8/25/22 Full Edition

Old Gold&Black “Covers the campus like the magnolias”

VOL 109 , NO. 2

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

UCC hires two new counselors The two hires will make the University Counseling Center fully staffed for the first time since 2019

T

BREANNA LAWS Staff Writer

he University Counseling Center (UCC) has hired two new counselors — Katie Whitley and Brittney Lowery — making the UCC fully staffed for the first time since 2019.

Over the past couple of years, the UCC has had multiple instances in which they were not able to replace counselors cycling out of their system in a pace consistent with student demand for services.

According to a Nov. 2021 statement made by UCC Director Dr. Warrenetta Mann in the Old Gold & Black, around 40% of students were experiencing general instances of anxiety and depression. At this same time, the UCC was operating with only seven to nine providers.

In October 2021, the UCC changed to a short-term, goal-based therapeutic approach — referring students to off-campus services when deemed most appropriate.

The UCC returned to its normal therapeutic approach at the beginning of the spring 2022 semester.

The increase of full-time staff is expected to aid in mental health education and services, achieving what the UCC is there for — catching mental health concerns early.

“We [the UCC] are truly excited to be starting this new academic year in a great place as we welcome all of our students to campus,” Mann said. “Each of our new staff members contributes a unique skill set and strength to our team, and we have been focusing on leveraging those unique strengths for the benefit of our campus community.”

Whitley began working with the UCC in July 2022. She has had

previous experience in counseling said.

Tiffany Longjohn, Clinical Case college students and is coming to Manager for the UCC, wants stuWake Forest after holding a posidents to remember that the UCC tion in the counseling center at Apis available for everyone who wishpalachian State University. She has es to use it. a special interest in working with “My hope is that all folks in our students who are working to recovcommunity know that we coner from traumatic experiences. tinue to be a well-being resource Lowery will begin as a counselor for students,” she said. “I also hope in the UCC in September 2022. students reShe has worked “We want our students to have that orient themselves in outpatient and inpatient settings, confidence that we are here to to the UCC's resources including particularly with clients experienc- support them as they return to on-campus support and addiing mental health campus," tional resources crises.

While staff- -UCC Director Dr. Warrenetta via the telehealth platform.” ing issues at the Mann “We want our UCC proved to students to have be a major point confidence that we are here to supof student concern this past year, port them as they return to camthe UCC feels confident that these pus,” Mann said. “We [will] connew members of our community tinue to work closely with other will alleviate this issue. However, campus offices to ensure students the stress of understaffing was not have the support they need to be the sole factor in the UCC’s decisuccessful.” sion to welcome the large number If you need support, reach out of new faculty members. to the UCC at 336-758-5273 at “We were intentional about mainany time for crisis assistance or taining high professional standards, during business hours to schedule and not responding to the pressure an appointment. You can also log to just fill slots,” Mann said. “We in to the TimelyCare platform at believe that the UCC staff is well timelycare.com/wakeforest — this positioned to provide the kind of space provides 24/7 crisis support, support that Wake Forest students as well as scheduled counseling. can really benefit from.”

For immediate assistance in a In fulfilling these standards, the mental health crisis, call 911. The new hires have already been active National Suicide Prevention Hoon campus in multiple ways. tline can be called at 988 or +1 “Our new staff have been great 800-273-8255. The Crisis Text additions and have already started Line can be contacted by texting taking clients, participating in HOME to 741-741. outreach and co-facilitating group therapy classes,” Charlotte Brown, Contact Breanna Laws at a UCC administrative assistant, lawsbn21@wfu.edu

AUGUST 25, 2022

University welcomes students during annual Convocation MADDIE STOPYRA Staff Writer On Friday, Aug. 19, university faculty and staff welcomed the Class of 2026 to the Wake Forest community at New Student Convocation. Hosted annually in Wait Chapel, New Student Convocation is a ceremony in which new undergraduate students sign the honor code, pledging to uphold the university’s motto “Pro Humanitate”.

“Academic integrity is the founding principle of Wake Forest education,” Provost Dr. Michele Gillespie said during her opening remarks. “This code represents a foundational commitment that every member of this community makes to uphold honesty and integrity. It allows our community to foster trust and respect for each other.”

Facilitated by Student Government President Pilar Agudelo, new students signed a printed statement alongside their peers. In completing this, the Class of 2026 pledged to maintain the university’s policy regarding plagiarism, cheating and stealing.

In addition to participating in the tradition of signing the honor code, the incoming class took part in a pinning ceremony. Students faced their classmates and declared themselves full members of Wake Forest, and each student promised to contribute and respect the university.

Alongside partaking in two Wake Forest traditions, attendees heard from six speakers, including Wake Forest President Dr. Susan Wente.

The university president who was inaugurated in March 2022 communicated the university’s devotion to student success.

See Convocation, Page 3

What's Inside NEWS City approves new road names Page Four

FEATURES Saving the damaged Peruvian Amazon Page Six

OPINION Classism runs rampant in our education system Page Nine

SPORTS With or without QB1, the show must go on Page Twelve

LIFE Netflix's 'The Sandman' disappoints Page Fifteen

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

“

Letter from the Editor: A new tradition For its entire history, the Old Gold & Black has been a weekly campus newspaper, upholding a tradition that members of the Wake Forest community have come to expect and depend upon.

This fall, the Old Gold & Black will be adopting a new biweekly printing schedule.

Instead of a physical print newspaper every single week, we will now be stocking stands with the Old Gold & Black every other week with eight issues across the Fall semester on the following dates: 1. August 25 2. September 8 3. September 22 4. October 6 5. October 20

6. November 3 7. November 17 8. December 1 This decision was informed by the sweeping transformation made across the nation to both professional and studentcreated print newspapers. News organizations everywhere are diverting their resources to expand their multimedia reach and working to create more high-quality print editions. Now, as members of our community pick up a copy of the Old Gold & Black, they can expect a newspaper that reflects a higher investment of time, effort and creativity.

Readers concerned about potential lack of content can look to our website www. wfuogb.com, to find a continuously

updating source of news on everything Wake Forest.

As an organization dedicated to the ever-changing Wake Forest community, the Old Gold & Black has followed this national change and is now working to continually transform its operations in order to provide the best coverage possible.

The reduction in the frequency of print newspapers has allowed for a substantial amount of our funding to be directed towards both professional development of staff members and multimedia projects, which will be produced as the semester progresses.

Throughout its history, the Old Gold & Black has always stood as a creative hub on Wake Forest’s campus — with this choice, we are opening our doors to

As an organization dedicated to the ever-changing Wake Forest community, the Old Gold & Black has followed this national change and is now working to continually transform its operations in order to provide the best coverage possible." even more talented students by providing new opportunities in media. If you are interested in writing for the Old Gold & Black, or working for us in any capacity, please contact wfuogb@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your continued support of our newspaper.

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

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

SELINNA TRAN

AINE PIERRE

COOPER SULLIVAN

EMY YAMAMOTO

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA MANAGING EDITOR

BUSINESS MANAGER

transn19@wfu.edu

pierav20@wfu.edu

sullcg20@wfu.edu

yamae20@wfu.edu

>> NEWS

Christa Dutton, duttcd20@wfu.edu Emily Toro, toroer20@wfu.edu

>> FEATURES

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

Una Wilson, wilsui20@wfu.edu

>> OPINION

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

>> SPORTS

Ian Steffenson, stefip21@wfu.edu

>> LIFE

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

>> PHOTO EDITOR

Virginia Noone, noonvc21@wfu.edu

>> ADVISER

Phoebe Zerwick, zerwicp@wfu.edu

>> POLICIES The Old Gold & Black is published Thursdays during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Triangle Printing of Durham. © 2022 WFU Media Board. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all editorials and advertisements contained within this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the OGB. As part of our commitment to reporting news fairly and accurately, we will not remove any previously published content. If an error in either our online or print content is brought to our attention, we will revise the originally published article with an appended correction. In order to facilitate thoughtful and appropriate debate, profane, vulgar, or inflammatory comments on our website are not allowed and will be deleted. For more information on our commenting policy, please see our website. We reserve the right to reject advertisements deemed inappropriate. Our full policy, and how to advertise with the OGB, can be found on our website.

>> SUBMISSIONS The OGB welcomes submissions in the form of story tips, columns and letters to the editor. Letters to the editor should be fewer than 500 words, and columns should be around 500 words. Send yours via e-mail to mcnecb19@wfu.edu the Monday before publication. We reserve the right to edit all letters for length and clarity. No anonymous letters will be printed.

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News | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, August 25, 2022 | Page 3

Convocation : Wake Forest welcomes Class of ‘26 Continued from Page 1 “[The faculty is] committed to ensuring that Wake Forest is a place where each of you can belong and thrive,” Wente said. “Let me further clearly say [that] each of you [is] valued, and you belong right here at Wake Forest University.”

As she continued to encourage the Class of 2026, Wente drew on her background as a biomedical scientist.

She spoke on the pathway to success and connected it to the chemical term “catalyst”, a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction.

“While each of us is here foraging our own pathway, we are united by our common desire to be catalysts for good in society,” Wente said.

“Catalysts speed things up and lower the barrier to success. That is an apt metaphor for what you are about to

experience at Wake Forest. As students, you are going to experience many different catalysts on campus: a class, a paper, a club, an interaction with an advisor, a counselor, a professor, assigned reading or guest lecture; or even a walk along one of our beautiful campus trails. When you add up the action of all these individual catalysts together over the course of your time here, the result will be your individual pathway to discovery.”

Alongside Wente, faculty members such as Associate Dean for Academic Advising Dr. Ashley Hairston and Interim Dean of the College Dr. Anthony Marsh offered advice to the incoming freshman class. Hairston invited students to utilize resources available to them such as the Office of Academic Advising and comforted students in finding their path and messing up along the way. Similarly,

Marsh emphasized the importance of openness to the college experience.

“Be open,” Marsh said. “Be open to new opportunities as they present themselves over the next four years.

Be open to new ways of thinking as you take classes in the liberal arts core and the various majors and minors as our amazing college faculty strives to help you reach your full potential. Be open to new relationships with your peers as we recognize that we are more alike than different.”

Each speaker highlighted the importance of community on Wake Forest’s campus. The University Chaplain, Reverend Timothy L. Auman, offered a moment of prayer and stillness for attendees. He prayed for unity among students and faculty as the Class of 2026 begins their college experience. Auman, alongside the other faculty speakers, advocated

for camaraderie and the embodiment of Pro Humanitate. After singing the Alma Mater as a congregation, faculty members recessed out of Wait Chapel, and the ceremony concluded.

“I appreciated the emphasis placed on belonging and community throughout the entire ceremony,” freshman Ava Johnson said. “This message created a sense of intimacy and security despite sitting among hundreds of students who I might consider strangers today, but soon friends.”

More information about New Student Convocation as well as a live stream of the event can be found at https://convocation.w f u.edu/newstudent-convocation/.

