News: RA’s face new COVID-19 challenges Page 6
Opinion: Embracing new normal facilitates growth Page 9
Sports: Athletes across the U.S. join social justice movement Page 11
Life: HBO show “I may destroy you” explores closure Page 19
Old Gold&Black
WAKE FOREST’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1916 VOL. 107, NO. 2
T H U R S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 2 0 “Cover s the campus like the magnolias”
wfuogb.com
Wake Forest begins random testing The university will conduct roughly 500 tests per week for COVID-19 on campus BY AINE PIERRE Contributing Writer pierav20@wfu.edu
Graphic by Renting Cai and Olivia Field / Old Gold & Black
Wake Forest University’s quarantine procedures provide for quarantine and isolation on and off-campus. However, it is unclear what the requirements are for students to move to the school’s quarantine location.
University quarantine protocols lack clarity
Students voice their concerns about unclear quarantine procedures BY RAFAEL LIMA News Editor limara17@wfu.edu Undergraduate student testing and selfquarantine have been one of the main points of Wake Forest University’s Our Way Forward plan to a successful in-person semester, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are expected to cooperate with health and university authorities in self-reporting symptoms and aiding contact tracing efforts to prevent a huge surge of COVID-19 cases on campus that would end the semester prematurely, akin to the outbreak of cases at UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State. “Contact tracers are designed to be high-rapport people to create a trust relationship. ‘Honors system’ is an interesting word to use because if students aren’t truthful in that process we will lose control pretty quickly,” said Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue. “That is one of
the things [emphasized]. Contact tracing is not punitive, no one is in trouble. We just want the best for you. We are trying to keep the community safe, please help us with that.” The university has also invested significantly in quarantine facilities, with its official quarantine location capable of housing 380 students at a time. Thus far, students seem to be cooperating with university officials, as all the 29 positive tests currently on the university’s COVID-19 dashboard have been reported by students who have independently sought COVID-19 tests off-campus and subsequently notified university authorities of their results. “People have been very forthcoming. I think people watched what happened at Chapel Hill and we just don’t want to do that. We don’t want to be one week in and closing down. So, there’s a pretty high level of investment [from students] for now,” Rue said. Yet, some students seeking out help from Student Health Service (SHS) have encountered diverging and confusing messages from the university in what is an already complicated quarantine process on its own. Junior Emily Ziereis explained that one of her friends she was in close contact with, who
Wake Forest University officials have announced the start of random COVID-19 tests this week with about 500 random tests expected to be performed per week, according to Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue. The university has so far conducted a total of 33 tests based on symptoms over the first week of classes, all of which were negative. The university’s 29 reported tests as of Sept. 2 were conducted off campus with students’ independent resources, Rue explains. Random testing was introduced and implemented this week with the advice of top infectious disease experts at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to Rue.
See Testing, Page 6
Tracking history of race at WFU The Old Gold & Black looks back at 117 years of racial relations at Wake Forest
requested to remain anonymous, started suspecting that she and her boyfriend had COVID-19 symptoms on Tuesday, Aug, 25. Both took a COVID-19 PCR test off-campus from CVS and reported their situation to SHS on the same day. Her friend’s results would not be ready by Thursday, Aug. 27, but that was not the version Ziereis heard from the SHS contact tracer when contacted by Wake Forest. “On Wednesday, [Aug. 26] at about 4:35 p.m., my roommate and I got a call from Student Health saying that someone we had contact with had tested positive. Meanwhile, our friend in question, who thought she had COVID-19, told us she had not gotten her results back from CVS, nor had her boyfriend,” Ziereis said. “We didn’t really ask more questions, we were kind of freaked out and we went to the [Wake Forest quarantine hotel] room by like 6:30 p.m. So, that was our first night there.” Ziereis recounts that she and four other friends got contacted by an SHS contact tracer and moved to the quarantine location between Wednesday and Friday, Aug. 28, despite no positive COVID-19 result from the friend who originally reported to SHS.
Editor’s Note: the following article contains strong content and imagery related to issues of race that may upset some readers. Reader discretion is advised. Throughout the 20th century, the Wake Forest University yearbook, the Howler, published explicitly racist images and text. Racist illustrations were used to portray the university’s law and medical schools, athletic teams, and student organizations. Blackface images were printed regularly in association with greek organizations. While disturbing and frequently grotesque, these images are a valuable source for understanding the extent to which racism permeates the university’s social and academic structure.
See Quarantine, Page 6
See Timeline, Page 4-5
BY JACK PORTMAN Opinion Editor portjt17@wfu.edu
OGB
“ university's history with race Timeline explores This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board.
We must also remember that the presence of racist attitudes on campus is a current reality, not just a past one. "
As we watched protests unfold across the country in response to racial injustice and police brutality this summer, the board of the Old Gold & Black published a staff editorial titled “How Wake Forest Should Truly Begin Combating Systemic Racism.” Along with calling on the university to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for white supremacy and urging white students to actively call on the university to support their peers of color, we also established the need for our publication to actively and diligently report on these issues. When assessing the progression of race relations in America, or lack thereof, it is critical that we as a university take responsibility for the role our institution has played in perpetu-
ating injustice. Though specific articles have been written in our publication unveiling both recent and past racist events and actions, we have decided to publish a comprehensive timeline that provides our readers with an overarching history of the university’s race relations — including both moments of injustice and progress. Yet as comprehensive as this timeline is, it is critical to consider the events that are not marked in this timeline because they were never recorded in writing or pho-
tography. The acknowledgement of daily racist occurrences and microaggressions can help to better place the overtly racist events presented in this historical tracing. We are aware that some of these images are graphic and disturbing. After careful deliberation of whether or not to include certain events and details, we thought deeply about our responsibility as a campus publication to provide our community with the unfiltered truth. In order to reckon with our past, we must face it intentionally and earnestly. You’ll notice that the timeline begins in 1883, but marks the latest racist action taking place as late as last year in 2019. Though the actions taken by
certain individuals cannot represent the opinions of the entire university community, we must work to build a future where we all feel personally outraged by attacks of this nature. We must also remember that the presence of racist attitudes on campus is a current reality, not just a past one. In order for us to begin moving forward as a university, and more broadly as a nation, our predominantly white student body should task themselves with interrogating and processing these truths of Mother So Dear. The emotional labor of reckoning with the realities of racism is not something that can be solely experienced by our Black peers, and white students must take on that burden.
Old Gold&Black
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSIT Y SINCE 1916 OLIVIA FIELD
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF fielor17@wfu.edu
CHARLIE BENEDICT
BUSINESS MANAGER
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EMILY BEAUCHAMP
ELIZABETH MALINE
PRINT MANAGING EDITOR
ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
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>> NEWS
Rafael Lima, limara17@wfu.edu Assistant: Jessica Mark, markjf19@wfu.edu
>> SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Maggie Burns, burnme17@wfu.edu
>> OPINION
Jack Portman, portjt17@wfu.edu Assistants: Ryan King, kingrm17@wfu.edu Alexandra Karlinchak, karlae18@wfu.edu
>> SPORTS
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Catherine Regen, regecl17@wfu.edu Assistant: Andy Killebrew, killae17@wfu.edu Micah Porter, portmj19@wfu.edu
>> PHOTOGRAPHY
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The Old Gold & Black is published Thursdays during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Triangle Printing of Durham. © 2014 WFU Media Board. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all editorials and advertisements contained within this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the OGB. As part of our commitment to reporting news fairly and accurately, we will not remove any previously published content. If an error in either our online or print content is brought to our attention, we will revise the originally published article with an appended correction. In order to facilitate thoughtful and appropriate debate, profane, vulgar, or inflammatory comments on our website are not allowed and will be deleted. For more information on our commenting policy, please see our website. We reserve the right to reject advertisements deemed inappropriate. Our full policy, and how to advertise with the OGB, can be found on our website.
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News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, September 3, 2020 | Page 3
Deacon Profile: Jacob Thomas
like they are. I think at our level, we are continuing to promote cultural awareness on campus and make sure students have awareness of the events going on so they can further their own education. Also, we are working to make sure that Black students feel supported in a time that has been very trying on mental health needs and other concerns of just fitting in. We do have new Black freshmen that will go through a lot of these same things within the lens of COVID-19 and that also has the potential to affect mental health and stability on top of the racial inequity that has been highlighted in recent times.
BY ELIZABETH MALINE Online Managing Editor malied17@wfu.edu
Jacob Thomas is a junior and lifelong native of Greensboro, N.C. At Wake Forest University, he majors in biochemistry and molecular biology. Jacob is also the president of the Black Student Alliance (BSA) on campus. In this role, he is committed to providing a safe space for students of color on campus, but is also eager to address the racial injustices present at the university. What is the Black Student Alliance? The Black Student Alliance is a student organization on campus that is committed to promoting cultural awareness. It serves to create an environment in which students of color, mainly Black students, can feel comfortable. One of the ways we try to do this is by hosting events where Black students can come together and celebrate our culture. One of the main things we’ve been doing this year has been working on the lounge, to try to get that up and running, and get that to be a cultural hub for Black students on campus.
How can the university or other students provide support and assist the BSA in achieving these goals?
What does your role as president entail? Basically, I oversee all of the events and all of the programming. I’m the spokesperson for the organization so anything that comes through our BSA Instagram, I have to oversee and approve that. I basically try to center the other people on the executive team and their vision for the Black Student Alliance so we can truly create a community that helps Black students feel like they belong on campus. What do you see as being some of the biggest struggles Black students face on campus? I just want to make a disclaimer that I cannot speak for all Black students even though I am the president of the BSA. I definitely think that a few different experiences students may face are microaggressions, whether they be in the classroom or on any other part of campus, and I think that’s something that is pervasive and truly does color our experience. I think another thing black students face on campus is
Photo courtesy of Jacob Thomas
trying to find that sense of belonging. When I came here, I was expecting it to be a large party school. I was expecting it to be a place where I could really just let loose and have fun, but I didn’t realize that was going to be guarded by the largely white fraternity scene that our campus is known for and I think that is a testament to finding where students of color and Black students feel comfortable on campus. What are your thoughts on the events that unfolded over the summer and continue to unfold in connection with the Black Lives Matter movement? I was extremely disheartened because I did watch the video of George Floyd’s murder. It’s terrible that I have to see that. I also want to reiterate that this is not the first time that many Black students have seen stuff like this. Going back to Treyvon Martin and many of the other Black indi-
viduals who have died at the hands of police, I think that is just part of our experience and that should definitely not be part of our experience. I think that is something that we definitely are trying to mediate on top of trying to complete our other tasks, so Black students are constantly thinking about those other things. I think that is something that definitely makes our identity sometimes feel weighty, but I think that is not on us to really mediate. I think seeing those events unfold really made me think about my identity a little bit more and just how I can go forward in the future and make sure I am actively fighting against injustices that we face. As president of BSA, what are concrete goals you have identified or steps you can take in combating some of these injustices on campus?
Injustices operate at many different levels when they are systemic
We actually have a fundraiser for the Black Student Alliance lounge to redecorate just because we want to get some new furniture and make sure that we can truly curate a space that is comfortable to house our students on campus and make sure that we can cultivate that sense of belonging. That can be found in our Instagram bio @ wfu_bsa. I also think on an individual level and in a non-pervasive way, checking in with your Black friends and making sure that they are appropriately supported is important. But, I think that takes some true finesse and to do that properly without invading their space and actually holding their mental wellness as a priority is important. I want people to know that there are ways they can get involved in Winston-Salem especially with Jacob Blake, as he is from Winston-Salem. There’s a movement going on called Occupy WSNC and they are meeting downtown. It’s definitely a great way to show support and stand in solidarity with the Black community. I think it's important to center the Black experience beyond justice as well, and that’s kind of a complicated theme. But beyond the justice and inequity that we are facing, I think it's important to just center the Black experience and recognize that we don't always have to be authorities on equity as well. Editor's note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and AP style.
POLICE BEAT COVID-19 Violation/Underage Consumption • Two suitemates with nine non-residents were found in a suite in Kitchin. No masks were worn when police officers arrived in the location. The report was filed on Aug. 24 at 11:09 p.m. • Unauthorized party was reported in Kitchin. Offenders were residents with several guests in the suite in violation of social distancing policy. The report was filed on Aug. 26 at 11:18 p.m. • Thirteen students were found underage drinking and disrespecting social distancing guidelines in Davis. One student was issued a state citation for underage consumption and delay of an officer. The report was filed on Aug. 28 at 11:56 p.m.
• Students were found consuming alcohol and violating social distancing guidelines in a dorm room in Angelou. None were intoxicated or required hospitalization. The report was filed on Aug. 29 at 12:52 a.m. • Six students were found in a single room at Taylor. The report was filed at 10:21 p.m. Miscellaneous • Unknown subject attempted to break into the old wooden cabin in Reynolda village. The report was filed on Aug. 26 at 1:51 p.m. • Unknown subject(s) drew graffitti on Wait Chapel columns. The report was filed on Aug. 30 at 8:26 p.m.
Old Gold & Black | News
Page 4 | Thursday, September 3, 2020
Understanding WFU’s history with racism Continued from Page 1: By engaging with these images, and by situating them in their spatial and temporal context, a social history of the university can be achieved that does not preclude the overt racism of its students and faculty. A shallow reading of these images may facilitate an awareness of the university’s history of racism; a more thoughtful engagement might bring to bear the ways in which racism is enforced, perpetuated and formalized at our contemporary Wake Forest. Who and what is implicated in these images? Have the spaces and institutions reflected in these photographs changed? How is racism embodied by white Wake Forest students, faculty and staff today? We have these images because they were commemorated. They were deemed indicative of the social and academic environment at Wake Forest, and so published in its yearbook. One can only imagine the scenes which escaped photographic posterity, as well as those that didn’t but were considered unsuitable for publication nonetheless. The full timeline can be accessed via our website wfuogb.com — Jack Portman, Opinion Editor
1908
The 650 acre Wake Forest plantation was purchased from slave owner Calvin Jones to be used as the university’s first campus. That year, Reverend Samuel Wait accepted the role of president of the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute. Wait owned two male and two female slaves according to the 1840 census. As explained by a Slavery, Race and Memory Project report, “the men were likely employed in agriculture on Wait’s farm and the women likely worked in the Wait household.” The women were named Dicey and Mary according to a 1939 bill of sale.
