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Rethinking Community urges embracing global changes together Page 6

OPINION: Trump’s dangerous first 50 days Page 8

Dear John Collins... Page 11

Beauty and the Beast incites nostalgic feelings Page 19

Old Gold&Black WAKE FOREST’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1916

VOL. 101, NO. 10

T H U R S DAY, M A RC H 2 3 , 2 017 “Cover s the campus like the magnolias”

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Jon Meacham named as 2017 Commencement speaker Political historian, Pulitzer Prize winner and author will share insight with graduating seniors BY MCKENZIE MADDOX Editor-in-Chief maddml14@wfu.edu

rently being tested to combat a deadly form of pancreatic cancer. Use of this treatment is leading to an increased number of pancreatic cancer patients entering remission. Every year Wake ‘N Shake executive members tour the Cancer Center at Baptist Health to learn more about the work they support. This was an important experience and co-chair of local community outreach, Ben Weekley said that “[Baptist Health’s] message aligns with our message: it’s all about making people’s lives better, whether that’s curing them or making them comfortable.” At the event, participants are randomly divided into eight teams with different color shirts, encouraging students to meet people from different groups and organizations around campus.

The university announced that Jon Meacham, a presidential historian, #1 New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner will give the 2017 commencement address on Monday, May 15. The commencement ceremony will take place on Hearn Plaza at 9 a.m. Meacham has written numerous biographies of presidents and is currently working on a biography of James and Dolly Madison. His past works include biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and George H. W. Bush — all of which have won national recognition. His biography of George H.W. Bush became a #1 New York Times bestseller and in 2009 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his bestselling biography of Andrew Jackson. In addition to his work as an author, Meacham is a contributing editor at TIME magazine, a contributing writer to the New York Times Book Review and a former executive editor at Random House. He also served as the editor of Newsweek from 2006 to 2010 and the former editor of the Washington Monthly. He serves as a visiting professor at Vanderbilt University and at The University of the South. “Jon Meacham has the ability to analyze contemporary politics through the eyes of an historian,” said Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch in a Wake Forest News press release. “There is no better time for us to understand and appreciate how the past informs our future. We are honored he will deliver Wake Forest’s commencement address.”

See Marathon, Page 4

See Commencement, Page 5

Keighley Nemickas/ Old Gold & Black

At the end of the 12-hour dance marathon, Wake ‘N Shake broke their record raising $334,337.52 to donate to the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund. This amount is unprecedented for a school of this size.

Wake ‘N Shake exceeds donation record The annualWake ‘N Shake dance marathon raised $334,337.52 to donate to find a cure for cancer BY KELLIE SHANAGHAN Staff Writer shanke15@wfu.edu One thousand four hundred and thirty participants, 31 executive staff members, 11 committees and $334,337.52 raised for one cause, fighting cancer. The 12th annual Wake ‘N Shake, a 12hour dance marathon held every spring to raise money for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund, occurred Saturday, March 18 in the Sutton Center. Past donations from this event have funded experimental research, specifically in pancreatic cancer using the drug cpi 613, that would never

have occurred otherwise. This year the dance marathon broke previous records for number of participants and amount of money raised. “Raising over $300,000 for cancer research is remarkable and unprecedented for a school our size,” said Mike Ford director of philanthropy and legacy programs with the Pro Humanitate Institute. The money raised by Wake ‘N Shake, primarily through small donations, for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund goes directly to Wake Forest Baptist Health to aid their research. Boris Pasche, director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baptist Health, kicked off the event by telling participants about successful research that been funded directly by Wake ‘N Shake. Treatments using the drug cpi 613, a mitochondrial metabolism inhibitor, are cur-

Concerns arise over funding of Eudaimonia Institute The Faculty Senate passed a motion to reject funding from the Charles G. Koch Foundation BY MCKENZIE MADDOX, Editor-in-chief maddml14@wfu.edu HEATHER HARTEL, Social Media Chair harthf15@wfu.edu MELISSA LiBUTI, Senior Writer libumd13@wfu.edu

After an investigation into the large donation of funding towards the development of a new institute on campus, the Faculty Senate overwhelmingly passed a motion on March 15 that called on the university’s administration to reject funding from the Charles G. Koch foundation. The Old Gold and Black has been following the story closely through the podcast Unmasked, their new platform designed to uncover the underreported stories on campus reported by senior Melissa Libutti and sophomore Heath-

er Hartel and edited by junior Emily Eisert. that encourage and discourage it,” according In June 2016, the Eudaimonia Institute to James Otteson, a business school professor was established by the Office of the Pro- and the director of the Eudaimonia Institute. vost after Wake Forest received a $4.2 milOut of this large donation, the Charles G. lion donation towards its development. Koch foundation contributed 3.69 million This new institute is designed to connect dollars. Shortly after the creation of the instimultiple disciplines, including philosophy, tute, 189 faculty signed a petition in October religion and economics in a way that aims of 2016, calling on the Faculty Senate to reto “investigate the nature of eudaimonia, or view the Institute and Koch donor agreement. genuine human flourishing, and the political, economic, social and cultural institutions See Eudaimonia, Page 4

Rethinking Community urges embracing global changes together Page 6

OPINION: Trump’s dangerous first 50 days Page 8

Dear John Collins... Page 11

Beauty and the Beast incites nostalgic feelings Page 19

Old Gold&Black WAKE FOREST’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1916

VOL. 101, NO. 10

T H U R S DAY, M A RC H 2 3 , 2 017 “Cover s the campus like the magnolias”

wfuogb.com

Jon Meacham named as 2017 Commencement speaker Political historian, Pulitzer Prize winner and author will share insight with graduating seniors BY MCKENZIE MADDOX Editor-in-Chief maddml14@wfu.edu

See Marathon, Page 4

See Commencement, Page 5

Keighley Nemickas/ Old Gold & Black

OGB

â€œ Tuition increase is both harmful and unnecessary This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board.

On Friday night, while many were in the midst of enjoying their St. Patrick's day festivities, the university released an announcement that tuition will raise 3.65 percent to $51,400 for the 20172018 academic year. Adjusted costs including room, board and other additional fees brings the estimated cost of attendance to $69,192. While the cost of tuition is naturally expected to fluctuate based on inflation, university expenditures or admitted students, this steep increase is both unnecessary and harmful to current and incoming students. The editorial opinion from March 2 voiced our concerns regarding Wake Forest's deceptive financial aid policies. The Department of Education's scorecard demonstrates that most students graduate with an average of only $22,320 in student loans. This value suggests that

A future plagued with debt is not one that allows a student to 'thrive' or focus on their 'well-being'." students either pay full tuition or receive generous federal aid. Many students burdened with paying for their own tuition without parental assistance now take on the burden of heavier student loans, leaving college with well over $100,000 in debt. Debt is a major issue that follows graduates for years after they leave campus, and likewise raises questions of the worth of this institution. A future plagued with debt is not one that allows a student to "thrive" or focus on their "well-being," as administrative efforts advocate for Wake Forest students to do. Offering very few merit-based scholar-

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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSIT Y SINCE 1916 McKENZIE MADDOX EDITOR-IN-CHIEF maddml14@wfu.edu

BECKY SWIG PRINT MANAGING EDITOR swigrr15@wfu.edu

>> NEWS Natalie Wilson, wilsnh15@wfu.edu Erin Stephens, stepec14@wfu.edu Assistant Editor: Amanda Wilcox, wilcaf16@wfu.edu

>> SPORTS Ethan Bahar, bahaea15@wfu.edu Daniel Pachino, pachdb15@wfu.edu Assistant Editor: Tommaso Moneta, monet14@wfu.edu Lizzie Snyder, snydem15@wfu.edu

>> OPINION Henry Bonilla, bonihj15@wfu.edu David Ajamy, ajamdg15@wfu.edu

>> LIFE Julia Haines, hainjm15@wfu.edu Nicholas DeMayo, demanj14@wfu.edu

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ships to supplement this high tuition, this decision threatens deterring potential students from attending Wake Forest if they cannot pay this high fee. This is a serious issue considering diverse, well-rounded, even ideal candidates may be turned away, unable to pay almost $70,000 for a year of education. Following trends from other schools in the country, Wake Forest accepts exponentially more international students each year. Questions regarding international students are relevant, as they are not given the same opportunities for scholarships or financial aid as domestic students. Most students from outside the U.S. are required to pay full tuition. Further, this unexpected tuition hike comes at a time when students should have instead expected a decrease in cost. Wake Forest, for years, has been gradually increasing the freshman class to wel-

come more students to campus. With the opening of Maya Angelou Hall and the Innovation Quarter introducing studies in engineering, it is clear that Wake Forest plans to increase the population. More students on campus directly correlates with more students paying tuiton. With more students, where does a need for a 3.65 percent increase in tuition coming from? Sure, students enjoy more prominent speakers on campus, renovated dorm buildings and healthier options in the dining halls, but there must be a line drawn between improvements and an increasingly unaffordable education. The threat of losing more applicants and students due to financial burdens is where this line exists. Students are now calling upon the administration to provide transparent justification for the increased tuition.

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>> POLICIES The Old Gold & Black is published Thursdays during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Triangle Printing of Durham. To subscribe, please send $35 to P.O. Box 7569, Winston-Salem, NC 27109. ÂŠ 2014 WFU Media Board. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all editorials and advertisements contained within this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the OGB. As part of our commitment to reporting news fairly and accurately, we will not remove any previously published content. If an error in either our online or print content is brought to our attention, we will revise the originally published article with an appended correction. In order to facilitate thoughtful and appropriate debate, profane, vulgar, or inflammatory comments on our website are not allowed and will be deleted. For more information on our commenting policy, please see our website. We reserve the right to reject advertisements deemed inappropriate. Our full policy, and how to advertise with the OGB, can be found on our website.

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News | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 3

Deacon Profile: Barrett Redmond

BY LAUREN RAVERET Contributing Writer ravelh15@wfu.edu “I love the Pit” is not what you usually hear from Wake Forest students. However, senior Barrett Redmond says it regularly and with utmost sincerity. She loves the dining hall’s sense of community and its “mixed bag of people.” However, many students don’t go for the "mixed bag," choosing instead to eat with friends that they already know. Redmond is trying to change this. In early November last year, Redmond and two friends, Sophia Dodd and Courtney Ergen, started an initiative called "Dinner with 7 Strangers" at Wake Forest. It was modeled after a similar program at Georgetown University. Participants who signed up online were randomly grouped with six other people to eat a dinner together. And now, thanks to funding from Wake Forest’s Center for Global Programs and Studies, participants can not only get to know a wider range of students, but also eat for free. Redmond, Dodd and Ergen felt the need for "Dinner with 7 Strangers" at Wake Forest because Greek life and sports tend to separate Wake Forest students, similarly to how exclusive clubs at Georgetown divide students into niches. “Not that our campus is totally divided, but once you find your niche you stick to your niche,” Redmond said. “By the end of senior year, nobody’s looking for a new best friend. Everybody’s all friended up.” The initiative started out as their “Legacy Project” for a business school leadership course, but the three seniors independently decided to implement it outside of class, even without the free food incentive. Before even taking the class, Redmond had applied in the spring 2016 for an entrepreneurship grant for "Dinner with 7 Strangers," but was turned down because it was for a campus initiative, not a start-up business. However, when Sandra McMullen in the Center for Global Programs and Studies read the Old Gold & Black article last November that featured "Dinner with 7 Strangers," she met with Barrett and her team to discuss possible funding. "I was very struck by the purpose of "Dinner with 7 Strangers" and how it could dovetail nicely into our oﬃce’s eﬀorts to foster cultural understanding on campus,” McMullen said. Instead of requiring the participants to pay $5 for each meal, students can now sign up for "Dinner with 7 Strangers" at no charge. "We wanted it to be a really inclusive thing, but having to pay $5 doesn’t make it as inclusive,” Redmond said. “It kind of goes against everything that we’re trying to do.” Although Dodd and Ergen are very involved with the initiative, Ergen admits that Redmond was the mastermind behind it all. “Barrett really is the brains, but also the heart behind everything,” Ergen said. “It makes it easy to work with her and want to get things done when you see how much she cares.” Redmond discovered the power of grouping strangers to-

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gether while working for Outdoor Pursuits, a program that takes Wake Forest students on outdoor trips. “I feel as if the trips are almost little microcosms of Wake Forest and it’s been so awesome to see all these diﬀerent types of people interacting and getting along,” Redmond said. “I thought that more people need to experience that.” Redmond also started the Instagram account “pitstagram_ wfu” in September of 2014, which now has over 1,000 followers. The account features pictures of creative dishes that Redmond makes at the Pit. “Everyone always complains about the Pit,” Redmond said, “but look how many fresh ingredients are there that you can mix up and make something really awesome and beautiful out of.” Now, instead of mixing up ingredients, Redmond is using "Dinner with 7 Strangers" to mix up people. “Everyone complains how everyone’s so segregated but they don’t do anything about it,” Redmond said. “I really like just doing things. I get tired of talking.” Despite the apparent social segregation on campus, there is

no lack of enthusiasm for getting to know strangers. When Redmond first launched "Dinner with 7 Strangers," 75 people signed up within the first two days. “This is something people really want to do,” Redmond said. “I just feel like they didn’t know how to do it before.” Redmond is a Business and Enterprise Management major with a concentration in Nonprofit Management, and a double minor in Studio Art and Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise. “[Dinner with 7 Strangers] has been a really cool way to apply the culmination of my education here at Wake Forest and give back in a really small way,” Redmond said. Since she and her co-founders are seniors, Redmond is looking for someone passionate to take over "Dinner with 7 Strangers" when she leaves. She is also looking for a job for after graduation, but she does not want just any job. “I want it to be something that gives back to somebody else,” Redmond said. “It’s hard to find an entry level position like that. I’m very picky, which I guess is a good thing. Not a picky eater. But I’m a picky experiencer.”

POLICE BEAT • Subject(s) removed a Patagonia jacket from an unlocked locker in the Miller Center. The report was filed on March 13 at 11:37 a.m. • Subject blackmailed a student through the Internet. The report was filed on March 17 at 5:27 p.m. from UPC. • Subject(s) removed the victim's tablet and cell phone from a book bag while it was in an unsecured locker on Vine St. The report was filed on March 17 at 12:20 p.m. • WSPD responded to a noise complaint and issues verbal warning to the renter of the property on Waycross Dr. The report was filed on March 17 at 11:47 p.m. • A fire alarm was activated in Poteat. The report was filed on March 18 at 12:24 a.m.

