News: Freshmen practice Opinion: Federal Reserve nominee is Sports: Astros face consequences in Life: Burrito Boys review the sustainability cheating scandal grossly unqualified campus Moe’s Page 6 Page 12 Page 9 Page 19
Old Gold&Black
WAKE FOREST’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1916 VOL. 106, NO. 15
T H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 2 0 “Cover s the campus like the magnolias”
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Environmental majors are approved Beginning with the class of 2021, students can graduate with sustainability degrees BY CAROLINE WALKER News Editor walkct18@wfu.edu
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest News
Ibram X. Kendi, an author and professor at American University, gave the keynote address on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The event was sponsored by both Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State University.
Ibram X. Kendi speaks on the idea of “antiracism”
Kendi delivers keynote speech to celebrate the memory and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. BY BEN CONROY Asst. Sports Editor conrbd19@wfu.edu Wait Chapel was packed with students, faculty, alumni and Winston-Salem residents on Monday night for the keynote address of Ibram X. Kendi to honor and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Kendi, a history and international relations professor and founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, gave a powerful address about racism. The event was the result of joint efforts facilitated by both Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). According to Wake Forest News, the two universities have partnered to sponsor a keynote speaker for
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day for the past 20 years. In the spirit of unity and inclusion, staff and students from both colleges addressed the audience to start the evening, speaking on the necessity to effect positive social change and to work daily to improve the local Winston-Salem community. The WSSU Gospel Choir made an early appearance as well, charming the audience with a number of powerful hymns that highlighted the importance of moving forward. “March on,” they sang. “March on.” As Kendi took the stage, he seemed to move with the calmness and confidence of a man endowed with the mission of conveying a message in which he truly believed. His voice did not quiver, his hands did not shake. Kendi opened by expressing his eagerness to cover the true identity of King, rather than the watered-down version portrayed by textbooks and the media.
Though the university has offered minors in Environmental Studies and Environmental Science for 25 years, the possibility of making an environmental major available to students had never been seriously discussed until 2010. Eleven years later, the first environmental majors will be able to walk across the graduation stage in 2021 as they receive a diploma for successful completion of either a B.A. in Environment and Sustainability Studies or a B.A. in Environmental Science. Students will be able to declare a major in either of the environmental tracks beginning in the fall semester of 2020. More than 50 students have expressed interest in these new majors, according to Lucas Johnston, co-director of the Environmental Program and associate professor of religion and environment.
See Majors, Page 4
Benson gets another all-gender bathroom A gender-inclusive bathroom has been newly installed on the third floor of Benson
He wanted to make it clear that King’s viewpoints focused on the protection and preservation of all human life, and that the man whose life and legacy we celebrate would not, and did not, hesitate to put his life on the line for the sake of social justice. He was, according to Kendi, a radical of the greatest and most influential kind. Kendi then explained one of the most formative events that occurred during his childhood. One event, he said, in particular stood out: when Kendi was in high school, he participated in an oratorical contest honoring the life and legacy of King. The judges and audience were so taken with his remarks that they awarded him first prize, crowning him champion of the entire contest. However, instead of recalling this experience with pride and nostalgia, Kendi described the experience as shameful.
After a 2014 effort on behalf of the President’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, Facilities and Campus Services worked to transition single-user restrooms on campus into all-gender bathrooms. Since this initial endeavor, no other bathrooms had been updated as all-gender until now. As a result of a push from the Student Government Physical Planning Committee, Benson University Center has acquired its third all-gender restroom. Although there were already two allgender restrooms in Benson, they are relatively inaccessible due to their location on the fifth floor of the building.
See MLK, Page 6
See Benson, Page 5
BY OLIVIA FIELD Editor-in-Chief fielor17@wfu.edu
OGB
New majors“reflect environmental awareness This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board.
This is an importance step in continuing to prop up sustainability as a noble area of study ..."