1900s
1883
A bronze plaque displayed in front of Tribble Hall celebrates Tom Jeffries as an esteemed member of the Wake Forest community. Jeffries was born into slavery in Virginia and worked for much of his life as a gardener at the original Wake Forest campus. Jeffries sat in on classes throughout his tenure at Wake Forest, earning him the nickname Doctor Tom. Jeffries was reportedly popular among students, and his commemorative plaque emphasizes that he was an admired campus figure. However, a poem dedicated to Jeffries in the 1908 edition of the Howler reflects the extent to which overt racism coexisted with, and seemingly defined, the students’ perceptions of him.
1979
1967 1977 The first Black member of the Wake Forest Basketball Team, Norwood Todmann, was excluded from the team portrait printed in the 1967 edition of the Howler. His individual portrait was included, however it appears he was not allowed to stand for the team photograph.
A group of men perform in blackface at an unidentified fraternity event.Images of students in blackface are also printed in the Howler in 1976, 1979 and 1991.
2000s
2003 The homecoming spread in the 2003 edition of the Howler criticized the election of a Black homecoming king and queen. The article questions whether the university will “continue its 12 year tradition of electing a homecoming king and queen that represent only a small portion of students, or will we change our ways and elect the male and female that best represent our school?” Marlena Reese was crowned queen and Michael Damond as king of the 2002-3 school year.
2007
In 1979, the university hosted Black city leaders for the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Banquet. Fraternity members displayed Confederate flags from their dorms in protest of the event. This incident precipitated a counter protest march by Black students and a ceremonial burning of a Confederate flag. This event garnered significant publicity and resulted in the KKK offering their assistance to the relevant fraternity. The fraternity denied the assistance of the KKK.
2018 In the “Themed Parties” spread of the 2007 edition of the Howler, the Kappa Alpha (KA) fraternity is described as having hosted a rap video themed party.
Freshman Kara Nelson posted a video on her “finsta” Instagram account in which she drunkenly admitted to having used the n-word against her Resident Adviser. A screen shot of the video was posted to Twitter by a fellow student, who added that “the trend of saying the n-word on finstas is so strong at PWI’s.” Wake Forest’s Twitter handle was tagged in the post. Nelson later left the university as a result of her racist language.
News | Old Gold & Black In at least four instances throughout the 20th century, the Howler printed images of deceased Black bodies. In each case the images were associated with the university medical school. A photo from the 1926 edition depicts white doctors posing with a heavily mutilated cadaver and is captioned with a brutal slur.
1911
Thursday, September 3, 2020 |Page 5 In April of 1962, the Board of Trustees approved a resolution to desegregate the Undergraduate College by a vote of 17-9. The resolution required that the university “allow qualified students to enter Wake College regardless of race.” The resolution met minor pushback, according to an Old Gold & Black article. Edward Reynolds was the first Black student admitted to the university. Reynolds, born in Ghana, transferred to Wake Forest from Shaw University.
1926
1960
This illustration of a lynching, captioned “the limb of the law,” was printed opposite a page dedicated to the university’s law school in the 1911 edition of the Howler. The illustration appears to have been created by W.L. Knight, who is listed on the following page as the Treasurer of the “Law Class Officers.”
1962
In February 1960, 12 Winston-Salem State students and 10 Wake Forest students were arrested for participating in a lunch counter sit-in at F. W. Woolworth in downtown Winston-Salem. In this photo, Wake Forest student George Williamson, a participant in the sit-in, emerges from an elevator in Winston-Salem City Hall guided by a police officer. The Wake Forest students made their way downtown after receiving calls from student leaders at Winston-Salem State University, according to reports from the Old Gold & Black.
1985
1982
Images from the 1982, 1983 and 1984 editions of the Howler depict Senior Assistant Provost Martha Allman and Associate Dean of Admissions Kevin Pittard, both undergraduate students at the time, posing before a Confederate flag with members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Wait Chapel on Oct. 11. King called on apathetic white students to take an active stance against racism. “There are millions of white people of good will in the south, and they are silent out of fear — fear of social, political and economic reprisals” said King to an audience of “2,200 students faculty and townspeople.”
1989 As early as 1985, students voiced criticism of the university’s investments in apartheid-era South Africa. Beginning in at least 1988, a campus organization known as Students Against Apartheid began hosting protests targeted at the Board of Trustees. This photograph depicts a sign reading “Pro Humanitate? Not in S. Africa” displayed on the Quad by members of Students Against Apartheid ahead of the 1988 Homecoming football game.
John McLemore, a Black third year law student, was arrested for refusing to produce his student ID when confronted by a security guard at Reynolds Gym. This was not a usual request for gym users, and a subsequent university investigation faulted the officer involved and exposed a broad system of discrimination among the university’s security guards. The incident prompted other Black students to describe similar experiences involving demands by security guards that they produce their student IDs.
2019 On Sept. 10 and 11, 12, faculty and staff members received threatening emails which contained racist, homophobic and anti-semitic language. The emails resulted in an increased security presence on campus. According to the Washington Post, the emails contained references to “the standards set by well raised white men.” Joseph Soares, A Wake Forest student made a racist Instathe Head of the Department of gram post promoting alumnus Kal Maier’s Sociology and a recipient of one write-in campaign for Student Body Presisuch email, described the landent. The post, drawing on the rhetoric of President Donald Trump, facetiously referred guage as “a white supremacist to an alleged desire to “build a wall between call for genocide.” Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State.”
2020 At the Founder’s Day Convocation in February 2020, President Nathan Hatch acknowledged and apologized for the university’s involvement in the institution of slavery.
In June 2020, the President’s Committee on Race, Equity, and Community released its report concerning the ways in which the university can take active measures in combating racism. The report called for minimum standards for the enrollment and hiring of minority students, faculty and staff, a drastic expansion of the university’s financial aid budget, and substantial increases in the university’s investment in the Winston-Salem community.
Old Gold & Black | News
Page 6 | Thursday, September 3, 2020
Testing: University begins Quarantine: Contact tracing random COVID-19 screenings shows some inconcistencies
Continued from Page 1
“CDC guidance has been shifting throughout the summer, and only recently ... we made the decision to use this approach based on CDC guidance,” Rue said. “Because it takes, typically, about four days from exposure to show any symptoms or even to show the antigens in your blood, to do [testing] too soon since we had just done prearrival testing for everyone just didn’t make any sense.” Rue also noted that if someone tests positive, the university will work with that individual to perform contact tracing. As of Sept. 1, the university has reported 25 positive tests for coronavirus on its dashboard, and over 20 students are currently in quarantine (the university’s quarantine capacity is currently 380, but can be raised if needed, per Rue). Wake Forest has also launched a COVID-19 dashboard to keeu track of cases and possible outbreaks on campus. Thus, far no clusters have been identified among students. “There are no known clusters currently. A cluster is defined as five or more cases in a 14 day period of time within a setting with a link between the cases. The University monitors information for individuals with confirmed COVID-19 to look for clusters,” said SHS Clinical Director Dr. Joanne Clinch.
According to Rue, there are also plans to increase the amount of information on the dashboard as the semester progresses. Administration officials are hopeful that the random tests will yield the same low percentage of positives as have been prevalent these past weeks. So far, students who felt sick participated in a telehealth screening with Student Health Service (SHS) to determine their need for testing. According to SHS, the university is able to contact trace and notify 50-80 students per day, with access to additional resouces if need increase. The increased testing comes in the same week North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced the state’s move to “Phase 2.5” starting Friday, Sept. 4, during which indoor gathering limits will be raised to 25 and outdoor gatherings will be raised to 50. “We’d like to stretch our elbows a little bit and see what we can create that’s safe,” Rue said on the possibility of larger on-campus gatherings. Ultimately, as the university moves into a new phase of COVID-19 monitoring, Rue is encouraged by the “esprit de corps” she sees in the Wake Forest community. “In conversation with colleagues from around the country … I do think that Wake’s ability to navigate this crisis is enhanced by the sense of community that we know students feel, that we as administration feel, too,” said Rue.
Continued from Page 1
On Thursday, her results came back negative, but another SHS contact tracer insisted on the earlier version of a positive result for fear of a false negative. “A few hours later [after the negative test result], as soon as I got out of class … I got a call from SHS. The first thing they said to me was “you’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19,” said junior Tracy Chen who had been in close contact with the friend in question on Aug. 16 for a close gathering at her apartment. “I was asking them ‘why are you telling me she had a positive test? That is not true.’ She sent me a picture of her test and it was negative. They kept telling me ‘no, you have to go to the quarantine hotel, you have to exit university property.’” From the moment a student reports COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test, they are contacted by SHS to determine the next few steps for quarantine and arrange temporary relocation to the Best Western Plus University Inn (the university’s official quarantine location). Contact tracing usually follows after a confirmed case. “Students who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 are required to ‘quarantine’ themselves for 14 days after the last time they were around the person with CO-
VID,” said SHS Clinical Director Dr. Joanne Clinch. “It is important to know that even if the individual exposed never feels sick and even if they have a negative test for COVID-19, the 14 day quarantine period cannot be shortened.” Yet, with Zieries, Chen and some of their friends, contact tracing and quarantine came and went without much further explanation or positive results. On Aug. 29, after a second negative test from their friend in common, Zieries and Chen were allowed to leave quarantine, still unsure of how the current Wake Forest quarantine protocol works and less assured of the university’s overall COVID-19 response. “We are all just pretty disappointed in how we wasted so many resources like rooms and beds when, you know, it was not 100% that we had to be there. Me, personally, I am just disappointed in how everything turned out,” Ziereis said. “It could’ve been so much easier if we were just all told the same story.” Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the university is not allowed to share personal information from students’ medical records, but the Old Gold & Black was able to confirm Zieries and Chen’s recount. For as much as compliance and transparency from the student body has been deemed vital to make this process work, the university has not afforded the same to some students.
RAs face new COVID-19 challenges Resident advisers are coping with new COVID-19 limitations on top of their already tasking duties BY JESSICA MARK Asst. News Editor markjf19@wfu.edu Editor’s Note: This article contains quotes and information from three resident advisers who, when speaking with the Old Gold & Black, asked to remain anonymous. We have not included their names in this article, though their identities are known to us, as to not compromise their positions as employees. To avoid confusion, each RA will be referred to using a gender neutral alias. In previous semesters, resident advisers (RAs) on Wake Forest’s campus would facilitate events to help residents socialize with each other. These events included pizza parties, study sessions in lounges and group gatherings. This fall, however, new COVID-19 guidelines have hindered RAs’ ability to create events and build a sense of community. Also, in addition to fulfilling their usual responsibilities, RAs are now tasked with additional obligations such as enforcing COVID-19 guidelines. Although administrators create the COVID-19 policies, RAs are the ones tasked with ensuring students comply. Ryan, who is a RA in a freshman hall, explained how RAs are working to help students adhere to new campus rules this semester. “The university puts out these rules and regulations, and we are the boots on the ground enforcing them,” Ryan said. “If
there are COVID-19 regulations, we’re the people enforcing those regulations.” Ryan also explained how, despite increased University Police presence on campus this semester, it can be difficult to count on their assistance when faced with a situation that requires immediate attention. “It is kind of difficult because sometimes it can take up to ten minutes for them to respond,” Ryan said. “I just don’t know if that’s the best way to deal with the situations.” Further, Jordan, who works as a RA for upperclassmen, has expressed a desire for University Police to be more consistent this semester. “University Police have been involved even though their response, I would say, has been pretty inconsistent so far. Some days, they do a good job documenting everyone who is not complying, and then other days they let them off the hook,” Jordan said. In addition, RAs have had difficulty connecting and collaborating with each other this semester. Dylan, who has never been a RA before, said that it is hard to meet and learn from other RAs on campus. “The training was all virtual, which had its own set of differences because I feel like meeting your staff in-person is very important to making a tighter, close-knit connection,” Dylan said. “There are some people on my staff that I haven’t even had a conversation with in-person.” Beyond connecting with other RAs, it has also been challenging for them to bond with their residents. Ryan said
that it is hard to create the same bonds as were made prior to the pandemic. “It’s harder to have those organic conversations, especially because people are only allowed to have one other person in their room,” Ryan said. “We’re discouraged from going into residents’ rooms. If we feel comfortable, we can, but they don’t want us exposing ourselves to so many people, which is completely understandable.” Similarly, Jordan has struggled to form a sense of community amongst the residents themselves. “It’s really hard to get all the suites that I oversee to interact with each other because right now, I don’t blame people for wanting to stick to themselves and the people they live with,” Jordan said. “No one really wants to be min-
gling with a bunch of people, especially if they are concerned about their own safety.” As the semester progresses, RAs will continue to adapt to the current circumstances and find creative ways to build community amongst their residents. Of course, this assumes the Reynolda campus remains open and continues to operate with the current restrictions in place, not stricter ones. Although RAs will keep addressing noncompliant behavior when they see it, social distancing guidelines definitely add an extra layer of challenges when making sure students adhere to COVID-19 rules. Meaning that, ultimately, the university’s ability to remain open this semester will require collaborative efforts from all members of the community.
Katie Fox / Old Gold & Black
The COVID-19 pandemic has added new challenges to resident adivisers, who are tasked with watching over students while still social distancing.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
T H U R S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 2 0
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Environmental issues reveal social injustices An inextricable link between environmental and social justice is arising nationwide BY SOPHIA TOMPKINS Contributing Writer tompsa17@wfu.edu In a time of the fight for equal rights, environmental justice is no exception. In fact, it is at the forefront of the minds of many protesters and lawmakers alike. “I can’t breathe” protests across the country have included environmental justice since it is becoming increasingly clearer that there are severe systemic racial disparities. Low-income households and communities of color tend to be disproportionately affected by environmental hazards because they are more likely to be in areas of highly toxic neighborhoods. For example, they usually face increased exposure to lead-based paint, higher levels of pollution and contamination in both the air and water and limited access to healthy foods. This means they tend to have more harmful living conditions that they do not necessarily have the means to escape. This leads to a higher risk of developing a variety of health disparities like asthma, cancer, lead poisoning, obesity and hyperactivity. This only worsens the already ever-present economic and
health disparities that burden these specific communities. Additionally, since COVID-19 causes and intensifies respiratory issues, many preexisting conditions due to the harmful environment are exacerbated, thus further impacting environmental justice. Studies suggest harmful environmental exposure could result in a higher mortality rate among communities of color who are exposed and infected with COVID-19. Worse yet, according to the National Library of Medicine, there are currently 13 million children in poverty that are disproportionately affected by these environmental dangers. These kids are largely from communities of color and low-income households who tend to be exposed to more harmful living conditions without a safer alternative. They do not have the ability to move or fight big corporations on their own. To help combat this inequality, Congressman Donald McEachin of Virginia’s 4th District (D) and Raul Grijalva of Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District (D) introduced the Environmental Justice for All Act. The bill would empower communities disproportionately affected by environmental threats to regain some control over their homes and surrounding communities. More specifically, the bill prohibits exploitation of communities of color and provides grants to fund the research, education and projects that would focus on
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Protestors for environmental protection and social justice change are finding their intersection in the fight against systemic environmental injustices. environmental hazards and subsequent health issues. Funding is also given to workers and communities looking to move away from predominantly fossilfuel dependent work. It also ensures equitable access to outdoor spaces like parks and recreation areas. There are currently 62 Democratic sponsors for the bill and it has gained popular attention from Democratic VP candidate Kamala Harris, former Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker, and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth who partnered with McEachin and Grijalva to introduce the bill in the
Senate. Unfortunately, it is not likely that the bill will pass through the Senate, with a lack of republican support. Nevertheless, it is still important legislation in raising the importance of environmental injustice and refocusing on the climate crisis. Despite a near impossibility of accurately predicting the future beyond this pandemic, eventually there will be a new sense of normal. According to McEachin though, humankind as we know it will not survive past 2050 unless the climate crisis is tackled.
