both as a distinguisher for those in these organizations, as well as a go-to pair of sneakers to wear to parties. This has become a common theme amongst organizations, but it isn’t required or necessarily expected. While chucks are popular among many university students, some feel like this is an outdated trend. “I stopped wearing my chucks for most occasions sophomore year because one of my closest friends wasn’t in a sorority and I found freshman girls and older guys were rude to her because she didn’t have any,” said senior Nicole Fox. “I think they’re a sh**ty representation of a socially constructed hierarchy.”
Since 2016, however, there has been an environmentally friendly alternative to the casual sneaker, giving students the opportunity to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions if they replace their chucks. With hopes of limiting further environmental damage from shoe production, Allbirds founders Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger began making shoes from natural materials like wool, eucalyptus, castor bean oil and recycled bottles, according to their website. Not only are these shoes made from natural materials, they only release 10 kilograms of carbon dioxide per pair of shoe — less than half of overall industry standards. Ten kilograms of carbon for Brown and Zwillinger was still 10 kilograms too much, so in 2019 Allbirds vowed to go carbon neutral. “For every ton of carbon we emit as a business — from the sheep on our farms to the lightbulbs in our headquarters — we’ll pay to take a cone of carbon out of the atmosphere” through carbon offsets, pledges their website. Allbirds’ commitment is achieved through “purchasing credits from thirdparty verified emissions reduction projects,” meaning that they are supporting companies that help plant and protect trees and create alternative ways of making energy (wind and solar) to lessen the greenhouse gases that enter our atmosphere daily. Because of their commitment to the environment, these shoes come with a
heftier price of $95 for their classic wool runner; a price that Allbirds believes is worth the overall benefit to the environment since each pair comes with a net total of zero carbon emissions “I knew they were sustainable but I didn’t know in what way,” said sophomore Jack Jestus. “I would say that it definitely helped my choice in wanting them, but I wouldn’t say it's the only reason I got them.” Zwillinger and Brown are creating a completely new standard for the shoe industry, and others are following suit. According to Business Insider, some other shoe companies implementing sustainable initiatives include Rothy’s, Nike (with their “flyknit” line), Nothing New and several others. These brands are committed to reducing carbon emissions and, in some cases, using recycled materials to create their sneakers. Additionally, Converse released their “renew” collection last year, which, according to their website, is a sustainable alternative to their classic Chucks. The collection turns waste from cotton scraps, plastic bottles, and other materials like denim into yarn, which they then turn into a new pair of sneakers. “People don’t buy products because they’re sustainable, they buy them because they’re great,” Brown said in an interview with CNBC. Brown and Zwillinger are working to prove that both sustainability and greatness can go hand in hand.
OPINION OLD GOLD & BLACK
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“ Seashores provide means of collective escape Vacation
The phenomenon of vacation serves to juxtapose everyday mundanity Connor McNeely Staff Columnist mcnecb19@wfu.edu
I would imagine a lot of people would like to be at the beach right now. But not at the beach — right now. The idea of walking along a windswept sandy isle or tanning underneath the faint glimmer of the sun in 40 degree weather is not at all appealing. I mean a lot of people presently would like to be at the beach in the summer, we are currently in the middle of a North Carolina winter — if you haven’t noticed — which usually spans around the end of January to the beginning of February. You could make the point that this is not
Life can be as destructive as a tsunami but can also be as peaceful as an afternoon floating in the shallows. ” really winter — that it’s just a messy collection of rainy days and nights with a couple of suspiciously pleasant afternoons interposed — and I would accept that. However it’s still awful weather and most people would like to get out of it. For many people, the beach is a state of mind. I am aware that there are probably those that don’t like to go to the beach. Still, to be unpleasant at the beach is to enter a particular state of mind. My point is that the emotional state that the beach occupies is most typically one of escape. The cultural history of going to the beach marks its origin as a holiday in Britain. The healthy benefits of a trip to the coast were found in the clear air, cold seawater and a great view of the horizon. However truly beneficial this was to the average health of
an individual in that time is relatively unclear — but it had to have been better than sticking around in the disgusting environment of Britain’s industrialized cities. But at that point beach holidays were to be had only by the upper classes of England, and it became a sort of competitive sport between them that eventually fell out of fashion and trickled down to the middling, working classes. Nowadays there are entire towns, cities and corporations built on such an idea. So it’s pretty obvious that going to the beach is a thing — an ingrained social habit grossly enlarged by our market economy — the real question is: what do I think of it? This is an opinion piece after all. Well, like a lot of people, my inner psyche is very much involved with this form of escapism. Any rationally minded person needs this kind of retreat from the overbearing constraints of our chaotic, attention seeking society in order to focus on the kind of beauty that doesn’t even ask for attention. Going anywhere — the woods,
the mountains (well the woods are very similar to the mountains) — is extremely helpful, but it must be argued that there is a special kind of expansive allure about the ocean. If you have seen any sea or body of water before, you realize that there is a certain commonality between human experience and the vast expanse of ocean. It lies in the rhythmic flow of the tide, colossal space and instant flux between tranquility and intense storms. Life can be as destructive as a tsunami but can also be as peaceful as an afternoon floating in the shallows. I’ll conclude with some parting warnings about big, corporate beaches that have so many people on them that you can’t get an actual view of the ocean. Yeah, I’m partial to a solitary experience in nature, but what I’m recommending is just some quality time with your friends or family where you can actually experience the ocean and not just a crowded piece of our society transposed onto one of the last standing frontiers of our once beautiful planet.
constitution had one goal in mind
Today, people become uncomfortable when it comes to political disagreement and try to avoid it at all costs; this complacency should be avoided. Animated conversation about how our country should move forward is the way our society progresses. The current political climate is polarized and passionate, but this gives me hope for the future of our democracy. Passion for how our country should operate is not something that should be held back, but openly discussed. Perhaps the stiffling of open political discussion is why the political tension in our country is so palpable. I have come across many people who avoid the conversation about politics because it gets too intense, but maybe there’s so much intensity because ideas are not as openly discussed as they should be. Common ground can only be found if a dialogue can unfold about the state of our democracy. Perhaps we feel so polarized because there seems to be no common ground. I argue this “common ground” is out there, people just don’t speak up enough to find it.
“ Polarized discourse precipitates stability Political Discourse
Political gridlock works to mediate power among branches of government Markus Minanov Guest Columnist minamk17@wfu.edu
Recently, I read an article published in the New Yorker titled “The Last Time Democracy Almost Died” by Jill Lepore. This piece inspired me to think about what an attack on American democracy might look like; not in reference to external threats to American democracy but, instead, what an attack looks like from within our country. Many people have certain notions about what this attack would look like: more than likely they consider the election of a president or representative they view as unfit to serve the U.S. as one such attack. However, I believe that the instant the people of this country cease questioning the motivations of those in power, peo-
The current political climate is polarized and passionate, but this gives me hope for the future...”
when creating it: to protect the liberties of the people, as well as protect American democracy from centralized power. Gridlock is engrained in our constitution and acts as a barrier ple will become complacent in how against one branch’s consolidation our government operates; if this oc- of power. Our Constitution is decurs, American democracy dies. signed to move forward when there I do believe whole heartedly that discourse and disagreement are a is a general consensus about policy, necessary evil in order to protect and society pressures our representademocracy. Discourse throughout tives to put these ideals into action. American history has protected the Consider the Amendments added to Constitution and even improved it our constitution to improve how we through the amendment process. operate. Consider the great people Though it sounds counterproduc- that have changed America for the tive, I believe that discourse, dis- better. Is there any country in the agreement and discussion is the world besides the United States of nucleus of American democracy and America, where one person with a I would be gravely concerned with worthy belief cannot have lasting efthe state of our democracy if politi- fects on the social and political wellcal discourse disappeared from the being of our country? Consider our current political climate. If gridlock fabric of American politics. Some people might argue that po- did not exist, almost half the country litical gridlock might stall our gov- would feel left behind, and this can ernment and could pose a threat to only result in more polarization and American democracy. Contrary to more anger towards those in power. popular belief, political gridlock is Consensus over policy is the only exactly what our framers intended to way our Democracy proceeds, and occur when our country is as polar- if gridlock did not exist, American ized as it is today. The framers of the democracy can very easily crumble.
Opinion | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 9
Aesthetics “of conversation require ethos Small Talk
Forms of media undermine intracacies of of conversational form Kyle Ferrer
Staff Columnist ferrka16@wfu.edu
Nervous chatting is as old as humanity, though with time it’s grown exponentially. I can’t imagine much filler on the tundra, or across the great plains, and I’m fairly sure the only caveman steeped in lifeless dialogue belongs to Geico. But filling social space with inane banter about the weather, sports or mother’s mush has helped jittery people seem engaged, curious or otherwise amenable at least since the dawn of dinner parties. We stuff limp air with faux-energy to avoid pause, to paddle feebly toward the stables shores of a good conversation. But the effort always starts to ache, and our minds often downshift into mindless response. Nervous chatting is a kind of double doggerel — arrhythmia both physical and audible. It can be nearly as painful as holiday cards to see a body blush at
Just like doing nothing is still an act, saying less, saying nothing, or pausing between saying little, is a happening.” its produce, our only available response a face-wrinkling grimace. All bad art is sincere, Oscar Wilde said, and conversation is an art, the sincerest version being nervous chatting. But has the internet, specifically social media, debased us further? Now, armed with encyclopedias, nervous chatting achieves the illusion of complexity. If there was a former comfort embedded in our template of platitudes, there’s now a terror endemic to our delimited drivel. Patience and creativity have retreated, and in their place grows a vineyard of choice deflections. The available exits the phone provides has become an all-time-great crutch for those wishing to avoid interchange. But the handheld computer has also created a greater anxiety toward speech, since it allows it to stay dormant for so long. I’m guilty of it myself, though I’m feebly trying to improve. The phone stays in my pocket before class begins, or during small breaks in things, the sad result of which makes my searching eyes look more like those of a disturbed daydreamer than an approachable partner. My problem
has always lived in shy, lurching silence, though, rather than cascading inanity. It’s not better (well, sometimes it is better. Sometimes they can’t tell if you’re cripplingly shy or a highly selective poet), it’s just different. Though our sanctioned distraction helps us evade one another, it inflames our nerves by claiming a darting consciousness. Rowing swiftly among the digital eddies has thinned speech into wild citation, at its worst, or at its best an updated version of non-stop interrogation presenting as interest. Whereas before there were limited options (and so, inevitable silences) there’s now no limit to filler. As nervous chatting morphs into antsy living, silence and boredom appear germane only to hermits and monks. We have assimilated the internet’s short-attention span into an existential tone, and ideation gets run through the wood-chipper. Reddit feeds us on pellets of information, and those sweet-seeming nothings have evolved nervous chatting into protean nervous chatting, adaptable nonsense that bloats silence out of existence. Splintered attention congeals into facile creation, numb to the ambling richness of good conversation. By further diminishing speech-activity, consciousness bonsais in a mess of gaudy nonsequitors.