As the world continues to come to grips with the effects of climate change, the need for an academic approach to environmental issues is apparent. Acknowledging this reality, the Editorial Board of the Old Gold & Black commends the university’s decision to make environmental studies majors available to students beginning Fall 2020. It indicates a readiness to begin grooming a generation of passionate students willing to combat climate change’s impacts on our world. While we are just beginning to scratch the surface of how the future will be defined by issues of climate change, it is never too early to begin educating students on sustainability
so they can emerge as leaders in this ever-changing and undefined field. Not only does the addition of these majors reflect the university’s recognition of sustainability and environmental studies as legitimate academic disciplines, but it also provides students with an opportunity to explore these issues more deeply than they could in electives or extracurricular activities related to sustainability. Over the past decade, the university has made strides in its efforts to
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSIT Y SINCE 1916 OLIVIA FIELD
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educate students on climate change and the importance of sustainability. Many of these efforts were sparked by the creation of the Office of Sustainability in 2009. Since then, the office has created various initiatives to further promote sustainable practices on campus and educate students on issues surrounding climate change. The addition of these majors also demonstrates an expansion of what the college has previously considered to be part of the sciences. While the university has actively and publicly invested in STEM-related programs, such as the relatively new engineering major and Wake Downtown, this is an importance step in continuing to
prop up sustainability as a noble and necessary area of study. While the university has had an established environmental science minor for some time, the creation of B.A.s in Environmental Studies and Sustainability and Environmental Science solidifies the university's dedication to this necessary intellectual pursuit. The Editorial Board of the Old Gold & Black is hopeful that this major will continue to grow, both in its endeavors and size. Now more than ever, it is crucial for instiutions like Wake Forest to continue validating environmental studies as valuable, innovative and integral to a college curriculum.
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Thursday, January 23, 2020 | Page 3
Deacon Profile: T.H.M. Gellar-Goad BY PARKER BEVERLY Contributing Writer bevepg19@wfu.edu
Society for Classical Studies’ Committee on Gender and Sexuality in the Profession — to formally request CAMWS to move its conference off the BYU campus. When that, too, failed, Chris and I resigned from our leadership positions in CAMWS and published an open letter explaining why. That did the trick: it generated a social-media firestorm that caused CAMWS within days to agree to hold the entire conference in the hotel (with its corporation-wide, LGBTQI+inclusive nondiscrimination policy) and nothing on BYU’s campus.
Earlier this month, T.H.M. Gellar-Goad, a professor in the classics department, was awarded the Activism Award from the Lambda Classical Caucus for his work on protecting LGBTQI+ members of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. Within the university, Gellar-Goad advocates for the LGBTQI+ community and promotes meaningful change as a member of the Wake Forward faculty group. He has taught at Wake Forest since 2012 and earned his Ph.D. in classics from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Why are you so passionate about protecting and advocating for the rights and inclusion of LGBTQI+ individuals?
Why do you think classics is important to examine today? One of the most pertinent reasons is that ancient Greece and Rome are very, very unlike the modern United States in many ways, including in how sexuality is constructed. “Straight” and “gay” are modern social constructs, and to figure that out, we need look no further than the texts and artifacts of the GraecoRoman world, where we see modes of sexuality that do not always or automatically stigmatize erotic attraction between people of the same gender. And lots more, too, to challenge our sensibilities — and for us to challenge and reject in ancient societies. How would you describe your approach to teaching? The two core components of my teaching are equity and the scholarship of teaching and learning. By equity, I mean that my foremost goal as an educator is to create an inclusive, welcoming learning environment and to model equity and inclusion in my own behavior and language. By scholarship of teaching and learning, I mean that I base my teaching methods on how learning actually works, as demonstrated in psychological and neuroscientific research. My students might describe my teaching rather differently, though. I’d imagine they’d say things like “he thinks grades are a tool of oppression!” (I do) or “there’s always some sort of game or gimmick in his courses” (there is) or “he’s really bad at email” (I am). What exactly is the Lambda Classical Caucus? How did you become involved? The Lambda Classical Caucus (LCC) is the main LGBTQI+ advocacy group in my discipline. It has two primary objectives: to advance equity for LGBTQI+ classicists and to advance the study of genders and sexualities in the field. I’ve been a member of the LCC since early in grad school.