• A non-student oﬀender who was visiting friends was intoxicated and disruptive at Subway on Hearn Plaza. The report was filed on March 18 at 2:02 a.m. • An underage student was intoxicated and transported to Student Health from Luter. The report was filed on March 18 at 2:43 a.m. • Oﬀender dislocated a victim's right ring finger. The victim drove to the hospital and refused to prosecute. The report was filed on March 18 at 3:43 p.m. • Subject(s) removed an unsecured gym bag from the corner of Manchester Athletic Center. The report was filed on March 19 at 6:41 p.m.

OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE

Correction: "Students Work to Cre- Latest European act of terror- Nunes claims some of Trump's ism kills four ate A NewWinston-Salem Flag" communications were intercepted In last week's issue, the Old Gold & Black published an article entitled "Students Work to Create a New Winston-Salem Flag" that stated that both founders of the movement, Jared Benckert and Michael Littrell, were freshmen at Wake Forest. In fact, Benckert does not attend Wake Forest and plans to attend NC State in the fall. Littrell is a freshman at Wake Forest. We apologize for any confusion.

On Wednesday, March 22, an assailiant fatally stabbed a police oﬃcer near the British Parliament after driving a vehicle through a crowd of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Four people have been confirmed dead and 40 more have been injured. British Prime Minister Theresa May said, "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions, and cultures come together."

House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes claimed on March 22 that members of Donald Trump's transition team were subjected to inadvertent surveillance after the election. At the White House press briefing, Sean Spicer read from Nunes' statement and Trump said he feels somewhat vindicated. The Director of the FBI James Comey confirmed that the FBI launched an investigation in Russia's possible meddling.

Page 4 |Thursday, March 23, 2017

Old Gold & Black | News

Marathon: Campus dances for a cancer cure Continued from Page 1

“There’s a sense in which everybody is kind of on equal footing here. We all want to find a cure for this disease. The ownership of the event is widespread” Ford said. Each team also has a “Team Champion.” This is an individual who has fought or is currently fighting cancer and received their treatment from Wake Forest Baptist Health. Throughout the 12 hours, eight different Champions told their stories of bravery, perseverance and struggle with cancer. Champions were introduced for the first time in 2011, and for many students listening to their stories is the most impactful part of the Wake ‘N Shake. “It connects the dots [to show] why we’re up here on our feet for 12 hours raising money,” Ford said, “[when] seeing actual lives changed.” Aside from the incredible number of donations raised, Wake ‘N Shake also strives to bring the Wake Forest community together and include diverse groups of participants from all over campus. “Greek organizations always raise a lot of money, but there’s a lot of opportunity to get non-Greeks more involved,” said Davis Troutman, dancer relations co-chair. This year the dance marathon had a record number of participants, in part due to an incentive system created to encourage these non-Greek organizations. Additionally, a prize was given to the group that raised the most in each division: fraternity, sorority and non-Greek. Having more participants not only helps increase donations to the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund, but creates an important awareness within the community. “Wake N Shake is not for any one group or club or organization, it’s for all the students,” Ford said. “It’s the whole community’s dance marathon”

Kellie Shanaghan/Old Gold & Black

The 12-hour dance marathon featured plenty of events to keep students moving the whole time, ranging from body pump classes to zumba to watching the basketball team shoot three-pointers.

Eudaimonia: Faculty consider ties to Koch foundation Continued from Page 1

“It was a request from the college faculty to the university Faculty Senate to research into the issues of Business 105 and the issue of the Eudaimonia institute and it’s connection to the Koch brothers,” said English professor Gale Sigal, President of Wake Forest American Association of University Professors (AAUP). After an Ad Hoc Senate Committee investigated the situation and reported their findings, the Faculty Senate voted to call on the administration to not accept the funding. According to the Faculty Senate’s press release, the Senate reached their decision “due to the Charles Koch Foundation’s unprecedented effort and documented strategy to co-opt higher education for its ideological, political and financial ends.” The Koch brothers, Charles and David Koch, are the sons of Fred C. Koch. The family foundations are a group of charitable organizations stemmed from Fred

C. Koch who owns oil, gas, paper and chemical conglomerates, the second largest U.S. privately held company. Charles and David’s foundations have provided millions of dollars to a variety of organizations and conservative think tanks. After the 2012 election loss, where they had funded much of the conservative platform and a series of scandals, including piles of petroleum coke from the company found piled by inner city neighborhoods in Detroit and south Chicago, the Koch brothers needed an image boost. Shortly after, universities began receiving large donations. According to The Center for Public Integrity, one of the country’s oldest and largest non-partisan, non-profit investigative news organizations, Wake Forest is among several schools that have received large donations from the Koch foundation. The university ranks behind the University of Kentucky with a donation of 12 million and George Mason University with 30 million.

Photo Courtesy of eudaimonia.wfu.edu

The Eudaimonia Institute, in its mission statement, explores the elements of and institutions that promote Eudaimonia — or genuine human flourishing.

Faculty, such as English professor James Hans, have been vocal about their concerns about the source of the donation. “I mean if the people in the economics department want to teach their majors that libertarian economics is the only way to go, then that’s their business,” Hans said. “But if you’re doing it for the Koch brothers or something then you’re on the take as far as I’m concerned. There’s a kind of qualitative difference there.” Yet despite the overwhelming majority vote in the Faculty Senate, others on campus also see problems in restricting certain donors based on ideological differences. “The decision voted on by the faculty about Eudaimonia Institute is extremely concerning, as I see it as a step toward limiting academic freedom at our university,” said sophomore Anthony Palumbo. “While trying to deny it, the faculty’s report is largely focused on the ideology of the Koch Foundation. As a conservative student, I encourage my friends on the left to strengthen their beliefs and immerse themselves in their ideology, and I think that rather than being an agent that restricts a group’s ideology, the university should encourage and fund groups on both sides of the aisle to operate freely. This decision by the faculty does the exact opposite.” Otteson has also combatted criticism raised by faculty citing the Declaration of Research Independence published on the Eudaimonia Institute website. As stated in the declaration, “because the questions we examine and the conclusions we reach are non-partisan and non-ideological, it is paramount that our research is conducted independently, with its sole motivation being the disinterested pursuit of truth.”

“The Declaration of Research Independence is a public document on our website and we provide it to anyone who is interested in giving us money,” Otteson said. “And what it says is, if you are interested in the projects or idea of the institute, we welcome your support. But you have to support the idea of it. You are not supporting any particular person or project or conclusion. So that gives a type of protection in both directions.” In an interview for the Unmasked podcast, Otteson also drew on his dissertation and Ph.D. as providing inspiration for the creation of the institute. “My Ph.D is in Philosophy from the University of Chicago,” Otteson said. “I wrote my dissertation on 18th century moral theory, which is not exactly economics, not exactly business. What I was extremely interested in then was kind of a new school was emerging in moral thought in 18th century about how to understand how human beings come to understand the moral sentiments that they have and how do we come to have these views. That led me to become interested in the political and economic systems that those same thinkers were recommending on the basis of their investigations.” As the intentions of the Institute have been called into question and consequently voted by the Senate Faculty to be concerning, the effect of the vote only calls on the administration to reject this funding, but does not have any power in ensuring that it is rejected. The vote simply puts pressure on the administration to make a decision. Keep up to date on the issue by following future findings reported by the Old Gold & Black’s Unmasked podcast.

News | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 5

Commencement: Seniors react to speaker Continued from Page 1

Students have given mixed, yet positive responses to the announcement that Meacham will be giving their commencement address. “Jon Meacham is an incredibly accomplished and talented speaker, one who will be able to situate these extremely instrumental four years in the rest of our lives and frame the lessons we’ve learned in a spirited and engaging manner,” said senior and Student Body President Jordan Monaghan. “A friend of mine has had him as a professor at Vanderbilt and has nothing but phenomenal things to say about his public speaking skills and ability to captivate an audience — I’m sincerely looking forward to May 15th.” Senior Hannah Johnston, who will be graduating alongside Monaghan in May, expressed a similar excitement to hearing Meacham speak. “I’m excited to hear Jon Meacham speak at commencement,” Johnston said. “He’s a phenomenal writer and I’m sure he will be a wonderful orator too.” However, other seniors have expressed how they are looking forward

to hearing him speak, but highlighted the lack of name recognition that Meacham carries. “I did not know who he was at first,” Noémie Kloucek said, “but he seems to have an interesting career history and is a Pulitzer Prize winner, so I’m hopeful that he will give a good speech.” Senior Morgan Yi echoed Klouceks concerns, saying, “I won’t lie, I didn’t know who Jon Meacham was at first. But I’m not mad about it.” Other seniors have said that they have chosen to focus on the purpose and celebration of the event, rather than expressing excitement or frustration about the choice of speaker. “They could put someone’s grandmother up there for all I care,” said senior Dwayne Peterkin. “I love this school and will miss it, but I just want my diploma.” Meacham is from Chattanooga, Tennessee and earned an English Literature degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. In 2016, he delivered the fall undergraduate commencement address at the University of Georgia and has previously delivered addresses at other places such as Dickinson College, Monmouth College and Loyola University. Meacham is speaking at Maryville University Photo courtesy of Jon Meacham in April as a part of their speaker series and is giving the commence- Jon Meacham, a presidential historian and best-selling ment address at the University Mississippi on May 13. author, has given multiple commencement speeches.

Student ventures compete in “Deac Tank” Students pitched their businesses developed through Deacon Springboard to win cash prizes BY JORGE FOURNIER RUIZ-CADALSO Contributing Writer fourja14@wfu.edu Shark Tank made its way from the TV screen to Wake Forest on Tuesday, March 21. Students gathered at Benson to witness the first ever Deac Tank Competition, sponsored by the Innovation Creativity and Entrepreneurship Center (ICE) and E-Society. The event featured pitches that ranged from kombucha brew to “intelligent” pill bottles. The Deac Tank Competition’s key speakers were two recent stars from ABC’s Shark Tank, Michael and Laura Dweck, cofounders of Basic Outfitters. Vying for cash prizes, six Deacon businesses pitched their ideas in a Shark Tank-style competition to a panel of three local judges: Peter Marsh, co-founder of Flywheel; Ben King, Professor of Practice at Wake Forest and Steve Lineberger, CEO of SV America Holdings. Up for grabs: $5,000. All six businesses were developed with the support of Deacon Springboard, an inten-

sive, semester-long entrepreneurial-acceleration boot camp to which students apply with their business ideas. The six aspiring entrepreneurial ventures who then won the chance to pitch their businesses had just a four-minute window to make their case in front of a cheering audience. “I loved the diversity of the ideas presented by the different students,” said senior Pedro Blach, an audience member. “I cannot imagine the amount of practice that went into these pitches.” The husband-and-wife team that won the Shark Tank contest last year both shared how going the extra mile makes a world of a difference. They started the business together with a mission to end the statistic that men “keep their underwear for an average of seven years.” Michael Dweck was once such a “victim.” When trying to replace his old basics, he saw that individual pieces would sell for $28. “We can do better quality and offer a better experience if we do it ourselves,” Dweck said before starting the business. After their Shark Tank pitch aired on Jan. 6, 2016, the Dwecks saw 1,000 percent revenue growth in just one month. Both said they were amazed by the results: “The Shark Tank effect is real.” For Deac Tank, audience members first had a chance to witness pitches from

Higher Art Galleries, an online art gallery for university students and art departments, and Pillotect, an intelligent pill bottle that helps prevent addiction and abuse. Next up was SimpullCork, an integrated loop system that minimizes time and effort spent opening wine, followed by Ellis Bell, a fashion company that tackles pocket equality in women’s clothing. The Deac Tank battle concluded with two more pitches: Portal Pocket Tee, a shirt that allows patients to provide easy access to their chest port when receiving infusions, followed by UpDog Kombucha, a healthier alternative to soda that launched in January 2016, from a dorm kitchen on campus. After a brief private deliberation, the three judges awarded first place to SimpullCork, with a $3,000 cash award. The second-place award of $1,500 went to UpDog Kombucha, followed by Ellis Bell, with a $500 award for third place. Michael and Laura Dweck were also tasked with an award to give out — a $250 award for the business that would survive the best on Shark Tank. The winner: The Portal Pocket Tee. Although the Shark Tank-type event may be entertaining and educational, the entrepreneurial endeavors of Wake Forest students are serious business. Wake Forest’s ICE Center and E-Society have been intensely promoting opportunities, such as

Hayden Lineberger /Old Gold & Black

SimpullCork receieved the hefty first place prize of the night: $3,000. the Startup Lab and Deacon Springboard, specifically designed to help jump-start initiatives from students with entrepreneurial ideas or ventures. “It just makes you think,” said junior Luciana Sabillon. “After watching everyone pitch their ideas, it makes you want to be the next person up there.”

WAKE IN A WEEK John Tamny: The Wonders of Inequality Time: March 23 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Location: Annenburg Auditorium, Carswell John Tamny, who turns conventional economic wisdom on its head, is the political economy editor at Forbes, editor of RealClearMarkets.com, a senior fellow in economics at the Reason Foundation and a senior economic advisor to Toreador Research & Trading.

Women’s Leadership Symposium Time: March 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Location: Benson 401 Students will examine the challenges and opportunities for women in leadership. The event features break-out sessions for students to build practical skills, explore leadership styles and reflect on their own experiences. The day includes a lunch and keynote address.

The Peace Process in Columbia: Can 52 Years of Violence be Ended? Time: March 27 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Location: Kirby 103 Harvey Kline is working on his tenth book about Colombian politics, five of which have dealt with the attempts of presidents to negotiate an end to the guerrilla conflict.

Arbor Day Celebration Time: March 24 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Location: Reynolda Village Trailhead Celebrate Arbor Day and Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish New Year for Trees. Volunteers will work to beautify the woods and stream along the Reynolda Village Trail and have a cookout.

Red Cross Blood Drive Time: March 23 Location: Benson 401 Donate blood to the American Red Cross. Appointments can be made online at ncdonor.com, but walk-ins are also welcome. This is part of Collegiate EMS Week.

Let’s Talk Trump: A Dialogue Series Time: March 27 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Location: Farrell A48 This is the beginning of a dialogue series about education, immigration, healthcare, economics, and law in order in the context of the Trump administration.