Subtle conversation comes from a jazzy, adaptive brain, able to take in words and spin a response with personal ethos and style. It mingles words with person in a kind of song, and implicitly compels your companion to contribute a bar. The internet subtracts that complex cognition and adds its encyclopedia of pivots — all onenote dead-ends, invading others and wearing the mask of intelligence. But conversation is as much an exercise in withholding as it is a superabundant flood. It’s a tide of sharing, a back-andforth based on thematic continuity, animated by a parrying intellect working with style and content, not just tiny shocks of sound. The curvature of a conversation is as vital as its skeleton. Just like doing nothing is still an act, saying less, saying nothing, or pausing between saying little, is a happening. It embeds speech in the authentically human, and creates a conversational aesthetic, something our great machines will never be able to feel. But if you don’t believe me, here’s Robert Frost: “I was under twenty when I deliberately put it to myself one night after a good conversation that there are moments when we actually touch in talk what the best writing can only come near.” It’s not a wrong note, it’s jazz.
“ Collegeisapro-democracyreform Fixing the Electoral Election Season
The constitutional anachronism creates perverse incentives that undermine democracy Amanda Wilcox Staff Columnist wilcaf16@wfu.edu
It flew well under the radar, but the campaign to circumvent the Electoral College gained critical momentum this week. Last Friday, a bill to commit the state of Virginia to an interstate effort that would turn the outdated Electoral College into a rubber stamp passed a key House of Delegates committee; the measure currently faces debate in the full lower chamber. If passed by both the House and the Senate, the bill will go to Governor Ralph Northam’s desk for final signature into law. The measure, entitled the National Popular Vote Bill, would enter the Commonwealth into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which is an agreement among a coalition of states to award their Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote nationally. The measure will go
Modern presidential candidates consider solidly blue or red states to be foregone conclusions...” into effect when enacted by states possessing a majority of electoral votes necessary to elect a president — 270 out of 538. At present, 15 states and DC have joined the compact, totaling 196 electoral votes. Virginia’s 13 votes would bring the total to 209, just 61 electoral votes short of the sum needed to bring the compact into operation. It’s an overdue effort, because the current winner-take-all system, which awards all of a state’s electoral votes to the popular vote winner in that state, no matter how close the race is, is deeply anti-democratic. It treats 10s-of-millions of Americans — from Democrats in Frisco to Republicans in Seattle — as if their voices don’t matter. This means that modern presidential candidates consider solidly blue or red states to be foregone conclusions and all but ignore them on the campaign trail. Instead, they focus on a small handful of so-called “battleground” states that are closely divided between Democrats and Republicans. According to a tracker
maintained by FairVote, a nonpartisan electoral reform organization, two-thirds of campaign events held by either major party in 2016 took place in just six states: Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. Add six more states and you’ve got 94% of all campaign events. That may be a smart campaign strategy, but it’s unfair for the rest of the country, which is barely listened to while our politics and policy debates are distorted based on the priorities of the battleground states. Candidates engineer their platforms to appeal to the battleground states, and incumbents who want to stay in office spend time, energy and money in the same places. The emphasis on a small number of states also threatens our national security, creating easy targets for adversaries such as Russia to hack the outcome of an election. And on a more fundamental level, if voters outside swing states know that their votes are devalued, they may behave accordingly. In 2012, 64% of swing-state voters showed up to the polls, compared with 57% everywhere else, a pattern that held true in 2016. The Democratic Party already leads the way on a multitude of pro-democracy reforms, many aimed at stamping out the role of
money in politics and expanding voting rights, but the Electoral College is also a threat to the principle of “one person, one vote,” and yet at the moment, abolishing or reforming it isn’t taken seriously enough. We all can understand, at a gut level, the basic fairness of awarding the nation’s highest office on the same basis as every other elected office — to the person who gets the most votes. But for now, the presidency is still decided by 548 electors. This November, the College, which allocates electors based on each state’s representation in Congress and tips the scales in favor of smaller states, will count a Wyoming resident’s vote 3.6 times as much as a Californian’s. To put it bluntly, if such inequity were taking place in another country, the U.S., as the self-appointed world police, would send in election monitors. Good news, then, that while the Constitution establishes the existence of electors, it doesn’t tell states how to vote. As such, there’s no time like the present for more states to sign on to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that the 2020 election could be the third time in six elections that the White House goes to the loser of the popular vote.
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 10
Opinion | Old Gold & Black
“ Media representation shapes perception Society and Media
Expanded representation in media shapes internalized notions of reality Jack Portman
Staff Columnist portjt17@wfu.edu
Our media, in its various forms, succeeds in shaping the ways in which its consumers conceptualize, theorize and perceive. Its ubiquity grants it a nearly limitless jurisdiction within our daily experiences — advertisements proliferate across the physical spaces we inhabit and our free time is frequently invested in social media, film and television. Media is appealing as a means of entertainment because of its supposed capacity to contextualize our own existence. Viewers often form parasocial connections to the characters they enjoy, investing emotional energy and interest into a one-sided relationship. We learn to understand ourselves by watching characters strive for self-actualization, fulfillment and satisfaction. In a sense, media has a socializing effect — it can serve as a model for how to
We often come to favor the simplicity and comfort afforded by our virtual alternatives.” interact with our peers, navigate our tribulations and find meaning in our collective mundanity. The somewhat outsized role media plays in shaping our relationship to the world becomes problematic when the media we consume misrepresents the actual world we live in. When unrealistic portrayals of reality become salient modes of entertainment, a sort of cognitive dissonance seems to result; experientially constructed beliefs about the world come into conflict with powerful facsimiles of a familiar reality. Evidently, we often come to favor the simplicity and comfort afforded by our virtual alternatives. The performance and aesthetics of gender are frequently cited in discussions of media’s impacts on identity. While commercials for childrens’ toys work to bifurcate gender from infancy, portrayals of boys and girls in television affirm expectations of how gender is performed and experienced. Queer identities seem to have only recently found footing in mainstream media, and even those which
“ Goodness derives
have recently begun to populate my Netflix queue seem lacking in nuance and variety. When we entertain ourselves with narratives that obscure the full breadth of gender, we begin to adopt a similarly unrefined perspective. There are few mainstream characters a masculine girl or a feminine boy might resonate with, and certainly fewer a transgender teen might find relatable. Rather, a profusion of ruggedly masculine boys and men, paired with overtly sexualized girls and women, dominate most popularized media narratives. By diversifying gender presentation in media, a heightened understanding and awareness of gender — and the roles we play — may be achieved. Just as forms of media encode gender with standards of performance, media portrayals of family life contribute to a normalization of the nuclear family. The perceived normalcy of this familial arrangement may not precisely owe to its ubiquity in television family-sitcoms, however the absence of alternative modes of family life precludes any significant exploration of how people form relationships in other family-types. It is worth considering how narratives about single parent familys and same-sex families might expand our understandings of our own familial
relationships. The representation of family life in media likewise encodes family positions with gendered behavioral expectations: mothers are frequently assigned household tasks while fathers are typically breadwinners. In a way, our media serve to broaden our perspective by exposing us to places, people and situations we might otherwise never see. Such is why I watch documentaries about Antarctica and serial killers; I may never see an icy tundra or interact with a murderer in real life, however the media I consume has the capacity to show me what I might see and hear if I did. However, this function is frequently betrayed by the misrepresentations and under-representations which augment and deform our virtual realities. By expanding representation in our media, we can work to change how we conceive of gender, family, labor, sex and multitudenous other social phenomena. From childrens’ television to medical advertisements, the people and narratives we see in the media have the capacity to shape our view of the world; by working to broaden how constructs such as gender are presented, we can effectively seek to change how we conceive of them.
Philosophy
Egoism and alterior motivations permeate our relationship to goodness Gaby Gonzalez
Guest Columnist gonzgc17@wfu.edu
Are we good people, and do we even care about being good people? If we do care, what are our motivations for being good? With everything going on in the world — the not-so-slow decay of our planet, the rapid spread of disease, the consistently rising political tensions and divisions — do we still think about being good? Or are we more concerned with appearing good in the face of the chaos that surrounds us? Simply put, are we good (and if so, how are we motivated to be good people)? From Aristotle to Kant, there exist several inquiries on being good, how to live life virtuously, and why, if at all, it matters for us to be good people. While I acknowledge the various perspectives, I will focus on the modern philosopher Heather Battaly’s discussion of virtuous motivations as seen in her book Virtue, as I have had
from dubious roots
Many of us are members producgand not part of the altruistic of organizations whose in- motivation. Now, which of these aligns with tended purpose is to produce what motivates us to be good? Many good. ” of us are members of organizations the opportunity to explore in Chris- whose intended purpose is to protian Miller’s philosophy class on Vir- duce good. Here at the university we have an array of organizations such as tue and Character. Battaly points out three types of Campus Kitchen, Best Buddies and motivation that have the ability to events such as Wake N’ Shake that all produce virtuous, or good, actions. aim to produce good effects for peoFirst, there are egoistic motives. These ple who need help in our community. are motives to produce good with the However, as participants of these orintention of benefitting oneself. Bat- ganizations and events, what is truly taly would agree that one example of motivating us to take part? Speakegoistic motives could be donating a ing broadly, I think it is possible that large sum of money to some charity many of us are egoistically motivated or organization in order to receive to be members of such organizations and events. widespread recognition or fame. As college students, we face many Next, there are dutiful motives. If we have dutiful motives, that means pressures in terms of preparing ourwe feel a sense of obligation to com- selves for life after college and we are plete an action to produce good. constantly participating in different Those who believe in a god and per- clubs and activities with the goal of form good deeds because their faith building our resumes. We are taught commands them to have dutiful mo- that we have to appear involved so that we can achieve our goals — whether tivation. Lastly, there are altruistic motives, that be a job we are seeking or a gradperhaps the most “pure” or admi- uate program we wish to attend. It is rable of motives. One who is altru- stressed that we need some type of istically motivated performs good ac- community service activity, otherwise tions simply for the benefit of others. we will not appear as an active, caring Battaly would argue that any benefit member of our community. to oneself, such as feeling joy from So, when we sign up to particihelping someone else is simply a by- pate in clubs and events that help
others, are we motivated to do so solely because we want to help others or because we want to build our rèsumè and help ourselves? Even if rèsumè-building is not a priority for you, helping others or being active in organizations that aim to help others is a part of the college culture. It is possible that our motivation to participate in activities that produce good is that we want to fit in and be a part of the mainstream. So, rather than genuinely caring about the cause at hand or truly wanting to help just for the sake of helping, our motivation to help, is because “everyone else is doing it” and we want to fit in with everyone else. Thus, is it the case that we are egoistically motivated to perform good actions? If so, can we be considered good people if our motivations are egoistic? Moreover, is it possible that the lack of “good” in the world is connected to the idea that we are only thinking about and acting for ourselves and not truly concerned with doing and being good for goodness’ sake? In other words, how can the world become a better place if we are motivated to do good in order to make ourselves appear better so we can achieve our goals?