Photo courtesy of the Digital Story Podcast
T.H.M. Gellar Goad earned an Activist Award for his work advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. What work of yours received recognition with the Activism Award? In collaboration with Professor Christopher B. Polt of Boston College, I spearheaded an effort to lobby a national classics organization to better support its LGBTQI+ members. The organization, the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS), decided to have its 2023 conference at Brigham Young University (BYU). BYU is, unfortunately, one of the most hostile campuses in the nation for LGBTQI+ people because its policies are tightly controlled by the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints. These policies include a ban on so-called homosexual behavior, strict monitoring of students’ gender expression and policies suggesting that visitors may not be permitted to speak on campus if their work or lives are inconsistent with church ideology. All in all, this makes BYU an unwelcoming and unsafe site for LGBTQI+ students and scholars of classics. So Chris and I did everything we could to get the leadership of CAMWS to change course. We started with personal, backchannel contact with the CAMWS Executive Committee. When that got us nowhere, we coordinated a coalition of organizations — the LCC, the Women’s Classical Caucus (for which I sit on the steering committee), the Classics and Social Justice group (I’m also on their steering committee) and the
I’m an intersectional feminist, and so my beliefs (and my intellectual fundamentals) push me to value equity for all and to oppose inequity and discrimination where and as I can. As a gay man who grew up in North Carolina, I’ve experienced my fair share of homophobia and discrimination, and I’ve decided to use my position and what power comes with it to work against injustice. How do you feel about the representation and resources available for the LGBTQI+ community at Wake Forest? The staff of the LGBTQ Center here do amazing work and are an invaluable resource for our student body. But we — not just they — have a lot still to do, because many students still cannot be who they are on this campus. It’s incumbent upon all of us, but especially upon the students who dominate the social life of this campus, to reshape it to be one that explicitly includes, rather than implicitly and explicitly marginalizes, LGBTQI+ students as full-fledged members of the community. What do you think the future of the LGBTQI+ community looks like? LGBTQI+ people can still be fired for not being straight or cisgender and can still be denied housing for the same reason. LGBTQI+ youth experience disproportionately high levels of homelessness and suicide. Two states still ban government-funded travel to North Carolina because of the anti-LGBTQI+ ideologies espoused by the majority party of our state legislature. There’s a long way to go, and it ain’t gonna be easy, especially not with the culturally conservative, white
POLICE BEAT Larceny • Unknown subject stole checks from victim's office in Reynolda. The report was filed on Jan. 14 at 4:15 p.m. • Offender placed books in bin in Bostwick and did not return them to the bookstore. The report was filed on Jan. 15 at 3:33 p.m. • Unknown subject removed unsecured earbuds from Greene. The report was filed on Jan. 17 at 5:20 p.m. • Unknown subject removed $10 from unsecured car on University Parkway. The report was filed on Jan. 19 at 12:58 p.m. • Unknown subject entered unsecured car but did not remove anything. The report was filed on Jan. 19 at 1:27 a.m. Underage Consumption/Intoxication • Offender consumed alcohol and was transported from Collins to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 14 at 2:22 a.m. • Offender consumed alcohol and was transported from Angelou to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 14 at 2:45 a.m. • Offender consumed alcohol and was transported from North Campus Apartments to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 15 at 12:34 a.m.
• Offender consumed alcohol off campus and was transported from University Dr. to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 16 at 12:43 a.m. • GHD reported underage possession of alcohol by a female observed drinking from a liquor bottle. The report was filed on Jan. 16 at 1:54 a.m. • Offender consumed alcohol off campus and was transported from Johnson to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 16 at 2:12 a.m. • Offender found passed out in the ivy beside North Campus Apartments Building 1 and was transported to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 16 at 3:15 a.m. • Offender consumed alcohol off campus and was transported from Collins to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 17 at 12:02 a.m. • Offenders consumed alcohol off campus and were transported from Efird to WFUBMC. The report was filed on Jan. 17 at 1:23 a.m. • Offender consumed alcohol and became sick after eating curry. EMTs examined her and then allowed her to return to Babcock. The report was filed on Jan. 17 at 11:40 p.m. • Offender consumed alcohol at a Sigma Pi party and became sick. The report was filed on Jan. 19 at 3:56 a.m. • Non-WFU student consumed alcohol and was transported to WFUBMC. Davidson College was notified. The report was filed on Jan. 19 at 1:31 a.m. • Offender consumed alcohol at a SAE party and was allowed to return to Angelou with a friend. The report was filed on Jan. 19 at 2:54 a.m.
Page 4 |Thursday, January 23, 2020
Old Gold & Black | News
Majors: Students can pursue sustainable studies Continued from Page 1
Johnston kept track of who has met with him, signed up for updates or attended an informational session about the environmental majors. “These majors check all the boxes,” Johnston said. “They represent what students want — genuinely interdisciplinary studies that allow them to pursue their passions; what employers want — creative problem-solvers who must navigate a globalizing world; and what Wake Forest wants — cohorts of graduates who pursue lifelong learning not just for a diploma, but for the good of humanity — Pro Humanitate.” The demand for environmental majors has been demonstrated for some time by a number of students who have performed the tough work of establishing interdisciplinary majors in order to pursue their interests in sustainability studies or environmental science. There are also currently 43 students who have declared minors in either Environmental Studies or Environmental Science. With the increasing desirability of a diploma in an environmental academic discipline, the approval of the environmental majors will also help the university to recruit high schoolers who are interested in sustainability and environmental studies. In the past, these prospective students have been lost to other universities with more robust offerings in these areas of study, according to data collected by the admissions office. The new majors expand upon the university’s pre-existing academic offerings of environmental minors by enhancing students’ scientific preparation and providing more environmental offerings in the humanities and social sciences.