Contact Maddie Stopyra at stopmf21@wfu.edu

LGBTQ+ Center appoints new interim director Kayla Lisenby-Denson hopes to uphold the center’s mission and further aid inequitable experiences across campus EMILY TORO News Editor Kayla Lisenby-Denson, former manager for inclusive practice at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will succeed Dr. AJ Mazaris as the interim director of the LGBTQ+ Center.

Lisenby-Denson plans to support the new assistant director, Nayasia Coleman, and the new program coordinator, Antayzha Wiseman, in their work this upcoming semester and cultivate an inclusive, supportive campus community.

“My goal is to lead the LGBTQ+ Center in offering a welcoming environment, facilitating engaging programming and opportunities; and fostering a community of support for students of all gender identities and sexual orientations,” Lisenby-Denson said. “I also want to lead the LGBTQ+ Center in a successful fall semester where we welcome incoming and returning students, host awesome programs and continue offering the support and community the LGBTQ+ Center is known

for within our campus community.”

Lisenby-Denson joined the Wake Forest community in 2015 as the program coordinator for the LGBTQ+ Center and later assumed the roles of assistant and associate director. This past February, they left the LGBTQ+ Center to work with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion team as the manager for Inclusive Practice.

“Working in the LGBTQ+ Center for six plus years has been an incredible experience,” Lisenby-Denson said.

“I have had the chance to develop and build so much of the current portfolio of the LGBTQ+ Center, and AJ Mazaris and I worked very closely together for many years, so I feel those previous experiences have prepared me to step into this interim director role.”

Women’s Center Director Shelley Sizemore also worked alongside Lisenby-Denson and feels that their contributions in the workplace have been significant and will continue to better the campus community.

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside Kayla Lisenby-Denson at Wake

Forest, and I am excited to collaborate with them as they serve as the Interim Director of the LGBTQ+ Center,” Sizemore said. “Kayla’s attentiveness to student concerns, welcoming energy and passion for equity and inclusion will directly benefit the students, faculty, staff and alumni who interact with the Center.”

Lisenby-Denson believes their degree from the Wake Forest University Evening MBA program has helped shape their efforts at Wake Forest.

“In 2021, I graduated from the Wake Forest Evening MBA program where I focused a lot of my research and practice on diversity, equity, inclusion and change-making within leadership and organizational culture contexts,” Lisenby-Denson said. “The knowledge and experiences I gained through my MBA studies have already proven to be incredibly valuable to my work at Wake Forest, and I know I will continue to leverage that learning as I serve in this role.”

Some of their previous work at the LGBTQ+ Center involved developing

and implementing the Developing, Empowering and Affirming Communities (DEAC) Allies program in 2020 and designing, facilitating and supporting the Change Agent leadership development program since it started in 2017. Their hope is that the LGBTQ+ Center will continue to be a valuable resource for the campus community and establish a space that promotes equity and inclusivity.

“My hope in this interim position is to lead in a way where the LGBTQ+ Center continues to show up within our campus community as a resource, support and space for community building and active engagement,” LisenbyDenson said. “We will keep looking for places and spaces where students, faculty and staff may have inequitable experiences due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and we will work to address those issues and dismantle the systems that marginalize people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.”

Contact Emily Toro at toroer20@wfu.edu

POLICE BEAT Larceny: • • •

Unknown student(s) removed unsecured scooter from outside of Manchester Athletic Center. The report was filed at 12:58 p.m. on Aug. 15.

Unknown student(s) removed unsecured wedding ring from bathroom in the Sutton Center. The report was filed at 12:43 p.m. on Aug. 16.

Unknown student(s) took an unsecured scooter from a bike rack outside of Manchester Athletic Center. The report was filed at 3:42 p.m. on Aug 19.

Underage Consumption/Drug Abuse:

• •

Students possessed and consumed alcohol underage in Kitchin. The report was filed at 10:43 p.m. on Aug. 19.

An underage student consumed an amount of alcohol that required transportation to the hospital from Davis. The report was filed at 11:08 p.m. on Aug. 20.

Miscellaneous:

• • • • • •

Student was found to be in possession of a hatchet in a Poteat Hall suite. The report was filed at 8:12 a.m. on Aug. 18.

Unknown student(s) damaged a door lock and vent in Poteat Hall. The report was filed at 8:53 a.m. on Aug. 18.

Student was traveling at an unsafe speed on Gulley Drive. Student was given a verbal warning. The report was filed at 9:12 p.m. on Aug. 18.

An RA reported a large gathering in a Dogwood Hall suite, approximately 40 students. The report was filed at 11:08 p.m. on Aug. 19.

Unknown student(s) tore decorations from a student’s door in Collins Residence Hall. The report was filed at 2:19 a.m. on Aug. 20.

A student was found to be in possession of a glass bong in Poteat Hall. The report was filed at 11:24 a.m. on Aug. 21.

Page 4 | Thursday, August 25, 2022

Old Gold & Black | News

City approves new road names Winston-Salem’s city council allows university to rename roads after prominent Wake Forest professors AINE PIERRE Online Managing Editor

The city of Winston-Salem has approved Wake Forest’s request to rename four roads on campus after trailblazing professors, according to documents available on the city council’s website.

The ordinance, which is dated Aug. 15, allows Wake Forest to change the four road names on campus signs and informational materials. According to Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. José Villalba, the city, not the university, needs to install a replacement road sign for Elizabeth Phillips Way at the intersection that leads from Polo Road to the Polo Road Gate. The city council passed the ordinance as

part of its consent agenda, meaning there was no debate or official vote on the measure.

“I’m grateful to the Winston-Salem City Council and specifically the Public Works Committee for reviewing our application, and approving and affirming this final step in honoring professors Crisp, Eure, McPherson and Phillips,” Villalba said.

On July 25, the university announced the renaming of four stretches of roadway after four professors. The section of Wingate Road that leads to the Polo Road Gate will be renamed after Dr. Elizabeth Phillips, the first woman to be a full-time professor at Wake Forest, who alsoplayed a sizable role in the creation of the Women’s, Gender and Sexu-

ality Studies Department. The university also announced that it would rename the section of Wingate Road from Faculty Drive to the Sutton Center after Dr. Dolly McPherson, the first Black woman professor to achieve tenure at the university and a lifelong friend and colleague of Dr. Maya Angelou. The section of Wake Forest Road that spans from Scales Fine Arts Center to Reynolda Hall will be renamed after Dr. Herman Eure, the first Black male to earn tenure at Wake Forest and one of the driving forces behind Wake Forest’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

Finally, the section of road that leads from McPherson Road to the Haddock House will be named after Marge Crisp, who founded women’s athletics at Wake Forest and was the

Letter to the Editor We, the WFU Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Coalition, want to offer a response to the Aug. 18, 2022 article entitled, “Conquer college with these ‘surefire’ tips.” While the disclaimer that the piece is intended to be “satirical in nature” was added earlier this week to the digital copy, it was not clear in the original publication what the intent of this article was. We believe that the result is that this piece had the potential to create harms related to health, safety, sense of belonging and equity and inclusion and to create confusion for members of our campus community, especially first-year students and their families.

We would like to specifically address the article’s statements that are related to AOD and the potential harms that could result.

We offer the points below in the spirit of educating our campus community and harm reduction: Adderall and Vyvanse: Stimulant medication does not improve academic performance for people not diagnosed with ADHD. Research has clearly shown that not only does non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NPS) not improve academic performance, it decreases GPA. It is also associated with a higher risk of dependence, higher use of other drugs, and increased missing class. Studies further show that stopping NPS resulted in GPA increases.

Binge Drinking: Dangerous drinking is not a joke. Every year over 1500 college students die due to alcohol misuse. Encouraging students to consume the number of drinks that corresponds to their credit hours (12-19 drinks)

is dangerous and irresponsible.

For a 160 lb man over 4 hours 12 drinks would result in a BAC of .30 and for a 120 lb woman, .38. (go.wfu.edu/BAC). A BAC of .30 is often regarded by medical professionals as the level of intoxication where breathing stops.

Fake IDs are illegal and violate the WFU code of Conduct. The article fails to inform students that the ALE (alcohol law enforcement) frequently works the Last Resort looking for fake IDs. Students who have fake IDs are charged both by the ALE and reported to the WFU Dean of Students for a conduct hearing.

While Wake Forest has an award-winning AOD misuse prevention portfolio and evidencebased support services (BASICS@ wfu.edu) that have effectively and significantly reduced the harms

first female faculty member at the university.

According to Villalba, the family of each honoree will work with the university to determine dates for an unveiling ceremony later this fall.

The families, along with Eure, the only living honoree, will also attend homecoming festivities in September.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with Dr. Eure as well as the families of the other honorees next month during homecoming, and continuing to work with campus partners to elevate the impact that these four pillars of Wake Forest had and continue to have on our campus,” Villalba said.

Contact Aine Pierre at pierav20@wfu.edu

Katie Fox /Old Gold & Black

experienced by students from AOD use, no campus is immune from the serious and potentially lethal effects that can occur when things go wrong.

Over 1000 Deacs do not drink and a majority do not use drugs so we want to remind those students who choose not to partake that they are not alone. For students who do decide to use alcohol or other drugs we want to remind them that there are safer ways to engage with those substances and there is help here for them to be safer. Most of all, take care of each other; it’s what Deacs do.

Yours in Health and Wellbeing, The Members of The Wake Forest University Alcohol and Other Drug Coalition (AOD@wfu.edu)

FEATURES

Chase Bagnall-Koger, bagncm21@wfu.edu Meredith Prince, prinmc21@wfu.edu Asst: Una Wilson, wilsui20@wfu.edu

OLD GOLD & BLACK

PAGE 5 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

DEACON PROFILE Pilar Agudelo ADDISON SCHMIDT Staff Writer

When senior Pilar Agudelo began her campaign for student body president last spring, she found herself in what would be, for most students, an almost impossible situation: she was tasked with running her campaign not from campus but from Casa Artom — Wake Forest University’s study abroad house in Venice, Italy.

When you take into account her tumultuous experience as a member of the class of 2023 — which faced numerous interruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic — and the various on-campus controversies that have taken place during her time at Wake Forest University, you realize that Agudelo is no stranger to change.

“I call Portland, Oregon home because that’s where my family is now, but I grew up living abroad,” Agudelo says when asked about her hometown. “I was born in Colorado Springs, then we were in Arizona for a little bit, then we moved to Malaysia, Brazil and Germany, and then I came back to the United States to graduate from high school.”

Agudelo knows five languages; she became proficient in Italian, German and Portuguese while growing up abroad and spoke English and Spanish at home. Living abroad in the past allowed Agudelo to effectively communicate in a variety of ways, a skill she credited with aiding her in community-building during her campaign.

“Finding people for [campaigning] has been a really valuable experience, because now some of them are some of my closest friends, and they were what grounded me during my election season,”Agudelo said of her campaign team back on campus in Winston-Salem. “I could not have done it without them.”

Agudelo’s path to president was not linear. After running for senator her freshman year and losing her election, she was appoint- ed when spots were left open later the same year.

“I got involved in student government freshman year [after] I had done a lot of peer education work in high school and that turned into some public advocacy work,” Agudelo said. “I [thought] ‘Where can I do advocacy work at Wake?’ And [student government] was the first thing I came across.”