10th Annual Lenten Preaching Series with First Baptist Church Time: March 3 - April 14 from 12 p.m. to 12: 45 p.m. Location: First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue Wake Forest School of Divinity joins First Baptist Church for a Lent Friday preaching series. Communion will be served and preachers will include School of Divinity faculty.

Jewish Bible Study Time: March 27 from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: Reynolda 17a Read and discuss the Hebrew Bible in English alongside your peers. No experience is necessary and participants of all backgrounds are welcome. Feel free to use one of the Hillel bibles or bring your own.

Bi the Way Time: March 28 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Location: LGBTQ Center, Benson 311 Bi the Way will examine topics such as coming out, selfidentity and labeling, assumptions and stereotypes, and much more. The group meets on Tuesday evenings and is facilitated by Kayla Lisenby of the LGBTQ Center.

Page 6 | Thursday, March 23, 2017

Old Gold & Black |News

Annual symposium highlights student resarch The event featured sessions on topics such as solidarity, empowerment, and the female experience BY LAUREN BARBER Staff Writer Barblp0@wfu.edu Last Wednesday March 15, the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality (WGS) Studies Department and School of Divinity hosted the Sixth Annual Student Research Symposium on Gender and Sexuality in the ZSR Library auditorium. The day-long event featured seven moderated sessions of scholarly presentations and two creative works by Wake Forest students. “It was good this year that we had two plenary speakers, [Professors] Melissa Harris-Perry and Angela Kóczé, framing these dialogues and speaking to what the idea of freedom means, especially as connected to identity,” said Wanda Balzano, chair of the WGS Department. Harris-Perry and Kóczé delivered the opening and closing remarks, respectively, provoking attendees to contemplate this year’s theme: “Feminist Solidarities: Challenging Systems of Oppression and Privilege.” Subject matter ranged from models of solidarity and empowerment to deconstructing masculinity, queer identities, health, sex and resisting violence. During each panel, three to four student scholars delivered 10-minute research presentations and interacted with the audience during question and answer sessions. Divinity and undergraduate WGS students moderated all panels. The School of Divinity and WGS Department share a history of collaboration. “There was a great partnership already in place when we had the Phyllis Trible Lecture Series,” said Balzano. “Phyllis and the rest of the committee I was on invited feminist scholars in theology to campus….After [the conferences] we had students still talking and wanting to continue the conversation.” “[Professor of theology] Michelle Voss Roberts said ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a conference just for students?’ So we did and it was a success.” The symposium’s sixth iteration inspired as much student enthusiasm as past years, according to Balzano. “Some students were encouraged by faculty to apply but others responded to the call for papers right away because

they had something they wanted to say,” she said. “I find it so empowering and moving. Senior Fatima Habboub, for instance, wanted to say that Muslim women don’t need saving.” Later in the day, graduate student Alainna Liloia further contextualized misconceptions between Muslim and Western feminists through a case study of Islamic feminist movements in Kuwait. In the first half of the day, though, audience members encountered scholarship focused on the Black Lives Matter movement’s use of alternative media, fighting queerphobia in small, rural communities, the history of LGBTQ activism at Wake Forest and various literature analyses. Midday, attendees snacked on boxed lunches prepared by local Syrian refugee women, and third-year divinity student Demi McCoy performed original spoken word poetry before the fourth panel about the politics of gen-

Wanda Balzano/Old Gold&Black

Fatima Habboub delivers her lecture entitled “Muslim Women Don’t Need Saving: Polarity Between Their Identity and the American Narrative.”

der and health. Student scholars compared medical consent to sexual consent, discussed the politics of childbirth and outlined the history of community nursing in Forsyth Country. Afterward, students shared their contributions to scholarly research on gendered power dynamics as related to sex and sexuality through the lens of pornography, businesses such as Hooters, reggaeton music and biblical verse. Junior Libby Williams then provoked a lively discussion, screening an original creative video in which she critiques sorority rush by highlighting the gendered expectations she asserts are fundamental to the institutionalized process. To the audience’s enjoyment, junior Emmie Davidson screened the scene from the popular television series Atlanta that inspired her project on the abuse of incarcerated LGBTQ and gender nonconforming people. Her presentation was one of several in the final two panels which also featured student scholarship on femicide, race avoidant and colorblind practices in K-12 education, indigenous models of feminist solidarity, and liberatory mujerista theology. In her closing remarks, Kóczé expressed that the symposium exists to affirm the value of student’s work and knowledge creation. Balzano concurs. “As professors we should foreground our students and give them more opportunities to engage not from our strategy and format but from [theirs],” she said. “We can provide support and be facilitators of these types of events.” In line with this philosophy, Balzano and divinity professor Elizabeth Gandolfo encouraged students to serve on next year’s organizing team while thanking all those involved this year. Balzano and Gandolfo, who joined as a co-organizer last year, are committed to finding ways for students to learn from each other through scholarship and are grateful for the ZSR Library’s decision to dedicate an archive to the annual symposium, preserving a record of student scholarship on gender and sexuality at both the undergraduate and graduate level. “I love working with the divinity school faculty,” said Balzano. “They have been generous, forward-thinking and very collegial. I am also very excited about our new partnership with the Anna Julia Cooper Center.”

Newinitiativetargetshowtolivetogetherincommunity RethinkingCommunity, a program led by Provost Rogan Kersh, will bring events, programs and artists BY HEATHER HARTEL Social Media Chair harthf15@wfu.edu Divisiveness has long permeated society. Yet, somehow after this most recent election and a broader movement towards disunity in this country and beyond, something is different. It is now more than ever crucial that campus communities such as Wake Forest grow stronger and grow together. After an initial charge from Provost Rogan Kersh in line with similar conversations across higher education, the Rethinking Community initiative seeks to do exactly this: to encourage closer ties within the Wake Forest network, but also to help individuals understand what it means to live in community in a polarized, constantly changing world. “Wake Forest has a pair of important traditions that helped inspire this idea,” Kersh said. “For about a decade starting in the mid-1990s, the university declared a campus-wide theme for each academic year. Much as we hope a year of Rethinking Community will, each theme year included performances, invited speakers, town halls, classroom discussions and the like — all devoted to a common topical focus.” The four key words associated with Rethinking Community are “virtual, diverse, polarized and global,” which work to describe the ever-changing political atmosphere. Following other trends within higher education, the new

initiative hopes to explore how Wake Forest can progress in an increasingly virtual and divided world. “This ‘Rethinking Community’ idea owes much more to the awareness that our students (graduate/professional and undergraduate) must navigate a U.S. society that is very different — more polarized, virtual, diverse and global — from the past, with powerful implications for how we live in community with one another,” Kersh said. The Provost’s office spearheaded the new initiative by reaching out to students to learn what they would like to see around campus. This began with the introduction of a steering community of students to review proposals to determine programs for the year. Additionally, other voices on campus were invited to participate in initial planning efforts. “A dinner at Provost Kersh’s home was made up of a random assortment of students, faculty and staff of the university and we were given one question to prepare an answer for: if you were bringing one of your friends to your hometown, who is one person you’d have them meet outside of your family and why,” said Jordan Monaghan, student government president. “We all shared our answers and then the conversation transitioned later into discussing what qualities make a successful leader and what values we view as necessary to a cohesive community.” Specifically, the new program hopes to introduce new events, speakers and artist displays to campus in order to promote and demonstrate the ideas associated with Rethinking Community. Matthew Williams, the director of communications for the office of diversity and inclusion, played a large role in the initial planning stages of the initiative. “We will invite experts, people studying each of these pillars as well as host performances and programs that speak to some of these dynamics,” Williams said. “These

presentations will help others gain an appreciation for diversity or global cultures in addition to understanding the benefits and challenges of technology in a virtual world. We want to figure out how to mitigate polarization to bring people together from opposing sides or different experiences.” Specific examples include inviting a researcher who focuses on the relationship between data analytics and human rights, demographers able to speak truth to diversity or performers and artists from different countries to share their experiences with the role art takes in building community. However, along with most new programs comes the question of funding, especially when tuition was just announced to increase 3.65 percent for the upcoming academic year. Rethinking Community has funds set aside to host events and individuals to come to campus, as well as preexisting funds in other student offices. Further, the Provost’s office plans to award grants to student groups, faculty and staff to bring these prominent voices to campus. While the program is still in the initial phases, knowledge about it and its defined goals remain relatively unknown to students. To provide transparency to the campus community and to seek student involvement, Kersh sent an email to the student body explaining Rethinking Community, inviting them to informational sessions and encouraging proposals for events, speakers and programs. Beginning in the Fall, the new program will invite powerful voices recommended directly from students to campus in order to engage students and faculty with each other, the university and the world. “This is an opportunity for people to really think big about what they want to see happen at Wake Forest as it relates to building a stronger community,” Williams said.

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 7

Old Gold & Black | News

Sigma Chi fraternity looks to emphasize fundraising After doubling the number of donations last year, Sigma Chi looks to combat criticisms of Derby Days by refocusing on philanthropy BY JACKIE PAPE Staff Writer papejg13@wfu.edu On Monday March 27, Sigma Chi fraternity will kick-off its annual Derby Days, a four-day-long philanthropy event for the local Brenner Children’s Hospital. Existing at a time when Greek life is nationally portrayed in a negative light — for many justified reasons — these organizations often contribute laudable amounts of money to their partner philanthropies. As one of the biggest events of the year for Greek organizations at Wake Forest, Derby Days has a lot of participation and raises significant money. Last year the fraternity raised $23,000, more than double the amount raised the year before. The annual Derby Days involves different events that occur Monday through Thursday. Willing sororities participate in contests to see who will gain the most points from various field events, design competitions, social media presence, participation, a dance competition and fundraising. Additionally, nine to 10 fraternity members are assigned to different sororities, helping them compete, relay necessary information and build excitement for the events. “We’re all really excited and all of the brothers have been putting in a ton of work for the week so we can reach our goal,” said Blaine Harrison, a junior and vice president of Sigma Chi. “It’s our favorite time of the year because it’s a ton of fun and we get to donate to a great cause.” Parker Moquist, a junior Sigma Chi who is head of fundraising, explained that almost a year’s worth of preparation goes into it. “I was selected in May of last year,” Moquist said. “Once I got back from abroad, the work [for Derby Days] ramped up because a ton of planning goes into it. I’ve spent countless hours organizing the events.” With the event nearing, the brothers of Sigma Chi are

excited for the rest of campus to see how special the week is to them. Many sorority participants look forward to Derby Days year-after-year. “You build camaraderie and make lasting memories with people who you wouldn’t normally see,” said Sarah Blevins, a senior and member of Kappa Beta Gamma who has participated in Derby Days for the last three years. “The field events are the best part because it’s friendly competition during the day, after class, and you get to see your peers, all for a good cause.” While many Greek women are excited about what’s to come, others are less thrilled. Conflicting opinions exist about a particular event where sorority girls perform choreographed, often perceived as provocative, dances to help raise money. During this event, sororities choreograph the dances without any input from the boys but select Sigma Chi members also perform on stage alongside the sororities. “It’s because the idea is you’re trying to impress a group of males who are judging your bodies,” said Nicolette DeLorenzo, a sophomore member of Kappa Delta. “That’s probably not how they look at it, but that’s how it’s interpreted.” Despite her reservations, given her dance background, she will be one of the girls leading her sorority in the dance. “I think it’s different for different sororities, so only speaking for mine, when I was sending out emails I said it’s fun to practice and rehearse,” DeLorenzo said. “I want ours to be more funny because I think that’s the only way to get people involved.” Other critics see the dance competition as a microcosm for a bigger Greek Life issue. After participating for two years, senior and Delta Zeta Chloe Hillard began to think about the event more critically in terms of what charity means. “You could look at [the event] as being exclusive to Greek life,” said Hillard, who will not be participating in Derby Days. “Or, maybe it’s just because Greek organizations have chapter meetings and it’s easier to get them involved. But, if your ultimate goal is to raise money for charity, it’s not just people in Greek organizations who can do that.” Because Derby Days is an established, national tradition

Photo Courtesy of Sigma Chi Fraternity

Derby Days offers different events Monday-Thursday to raise money for Brenner Children’s Hospital. for Sigma Chi, it’s undeniably difficult to change the status quo. While participation in Derby Days is exclusive to sororities and the panel of judges have historically been members of the Sigma Chi fraternity, last year four non-Greek affiliated women were invited to join the judging panel in an effort to make the judging less biased. Ann Nguyen, a non-Greek affiliated senior was critical of the event, but after witnessing the dances, her outlook changed. “I was one of those people who had nothing but bad things to say, but that was before I talked to people about it,” Nguyen said. “If women want to get up there and do their routines and feel great about themselves, then I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.” Nguyen will also be one of the judges this year. Despite criticism, the Delta Nu chapter sees the entire Derby Days event holistically and is hoping to increase the amount they raise this year to $30,000. “We’ve faced criticism in the past, but we’ve recently done a great job about refocusing what the week is about,” Moquist said. “Hopefully, in the future, people will continue to see the results, and that will overshadow any of the criticisms we’ve had in the past.”