WFU research investigates NC deer overpopulation Students and faculty provide some solutions to deer overpopulation issue BY MAGGIE BURNS Science &Technology Editor burnme17@wfu.edu North Carolina is known for its beautiful state and national parks, and especially for the wildlife that exists in those spaces. Protection of land and animals is valued in the state, but that preservation is proving to be dangerous in the case of its deer population. Researchers on campus are investigating causes of and solutions for the issue of overpopulation of Whitetail Deer in our area. According to the NC Wildlife Foundation, the population of Whitetail Deer in North Carolina was 10,000 in 1900. However, the population has steadily grown since then — due to efforts to restore the population — and now is estimated to be around one million. This may seem like positive growth, but the flourishing of the Whitetail Deer has turned into vast overpopulation. Deer have no natural predators in North Carolina, so the population, especially in protected areas, is growing faster than the biotic communities can keep up with.
One of the biggest ecological problems of overpopulation is that the deer overgraze the vegetation that other small herbivores also feed on. Deer are known as a keystone species, meaning that they have a large effect on the entire ecosystem in which they live. The wellbeing of other species that share an ecosystem with deer are reliant on the deer population being properly regulated in order to also flourish. “The deer eat basically everything that they can eat,” said Robbie Baldwin, former Wake Forest biology graduate student and teaching assistant. “And when they do that, they end up not only changing the vegetation community but they also change the small mammal community” Due to North Carolina state laws, hunting is not allowed in state parks. While this seems like a positive protection of animals, it is actually causing damage because the deer are now running rampant and negatively impacting other plant and animal communities. “There’s a lot of cascading effects [when the deer over-graze]," Baldwin said. “It changes the actual soil composition and how small mammals move around.” Not only does this overpopulation issue negatively affect plants and other mammals, it also has an adverse effect on the human population in multiple ways. One of the most costly and deadly
impacts of deer overpopulation comes in the form of vehicle accidents. According to data from the NCDOT, animal related crashes resulted in nine deaths and 2,975 injuries in 2018 alone. These crashes also caused $146 million dollars in damages in 2018, and the majority of those involved deer. The NCDOT also reports that Forsyth County has steadily been the tenth highest ranking county for animal collisions, with $3,115,475 in damages between 2016 and 2018. Wake county is ranked number one, while other more rural counties such as Swain and Graham round out the bottom of the list. WFMY News reported a crash that occurred in Winston-Salem in 2018 that was the result of a deer on I-40; the deer caused the driver, who was transporting a herd of cattle, to flip because he swerved to miss the deer. The flip resulted in the death of half the herd that was being transported. “We’ve reached a stage where there are too many deer in too many places,” said Jared Beaver, a postdoctoral researcher at Wake Forest and Fellow of Wildlife and Nature Resource Sustainability, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services Group at Wake’s Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Beaver also said that urban sprawl and development contribute to the overpopulation issue because hunting is less pop-
ular in those areas. Additionally, deer are a generalist species, which means they can live in urban areas. A large contributing factor to the overpopulation issue is the inability to hunt in state parks in North Carolina. The protected areas provide a safe breeding ground for the animals without any natural predation. However, researchers have proposed solutions to this issue. One possible solution is regulated hunting in the parks as well as in other areas. While it may seem counterproductive to hunt animals in order to save them and others, it may be the best solution to the problem. “Yes it is cool to see deer around all the time, but the deer have a very negative impact on their surroundings,” Baldwin said. “And since we’ve eliminated all the large predators in the area, we’re the ones tasked with controlling them.” By allowing regulated hunting of deer in the parks and regardless of the season, the population will return to manageable numbers, allowing other plants and animals to be contributing members of the biotic communities in which they exist. Population control will also likely decrease the frequency of car accidents. “We’re at a major turning point,” Beaver said. “We’re starting to really see the need for putting hunting in education.”
OPINION
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a t : w w w. w f u o g b . c o m E D IT O R : J a c k P o r t m a n , p o r t j t 17 @ w f u . e d u A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R S : R y a n K i n g , k i n g r m 17 @ w f u . e d u Alexandra Karlinchak, karlae18@wfu.edu
OLD GOLD & BLACK
The views expressed in all opinion columns represent those of the article’s author, not the opinions of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board
American “ideals fail pandemic response COVID-19 Response
Exceptionalism and Individualism undermined national response to pandemic
Our exceptionalism often leads to closed-mindedness and ignorance about the rest of the world.”
Elizabeth Maline Staff Columnest malied17@wfu.edu
February was the last full month of relative normalcy in America. President DonaldTrump was acquitted after grueling impeachment hearings. There were long delays with the Iowa caucus, marking an uncertain start to the election season. The first American died of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The Old Gold & Black was preparing to release what would be its second to last print issue of the academic year. We had a shortage of content that week and we were looking for a story to fill the empty space. I decided to conduct a brief survey asking how students felt about the coronavirus. The overarching response was that students did not care about the virus. They said they weren’t worried because there “aren’t any cases here.” They admitted to
being ill informed and compared it to the flu. They mentioned ebola, expressing confidence that if the virus reached our shores, we could handle it. Except one sophomore said, “We are too ignorant because it’s too far away. We need to be more concerned than we are.” He was right. We should have been more concerned, but why weren’t we? Frankly, we had no reason not to be. There was an abundance of information regarding the virus. A quick Google search for news articles from February tells you that every major news source was writing often about the virus, warning us of the health risks, economic fallout and increasing number of cases. Yet in late February and even in early March, we remained unconcerned. The Old Gold & Black did not even run the results of our survey in the paper because they did not seem worthy of reporting. We instead opted to fill the space with our recurring “Wake in a Week,” which highlights campus events. My notes from the survey sat in a note ook in campus storage for six months,and when I read them this week, it felt like I
had opened a time capsule. With the benefit of hindsight, the responses seem unfathomable. But, these responses were only a microcosm of how the rest of the country was feeling. Maybe they reveal an underlying reason for why we were all so unprepared, when in fact we shouldn’t have been unprepared at all. During quarantine, I thought a lot about American exceptionalism — the idea that America is inherently different and better than other countries. But our exceptionalism often leads to closed-mindedness and ignorance about the rest of the world. Why would we pay attention to what’s happening in other countries when our way, the American way, is always best? We didn’t follow other countries’ leads or learn from their experiences because we didn’t think we had to. There weren’t any cases here. But now that the virus is controlling every aspect of our lives and we are still failing to contain it, I think about the role of another hallmark American trait – American individualism — in explaining our response. While studying abroad, I learned that America is actually the most individualistic country in the world from a social science standpoint. Contrastingly, some of the most collectivist countries in the world are in Africa, which as a continent has inexplicably weathered the pandemic despite a high infection rate.
As Americans, we value individual achievement rather than collective progress. We choose to help ourselves over the greater good. We don’t wear masks because we believe they infringe on our personal freedoms, freedoms we will defend to the death. Or, we think they are simply annoying, and why would we want to be uncomfortable even for a little while (even if it means protecting others)? We don’t stay six feet away from people because we don’t like being told what to do, and don’t think we can be forced to do anything. The university’s “Show Humanitate” campaign proves that we have to be reminded to engage in personal sacrifice that benefits the greater good. In other countries, people wear masks solely because it helps others, no questions asked, and they’re fairing much better than we are. It’s one thing not to take the virus seriously because of our exceptionalist attitude. It’s quite another to continue jeopardizing our own health and the health of others by standing on ceremony. Strictly prioritizing individual freedoms over the wellbeing of the whole will serve to our detriment. To beat this virus, we will need to stop thinking we know best and learn to balance individual liberties with collective sacrifice, which doesn’t come easily to us.
“ new independent filmmaking A24 stagnates Movies
Independent filmmakers suffer from over-reliance on cinematic tropes
Jack Portman
Staff Columnist portjt17@wfu.edu
If you are even peripherally interested in movies you’ve likely seen something produced by the entertainment distribution company A24. Their films appear to be aesthetically distinct from more typical cinematic fare, almost always departing from stylistic norms. And with seemingly not insignificant success the company has become an aesthetic unto itself. One can buy gaudily baroque t-shirts celebrating films from the A24 catalogue, or indulge in candles, mugs, posters or hats designed with a Virgil Abloh-esque grammar. The company’s emphasis on films that seem to push the boundaries of contemporary cin-
A24 ... proceeded to advance A brief and unscientific poll of my suitean aesthetic agenda that for- mates yielded results which I, unfoundedly malized a breadbasket of inde- and without any basis in statistical research pendent film must-haves.” methods, feel applies to the population of ema underlays a singular aesthetic vision that transcends media and may, in the end, have much to do with a collective boredom with the sights and sounds of everyday life. However, A24 and the films it produces are a false escape. It is probably wrong to critically approach a large swath of movies based on the company which saw to their distribution. A more appropriate and more traditional unit of measure would be an analysis of a particular director or cinematographer or writer’s body of work. To make a critical assertion about a set of films produced by a vast ensemble of movie-makers with little to do with one another other than their transient partnerships with a particular company seems pointless. However, A24 has seen a significant rise in prominence, and I think it is important to take stock of the ways in which the company has affected independent cinema throughout the decade.
semi-interested movie watchers at large. “If I see a trailer for an A24 movie, I feel like it will be better and more thoughtout than a regular movie,” said one friend. Another commented that “they do such provocative things in their movies that it makes you unsettled … and there’s an A24 aesthetic.” I really do have the sense that these and similar opinions are shared widely, and that after establishing a niche in independent cinema, A24 indeed proceeded to advance an aesthetic agenda that formalized a breadbasket of independent film must-haves, a tool box of stylistic cues that collectively make up our concept of the A24 aesthetic. And as an ardent over-user of the term “aesthetic,” this should delight me. However, I am also a known abuser of the term “hegemony” and in this case each of these academic buzz words seem highly relevant. I have no idea what the process of pitching a movie, executing on its creation and
delivering the finished product in postproduction looks like. However, my sense is that a film has to be viable (or at least appear to be viable) in order to be created. This is especially important, I would expect, for filmmakers with little to no budget on hand. Filmmakers look to producers for money to make their films, but producers will only invest in films they think will appeal to movie-goers. So, in the producer-filmmaker relationship, the producer has the power, and serves as the arbiter of aesthetic viability. This has the effect, I’m guessing, of creating an echochamber similar to the aforementioned “A24 aesthetic:” A more or less consistent grab-bag of vintage reclamation, art-nouveau reimagination, french new-wave run through a who’s who of VSCO filters. The A24 aesthetic seems divergent from the styles and forms we are used to seeing in theaters, however it is itself tiresomely predictable and, for that reason, constrains our own aesthetic sensibilities. As a divergence from the norm, A24 feels refreshing. But when an aesthetic is commodified it loses novelty and becomes a force of hegemony.
Opinion | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, September 3, 2020 | Page 9
“ for campus-wide response Racism calls Anti-Racism
Students should be compelled to take action against structural forms of racism
Aine Pierre
Guest Columnist pierav20@wfu.edu For a lot of us, this year has been a wake up call to the harsh realities of racism that our Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) classmates have known to be true their whole lives. With the killings of George Floyd in Minnesota, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and John Neville right here in Winston-Salem, the ugly human cost of systemic racism has been broadcast clear as day to those like me who are privileged enough not to experience it on a daily basis. We are now charged with the work of levying that privilege and committing ourselves not only to unlearning actions and perceptions that have roots in racism, but also in actively fighting against it. To, as Angela Davis reminds us, not simply be not racist, but antiracist. The student compact this year laid out this responsibility and formalized the work that we as Wake Forest students need to do to see a fairer, more just world. The compact lays it out like this: “Commit to antiracist action, condemn prejudice and bigotry, challenge ourselves to serve the marginalized communities on campus and throughout the Winston-Salem community, and encourage unity as a student body by
No one deserves to be jailed for speaking out about racism in our system." engaging with different groups and perspectives.” Much has been written about making Wake Forest’s campus a more inclusive space, and I look forward to continuing that conversation both at institutional and personal levels, but for the moment, I choose to focus on the idea of committing to “antiracist action” in the Winston-Salem community and some things we can do right now to help make this community a fairer one. In Winston-Salem just last month, police arrested many protesting the unjust death of John Neville for solely exercising their first amendment rights. Donating to the Forsyth County Community Bail Fund, or even just sharing a fundraiser for them with those who can donate, is a great start to getting involved. No one deserves to be jailed for speaking out about racism in our system. In North Carolina as a whole, there is a campaign to end qualified immunity for police officers, which allows police almost limitless discretion in their duties (and leaves very little room for litigation against them in cases like those of Floyd, Taylor, et al). There is also a campaign to encourage Governor Roy Cooper to veto Senate Bill 168, which would afford further protections to the police. Equity Forsyth has a sample letter that can be sent to either legislators or Cooper (it can also be used as a call script). Another great way to get involved is to
Photo Courtesy of Kaye West Uzoigne
Peacful protestors, activists and organizers seen publically condemning police murder of George Floyd in New York, NY. show up at protests and elevate the voices of BIPOC there. Then, when speeches are given, listen to the anger and frustration and then do something about it. Often, the groups that organize these protests (Winston 4 Peace, etc.) or their partners have some way to get involved. Learn about these organizations, and then join them in their fight. We have been woken up now. We see the damage — psychological, human and otherwise — that racism is causing in our communities. We have seen the pain and anger of people of color and we have been implored to levy our privilege and help fight this unjust system.