Agudelo’s stint as a senator began in a manner that would reflect the aforementioned trend of unpredictability throughout much of her college career.

“Being appointed is a weird position to be in because you’re coming in a little later than most people are,” Agudelo said. “For me, it was really exploratory. I was on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and my co-chairs were Mariama Jallow and [former student body president] Ally Swartzberg…both of them were really influen-

While Agudelo refrained from commenting on the specifics of how she plans to create change within student government, stating that her cabinet and school senators are not yet aligned on how change will be implemented, she did give some insight into her hopes for a restructuring of the D&I committee.

“In the past [D&I] has been kind of siloed in a sense…[the committee] had its own projects that focus on certain things, [similar to the function of other committees]” Agudelo said. “...Instead, it should be working within each of the committees.”

While DNI work is important to Agudelo from a humanitarian perspective, it’s also personal. After spending her adolescence in liberal Portland, Oregon, Agudelo was nervous about the transition from the Pacific Northwest to the South. “[As] a student who is Latina, who’s a woman in a leadership position and who’s also bisexual…[I] find that very isolating at times.” Agudelo said of her own experience with the homogeneity of the Wake campus.

Despite her initial feelings of isolation, Agudelo reinforces that there are spaces for everyone on campus and that her favorite part about Wake Forest remains the people that she has met.

“You will find people who want to see Photo Courtesy of ADD COURTESY you succeed; you will find people who want to see you happy, who will encourtial for me growing in student government.” age you to do what’s best for you and help you The following year, beginning in the fall of do what’s best for you,” Agudelo said. “For me, 2020, Agudelo co-chaired the D&I Committee alongside Uma Bernardo in the wake of the the biggest thing was not taking a moment for Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of granted.”

That advice is something Agudelo will cer2020. tainly be seeking to mimic on her own as she “Being in the position I was with my co-chair Uma Bernardo was a really interesting place to moves into her senior year. She plans to graduate be because I think it was a lot more responsive in May with a B.A. in Politics & International than proactive since there was a lot going on,” Affairs and a Minor in Psychology. While she Agudelo said. “[After that experience] it became hopes to pursue master’s degrees in both busireally important for me moving forward to try ness administration and public health in the futo plan more, be more proactive, and make sure ture, Agudelo hopes to spend her time abroad immediately after college. everything we do isn’t in response to a crisis.”

“I would like to work in an abroad [program]” Agudelo remained co-chair of the D&I comAgudelo said of her immediate post-grad plans. mittee through her junior fall before serving as the co-chair of the newly formed Sexual Assault “I really enjoy living abroad in that kind of Prevention, Support & Accountability (SAPSA) space.”

Before Agudelo returns overseas, however, she Committee while abroad last spring. Her experiences serving on these committees have signifi- has one final year at Wake Forest, in which she cantly impacted her trajectory in student gov- hopes to represent the student body in its enernment, and most importantly her platform as tirety as much as possible. She left the interview with one final message as she moves into her president.

“For me the biggest goal is looking at student new role: “My door is always open, and I really mean government internally,” Agudelo said. “When we are planning events on campus, are we keep- that,” Agudelo said. “We’re in Benson 304, so ing in mind all students on campus? When we please do stop by…[if I’m not here] email me are creating policies or advocating for students, or any members of [the executive committee] or do those policies reflect every single student on our senators.” campus? Do they reflect the students who need it more versus the students who already have had Contact Addison Schmidt at those privileges?” schmac21@wfu.edu

Old Gold & Black | Features

Page 6 | Thursday, August 25, 2022

A Controlled Crash:

SAVING THE DAMAGED PERUVIAN AMAZON BEN LANE Contributing Writer

After hours of hiking, 11 Wake Forest students broke through the dense vegetation onto a small cliff, exposing an endless expanse of rainforest stretched out beneath them. Clothes glued to their bodies by the wet air, they watched as storm clouds gradually approached them, drifting over the mountains to the north.

Gray streaks of rain poured onto the flatiron, which began the water’s inevitable journey to the vast Amazon basin below. Along the way, the water would pick up nutrients from the soil, serving as an essential mode of fertilization in this complex environment.

“We are standing on the last outlying ridge of the Andes,” Wake Forest Biology Professor Dr. Miles Silman said. “This is the last high point from here to the Atlantic Ocean, 3,000 kilometers away. You’re looking at the unbroken forest of the Amazonian plane.”

Silman has made this hike countless times. His annual visits to the Peruvian Amazon over the last 30 years have resulted in groundbreaking studies and a wealth of knowledge

of the complex ecosystems of the Neotropics.

Over the few days prior, the group of study abroad students had traveled down the Rio Madre de Dios to Pantiacolla Lodge as part of a greater journey to see the wonder of the Amazon firsthand. Everything in sight was pristine forest, almost untouched apart from a handful of eco-friendly lodges and Indigenous lands.

But other parts of the Amazon are not so lucky.

Just outside of Manu National Park, which covers an area larger than Connecticut, pockets of the Amazon have been razed by deforestation and mining. Almost a fifth of the Amazon has already been destroyed, with the first three months of 2022 being the highest Amazon deforestation ever recorded, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research.

These trends are threatening and currently impacting complex ecosystems within the Amazon, which are home to some 30 percent of the world’s biodiversity. This biodiversity is essential to the health of the rainforest, and by extension, the slowing of climate change on a global scale.

Mining equipment is frequently seen in the Madre de Dios region.

Gazing out at the untouched landscape, the study abroad students finally understood w h a t conservation efforts aimed to protect — and what

competing political and corporate interests aimed to reap for economic gain.

As global warming increases in tandem with deforestation, we are View of the Amazon Basin from the mountaintop ‘mirador’ near Pzantiacolla Lodge in Manu National Park.

Photo courtesy of Ben Lane

actively destroying an essential tool for mitigating the effects of climate change. Trees that sequester carbon are being cut down. Species are being driven extinct. Ecosystems that are foundational parts of global climate are being permanently damaged.

Much of this is irreversible, but much can still be saved.

“If you don’t do anything, you know that things are going to be bad,” Silman said. “If you do something, there’s a chance you can pull it out. If the plane’s going to crash, you fly that thing all the way to the ground. You never stop.”

DIRTY GOLD

Photo courtesy of Ben Lane

After staying in the park for another ten days, the group once again boarded a boat for a journey down the Manu River. They traveled downriver for two days, seeing only untouched wilderness. But the moment they crossed the border to exit Manu National Park, the river transformed.

Trash floated in the water. On the banks were huge piles of stones, remnants of illegal gold mining. Gaps in the forest canopy were frequent, huge plots of land completely cleared to make way for gold miners. Periodically, the group

would pass a group of miners actively working along the river’s edge, a testament to the almost nonexistent enforcement of mining regulations.

Gold mining has plagued the Peruvian Amazon, largely due to a lack of government crackdown. This has not always been the case — in early 2019, the Peruvian government launched Operation Mercury, a program sparked by the newly publicized knowledge that gold mining was releasing huge amounts of toxic mercury into the air.

The program initiated a wave of military interventions in the Madre de Dios region to apprehend illegal gold miners and shut down their camps.

These areas were hotbeds for other crimes, including gang activity, child labor and human trafficking.

Operation Mercury was a huge success, resulting in a 92% decrease in illegal gold mining activity, according to Amazon Conservation. However, three years later, the region has regressed.

Political shifts and a lack of broad support for the initiative have allowed illegal miners to retake the Madre de Dios. Thousands returned to the region with no one standing in their way, once again threatening the fragile Amazonian ecosystems and local public health.

Features | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, August 25, 2022 | Page 7

climate change science and environmental issues. But they still struggle Illegal gold mining threatens the fragile Amazonian to be heard at even lower levels. ecosystem.

“We have our own physical and spiritual connection to the rainforest,” Corisepa said. “We need to be there [the IPCC]. The Indigenous people should be represented–we are part of these big decisions that affect the whole world.”

IPCC decisions and climate summits across the world will be essential to determining the well-being of future generations — an estimated 216 million people may be forced to migrate within their own countries by 2050 due to climate change, according to GUARDIANS OF THE AMAZON the World Bank on Climate Change and Health. Most of these people reJaime Corisepa is the former side in low and middle-income counpresident of the Native Federation tries which have little voice on an inof the Madre de Dios River and ternational scale, Tributaries (FENAMAD) and plays a t h e i r key role in communicating the desires of Peru’s Indigenous peoples to the public and government.

Operation Mercury, despite reducing mining, forced many illegal miners deepscience er into the Amazon, all you some encroaching on want, but Indigenous territoit’s going ries. This pushed to tell you the many Indigenous There same thing.” people to move e x i s t s CINCIA has made to new locations. a process efforts to engage with As the Amazon for miners to become formalized gold miners in Madre de is contaminated officially formalized by the government, Dios to experiment with recovery by outside inbut due to low enforcement, there is options for destroyed land. There are terests, those little incentive for them to do so. Gold thousands of gold miners, and only who have albuyers even prefer to purchase illegally about 30 are currently formalized. ways called it mined gold, as they are more familiar CINCIA works with about 15 of them. home are facing with the appearance of nuggets formed “The idea is not to say, ‘Oh, you’re the consequencusing mercury. a bad person because you’re a miner,’” es.

Wake Forest’s Center for Amazonian said Cesar Ascorra, national director Corisepa has Science and Innovation, or CINCIA, of CINCIA. “The idea is, ‘Mining has sacrificed his norwas founded to combat these issues, negative impacts, let us work with you mal life to serve the aiming to serve as a reliable source of to try to solve them.’” needs of his people, information on environmental issues After an area of land has been clear-cut the Harakmbut. With in Peru. The NGO’s goals include and mined, the soil becomes nutrient- a foot in each world, he reforesting damaged lands, providing poor, making it extremely difficult for must be an active memresearch and education on mercury, the forest to reclaim. CINCIA has ber of his tribe while also and helping the mining process become developed an effective recovery strategy acting as a sort of diplomat. more environmentally friendly. for deforested lands, using the shells of He has attended various climate “We do good, hard science here at the common Brazil nut. meetings and Indigenous rallies, all CINCIA,” Dr. Carol Mitchell, deputy The group has found a cheap and with the central goal of highlighting project director of CINCIA, said. “We effective way to make these nutshells Indigenous perspectives on the cliBiochar hosts are here to provide information; we are the ideal fertilizer. According to mate emergency. not an activist group. You can pick at CINCIA researchers, this burnt Brazil “The biggest misconception of various species of microbes that greatly the western world is that they think support fertilization.

Indigenous people are just another Photo courtesy of Ben Lane object inside the rainforest,” Corisepa fates being decided by world powers. said. “We are forced to adapt to Protecting the Amazon is integral to western ways of living. The western the future of the planet, as it is one world has a lot of political, financial, of the most crucial assets to slowing and social strategies to force the global warming. With preservation Indigenous people to adapt to their efforts by organizations like CINCIA ways of thinking and being.” and fair representation in climate Because the Indigenous people are policy-making, the invaluable rich viewed in such a way, they are not biodiversity of the Amazon could be appreciated for how they protect and saved. care for the rainforest. Despite being “There is hope.” Corisepa said. “As there for over 5,000 years and serving long as governments are willing to as guardians of the forest, they are still listen and learn, there is a future.” often cast to the side when trying to make their voices heard.