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Online at: www.wfuogb.com Editor: Amanda Wilcox, wilcaf16@wfu.edu Assistant Editors: Ben Conroy, conrbd19@wfu.edu Will Zimmerman, zimmwj19@wfu.edu
OLD GOLD & BLACK
UNC: Tar Heels fall to bottom of ACC rankings Continued from Page 1
The Deacs stayed hot to open up the second half, extending the lead to as much as 26. But Carolina was able to claw their way back into the game. “Carolina is a very talented team," said Head Coach Danny Manning. “We knew they were going to make runs.” From the 16-minute mark to the three, North Carolina outscored Wake Forest 29-12. The Deacs couldn’t buy a basket, and also were desperately trying to slow down the pace of the game. The Tar Heels were able to trim the lead down to single digits, but the spurt died out in the final two minutes. Senior guard Christian Keeling missed an open 3-pointer from the right-wing when UNC was down nine. Freshman point guard Cole Anthony, Carolina’s best player, and presumed 2020 NBA lottery pick, played a pretty poor game for his standards. Don’t be deceived by his 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, Anthony missed 14 shots, went 0-6 from downtown, and turned the ball over seven times. Manning coached Anthony when he was in high school for Team USA, and almost swayed the five-star recruit to Wake Forest, but he elected to play for Williams instead in Chapel Hill. “He’s a heck of a player,” said senior Brandon Childress. “It was a great opportunity to get to compete with
someone like that. And I wanted to take on the challenge.” Not only did he take on the challenge, he played one of his best games of the season. “[Childress] did a great job distributing the ball, handling that pressure,” Manning said. “To only have two turnovers, with 10 assists, was outstanding.” The 10 helpers set a new career high for the senior floor general. He attacked the basket hard off the dribble all game, adding 14 points as well. “I thought Childress did a great job of running their club,” Williams said. Junior guard Chaundee Brown scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 25 minutes, as he continues to be eased back into action after his injury. Junior center Olivier Sarr was limited to just 13 minutes of action, and was walking around campus with a boot on his right foot Wednesday morning. The game was also the Deacs’ annual pink game for cancer research, which Wake Forest has now won for the sixth straight season. Attendance was 10,894, easily the most packed it's been this year. Tar heel blue was slightly more prevalent than old gold and black in the crowd, but the student section had its greatest turnout of the season. The Demon Deacons will travel to Miami for an afternoon battle on Saturday, before returning to Winston-Salem to host Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
Photo courtesy of Winston-Salem Journal
Wake Forest's Ody Oguama tips off against Carolina's junior forward Garrison Brooks.
Diamond Deacs look ahead to a bright season With a talented roster, No. 19 Wake Forest will face competition from the best baseball teams in the country BY JOSEPH RAFSHOON Staff Writer rafsjm17@wfu.edu The nationally-ranked Wake Forest baseball team is ramping up for their highly-anticipated 2020 season. With the Deacons bringing back a plethora of veteran talent, the team will start the season ranked No. 19 in the country. It won't be an easy one, as Wake Forest will go through a gauntlet of a schedule which boosts five ranked teams including No. 1 Louisville. Wake Forest’s 2020 roster does not lack in talent. From the plate to the mound, the Deacons will have their best roster since the 2017 season that made it to the NCAA super regional, according to junior DJ Poteet in an interview last week. "This is the most talent we've had since I've been here. They are comparing us to the 2017 team who lost by one run to Florida and eventually went on to win the College World Series,” Poteet said. Even with the high ranking and on-paper preseason stats, the Deacons face competition with some of the best teams in the country. Poteet emphasized the fact that a ranking means nothing at the beginning of the season. “It’s exciting to get ranked high, but at the end of the day it doesn't mean anything. We still gotta go out there and win,” he said. The Deacons boast one of the top lineups in the country, which revolves around the 2019 ACC player of the year, junior Bobby Seymour. The first baseman will anchor the middle of the lineup, having batted a staggering .377 last season while driving in a whopping 92 runs. Along with
Photo courtesy of Winston-Salem Journal
Sophomore shortstop Michael Turconi (left) smiles as he is congratulated by a teammate after scoring two runs during last year's season opener against Sacred Heart College. Seymour, the Deacons can rely on an experienced group of juniors including infielder Chris Lanzili, outfielders Michael Louodwig, Poteet and two-way player Shane Muntz. Poteet emphasized the lethality of this offense. “I don't think we are lacking in any category; we may have the best offense in the ACC and possibly the country,” he said. This core group of juniors will be the leaders of the Deacs this year, according to junior pitcher Antonio Menendez. “An X Factor on the team is leadership. [The] last couple years it's been lacking. Now that we are upperclassmen, it's our responsibility to get the morale and chemistry better,” Menendez said. “I think at least with the pitching staff I try and lead by example.” Menendez, a right-handed pitcher, was the top man out of the pen in 2019.
This season, Menendez is one of the four pitchers competing for starting spots. Besides him, the Deacs will be relying on juniors William Flemming and Jared Shuster, and sophomore Ryan Cusick. Menendez explained the pitching plan. “We have four guys to start in the ACC, so the first couple weeks you will see us compete and they will pick the best three of us to continue on that path and the fourth person may be a weekday starter guy or maybe out of the pen,” he said. With all that being said, the Deacs have high hopes for the season. It is Omaha or bust. “Not to get there; to win,” Poteet said. Wake Forest will open the season hosting Seton Hall on Feb. 14 at the David F. Couch Ballpark.
Page 12 | Thursday, February 13, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Sports
Dodgers land Betts in blockbuster trade A three-team deal shipped Mookie Betts and David Price from Boston to LA BY REN SCHMITT Senior Writer schmwm16@wfu.edu
As pitchers and catchers begin to report to spring training, several new faces will be arriving at camp for the Red Sox, Dodgers and Twins. After a week of renegotiation and concern that trade talks would collapse, these three teams finally reached terms on a deal that sent Mookie Betts from Boston to Los Angeles. In summary, the Dodgers received Mookie Betts and David Price from Boston plus Brusdar Graterol, Luke Raley and a draft pick from Minnesota. The Dodgers sent Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong to Boston and both Kenta Maeda and Jair Camargo to Minnesota. For the Dodgers and Red Sox, the trade signaled the intentions of each organization for the upcoming season. The Dodgers, who fell short in the 2017 and 2018 World Series, are pushing in
all of their chips in hopes of capturing their first title since 1988. Since 2013, the Dodgers have been a regular-season dynasty, winning the NL West for seven consecutive seasons. The only thing missing from their extended stretch of dominance is a World Series. The Red Sox, on the other hand, appear to be taking a step back after the disappointing 2019 that followed their 2018 championship season. Betts, who is only under contract for 2020, is the only position player in baseball capable of rivaling Mike Trout’s production, but the Red Sox saw him as a luxury they no longer needed. By pairing Betts and Price in a trade, the Red Sox moved a significant sum of money off their books and are now comfortably below the competitive balance tax threshold, which will allow them to reset their tax penalties and return to exorbitant spending in the near future. Of course, for fans, ownership’s profit margins are rarely a primary area of interest, and losing an arguably once-in-a-generation player in Betts came as a serious disappointment for the Boston faithful. Betts took a step back from his 10.4 fWAR 2018 season, but even when
Peter Joneleit/CSM/Zuma Press/TNS
Former Red Sox player Mookie Betts runs to first on Aug. 31. Betts takes a step back, he still performs like one of the game’s best. In 2019, he was worth 6.6 fWAR, good for fifth in the American League, and his K% and BB% actually improved, suggesting
that there was no underlying problem with his approach at the plate. With the addition of Betts, the Dodgers will be even more of an offensive juggernaut, and Price could provide some much-needed rotation depth after the departure of Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Red Sox package was relatively modest, but Verdugo will replace a portion of Betts’ outfield production, and Downs could develop into a quality big-league infield starter. The Twins, more or less an afterthought in this deal, will benefit from the addition of Maeda, as their rotation was their greatest weakness in 2019. Graterol, one of the Twins’ higher-level pitching prospects, projects to land in the Dodgers’ bullpen, and the Twins needed major-league-caliber starting pitching more than high-upside relief pitching. Though the deal highlights some of baseball’s frustrating economic realities, and spending cuts for the sake of profit are never something to be celebrated in MLB, the Red Sox and Dodgers will each come out on the other side of this deal closer to meeting their organizational goals.