It is time we make good on the promises we made on Instagram when George Floyd’s murder rocked the nation, time we made good on the promises we made on Blackout Tuesday. As Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” Our generation has unlimited potential to make change. Let us not be discouraged by past failures to act or the gravity of the work to be done, let us channel that American spirit of defiance and problem-solving and make not just a nonracist world, but an antiracist world.
large gatherings, it may even be possible for interpersonal relations to become even closer than before. We have this unique opportunity to meet with people oneon-one and forge connections with each other on a personal level. Second, choose your adventures wisely. With these smaller settings, I have found the great outdoors to be a fantastic source of joy and safe socialization. To get you started, here are some easy ideas for these outdoor socializations. For the mornings, try waking up early and heading to the Reynolda Trails or Salem Lake. Both places are easily accessible for students and offer some sense of change or novelty as you leave the campus gates. With regard to meals, if you want to avoid the hub and chaos near the Pit outdoor seating for mealtime, bring your food to-go to your dorm patio with your roommates or suitemates. For later evening activities, find a picnic blanket and watch the sun set over Wait Chapel. All of these things are such simple solutions for safe time with friends. Another idea a friend from home recently shared with me is to write someone’s name on your calendar each week a
month in advance. Whenever you get to that person’s day, set up a time to FaceTime or zoom them if they can’t meet in person. This can guarantee that you can also stay in touch with people from home and people who are not comfortable catching up in person. Additionally, if you are looking for some sort of safe group activity, Campus Recreation is also sponsoring outdoor fitness classes every day. Some classes include cardio dance, martial arts, yoga, core, cycle and pilates. Ask your roommates or suitemates to sign up with you for a change of pace during your day. Push yourself to try activities that might be out of your general repertoire. Especially with classes like martial arts or group dance, this may be a great source of conversation and bonding among your peers later. With all of this in mind, I believe that we all have the capacity to ensure a safe and joyous semester at Wake Forest. Reset your mindset to one more geared towards personal growth and be on the lookout for any opportunity for safe recreation. Be smart, make responsible choice, and protect yourself and others in all social endeavors this year.
“ Pandemic facilitates interpersonal growth Pandemic Slump
Embracing the changing social environment can lead to a fulfilling change of pace
Ansley McNeel
Guest Columnist mcnear19@wfu.edu Quarantine: the dreaded word that marked the supposed slumber of society. Now that we are back at Wake Forest, it is easy to compare our lives and current situation to the college experience that we have pictured and lived in the past. We associate the classic college experience with large gatherings, random meetings and significant social growth, but these things may be limited and morphed by the necessary health guidelines in place to keep us all safe. It is so tempting to try and grab at anything that might help our lives resemble what might have been if COVID-19 had never surfaced in our homes.
With these smaller settings, I have found the great outdoors to be a fantastic source of joy and safe socialization.” However, we should push back against this tendency and blind desire for the old sense of normalcy. When we romanticize and dwell on what we have had in the past, we ignore the new opportunities and areas for growth that this forced change of society might present us. Instead of relying on the normal college conventions of fun, I encourage the students of Wake Forest to explore other ways to feel connected with others and the college experience this semester. The new norm could end up being more personally enriching than we ever expected at the beginning of quarantine. The first step of beating the pandemic slump is to readjust your own expectations for what each day will look like. Take a step back from your emotions and recognize that we will still be able to see friends (as long as we wear face coverings, practice social distancing and focus on the safety regulations). Without
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Old Gold & Black | Opinion
Thoughtful“reactions can bolster maturity Personal PersonalDevelopment Development
Pausing to think can offer one better control in frustrating situations Ryan King
Staff Columnist kingrm17@wfu.edu I guess it’s probably human nature that we make negative evaluations often. We get annoyed when we get cut off in traffic, we gossip about other people, we complain when something doesn’t go our way. Perfectly ideal situations are few and far in between if they exist at all. But still, I wonder why it seems easiest to speak negatively about what goes on around us, whether it’s light hearted and jovial or in hopeless desperation (both of which seem to appear often in discussing the current political climate). I catch myself being prompted and ready to do this often, and it’s only after a moment of hesitation that I realize it. Naturally, I’m a quiet per-
There is something to be said for the potential lost in harping on trivial moments of inconvenience or trouble..." son. I enjoy talking to others but don’t always jump at opportunities to share my thoughts and opinions. Though this has probably kept me from getting to know some people (though you’d be surprised how much someone will tell you if you just keep listening), it has, on more than one occasion, prevented me from putting my foot in my mouth. And beyond situations where I prevent myself from saying something stupid, in many instances I realize — after pausing for a moment and holding on to what I was going to say — that my reaction would’ve served no purpose other than to manifest a negative idea. And the longer I hold onto that thought, the less it desires to be heard. And I don’t find that these trivial negative comments build up in my head and later culminate into something larger and more angry, but rather that I can, in each instance, let it go after just a few seconds. In reflecting on moments like those,
I’ve seen that there’s power in leaving things unsaid. Giving pause to impulse of course promotes thoughtfulness, but also a feeling of stoic maturity (I do mean stoicism in the philosophical sense, at risk of sounding pretentious). This isn’t to say that bottling up your feelings and avoiding self-expression is a good thing. You probably shouldn’t avoid feeling negative emotions just to wait for positive ones, because this would mean feeling none at all in the meantime. However, there is something to be said for the potential lost in harping on trivial moments of inconvenience or trouble, or even grating annoyances. That is, potential to lend your focus elsewhere, whether that’s to positive moments and a happy-go-lucky feeling or simply to being more productive and considering more relevant and meaningful concerns. There’s only so much time in a day to which you can dedicate your thoughts and actions, and losing that to moments where the universe is against you is, in my opinion, a waste. The Balboa school of thought would tell you, after being
hit by a substantial obstacle, to get up and keep moving forward, but it seems to me that anything that doesn’t knock you down, isn’t worth breaking your stride for. And in this case, where there’s opportunity to avoid loss, you can also find room for growth. With each inconvenience that rolls off your back, you condition yourself to better handle strife in the future. Being college students, and of an age that technically makes us an adult but really only in the legal sense, it would appear that this is the time when we should learn how to do just that. You can imagine the difference between an adult that goes unbothered when their will is tested, and one that becomes frustrated at the small. And then imagine how you would like to be seen by those who will be in our current position in the future. Next time you feel the heat rise in your chest as you become frustrated at something, take a step outside of the situation and see it and yourself from the perspective of an observer, and not that of an actor. Then you can decide whether it’s valuable enough to take up your time. There’s a good chance it isn’t.
“ University counseling remains underfunded Campus Life
UCC faces budget cuts and understaffing despite pandemic stresses Alexandra Karlinchak Staff Columnist karlae18@wfu.edu
Since returning to campus, a new topic of conversation has replaced the usual chatter about mundane schoolwork and muggy frat basements. The subject in question? Mental wellness … or lack thereof. It is no surprise that people’s mental health has taken a serious blow throughout the past six months in particular. Constant isolation from society, non-stop exposure to the news, and an astronomical increase in social media use has only exacerbated the problem. This combination of factors was a death wish to Ms. Serotonin herself, and for many, returning to campus seemed to be the only antidote. So, imagine my surprise when I received the news from my oncampus therapist that our weekly sessions would need to be shaved down to monthly meetings. Cue the record scratch and the mental breakdown. Monthly meetings?
If you have been waiting The frustration I hold is not difor a signal to start prac- rected at the UCC, but at the reticing mindfulness or med- sources they were allocated this itation, this is it. ” year. Counseling positions were cut. Soon after this bomb was dropped, I had the sinking realization that I was one of the fortunate ones. A close friend of mine was told that she would not be seen individually for reccurring appointments at all this semester. Her options? Group therapy or seeing a local therapist in the Winston-Salem area. That is all well and good, but what about insurance? Personal finances? What if you are uncomfortable with group therapy or have found that individual therapy is most helpful for the struggles you are facing? So much time and money were funneled into preparing campus for the physical health of students that mental wellness was pushed beyond the backburner. If anything, it became an afterthought. Now, let it be said loud and clear that this is not a critique of the University counseling center (UCC)itself. The UCC took so much on their shoulders over the summer and helped an unprecedented number of clients, not only those located on-campus or in North Carolina, but even students residing in other neighboring states. To them, I am incredibly grateful.
Some therapists who were able to speak with six to eight clients per day a semester ago are now only able to speak with around ten per week. Even group therapy sessions will be limited in capacity. In order for students to receive the mental health assistance they require, providers of counseling services need to be properly staffed and funded. Considering the current state of the world, it is a wonder to me how the UCC was not granted additional funding this semester. It feels that students are more prone to develop anxiety and depression than they are to catch COVID-19, yet no proactive steps are being taken. Even a petition created over the summer that called for the maintenance of a fully staffed Counseling Center was brushed aside. I am grateful that there has been a cry to erase the stigma around mental health across campus but calling attention to a problem is only a fraction of the response that needs to be taken. Instagram graphics and colored flags on the Lower Quad are wonderful starting points, but ultimately the UCC needs to be fully staffed and funded if any sus-
tainable relief is to be provided. This change can be promoted and popularized from the bottom up, but it is the people in positions of power who can make this reality come into fruition. If you or someone you know is struggling, do not shy away from asking for help. Please take advantage of the current offerings the UCC is able to provide. Maybe you love group therapy or need to talk to someone briefly. If that is the case, call the counseling center and set up an appointment. Perhaps you want to learn some anxiety coping-skills and could sign up for Koru, an online mindfulness program. Maybe you feel very lonely right now and will benefit from calling the 24/7 counseling service number. Furthermore, please let this be a reminder that you need to put in work to continue to help yourself as well. If you have been waiting for a signal to start practicing mindfulness or meditation, this is it. Download the Headspace app, start off each day by writing out positive intentions, spend time in nature, limit your caffeine and alcohol intake, drink more water than you could ever imagine, and be kind to yourself. You can do this. You are not alone.
SPORTS
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Online at: www.wfuogb.com EDITORS: Ben Conroy, conrbd19@wfu.edu Will Zimmerman, zimmwj19@wfu.edu
OLD GOLD & BLACK
For professional athletes across the United States, the stakes have never been higher When the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, the world took notice. Athletes and their teams all across the country followed suit, leaving little doubt about where the priorities of today’s generation of professional athletes lie. BY WILL ZIMMERMAN Sports Editor zimmwj19@wfu.edu
If you didn’t believe in their commitment when Rube Foster founded the Negro League in 1920 to showcase the skills of African American baseball players barred from Major League Baseball; If you didn’t believe in their commitment when Bill Russel and his teammates boycotted their game after being refused service at a restaurant in Kentucky; If you didn’t believe in their commitment when John Carlos and Tommie Smith dropped their heads and raised their hands, adorned with black gloves, as they stood upon the podium during the 1968 Olympics; If you didn’t believe in their commitment when Maya Moore — one of the best female basketball players ever — stepped away from the game to devote her time towards freeing Johnathon Irons, an African American man who sat in a cell for over 20 years for a crime he did not commit; If you didn’t believe in their commitment when NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick ignored the threat of being blackballed, sacrificed his livelihood and took a knee. If you didn’t believe in the commitment of professional athletes towards using their skills, their voices and their platforms to promote what they believe in after last Wednesday’s walk-outs, last Thursday’s walk-outs and last Friday’s walk outs, then what exactly will it take to prove that for Black athletes and Black America, true equality has yet to be achieved? Until it is, you can believe that no Black athlete and no Black American will be content to ‘shut up and dribble.’ When the NBA began to contemplate a return to play in late June and early July, players like Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving voiced their concern with doing so. To continue the season at such a time, Ir-
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ving contended, would distract from what was truly important — from what really mattered, beyond the court. The league took Irving’s voice, alongside that of so many other players, coaches and activists, into consideration. When it was ultimately decided that the game would return, and that the platform would be used to promote social campaigns, some worried that the league wasn’t doing enough and that the games would overshadow the movement. On Aug. 26, when players from the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court minutes before the scheduled tip-time in their playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake, those worries were quelled. The decision on behalf of those Bucks players showed the world precisely where the priorities of the Black athlete lie. Three days prior and a thousand miles north, Blake had been shot by a police officer in the back seven times. His three children watched from the backseat of the SUV he was leaning into. Wednesday’s walkouts prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the role of the athlete to enact social change, and to change the context of sports within American culture as a whole, has never been greater; and, the timing could not be more uncanny — four years to the day that Colin Kaepernick first took a knee, and on the third day of the Republican National Convention. There were no basketball games played on Thursday, nor Friday. Players from the WNBA, the World Tennis Association, the NHL and the MLB alike stood in solidarity with the Milwaukee Bucks and the African American population when they decided to postpone their own games during days that followed. Among the most moving of the demonstrations was that which took place before the first pitch of the game between the Mets and Marlins on the 27. Players from
both clubs walked out of their dugout, removed their caps and stood in silence for 42 seconds — a tribute to the legendary trailblazer Jackie Robinson. The players raised their caps in solidarity before returning to their respective clubhouses. The only thing that remained on the field, a Black Lives Matter shirt draped over home-plate. “We are scared as Black people in America,” said Lebron James, who has long served as a leading figure among those athletes pushing for racial justice and social reform. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown echoed James’ sentiment, asking, “Are we not human beings? Is Jacob Blake not a human being? He deserved to be treated like a human being.” Just as it was near the end of June, today our nation remains in flux. Several months ago, we were grappling with the combination of containing a pandemic — which was becoming more disastrous by the day — alongside the general upheaval — sparked by the murder of George Floyd in late May — that incited a series of protests and some riots across the country. Those protests, which took place in almost 550 different sites across America, included between 15 and 26 million demonstrators. Fast forward several months, and things have changed slightly. But not for the better. New confirmed COVID-cases today are almost double what they were in early June, and Black Americans are still being shot by police officers. Does this mean that the protests and the kneeling and the walk-outs of athletes and activists aren’t working? That the jerseys draped with slogans calling for change or the creation of coalitions to promote diversity are fruitless labors? It means that there’s still work to be done. That there are conversations to be had and things to be learned. It means that the fight for racial justice, the same fight that athletes have been aligning themselves with for decades, is far from over.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/TNS
From atop the Olympic podium, John Carlos and Tommie Smith raise their fists in a human rights salute (left). San Franciso Giants players kneel in front of an empty stadium to demonstrate support for protests related to the shooting of Jacob Blake just days earlier (right).