Many Indigenous people hope to be Photo courtesy of Facebook @FENAMAD, represented on the Intergovernmental Indigenous leaders prepare to meet with current Peruvian President Pedro Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Contact Ben Lane at Castillo. One of their major concerns is representation in climate change issues. United Nations body that deals with lanebg20@wfu.edu Photo courtesy of Brett Gundlock, Nature

nut fertilizer, or ‘biochar,’ can remain in the soil for hundreds of years, playing host to various species of microbes that are responsible for fertilization.

Biochar has proven to be effective in field research experiments, drastically improving the growth of plant life in areas affected by mining. This recovery is critical to regenerating fractured ecosystems and preserving biodiversity.

Unfortunately, the effects of mining extend beyond reforestation. The rainforest is home to various Indigenous groups, who have faced immense struggle in making their voices heard by decision-makers.

OPINION

PAGE 8 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

OLD GOLD & BLACK

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

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

Oval Offense

U.S. diplomacy in Taiwan should return to status quo Waging war in defense of Taiwan would tax national resources and run counter to the United States' interests Ethan Wearner Staff Columnist wearep19@wfu.edu

On Aug. 2, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taiwan for a brief visit with the island’s leadership. During her stay, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen awarded Pelosi with the ‘Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon’. This is the highest distinction that can be awarded to civilian recipients.

The Speaker’s office released a statement the following day, stating that her “visit should be seen as a strong statement that America stands with Taiwan.”

Pelosi also proclaimed that the American-Taiwanese partnership “remains unwavering” and that Congressional support for the territory is “ironclad.”

China has strongly admonished Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Chinese military exercise s have been conducted across the Taiwan Strait median line — a response that Secretary of State Antony Blinken deemed “disproportionate” to Pelosi’s otherwise “peaceful” visit.

Despite this, Pelosi’s trip has come under intense scrutiny within recent weeks. It is not clear what Pelosi achieved from meeting with Ing-wen.

If anything, Pelosi’s decision to journey to Taiwan increased the probability of conflict while decreasing the likelihood of bilateral cooperation with China on issues such as climate change.

More than that, Pelosi’s visit displayed American tunnel vision on Taiwan. Regardless of whether she had a right to visit the island, Taiwan will not gain lawful independence any time soon.

Guided by its 2005 anti secession law, China has continuously warned that it will employ “nonpeaceful means and other necessary measures” if Taiwan moves away from a One China Policy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) remains adamant on the eventual integration of Taiwan into the mainland. As Hu Jintao said in 2007 at the

Seventeenth Party Congress: “the two sides of the Straits are bound to be reunified in the course of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

Despite the emergence of a distinct ‘Taiwanese’ identity over the last two decades, Taiwan has historically been considered a part of China. Taiwan was sacked when Beijing was at its weakest and most vulnerable in the late nineteenth century and the Japanese captured Taiwan in 1895, four years before the Boxer Rebellion. The loss of Taiwan is associated with the national humiliation that came with the social stagnation and general instability of this period.

Of course, Chiang Kai-Shek’s actions in Taiwan during the Chinese civil war is yet another reminder of this historical trauma. The legitimacy of the CCP is found, in part, in its ability to hoard off separatism and imperialism. It is for this reason that Beijing responds with military vigor when islands like Daiyu (Senkaku), Hong Kong and Taiwan are perceived as under threat. The United States often fails to account for this history.

Within the CCP’s legitimacy narrative, though, are overriding security imperatives. As China continues in its presumptive growth, it will seek to determine the boundaries of acceptable behavior within East Asia. It will, in other words, seek regional dominance just as the United States did in its expansion west.

We cannot forget, of course, that the Union also went to great lengths to ward off attempts by the British and French to support the Confederate States of America. The ideal outcome for any emerging power, be it the Union or the CCP, is to be the sole authority within their sphere of influence. Just as America benefited from expelling the British, Spanish and French Empires, so too will the Chinese benefit by reducing the American security presence in East

Asia to the furthest possible extent.

It is for this reason that many on both sides of the political spectrum have argued that it is in America’s best interest to defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression. The defense of its democracy and economy is, they contend, integral to the defense of liberal hegemony and to our commitments under the Taiwanese Relations Act. While Taiwan seems like an obvious partner in a balancing coalition against Beijing, it lacks a conventional military deterrent.

Politicians such as Nancy Pelosi, who advocate for an “absolute” commitment to Taiwan, presuppose that we have the capacity to defend Taiwan.

This assumption is flawed for many reasons.

Firstly, Taiwan is only a thousand miles away from China — it takes just a couple of hours to arrive in the country from the mainland. In a struggle for Taiwan, China would easily emerge victorious in a conventional war with America. While America’s nuclear umbrella extends over Taiwan, no sane American would seek thermonuclear war with China in defense of 14,000 square miles of democracy.

An unwinnable SinoAmerican war in defense of a small, though not insignificant island, is not in our national interest.

The cost of maintaining an “absolute” defense of Taiwan would become increasingly large in the long run. Indeed, the benefit of our continued partneship would face diminishing returns in proportion to China’s growth.

While it would be unwise to abandon the island outright, it would be foolish to commit to an unconditional long-term partnership with Taiwan.

Supposing China continues to grow as it has, the best possible outcome for the United States will be to maintain the status quo of de facto independence.

If we cannot do that, then we must recognize Taiwan’s integration as inevitable and work to secure terms with the CCP that are most suitable to American interests. Above all, though, we cannot risk war with China over the defense of Taiwan. To do so would be disastrous.

Photo courtesy of AP Photo

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi meets with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Aug. 3, in a display of international diplomacy that has been met with controversy and generated criticism across the political spectrum.

Thursday, August 25, 2022 | Page 9

Opinion | Old Gold & Black

Classism

Classism runs rampant in our education system Students at Wake Forest often have a hard time empathizing with others of various financial backgrounds Breanna Laws

Distribution of wealth at Wake Forest University

100.00%

Staff Columnist

90.00%

70.00%

Percentage of students

Education is a luxury that we cannot afford to undervalue. Unfortunately, many people do not make it as far as the college level.

I’m hoping that I can use this position to advocate for the people who could not obtain access to what should, frankly, be deemed a human right.

Coming from a low-income family is often a disappearing act for the person affected and can somehow be perceived as a threat to those who are not affected by it.

In my experience at Wake Forest, as well as in my hometown, this is a reality that I cannot avoid.

I would have to use two hands to count the number of people who have proclaimed that I am “lucky” to be receiving financial aid for university. I would need several more hands to count the number of people I hear complaining about being made to pay the full price for a college education. Before addressing this, I do want to clarify that I understand that Wake Forest is a particularly expensive institution. This is reflected clearly in the demographics of the student population.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that only 34% of incoming students received grants or scholarship aid for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Additionally, a New York Times study estimated that the median family income of a Wake Forest student is $221,500. This same study concluded that 71% of student households come from the top quintile of families by household wealth.

Putting those figures in reverse, only 29% of students come from the bottom 80%. Six-figure incomes are commonplace here.

This in itself is not a bad thing at all, but it becomes problematic in terms of students’ ability to empathize with others of various backgrounds.

I believe that this lack of empathy is often not malicious but rather a sheer act of ignorance coming from those who do not know any better. I mentioned previously that I have been referred to as “lucky” for receiving financial aid. For those who have this thinking pattern, I would like to ask you a question: Don’t you think I would rather have the capability to pay the full tuition?

Even students whose households make more than $100,000

The median family income of a student from Wake Forest is $221,500, and 71% come from the top 20 percent. Less than 1% of students at Wake Forest came from a poor family but became a rich adult."

80.00%

- "The New York Times" (2017)

60.00%

50.00%

Top 20% 40.00%

30.00%

Bottom 80% 20.00%

Top 1%

10.00%

“

Bottom 20% 0.00% Family Income of $20,000 or less

$20,000 - $110,000

$110,000 - $630,000

$630,000 or more

Family income ranges of Wake Forest students (Class of 2013)

Josh Reynolds/Old Gold & Black

A 2017 New York Times study of wealth disparity at elite colleges found that 71% of Wake Forest students were in the top 20 percent, while only 29% were in the bottom 80%.

I have been referred to as "lucky" for re ceiving financial aid ... Don’t you think I would rather have the capability to pay the full tuition?" a year are still capable of receiving financial aid. The National Center for Education Statistics shows that households making $110,001 or more in income still, on average, only had a net price of $52,236 for attendance in the 2019-2020 academic year.

The average cost of attendance for this same year was about $65,000. This means that even households with over $100,000 in annual income — something that many people can never imagine — received about $13,000 in aid, on average.

It may seem like harmless banter, but remarks on how much you have to pay to attend school here often put students who are receiving aid in a strange position. This is where the disappearing act comes into play.

It is significantly easier to pretend to carry the same woes as my peers, rather than to say “oh, I actually don’t pay that much.” Not only is the latter answer likely to

bring an awkward end to a conversation, but it is often a source of shame for many low-income students. So instead, we disappear into that rich facade. If I can just pretend to be rich enough, then maybe no one will ever know.

The difficult part is the fact that I will always know.

When I was in elementary school, I had constant nightmares about tornadoes because one teacher made a thoughtless comment on how people in mobile homes die if a tornado comes through.

In middle school, I cried in the bathroom because someone said my clothing — which was handed down from my mom — made me look like a grandma.

In high school, I fought with school boards on tuition increases for out-of-district students like me. My parents did everything they could to pay a fee for me to attend school in a different district because my original school was not offering challenging enough coursework for me. Even if they waited up until the very last day to pay it, they scraped enough money together.

Now, I am here at an elite private university named Wake Forest. I think about how I got here — the sheer amount of effort that it required. I think about how I scored higher on tests than the kids whose parents could afford paid tutors. I scored higher be-

cause I worked like my life depended on it — because it does.

Not many people like me make it here. This was a precious gift that I cannot afford to waste. I don’t have something to fall back on, and neither do a lot of people in the world. I believe firmly that education is a right and that all children deserve free access to the same resources.

Until then, though, I ask you to do this. Be kind. Do not be ashamed of your privilege if you have it. In fact, proclaim it — being blind to discrimination only helps the oppressor. Choose your words with care, and remember that the world is only made better when you learn to respect the experiences of people who are different from you.

“

Contact Breanna Laws at lawsbn21@wfu.edu

If I can just pretend to be rich enough, then maybe no one will ever know.

The difficult part is the fact that I will always know.

Page 10 | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, August 25, 2022 | Opinion

Abortion

20-week abortion ban is intrusive and unjust Criminalizing abortion robs people of their medical rights and targets groups who are already highly vulnerable Hope Zhu

Staff Columnist

The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v.

Wade in June has now reached North Carolina.

On Wednesday, Aug. 17, a federal judge reinstated a decade-old ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy — with the exception of cases where the parent’s health is at serious risk.