Runners compete to join Team USA in Tokyo A look ahead at promising hopefuls in the Feb. 29 marathon trials BY SAMANTHA WEXLER Staff Writer wexlsn17@wfu.edu
As an avid distance runner and president of the club running team on campus, I’ve been intensely following potential Team USA athletes in the running events as Tokyo nears. You may or may not care, but if you do, then it’s your lucky day. I will have a mini-series in the OGB about distance running and who to look out for. Given that the marathon trials come first, I’ve decided to profile the marathon hopefuls first, so here we go. The Olympic marathon trials for American athletes takes place on Feb. 29 in Atlanta. The top three men and Photo courtesy of NPR women will cement their place on Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics. The race Desiree Linden wins the women's division of the Boston Marathon in is huge, with the qualifying window 2018. She was the first American woman to win the race since 1985. from Sept. 1, 2017 through Jan. 19, 2020. Men had to run between 2:15 Thweatt, will toe the line in Atlanta to Also a member of team Saucony, Molly and 2:19 to earn a place, with women try to qualify for Tokyo in the mara- Huddle will be a force in the race, coming needing to run between 2:37 and 2:45. thon. in with a 2:26.33 best. She has six AmeriThere are 800 participants currently regThweatt ran a personal best 2:25.38 can records, is a two-time Olympian and istered, double the attendance of 2016. in the London Marathon. She looks to Of course, only a select few will truly be in great shape and she is a fighter, so a whopping 28 USATF championships. Another seasoned pro to look out for be in the running to take the crown, so I am very biased in pulling for her. It is Desiree Linden, the latest American to let's dive in. will not be an easy task though, as the win the Boston Marathon. Linden has marathon field is loaded this year. Women Sara Hall is one name to look out for, represented Team USA in 2012 and 2016 with a personal best of 2:22.16 in the in the marathon and looks to continue This one is where it gets personal for race. She is a seasoned professional and that this year. Of course, there is always me. One of my high school cross coun- this will be her fifth Olympic Trials race, the potential for lots to transpire over 26.2 miles, so it truly is anyone's race. try coaches, Saucony-sponsored Laura her second in the marathon.
Men On the men's side, my fellow Naperville, Ill. native Chris Derrick will be looking to make his first Olympic team. Derrick finished a painful fourth place and fifth place in the trials in the 10,000 meter in 2012 and 2016 respectively. He holds a sizzling personal best of 2:12.50 in the marathon. Also a personal favorite is Thweatt’s boyfriend, Alex Monroe. He holds a PB of 2:14.15. Wouldn’t it be so cool if they both qualified for Tokyo? A seasoned pro to look out for is Bernard Lagat. Lagat has a marathon best of 2:12.10 and has had immense success at the 1500m, winning Olympic bronze in 2000 and silver in 2004. He has recently turned his attention to the marathon and will be a force down the stretch. Parker Stinson is another athlete to watch, with a personal best of 2:10.53. He is the American record-holder at 25,000 in 1:13:48. Jake Riley could be a wild card in the race, boasting a 2:10.36 personal best. He placed 15th in the 2016 trials but took three years off battling achilles issues. Finally, the 2016 fourth-place finisher in the Trials 10,000 meter race will look to get redemption this year. Scott Fauble has a 2:09.09 personal best and will look to make his first Olympic team in Atlanta. It will be an exciting Leap Day in Atlanta as the top American distance runners battle for those three spots to Tokyo. I know I’m excited to see what happens.
Sports | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 13
Deacon Spotlight: Alex Sharp BY SAMANTHA WEXLER Staff Writer wexlsn17@wfu.edu
Senior Alex Sharp has been on a tear for the women’s basketball team, recording her thousandth career point on Jan. 30 against Pitt and recording multiple double-doubles as of late. During the Deacons’ road trip to Pittsburgh and Boston College, she recorded a double-double in both contests. Against Notre Dame on Feb. 6, Sharp led the team with 19 points, just two off of her career-high of 21, and was one rebound off of her third consecutive double-double with nine rebounds. She looks to continue her strong play as the Demon Deacons wind up ACC play and look towards the ACC Tournament at the end of the month. As a junior, Sharp missed a large part of the season due to shoulder surgery and a broken hand, but still made it count when she hit the court. She started 15 games and averaged 12.7 points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds. She started all 31 games in her sophomore season, the only Demon Deacon to do so, and averaged 10.5 points per game. Sharp also led the team with 8.4 rebounds per game and 94 total assists over the year. As a freshman, she was named to the ACC All-Freshman squad and appeared in all 32 games, starting in 25 of them. She averaged 7.4 points per game and was second on the squad with 7.6 rebounds per game. A native of Australia, she was a five-star recruit out of high school and the top Australian recruit in her class. She was the starting guard on the Australian U19 team and won a bronze medal at the FIBA World Championships in Russia in 2015 before coming to the United States to represent the Deacons for four years.
SW: How have the new facilities for Wake Forest basketball influenced the team’s success this year? AS: The new facilities are something that I know both the men’s and women’s teams are incredibly grateful for. We have everything we need to be successful all in one place. With access to the practice gym, weight room and fueling station, we’re put in the best possible position to maximize our development as athletes across all levels. SW: What has been the best part of this season so far for you? AS: For me, the best part of this season has probably been seeing how competitive our team is in challenging some of the best teams in the nation. We’re so close to where we want to be, and we can feel it. There’s definitely a sense of belief within the team that we’re capable of getting some big wins. We also know that we haven’t played our best basketball yet, so it’s exciting to think about what could be ahead for us. SW: Outside of the team, do you have any people who have influenced your experience here?
AS: I definitely do. It’s crazy how many friendships I’ve formed and professors I’ve had who’ve fueled my academic passions. The highlight of my experience here has definitely been all the people I’ve been able to cross paths with (and convince to visit Australia). SW: You’re obviously a long way from home here. What made you choose Wake Forest back in high school? AS: I could see that Wake Forest was a strong academic and athletic school with a community atmosphere. Ultimately, this unique balance was what drew me to Wake. SW: What’s your favorite Wake Forest basketball memory here so far? AS: I think one that comes to mind from this year is when we got the win over Duke at the Cameron, off of a game-winning shot by Gina Conti. There’s something about beating Duke on their home court that feels super special, especially on a buzzerbeater.
Samantha Wexler: You just hit the 1000-assist mark and are playing extremely well this season; can you speak as to your senior season and your development under Coach [Jen] Hoover? Alex Sharp: This season has been another opportunity for me to use my skill set to help our team be successful. I’m grateful to have a coach who trusts me to bring what I do to the court. In my senior year, Coach Hoover has pushed me to be a better leader, and I’ve tried to embrace this role and be someone who my teammates can look to for guidance on the court. SW: Can you speak to what it took to develop this year’s team chemistry to continue the success of the program? AS: I think our team chemistry this year evolved really naturally. Coming into this season, we had a strong group of returners who committed to developing the culture of our program. The freshmen came in and immediately got on board with our goals to be a competitive force in the ACC. This common drive really brought the team together and is something that helps us to push each other each day, to get the best out of one another.
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletic Communications
DEAC NOTES Sophomore Anna Bush breaks Wake Forest women’s indoor pentathalon record
Migliaccio leads Wake Forest women’s golf team at Northrop Grumman
Wake Forest track athlete Anna Bush set a school record on Feb. 11 in winning the Queens University Combined Events. Of the five events that comprise the pentathlon, Bush won the high jump and 800 meters while finishing second in the shot put and third in the 60 meter hurdles. She was fifth of 26 competitors in the long jump. Earning 4,023 points, the sophomore from Australia broke the school record of 3,813 points set by Alyssa Thompson in 2014.
Entering the last day of the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge on Feb. 10, junior Emilia Migliaccio led the way for the Demon Deacons, remaining inside the top five for the first 36 holes. An eagle in her first nine holes of the round highlighted the tournament for senior Siyun Liu. However, the biggest bright spot for the Deacons came when freshman Lauren Walsh hit her first hole-in-one during her second nine holes.
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletic Communications
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletic Communications
Page 14 | Thursday, February 13, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Sports
The good, the bad and the ugly: 2020 NBA trades Although no superstar players switched teams this year, some trades had important implications for teams’ futures BY NIKO KOLEV Staff Writer kolens18@wfu.edu
At the midterm of every NBA season, there is a cutoff date, known as the trade deadline, for teams to make player rearrangements. It is a time when good teams try to become great by adding better players and the bad teams offload their good players to become worse in the hopes that they’ll get higher draft picks in the future. Teams are not limited to these two options, but they are the most common choices. While there were no superstars changing teams this year, here is a look into the more significant trades. To start, Andre Drummond (formerly of the Detroit Pistons) moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round pick. To put it simply, this trade is a bad loss for everyone involved. Moving former all-star Drummond from Detroit for the equivalent of a couple of mediocre bench-warmers is absolutely insulting and has shown that Detroit really does not care about him. Drummond played his heart out in Detroit, averaging around 18 points per game and 16 rebounds per game. Those are fantastic numbers. With the addition of Blake Griffin to the Pistons roster, there was also a budding chemistry between the two players. But now, Griffin and Drummond will each waste their careers
Joshua Gunter/cleveland.com/TNS
Cavaliers center Andre Drummond reacts at a game against the LA Clippers on Feb. 9. on trash teams. Drummond’s additional presence will not garner the Cavaliers any more wins, but it also won’t make the team tank any harder. There is a small benefit to Detroit for this trade — the team
will likely be worse now. The possibility of a higher draft pick is not that likely, but it is higher than it was before. This trade was very frustrating. On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum was the four-team mega-deal that hit last Tuesday. The Atlanta Hawks received Rockets players Clint Capela and Nene Hilario in exchange for Robert Covington, Jordan Bell and a 2024 second-round pick. The Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves were also involved, but the highlights are the Rockets’ and Hawks’ contributions. Frankly, this is an A+ trade for the Atlanta Hawks. Finally, All-Star point guard Trae Young will have another good player on the team. The pick-and-roll combination of Capela and Young is guaranteed to be deadly for opposing defenses. Capela’s offensive and rebounding contributions will also be a great addition. The only concern is that Capela is not a stony defender, and this is a huge weakness of the Hawks team. Adding another star that could help with good defense could really put Atlanta in a better position in the NBA. It’s critical now, and it seems that the Hawks’ organization understands this — they need to show their support to Young by making moves to get him help on the team. I don’t see the Hawks coming anywhere close to making the playoffs this year, but next year could be a different story. A year ago, the Sacramento Kings were the soon-to-be darling of the NBA, and now they have been replaced by the Memphis Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks. There were other big trades that could be covered, but it felt appropriate to analyze the two trades for the two centers — a symbolic reunion.