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Old Gold & Black | Sports
College football season begins with a bang While circumstances remain uncertain, college football presses on BY SAM WEXLER Senior Writer wexlsn17@wfu.edu How about that Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas FCS kickoff game, though? Never thought I would type those words or watch that game, but here we are. For those of you who didn’t see, Central Arkansas beat Austin Peay in a close 24-17 game and it was certainly a weird one. No marching bands, no cheerleaders in the stands, a couple thousand spread-out fans and ESPN announcers calling the game from Connecticut. Every conference is handling this differently, so before we jump into what things look like for the major conferences, let's look at the differences throughout all of college football this fall. First of all, fans are the lifeblood of college football. While we may not have a wild and crazy crowd at most Wake Forest games, colleges like Penn State or Clemson going from tens of thousands of fans every game to just a few thousand fans will be extremely weird. Tailgating is such a
huge part of the game for fans in terms of bringing everyone together, and that won’t be allowed either. The Austin Peay vs Central Arkansas game itself looked normal but the sidelines were altered to have longer benches and bench areas with precautions in place to allow photographers and reporters to remain socially distanced. Next up, let’s discuss what the plans are for FBS conferences this fall. About half of the conferences have decided to postpone and are considering other options. The Mountain West, MAC, PAC12 and Big Ten all announced that their seasons are postponed and they will all look into playing football, along with other fall sports, in the spring. The Big Ten is definitely the most interesting conference of this lot, as there are now players and families protesting the ruling as well as new discussion within the conference about the situation. Last I heard, the Big Ten is now looking into starting the ‘spring’ season this fall, perhaps sometime around Thanksgiving, rather than starting in January like it previously appeared. I want football more than most people you will meet, but it is definitely interesting that the same conference which produced the medical
evidence of COVID-19-related heart issues also has players and parents protesting. My biggest issue here is the constant deliberation of the Big Ten conference officials. Preparing for a football season requires athletes to work into strength and practice routines while ramping up game-specific drills and plays. For all of the players' and teams' sake, a decision needs to be made so that everyone can plan accordingly. Now we move to the non-Power 5 group that plans to play, which includes the Sun Belt and American conferences. The American is one of the most interesting conferences to me, as they are now having certain sports play this fall while postponing others. On Aug. 5, the conference announced that certain fall sports would be played while baseball, softball, women's lacrosse, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis and women's rowing would not have any fall competition. Then on Aug. 25, the conference announced that men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball would be postponed to the spring as well. As a result, only football and cross country appear to be competing this fall. In the Sun Belt, football will begin over Labor Day weekend; they have an eight-conference
game schedule with an option for up to four non-conference games. Looking towards the Power 5 conferences, we have the SEC, ACC and Big 12 planning to play. The SEC is utilizing a 10-game football schedule of all conference games that begins Sept. 26. The Big 12 also has a 10-game schedule but have nine conference games and one non-conference game in the plans. Their conference games won’t begin until Sept. 26 and all non-conference games have to come before that date but not prior to Sept. 1. Last but most certainly not least, the ACC has planned an 11-game football schedule featuring 10 conference games and one non-conference game beginning the week of Sept. 7. Given how quickly things seem to change in the COVID-world we are living in, I would not be at all surprised if any or all of these plans change in the next few weeks. For now, I will be eagerly awaiting Sept. 12 when the Demon Deacons take on the Clemson Tigers at newly-renamed Truist Field down the road from campus. I think college football is what we all need after a year which has proved to be absurd thus far, and I hope for the teams and fans alike that we can make this work.
MLB struggles to keep COVID-19 in check The MLB is learning just how hard it is to run a season in the midst of a pandemic BY LINDSEY HAYDEN Staff Writer haydlb19@wfu.edu
As the NHL and NBA returned to finish their respective seasons ‘inside the bubble,’ the MLB took their own approach in resurrecting baseball amid the pandemic. Unlike the NHL and NBA which closed out their regular season when the pandemic struck, the MLB never got to start. Opening day was originally scheduled for March 26, so it was no surprise to see the start of the season indefinitely postponed as the pandemic ravaged states across the country. After a long and frustrating negotiation period between the players and owners, the season finally began on Thursday, July 23. Each team’s schedule was abbreviated to 60 regular season games, with a majority set against divisional opponents. With 60 games to be played in essentially three months, the MLB announced in June that they would not take the bubble approach, and instead focus on enforcing COVID-19 safety protocols to keep any potential outbreaks at bay. Some of those measures include strict face covering requirements, reduced team capacity regulations, restrictions on outside activities and rigid travel protocols. Additionally, the league mandates that each player be tested for the coronavirus every other day. All of this equates to nothing short of a logistical nightmare, requiring extensive amounts
of money, time, and resources. And it's not quite working. The MLB has already seen multiple COVID-19 outbreaks. Shortly after the season began, there were outbreaks among both the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, resulting in serious conversations about shutting down the season altogether. In the Marlins case, 17 of 33 traveling players tested positive before the team played their first game. Such eye-opening results caught national attention when the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, took to national television and said the early results didn’t bode well for the MLB’s plans to complete a full season. League officials took this as a wake-up call and quickly revised and intensified protocols. Those are kind-of working. While the MLB has not released their official league COVID-19 statistics for the past few weeks, on Aug. 7 they reported only 13 positives of 13,043 tests taken, a 0.1% positivity rate. To date, positive COVID-19 tests have postponed a total of 38 games across 13 different team schedules. Many teams have seen a few positive results, but have managed to keep them under control through contact tracing and social distancing. Problems have persisted, nonetheless. As recently as Aug. 30th, a game was cancelled when a member of the Oakland Athletics organization tested positive. As is the case with any large organization during this time, the MLB never denied the possibility of players or personnel contracting COVID-19 if there was to be a season played. The decision was made by team owners and the play-
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/TNS
The Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves battle it out in an eerily empty Fenway Park during a late-August contest. ers union that the risk was worth the reward. Put simply, there was too much money at stake to forgo playing the entire 2020 season, a sentiment which may sound familiar. With the regular season set to wrap up in October, one question remains: why didn’t the MLB choose to conduct their season in a bubble? Neither the NHL nor the NBA has reported a single positive test from inside their respective bubbles. No games have had to be postponed due to positive results, and things have been running smoothly. The NFL is certainly monitoring the progress of all three leagues closely. As of now, the league has announced no plans to carry out their 2020-21 season in a bubble. Instead, they will follow the same path as the MLB, with each team playing in their home stadium,
and other teams traveling cross-country, weekly, to compete. The NFL will have considerably less wiggle room than the MLB does, considering each team is scheduled to play 16 games in 17 weeks. While baseball can squeeze two shortened games into a single day with ease using their modified seven-inning double-header rules, the same cannot be done for football. This bears the question, what happens if NFL players contract COVID-19 and games start to get cancelled? Plans are already in the works to create bubble-esque environments in both California and Texas for postseason baseball; however, as with the rest of the world, the MLB’s plans remain entirely tentative, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic requires increased flexibility on everyone’s part.
Sports | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, September 3, 2020 | Page 13
Deacon Spotlight: Logan Bolton BY BEN CONROY Sports Editor conrbd19@wfu.edu
Logan Bolton is a senior member of the WFU cheerleading squad. She’s set to graduate in May with a degree in communication as well as a minor in journalism, and has led an incredibly decorated career as a Wake Forest student thus far. On campus, she holds executive positions on the Student Union as well as the Pan-Hellenic Council; off campus, she’s been instrumental in leading the charge for social justice in her hometown of Fayetteville, Ga. Ben Conroy: First of all, how has the start of the semester been for you so far? How are you adjusting to the new guidelines/rules for on-campus living? Logan Bolton: I think just like most people here, I’m just happy to be back. The new guidelines are different, and there is definitely an adjustment period, but I’d rather be socially distant and precautionary on campus than spending my senior year at home. BC: From a cheerleading standpoint, how have practices/preparations for the upcoming season changed in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak? LB: Wake Athletics is definitely taking every precaution possible to allow us to enjoy the sport we love while still staying safe. Masks are mandatory at all times throughout practice, no exceptions. We’ll also be wearing masks and social distancing during the games. Football season obviously looks a LOT different as well. To my understanding every decision has been in accordance with North Carolina’s current phase, so for our first home game against Clemson there won’t be any fans in the stadium. I know that’s not what anyone wanted but I’m fortunate to have somewhat of a season because so many other schools and conferences (rightfully) opted out. BC: What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming sports seasons?
What are some of the ways you’ve been able to get involved in these social justice movements? LB: I took the initiative to get involved in fighting for social justice in my hometown back in Fayetteville, Ga., which is a suburban town in MetroAtlanta. I was one of four co-organizers for the biggest protest/rally the city had ever had this summer, reaching attendance of around 3,000 people. We were able to organize in accordance with city officials to ensure the safety of our protesters. Intersections were blocked off. Plenty of water and snacks were donated. We even had a medic and private security professionals to ensure the protest stayed peaceful and didn’t detract from our message. Since the protest, I’ve stayed involved with the city of Fayetteville and continued to put pressure on them to make noticeable change in areas where minority individuals, especially Black individuals, are most affected. We’ve had multiple meetings with the mayor, city manager and county commissioner about ways to reform systemic oppressions in our town. I also contributed to a Police Town Hall forum where all the police chiefs from every major town in Fayette County were able to sit on a panel and answer the community’s questions. This was so necessary in light of the devastating incidents of police brutality that plague our media, and the countless incidents that don’t get recorded, but get swept under the rug. BC: What has been the most rewarding part of this process for you? LB: It’s not really rewarding for me. It’s tiring, and frustrating and there are times when you feel your grievances are falling on deaf ears, especially when you don’t see immediate change or feel like the people in power are giving you the runaround. I guess if I had to point out a positive take away from the protest and the social justice initiatives I’ve been a part of this summer, it was the pleasant surprise of having so many allies. We had no idea we’d get such a huge turn out for the protest, but to see the majority of them being white individuals with their children, and signs, that was a gratifying moment for me. It reinforced
the notion that nothing will change until white people see the problem of racial inequality as something they need to help fix, not just something they should sympathize with. BC: What advice would you give a Wake Forest Student who’s looking to get involved, but isn’t sure how? LB: I firmly believe you’re never going to find your Wake Forest if you don’t get involved. Wake Forest students are known for being intelligent, but they’re also known for being busy-bodies. Every friend I have on this campus is involved in two plus organizations, which I think is important to the college experience. If you don’t know where to start, I advise reaching out to the Engagement Consultants in the Office of Student Engagement. Their entire job entails recording your interests and desires and matching you with like-minded organizations and experiences. The consultants are students just like you, so they have first-hand accounts of people and organizations and can provide a vulnerable perspective. BC: Do you have any words of wisdom for the new class of first-year students as they settle into their first semester on campus? LB: Wear a mask. But also I would stress the importance of patience. It’s easy to come to college and want to immediately have best friends, and immediately have your major and the rest of your life figured out. Which is unrealistic. You can’t declare your major until sophomore year for a reason, soak up all the courses and education Wake Forest has to offer while you can, you may just find yourself passionate about something else. Also, I hate to break it to you, but your friend group is going to change six times before you get your true core circle of friends, so focus on the ‘now.’ Enjoy your time with the people around you (socially distant of course) but be open to the punches life will throw and the personal growth it will encourage. I’m a firm believer in “if it’s supposed to be for you, it will be.” You have four years to make your mark on Wake Forest, don’t be in a rush.
LB: I’m most looking forward to learning under our new head coach. We recently got a new spirit director who previously coached at Lenoir Rhyne and she is amazinghas over 30 years of competition experience in dance and cheer, an admirable work ethic and an amazing energy that makes you want to be better. Our team has drastically improved in just the few weeks that we’ve been practicing under her, so I can only imagine how good we’ll look by the end of the school year. BC: Ahead of your final year of cheerleading as a senior, what are some of your favorite memories throughout your time on WFU cheer? LB: I think my fondest memories are all of our huge wins. The first one that comes to mind is Men’s Basketball beating Duke in double overtime in 2020, and everyone getting to storm the court afterward. The energy was crazy and made that long game (on a school night) so worth it. Similarly, I’m reminded of the atmosphere when FB beat UNC in 2019, and how proud I was to be a Demon Deacon when we lined up to sing the alma mater at the conclusion of the game. Ultimately, the people have made my experience as a Wake cheerleader. The countless hours of practice, community service, performances, etc. make for lots of laughter and bonding. I met my best friend through this team, and some of my future bridesmaids as well, but it sure does get a lot more fun when our teams win. BC: In recent months, a renewed desire for social justice and racial equality has swept our nation. The injustices in our country are coming to light, and it’s clear you’ve been a driving force in affecting positive change in that regard.
Photo courtesy of Logan Bolton
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Old Gold & Black | Sports
CFB: Wake Forest to face off with Clemson Sept. 12 The Deacs’ coaching staff is optimistic about the upcoming season despite uncertainty BY JOHN MANOS Staff Writer manojd18@wfu.edu On Sept. 12, Wake Forest will kick off a much anticipated, delayed, altered, but needed football season against Clemson. Ten more games will follow to round out the regular season. Here’s the latest overview. Defensively, the Deacs are caught somewhere between obscure confusion and dazzling optimism, with the loss of talent from last year’s squad quite possibly overshadowed by the emergence of potential stars who spent the off season fine-tuning their game. Redshirt senior Boogie Basham, junior Ryan Smenda, Jr. and junior Nassir Greer lead this troop. Offensively, the Deacs are spearheaded by their new quarterback, redshirt sophomore Sam Hartman; not to be confused with the 2018 Hartman, who was almost 35 lbs lighter. Now, at 215 lbs and with two seasons of experience under his belt, Hartman looks like he’s ready to make the next step with a strong 2020 campaign. Coach Dave Clawson believes he is as well, noting that he’s got the look of ‘an ACC quarterback’.
“He’s really taken it to another level”, added offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero. This past year the deacs suffered collectively at the mercy of the professional draft, an unlucky string of injuries, the inevitability of graduation and a crucial opt-out. However, the offense and defense both tout the emergence of talents like that of WRs Donovan Greene and Nolan Groulx, halfback Walker III, defensive lineman Basham, linebacker Smenda and safety Greer. Wake Forest stands a great chance to win a lot of games, so long as they can stay healthy. Doing so could prove a challenge, considering that one of the coaching staff’s foremost concerns was the lack of ‘real’ practices over what would normally be a busy summer: “This offseason has been a lot of Zoom meetings and walkthroughs,” said Ruggiero, “That’s all good, but it’s not the same as full speed football.” Coming off of an abbreviated and unusual off-season means that special consideration will have to be given towards load management. “We had like 12 walkthroughs— that stuff to me was huge. It really made up for the fact that we missed 10 spring practices,” said defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill. Throughout this makeshift summer, the coaching staff prioritized re-tooling the offensive line.