The order was issued by U.S District Judge William Osteen, lifting an injunction based on Roe. In May 2019, Osteen granted the injunction because the 20-week ban was deemed unconstitutional under Roe v.

Wade.

However, with the fall of Roe in June, the most critical resistance to pre serving reproductive rights in North Carolina has diminished.

“All parties, in this

case, have undoubtedly been aware of [Dobbs v.

Jackson] since it was decided nearly two months ago,” Osteen wrote in the Wednesday order.

“From then on, any reliance on this court’s injunction to continue providing abortions after twenty weeks of pregnancy was not reasonable reliance.”

Before the abortion ban, North Carolina permitted abortion up until around 24 weeks, which is the time when “fetus viability” begins. This makes it one of the few southern states that allowed abortion for that long, while nine southern states had a full abortion ban in effect.

North Carolina and Florida have been a refuge for people seeking an abortion before Roe’s overturn. In 2020, a total of 30,004 abortion procedures were performed. Of these patients, 4,946 — roughly 16% — were non-residents, a number that is likely to increase in the wake of Dobbs.

However, traveling out of state for an abortion is becoming increasingly difficult even for those who have the resources to do so. The influx of patients in wake of Dobbs has extended waiting times, as well as straining clinics’ already limited resources. Now, North Carolina residents might also be forced to seek abortion by traveling to other states, a situation that most clinicians would not recommend.

“There is already confusion among providers over whether they can provide care, resulting in pregnant people being turned away in

Photo courtesy of North Carolina Public Radio

Protestors gather in Raleigh in response to the overturn of Roe v.

Wade, the ramifications of which have now reached North Carolina.

emergency situations,” a joint statement from the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, the ACLU and the ACLU of North Carolina reads.

need help that is currently blocked by the ban.

This would create further polarization: those who don’t want a child would induce abortion in the early stage, while Photo courtesy of NC Health News

There are currently 14 abortion clinics in North Carolina, whose operations will likely be affected by the 20-week ban.

“Forcing people to travel out of state for essential care or suffer through the pains of forced pregnancy puts the health of patients at unnecessary risk.”

Supporters of the ban emphasize the idea of a “fetal heartbeat” and contend that 20 weeks should give people enough time to seriously consider their options. The problem is, as pregnancy is a highly risky process, the timing of such a process is inherently medical. The politicization of medical events is a challenge to bioscience that purports to promote the well-being of both parents and children alike.

Likewise, institutionalizing pregnancy itself raises arguments over the extent to which politics should interfere with medical decisions. This statute may as well be a full abortion ban, as it intrudes on a parent’s body the moment the fetus’s body starts developing. Then the countdown starts: before 20 weeks, one is still a parent; after 20 weeks, they are a carriage of another human being.

Even if it is true that more people miscarry in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy than in the second trimester, this also means that the statute is targeting the most vulnerable minority, who definitely

those who do want a child would give birth anyway. The ban would only bar those who might face second-trimester miscarriage due to issues such as chromosomal abnormalities (which account for a quarter of all miscarriages), cervical insufficiency, and other chronic diseases. Many of these causes cannot be screened during prenatal examinations.

In North Carolina, 91 (of 100) counties do not have access to abortion care. With increased fear of prosecution, fewer options will be available to those who have passed 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Criminalizing abortion already discriminates against racial minority groups, and a “loose” ban would create even more division within states. “[People’s] lives are at risk because politicians are trying to take away their right to get the medical care they need,” North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said. “States are trying to ban abortions in all cases, including rape, incest, and when the [parent’s] health is in danger. Denying [people] health care when their life or health is at risk violates federal law.”

Contact Hope Zhu at zhuq21@wfu.edu

Campus Issues

University must streamline early move-in process Wake Forest should utilize their extensive time and resources to better meet students' needs Sophie Guymon Opinion Editor

Every year, Wake Forest allows a number of students to move onto campus early. These students are typically participating in pre-orientation programs or are involved in student organizations such as the Old Gold & Black, Student Union or the Spirit of the Old Gold and Black (SOTOGAB). However, students without these types of obligations can also move in early if granted special permission from the university.

In spite of the fact that Wake Forest welcomes hundreds of students on campus for early move-in every year, they are never well-prepared to meet these students’ needs.

First and foremost, the early move-in schedule is not released to students until about a month in advance of move-in, despite the fact that the academic calendar and regular move-in dates are determined well before that — the undergraduate cal-

endar for the 2022-2023 academic year was published in February. While this may be fine for students who live in-state or are able to drive to campus from their hometown, it is incredibly inconvenient for those who do not live in-state and are not able to drive to campus.

Additionally, the Office of Residence Life & Housing (RLH) often only designates one specific move-in day for students from a certain organization, despite the fact that multiple days are offered throughout the process, creating further inconvenience.

When arranging my move onto campus, I had to change my flights not once, but twice due to a lack of clear communication from RLH. Scheduling and changing flights at the last minute often incurs steeper costs and fees — something that the university should be considerate of and aim to avoid, especially for those students who are receiving need-based aid. These changes also become more difficult to make as time passes — I had to call my airline directly because I was unable to make any changes online.

Additionally, storage services that are partnered with the university do a poor job of accommodating early move-in, charging additional fees for early drop-off in spite of

Wake Forest certainly has the time and resources to streamline the early move-in process for students whose presence on campus is typically helping the university, and it is apalling that they have not." the fact that students who move in early are already paying extra money just to be in their living spaces, and that the storage units are located in convenient proximity to campus.

I was not able to monitor the delivery of my items because they were dropped off on a day entirely different from the one I had designated and began to unpack my boxes only to find that multiple items were broken or otherwise damaged beyond repair.

While the university may not be directly responsible for the failures of these services, companies such as Storage Scholars would probably be better able to accommodate

the early move-in process if the university released early move-in schedules in a more timely manner.

Students who move in early often also face issues with their Deacon OneCard access. While buildings such as the Pit and Benson operate at more limited hours prior to early move-in — a fact that I have no issue with — students will often attempt to use their meal plan at an open dining location only to be asked to use a different payment method instead.

However, on freshman moving day, these Deacon OneCard issues are magically solved, with all the restaurants in Benson catering to an influx of new students.

A transition period of a few days does not justify the difficulties that thousands of students over the years have faced during early move-in. Wake Forest certainly has the time and resources to streamline the early move-in process for students whose presence on campus is typically helping the university, and it is appalling that they have not.

Photos courtesy of the Office of Residence Life and Housing Contact Sophie Guymon at guymsm20@wfu.edu

SPORTS Follow us on Twitter @wfuogbsport

Ian Steffensen stefip21@wfu.edu

OLD GOLD & BLACK

PAGE 11 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

Men's soccer Preview

Photo Courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest's squad has title aspirations and will be looking to make the most of this year JAKE STUART Staff Writer

The time has come for the Wake Forest men’s soccer team to take the pitch once again. Following a pair of exhibition games, the team is set to take on the University of Central Florida on Thursday, August 25 at Spry Stadium.

It’s no surprise that Wake Forest enters the 2022 season with sky-high expectations and a roster stacked from top to bottom. Following an up-anddown season that saw the men’s team make their seventh-straight Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA tournament before falling to the No.4 ranked Duke Devils, the 2022 season offers promise in every aspect . Omar Hernandez — a senior sensation coming off an All-ACC year — was named to the 2022 ACC Preseason Watch List, while Wake Forest placed third in the ACC preseason coaches poll, trailing only the reigning champion Clemson Tigers in the Atlantic Division.

Though Clemson remains the team to beat, Wake Forest proved in both 2016 and 2017 that the team can be the top dog in the conference.

The Demon Deacons are led by

Head Coach Bobby Muuss — having mustered a top-10 recruiting class in every season since taking over in 2015 and a pair of NCAA college cup finishes that are familiar to the Demon Deacon fanbase. The 2018 ACC coach of the year has developed players likeJack Harrison in his program, and last year led two players — Calvin Harris and Michael DeShields — to their top-five selection in the MLS Superdraft.

The challenge in 2022 comes with filling the hole left by forward Kyle Holcomb. Drafted with the 29th pick in last year's MLS Superdraft, Holcomb notched the seventh most goals in program history, including a team-high 12 last season. Luckily, the Demon Deacons already have the No. 3 ranked recruiting class nationally – according to Top Drawer Soccer – leading the entire ACC. Six players and four midfielders were added to the 2022 signing class, while three joined the club in January. Cooper Flax — New York’s No.1 rated player in the 2022 class — headlines an eager and savvy class of young Demon Deacon recruits. When one factors in the return of redshirt senior midfielder Jake Swallen, senior forward David Wrona, and junior speedster Chase

Oliver among others, there’s no reason that team won’t make noise come tournament time in November.

Those new to Wake Forest soccer will learn that home pitch advantage is important. The Spry has been kind to the Demon Deacons who have only lost 11 home games over the last six years and have won their last seven home games dating back to Oct.1 of last year. The Demon Deacons will play 11 more at the Spry this season.

The competition continues to be fierce for Wake Forest, who will be facing five teams ranked in the national preseason coaches’ top-25 poll and are already up against a multitude of talent in the ACC. Before the first ACC game on Sept.10 against NC State, the Demon Deacons will square off against formidable opponents including No.6 West Virginia. This year’s nonconference opponents include UCF, Air Force, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Winthrop University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, George Mason University, Jacksonville University, William & Mary and Wofford College. The squad must rally for a mid-season stretch on the road against top-ranked Clemson and at home versus No.12 Duke. However,

Wake Forest is well positioned to keep its winning ways alive as the preseason No.15 team in the country.

The Demon Deacons team that outscored opponents 42-15 last season, but the key will be in creating opportunities in front of the net. The 267 shots attempted last season placed Wake Forest seventh amongst ACC teams, though the team was ranked fourth in both goals scored and goals allowed. All eyes will be on the goalkeeper battle this season between sophomore Trace Alphin and redshirt junior Cole McNally. The latter started nine games in the 2020 season going 6-1-2 before Alphin took charge last season. The Demon Deacons also added Devin Armstrong, a premier goalkeeper out of Florida who spent three years in the Development Academy and played for the Tampa Bay United with the MLS Next.

Go support your Demon Deacons men's soccer team as they look to have another strong season in 2022. Students may claim tickets for home games on the Screamin’ Demon Rewards app.

Contact Jake Stuart at stuaja20@wfu.edu

Sports | Old Gold and Black

Thursday, August 25, 2022 | Page 12

With or without QB1, the show must go on Sam Hartman’s absence raises questions for the football season SEAN KENNEDY Contributing Writer

“Frustration.”

A single word can describe the feelings of thousands of Wake Forest football fans upon learning that team captain and starting quarterback Sam Hartman would be out indefinitely with a nonfootball related condition discovered following a workout Aug. 9.

Hartman, the redshirt junior from Charlotte, North Carolina, is no stranger to these types of setbacks.

In his high school sophomore year, Hartman tragically lost his older brother, Demitri, two days before he would play the state championship with his high school team, Davidson Day. Not only did Hartman throw for multiple touchdowns, but he won the game as well.