FC Barcelona faces future with new manager Although Quique Setién was the team’s sixth choice for a new manager, he has led FC Barcelona to a 3-1-0 record in La Liga BY MOHAMED AHMIDOUCH Contributing Writer ahmimy17@wfu.edu
On Jan. 13, Futbol Club Barcelona (FC Barcelona), in somewhat of a surprising move, decided to sack their manager of two and a half years, Ernesto Valverde, mid-season. Since his hiring in 2017, Valverde won the La Liga league title twice, once in the 2017-18 season and again in the 2018-19 season. He also won the Copa del Rey title in the 2017-18 season and the Supercopa de España in 2018. Nevertheless, after FC Barcelona’s high-profile losses in the UEFA Champions League semi-final to Liverpool FC and the Copa del Rey final to Valencia CF in 2019, as well as their recent performance in the 2019-2020 La Liga campaign, including a 2-3 defeat in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Atletico Madrid on Jan. 8, it was decided at a meeting between president Josep Maria Bartomeu, board member Javier Bordas, CEO Oscar Grau and director of football Eric Abidal that Valverde would be relieved of his duties as manager. Enrique Setién Solar, also known as Quique Setién would be his replacement. Setién, who recently served as the manager of La Liga’s Real Betis, received a contract that runs through June 30, 2022. Officially the Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, La Liga is the men’s top professional football division of the Spanish football league system. La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports
Photo courtesy of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona unexpectedly fired its manager Ernesto Valverde in mid-January. Since then , Quique Setién has taken over and the team has logged several wins. leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 26,933. This is the sixth highest for any domestic professional sports league in the world, and third highest among professional association football leagues, behind the Premier League and the Bundesliga. Currently sitting in second place in the La Liga standings, FC Barcelona are three points behind rivals Real Madrid CF after 23 matches played this season. Allegedly, Setién was FC Barcelona’s sixth choice for new manager, following Mauricio Pochettino, former manager of Tottenham Hotspur FC, Massimiliano Allegri, former manager of Juventus and Xavi Hernandez, FC Barcelona legend and current manager of Al Sadd, a football club in the Qatar Stars League. Since Setién’s hiring, FC Barcelona has a 3-1-0 record in La Liga, beating 10-man Granada at Camp Nou 1-0 on Jan. 19, losing 0-2 to Valencia on Jan. 25, a 2-1 home win against Levante on Feb. 2., as well as winning 2-3 over Real Betis on Feb. 9. There was also
a questionable performance against UD Ibiza, in the Segunda División B, which is the third level of the Spanish football league system in the Copa del Rey Round of 32, which ended in a 2-1 win. Most shockingly, FC Barcelona crashed out of the Copa del Rey tournament, along with Real Madrid, against Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-final due to an own goal from midfielder Sergio Busquets in overtime. Many fans of FC Barcelona have been yearning for a return to the tiki-taka style of play, which is characterized by short passing and constant movement, made famous by Pep Guardiola, former manager of FC Barcelona. Many critics of Valverde have cited his heavy reliance on Lionel Messi, as well as his disappearance during important matches. There have been short glimpses of this tiki-taka style with Setién’s side, but it is impossible to say if it is here to stay and more importantly, if it will be successful in today’s game.
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 15
Old Gold & Black | Sports
Previewing the second half of the NHL season With less than half of the season left, teams continue to push for the chance to compete in the playoffs BY WILL ZIMMERMAN Asst. Sports Editor zimmwj19@wfu.edu
With the All-Star break in the rear-view mirror, players have returned to camps and teams across the league and settled in for the second half of the NHL season. Although not the literal half-way point of the season, the All-Star break has long been used to separate the season into ‘halves.’ At this point, most teams have around 28 games remaining from their 82 game-schedule before playoffs begin, and the race between the 31 clubs for the 16 open slots is beginning to heat up. As of now, the top-four teams in the league (in terms of points) hail from the Eastern conference. Second on this list are the Washington Capitals, with a record of 36-14-5. Two points behind the Caps sit the Tampa Bay Lightning, boasting an impressive record of 35-15-5 just a season after setting the all-time record for most points in a season (128). Both of these teams will be looking to make a push over the next few months, as the team with the best record at the end of the season will have-guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the entirety of the playoffs. However, the team at the top of this list is the Boston Bruins, boasting an impressive 34-11-12 record for a total of 80 points. The Bruins may
be even more motivated than the Caps and Lightning, as they are coming off of a season that ended in every hockey players worst nightmare. Last year, the Bruins came up just short of hockey’s ultimate prize, losing a heartbreaker in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. And it wasn’t the first time in recent memory that the Bruins pulled up just short. Over the last decade, the Bruins have made it to the finals on three separate occasions, but have won Lord Stanley’s cup just once. In order to change their course, the Bruins will be looking to bolster their already talent-packed lineup as buyers at the upcoming trade-deadline. The deadline is set for Feb. 24, and it is likely that some big names will be moved before the date approaches. Atop this list is NY Ranger’s forward Chris Kreider. Kreider, a speedy, physical winger approaching unrestricted free agency, has posted 35 points in 50 games so far this season. Kreider, a Massachusetts native, would likely be a good fit for the Bruins, but he will demand a significant return. Other notable names that are likely to be moved include Evgenii Dadonov, the 30-year old winger of the Florida Panthers who has put up 40 points so far this season; Alec Martinez, the lefty-defensemen of the LA Kings; and Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen, one of the NHL’s brightest up-andcoming defensemen. Another team likely to be buyers at the upcoming deadline are the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are coming off of a loss in game seven in the second round of last year’s playoffs at the hands of the San Jose Sharks; but this year the
team has all the right pieces to make a deep run into the playoffs. The team is led by captain Gabriel Landeskog, and the lineup is bolstered by stars like Andre Burakovsky, Nathan MacKinnon and the sensational 21-year old defensemen Cale Makar. Currently, the Avalanche sit at second place in the Western Conference with 70 points and boast the third-best point differential in the entire league. Expect the Avalanche to go after a defenseman to play on their second line before the trade-deadline passes. But while the Bruins, Capitals and Lightning make up the top three spots in the league today, where teams sit as of now may not be the best indication as to who will be hoisting the cup come June. On Jan. 1 of last year, the St. Louis Blues sat dead last in the entire league in terms of points. A month later, on February 1st, the soon-to-be Stanley Cup Champions featured a dismal record of 22-22-5, tying them with Edmonton for the third to worst record in the entirety of the Western Conference. Over the course of the next 3 months, however, the team won 23 of their last 33 games. The Blues entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Central Division, and the rest is history. If there is one key takeaway from the Blues campaign a year ago, it is that with so many games left to play, the race for the Stanley Cup is wide-open. Mathematically speaking, of the 31 teams in the league, 22 teams have as many points, or more, as the Blues did at this point last season. It truly is anyone’s race.
This week’s recap: Duke survives, Butler falls After another exciting week in college basketball, fans across the country gear up for epic top-20 clashes. BY BEN CONROY Asst. Sports Editor conrbd19@wfu.edu
No. 19 Butler at Marquette Final Score: Butler 57, Marquette 76 The No. 19 Butler Bulldogs journeyed to Milwaukee Sunday afternoon for a crucial in-conference matchup against the unranked Marquette Golden Eagles. The contest had significant ramifications regarding the standings in the Big East, as both squads entered the matchup with a record of 6-4 in conference play. The Golden Eagles’ home crowd proved to be too daunting for the visiting Bulldogs, as Marquette defended its home court with vigor, stealing the show in a lopsided 76-57 victory. Golden Eagles starters Brendan Bailey (forward), Markus Howard (guard), and Koby McEwen (guard) carried the load offensively, combining for 49 points and 10 assists in the victory. The Bulldogs struggled to find their footing offensively, connecting on just 38.3% of their field goals and making only four 3-pointers. The Golden Eagles’ defense certainly deserves a share of the credit, as they forced 12 turnovers and blocked four shots in an impressive overall performance. With the win, the Golden Eagles collect their third consecutive win and climb into a tie for second in the Big East. Butler, on the other hand, travels home empty-handed and falls into a tie with Providence for the third-place spot.
No. 8 Florida State at No. 7 Duke Final Score: FSU 65, Duke 70 The college basketball world watched eagerly Monday night as the long-anticipated matchup between the No. 8. Florida State Seminoles and the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils unfolded within the storied walls of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Both teams entered the contest with a stellar in-conference record of 10-2, each looking to take a massive step toward snagging the lead in the ACC. In an absolute thriller, the Blue Devils emerged with a narrow five-point victory in which Duke held the lead for the game’s last 13 minutes. Duke shared the wealth offensively, as four Blue Devils ended the contest in double figures. The home squad shot an efficient 45.1% from the field, cashing in on just over 41% of their 3-point attempts along the way. The rims, however, were not as kind to the visitors, as the Seminoles couldn’t seem to find the twine; their field goal percentage had dipped well below 40 before the final buzzer sounded, including an abysmal 3/18 performance from 3-point range. With the victory, Duke’s résumé receives a huge boost as they grab hold of second place in an ACC conference filled with title contenders. Florida State falls to 20-4 on the season (10-3 in-conference) and will look to bounce back against Syracuse on Saturday. Preview: No. 16 Colorado vs. No. 17 Oregon Two West Coast heavyweights will lock horns in Eugene on Thursday night as the Ducks look to snap a two-game losing skid and leap into a share for first
Photo courtesy of Marquette University Athletics
Marquette prevailed over Butler on Feb. 9. thanks to its strong offensive players. place in the Pac-12. Offensive fireworks are sure to ensue. No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 14 West Virginia The top-ranked Baylor Bears will face one of their toughest tests thus far as they host a solid West Virginia team with victories over the likes of Ohio State and Texas Tech. The Mountaineers are sure to leave it all on the line as they look to claw their way toward the top of the Big 12.