Mystery and history hybrid author speaks in ZSR NewYorkTimes bestselling author Charlie Lovett explained the process behind his recent novel BY EMILY LAIR Staff Writer lairev14@wfu.edu Mystery and history are combined in a new book that follows a centuries-old secret’s journey through time in a new biblio-mystery novel. Students and members of the Wake Forest community gathered in ZSR’s Special Collections Reading Room on March 16 to celebrate the publication of author Charlie Lovett’s newest novel, The Lost Book of the Holy Grail. The novel follows the quest through time to discover a missing manuscript and uncover the history of an English Cathedral and the secret of the Holy Grail. Lovett, a New York Times bestselling author, talked about his latest biblio-mystery novel which, although set in present day, uncovers the history of a fictional English town, Barchester, over a period of about 15,000 years. “It’s difficult for me to keep both of my feet in one time period,” Lovett said. From the early Saxon period to present day,

Lovett explained to the audience how he envisioned what each monastery, library or cathedral that held the lost manuscript would have been like architecturally. As the book had to survive thousands of years of history, he also finds out how events affected the ordinary people of those eras as well. Lovett described how the protagonist of the story, Arthur Prescott, a bibliophile and professor at the fictional University of Barchester, believes there is a secret connection between the legends of the Holy Grail and the history of the English cathedral. Prescott is described as a man who does not believe in God, but spends most all of his free time in the cathedral. “By the setting being in the cathedral, yes, it gives the story ecclesiastic overtones, but more importantly it is a setting that has been there for thousands of years,” Lovett said. The co-protagonist, Bethany Davis, is an American who helps him uncover the secret of the Holy Grail in the cathedral library. Bethany reveals to Arthur a wider lesson Prescott hopes readers will learn after reading the book. “Just about how we can interact with the past, and also why we need to not be quite so obsessed with the past,” Lovett said. From archaic ecclesiastic memorial plaques

Emily Lair/ Old Gold & Black

Author Charlie Lovett’s new novel The Lost Book of the Holy Grail follows the protagonist on a journey exploring Holy Grail and an English Catheto 1980’s magazines, Lovett explained his inspiration thought process behind the novel as a wide range of pieces that come together for the plot of the mystery. “I want to show you how I as a novelist, take these strange little tidbits from my life and my experiences and somehow try to shove them into a convincing narrative,” Lovett said. Following along with the theme of a medieval manuscript, the event also granted attendees the opportunity to see real medieval manuscripts from ZSR Special Collections. “I think the setting of having it here in the

rare books room really enhanced the atmosphere around the talk,” said Christian Burris, Serials Acquisitions Coordinator at ZSR. “Being able to refer to this part of the books and then the manuscripts on display, it kind of helped to give the talk a center and bring everything together.” Copies of the book were available for purchase after the presentation, and Lovett was happy to autograph copies as well. Lovett is no stranger to Wake Forest, as he spent his youth around the community and his father was an English professor.

OPINION OLD GOLD & BLACK

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

“ Dangerously incompetent First 50 Days: Tell(efsen) Me About It | Trump’s First 50 Days

President Trump’s first 50 days have been filled with inexperience and embarrassment Ben Tellefsen

Guest Columnist tellbm16@wfu.edu

Last December, I wrote a piece for the Old Gold & Black describing the necessity to work with the then President-elect Trump. As pessimistic as I was about his chances to be successful, the idea of wholly dismissing the winning candidate seemed counterproductive. I predicted that someone as inexperienced in government as himself would need an enormous amount of help, and that if said help came from unqualified or untrustworthy Cabinet individuals, the country would have much to worry about. Unfortunately, my prediction was accurate. In the short time that Trump has been in office, the White House has been overwhelmed by incompetence and a general disconnect from reality. Trump seems to have surrounded himself with people just as inexperienced in gov-

Hillary Clinton wasn’t wrong to focus The full extent of Trump’s collusion with on Trump’s temperament ... It remains Russia, which U.S. intelligence believes to be his greatest weakness and cur- hacked the DNC to help his election, rerently our country’s greatest liability.” mains to be seen. It could simply be foolish ernment as himself; his closest advisors and chief-of-staff have never served in elected office or in the federal bureaucracy. Neither has his secretary of state, whose role appears to be significantly diminished and out-ofthe-loop compared with previous secretaries. The only people who’ve brought strong experience from outside the private sector are the former military generals serving in Defense and Homeland Security. You would think that these two would bring order and calm. Yet Trump’s infamous immigration executive order, which was so badly written and implemented that it was shot down by a judge little more than a week after issuance, got neither of their approvals or guidance. More importantly, multiple cabinet members are already involved in scandal. His National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned less than a month after it became known that he lied about having contact with the government of Russia. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is in a similar predicament. In his case, the lying occurred under oath, during his Senate confirmation hearing.

behavior or it could be treason. Regardless, every day that new information comes out, the less legitimate the President becomes. He also has failed to nominate individuals to hundreds of sub-Cabinet level positions, which need staff to function properly. Additionally, three of his original Cabinet nominees, including the heads of the Army and the Navy, withdrew. More embarrassingly, the president continues to use Twitter to send poorly-written insults to congressmen, businesses and celebrities. His war with the press, which has escalated — now calling them “the enemy of the American people” and “fake news” — has been widely criticized as comparable to the tactics of authoritarian states. And despite this proclaimed hatred of the media, cable news seems to exercise much influence on the president’s agenda, who watches the news every day, going so far as to live-tweet along with “Fox and Friends” one morning. Most worrisome of all, he tweeted an accusation that President Obama wiretapped his phones in Trump Tower during the election. Despite credible Obama administration officials not only denying it, but explaining how it wouldn’t be possible without a special warrant, which the cur-

rent president would be able to find out about, the Trump administration is now demanding a Congressional investigation, which not only wastes time and money, but destroys trust and credibility. You’ll note that in this piece I’ve criticized little actual policy. Thus far, Trump’s policy seems like what one would expect from any generic Republican in 2017. The problems with his environmental policy, immigration policy and tax policy, for example, are endemic of the GOP and not unique to Trump. Nor did I mention the number of weekends the president has spent at Mar-ALago in Florida or the fact that he hasn’t divested from his international financial holdings, which present conflicts-of-interest in nearly every decision he’ll make in office. This president is so incompetent and dangerous that those things feel trivial. Our foreign allies are confused, as are American citizens, who wake up every morning not knowing what the president has in store. It’s been 50 days. I’ve given him a chance to govern and to act responsibly. He’s failed to do so. Hillary Clinton wasn’t wrong to focus on Trump’s temperament during the campaign. It remains to be his greatest weakness and currently our country’s greatest liability. Too many voters failed to see that last year, but hopefully, they’ll see it soon.

“ watch John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight Students should Wil(cox) Be Right| John Oliver

The comedian’s show focuses on important and pressing issues while providing comedic relief Amanda Wilcox Staff Columnist wilcaf16@wfu.edu

At times, my life feels like space between weekly episodes of HBO’s Last Week Tonight. The state of the nation over the past several months has often felt dark and demoralizing. So, 20 minutes of laughter at John Oliver’s uproarious political and social commentary is a refreshing change. However, the significance of the show’s surging popularity goes beyond its therapeutic gags and quips. Oliver argues with serious, desperate purpose — albeit with a grin — about subjects that Americans, either out of ignorance or an aversion to hard facts, just don’t talk about enough.

The magic of Last WeekTonight is just the right combination of humor and fearlessness. It makes me laugh, it makes me think...” Unlike many other comedy shows, Last Week Tonight doesn’t focus on aping the most idiotic, sensational or shallow aspects of the news cycle. Instead, it offers viewers an opportunity to make better sense of the world by covering such topics as income inequality, the racism inherent in our political justice system and the death penalty. Oliver and his writers recognize that as many of our civic institutions become increasingly corrupt and decrepit, the most important ingredient of Last Week Tonight should not be cheap laughs, but deep truths. Many of his exposés have been true tour de forces of expository journalism. This is not to say that Oliver isn’t funny. He is. The show’s mirth frequently reduces me to joyful tears. Whether about student debt — “Essentially, student debt is like HPV. If you go to college, you’re almost certainly going to get it. And if you do, it will follow you for the rest of your life”

— or cranberries — “Cranberries taste like cherries that hate you. Cranberries taste like what a raspberry drinks before a colonoscopy” — his jibes are funny and poignant. His brand of humor is singularly original and his takedowns are as slick as a whistle. Democracy, he once quipped, “is like a tambourine: not everyone can be trusted with it.” Furthermore, Last Week Tonight has gained a reputation for embracing an unorthodox and endearing type of advocacy. For example, Oliver established a legally recognized church, Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption, in order to expose and ridicule televangelists who preach the “prosperity gospel” to embezzle money from unsuspecting followers. Later, he donated all money raised by the church to Doctors Without Borders. More recently, following a segment about Trump and his relationship with the truth, or lack thereof, Oliver obtained advertising time on cable news shows in the Washington, D.C. area in order to reach the president where he is. Parodying an actual ad for a catheter, he used a folksy cowboy to educate the president on the nuclear triad, geography and which one of his daughters is Tiffany. In a

similar vein, he caricatured a real Russian pop song informing the president about the dangers of closer relations with Vladimir Putin. Above all, Oliver relentlessly argues against apathy or indignation alone. He has urged viewers to “stay here and fight” instead of moving to Canada and to donate to organizations such as Planned Parenthood and ProPublica. “It is going to be too easy for things to start feeling normal, especially if you are someone who is not directly impacted by [Trump’s] actions,” he said. “So keep reminding yourself this is not normal. Write it on a Post-It note, and stick it on your refrigerator. Hire a skywriter once a month. Tattoo it on your a**. Because a Klan-backed misogynist internet troll is going to be delivering the next State of the Union address. And that is not normal, it is f--ked up.” The magic of Last Week Tonight is just the right combination of humor and fearlessness. It makes me laugh, it makes me think, and it makes me consider the hidden systems of power and injustice all around me. For 20 minutes a week, I can’t ask for much more.

Opinion | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 9

“ Trump’s proposed budget is irresponsible Tried and Drew| Budget

The budget proposed allocates money where it is not needed and not where it is Drew Finley

Staff Columnist finlag15@wfu.edu

A president proposing a budget which has virtually no hope of passing in Congress has been a defining feature of American politics since the Reagan era. When the president reveals his proposed budget to Congress, the conventional wisdom is that the contents of it are the Executive Branch’s wildest dreams. The president knows that the legislative branch will likely never approve the proposal as written, but in putting forth grandiose — and at times even unreasonable — budgets, he can at least hope to include some of what he wants in the final product. Allen Schick, a distinguished professor of political science at the University

“... the blueprint that the Trump Administration has presented appears to be particularly unworkable.” of Maryland who has written numerous books on the federal budget, summarizes this process quite well when he writes that “unrealistic budgeting can be a tool of presidential power.” Surely the Trump Administration’s proposal that the Oﬃce of Management and Budget released last week falls right in line with Schick’s theory. The document itself, which is entitled, “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again” is noteworthy in several respects. At the outset, President Donald Trump declares that the blueprint is intended to “reprioritize Federal spending” in order to “advance the safety and security of the American people.” Without safety, the document asserts, “there can be no prosperity.” While most would agree that the federal budget needs to be reworked in some way

or another, the Trump Administration’s plan for doing that is faulty and largely impractical. And yet while we have noted that it is standard procedure for a president to propose a budget that is improbable, the blueprint that the Trump Administration has presented appears to be particularly unworkable. Among the key provisions of the proposal are a $54 billion increase in defense spending, a 31 percent reduction in funding for the EPA, a 29 percent reduction in funding for the State Department and the proposal also calls to cut the budgets of the Department of Labor and the Department of Agriculture by 21 percent. While such proposed cuts are certainly significant and indeed enormous when one considers the scope and responsibility of these federal agencies and departments, the blueprint nonetheless irresponsibly refers to them as “targeted reductions.” Trimming the State Department and the EPA’s budget by almost one-third and reducing funding to the Departments of Labor and Agriculture by a little over onefifth can hardly be understood as a “targeted” eﬀort.

Moreover, if there is one sector of the government that does not need increases in federal funding, it is America’s defense budget. As it stands currently, funding for the U.S. military is about $598.5 billion. That accounts for 54 percent of all federal discretionary spending. The U.S. spends more on its military than any other country in the world. So the notion that the U.S. must, in the proposal’s own words, “rebuild our Armed Forces” is ludicrous given how much money the U.S. already allocates to the military and the fact that America is universally regarded as the most powerful military in the world. The good news is that a great deal of the blueprint will probably never be adopted by Congress, but the Trump Administration would do well to not make substantial cuts to vital federal departments and agencies, and to abandon its illogical desire to bolster spending for America’s military. All eyes are on Congress now as they take up the Administration’s proposal. As always, the power of the purse ultimately remains with them.

The February “awards shows have inconsistent criteria DeStefa-no’s His Stuff| Awards shows

The inconsistency of the awards decisions de legitimize the worth of winning Liam DeStefano Guest Columnist destlp16@wfu.edu

For those of us that are enamored with sports, music and movies, February is the month that represents the ultimate culmination of the best that each dimension of American pop culture has to offer. In the span of four weeks, national television oﬀers us the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star game, Grammys and Oscars. However, there is a reason that the Super Bowl is guaranteed to supersede all of the other aforementioned programs every year, aside than the fact that it is one of the indispensable cruxes of America’s identity. Unlike the Grammys or the Oscars, the winners of the evening are (probably) not determined by a small, elite committee of individuals with their own agendas prior to the actual event. That is why the Super Bowl attracts viewers ranging from the most ravenous of football fanatics to suburban soccer moms. A large amount of the entertainment is derived from the knowledge that the competitors’ athletic merit, the coaches’ complementary intelligence and a little bit of luck will be the only factors that determine the winners.

My primary issue with the February awards shows ... is that the decisions that the voters have made ... have been laughably inconsistent.” Now obviously I’m not suggesting that we should try to translate this approach to the Grammys or the Oscars by having Chance the Rapper and Kanye West try to out-rap each other on stage, or have Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel DayLewis act out a scene in front of the audience to determine who wins the coveted award. Though such a process would be beyond captivating, it is not practical. My primary issue with the February awards shows, and the reason that I am writing this article, is that the decisions that the voters have made, especially for the awards for significant categories, have been laughably inconsistent. For example: this year, Adele won the award for Album of the Year at the Grammys for her recently released and smash success record, “25.” However, the consensus among the listening public and music critics alike was that Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” was unequivocally the superior album. It was so good that Rolling Stone gave it a five Star rating, even though Beyoncé is not an old, white rock icon that nobody cares about anymore. People blamed this travesty on several circumstances, including Adele’s higher album sales, her “comeback” to the music industry and media racism (Lemonade, a transcendent work in 21st century music, only took home the award for “Best Urban Contemporary Album”)

for contributing to the Grammy’s decision. But I think it just further accentuates the trend of awards shows making random choices. To show you what I mean, just nine years ago, Herbie Hancock beat out established superstar acts The Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse to take home Album of the Year. Unless you’re 50 years old or a major jazz enthusiast, you probably have no idea who Herbie Hancock is. That’s not to say he wasn’t a commendable victor, but his competitors were all embodiments of musical superstardom and lost. Yet this year we saw the Grammy com-

mittee giving the Album of the Year to a record based on its ubiquity rather than its quality, just like when Titanic beat out LA Confidential for Best Picture at The Oscars 20 years ago. My point is, can we really consider these award shows “esteemed” if the criteria for winning is randomized every year? Frankly, it seems like those Onion articles satirizing the selection process at award shows is becoming more accurate by the year. Will people still watch? Of course, but should they consider a Grammy or Oscar to be a legitimate award? I think you could argue the answer is no.