After Davidson Day’s football program closed its doors before Hartman’s senior year, he went to South Carolina’s Oceanside Collegiate Academy with unfamiliar faces as teammates. He ended up leading Oceanside to a 7-3 record that season with over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns, a drastic improvement from the team’s 0-8 record the previous

season.

Unfortunately, an outlook on Hartman’s timetable for a return is unclear.

Head Coach Dave Clawson has indicated that there is no set date; however, Clawson is confident that the starting quarterback will return this season.

“It’s too early to tell exactly what that timeline is,” Clawson said. “Anything you say is just speculation right now, but we expect him to be back and as it goes along, we’ll get a better idea. Like any injury, illness, whatever, there’s always a timeframe you think, but it can get shortened, it can get lengthened.”

Although Hartman’s leadership and competitiveness could be seen as unrivaled to some, Clawson was eager to point out the depth and experience of his offense.

“You got two, three six-year guards [Sean Maginn, Loic Ngassam Nya]. You got a fifth-year center [Michael Jurgens].

You got a fifth-year tight end [Blake Whiteheart]. You got a fifth-year receiver [A.T. Perry]. We have leadership across the board on offense,” Clawson said. “ [Hartman]’s done such a great job in creating the tone and setting a standard that those guys aren’t going to let that

standard fall off.”

Focus at the starting quarterback position shifts to redshirt freshman Mitch Griffis and redshirt sophomore Michael Kern, both of whom limited saw game action last season. Griffis, who Clawson has stated as being the provisional “QB1” in fall camp, is on track for the start in the Deacons’ first game on September 1st against FCS program VMI. “He runs the offense well,” Clawson said about Griffis. “He’s got savvy. He’s a bit like Sam [Hartman] in terms of how important football is.” He also addressed Kern, stating “Michael too. Michael can go out there and lead us down the field.”

Relying on Griffis and Kern will be a top receiving corps in the conference, led by 2021 All-ACC first teamer A.T. Perry.

Perry, who set the Wake Forest record for receiving touchdowns in a single season last year with 15, was one of two Demon Deacons to make ESPN’s Top 100 Players for 2022, along with Hartman.

Also contributing to the receiving room will be redshirt sophomores Taylor Morin and Donavon Greene, the latter of whom is returning from an ACL tear suffered before the 2021 season. Ke’Shawn Williams and Jamal Banks are expected

10

to show out as well, rounding out one of the strongest receiving squads in the country in terms of both talent and depth. The Deacons, who rank No. 22 in the country in the preseason AP poll, had their expectations dampened by national media after the news concerning Hartman’s medical condition.

“I don’t expect our football team to be any less successful because of this and not one guy on that field feels that way,” Clawson said. “I mean that. We can win a lot of games with those two guys [Griffis and Kern] and we can beat good teams with those guys.”

Despite the lack of starting experience, Demon Deacon fans shouldn’t overreact to the news. Not only will Hartman be back this season, but as evidenced by his past, he’ll persevere just like always.

In the interim, fans should know that Griffis and Kern can both be trusted to handle Offensive Coordinator Warren Ruggiero’s offense, and they should be just as supportive (and confident) as Clawson is in his men.

Contact Sean Kennedy at kennsm21@wfu.edu

Zalatoris to miss out on Tour Championship The final event on the PGA Tour calendar kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 25 IAN STEFFENSEN Sports Editor

While the landscape of golf has been quite contentious recently with the heated LIV Golf-PGA Tour Battle, the postseason finale of the FedEx Cup promises to be memorable as the best players will compete to claim the title at East Lake Golf Club next week.

Wake Forest alum Will Zalatoris led the first round of the FedEx Cup following his victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

“It’s hard to say, ‘About time’ when it’s your second year on tour, but it’s about time,” Zalatoris said. “Considering all those close finishes, it means a lot.”

Zalatoris made a splash on the PGA

Tour in his first year. He finished second at his first Masters, one stroke behind champion Hideki Matsuyama. This year, Zalatoris continued to inch closer and closer to his first win on the PGA Tour with strong showings in each of the majors. In the PGA Championship, Zalatoris lost in a playoff to Justin Thomas, and in the U.S. Open his final putt on 18 burned past the cup which kept him from forcing a playoff.

In the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Zalatoris was in a scenario he was all too familiar with: a three-hole playoff against Sepp Straka. Zalatoris struggled early on– though he put himself in tough positions he was still able to save himself and make par. On the second playoff hole, Zalatoris sliced his drive right and ended up in the trees close to a boundary fence. He

Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

Former Demon Deacon golfer Will Zalatoris celebrates after the FedEx St. Jude Championship, his first win on the PGA Tour.

then pitched it out and made a 15-footer going into the final hole.

The final hole was wild. The par-3, 11th hole at TPC Southwind was the final obstacle for Zalatoris. Flying over the water, Zalatoris’ ball landed short, hitting the rock bank and bouncing several times before nestling itself in the grass. Straka did the same, only his ball ricocheted off the rocks into the water. While Zalatoris had caught a huge break, his ball was in an unplayable lie and he hit from the drop zone along with Straka. Straka hit his next shot into the bunker while Zalatoris landed the green and was seven feet from the hole.

Zalatoris made the winning putt and earned his first PGA Tour victory.

This week at the second round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship, Zalatoris looked to build on his momentum from the previous event.

His first win moved him to top of the FedEx Cup standings and up to No.9 in the world rankings. On Saturday, however, his momentum took a turn. Despite being one-under for the day and just four strokes back from the leader, Zalatoris hurt his back on the third hole. He received treatment before heading to the fourth hole, but the pain was too much and he was forced to withdraw from the tournament, and will sadly also miss out on the final event, the Tour Championship.

Cameron Young, another Wake Forest alum, has also had a great showing on the PGA Tour this year. Young tied for third at the PGA Championship and finished second at the Open Championship. He hopes to follow in his teammate’s footsteps and earn the coveted

title of Rookie of the Year.

Patrick Cantlay, winner of the 2021 FedEx Cup made a strong case for his title defense after winning the BMW Championship. Scottie Scheffler who leads in the standings, will have a significant advantage heading into the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Scheffler will start the tournament at ten under par, and Cantlay will start at eight under par. The event will then continue under normal scoring conditions.

The ongoing power struggle between the PGA-Tour and LIV Golf has dominated this golf season. LIV Golf is expected to announce seven new signings following the conclusion of the FedEx Cup. One of these signings is rumored to be current Open Champion Cameron Smith who withdrew from the BMW Championship as well. Before the BMW Championship golfing legend Tiger Woods convened with other top players to discuss changing the PGA Tour.

The proposed changes mirror some of the strategies of LIV Golf. There would be fewer tournaments, a consistent lineup of 60 of the top players, and larger earnings. Controversially, it would also feature no cuts, a signature facet of LIV Golf events. Another proposal was for the PGA Tour to renounce its status as a nonprofit organization. This change would allow more investors to partner with the Tour and give the PGA Tour the ability to compete with the LIV Golf prize money. These recent events show the changing landscape of professional golf, and how it is now adapt or die for the PGA Tour.

Contact Ian Steffensen at stefip21@wfu.edu

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PAGE 14 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

LIFE OLD GOLD & BLACK

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

DC reels after storm of controversies A steady stream of scandals and blunders leaves DC questioning its future

ALYSSA SOLTREN Staff Writer

I’ll be honest: I have yet to watch “The Batman”, but I’m sure that it is great, and it is on my watch list. What I cannot ignore, however, is how many not-so-great things have come out of Warner Bros. this year. This may not be news to some, but DC films, in particular, have taken some blows. It seems that WB's misfortunes have cast a shadow on DC studios. In other words, it just looks like a tangly, mismanaged mess that makes one feel as if WB is already past its best days.

I think we should start with the most prominent and recently publicized subject — Ezra Miller. This actor is involved in both DC and “Fantastic Beasts” film franchises — their most current project is the starring role in "The Flash". In recent months, numerous reports have been flowing into the mainstream news regarding various crimes and acts of misconduct that Miller has committed. This has come into collision with the fact that promotion for the upcoming film “The Flash” is about to pick up. Warner Bros. spent around $200 million producing this first-ever solo feature film for the popular character.

As far as we can tell, the movie is still set

to release next summer. Miller even released a public apology and a promise to get help a few days ago. I won’t give my thoughts on how WB is handling this — partially because I don’t think they even really know how to handle it — but there’s no way this movie will just get dropped … unless Miller does something even worse, such as killing someone.

Speaking of dropped movies, let’s take a look at another unreleased movie whose lead character had never previously had a solo feature film, except this movie will most likely never see the light of day. Plans for a “Batgirl” movie began in 2016. After the right directors and actors were found, the movie was filmed in 2021 and 2022. It was the plan to release it exclusively on the streaming platform HBO Max later this year. But despite the fact that it was in the final stages of post-production, “Batgirl” got axed. Some report that WB’s decision to do so was due to bad test screening, but the company denies this and instead cites their goal to make more theatrical DC films.

Others still wonder how much loss there would have been anyway if it was just going to be released on a streaming service. Still, more have gawked at the fact that one of the film’s directors was informed of this at his

own wedding.

Now that’s quite a bit of drama — but wait, there’s more! How many of you paid attention to the trial between actors and exspouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard this past spring? For those of you who didn’t, I’ll just let you know that it resulted in Heard receiving severe criticism for a number of reasons. One notable reaction was the created petition now bearing over 4.5 million signatures, calling for her removal from the upcoming “Aquaman” sequel due to the trial’s revelation of her behavior. Despite this, the movie’s producers still insist that she is in the movie, although there were reports that her role was reduced for uncertain reasons. They had already completed filming some time ago and are currently in postproduction. If she has such a small role as is claimed, though, it makes me wonder how difficult it would be to reshoot those scenes with someone else as Mera. Then again, I am no expert in the film industry’s inner and outer workings.

Heard’s influence was also interwoven within “The Secrets of Dumbledore”, the third installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” series. Depp previously played the role of Gellert Grindlewald in this franchise, but a lawsuit involving him and Heard

resulted in Warner Bros. quickly removing him from that role in the third movie.

Amid the controversy, filming and postproduction proceeded. After “The Secrets of Dumbledore” had its time in theaters, it seemed to be an overall disappointment.

It made an objectively decent profit at the box office, but it also wound up being the lowest-grossing entry of any Harry Potter film. I imagine that there are multiple reasons for this underperformance, but the fact that Depp was removed while Miller — who also had a lead role in this film, whaddya know — remained in it likely did not promote the movie in the eyes of the public.

With all of these knotted-up predicaments, it’s easy to conclude that Warner Bros. is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. But perhaps there is hope yet. As we have also seen, “The Batman” was a success, and directors of DC media, in general, have been granted more creative liberty in recent years. I’m not saying that Warner Bros. is completely blameless, though.

The development of the problematic films wouldn’t have happened without them.