As Ruggiero put it, “for the offensive which he tallied 26 tackles, 11 sacks line, there were one thousand questions and three forced fumbles per ESPN. With Wake Forest’s defense led by going into camp.” With the addition of Maryland transfer Terrance Davis, Basham and their offense playing clas2019’s third best offensive guard in the sic Clawson style football, the Deacs country and the movement of Zack may have a chance to rattle some cagTom to tackle, some of those questions es this season. The uncertainty of even having a season this year has ignited now have answers. The other department with similar both ambition and excitement among uncertainty is the secondary. Howev- the players and according to Hemphill, er, even with Greer’s injury, Hemphill the guys are just excited to play. “I don’t even know if they care who thinks the Deacs’ defensive backs are we’re playing. I don’t think Clemson promising. “I know we’re young in the back end, means anything,” he said. but I know we’re talented,” he said. “You got a bunch of guys taking reps back there [at safety]. You got Coby Davis … Zion Keith, he’s doing a really great job and we got this freshman, Nick Anderson, he’s really good.” Such an explosion of talent is welcome, as many question marks surrounded how the Deacs would fare defensively after the loss of Justin Strnad and Essang Bassey. Even without the two, Wake Forest still has two forces in LB Jacquez Williams and DL Boogie Basham. Basham could very well be the ‘X-Factor’ the Deacs need. “[Boogie] has a special laser focus to get to the football,” said defensive line coach Dave Cohen. (This year) Boogie is a little more than focused. He’s quick, he’s strong, he’s smart, he’s mean, and Photo Courtesy of WFU Athletics Communications most of all, he’s dominant.” Basham’s coaches hope he can build Junior Carlos Basham will carry on last year’s successful campaign in the load for the Deacs’ defense.
Demon Deacons look to tear up the links this fall Coming off of a cancelled 2019 campaign, expectations are high for Wake Forest golf BY SAM WEXLER Senior Writer wexlsn17@wfu.edu
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Wake Forest golf teams will be a force to be reckoned with this year. And, with last year’s spring season cancelled due to COVID-madness, the Demon Deacons are coming back this year with a vengeance. While golf play in the ACC doesn’t begin until the spring, the Deacons have been busy throughout the summer, playing in various matches across the country. While some events were cancelled due to the pandemic, several golf tournaments were able to proceed as scheduled, albeit with new regulations and social distancing rules in place. The largest events for both the men’s and women’s squad were the US Amateur events held in Oregon and Maryland, respectively. On the men’s side, five athletes represented Wake Forest at this year’s US Amateur event in early August. Returning senior Eric Bae, seniors Marco Steyn and Parker Gillam, junior Alex Fitzpatrick and freshman Michael Brennan all participated in the event. It was an impressive feat for the Wake Forest squad,
as five people traditionally make up a college lineup. Mark Power was eligible to play as well, but could not make it due to COVID-19-related regulations. Steyn competed in the Northern Amateur tournament as well as the Western Amateur where he was joined by Gillam and Brennan. This spring, Mark Power gathered a handful of All-American honors and was honored alongside Eric Bae, Eugenio Chacarra, Alex Fitzpatrick and Parker Gillam on the Ping All-Region East Team. Although the 2019-20 season ended in March due to COVID-19, the men’s golf squad was able to win a team title and an individual title. The team finished the season ranked No. 5 by Golfstat and No. 6 by Golfweek. The men’s squad is coached by Wake Forest great Jerry Haas, who is entering his 24th season at the helm of the team. Associate head coach Aaron O’Callaghan is entering his third season as well. The women’s crew had a very strong showing at the women’s amateur in Rockville, Maryland. The squad was led by senior Emilia Migliaccio, who tied for second place in the stroke play portion and entered match play as the three-seed. After playing 22 holes in the round of 16, Migliaccio eventually fell on the 18th hole to Gabriela Ruffels, the defending champion. Sophomore Rachel Kuehn was not far behind. Af-
Photo courtesy of WFU Men’s Golf Twitter
Sophomore Mark Power will look to be a key component of the Wake Forest Men’s golf team’s success this season. ter an extremely impressive summer on the course, she advanced to match play as the eight-seed. Kuehn won the Women’s North & South Amateur, an event which her mother also won. Siyun Liu and Vanessa Knecht also participated in the event and had strong showings, rounding out a strong top four for the Deacons. Liu, Kuehn and Migliaccio were all named All-Americans this spring, while Head Coach Kim Lewellen was named the 2019-20 Golf Pride Grips National Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. The women’s squad finished the COVID-19-shortened season ranked No. 1 by Golfstat and No. 2 by Golfweek. In their final tournament of the year, they tallied a 26-stroke victory and an individual title at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. The three returning All-
Americans, as well as the highly-touted underclassmen, Lauren Walsh and Kuehn, will make up the formidable women’s roster this year. The Lady Deacons are coached by Kim Lewellen, who is entering her third season at the position, and Ryan Potter, who is in his fifth year at Wake Forest. Players and coaches alike understand that after their impressive showings last year, expectations for this season are through the roof. By the time spring rolls around, the hope is that there will be ACC competition readily available for both teams. Under the esteemed leadership of Haas and Lewellen, the signs indicate that if matches are able to be played, this is shaping up to be another exciting and successful year for Wake Forest golf.
Thursday, September 3, 2020 | Page 15
Old Gold & Black | Sports
Previewing ACC football seasons With so many uncertainties going into the upcoming season, here are my best guesses for what to expect. BY CHARLIE BENEDICT Busienss Manager benecc19@wfu.edu
There are definitely a lot of questions surrounding the logistics of the football season. Will it even happen? How will Georgia Tech, NC State, Duke and Wake Forest play at Syracuse, when the state of New York requires visitors from North Carolina and Georgia to quarantine for two weeks? Clemson has unveiled a plan to allow 19,000 fans at home games, but the rest of the ACC has been mostly silent. I won’t pretend to have any amazingly insightful answers to the preceding questions, but I think my lifelong obsession with college football and my professed clairvoyance make me particularly well equipped to predict some on field results I can only pray we are fortunate enough to witness. Our beloved Demon Deacons will enter the season with two massive personnel losses. Starting quarterback Jamie Newman transferred to Georgia in April, and just recently Biletnikoff semi-finalist Sage Surratt announced he would be opting out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. Surratt’s decision, coupled with the graduation of Kendall Hinton, Scotty Washington and Steven Claude leave several gaping holes in the Demon Deacon receiving corps. That being said, I expect that redshirt freshman Donavon Greene, and to a lesser extent Nolan Groulx, will burst onto the scene in a few weeks time. Also, I expect that the transition from Newman to Hartman will be as big of a step down as the national media proclaims it will — but let’s not forget Hartman beat out Newman for the job as a true freshman in 2019. I actually believe that Hartman will be able to run the RPO a little faster than Newman did, which will hopefully result in more chunk yardage. Defensively, I expect the Deacs to be solid but unspectacular. Redshirt senior, edge rusher Boogie Basham will wreak havoc on opposing backfields,
but the secondary will likely be a work in progress with few upperclassmen. On special teams, I can’t imagine the team performing much worse than they did last season, so expect improvements in that department. Around the ACC, most people agree it will be a two-team race. Clemson, behind star quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be an obvious favorite, but I believe they will fall to Notre Dame in November when they travel to South Bend. Notre Dame will pick up a loss somewhere down the line (probably at Wake Forest or at North Carolina) but will win the regular season by tiebreaker. North Carolina will also have a decent season, but their 6-4 ACC record will be more of a product of a favorable ACC schedule (no Clemson or Louisville) than Sam Howell’s dominance. In typical fashion, the Tar Heels will underperform for their talent but still be hyped-up by the national media. Scott Satterfield and Louisville will continue to rebuild from the mess inherited by Bobby Petrino and the Cardinals will likely finish towards the top of the ACC. One can only hope that some bigger program comes along to rescue Satterfield away from the morally corrupt hodge-podge that is Louisville. The middle of the ACC will be a mess of mediocrity. Virginia Tech, Florida State and Miami (FL) will continue their recent trends of looking solid in some games and inept in others, while Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and Virginia will stumble towards a .500 ACC season. Georgia Tech will take their next step forward under second year coach Geoff Collins, but they are still a couple years away from becoming a serious contender in ACC play. Collins has galvanized support for the Yellow Jacket program, but transitioning from an option attack to a pro-style offense isn’t easy. Duke will see improved quarterback play from Clemson transfer Chase Brice, but there really isn’t enough talent around him to make much of an impact for the Blue Devils. Duke coach David Cutcliffe is betting heavily on Brice breathing some fresh air into his program, but there’s only so much a one-year rental can do. Expect Cutcliffe to be out of Durham in the next 2-3 years. The NC State faithful will grow ever more disgruntled with coach Dave Doeren following a los-
ing 2020 campaign. The Wolfpack, lacking a strong presence under center, will likely struggle on offense for most of the season before somehow beating North Carolina. Boston College will regress from the seven-win status quo established under Steve Adazzio, but they could potentially be headed for greener pastures under new head coach Jeff Hafley. Syracuse will be the conference’s worst team, further cementing the Orange’s 10-3 2018 campaign as one of the oddest in recent history. The 2020 football season — if it even happens — will certainly be odd. The 10+1 schedule will be a hit with fans, but it’s doubtful the format is here to stay unless there’s a dramatic shakeup in collegiate athletics in the post-COVID-19 world. Perhaps more interesting to see will be what happens to the Big Ten and PAC-12 if the rest of the country is able to complete a season. Undoubtely, 2020 will be wild. Star players have and will opt out, serious adjustments will be made, and Wake Forest will beat Notre Dame in September. Maybe.
Graphic courtesy of Charlie Benedict Old Gold & Black
If things turn out as expected, here’s what the ACC will look like come December.
Messi and Barcelona likely to part ways Nothing is set in stone yet, but Messi’s reign with the only club he’s ever known is probably over BY CHARLES HORN Staff Writer horncs18@wfu.edu Since putting pen to paper napkin in a Barcelona café at just 12 years old, Lionel Messi’s meteoric rise has grabbed headlines and trophies for the Catalonian giants. A one-club-man, Messi’s two decades with FC Barcelona have cemented the midfielder’s place among the pantheon of the greatest players of all time. So when the unthinkable happened — a public request was issued by Messi to leave the only home he’s ever known — the soccer world was forced to do a double-take. In just hours, the story reached gargantuan proportions, intersecting with Spanish case law; contractual obligations; injections of new money into the sport; the global Coronavirus pandemic; and above all, the growing discontent of Barcelona’s adopted son. Now, with Lionel Messi skipping both preseason training and a mandatory coronavirus test, the club and player’s relationship appears irrecoverable. Such an end is tragic, considering the storied, fairytale-like history of Barcelona’s most famous socio, the name given to the members of the club.
Since becoming a first team regular in 2005, Messi’s individual brilliance has helped Barcelona rise to the top of European soccer, with his record six Ballon d’Ors complimented by four Champions League titles and ten La Liga victories. Messi’s constant positional adaptation, begging as a right-winger before switching centrally into the false-nine role under Pep Guardiola, has allowed him to shine under different managers and systems. Through his unparalleled athletic ability and knowledge of the game, Messi has become one of the greatest goalscorers of all time with more than 440 in 484 games with Barcelona. When factoring in goals he scored on behalf of his country, the total rises to above 700. Messi’s importance to Barcelona has made him the club’s highest ever earner; yet it is his most recent and most lucrative contract that possesses the potential to end the era in an especially unceremonious manner. This contract, a four-year deal signed in 2017, contains multiple elements few thought would ever be triggered. Included is a gargantuan release clause, reported at $833 million, that would have to be paid by any club seeking to secure the services of the brilliant Argentine. Also curiously included is a clause that allows Messi to unilaterally terminate the contract at the end of the season, allowing him to leave Barcelona for any club as a functional free agent without triggering the traditional release clause. However, the language in the contract stipulates that any such decision to leave must be made by June 10,
which in any normal year would be well after the end of the Spanish and European season. Messi’s lawyers will surely argue that since the coronavirus forced the season to stretch well into August, the clause naturally shifts to the end of that season. However, Barcelona, and more recently La Liga itself, have publicly stated that the contract must be read literally. The implications for a public and protracted legal feud between Barcelona and its greatest player of all time threaten to further imperil the fragile reign of President Josep Bartomeu. Such was demonstrated by the grumblings of a vote of no confidence, along with the storming of the Camp Nou by dozens of Barcelona fanatics. Should Messi truly depart the Catalan capital, Manchester City appears the most likely destination, although the President of Argentina has publicly called for his nation’s prodigal son to return to his home country. With City, however, Messi would reunite with Pep Guardiola and also former Barcelona director of Football, Txiki Begiristain. Begiristain, who now serves as City’s director of football, has been given license to bring in many compatriots and former colleagues to create a club structure overtly seeking to replicate the best parts of Barcelona’s system. As the saga continues, all of world soccer will pay careful attention. If he truly does depart, Messi’s next destination will have the talent of one of history’s greatest players at their disposal, and surely the ability to win it all come next season.
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Revisiting Avatar in quarantine Netflix brought many of us back to our childhoods this quarantine by making Avatar: The Last Airbender available on the streaming platform
BY CONNOR MCNEELY Staff Writer mcnecb19@wfu.edu
Everyone can look into their past and remember the different years of their life, but they can only remember them to an extent. It is only through some familiar thing that a person can fully re-enter that time and remember — if even for a moment — how it felt. Most viewers who grew up around 2005 and the reign of Nickelodeon’s animated series have experienced this return to childhood recently with the revival of the animated cartoon — Avatar: The Last Airbender. Personally, watching the return of this show has taken me back to the excitement and suspense of the original three seasons, just as well as it has reminded me of the pure joy I once had watching one of the most original stories in television history. If national conformity isn’t reason enough to give this show a try, I’ll give it a review to tell you why anyone would enjoy it.
an Airbender named Aang, who becomes the Avatar, yet vanishes as the Fire Nation begins to invade and conquer the other nations. A brother and sister from the Water Tribe find him one hundred years later and together they set off on a quest to save the world and restore peace. From the beginning of the first season, the freshness and originality of the story is something only comparable to the air surrounding the release of Star Wars: A New Hope or when the first Harry Potter novel came out. The viewer is drawn in by a world so finely crafted and detailed yet so mysterious and empty. This duality of compelling content (bending, magical creatures, otherworldly lands) and in unanswered questions (the history of the world) is the mark of great writing. It allows the audience to watch imaginatively — so that even when they’re not enjoying the show, they’re going about their lives wondering about far off lands and unknown powers within the show that haven't yet been named or created.
phy), help to absolve the childlike atmosphere to give the mature simplicity so often required of entertainment. Everyone appreciates the humor of a kid once in a while anyway. The characters are an integral example of this tonal transformation. They are perhaps the most remarkable part of the show — the embattled Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation standing out as one of the more well written characters and original archetypes in TV history. His example of internal conflict between his family and tradition and his own intuitive sense of morality has laid the groundwork for countless antiheroes both in film and television. In each of the characters is an entirely fleshed out set of themes worked out at an incredibly efficient pace — in only three seasons. By the end of the series, you’ll be amazed that the main characters were all only children. You feel like you know them. And this is the aim of most writers — that you could see them as an actual person in reality.