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PAG E 16
O n l i n e at : w w w. w f u o g b . c o m e d i t o r : C a t h e r i n e R e g e n , r e g e c l 17 @ w f u . e d u
A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R : A n d y K i l l e b r e w , k i l l a e 17 @ w f u . e d u
OLD GOLD & BLACK
Jump into a seat at Ever in the Glades The university's theater department is only the third ever production team to produce the play, and worked closely with the playwright to create the show.
BY RYAN KING Staff Writer kingrm17@wfu.edu
After seeing Ever in the Glades on Friday, it became obvious how much detailed work was put into the visual and auditory experience of the show. Muddied characters run and jump across wooden decks that sink into the water. The detail of the split planks, stained green from the water and worn from boats and feet is as striking as the thought of the gators waiting beneath them, threatening to make a misstep fatal. At least, this is presumed by the audience and the characters to be the case. The foggy surface of the water creeping inches below the decks conceals the gators from sight, but they are heard throughout the show. Their hisses and growls punctuate sentences, emphasize dangerous moments and transition us between scenes. These sounds come from the mouths of a chorus of adult characters, made up of overbearing parents and others well-worn into the setting. They, along with the band of five high schoolers, are essentially ever present on the stage, acting continuously whether in the spotlight or the background. While we listen to one set of characters, others can be seen sitting, arguing and playing elsewhere. Lighting changes also help set the scene or tone, whether that be yellow Florida sunlight beating down on the teens’ shoulders, or the deep-red threat of danger at their heels. The danger that looms for the majority of the show is that of upcoming deadlines. As they grow closer to becoming adults, they arrive at the dilemma of choosing a life for themselves; specifically between following in their parents’ footsteps, or breaking free from that small world and exploring what they’re capable of. Fear of either side of the choice makes it difficult to make. They want to avoid becoming their parents, but making the leap into the sea of possibility
Photo courtesy of WFUTheater's Instagram
The story follows five teens growing up in the Everglades, Fl. as they try to escape the predestined lives their parents have set for them. is dangerous in a different way. Just like the gators waiting beneath the water, they’re warned against dangers of a world they haven’t seen. The question is whether that danger outweighs what they stand to gain from exploring it. The show is relatively short, running about 90 minutes, and goes by in a flash. Primarily because at every moment, you’re wrapped up in a given character’s unique personality and struggle. Junker G, played by senior Mellie Mesfin, wants to use his musical talent to make a name for himself, but
his father wants him to inherit his struggling pawn shop. Junker G’s wise-cracking confidence contrasts his underlying concern for his future and what that means for his relationship with his father (freshman Michael Votto), and pairs interestingly with his more stoic counterparts like Zero “Z” Johnson, played by senior Tut Gregory, and his younger brother Ames Johnson, played by senior Jonathan Chen. Z devises the escape plan for the group, should they dare to go along with it. Deland “Delia” Simms, played by sophomore Ekkiosa Olumhense, is a math whiz and seems to be the only member of the group who has an adult on their side. She and her friends are guided by her grandmother’s wisdom and partly by her visions of their fate. She supports their choice to seek a new life, seeing beyond the laws of family by blood and into the value of their family of friends. The final member of this family is Elijah Brown, played by sophomore RJ Pratt. The son of a preacher man, he follows closely in his father’s footsteps but can’t escape his shadow, and often falls victim to his anger. He’s more or less the odd-one-out, as he’s often intensely positive, but still just as scared as the others on the inside. Ever in the Glades is a highly polished production that depicts the rough lives of a band of friends; children that must make adult decisions in interest of their future and desire to live for themselves. It’s length makes it digestible but it remains satisfying and, frankly, fun to watch. I recommend you atPhoto courtesy of WFUTheater's Instagram tend one of the remaining show times on Thursday, (Left) Sophomore RJ Pratt plays the son of a preacher conflicted by morality and faith. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 (Right) The entire set was designed by students, shown here working on construction. p.m.
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 17
Life | Old Gold & Black
Movie Review | To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
THE HOT Netflix releases sequel for Valentine’s Day LIST Noah Centineo and Lana Condor are back in the much anticipated sequel to TATBILB BY CATHERINE REGEN Life Editor regecl17@wfu.edu
Yesterday was a great day, because Netflix finally released the much awaited sequel of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (TATBILB). The second installment of the trilogy based on the books by Jenny Han is conveniently named To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. Fans have eagerly and impatiently waited for the newest film after the immediate success of the first. In dilligently completing my duties, I woke up early yesterday morning to check out the latest with Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo). Now I can say with confidence that fans will be very satisfied with where this film takes its beloved characters. In P.S. I Still Love You we pick up almost exactly where the last film ended. If you need a refresher of what happened in the first one, Netflix provides a handy two-minute recap before the second one begins. Lara Jean and Peter are happily settled in their relationship, but each
quietly harbors their own fears: Lara Jean is insecure about Peter’s past relationship with Gen and Peter worries that he can’t match Lara Jean’s level of romantic gestures. Both of these issues are amplified when another of Lara Jean’s letter recipients, John Ambrose McLaren, writes her back. Who doesn’t want a love-triangle plot twist to spice things up? One of the best parts of the first movie was the lovable supporting characters, and they’re all back for round two. Lara Jean’s younger sister Kitty brings the most laughs with her witty one-liners and raisonneur energy. There is the introduction of an interesting b-plot that has Kitty using her matchmaker skills to set up her dad with an attractive new neighbor. Stylistically, the new film keeps very much in line with the first installment. With vivid sets and wide, sweeping shots, the filming itself is very romantic. The opening scene shows Lara Jean dancing around her famously messy teal bedroom while trying on dresses for her upcoming date with Peter. The camera waltzes with Lara Jean as she twirls, letting the audience share in her youth and vitality. With regards to music, the soundtrack for this film, like the first, is spectacular. It is simply a compila-
tion of up-tempo girl group classics, and the occasional K-Pop hit; cue “Kill this Love” by Blackpink. The book series that the movies are based on is made up of three novels, leaving one film left to be released. We know from Condor’s interview with Jimmy Fallon that the last film has already been shot (before Centineo shaved his head, praise the lord). So while I rewatch the first two on a loop in anticipation for the last one, make sure to check them out for yourself. There’s really nothing like a solid rom-com.
Top 10 Songs of the Week By Wake Radio
1.
“My Pal Foot Foot” by The Shaggs
3. 5.
BY ALEXANDRA KARLINCHAK Contributing Writer karlae18@wfu.edu Well, it’s officially that time in the semester again. It’s the “not-quite-midterms-yet-but-also-there-are-four-exams-shoved-into-a-three-day-periodbefore-the-drop-date” point, and it is safe to say that the student body is feeling the pressure. Balancing academics, extracurriculars, finances, health, relationships and sleep can be a feat so overwhelming that one might consider chopping off all of her hair and pulling a Gone Girl. (It’s me. I’m her.) Before anyone reaches this point, though, it is important to recognize the warning signs of stress and to know how to combat it before it takes a physical or mental toll on the body. If you paid even the tiniest bit of attention in your HES 100 lecture, you would remember that health is comprised of eight different wellness dimensions, ranging from the physical and emotional to the social and financial. The string that holds this all-encompassing bundle of wellness together is not a foreign idea or com-
“Cha Cha” by Freddie Dredd
“1000” by Your Neighbors
7. Photo courtesy of imdb.com
Condor’s character Lara Jean is stuck in the middle of a love triangle.
9.
“Lovefool” by The Cardigans “Jai Ho” by A.R. Rahman, Sukhwinder Singh, and Tanvi Shah “What A Man Gotta Do” by Jonas Brothers “That Don’t Mean You Love Me” by Splvsh and Rob Flo
How to make mental health a priority plex chemical reaction. It is a tool that already exists in each and every one of us. That tool is mindfulness. Mindfulness is a term that refers to being present and aware of your body and thoughts without being overwhelmed or overstimulated by the outside world. Easy enough, right? What exactly does this look like, though? For someone not quite familiar with mindfulness and its positive impact on overall health, employing it in daily life may seem like an infeasible task. If you happen to be one of those skeptics, try this. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold your breath for seven. Exhale for eight. Be aware of how the air feels as it fills your lungs and how your chest rises and falls. Boom. Mindfulness. The fact of the matter is, almost everyone has practiced some form of mindfulness without even realizing it. Yoga? Mindfulness. Prayer? Mindfulness. Falling into a trance while watching the newest season of Sex Education and being blissfully unaware of your surroundings for a few hours? Not exactly mindfulness, but you get the idea. The thing that is so amazing about introducing mindfulness techniques into your life is that they can be done in your own time and by your own accord. As college students, finding a
“NEW MAGIC WAND” by Tyler, The Creator “BOP” by DaBaby
Advice Column | Mindfullness
As the semester progresses, mindfullness is a tool to de-stress
“Only Child” by Tierra Whack
spare second to eat breakfast can be difficult, so it is hard to visualize what introducing an entirely new habit to a daily routine would look like. Thankfully, the university has taken it upon themselves to make mindfulness easily accessible to all. Whether you are a beginner in the world of mindfulness or a seasoned pro, the university provides a number of resources to help you become the most self-aware student you can be. Free yoga classes are offered in Reynolds Gym every day of the week. Just check online for specific times and room locations. The counseling center has links to breathing analysis and body awareness exercises on their main website. The Chaplain’s Office offers a course called “Koru Mindfulness,” a four-week class that meets for 75 minutes once a week and teaches students about mindfulness techniques. Just check out the Office of the Chaplain or reach out to the Counseling Center to register. Introducing mindfulness into one’s daily schedule improves mental health and physical wellbeing. It offers a sense of grounding and belonging. It is constant. Mindfulness is always with you, waiting to be engaged. Why not take advantage of the natural gift of tranquility and self-reflection that exists within you already?
DRINK OF THE WEEK Passionfruit Mojito • • • • • • •
Is this a rip-off of a juice shop smootie? Maybe...