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Page 10 | Thursday, March 23, 2017

Old Gold & Black | Opinion

Health care“ is not a right for all in the U.S. Zach-Attack| Health care

Health care is not a right for people and both parties and people need to understand that for the future

The idea of government provided healthcare, however, is asinine. It makes little to no economic sense.”

Zachary Rhines Guest Columnist rhinzl14@wfu.edu

Congress recently introduced the American Health Care Act, which is meant to be a replacement for the admittedly terrible Affordable Care Act — more well known as “Obamacare.” The proposal of this bill presents a whole new set of problems for the traditionally conservative Republican party; mostly due to the fact that the bill does not really deviate much from Obamacare. The AHCA gets rid of many of the unpopular portions of Obamacare, such as the individual mandate, which requires that every citizen somehow purchase health insurance.

But the bill does not address the deeper problem looming in American society: that health care is not a right. The Constitution grants certain enumerated rights to all citizens of the U.S. In doing so, the Constitution essentially establishes ways in which the government cannot infringe on its citizens. These rights are what is known as “negative rights.” Though negative rights are traditionally the only types of rights granted to citizens, regressive leftists such as Bernie Sanders have openly advocated for “positive rights.” which impose upon the government, and by extension, the taxpayer, an aﬃrmative obligation to provide a good or service. One such positive right that many people love to get behind is the idea of free or subsidized health care. The idea of government provided health care, however, is asinine. It makes little to

no economic sense. To understand why it does not make economic sense, we must first understand how the insurance game is played. Insurance companies are, for the purposes of simplification, very good gamblers. They evaluate a potential policyholder and calculate the risk that they may need to pay for this person’s medical treatment. If there is a high risk, the policyholder will be charged more, or even rejected, because it is too great a financial risk for insurers to take on. If health care is a right, insurers will be forced to cover incredibly high-risk patients, which will raise the cost for whomever else pays for the service — healthy people and taxpayers. This will bankrupt the industry and have a horrifically adverse eﬀect on the government and therefore the taxpayer. Additionally, healthcare is a service. When you go to the hospital, the hospital provides services. Doctors provide services. Pharmaceutical companies provide lifesaving products. All of these things and more constitute health care. These people expect to be

compensated fairly for their time, effort, schooling and research. To assume that you, or anyone else, has the right to the efforts and services of a private citizen is inherently selfish. Services should be paid for. If the government decides that everybody has an affirmative right to health care, it devalues the entire industry and will bring it all crashing to the ground. The government cannot accurately set market values by ensuring a service for everyone. The next time you go out to one of your socialist rallies, or look in fond remembrance at the Bernie 2016 sticker on the back of your Prius, just remember that healthcare is not a right. It is illogical and selfish to assume such, and it goes against everything that our country was founded on. Our country was founded on liberty and freedom; not on the government protectionism and control that both the Republicans and Democrats have been preaching as of late. Rights are meant to limit government control, not to expand it.

slip into a state of unintentionally turning the reader round and round with excited words. The whole less is more thing works; pithiness is also preciseness. Writing for oneself is indulgent and that’s good. Stories and pieces that are purely for one’s enjoyment can contain piles of particular parlance, experimental and stylistic flourishes for their own sake, but when one is writing for someone else, for consumption (like I am now), it is better to have an idea and express it in the simplest terms possible. It is not an assumption of your audience’s stupidity. In fact, it is almost a selfish promise that you are smart enough to distill your vocabulary into the precisest possible dialect, without using slippery words that can stagger the reader’s rhythm. It’s thin ice, for sure, because it’s about presenting something meaningful and co-

hesive while using words that don’t have too fuzzy of halos. Our job as writers is to be communicators of the highest esteem, maybe even the highest degree, and you know what is a super important part of that? Comprehension. I’m not saying don’t write for yourself. Write voluminously. Language contains troves of delicacies — words that are as warming as a sunset, as dark as the midnight sea. But also write for others, in a productive and less-instructive manner. Incite people with unusual arrangements of words they already know, make them blush. Let their chests gush at what you’ve done to them with your words. It’s a miraculous thing, language, and to be able to wield it is not only impressive, but powerful. So, laid bare, it is simply this: choose wisely.

“ medium that can be a challenge Writing is a powerful All if Ferr(er) | Big Words

The power of diction in the realm of writing as an art form for the self, others and world Kyle Ferrer

Staff Columnist ferrka16@wfu.edu Language is fascinating. The way words can seem to shimmer and bounce oﬀ one another and form a smile in the reader’s mind, is truly awesome. It is similar to when you glance at something, a friend or whatever, and let a bit of happiness spread across your face at the slight, tiny uniqueness of that very thing. It’s as quick as biting an apple.

I’m not saying don’t write for yourself. Write voluminously. Language contains troves of delicacies... But also write for others...” But one of the issues with language is that we can get caught in its webbing — big words, complex designs and humungous constellations of great storytelling. I fall into this trap a lot. I learn a new word through reading, want to use it, and jam it into whatever I’m writing. Or I’ll have someone tell me they needed a dictionary in order to read my piece. It’s a compliment, I think, but it also tells me that my message is murky and my wording is unclear. It’s easy to talk over people’s heads. The true sign of an academic is someone who can use simple words to get across a complex message and I (as do so many others)

Word on the Quad | March Madness

What is your favorite Wake Forest spring event?

“Holi.” K. Liu (‘19)

“Shag on the Mag.” Maddie Arnel (‘19)

“Holi.” Drew Finley (‘19)

“Shag on the Mag.” Madi Wright(‘17)

SPORTS OLD GOLD & BLACK

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 17

PAG E 11

Online at: www.wfuogb.com twitter: @sports_ogb editOrs: Ethan Bahar, bahaea15@wfu.edu; Daniel Pachino, pachdb15@wfu.edu asst. editOr: Tommaso Moneta and Lizzie Snyder

Please don't leave just yet, John Collins Dear John Collins, Thank you for helping earn Wake Forest a bid to the NCAA Tournament and regain national relevance. You and the rest of the team allowed Demon Deacon fans to experience exciting, competitive basketball for the first time in nearly a decade. The Wake Forest community is extremely appreciative of your great play. Now let’s address the elephant in the room. You’re only a sophomore and have two more years of college eligibility, but scouts are saying you’re good enough to be a first round NBA pick, potentially even a lottery pick. If you pack your bags for the NBA you will be a 19-year-old millionaire by June. On paper the choice seems obvious. You should be leaving Winston-Salem for the league. However, when you consider the long term implications of the decision, the choice becomes much more diﬃcult. If you leave for the NBA this year, you will be known as a great Wake Forest player. But you have a lot of meat left on the bone. You are not yet a Wake Forest legend. Sure, being named an All-American and the ACC’s Most Improved Player is great, as is coming in second place for ACC Player of the Year. But have you really been satisfied with your post-season play yet? Leave now, and these are the results that fans will remember. Did one win in the ACC tournament and a loss in a play-in game as an 11-seed in the NCAA tournament seem good enough? Leave now and you’re telling fans it was. And no one will blame you. The money and glamour of the NBA is certainly enticing. But aren’t the opportunities if you stay at Wake Forest even more enticing? Don’t you want a legitimate shot at winning an ACC championship? Possibly even an NCAA championship? If we manage to return you and Bryant Crawford, who looks like he could be

the ACC’s best point guard in a year, all of this is possible. We’re really only losing one productive piece of the team this year in Austin Arians, and we’re replacing him with Chaundee Brown, the highest rated recruit Wake Forest has landed in years. With another season under Coach Manning’s belt and a team that’s gaining a year of experience surrounding you, play will be elevated to a new level, and post-season success is extremely likely in the 20172018 season. Staying at school would also be great for your personal player development. It would mean another year under the tutelage of Coach Manning, who has done wonderful things to turn you into a phenomenal basketball player. Just think about what another year with one of the best forwards of all time could lead to. It would mean becoming an even more dominant oﬀensive scorer, a better passer and bulking up in the weight room to be able to physically dominate players on both ends of the court. If you stay one more year, you have the opportunity to come into the league completely NBA ready. Consider Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon, who waited until after his senior year to go to the NBA even though he was one of the five best players Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports in the ACC from his sophomore to senior In potentially his final game in a Wake Forest uniform, John Collins scored 26 seasons. When he entered the league, he points and had nine rebounds in the First Four matchup against Kansas State. was the most prepared player for the NBA game because of his maturity and developTim Duncan and Chris Paul are Wake stay. The NBA will still be there in a year. ment, and now he is the likely Rookie of Forest legends. Each of their teams saw Your time in college won’t be if you are draftthe Year. more regular season and postseason success ed. Therefore, in earnest, we ask you, please Many younger players declare at too early than your teams have seen. Certainly their don’t leave yet. of an age and enter the league and are un- achievements at Wake Forest helped them Sincerely, prepared for the physical play and daily elevate their play at the next level. Ethan Bahar & Daniel Pachino grind of NBA life, while the older and Further, their lasting impact was felt on Sports Editors more experienced players like Brogdon campus for years after they left. You could come in ready to contribute immediately. elevate your importance on this campus to After this article was written, John Collins Doesn’t another year where you are the the level of Tim Duncan or Chris Paul if declared for the NBA Draft. However, he did man and the go-to guy on a title-contend- you choose to stay. If you go to the NBA not sign an agent, which gives him the opportuing team sound more appealing than fight- this year, your chances of cementing your nity to meet with NBA executives to gain a sense ing to play even five minutes a game in the legacy as a legend disappear. of where he will be drafted, but can return to NBA every night? However, these chances look great if you Wake Forest if he so desires.

NCAA Tournament's first weekend full of upsets The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament did not disappoint as many of the top seeds were knocked out

BY ETHAN PERELLIS Staff Writer pereeh13@wfu.edu The NCAA Tournament was in full swing this past week with games starting on Tuesday and ending on Sunday. The field comprised of 68 diﬀerent college basketball teams all had the goal of getting to the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. However, some of the favorites to cut down the nets in Glendale did not survive the first weekend. The First Four, the tournament’s traditional first games that cut the field down to 64, is the oﬃcial beginning of the Big Dance. The First Four saw the Demon Deacons fall to Kansas State and University of Southern California come back to erase a 17-point deficit against Providence. Mount St. Mary’s and UC Davis also advanced.

Shane Keyser/Kansas City Star/TNS

Frank Mason III is the front runner for Naismith Player of the Year and has his Kansas team in the Sweet 16.

Oﬃcially called the second round, the games played on Thursday and Friday usually provide fans with monster upsets. This year, brackets were spared as the majority of the higher seeds prevailed. All teams seeded 1-4 won for the first time since 2007. Middle Tennessee State, a 12-seed, was the highest seed to win, but were 1.5-point favorites in Las Vegas right before tip-oﬀ. Similarly, 11-seeds Xavier and Rhode Island defeated 6-seeds Maryland and Creighton respectively, but ESPN’s BPI, the networks unique power index, favored both Xavier and Rhode Island. The biggest upset belonged to Southern Cal, who used their momentum from Wednesday to beat SMU, who was a popular pre-tournament pick to make a deep run. In their first NCAA Tournament appearance, Northwestern was able to squeak-out a win against Vanderbilt, 68-66.The lack of major upsets created some spectacular matchups for the weekend slate. The Round of 32 provided the craziness that comes along with every March Madness. Defending national

See NCAA Tournament, Page 14

Page 12 | Thursday, March 23, 2017

Old Gold & Black | Sports

Men’s tennis continues to dominate The Men’s Tennis team outclasses another ACC foe and retains their top ranking

BY CAITLIN HERLIHY Senior Writer herlcr13@wfu.edu The sun was shining as the Wake Forest men’s tennis team swept unranked Virginia Tech 7-0 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Last week, Wake Forest ranked No.1 in the NCAA, and the team proved themselves with hustle and agility against the Hokies. Top-ranked doubles team Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim had a 6-4 victory over the Hokies doubles team of Jai Corbett and Korsgaard. Despite their slow start, the duo made a fierce comeback after a series of overhead shots and well-placed drop shots. Doubles team Petro ChrysoRob Ferguson/USA TODAY Sports chos and Dennis Upensky lost 7-5 on court three. Attention turned to Borna Gojo and The Demon Deacons continue to prove why they are the top-ranked tennis team in the country. After a dominant Alan Gadjiev playing at the No. 2 doubles sweep of Virginia Tech they prime themselves for ACC rival, second ranked UVA, in what is sure to be a tight contest. spot. Disputed line calls didn’t disrupt the sophomore and remains the number first set 7-5. Mansouri snagged the secThe Wake Forest Men’s tennis team duo as they continued to fight hard for a ond set after another tiebreaker, 7-3. two player in the country. will travel to Clemson for their match 7-5 victory over their opponents. The Deacs were victorious on all on Friday evening at 5 p.m. On Sunday, The Deacs came out strong during singles No. 14 Skander Mansouri eventually play. On court number one, singles player defeated Virginia Tech’s Alexandre Ri- courts with Christian Serpahim defeat- March 26, the Deacs will play No. 17 Petra Chrysochos battled for his win against beiro after two tie-breaking sets. In the ing Henrik Korsgaard 6-3, 6-2. Dennis Georgia Tech in Atlanta at 12 p.m. No. 82 Corbett. After losing the first set first set, Mansouri fell behind quickly, Upensky beat Freddy Mesmer 6-3, 6-4. Support your Deacs at home when 5-7, he rallied for a 6-5 win in the second but it wasn’t long before he began to Alan Gadjiev battled Jason Kros 6-3 in they return to the Wake Forest Tennis set. The tie-breaking set resulted in another gain on Ribeiro. The set spilled into a the first set, and won the second set af- Complex to play No. 2 Virginia on Friday, March 31 at 4 p.m. Wake Forest win at 10-7. Chrysochos is a tiebreaker, and Mansouri claimed the ter a 7-6 tie break.