Photo courtesy of imdb.com
Avatar: The Last Airbender was hailed for its creative animation style, specifically the scenes that depicted element bending. (Left) Avatar Aang and his sky bison Appa frozen in ice in the pilot episode. (Center) Fan favorite character Uncle Iroh and Appa. (Right) Prince Zuko and Aang meeting the original fire benders. Dramatic sentiment aside, logistically this has been one of the best decisions in Netflix’s history. In May of 2020, Netflix acquired the rights to stream all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender in a supremely optimal moment. During an obvious surge in viewership, Netflix was able to secure one of the greatest ventures in escapism in entertainment history (Avatar was the winner of both a Primetime Emmy award and a Peabody). Though the exact viewership numbers are impossible to acquire, the show easily became a fan favorite once again to become the banner title of Netflix, surpassing all top ten shows on the online platform. Avatar: The Last Airbender is the story of a world composed of four different nations. Each individual nation is home to a specific type of ‘bender’— a human who can manipulate the elements of the world (earth, water, air, fire) to their will. The Avatar is a being able to control all elements, who is burdened with the responsibility of maintaining peace between the Four Nations. The show follows
Though it appears in a breathtakingly unique fashion, Avatar was crafted from anime aficionados, admirers of Eastern culture and philosophy alike. The creators do a fantastic job of bringing that influence into the vastly different world of western television. When a truly distinctive element of an action story, such as magic or gunfights, is like nothing any audience has seen before, the showrunner’s usual instinct is to give you all that you can handle. This bending of elements is a fresh, creative and distinctive ingredient of the show. But instead of being overused, bending is used realistically, stylistically, and sparingly so as to make the audience really consider not just the limits, but the effects of power like this. This is the impact of the meticulous philosophical framework behind the story. However, many object to watching Avatar, citing that it is a “kids show” or a “cartoon.” True enough, the show was made for kids and has childish humor — yet the integrity of the story, as well as the complicated philosophies and art (animation and martial art choreogra-
In the years following the initial 2005 release, Avatar: The Last Airbender suffered a disastrous film reboot and is likely to have an equally displeasing live action remake. The Legend of Korra sequel series was recently added onto the Netflix roster, following the resurrected success of Avatar. You can say what you will about the attempts at continuing and capturing the magic of the original story. Nothing will ever work as well. The reason why every attempt will be unsuccessful is because Aang, in the minds of the original audience, will always be enshrined in the animation style of Avatar: The Last Airbender, just like all of his companions and villains. The original creators of the show had a story to tell about a young boy and his friends trying to find their place in the world. Everything else you see now is a cash grab. So I urge you to give this show a try. And for the love of God, don’t watch the Shyamalan’s film version. Unless you’re going to make fun of it.
Thursday, September 3, 2020 | Page 17
Life | Old Gold & Black
THE HOT Going from somber to stronger LIST Podcast Review | Unfiltered
Two YouTubers express uncut opinions through their new podcast “Unfiltered” BY FRANK GALLAGI Contributing Writer gallfa18@wfu.edu
Podcasts are amazing. They allow people to share news, lessons, stories or even friendly conversations with people all over the world. When a podcast allows me to feel like I am participating in the conversation and that I am actually “there” I am enthralled. Zane and Heath: UNFILTERED does exactly that. If you were to tell me that I would be listening to a weekly podcast a year ago from now, I would not have believed you. I always thought they were an interesting concept, but I wasn’t sure if listening to one was going to captivate my interest for a whole hour. However, this summer was nothing what I expected it to be. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I discovered Zane and Heath: UNFLITERED which is one of the driving forces that got me and continues to get me through the pandemic. The podcast is hosted by both Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar, who are two influencers who got their start on the app Vine
Photo courtesy of spotify.com
YouTube stars Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar start podcast. and quickly became “vine-famous.” From there, both Hijazi and Hussar’s careers have exploded: opening popular YouTube channels, joining David Dobrik’s Vlog Squad, creating their own podcast and even making their own coffee company. They started small and are now one of the most famous duos on the internet. Their podcast entails the two of them having a conversation with Mariah Amato and Matt King, two influencers who have a similar start to Hijazi and Hussar. Recently, Hussar and Amato’s roommate Kenny Allen joined the cast, filling in for King when he is unable to record. Although, the podcast has Hijazi and Hussar
in the title, the whole cast equally contributes to the conversations and never feel like anyone is required to talk or not. Every podcast starts with a random story and it progresses from there. The cast is the driving force of the podcast by keeping the conversation fun, upbeat, lighthearted and never taking themselves too seriously. They are able to bring each of their unique personalities together to speak on a wide range of topics. For instance, they speak about their rise to fame, how one of their houses continues to get broken into and crazy party experiences. In short, their podcasts are never dull and the cast is phenomenal. The relatability in their tone yet fastening stories forces me to continue to listen. A new podcast is posted once a week usually on Tuesdays, but sometimes Wednesdays. You can listen to the podcast on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you do not want to listen to their conversations, you can watch them on their YouTube cannel, Zane and Heath: UNFILTERED. They sometimes add pictures and videos to help show live footage or better description of what they are talking about. I am so happy that I was able to discover this podcast because it made the lonely days of quarantine bearable by making me feel like I was actually in a conversation with a group of friends. I can’t wait to continue to listen and see where the podcast goes from here.
Top 10 words that don’t exist but should By Micah Porter
1.
AQUADEXTROUS: Pos-
sessing the ability to turn the bathtub tap off with your toes
GLUTTENVY: The sweeping bitterness when your food doesn’t look like it did on the menu
3.
Manhandling the “open here” spout on a milk carton so that one must resort to the illegal end
5.
BY DECLAN SANDER Contributing Writer sanddp19@wfu.edu
I picked up this novel because I didn’t know what it was. I found it wrapped up in newspaper and set on a table in the library for any visitor to pick up. Since reading, however, it has become clear to me that The Last Book Party attempts to balance two contrasting identities: one, as a book written for aspiring writers, especially those that are green to the realities of big publishing, versus two, a book written in 2019, when many of those same writers won’t find themselves in that position. Throughout the novel, we see Karen Dukess transplant the protagonist Eve from her role as a mere Editorial Assistant, a self professed “very educated typist,” to someone entrenched within the inner workings of her industry. The 1980s Cape Cod in the summer setting creates an idyllic background for a less-than-intense drama by the sea, with old money flowing from its pages. It is a world saccharine to taste, brimming with nostalgia. Despite being published last year, it probably would be better
PHONESIA: The affliction of calling someone and forgetting whom you called
PUPKUS: The moist residue left on the window by a dog’s nose
7.
CHECKWARD: The awkward moment when the check comes and you don’t know how to split it
FAUXMOTION: When you
A glance at the volatile industry of print suited to an archeological dig from the 80s. This sentiment appears everywhere, from the questionable, if not problematic, advances made by Eve’s colleagues, to the titular “Book Parties,” where visitors dress as their favorite characters from literature. In more ways than one, I was waiting for Gatsby to show up. Dukess offers a point of view that is both separate from the artsy, often pretentious publishing world, yet somehow detached from her very audience — writers. Eve is not completely emersed in the inner circle, yet she is absolutely distinct from the typical aspiring writer. She is the product of a well-to-do family and is able to use that privilege to sustain a metropolitan life, beyond her $13,700 annual salary. Her struggles are real, but different from the kind most aspiring writers are worried about. “Publishing” as an industry goes far beyond the hegemonic Paris Reviews and Harper Collins’ of the world, for example. Independent presses make up about half of all publishing market share in the U.S. — these are established entities not privy to the cutthroat, bottomline obsessed ideals of larger companies. The conventional wisdom that drives writers everywhere, that anyone can be a writer, is thrown out the window.
between two people vying for the armrest in the movie theater
LACTOMANGULATION:
Book Review | The Last Book Party
From mistrust to social dissent, this novel is a fascinating read for any bookworm
ELBONICS: The violent fight
Much of the hard-hitting truths Dukess reveals are truths only faced when talking about a very specific brand of publishing. We only see Eve and friends, whose degrees are covered in ivy and perspectives tragically insular, struggle in ways many will never have to. Where Dukess clearly wants to write for the aspiring creative, she can miss the mark at times — a tradeoff she had to have known, considering the time and place she was writing about. Dukess romanticizes a 1980s that feels at the very least, ignorant of the reality that publishing goes beyond the backrooms of the New Yorker. None of this is to say The Last Book Party is a “bad” book. It is well written, with many characters invoking a wit I can only imagine within someone whose life is centered in writing. Just because a book revolves around an echelon most people can’t relate to does not discount its other merits. Writers have always focused on the rich, out of touch echelons of society, from The Tale of Genji to Wuthering Heights to ... Dukess’ novel. This book does not serve every writer, but it should be enjoyed for its creative dialogue and yes, especially its palace intrigue. Where we are used to the relatable, down to earth characters of young adult literature and otherwise, consider The Last Book Party a glimpse into an entertaining, romanticized relic of days gone by.
9.
get a promotion at work but its really just more responsibility and same pay
OSTEOPORNOSIS: A degenerate disease
REINTARNATION: Coming back to life as a hillbilly
DRINK OF THE WEEK CAMINO WHITE RUSSIAN • 4 oz. Smirnoff No. 21 vodka • 12 oz. Camino® vanilla cold brew • 1-2 oz heavy cream • Nutmeg/Coacoa powder Combine vodka and cold brew in ice shaker and strain into ice cup. Pour heavy cream over the top of cold brew/vodka mixture. Heavy cream can be substituted with chocolate milk or 2% for lite version. Top off with cocoa powder as garnish. 21+ only please
Courtesy of Micah Porter
Page 18 | Thursday, September 3, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Life
Album Review | Shabrang
Sevdaliza releases sophomore album
With her second album, Sevdaliza dazzles, particularly in production BY ERIC OMOROGIEVA Staff Writer omorei17@wfu.edu
Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza remains one of the most underrated artists around the world. Largely performing overseas in Europe and Asia, she is often overlooked amongst U.S. audiences. However, last Friday, she released her sophomore album, Shabrang, which is a reminder of why she is so special and a must-listen artist. Ever since her debut EP in 2015 and her freshman album Ison, she has managed to expand on her skillset and impact audiences worldwide. In the album’s 15 tracks, she provides a wide range of sounds and melodies, giving off a soundscape unique only to her. The album is largely produced by Sevdaliza and Mucky and features writing credits dominated by Sevdaliza and Reynard Bargmann. Sevdaliza’s sound can be described through the niche genre “Trip-Hop,” a mix of experimental hip-hop influence and electronic music. These two distinctive genres form into an unrecognizable but attractive combination, where Sevdaliza begins to add her
own layer of uniqueness and originality. Because of her Middle Eastern roots, Arabic inspired strings can often be found as the basis of many of her songs. This inspiration from her Persian roots is so prevalent that it sneaks even into the title of the album. “Shabrang” is found in Persian Mythology as the faithful black stallion to the hero Siyavash. The opening track of Shabrang, “Joanna,” incorporates several Persian influenced voice inflections, including revealing lyrics when she sings, “Evil personified. She preys on the dead. Desert woman. Veiled in silence,” hinting at the deserts commonly related to areas like her home country. On “Lamp Lady,” Sevdaliza dreams up a view of her own life had she not emigrated from Iran due to conflicts and war. She describes a world where she’s working a simple job by saying, “Lamp lady selling tangerines, and with the loving eyes of God. Drift back to the sun.” Many of the lyrics, including those already mentioned, are sung in a poetic fashion, almost as if she is in the same state of reciting classic Persian stories herself. This choice allows the focus to fall on the lyrics, and places less pressure on Sevdaliza to perform as a top tier singer. Sevdaliza also makes sure to respect her own roots and influences. The eighth track, “Gole Bi Goldoon” is a beautiful cover to the famous pre-
Iranian Revolution singer Googoosh’s classic track. She takes the original fast paced and happy track and slows it down, making it her own mystifying track sung in Persian. Shabrang provides many highlights throughout the length of the album, but its production shines the brightest. Sevdaliza increases the experimentation within her electronic music while reminding listeners of her typical sound. She plays with different sounds, moods and genres to create a playlist the listener has never experienced before. Some sound familiar, like the guitar chord led title track, which sounds eerily similar to Travis Scott’s “Drugs You Should Try It.” On the other hand, some feel entirely new, like the video game intergalactic vibes of “Rhode,” featuring heavy synths and groovy tunes. The production can be seen at its best on the most energized track of the album, “Eden.” Here, Mucky and Sevdaliza build a gorgeous arrangement of strings followed by hard drums which sound similar to a Hip-Hop trap song. As it progresses, the beat builds, drops and builds its way back up in a way similar to EDM tracks. When it drops later, however, horns can be heard alongside the beat, making it an even more maximalist listening experience. It’s small additions like this that separate Sevdaliza from her peers.
Photo courtesy of amazon.com
Sevdaliva releases new album with astounding sonic dexterity. At its core, Shabrang is all about opening your mind into a reflective dream state. There are no easy interpretations as to what the songs are about. Sevdaliza does not make it easy for listeners to relate to her, but instead challenges them with complex sayings softened by attractive and eclectic melodies. You get to experience her flowing thoughts and stories without ever having to overthink the message. Overall, this album is a notable release for 2020 and definitely a great album to start off with in Sevdaliza’s discography.