1 cup passionfruit juice 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 5 tbsp. granulated sugar 6 oz. light rum 6 tbsp. fresh lime juice Club soda Ice
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint and sugar. Add the rum, lime juice and ice. Shake vigorously. Add ice to your glasses, and divide the rum mixture between each one. Top with a splash of club soda, and stir in the assionfruit juice. Garnish with fresh mint. 21+ only please
Courtesy of Johanna Silva
Page 18 | Thursday, February 13, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Life
Podcast Review | Armchair Expert
Dax Shepherd takes therapy to podcasting The actor uses his anthropology degree to ask other celebrities probing questions
BY LINDSAY HAYDEN Contributing Writer haydlb19@wfu.edu Podcasts are taking the world by storm so, in a field saturated with content, it can be tough to determine what is worth your listen. With millions of listeners world-wide, Armchair Expert, hosted by actor Dax Shepherd and co-hosted by Monica Padman, has found a unique niche in the growing podcast world. Shepherd is an actor by trade, best known for his roles in films including Without a Paddle (2004) and Employee of the Month (2006). Before his success in acting, Shepherd’s early life was quite tumultuous, providing a unique and relatable perspective for his role as host. The podcast is styled in an interview format, in which Shepherd and co-host Padman interview celebrities, journalists and other influential figures. Shepherd’s self-proclaimed intent of the podcast is to uncover “the messiness of being human.” In his
attic turned recording studio, hundreds of guests have sat on his old sofa for poignant and humorous conversations that have caught the attention of the digital media world. Some of the most popular guests on the show have included Kristen Bell (Shepherd’s wife), Ellen Degeneres, Will Ferrell, Seth Rogen, Katie Couric and Jimmy Kimmel. Known for his deeply moving, yet comedic approach to the art of interviewing, Shepherd’s conversations are far from typical. His aim is to show his guests in a different light than ever before, using his brash sense of humor to propose difficult questions about subjects including mental health, childhood trauma and addiction. While most interview-style podcasts take on a journalistic approach, Shepherd provides a different perspective for the listener, being an immensely successful celebrity himself. With interviewees like Ferrell, Shepherd references their comparable rise to stardom while using his self-deprecating sense of humor — making excuses for the road-blocks and bad luck that kept his career from following the trajectory of Ferrell’s. On an episode interviewing Sophia Bush, an actress best known for her appearances on One Tree Hill and Chicago
P.D., questions about being a woman in Hollywood opened up the conversation to a fascinating analysis of the toxic components of the filmmaking industry. While discussing Bush’s failed marriage when she was 21, Shepherd offered some of his classic input on why the worst parts of our stories are often the most important: “I can’t learn anything from your victory. If you win an Emmy and I’m (someone) in America, I can’t relate to that. I’m not gonna win an Emmy . . . your victories don’t teach me anything.” While the personal interview portion of the podcast takes up a majority of the average two-hour run time, the final 30 minutes of Armchair Expert are generally taken up by “Monica’s Fact Check” where Shepherd’s beloved co-host, Padman, comes on to correct all of the discrepancies Shepherd has made throughout the show. While Padman chimes in throughout each episode, her appearance at the conclusion provides a light-hearted commentary that unveils an interesting window into both of the hosts’ personalities. Whether you are looking for comedic relief or a powerful personal story, listening to Armchair Expert is well worth your time. New episodes debut weekly and amid the 169 episodes already recorded,
you are bound to find an interview that piques your curiosity. Armchair Expert allows us to more deeply understand people who often seem unrelatable. Learning more about the personal story of someone is a skill we should all incorporate into our own lives, and giving Armchair Expert a listen is a fantastic place to start.
Photo courtesy of spotify.com
Dax Shepherd hosts the show with co-host Monica Padman.
Movie Review | A Hidden Life
Three hours of questionable morality
Morality comes into question in Terrence Malick’s new WWII-era film BY KYLE FERRER Senior Writer ferrka16@wfu.edu Terrence Malick, the mainstream medium-maximalist and Blakean transcendentalist that he’s always been, has lavished yet another ponderous, exhausting and often rewarding work of art upon us. It’s called A Hidden Life, and it’s about a man in rural Austria whose straining morality cannot allow him to pledge an oath to Hitler. Like Jojo Rabbit, Malick’s film refuses the by-now banalities of overly-serious, narrative World War II epics. The film is a non-linear collaging of landscape and person, injected with mystical religiosity and introspective intensity germane to Malick alone. Like most of the director’s films, A Hidden Life doses viewers with woozy aesthetics. The side effects include glimpses of staggering beauty, boredom and random insight. It feels like we’re meant, as Jim Morrison said, to break on through to the other side. But often we just sit in awe, this side of heaven. Malick has always been an instance poet, who takes an image and perfects its every facet, creating a jewel glittering in every kind of angled light. It’s hard to say his compositions convey ideas, more like bursts of cinematographic intensity, resistant to frozen concept. Gilded light refracts through nature’s apparent profundities, but the profound never
has a chance to calcify. Often, the films are so densely pretty that our appetites for structure and coherence never fully invade, beat back by the aesthetic illuminations Malick provides. The camera pokes its snout around, rummaging among faces and nature with equal curiosity, only to pause for glimpses of natural beauty. Convex, wide-lenses warp the edges of images inward, cupping the mind and eyes in the womb of Malick’s poetic prisms, while alienating them from any common perception. The specific mode of capture becomes an intense experience itself, as the camera lives and lingers with its circumstance to strike the eye with momentous attraction. Often elliptical, Malick’s films use somnolent images to open us up to glancing metaphysics, usually overdubbed by kaons meant to loosely construct a story. Often, this is where Malick can become most frustrating. A Hidden Life is no different. The images brush us like fiberoptic lashes, whose feelings lick briefly, ardently, and then get consumed in the general soup of confusion and abstraction. I can never decide, after seeing Malick’s work, if I actually like him, or just occasionally enjoy him. This review has turned into more of an internal reckoning than a critical assessment of A Hidden Life, but maybe that’s the point. Every Malick film makes one take up his mission, wrestle with its viability and decide if it’s worth the time. Often, I like the idea of Malick’s aesthetics. I like absorbing their refreshing shot-in-the-arm perhaps more than the rewards of any full-length feature. One dives in and out of his films, knifing the occasional image
with one’s brain, approaching some sort of philosophy, and straining to extract a human truth. Of course, this search for meaning isn’t the trite “Search for Meaning,” just the hope of a few questions parsed from the kaleidoscope. There’s always a Christian smell to Malick’s work: revelations, miracles, all the wispy lingo. His images seem to inherently exhort some divine composition or marvel. Again, A Hidden Life is no different; in fact, it amplifies all of Malick’s usual themes. But their collected whole — the film — is more like going on a long run. Time bunches together, attenuates, falls out of joint. Just as there are moments of grasping insight and stints of languorous exile, the individual’s perception of time itself goes through tortuous, wondrous mutations over the course of the film. A Hidden Life is 174 minutes in length, and not a single second could be mistaken with any other filmmaker. It’s entirely too long, but, in another sense, with a film like this, who cares? Franz (August Diehl) lives in the mountains of Austria, where he tends to his work and his family. His wife, Fani (Valerie Pachner), does just as much work as he does, and the two forge their love through the incessant company and labor. When the Nazis come calling, Franz becomes the only conscientious objector in his village, and of course things fall apart. It seems especially fruitless to present even the thinnest account of A Hidden Life, because plot is as irrelevant to Malick as alcohol to Quakers. I’ll stop by saying the film is based on real events (and the title beholden to a beautiful George Eliot quote), but the form is based solely on Malick’s blooming brain.
I would recommend A Hidden Life to those craving beauty. Even the “horrible” scenes of the film are so guided by Malick’s dreamy intuitions that they never really bloody the brain. The only tears that may flow from this film would come from a feeling akin to hearing music. “Anything too stupid to be said is sung,” Voltaire once said, “and hence: the birth of opera.” Malick’s images often climb into an operatic pitch, patched together like notes of a song that aim to show in singing image what we cannot say. It’s often a rousing and noble concept, for I’ve no doubt Malick sees music in images, and tries to convey his sense of transcendental awe to us. He’s been concerned with communicating some roiling infinity behind aesthetic perfection in every film he’s made since Badlands. And sometimes he succeeds in getting us to hear snatches of that divine movement. Sometimes he succeeds often. But sometimes, also, it becomes too much to ask us to listen.
Photo courtesy of imdb.com
The movie was filmed in a picturesque town in the Austrian hills.
Life | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Page 19
Restaurant Review | Part 4
Burrito Boys: Tequila delivers on taste and value
Price - Micah: 9, Thomas: 10 It goes without saying, Tequila Grill gives you the most bang for your buck; especially on Taco Tuesday. Walk in with an appetite, because the friendly
Quality - Micah: 7.6, Thomas: 7.1 Tequila Grill ensures that customers are taken care of in a timely manner and endeavor to serve their clientele piping hot meals in under 10 minutes. I ordered two carne asada tacos for a total price of $2 while Cutting decided to go for the $13 Fajita combo, which appeared on a sizzling hot cast iron pan, with a beans and rice side. “The menu is pretty diverse and they have a wide variety of spice and taste on offer, there’s something for everyone to eat,” Cutting said. Although my tacos arrived unaccompanied by any sides, the flavor of carne asada and Mexican seasoning was enough to transport me to flavor town. Freshness - Micah: 7.7, Thomas: 8 The entire meal, from the chips to the tacos, tasted crisp, clear and color-
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Here with another review of the best burritos in Winston-Salem, the Burrito Boys test local dine-in restaurant, Tequila Mexican Grill. Contrary to the refined atmosphere of Mi Pueblo (issue 3), Tequila Grill offers a simple, yet impressive take on Mexican cuisine. Additionally, Tequila Grill promises consistent service and dining as it is the only restaurant in the franchise. Similar to Mi Pueblo, Tequila provides a setting comparable to a traditional Mexican cantina, with all the amenities you would find at any local diner— including a range of beverages and sides to choose from. Like our waitress said to us, “Come hungry, you won’t leave that way.”
&B
Thomas Cutting contributed to the writing of this article.