Men’s baseball enjoys another two wins The Demon Deacons are looking hot after recent victories over the Duke Bluedevils and the UNC Charlotte 49ers BY CHRISTINA THOMPSON Contributing Writer thomcm14@wfu.edu The Deacs brought home yet another series win this past weekend, this time against North Carolina rival, Duke. Wake Forest secured the final series win with 11 runs to 2. The Deacs have already won past series against Southern Cal, Kent State and NC State (a true nail biter that pushed over into extra innings) this season. It’s safe to say this season is off with to an incredible start. For the first time in the program history, the team has had two three-homer games in the same season — junior, Gavin Sheets, vs. USC and senior, Ben Breazeale, at High Point. Pitching records are also projected to be broken with senior and captain John McCarren hoping to claim second place for all-time most-game appearances. The Deacs were projected to win against the Charlotte 49ers this past Tuesday, but unfortunately the game was postponed until Wednesday due to weather. However, this didn’t upset the Deacs at all as they fought their way to another win over Charlotte. Special appreciation to Logan Harvey who hit Wake Forest’s fifth grand slam of the season and his first of the year. This weekend, the Deacs will face off against Georgia Tech, for another ACC series. If they can pull through with a series win, the Deacs

Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images

Bruce Steel and the Demon Deacons are looking to enjoy another successful baseball season

will be well on their way to comfortably securing a spot in this year’s ACC Tournament. Each of this series’games will be live streamed on ESPN’s website and broadcasted on TV channel ACCN Extra. This coming Sunday the Wake Forest Baseball team will be hosting Bark in the Park. Fans are encouraged to bring their pooch’s to the game for an afternoon of baseball and fun. There is also a puppy parade 15 minutes before first pitch that all dogs can participate in. Tweet in a picture of your furry friend to @WakeBaseball for a chance to throw out the first pitch.

Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images

The Wake Forest Men’s baseball team has reason to celebrate after starting the season with a record of 15 wins and only six losses. They’re hoping for another season with postseason success.

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 13

Sports | Old Gold & Black

Men's Golf earned its second straight win Following a win at the Valspar Collegiate in Palm City, Florida, the Demon Deacons have achieved two consecutive victories BY TOMMASO MONETA Asst. Sports Editor belljh15@wfu.edu The Wake Forest men’s golf team closed the weekend with a solid win, marking the second consecutive victory and the third win of the season at the Valspar Collegiate during Tuesday’s final round at the Floridian Golf Course. The Demon Deacons shot a final-round four-over 288 to finish at seven-over, one shot ahead of Georgia Tech. Round 1 In an event that features eight of the top 30 squads in the country, the No. 10 ranked Demon Deacons looked for a quick start to establish themselves as potential victors. Wake Forest finished the first round in second place at 7-over. Will Zalatoris finished the opening round tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard after a first round one-under 70, two shots oﬀ the lead. Eric Bae shot a two-over 73 and is tied for 15th place. Cameron Young and Lee Detmer each shot a three-over 74 and are tied

for 21st place, while Paul McBride is tied for 27th place at four-over. Round 2 An impressive second round brought the surging Deacons into first place.The Demon Deacons shot a four-under 280 to take a nine-shot lead into the final round of play. Bae shot the low round of the day, a four-under 67, to move into a tie for first on the individual leaderboard at two-under. Zalatoris is tied for fifth at even par after a second round 72, while Paul McBride shot a 69 on Monday to move into the top 10 at two-over for the tournament. Detmer shot a second-round 72 and is at four-over. Young shot 74 for the second straight day and is at sixover. Round 3 Zalatoris and Bae led the Demon Deacons to the title, both posting top-five finishes. Zalatoris was tied for individual runner-up at one-under after a final round 70. Bae shot a final round 73 to finish the event at even par, tied for fourth place. Cameron Young had a strong final round, shooting even par 71 to finish at six-over, tied for 25th place. McBride finished tied for 20th place at five-over after a final round 74. Detmer closed out the Deacon lineup, finishing the tournament at 10-over.

Head Coach Jay Haas summed the match up by saying, "It is always nice to win a great event like this against this strong of a field." Wake Forest's next event is the 3M Augusta Invitational at the Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, GA, on April 1-2. One week later, the Masters Tournament will take place at Augusta National in Augusta, GA.

Brian Westerholt/Sports On Film

Will Zalatoris and the Men's Golf team are are fresh off a tournament win and ranked No. 16.

The Cubs reloaded following World Series With many familiar MLB faces in new places, the 2017 MLB season promises to excite BY REN SCHMITT Contributing Writer schmwm16@wfu.edu As spring training’s initial allure begins to fade and teams begin to finalize their 40-man rosters, the preseason buzz surrounding all of baseball’s 2017 favorites and storylines is peaking. The MLB is riding the frenzy of the Cubs’ World Series victory into the new season and there are a number of developments headed into 2017 that should interest the both casual and hardcore fans. In the National League, the Cubs are still the team to beat. Despite losing Dexter Fowler to the Cardinals and Aroldis Chapman to the Yankees in free agency, their roster still shapes up as one of MLB’s

best after adding Wade Davis and Koji Uehara to bolster their bullpen. The Cubs will also enjoy their first full season of Kyle Schwarber — barring another injury — and they return reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant and a 2016 Silver Slugger Award winner in Anthony Rizzo. Of course, the Cardinals and Pirates will both compete for the NL Central’s top spot again this year, and they can hope that the Cubs suffer from a World Series hangover, as over the last five years, the World Series champs have posted a meager .493 combined win percentage in the subsequent year. The Pirates will retain Andrew McCutchen — at least until the trade deadline — and the Cardinals are hopeful that Wainwright can return to form and strengthen their rotation alongside Carlos Martinez in order to offset a devastating season-ending injury to young starter Alex Reyes earlier this offseason. Outside of the NL Central, the Dodgers and Nationals are the early favorites to

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

The reigning World Series Champions, the Chicago Cubs, are entering the 2017 season with high hopes of repeating their title.

win their respective divisions. The Dodgers inked long-term deals in the oﬀseason to retain third baseman Justin Turner, closer Kenley Jansen, and — most controversially — starting pitcher Rich Hill. The Giants are their most likely challenger in the NL West and though they did not make a big splash in the free agency, they still post a formidable one-two rotation punch in Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto. The Nationals made some moves of their own, most notably trading highly touted RHP prospect Lucas Giolito for White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton. The Nationals are hopeful that this move brings the extra lineup piece they need alongside 2016 AllStars Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy to propel them past the New York Mets and their impressive young rotation to a repeat NL East title. Washington’s window is closing, however, as Atlanta and Philadelphia are both close to being competitive again, so failing in the NLDS again is not an option in D.C. this season. The American League’s reigning champions, the Cleveland Indians, have reloaded for another championship run following their devastating Game 7 loss to Chicago. Cleveland’s biggest oﬀseason addition was power hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who hit 42 homers with Toronto last season and signed a very team-friendly deal with the Indians. Cleveland will also be aided by the return of All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley, who only played 11 games before being forced to undergo a second shoulder surgery last season. Given these additions, Cleveland is the obvious favorite in an AL Central, featuring an aging Tigers roster, a thin Royals club and two rebuilding teams in the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. No one would be surprised by a rematch of last year’s World Series. The AL East and AL West are both more-or-less wide open, but each division features a couple teams who appear to be favorites. The Red Sox traded away Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada to obtain five-time All-Star Chris Sale, who bolsters

an already daunting rotation that featured the 2012 and 2016 AL Cy Young Award winners in David Price and Rick Porcello, respectively. Toronto lost a huge bat in Encarnacion, and they will require solid years from starters Marco Estrada and Marcus Stroman to compete with the talented Boston club. Baltimore will once again live and die by the long ball and their rotation will have to be strong enough this year to help the bullpen into the ninth inning. The Orioles can then hand the ball to Zach Britton, who led Baltimore to a perfect 75-0 when leading through eight innings in 2016. The Yankees will have high entertainment value this year, as they are packed with young talent, but they will likely not be completely competitive until 2018. In the AL West, Houston, Seattle and Texas could all come away with the title. While Mike Trout is forced to squander his prime while playing for a weak Angels team, each of the other previously mentioned clubs will be locked in an unpredictable division race. The Astros added catcher Brian McCann in the offseason, who is past his prime, but will bring a veteran presence and great defense to an Astros team featuring three of baseball’s great young stars: second Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa and right fielder George Springer. The Mariners made a plethora of small moves this offseason and the addition center fielder Jarrod Dyson will add plenty of speed to the lineup and an outstanding piece to the outfield. The Rangers, who won the division in 2016 will again rely on Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels to carry an otherwise weak rotation and they will require another excellent season from Adrian Beltre, who turns 38 in April. The 2017 MLB season will certainly feature some familiar faces in the playoffs and in the individual award races, but there will be parity this year in the division races and there will be breakout young names coming from this season’s emerging teams.

Page 14 | Thursday, March 23, 2017

Old Gold & Black | Sports

NCAA Tournament: ACC fails miserably Continued from Page 11

champion and number 1-overal seed Villanova could not handle the post players of 8-seed Wisconsin. Perhaps the hottest team in America, the 7-seed Michigan Wolverines, knocked-oﬀ the 2-seed Louisville Cardinals in a rematch of the 2013 national championship.

Continuing their Cinderella run, Xavier destroyed 3-seed Florida State, 91-66. South Carolina, a 7-seed was able to take advantage of playing in Greenville, SC and sent 2-seed Duke packing. Even though the rest of the favorites were victorious, most of the Round of 32 games were close and high-quality contests. It took a massive eﬀort from the Oregon Ducks to claw back and defeat

Sam Riche/TNS

The Michigan Wolverines are as hot as any team in the country, coming off a Big 10 Tournament championship and knocking off the 2-seed Louisville Cardinals.

Rhode Island. Gonzaga had to hold-oﬀ Northwestern and took advantage of a blown goaltending call. Kentucky was challenged by 10-seed Wichita State, who has the major gripe about their seeding. Florida, Baylor, West Virginia, Arizona, UCLA, UNC, Butler, Purdue and Kansas join the others in the Sweet 16. The headlines from the weekend focused on the poor performance by the ACC, the perceived best league in college basketball. The league dominated the AP and Coaches Poll throughout the season and were supposed to be a major factor in the tournament. Nine teams from the ACC made the NCAA Tournament, and now, only UNC remains. Florida State, Virginia, Notre Dame and Miami all lost by double-digits. Louisville and Duke were supposed to validate the strength of the conference but lost to lower seeds. Although the league may still be the deepest, the league’s parity displays that each team in the conference was vulnerable in some capacity. Oppositely, the Big Ten and the SEC, the two leagues considered the weakest before the Big Dance, both have three teams in the Sweet 16. Big Ten conference tournament champion, Michigan might be the team of destiny as they have not lost a game since their plane incident. Wisconsin is a team full of veterans who have played in Final Fours and might be

the favorite in the East Region. Florida dominated Virginia and looks to be playing their best basketball of the season. Playing the underdog card, South Carolina still feels like they have something to prove after their Duke victory. The conferences with legitimate claims to be considered the best in the country are the Big 12 and Pac-12. The Big 12 has three teams left including Kansas, now the odds-on favorite to win the championship. In addition, West Virginia has been particularly impressive this postseason with their ability to turnover and speed-up their opponents. The Pac-12 is 8-1 in the NCAA Tournament as Southern Cal is the only team eliminated from the league. Arizona, UCLA and Oregon all appear threats to win their region and reach Glendale. Butler and Xavier will represent the Big East, while Gonzaga is the only team continuing from the West Coast Conference. The tournament’s popularity in general seems to be trending upwards. CBS claims this has been the most watched NCAA Tournament in 24 years. With plenty of storylines and big name programs left, the ratings will most likely continue to be large. The Big Dance resumes Thursday with the Sweet 16, and by Sunday night, the Final Four will be determined. Knowing the history of this tournament, do not be surprised to see more madness in the weeks to come.

Ex-Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause dies at 77 The general manager responsible for six championship teams in a decade passed away this Tuesday at 77 BY LIZZIE SNYDER Assistant Sports Editor snydem15@wfu.edu This Tuesday, March 21, was a sad day for the city of Chicago with the passing of hometown hero and somewhat controversial sports figure, Jerry Krause. Making a name for himself in the sports world in the 1990’s, Krause was best known for assembling one of the greatest teams in the NBA as the General Manager for the Chicago Bulls from 1985-2003. He was also named NBA Executive of the Year twice during his career with Chicago. However, even though the Bulls won six out of eight consecutive championships while Krause was in charge as General Manager, he notably squabbled with Bulls personnel; often soliciting negative feedback from Chicago fans. Hired by Bulls owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, Krause was challenged with the task of creating a cohesive group of talent to surround Michael Jordan. Krause saw potential in the young Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, just the backup Michael Jordan needed to rise to become who most consider the best basketball player of all time. In 1995, he was responsible for bringing Dennis Rodman to the Bulls, a player and persona that could be considered one of the strangest basketball players of all time. The Bulls 1991-1993 championship teams were arguably some of the best teams in history with multiple players reaching Naismith Hall of Fame status. However, he and Jackson were not always on great terms. The choice to trade Charles Oakley for Bill Cartwright publicly upset Jordan, mostly because he found out from the media along with the rest of the world. Jor-

Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/TNS

The Chicago Bulls’ legendary general manager, Jerry Krause, passed away this week on Tuesday, March 20. Krause was responsible for building the Bulls’ great teams around Michael Jordan.

dan oﬀered his condolences to the Krause family through his personal representative according to TMZ Sports. Along with piecing together his dream team, Krause saw potential in Phil Jackson and believed he was the right choice to coach this potentially strong Bulls team. Krause gave Jackson, regarded as one of the best basketball coaches of all time, his first head coaching opportunity in the NBA. However, their relationship would become strained over the years due to multiple misunderstandings and how the media pinned one against the other. Despite their rocky relationship, Jackson, currently the president of the New York Knicks organization, released a public statement on Krause’s passing on the @NY_ KnicksPR Twitter handle. He stated, “The news of Jerry Krause’s death is a sad day for the Chicago Bulls and the

entire NBA community. He was a man determined to create a winning team in Chicago — his hometown. Jerry was known as “The Sleuth” for his secrecy, but it was no secret that he built a dynasty in Chicago.” There were no further remarks on Jackson’s personal Twitter account. Not only was Krause a successful general manager responsible for assembling one of the most dominant teams in basketball, he was also had an eye for talent in the baseball world. Serving as a scout for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks, Krause had an undeniable talent of assessing potential success. A true testament to his successful career, he is a nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction this year. He is survived by his wife, Thelma, and two children.