Single Review | “Identical”
New Phoenix single “Identical” rings hollow “Identical” disappoints for fans of Phoenix’s older records BY ELLY HONAKER Contributing Writer honaer18@wfu.edu
French indie pop band Phoenix recently released a new song for the first time since 2017. The single “Identical” is part of a movie soundtrack for an upcoming film called On the Rocks which is directed by Sofia Coppola, the wife of lead singer Thomas Mars. It is unknown at this point if more music is to follow, but such an indication is not looked upon fondly from someone who is a fan of their early music. Upon listening to the single, I was continuously reminded of how their sound, once full and rich, spanning albums worth of highly listenable tracks, has deteriorated into hyperfocused, yet failed carbon copies of their prior successes. You might not recognize the band Phoenix by their name, but their music almost certainly shaped the world of your adolescence. Their two most
successful albums, United (2000) and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009), have several songs that continually permeate the music taste of nearly every young adult. The songs “If I Ever Feel Better,” “1901,” and “Lisztomania” always prompt an immediate sense of nostalgia for those first moments when you were able to discern what ‘cool’ music was. Their subsequent albums have been received with less excitement. The highly anticipated album following Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Bankrupt!, was an oversaturated, over-synthesized shell of Wolfgang. It was as if they amped up the aspects of their prior releases that felt most tinny and hollow. It was a 1980s fever dream. High hats and gated reverb littered every moment of the music to the point of distraction. It just felt as if they were capitalizing on the mid-2010s trend of 80s reverb that cuts straight through the music without much thought. In the process, they left behind their substantial disco sounds and rock-influenced riffs that stuck in your mind long after you listened to them. They lost something deep and sincere in exchange for flash and pomp. And they haven’t recovered since.
Their latest album release, Ti Amo, was a brush with camp. They leaned so heavily into italo-disco, I couldn’t help but feel Ryan Paris was about to chime in about dancing in the Dolce Vita. It wasn’t offensive, but it was obvious the well in which they were pulling inspiration from was shallow. The album was boring, and in those moments of boredom, my mind wandered back to those early songs — to those infectious rhythms that incorporated all the elements that they decided to focus on so pointedly in subsequent releases. Early Phoenix had elements of 1980s drumming styles which felt at times like italoPhoto courtesy of amazon.com disco, but at the soul of it was rock — Phoenix’s single, “Identical,” falls which was what made it incredible. short of band’s historic precedent. It seemed their early exploits were lightning in a bottle; their potential was together to create a sound so refreshing palpable with United but erupted with that even a decade after its release, it still Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Their explo- feels as new as when you first put it on sive sound on that album will forever in your early teenage years. Some artists overshadow any other effort they put are lucky to get one song that reaches forth. It is admirable that they attempt people in that way; I like to think Phoeto explore different sides of their artistic nix is content with an entire album. vision, but the fans of their early music So when a dulcet letdown like “Identiwill always be resistant. That album ex- cal” comes out, I crane to hear within ists as its own world. It is untouchable: its hollow sound an echo of the band’s every element of their influences came prior greatness.
Old Gold & Black | Life
Thursday, September 3, 2020 | Page 19
TV Show Review | I May Destroy You
Michaela Coel explores trauma in new show Coel presents and analyzes the idea of an “imperfect” survivor, drawing parallels to McEwan’s Atonement BY JACK PORTMAN Opinion Editor portjt17@wfu.edu
Editor’s Note: the following article contains language that discusses sensitive topics such as rape and sexual assault. Micheala Coel’s recently concluded HBO series I May Destroy You is a meditation on the ways in which exploitation, in its various forms, underlies the pretenses of our established cultural phenomena. The show, which ran for a single season, addresses topics heretofore neglected by the mainstream television of our mileu, and is prolific in its treatment of race, gender, sexuality, rape, redemption, social media and trauma. But in the midst of this cultural exorcism, one might miss a crucial element of Coel’s masterpiece: the essential catharsis of narrative. At the center of Joe Wright’s 2007 film Atonement, based on Ian McEwan’s eponymously titled novel, is the nurture and redemption found in the act of writing. The film opens amid a din of typewriter clicks as 13-year-old Briony (Saiorse Ronan), finishes a draft of a play titled “The Trials of Arabella.” Keyboard clicks become a literal percussive force in the orchestral arrangements, and at the film’s most dramatic and clairvoyant moments the viewer can tacitly glimpse into the future as Briony novelizes the events of her life. The keyboard clicks cohere as a rhythm, suggesting that as Briony writes she is making sense of her past, organizing a concise and topographical account from an array of foggy memories. Writing, in Atonement, is a means of exorcising the sins of life. The act of writing is portrayed as a religious act, and the texts produced in the film become religious texts divined through mistrial, shame and recompense. The film is structured in a similar style as Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women: what the viewer sees is revealed to be Briony’s narrativized account of her original sin, an autobiographical novel which she titles Atonement. We learn that what we are watching is not a truthful presentation, but rather a fictitious reimagining of Briony’s troubled reality — an atonement for the sin she feels she has committed. Briony’s sin is her lack of clairvoyance, her misplaced certainty. After witnessing the final moments of her young cousin’s rape, Briony, based on a misunderstanding, falsely accuses Robbie, the son of her affluent family’s housekeeper, of the crime. The false accusation lev-
ied by Briony sees Robbie imprisoned. As the second World War commences, he is released from incarceration to fight, but is killed during the calamitous retreat at Dunkirk, which Robbie describes as “something out of a Bible.” The scene at Dunkirk is fraught with contradictory images of domesticity, familial affection, innocence and the entropic chaos of war. This is life as Briony remembers it, refracted and distorted by the gravity of her perceived sin; she knows she is responsible for shattering what promised to be an idyllic future for the couple, and by extension responsible for their tragic deaths apart from one another. As the camera stumbles through a cliche “madhouse” at Dunkirk, a soldier’s chorus sings a hymn: “Take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Thy peace.” The hymn is an ode to finding harmony and structure in chaos; that it coincides with the surreal imagery of partially dilapidated carnival rides on a brutalized beach overflowing with doomed and distraught young men seems to tacitly suggest that what we are watching is an absurd manifestation of Briony’s trauma and shame, a Freudian glimpse into a guilt-stricken soul. I May Destroy You likewise deals with the catharsis of writing and the desire to find order in trauma. In Atonement, the writer is the sinner, and she attempts to absolve herself through the act of writing. I May Destroy You’s Arabella Essiedu (played by Coel) subverts this role — she is sinned against and must navigate the resulting pain through writing and narrative structure. That Coel chose to name the show’s lead Arabella seems to directly place I May Destroy You in conversation with Wright’s Atonement, especially considering that each deals with grief, trauma, rape and the written word as a means of, or path to, closure. After being drugged and raped by an unknown assailant at a London bar, Arabella, a young writer and Twitter personality, finds herself traumatized, confused and disengaged from her work on an inchoate draft of her second novel. Arabella is accompanied by her close friends Terry (Weruche Opia), and Kwame (Paapa Essiedu), each of whom are themselves raped in the course of the season. Exploitation, particularly with regard to its manifestation in and volatile relationship with sex, is analysed in a variety of contexts. Following her rape, Arabella pursues liberation from her trauma while fleeting visions of her unknown attacker begin to take form. Her memories of the night are nebulous and largely incoherent, and her attempts to assemble a chronology of her rape only further complicate her awareness of its meanings and implications. In light of the ambiguity shrouding her trauma, Arabella’s
connections to the material world — her family, friends, fans and work — become increasingly diffuse. Her writing comes to a halt, and her relationships with her publisher and agents becomes tenuous as she misses consecutive deadlines. Arabella leverages her online presence into a platform for discussing various forms of abuse and exploitation, however the cursed anonymity of her attacker continues to haunt her. When a police investigation into her rape turns up little evidence and forces her long-distance boyfriend, an Italian drug-dealer, into a precarious legal situation, Arabella’s confusion, detachment and distrust of the material world are sufficatingy and delusionally piqued. Trauma and anxiety is seen transcending generations, vacillating between family members and friends and bleeding into the fabric of our collective political consciousness. How is one to navigate trauma if it is everywhere, embodied by everyone and everything? Arabella’s second novel is eventually seen to fruition. The season finale, titled “Ego Death” after the bar where she was raped, sees a mess of scrap paper and sticky notes - the plans for her novel - arranged and rearranged on her bedroom wall. Arabella’s story, or her understanding of it, begins to take shape, only to assume another shape and then another. She embodies a variety of endings —she drugs, murders and molests her rapist and hides his body under her bed, reimagines her rape as a consensual hookup, and tenderly consoles his surfacing guilt — pent-up from a career of “many different types of rape” — only to turn him over to the police. Coel presents these apparently controdictory lucid visions as inseparable from the true story of Arabella’s trauma. Each vision compliments the others, each is an ending that can’t be but nonetheless is. The series could appropriately be titled “The Trials of Arabella.” In Atonement, Briony finds solace in the narrative form. She imbues life with rhyme and reason, she organizes the chaos and ambiguity in a way that makes sense and finds redemption in her authorial license. Arabella similarly leans on narrative structure as a means of consolation, however what she finds isn’t finitude but multiplicity. By nature, as one composes a narrative, an infinity of resolutions present themselves for selection — which is to say, there is no singular means of navigating trauma, no definitive rectification of the pain and sorrow of our lives. Atonement promotes the view that narrative structure can alleviate guilt and absolve sin, that writing can be an “act of kindness” capable of restoring harmony and pleasure. I May Destroy You poses the opposite, that writing and the narrative form helps us to reconcile with the impossibility of a total, singular resolve; the show is an exploration of the ways we attempt to deliver ourselves from the depths of trauma and grief, and an abrasive reminder that the pursuit of organization and meaning in the annals of our troubled psyche is futile.
Photo courtesy of imdb.com
Michaela Coel wrote, directed and starred in I May Destroy You which she based on her real life experience being sexually assaulted. (Left) Coel in the central promotional picture for her show. (Right) Keira Knightly in the 2007 film Atonement, from which Coel seems to draw inspiration.
Page 20 | Thursday, September 3, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Life
@Winston_Salem_Eats promotes a "shop local" initiative The Old Gold & Black sat down with senior Caroline Osborn who runs @Winston_Salem_Eats, to discuss dining during a pandemic BY CATHERINE REGEN Life Editor regecl17@wfu.edu
Your account was really active in supporting restaurants during the pandemic and highlighting Black-owned restaurants. How did your involvement come to be? When the pandemic hit, I knew right away that I wanted to do something to support the local businesses and restaurants that I saw hurting. I reached out to a few of my favorites and asked them what I could do to help. Many responded saying to spread awareness about how their restaurants were operating and how the community could support them during this economic and health care crisis. I quickly made posts, similar to how-to guides, for how people in the community could support these restaurants. Additionally, I tried to reshare information and updates about businesses constantly on my stories. Similarly, after George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other innnocent Black individuals were killed due to police brutality, I knew I needed to use my platform to support and amplify black voices and black business owners in the community. I reached out to three other food bloggers in Winston and together we created an extensive list of black owned restaurants and businesses for people to support in the community. (Link can be found in my @ Winston_Salem_Eats Bio)
Life Editor Catherine Regen interviews Caroline Osborn about her Winston-Salem food Instagram account. Osborn touches on the importance of supporting local and Black-owned businesses during COVID-19. She also reccomends some local eateries that Wake Forest students might not be familiar with. Can you introduce yourself? My name is Caroline Osborn and I am a senior communications major and entrepreneurship minor. I am from Winston-Salem and have lived in this city my entire life. This past summer I worked at KIND Snacks as their Digital and Social Media intern and the summer prior interned at The Variable as their Public Relations and Social Media Intern. On campus, I am involved in my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the philanthropic group D.E.S.K. (Discovering Education through Student Knowledge). Also, just gotta say that I am pumped that Camino Bakery is now in the library. Best move on Wake’s part. Why did you decide to start a food and restaurant blog? I have always been a huge foodie and have loved watching Winston’s food scene grow over the years. I really started it at first as something for myself and a way to remember and document the different restaurants I had been to. The original name of my account was not even “Winston-Salem Eats” it was “Ur Foodie Friend.”
If you were recommending restaurants to someone new to Winston-Salem where would you tell them to go? For brunch, dinner or coffee. For brunch, try the new Young Cardinal Cafe or the OG Krankies. For coffee, SaySo Coffee has been my recent favorite spot. I am loving their Matcha Latte with Oat milk and also buying a Liter of their Lavender Latte with Oat Milk. One thing I love most about Winston are the awesome coffee shops. Camino, Krankies, Krankies Airstream and Bobby Boy Bakeshop are a few of my other favorites. In terms of dinner, prior to the pandemic, Canteen was probably my go-to dinner spot. Today, I am loving eating or getting take out from a variety of places including: Spring House, Downtown Thai, Mozelles, Cugino Forno, Mizu and trying different food trucks at breweries. Most of the time, I eat dinner at my off-campus apartment with local produce I get delivered each week from Fair Share Farm. I am buying my groceries mostly from Cobblestone Farmers Market, Smoke City Meats, Sea Products and Buie’s. (Honorable mentions: ice cream at Lil Dipper, wine at Caviste and drinks at Vintage Sofa Bar)
Do you only profile Winston-Salem eateries? I don’t only profile Winston-Salem restaurants. Junior fall I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain and traveled around several countries in Europe. I decided then to create highlights for different states and countries to document where I had eaten, but also as a tool/food guide for my friends who were also studying abroad and traveling Europe. How has the account evolved over time? After coming to Wake Forest, I saw it really turn into a tool for students and a tool for the WinstonSalem community. Sophomore spring, I really began to work on it more and made it something that I was proud of. Today, I have nearly 4,000 followers with people engaging with the content I post frequently. I have been asked to promote restaurants, been offered free meals and products and received a lot of positive feedback from my followers. Have you ever given a bad review? I have never given a bad review. If I don’t like a meal I have had, I usually just wouldn’t post about it. I don’t want my page to be negative, I want it to be more about spreading awareness and supporting the many small awesome restaurants and businesses in Winston. What spots are you looking to try next? I am always looking to try new spots in town. Most recently, I have been really excited to try Don Express, a Japanese food truck that is at Radar Brewing on Friday and Saturday. I am also really interested in trying Joyner’s W-S, a new neighborhood bar with historic drinks. The exterior, interior and drinks look awesome.
Graphic courtesy of Catherine Regen
What's a meal you get every time you go to a specific W-S restaurant? Krankies — Texas Pete & Honey Biscuit with a Oat Milk Chai Latte. Mizu — Sunflower Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll with Edamame to start.