Contact Alyssa Soltren at soltac20@wfu.edu

Marvel needs to break from its repetitive formula Fans grow dissatisfied and bored with Marvel's half-hearted releases BEN WILCOX Staff Writer

It might be time to admit Marvel Studios has hit a bit of a snag as of late. Fans of the uber-popular franchise have been left wanting more in the years post-“Avengers: Endgame”. The seeming lack of direction has left many of the newer movies and television shows feeling unfocused and meandering, instead of the concise and quippy style they’ve based their brand around for the last 14 years. The copy-and-paste approach that seems to have characterized Marvel's latest films and TV shows has fans like myself feeling dissatisfied. I am going to break down why I think that the Marvel formula has felt a little stale and concerning for the largest studio in film.

It is my belief that the decline in quality that people have started to notice may have started in between the releases of their two largest movies ever, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”. In 2019, the first movie released after “Avengers: Infinity War” was “Captain Marvel”. This film was just fine. Instead of discussing the ins and outs of the movie and its pros and cons, I’ll say it’s just a project released by Marvel to tell general audiences, “Hey, pay attention!

Captain Marvel is here and she will be one of the faces of our franchise for the next decade!”

The movie lacked any real substance and had the stereotypical weak Marvel Cinematic Universe villain and milquetoast humor that has plagued the MCU as of late.

The next film after “Captain Marvel” was

“Ant-Man and the Wasp”, which had very similar issues. However, lots of people went out to see it because the Marvel Studios machine kept reassuring us, “Go see this movie, you might not care about these heroes like any of the original Avengers, but we promise there’s something in here really, really important to the plot of 'Avengers: Endgame!'” That’s how Marvel successfully made the second installment of the “AntMan” films into a higher grosser than the original, despite a pretty sharp decrease in quality.

Pretty much every iteration of a Marvel release post-"Endgame" has used this same trick to try and get general audiences excited about less popular characters taking the reins of their franchise. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” was going to reignite the new-look MCU by teasing the multiverse in trailers, only to make it one of Mysterio’s many lies.

“Black Widow” was going to give us one more story from one of our favorite characters and set up Florence Pugh to take over the mantle.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” was going to be the grand union of all three Spider-Men on screen, while “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” would delve deep into the implications of what the multiverse could mean for the MCU. If you told me about this plan in 2019, I’d be pretty excited. There’s just one problem though — these movies aren’t any good, and I haven't even gotten started on their TV series. They’re formulaic with their villains and they are burdened by trying to move forward the plot of the MCU, leaving them

with a loss of identity.

One major area of weakness in these phase four projects is their post-credit scenes. I’d honestly prefer if we’d retire them altogether than to feel obligated to reuse the same type of scene every time to tease a follow-up. These films are using one of two formulas in their stingers. They will either take a secondary threat or character from the second act and tease their powerful return in the sequel, or they will introduce our characters to a special celebrity cameo who will be their partner in crime or even adversary in the next film.

Examples of the former are the return of the Ten-Rings in “Shang-Chi and the TenRings”, Kit Harrington and Maharshala Ali in the second “Eternals” stinger and the return of Zeus in “Thor: Love and Thunder”.

Examples of the latter would be Harry Styles in “Eternals”, Charlize Theron in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “Black Widow” and Brett Goldstein in “Thor: Love and Thunder”.

The reason I’m so critical of this trope is that even though these formulas are copyand-paste, Marvel has used them well before.

The perfect example of the first formula is the “Thor: The Dark World” ending. Although it is not a proper post-credit scene, this is without a doubt where the DNA from which these first examples have come. We are led to believe that Loki has died and Thor leaves Asgard to return to Earth with Jane, until it is revealed that it is Loki disguised as Odin and is now presiding over Asgard.

This ending recontextualizes the whole back half of the movie, from Loki’s supposed sac-

rifice onwards. It leaves the audience on a genuine cliffhanger and has us invested in knowing what happened to Odin and where they will go from there. It’s the kind of ending that made you curious when the next Thor movie was coming out.

And to keep it brief with the second formula, Marvel is clearly trying to recapture the magic of the Thanos scene in “The Avengers”. The Thanos reveal works also because it recontextualizes the movie. We had spent the entirety of the MCU to this point seeing these characters unite to face a larger threat, such as Loki and the Chitauri invasion, only for the reveal to come that they’ve all been working for Thanos, and now people are re-watching the older films for hints at where the Infinity Stones could be. The phase four version of this has been to stunt-cast so you care about the character instead of having to rely on making a compelling story. It’s a good sign that Marvel knows what works and what doesn’t, but we have now clearly slid into an unexciting pattern.

There is a whole other side of matters with how they have struggled to collaborate well with high-quality filmmakers, but I’ll leave that up to Marty Scorsese and the opinion experts. We’ve really seen Marvel build a compelling universe on the backs of some of these concepts, but now all they give us are empty calories.

Contact Ben Wilcox at wilcbr19@wfu.edu

Life | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, August 25, 2022 | Page 15

'The Sandman' disappoints The comic-to-show adaptation leaves much to be desired in its lack of originality JOSIE SCRATCHARD Life Editor On Aug. 5, Netflix released its television adaptation of the award-winning comic book series, “The Sandman”. The show shot to the No. 1 most-streamed title on the platform.

Currently, “The Sandman” remains the secondmost-streamed show — nearly three weeks after its release. The story follows the Sandman, also known as Morpheus, who is the god of dreams, as he travels throughout the human realm to cease the chaos that began while he was imprisoned for 100 years.

The comic series creator, Neil Gaiman, played an instrumental role in the show’s crew as a writer and executive producer, assuring that the series remained true to his original vision. The first season of the show consists of ten episodes, each representing the first ten issues of the comic, respectively.

I am a big advocate for the comics, so my expectations for the show were high. I did not expect to have such a difficult viewing experience.

In fact, I struggled to enjoy the Netflix series so

much that I only watched the first five episodes — and I played episodes three, four and five at 1.5x speed. The plot was so slow that I felt as if I needed it to progress faster, and I still felt dragged along against my will.

Additionally, very little of the show’s plot deviates from the comics, which puts a noticeable constraint on its ability to flourish in a different medium. Placing the narrative arc of the show in the fragmented style of the comic appears freeing in theory but ultimately places the story’s execution in shambles. Maintaining the integrity of the comic by recreating its scenes with little room for excursions cost the show in its degree of creativity.

Each character is flattened in this storytelling approach, which would be acceptable if the audience was meant to only view the characters as pawns to demonstrate story concepts — like in the fifth episode, "24/7". Minor characters are introduced to exemplify the consequences of Morpheus’ magic in the hands of the enemy, which serves this episode well. However, in the context of the show’s secondary characters, the audience is forced into a distant relationship without any emotional connection.

Unfortunately, this bleeds into Morpheus’ character, as well. The show’s narrative stretches itself too thin, causing wear and tear on an already weak viewer relationship with the Sandman due to his helplessness in the pilot episode.

The worst part of the Sandman’s character is not his flatness but the show’s stripping of his mystifying qualities. Since TV shows are incapable of achieving the same undertakings as books — because nothing is imagined but rather pictured before the viewer — Netflix's adaptation was unsuccessful in formulating Morpheus as an incomprehensible figure. The Sandman appeared to be a man just like any other in the show, and this idea was reinforced by his seeming inability to control even small amounts of chaos.

Morpheus not only looked like a human being but felt like a human being, which is unacceptable when he is supposed to be a god — even if he has limits on his powers.

Overall, the show would have benefitted if it deviated from the comics. A series of plot events crafted for the television adaptation with more focus and an emphasis on character dimension would have formed a faster pace. Hopefully, if season two is created, it will find its rhythm as both its own creation while retaining the pull of the comic.

Photo courtesy of IMDB

Contact Josie Scratchard at scraja20@wfu.edu

The Fielder Method 101: HBO’s 'The Rehearsal' Reviewed Astrology Forecast The 'Nathan For You' creator’s new series is a milestone for television.

JAMES WATSON Contributing Writer Nathan Fielder’s new series, “The Rehearsal” the first season of which ended this Friday — HBO has already renewed the program for a second season — has proved to be one of the most extraordinary works of television in recent m e m o r y.

Fielder has

Photo courtesy of IMDB

always been a contemporary genius of alternative “The Rehearsal” was simply an offbeat reality comedy. Fielder's Emmy Award-winning 2013 show after episode one–but this is a clever misComedy Central series “Nathan For You” cap- direction. What it becomes is something wholly tured audiences with his dead-pan and absurdist new: equal parts social experiment and elaborate approach to helping small businesses (check out performance art piece.

“Dumb Starbucks” If you somehow haven’t alPart of the show’s genius is in its willingness ready). He also served as executive producer for to continually reinvent itself. After episode one the HBO sensation “How To With John Wilson”. Nathan produces a rehearsal for Angela, a womFielder’s newest project, however, is something an who wants to use a rehearsal to learn how to that transcends his entire prior body of work — navigate raising children. For this Fielder hires an and comedy itself. absurd number of child actors to chronicle the The general premise of “The Rehearsal” is this: life of a child named Adam. Fielder eventually what if you could rehearse and prepare for con- decides to participate in the rehearsal in the role sequential or life-changing moments before they of the father, given his own desire for a family. occur? Through elaborately staged rehearsals every This project reveals itself to be much bigger than possibility and outcome is accounted for, making the first scenario and as a result, the Angela resure the participant is fully equipped to embrace hearsal morphs into a season-long throughline. situations that other- wise seemed insur- One wonders if the tangential rhythm the show mountable. The concept was seemingly formed finds in episodes two through six is the result of as a result of Nathan’s own social awkwardness, completely organic experimentation. It is almost admitting in the opening minutes of episode one as if the original plan for the show was ditched that “Humor is my go-to instinct, but every joke is when the Angela rehearsal escalated in terms a gamble”. The show positions Fielder as a dream of scale and complexity—-and as Nathan maker, a man of unlimited resources wielding the became less of an observer and more of the power to help ordinary folks solve interpersonal subject himself. The first episode may seem disproblems that seemed overwhelming before. connected from the rest of season one, but it's The premiere introduces the audience to Kor actually critically used to establish the rules of the Skeet, an avid trivia nut who is dreading telling a series — it is almost like a prologue for the “real” longtime friend and trivia partner that he had lied show. to her for years about having a master's degree.

It’s impossible to go into much more detail Skeet, fearing this heart-to-heart may ruin his without spoiling the absurdism and element friendship, turns to Fielder. In order to help him, of surprise which makes “The Rehearsal” so brilFielder creates a 1:1 replica of the bar where the liant in the first place. Simply put, there is no meeting will take place and hires an actress to piece of filmmaking reaching any of the stunning play Skeet’s friend. Meanwhile, Fielder observes emotional or artistic heights “The Rehearsal” is with a laptop rigged to his chest following along achieving. The way the show blurs the lines bewith a dialogue path chart that maps out what tween fiction and reality, make-believe and real will be said, and any possible deviations that life, is truly astonishing. While some of Nathan’s may occur during the conversa- experimental diatribes can feel a little aimless at tion. The process which is times, season one as a whole is overwhelmingly later dubbed “The perfect. There is no question that Fielder is the Fielder Method” preeminent comedic genius of our time. proves successIt's not immediately clear what shape season ful and Skeet is two will take but rest assured Fielder is probably unburdened by already rehearsing it. the truth without Stream “The Rehearsal” on HBO Max. losing his friend.