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 15

Sports | Old Gold & Black

Golfers to watch closely heading to the Masters Golfers are preparing for the Masters, which are just two short weeks away BY CHARLIE ENGEL Staff Writer engece15@wfu.edu With the Masters Tournament on the horizon, many casual and serious followers are interested in which players to keep an eye on this year during the Masters at the Augusta National on April 6. Here’s a quick list to catch you up on some of the highest performing players on tour, as well as a couple up-and- coming players to watch for in the battle for the green jacket. Dustin Johnson First-place finishes in the WGC-Mexico Championship and the Genesis propelled the American golfer to No. 1 in the Oﬃcial World Golf Ranking. Johnson looks to be playing some of his best golf going into the Masters. Jordan Spieth The 2015 green-jacket winner won Pebble Beach in February and most recently finished 12th at the WCG-Mexico Championship. The Texan is always

a threat to play well at the tournament given his first and second place finishes in 2015 and 2016. Adam Hadwin The former top-ranked amateur in the field is coming oﬀ a recent first place finish in the Valspar Championship earlier in March. The UCLA product also placed sixth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and third at Pebble Beach.

Thomas Pieters The 24-year old Belgian has had two top-five finishes on the 2017 PGA tour and an impressive performance in the 2016 Rider Cup, with a 4-1-0 record in the event. Pieters has drawn comparisons to top-ranked Dustin Johnson due to his large frame, with the Belgian measuring out at 6-foot-5 to allow for a powerful swing that has made him one

of the most talented prospects in Europe. Wesley Bryan Winning the 2016 Web.com tour earned the immediate promotion to the PGA for Bryan. Despite recently joining, the 26-year old American has performed in a manner that has generated excitement, with three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in his rookie campaign.

Rory McIIroy The Northern Irishman has decided to partake in PGA competition and he has done well for himself. With a fourth place finish in Arnold Palmer Invitational and a seventh place finish in the WCG-Mexico Championship, McIlroy has been very competitive in the only two tournaments he’s played in. Tyrrell Hatton The 25-year old Englishman tied the Saint Andrews Old Course record, shooting 62 in the 2016 October tournament. Two top-10 major finishes in 2016 and two fourth-place finishes on tour in 2017 make Hatton one the most talented young golfers as a player to watch out for in Augusta.

Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/TNS

Danny Willett was the surprise winner of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta and will look to repeat against many of the world’s top players.

A comprehensive fantasy baseball preview With opening day nearing, fantasy baseball junkies are licking their chops for a new season BY JONATHAN BELL Staff Writer belljh15@wfu.edu With spring right around the corner, we begin to enter the greatest time of the year for sports fans. March Madness is in full swing, the anticipation for the NHL and NBA playoﬀs begins to crescendo and of course, baseball opening day is only about a week away. Given that there are only a few more weeks to go in the basketball and hockey regular seasons, fantasy baseball becomes the only game in town. Here’s a quick preview of the upcoming 2017 fantasy baseball season. Under the radar: Michael Foltynewicz, SP Atlanta Braves While the Atlanta Braves continue to be among the worst teams in baseball, one hope for the future success of the franchise is pitcher Michael Foltynewicz. The 25-year-old pitcher made 22 starts a season ago, pitching 123.1 innings with an era of 4.31. While this might not seem all that great, this is a very good start for a young pitcher making his debut season in the big leagues. With the Braves cutting veteran lefty John Danks, Foltynewicz’s spot in the rotation is set. Having a solid spring training so far (giving up only run on six hits through six innings against the always dangerous National’s in his last start) spending a late run flyer on Foltynewicz could be the key to your team reaching the postseason. Robbie Ray, SP Arizona Diamondbacks On the surface, Robbie Ray’s statistics from last year are not the ones you are looking for in pitchers that

David Santiago/El Nuevo Herald/TNS

Slugger Giancarlo Stanton is sure to be one of the best fantasy baseball players a in a 2017 season loaded with talent. Fans hope to relive some of the excitement of the 2016 season. will make up the core of your fantasy rotation. An ugly 4.90 ERA is one particularly ugly spot on Ray’s resumé. However, a slightly deeper look into the stats will most certainly raise an eyebrow. Ray’s fielding independent pitching (FIP) was at 3.76, a difference of nearly 1.2 between his ERA and FIP. While not a guarantee, it is almost certain that Ray will be much closer to that 3.76 number this year than the 4.90 he posted last year. With an impressive 218 strikeouts in a mere 178 innings, Ray has the strikeout potential to be not only a good starting pitcher this season, but a great one. Ray’s impressive starts in spring training only seek to add to the hype of the young starter. Grab Ray in your draft before someone else hops on the bandwagon.

Christian Yelich, OF Miami Marlins I know, I know this is kind of cheating as any player ranked in the top 35 of ESPN’s rankings can’t really be considered “under the radar, but Yelich at 31 overall is still ridiculously undervaluing the Marlins outfielder. Did you know Yelich was second in all of major league baseball with an average exit velocity of 95.0 mph? Yelich led the national league, coming in ahead of sluggers like Giancarlo Stanton and David Ortiz and Josh Donaldson. Yelich is one of the best in the league at getting hits, getting on base and making good contact nearly every time he gets up to the plate. With his growth in the power department last year, (he doubled his career total of home runs in one season) and posting career highs in slugging percentage, WAR and ISO, snagging Yelich in the second round might still be too late.

LIFE

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 17

PAG E 16

Online

at : w w w. w f u o g b . c o m e d i t O r s : Nicholas DeMayo, demanj14@wfu.edu

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OLD GOLD & BLACK

The Heart of:

Wake Forest students tell the stories that inspire them to dance for a cause BY LARISA HANGER Contributing Writer hangll15@wfu.edu With the pounding feet, loud music and energetically dancing students, if you walked into the Sutton Center knowing nothing of the event happening this past Saturday, you would’ve thought an electronic music festival had come to Wake Forest. Last weekend, the 12th annual Wake ‘N Shake took place, bringing together over 1,400 students to dance for 12 hours with one common goal: to raise money to find a cure for cancer. The event this year consisted of morale dances, Zumba, body combat, a magician, performances from Momentum and Deacon Dhamaal, speeches from Coach Clawson, President Hatch and Take the Fight, a live band and a rave hour. The most touching of all the activities were the times when everyone quieted down for the speakers, which included Jake Teitelbaum, a Wake Forest senior and founder of the Resilience Project who has battled cancer himself and each of the eight champions, who are people that have fought or are fighting cancer. One champion was Cindy Ferguson, mother of sophomore Elizabeth Ferguson (Champion Relations Committee), who spoke about her ongoing battle with stage-two, triple negative breast cancer. She was diagnosed just two days before the event last year, and has been fighting ever since. She began with 16 rounds of chemotherapy in April of 2016 and will hopefully complete the last step, oral chemotherapy, this July. This process has been diﬃcult, yet inspiring for Elizabeth, who said the hardest part was being away at school when her mom was diagnosed and not being by her side during the final rounds of chemotherapy as she returned to school in the fall. On Saturday, Elizabeth took to the stage as support while Cindy told her story. One aspect Cindy talked a

lot about was her fear of losing her hair. With the new concept of coolcap therapy, she was able to save most of it, but not without the help of her “cap angels.” Every Wednesday, four friends would come to help Cindy as she received chemotherapy, changing the negative 32 Degrees Celsius caps every 30 minutes throughout the morning and afternoon. Her husband stayed by her side through it all. Cindy eventually decided to buy a wig to wear during the day, but is still so thankful to have much of her hair left, saying it was at least one thing she felt like she could control. When she looks in the mirror, she still sees herself, and gives all thanks to God. “The smallest or most random acts of kindest can be the most touching,” she said. Another kind act came in the form of a paperchain created by Elizabeth, with each colorful link holding an inspirational quote. Although Elizabeth was back at school during her mom’s final weeks of chemotherapy, when Cindy opened a link each morning, it felt like Elizabeth was there with her. Even with her ongoing fight against cancer, she remains as positive and involved as she’s always been. Another student who is very passionate about Wake ‘N Shake and has had cancer hit close to home is Kaela Griswold, a corporate sponsorship co-chair. This year, she put her heart and soul into her planning because she was doing it in honor of her Uncle Scott, former high school clasmates Chris Nunes and Bobby Taggart and former teacher and mentor Peter McVeigh. Her uncle Scott passed last week from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and she described him as the most knowledgeable man she knows. Even in the hospital, he was studying textbooks. During her high school years at Germantown Academy in PA, two boys, Nunes and Taggart, also passed away after battling cancer. This “created silence, but also an uproar of community,” she said. The community grew even closer this past semester when Peter McVeigh, a teacher at the school for 45 years, passed from pancreatic cancer at age 70 on Feb. 7. Griswold described him as her life mentor, source of guidance and inspiration, Poppy Pete and best friend. “He is the dearest person in my life,” she said. Their friendship began her sophomore year of high school when she decided to start “KBallet,” through which she taught dance at a local orphanage to kids who had been abused, neglected or orphaned. McVeigh was the Director of the Community Service Organization and she needed advice; from there they formed a special bond that included many Saturdays helping others and ending the day with mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Photos courtesy of Wake Forest and clipart

Two weeks before McVeigh passed, Griswold received a call from Peter’s son, Ian McVeigh, and was able to spend three days with the family in the hospital. Ian told Griswold, “I was his best friend, until he met you.” After the passing of McVeigh, who was known for calling every student he had ever had on their birthday each year, both Griswold and the school were shaken. Students created a blog on their literary magazine’s website, Academy Monthly, where people who knew and loved him could write tributes, and the funeral was held at the school with over 1,000 people in attendance. Wake Forest senior and Overall Co-chair Michael Hanamirian also attended Germantown Academy, and described McVeigh as “an unbelievable teacher and guy” who was “infectious” and “sacrificed always.” “It’s important to remember those who aren’t here anymore, to keep fighting alongside those who are still fighting and to celebrate those who no longer have the disease,” he said. Hanamirian also experienced the loss of Nunes and Taggart, two of his high school friends, and is supporting Wake Forest alum and Lambda Chi Alpha brother Fritts Biesecker in his current fight. Germantown Academy’s website says McVeigh loved quoting the words of Martin Luther King, and often said, “Our lives begin to end on the day that we remain silent about the things that matter.” This year students made some major noise, and the world is $334,337.52 closer to finding a cure for cancer.

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 17

Life | Old Gold & Black

T.V. Show Review | Grey’s Anatomy

It’s not fun to watch people argue, no matter how many cool surgeries you throw in BY JULIA HAINES Life Editor hainjm15@wfu.edu Someone needs to teach Shonda Rhimes how to read the expiration dates on plot lines. You can’t just stir up drama, put it in a Tupperware in the back of a fridge and expect viewers to still want it 20 episodes later. When the new season of Grey’s Anatomy started premiering in September, I was excited. The season 12 finale left quite a few hooks in the water and I was anxious to see them finally get tied up. If for no other reason, I kept watching because I didn’t want to lose the 269-episode streak that I built watching seasons one through 12. Therefore, I’ve been a reluctant witness to this car crash of a season, both to the literal car crash victims in the triage unit, and to the characters whose relationships — both romantic and otherwise — are crashing and burning. It’s scary the way nobody stays together anymore. The beginning of the season relies entirely on old plot lines, drawing out Karev’s legal trial for beating up DeLuca and rehashing the relationship problems with Omelia, Japril and Griggs. When it looked like Karev was getting sent to prison, I was convinced that he

was going to follow 10 of my other favorite characters and leave the show. Then, when DeLuca dropped the charges, I thought Karev was finally going to ride off into the sunset with Jo. However, it looks like Jo is going to hook up with DeLuca instead, and it’s extremely upsetting. The season picks up when Bailey and Catherine Avery decide it’s time to replace Webber as head of the residency program, since they need to retain more students. They hire Eliza Minnick, a young hot shot with a risky “learn on the job” approach to teaching surgery. In my opinion, they can’t retain residents because Rhimes writes them all off the show — it has nothing to do with the program. Robbins, a loyal friend of Webber’s, begins to date Minnick and is caught in the middle as the staff divides. The residents worship Minnick while the attendings resent her. The drama gets ugly and stays ugly throughout the season. After watching episode 15, “Civil War,” I felt like I’d just spent an hour watching an early episode of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, if you multiplied the petty sibling fights by 100 and took away the comedy. Webber, who used to be the show’s voice of reason, has been re-painted as an immature, whiney employee staying long past his welcome. He spends more time staging coups than actually doing his job. Stubborn is not a good look for him. The introduction of Jackson Avery’s longlost dad was a breath of fresh air last episode, presenting a plot line outside of office

If you don’t spend time outside you’re missing out

1. Pick-up frisbee 2. Petting strangers’ dogs Photo courtesy of IMDB

BY RAVEN MCCORKLE Staff Writer mcorc16@wfu.edu Everyone loves a little humor — but has anyone ever stopped to think about the diﬃcult, serious work that goes into writing a humor column? I’ve taken the time out of my busy day of minoring in theatre and eating at Einstein Bros to fill you in. You’re welcome. Follow these steps below for a manual on how to write a humor article. Wait until the very last second. Wait for lightning to strike. Being funny takes time, you know, so you’re definitely not going to be funny in the blink of an eye. If you’re super stressed, this step is easy. You just lose track of the day and time until it’s Sunday night. Open up a blank google doc. No one uses Word anymore, and if you do … well, that could be a humor article in itself. Stare at the google doc for a few hours. Writing for the Old Gold & Black is serious business — especially when you’re handling an article as critical and formal as the humor column.

3. Spikeball

The 13th season of Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t lived up to expectations.

4. Eno hammock and chill

politics. April gives Jackson the confidence to confront his daddy issues, leading to Japril being reignited, despite April having spent the majority of the season becoming bﬀs with Jackson’s mom. She outgrew her goody-two-shoes four seasons ago, so I hope she stops brown nosing soon. All in all, none of the characters are acting like themselves, no one gets along, everyone is in on-again-oﬀ-again relationships and the show isn’t what it used to be.