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ful. As is often the case with Mexican restaurants, Tequila Grill attempts to create food that displays a variety of crisp produce to contrast against the piquant meat. Obtaining that balance is no easy task, but Tequila but is able to execute their flavors to a T. I was able to taste every ingredient that went into the construction of my dinner, notwithstanding there only being rice, beans, meat and garnish.
old
BY MICAH PORTER Staff Writer portmj19@wfu.edu
waiting staff is ready to fill you with $1 tacos, and the choice of pork, chicken or steak as protein to choose from. Aside from the meal, Tequila generously maintains a stocked basket of complimentary chips and salsa at every table, even going as far as to provide salsa options. On a non-Taco Tuesday, the menu remains inexpensive, with any item on the lunch menu costing less than $10, and any item on the dinner menu settling under $13.
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Tequila Mexican Grill offers a deal for $1 tacos every Tuesday
Customer Experience - Micah: 7.8, Thomas: 9 Fast wait times, friendly staff and a cheap but delectable meal are all reasons why Tequila Grill Taco Tuesday ought to become a weekly event for university students. “The space is small but comfortable and the servers are always pleasant and helpful,” Cutting said.
Not only are the servers amiable, they are more than willing to let students know about weekly specials and offers, to ensure customers are getting exactly what they want. Needless to say, Tequila Grill has already sold me; they had me at $1 tacos. Overall: 8.2
Play Review | The Defamation Experience
Trial play performed in Wait Chapel The audience held the role of juror in this immersive theater experience BY ERIC OMOROGIEVA Contributing Writer omorei17@wfu.edu
Jury duty on a Wednesday night at Wait Chapel wasn’t exactly what many had in mind when they sat down to watch a play. Last week, students, staff and visitors had the unique opportunity to play juror in a civil court case that featured key discussions on class, race, religion, gender and how these subjects fold into the American legal system. The Defamation Experience, a play written by Todd Logan, tells the story of Regina Wade, an African American woman, who is suing Arthur Golden, a white man, $500,000 for defamation. In order to win her case, however, she must prove that Mr. Golden both made a false statement about her to another person, and that false statement resulted in her financial demise. Other main characters in the play included the judge, Adrian Barnes, the defense attorney Ms. Allen and the plaintiff’s attorney Mr. Lawton.
The central issue to the case was the involvement of various social topics ranging from race to class. Wade, a hardworking business owner, believed that she was targeted in the assumption that she stole Golden’s watch based off of her status as an African American woman. This issue finds her at odds with Golden’s attorney, Allen, who is also an African American woman and does not believe the reasons Wade gives for why she might be accused of this. Golden, a man of Jewish faith, also has his identity tested through observations and criticisms of the rich, white neighborhood he resides in, his favorability to Jewish people and limited perception of people of color. Both the plaintiff and defendant are placed in the witness seat for grueling questioning, as well as witness Lorraine Jordan— a vital client for Wade’s business who she believes sided with Golden in a move that left her company for dead when she instead decided to team up with him. The format of The Defamation Experience occurred in three parts: the play, deliberation and discussion. After the audience was presented with both sides of the argument, they had their moment to publicly showcase their
early decisions on the verdict by stand- component from these discussions and ing in support of their choice. Barnes ultimately the final decision, however, presented the three options of siding was the definition of defamation and with Wade, siding with Golden or be- how that was important to the story. ing undecided. The first round of vot- The arguments from many audience ing found similar numbers between members often picked off of their emothose in support of Wade and unde- tions rather than the pre-play instruccided, with a minority of votes going tions, and the discussions afterwards to Golden. For those who voted for lacked much towards how judges settle siding with Wade, the main argument civil cases on a daily basis. Overall, this was that they felt she was targeted be- play highlights many important topics cause of her race, and lost money due left out in everyday discussion. to the disagreement and false statement made by Golden. On the other side, supporters of Golden couldn’t find objectivity in the assumption that he made a false statement and couldn’t come to grips with siding with Wade although it seems like she suffered the most. A final round of voting found that the audience decided that this case was defamation, a win for Wade. The Defamation Experience was very enjoyable, funny and serious at times, but most importantly it triggered a lot of reflections towards how our legal system works and the struggles it faces to address important social issues. The post-play discussion gave everyone a Photo courtesy of WFU Events chance to express their opinions, bring A promotional image for the play new ideas into the mix and engage in that features the Scale of Justice. the outcome of the play. A missing
Page 20 | Thursday, February 13, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Life
Deacon Dates BY AMANDA WILCOX Sports Editor wilcaf16@wfu.edu For the third time, the Editorial Board of the Old Gold & Black took a break from copy-editing, AP Style and InDesign layout to play Cupid and spark a little romance among our fellow students. Our reprise of Deacon Dates promised to sponsor a special blind date in downtown Winston-Salem for two lucky Demon Deacons selected by our staff, who moonlight as expert romantic consultants. Almost 20 students submitted applications, answering questions about their ideal romantic partners and dream first dates. We chose to set up junior Michelle Lazaran and senior John Lewis, sending them to the Old Fourth Street Filling Station on Feb. 8. Amanda Wilcox: Tell me about your dream romantic partner. What would he or she be like? Michelle Lazaran: Someone who’s really nice, and also really goofy. I think that I’m sometimes too serious, so it’s nice to have someone who makes me laugh a lot. John Lewis: I’d say that what I’m looking for is a very nice person, also outgoing and not afraid to talk and hang out in group settings. AW: Did you have any idea about who your date was beforehand? ML: I found out a few hours before … I had one of my friends put his number into her phone, and she had his contact. We have a ton of mutual friends, like I know his entire suite and am friends with his entire suite. We had easily been in the same room a thousand times, but I had never met him. JL: Olivia Field gave me [Michelle’s] number, because I had to drive her to dinner. Olivia told me that she lives in Dogwood, so I thought there’s a 50-50 chance she was in ADPi or Kappa or something. I texted one of my friends in ADPi and gave her the number and asked her if she knew who it was, and she said it was Michelle Lazaran … but we only knew about each other a few hours before. I thought, “Wait, that sounds familiar.” It turned out that everyone in my friend group, basically everyone I have ever encountered on this campus, knows her. I went and told my guy friends, and they said, “We love Michelle. Michelle is amazing!” They said that it was the best possible situation that I could be in [for a blind date.]
AW: Tell me everything about the actual date! ML: Once all of his suitemates knew it was me, and they all knew me, one of his really good friends and one of my decent friends decided to chauffeur us. He showed up in a suit jacket, the back of the car had mints and water and he drove us both ways and took the pictures for us … He even had a little sign that said “OGB” on it. It’s really nice that we had a ton of mutual friends, because I feel like it broke a lot of awkward tension that would naturally be there because of the premise of a blind date. Because we had so many friends in common, and because they’re decent friends, not some acquaintances, it was really easy to get past the awkward “I don’t know you” part and dive into actual conversation. Once we got there, he was super easy to talk to. He’s so funny. Like I said, we have so many mutual friends, so conversation definitely started about them and moved into ourselves, about our friends and family and what we do at Wake. We both geeked out over our 23 and Me kits that we both got for Christmas. Overall, it was super easy. JL: I asked my friend what he was doing that day and he said nothing, so I asked him if he would want to chauffeur us around. I was like, why not make this into a fun, tell-your-kids kind of date. He put on a suit and some glasses and drove us around in his car. He had two bottles of water and mints and had music playing and drove us there and back … he’s a good friend. And anything I brought up or anyone I brought up, she already knew. I told her, “I can’t make up anything about myself, because you know too much!” Because we knew so much, we got into some pretty in-depth conversations to the point at which we compared each other’s DNA, because we both got 23 and Me.
like, “Can I get you all some crab dip?” I was like, “You read my mind!” It was all amazing. AW: What did you do when you came back from dinner? ML: The Duke-Carolina game was going on, and he was like, “Oh, my suite’s watching it, and I don’t even have to introduce you to them because you know them all already, if you want to come watch it.” So I watched the game with a few of his suitemates, and then I went home. JL: My friend drove us back, and since she already knew everyone, I suggested she could come back to my suite and hang out. The Duke-Carolina basketball game was on, so we were chilling and watching Duke beat UNC, which I was a big fan of. AW: Do you think you might go on another date? ML: I don’t know — I think that it was really easy to talk to him and he was really funny, but I’m not sure if it was a really good friends thing or romantic. I think we’ll definitely [hang out again]. We have so many mutual friends … I’ll probably see him in like the next three days. JL: What’d she say? [ Laughs ] I think it’s going to be hard to not see each other. Apparently the night before [the date], we were both at the ADPi date function and dancing beside each other and we didn’t even know it. Apparently we’ve seen each other a lot. I think it would be impossible to not at least hang out some. She was totally chill, like more than I could ask for for a blind date.
AW: How were the other elements of the date — the restaurant, the food and the atmosphere?
AW: Does it give you any more of an idea about what you might be looking for in terms of someone to date in the future?
ML: The food was great, it was so good. John was so funny, he was like, “We have a $75 budget and we’re going to spend as much of it as possible.” I had tortellini and he had steak, and then we got a dessert and appetizer that we shared. I had never been to Fourth Street, but I definitely would go back again.
ML: I think it reaffirmed how much I enjoy being able to be goofy with someone. Especially in an environment like Wake, it’s so easy to be so serious all the time. It’s really fun just to be annoying with each other.
JL: I’ve been to Fourth Street Filling Station every time my parents come. One of the only reasons why I go is the crab dip, so when the waitress came up and was
JL: I think it definitely holds a high standard for how a blind date could go. We were both thinking we either hoped this person would be horrible so that it would be funny or make it amazing. So, she did pretty well.
Behind the Match The OGB staff that selects the students for the date look for compatibility between the answers of every applicant. These were the answers that matched Michelle and John.
Describe your ideal romantic partner. ML: My ideal romantic partner is someone who is really kind and someone I can be goofy with.
Photo courtesy of Elwyn Murray
Junior Michelle Lazaran and Senior John Lewis make a heart with their hands after their date.
JL: I’m hoping to meet a vivacious individual who shares in my love for all things Wake Forest and is not afraid to scream the lyrics of famous Broadway musicals or Nickelodeon’s Victorious soundtrack. (I know them all; do not test me.) They are emotionally, physically and spiritually attractive with the vitality of a caged lion and the charisma of President Hatch on Taco Tuesday. They are especially kind, gregarious and looking for someone like me who can match their big deac energy.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Lazaran
A mutual friend, Senior Elwyn Murray, offered to serve as their chauffeur for the evening.