You'd be forgiven Contact James Watson at for thinking that watsjcc22@wfu.edu

(Advice based on your sign)

Aries: Don't go to LR! Taurus: Don't go to LR! Gemini: Don't go to LR! Cancer: Don't go to LR! Leo: Don't go to LR! Virgo: Don't go to LR! Scorpio: Introduce warm Autumn tones in your wardrobe.

Sagittarius: Don't go to LR! Capricorn: Don't go to LR! Aquarius: Don't go to LR! Pisces: Don't go to LR! Contact Judy Assaad at asaj20@wfu.edu

Look! Tim in the drive thru

Adam Coil/Old Gold & Black

Page 16 | Thursday, August 25, 2022

Old Gold & Black | Life

Talking music: the best albums of 2022 (so far) August is almost over, and 2022 still feels like a lackluster year for music. The general consensus is that this year has thus far lacked the big-name releases and the breakout debuts that tend to define the music scene. There are, however, still a plethora of great albums that belong to 2022, some of them just take some digging to find. Here are some albums from this year that you might have missed (or forgotten about). Honorable mentions: “MOTOMAMI”

by ROSALÍA, “Crest” by Bladee and Ecco 2k, “NOT TiGHT” by DOMi & JD BECK, “Ugly Season” by Perfume Genius, “Beatopia” by beabadoobe and “Hellfire” by black midi.

“Ants From Up There” inspires with its progressive sound Adam Coil, Life Editor

Black Country, New Road’s sophomore LP, “Ants From Up There”, is the type of album that makes your standard Spotify subscription seem like an unbelievably good deal. It displays BC, NR at the height of their powers — a finely-tuned machine brimming with creative elixir. “Ants From Up There” was released at the beginning of this year, and despite not quite reaching mass appeal, it has remained culturally relevant from consistent praise by prominent critics in the music community. With its refreshing style, its unique nack to linger with you after you listen to it and the seeming enormity of its universe, there’s a lot to talk about.

It’s hard to do the album justice in such few words because the project itself covers an insane amount of ground. “Chaos Space Marine” is a shot of soma mixed into a pint of surreal escapism. “Concorde” is a dying tree that refuses to let go of its final leaf. “Haldern” is a glowing candelabrum in the kind of archaic mansion that you just don’t make it out of.

“Good Will Hunting” is a warm evening on the Mediterranean in July. “Basketball Shoes” is a three-part series of nostalgia-induced paralysis.

“Ants From Up There” wants to do a multitude of things — and it actually does (with seeming ease).

One of the most endearing aspects of this album is the fact that a lot of the songs are so personal and genuine that they nearly border on inaccessible. The intertextuality between other pieces of art, the band members’ own personal lives and British culture and history make the project a somewhat formidable jungle to trudge through if you’re the type of listener who really wants to ‘get’ each album you listen to.

But this type of perspective is not in the spirit of “Ants From Up There”, a piece of art that is not a story or a message but a pulsing, indefatigable, jumbled-up ball of power, emotion and the fleeting sensations that help us define being human. There is no room for specifics, just experience. The music has this engulfing quality that almost leaves you feeling hollow when the record stops — something that parallels the emptiness that Concorde leaves behind throughout the album. BC, NR has mastered the art of building and releasing tension — “Ants From Up There” will have you both squirming in your seat and cathartically staring at the wall in front of you. It’s one of those things where it’s best to just buckle yourself in and hope that you get off the rollercoaster in one piece.

In its infinite complexity and richness, the album gives its audience something new to chew on during and after each listen, but there is nothing required to enjoy and especially feel the

album during the first listen. The unique quality to be both instantly and consistently rewarding is what has given the album both general and critical acclaim. It is intelligent without being belletristic; it is entertaining without being cheap; it is emotional without being melodramatic. It has everything you need to come back wanting seconds, and then it actually makes good on its promise by being so much more than you remembered.

It is almost difficult to believe that the BC, NR that made “For the first time” and the one that made “Ants From Up There” are the same band.

While “For the first time” is a terrific album — angsty, electrifying and sobering all at once — BC, NR obviously matured rapidly in the short span between the two projects. The implacable screaming that could be found on tracks like “Science Fair” and “Sunglasses” is restrained and focused on “Ants From Up There”. The lyricism, while still being sparse and vague for the most part, is much more cohesive and constructive — images are constantly reappearing and molding, building a bigger and bigger world as you trek further and further into its 58-minute runtime. To capture perfection on a second try makes BC, NR all the more awe-inspiring, and it makes their subsequent loss of Isaac Wood (vocals) all the more disheartening.

I do not foresee BC, NR ever receiving the recognition they deserve but I do not think they will ever be forgotten, either. From what I could gather on social media after its release, this latest album was truly resonating with a niche but fiercely dedicated fanbase — and that means something. People all over are being inspired and feeling seen with this project, which is something that doesn’t just fade away. It does not belong to any specific moment in time but to the listeners who choose to accept it. The album is a chaos space marine in its own way, and it’s looking for a place to live.

“Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” achieves total serenity Adam Coil

Big Thief dropped their fifth album “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” a week after BC, NR dropped their sophomore album, and these two projects have been in the driver’s seat for my album of the year ever since. Big Thief has been an indie folk powerhouse since 2016 and, while they’re not a band that pushes the envelope too much stylistically, they have always been consistent in making pleasant music with a lyrical depth that far exceeds most popular music today.

Adrienne Lenker — the lead singer of Big Thief — makes this album as amazing as it is with her famously soft and soothing vocals.

She has this ability to make everything about life seem more pleasant and beautiful, like waking up and instantly thinking about something you’re genuinely looking forward to doing that day. Lenker is a gently encouraging presence throughout the album, and she seems to approach the deep and complex questions that the album asks with a uniquely wise and understanding voice.

“Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” is undoubtedly a spring album, but I think that it can be relevant to the fall as well. A lot of the album is concerned with change and dealing with that change, something which is just as

important in August as it is in March. The song “Time Escaping” might resonate especially well right now, reminding us that we cannot hold on to the warmth of summer any more than we can speed up the return of spring and that we have to learn to enjoy and see the beauty of whichever wrinkle in time we find ourselves in.

I think that this new release from Big Thief is a great album that can be elevated even further by the right setting. I first listened to it heavily while in the snowy mountains of Colorado, a place where you cannot help but contemplate your relation to nature and your undeniable smallness. The rushing rivers and vast stretches of giant trees made it so much easier to connect to the mood Big Thief was going for on this one.

I recommend listening to this somewhere that allows you to get away from it all, you just might find something.

sounding at home on various flows and styles.

Overall, Lamar’s self-reflective project can get messy and imperfect, but Lamar seems perfectly aware of that. In fact, Lamar seems to take pride in prioritizing himself over his audience in the creation of this project, particularly in the closing track “Mirror”. The repeated one-line chorus of “I choose me, I’m sorry” becomes a powerful incantation after the preceding hour of Lamar purging himself of his past traumas and tribulations.

If nothing else, “Mr. Morale” is the most enjoyable therapy session you’ll ever experience.

Pusha T pins down his artistic identity on“It’s Almost Dry” Ishan Viradia, Contributing Writer

“Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” displays Kendrick Lamar with total openness Brody Leo, Staff Writer

After five years of silence from Kendrick Lamar, it was difficult to know what to expect from his new project. Five years — 1,855 days, to be exact — is an eternity in the world of hip-hop. For reference, within that time, BROCKHAMPTON experienced both their rise to fame and their breakup, Playboi Carti turned from SoundCloud rapper to vamp king and Kanye West dropped three albums and a presidential bid. It’s been a wild five years, and if nothing else, I expected Lamar to provide some perspective on it all. Instead, Lamar turns his focus to the subject that may be the most difficult to pin down: himself.

A central theme of the album is the pitfalls of sudden fame that Lamar has found. On the album’s opener, “United in Grief”, he describes his rampant spending habits and tries to uncover why he was so drawn to materialism. He asks, “What is a rapper with jewelry? / A way that I show my maturity.” Lamar accredits his conspicuous consumption to the fact that he wanted to show the world — and more importantly, himself — that he was finally on top. The Rolexes, Porsches and infinity pools could not heal the wounds that his troubled past left him, as he raps, “Poverty was the case / But the money wiping the tears away.”

Lamar also delves deeply into his past and present relational issues in a way that is unprecedentedly vulnerable, even for Kendrick Lamar. In “Father Time”, Lamar examines the toxic masculinity and relational issues that his difficult relationship with his father ingrained in him. In “Worldwide Steppers”, Lamar opens up about sex addiction and unfaithfulness through two stories of sexual intercourse with white women, motivated by a desire for a sort of generational vengeance. He concludes with the striking line, “I might be racist / Ancestors watchin’ me f*** was like retaliation.”

This album also marks a sharp shift in production choices for Lamar. While his previous albums were each somewhat stylistically uniform, “Mr. Morale” takes a much more eclectic approach. Tracks like “United in Grief”, “Crown” and “Mother I Sober” are strippedback, piano-centered tracks that allow Lamar’s songwriting to shine through, while tracks like “N95”, “Count Me Out” and “Silent Hill” are more classic trap-inspired, heavy-hitting bangers.

The diverse production does not feel as jarring as you’d expect; Lamar has always been a master at

An album that personally exceeded all expectations was Pusha T’s underappreciated “It’s Almost Dry”. Here we see King Push bring together Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) and Pharrel to produce an album that tells the world he will be staying true to himself. Early in his career, Pusha worked with Pharrel under his Star Trak label before signing with Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West). This album can be seen as a bridge between these two unique production styles in his discography, from a meticulously crafted beat to more vocal-heavy tracks. It allows the listener to really appreciate the progression Pusha T has experienced as an artist.

Though I think the album is a love letter to Pusha T fans, it is by no means a perfect album. Many tracks lack replayability and the album as a whole does a poor job of conveying any overarching message to the listener.

The subpar storytelling is more than made up for with its consistently catchy melodies and striking bars, however.

Joey Bada$$ proves his status on “2000” Ishan Viradia

At this point in his career, no one can deny Joey Bada$$’s greatness with his distinct sound and loyal fanbase. Bada$$ knows this and attempts to use this album as a chance to challenge himself and solidify his place as one of the greats. He even goes as far as to refer to himself as part of “the holy trinity” alongside Kendrick and J.Cole. Normally, I would disregard this as an outrageous claim, but during certain points while listening through the album, I believe him. Joey delivers a pure display of his rapping ability alongside something reminiscent of his classic beats with piano and keyboard samples mixed in. This album isn’t without its flaws, however, as many of the tracks have simple rhyme schemes for an artist of his status. These issues paired with less-than-exceptional production create an effect where many songs blur together. Fortunately, however, this feeling is usually broken by a track where he displays his technical ability such as “Zipcodes” or “Survivor’s Guilt”.

Contact Adam Coil, Brody Leo and Ishan Viradia at coilat21@wfu.edu, leomb21@wfu.edu & virai21@wfu.edu Illustrations by Josh Reynolds