5. Call out your tour guide friends and embarrass them 6. “Study” 7. Fall asleep while sun tanning 8. Picnic with an iced coﬀee and Camino baked good from Campus Grounds 9. Cloud Watch

Writing humor isn’t always giggles Pause for a bit. Go to Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A, aside from being the best place on earth, is always a place with humorous information just waiting to be delivered to the public. Also, the nuggets, lemonade and sweet tea don’t hurt. See if you can find something inspiring. My go-to’s are always the Pit and Bostwick. There are always some misfortunes to write about, whether that be mold, a lack of avocados or moldy avocados — which have occurred in my room. Come back to your computer and goof oﬀ a little more. Goofing around will get you in the right mindset to write a humor column. After all, no great comedian was ever all that serious. Try to find something original to write about. For me, it’s always easy to write about my life. Trust me, there is always something funny going on. If you’re still struggling to come up with ideas, take a shower. All great ideas start with a great shower. Begin writing once you’ve thought of a brilliant, million-dollar idea. Make sure to continuously check the word count to make sure your article is long enough. Check over everything, making sure that the content is good enough to send in to SNL. Share the masterpiece with the OGB Life gmail account, and you’re good to go! Comedy Central will be calling in no time.

LIST

Top Ten Outdoor Quad activities

Humor Column | How to Write a Humor Column

“A Comedy of Errors” was not written in a day, but your best OGB humor column should be

HOT

the

New season is frustrating to watch

10. Create a snap story documenting the entire thing with a temperature Courtesy of Julia Haines

Drink of the Week

Liquid Sunshine Celebrating Earth Week’s amazing weather • Half-cup of vitamin D • A mixture of CapriSun, Sunny D, Sunkist citrus soda and Sun Drop orange soda • Let sit on upper quad for 3 hours Raven McCorkle/OGB

Chick-Fil-A and procrastination are the key elements to a humor column.

Serve in a reusable water bottle

Page 18 | Thursday, March 23, 2017

Old Gold & Black | Life

WAKE RADIO | Japanese Rock

Japanese music stars have big “ambitions” ONE OK Rock now target a Western market after gaining tremendous popularity throughout Japan and Asia

BY ANDY CHEN Contributing Writer burnkc15@wfu.edu On Sept. 16, 2016, Japanese-rock sensation ONE OK ROCK (OOR) released the song “Taking Oﬀ” from their latest album Ambitions. OOR is a four-person Japanese-rock (J-rock) sensation. Its current members include bassist Ryota Kohama, vocalist Takahiro Moriuchi, guitarist Toru Yamashita and drummer Tomoya Kanki. With the release of their latest album, they launched their invasion towards the American and European music markets, after having become one of the biggest rock bands in Asia over the last few years. To better serve both domestic and international markets, OOR released two diﬀerent versions of the album. OOR received mixed ratings and reviews, with mostly positive praise coming

from Rock Sound (8/10) and Alternative Press (3.5/5). Online listeners gave them either either strong positive or strong negative reviews, with few in between. Released on Jan. 13, Ambitions (English Version) is OOR’s eighth full-length album and second full-length English album. As indicated by the title of the album, the theme is heavily focused on the ambition of OOR as a group. This new album continues OOR’s positive emo/rock lyric style, while also putting more emphasis on being able to be widely accepted by the public, especially by listeners in the western market. Excluding the instrumental interlude, the lyrics of eight of the songs are based on chasing dreams and struggles. The other five songs are based on various kinds of love. Additionally, the arrangement of the instruments is much simpler. Though Ambitions still keeps elements of scream or fancy drumline, bassline and guitar riﬀ in a few songs, the frequency of their appearance decreases a lot. Only five of the 13 tracks have these elements. Nevertheless, every song in the album uses samples extensively.

Through the second track, “Bombs Away,” OOR shows not only their ambition but also their ability to fight for their place in the future music world. “Bombs Away” is a solid J-rock song. It has all of the essential characteristics of J-rock. Some of the trademarks of western rock and punk music are the fancy bassline and guitar riff. But compared to its eastern counterpart, western rock and punk music actually put less focus in the bassline and guitar riff. Normally, the complexity of a guitar riff in a typical western pop-metal song is similar to that of a typical J-rock/J-punk song. However, a J-rock band will put more emphasis on the bassline. In “Bombs Away,” for instance, if one listens closely, it is not difficult to pick up the bass note after the second verse, especially at the second pre-chorus. Just like Taka sang in this song: “And if I could show you now. Let you see the future,” OOR surely shows their massive amount of potential, like a ticking bomb. Nevertheless, an old-time OOR fan would be really confused by the rest of the tracks in this album. Aiming for the wider market, OOR chose to add in elements of

Photo courtesy of iTunes

Ambitions features more pop styling when compared to other J-rock.

electronic music. Rather than making rock songs, they delved into how to make songs that will be able to blend into mainstream culture more easily. To better serve their ambition, OOR gave up on trademark elements of J-rock and added more pop music elements into their songs.

Life | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 19

Movie Review | Beauty and the Beast

Modern adaptation pulls nostalgic heart strings Actress Emma Watson, known for her strong feminist stance in the media, blows away audiences as Belle in the new movie BY ELISE DEAN Staff Writer deanea14@wfu.edu

This weekend, movie theaters across the nation were filled to maximum capacity with the eager faces of children, teenagers and adults alike. The release of Disney’s real-life Beauty and the Beast invited viewers to ‘be their guest’ as the all-too-familiar magical love story unfolded on the big screen accompanied by vibrant costumes, impressive sets and the contagious sounds of the musical score. And it was even better than expected. The nostalgia for my childhood washed over me as I sat front and center, teary-eyed and emotional when songs like “Gaston” and “Something There” poured from the surround-sound speakers. Members of the audience, including myself, could not help but mumble along through each song almost thoughtlessly, as though the lyrics were written across the screen. Similar to the release of Finding Dory, the long-awaited process of re-creating the magical wonderment of such a beloved movie was anticipated by many. Unfortunately, there is not much development as the re-created movie does not diverge from the traditional story-line of the animated film. Yet the movie does develop a stronger leading female character, ultimately giving the film more purpose than just a light-hearted atmosphere. Emma Watson, portraying Belle, the protagonist, exists as who we all imagined the real-life Belle to resemble.

Photo courtesy of IMDB

The highly anticipated movie stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast and Luke Evans as Gaston in Disney’s new live-action adaptation of the 1991 animated classic. Watson walks, sings and acts as boldly and confidently as the animated Belle. As a forefront feminist in the media today, Watson certainly suits the well-poised role as she represents a character of both intelligence and strength. Whether she is waving oﬀ the unwanted and incessant gestures of Gaston, the narcissistic town hunk or befriending the inanimate, yet magically animate objects of the castle, Watson drives the story of Belle forward towards success. Belle is undoubtedly a headstrong character, which is considered an oddity within the small community as she often veers away from the status quo. Watson does not struggle to illustrate these characteristics and commands a sense of respect from the audience with her determined persona. Disney movies reach out to a vast audience of young children and adolescents around the globe, so it is a wonder how much intention was placed behind certain po-

litical undertones. A flurry of criticisms has been released prior to and following the opening of the movie, yet I believe the popular opinion aligns with high-esteem towards the movie. While these eager, young faces filtered in and out of theaters across the nation this weekend, they left with messages of femininity and friendship. I believe these messages are integral for the future of new and re-created Disney movies. Beauty and the Beast remains a large success across the globe for the artistic devotion to remain with the traditional plot line, yet also bringing important issues to light. As the weekend has come to a close and box oﬃce ticket sales are calculated, it is no surprise that Beauty and the Beast has broken records across the board. Garnering upwards of $170 million in North America and $180 million overseas over the opening weekend, the success of the film is staggering.

Album Review | Divide

Ed Sheeran challenges his own status quo in Divide Divide includes songs drawn from a wide range of musical styles, from Irish folk to traditional African music BY KATHERINE GRABOWSKY Staff Writer grabkw16@wfu.edu

After a year-long hiatus, Ed Sheeran re-emerged into the spotlight and produced arguably his best album to date. In past albums, Sheeran didn’t stray far from his classic style heard in “A Team” or “Photograph.” An overwhelming amount of his past songs focus on heartbreak. Divide shakes things up for the artist by fusing diﬀerent styles and drawing inspiration from his family. The album begins with Sheeran rapping in “Eraser.” It seems to be Sheeran proving to the world that his vocal skills have no limits. Though this might not be his most popular song on the album, his attempt at delving into an unfamiliar territory is appreciated. Sheeran’s most popular songs on the album are “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill.” “Shape of You” is the least musically challenging song on the album—it seems to be destined for the charts and made for the radio. This song, released early, brought attention to the rest of the album, but does little to advance him musically. “Castle on the Hill,” though also made to be a radio hit, has more musical depth. This song holds a nostalgic quality, as Sheeran reflects on his childhood and hometown. Sheeran shows his fans the place that shaped him with his words, while also allowing the listener to reflect on their own childhood.

While Sheeran sings about his hometown, he also writes several songs about his family. During the creation of the album, his grandmother fell ill, passing away towards the end of the album. Sheeran created “Supermarket Flowers” in her honor. The pain and emotion shines through in his voice. Piano becomes the highlight of the song as he strays from his typical emphasis on the guitar. “You were an angel in the shape of my mom” is perhaps the most powerful line in the song. Though the lyrics suggest pain and sadness, they also have a feeling of hope and relief. The last line of the song says “when God took you back, he said ‘Hallelujah,’ you’re home.” Sheeran remembers the happiness of his grandmother’s life, rather than dwelling on the sorrow from death. While Sheeran typically writes about past or current significant others, this shows the world an unfamiliar side of him. Along with his hometown and his family, Sheeran’s Irish roots also draw some influence. In “Nancy Mulligan,” the song takes the listener to a pub in the middle of Ireland. Picture Sheeran sloppily jumping on a table with beer splashing around him. He proves that his music does not have to sound structured by embracing the spontaneity of this folk-pop song. In “Galway Girl,” Sheeran brings in these same Irish roots, but adds a more modern twist. This has the same eﬀect of “Nancy Mulligan,” but seems made for the radio rather than a tribute to his roots. Along with the theme of embracing diﬀerent cultures, Sheeran draws from traditional African music with “Bibia Be Ye Ye.” He created this song with Fuse ODG, a Ghanaian songwriter. This feel-good song was inspired by his trip to Ghana during his hiatus. Ed Sheeran’s world travels brings a new style to his music. Just when Sheeran starts to lighten the album up

Album artwork courtesy of iTunes

Ed Sheeran’s hiatus from the spotlight resulted in a well thought out album upon his return. again, he finishes with “Save Myself,” a song from the depths of heartbreak. Ed Sheeran sings for anyone who has ever given too much to someone else, while neglecting themselves. This album serves as a summary of his break from the spotlight and this song gives insight into his reason for doing so. Sheeran took some time to save himself, and the result was beautiful. “Divide” proves that Sheeran can do more than just play a guitar and sing about heartbreak. Sheeran’s hiatus allowed him to transform into a new artist.

Page 20 | Thursday, March 23, 2017

Old Gold & Black | Life

Essential Grunge albums BY HARRISON MCCAMY Contributing Writer mccajh14@wfu.edu

Grunge, a genre of music characterized by distortion laden guitars, heavy bass, energetic drumming and introspective lyrics with a raspier delivery, emerged into pop culture from the pacific northwest in the late 80s and early 90s. Influenced by punk, metal, alternative and indie rock, grunge artists created a sound that was unique and new. Soundgarden, Superunknown Chris Cornell crafted most of Superunknown, and with this freedom he created an album shrouded in enigma. Much of grunge lyricism is mysterious, but Cornell took this to another level, possibly indicative from the album title. Featuring “Black Hole Sun” and “Fell on Black Days,” more dissonant and imagery filled tracks, “The Day I Tried to Live,” which emphasizes trying things again upon unsuccessful attempts. “My Wave” and “Spoonman,” the most energetic tracks, and finally “4th of July,” which inspired many stoner rock bands such as Kyuss, Superunknown is essential to the grunge sound.

Pearl Jam, Ten Homelessness (“Even Flow”), family relationships (“Alive”), mental health (“Why Go”) and romantic relationships (“Black”), are all topics touched upon in Ten, and the way Vedder molds his lyrics to the musical mood is remarkable — for most of the tracks on Ten were first recorded as instrumentals. “Black” features the emotional climax midway through the record, with Vedder proclaiming to a lost love, “I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life, I know you’ll be a star — in somebody else’s sky, but why, why, why can’t it be mine?” Album artwork courtesy of iTunes

Alice in Chains, Unplugged Album artwork courtesy of iTunes The vocal play between bandleader Jerry Cantrell and lead singer Layne Staley is unique to Alice in Chains, and it adds a harmonic component as well as a second perspective in the story of many songs. Unplugged was chosen instead of studio albums such as Dirt and Facelift to display that when stripped of electricity, talent remains, in Alice in Chains as well as in Nirvana and Pearl Jam’s unplugged performances. In going acoustic, some of the vivacity associated with their live act, apparent in “Man in the Box” and “Them Bones,” is lost to show a softer side to Alice in Chains. “Nutshell” and “Down in a Hole” feature selfaware reflective lyricism, while the harder “Would?” is a tribute to Andrew Wood. Nirvana, Nevermind Grunge’s most famous band, Nirvana, was formed by high school friends Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, and the trio was completed upon the addition of future Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums. Drawing from the Beatles, Black Sabbath and the Pixies, especially in volume dynamics, Nirvana’s sound in Nevermind relied on the uniqueness in Cobain’s voice, which was often strained to capture the right sound, catchy chord progressions, and a melodic emphasis. Nevermind was more produced and commercially friendly than Bleach, which Album artwork courtesy of iTunes is something the band tried to escape from during the recording of In Utero. “Polly” and “About a Girl” demonstrate Cobain’s ability as a pop writer while “Stay Away” draws more from punk. Nirvana impacted not only future rock musicians but almost all musicians to follow with their autonomous attitude and drive to record music that the members themselves enjoyed, regardless of whether others did. Album artwork courtesy of iTunes

Album artwork courtesy of iTunes

Mother Love Bone, Apple Mother Love Bone, formed by lead singer Andrew Wood with guitarist and bassist Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, created a sound that helped pave the way for Pearl Jam. Songs such as “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns” show their ability to go from a sweet and soft to a faster sound, with lyrics that match the musical tone. Their raw energy is more palpable in songs such as “This is Shangrila” and “Stardog Champion.” After Mother Love Bone disbanded, a tribute band was formed to honor the late Andrew Wood, Temple of the Dog, featuring Soundgarden’s Charis Cornell and Pearl Jam’s future vocalist, Eddie Vedder.

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