The specific course requirements for both tracks will include Global Environmental Issues (ENV 201), Leadership for Sustainability (ENV 203), Earth Systems (ENV 220), Biology I (BIO 150) and Biology II (BIO 160). Majors will also have to take additional courses in four identified areas of relevant academic study: social sciences, humanities, natural sciences and applied sustainability. Academic offerings like the Leadership for Sustainability course are particularly impactful for many students. For instance, senior Alice Romanov reflected upon how her experience in the class inspired her to integrate ecoconsciousness throughout her various academic areas of interest and empowered her to become an advocate for environmental change. “That class definitely solidified my commitment to orienting my career around sustainability,” said Romanov. “Although I only became academically involved in this program as a senior, it has been highly influential. I can only imagine the benefits and opportunities students who major in these new programs will have and the positive influence they will yield.” Romanov now works as the green business network intern for the Office of Sustainability, demonstrating how students can effect change as environmental leaders by incorporating sustainable principles in their current endeavors and future careers. All students declaring an environmental major will also have the opportunity to expand upon their academic learning through enrollment in a capstone course, real-word experience through an internship or completion of a research project with faculty.
Internships and assistantships for stu- ebrate this year, along with the 50th andents interested in environmental science niversary of Earth Day, 25th anniversary and studies are also offered through the of the university’s Environmental ProOffice of Sustainability, which will con- gram, 10th anniversary of the Office of tinue to support students interested in Sustainability and fifth anniversary of the environmental science and sustainability university’s Sustainability Graduate Prostudies. The office also directs the Cam- grams. Each of these remarkable feats of pus as Lab program and the Leadership environmental progress will be celebrated for Sustainability course, both of which with relevant programming and events introduce students to sustainability in an organized by the Office of Sustainability academic context. Likewise, the office re- throughout Earth Month, which will cenmains committed to continue supporting ter around the theme “Scaling Up Soluand partnering with faculty across a wide array of disciplines that seek to integrate tions for Climate Action” and last from environmental science and sustainability March 22 to April 22. into their courses. Chief Sustainability Officer Dedee Johnston, who was a member of the multidisciplinary team that developed the new majors, believes that the new major tracks will enhance the academic offerings of the university and provide new opportunities for students. “With the climate crisis upon us, all students will need to be literate about the impacts of climate change on their career sectors,” Johnston said. “Students who want to take a direct role in the study of these impacts or the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies, especially the human dimensions of change management, will benefit from these two new major tracks.” Students who choose to pursue either of the environmental majors and receive training and experience in environmental science and sustainability will begin to meet the growing need for leaders, experts and professionals that has become imperative in light of the anthropogenic Photo courtesy of the Office of Sustainability Flickr crisis of climate change. With many benefits, the environmental Students garden and learn as part majors are yet another landmark to cel- of a Campus as Lab experience.
SG GENERAL ASSEMBLY BY CAROLINE WALKER News Editor walkct18@wfu.edu I. Guest Speaker The Assistant Director of Community Partnerships for the Office of Civic and Community Engagement (OCCE) Camry Wilborn began the meeting with a presentation on the local educational system. Wilborn explained that unequal resource distribution among the local schools has contributed to significant disparities in academic performance between minority and white students. To address this issue, the OCCE has focused on increasing educational equity. She encouraged students to join the OCCE’s efforts by volunteering through Paisley Leadership Academy to mentor and work with students at Paisley IB Magnet School. II. Executive Reports Treasurer Andrew Wilson noted that organizations should schedule a meeting to review their budgets with the Student Advisory Budgeting Committee (SBAC) and that training modules would be avail-
able on The Link by the end of the week. He also congratulated sophomore Brooke Blair on becoming the new SBAC representative. Chief of Staff Isabella Ryan explained that changes to the university’s Code of Conduct have been in progress and should be released for public comment within a month. She has also been working with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to talk about plans for establishing block housing for athletes, as well as expanding mental health resources for athletes. She also announced that the application for a senator position is now live and open to anyone interested in serving on Student Government. Staff Advisor Tim Wilkinson explained that applications and nominations for the position of student trustee are available. Additionally, he encouraged students to attend CHARGE informational sessions and Link Learn drop-in hours. III. Committee Reports The Academic Committee shared that the resolution to make Wake Forest a polling location has been sent to the co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee and is still in
progress. Additionally, the committee is working on a student-athlete video. The Campus Life Committee finalized dates and times for Paisley Leadership Academy and extended an invitation to join them every other Monday from 3 to 4 p.m. to volunteer at Paisley IB Magnet School. They are also continuing to work on Mental Health Week. Diversity and Inclusion Committee shared that they have met with the Panhellenic Vice President of Inclusion and the Interfraternity Council Officers of Diversity and Inclusion to discuss diversity in Greek life. They have also invited Winston-Salem State University to participate in the events during Mental Health Week. Other initiatives in progress include adding LGBTQ+-friendly sex education to orientation programming and working with Thomas Benza from the Office of Student Financial Aid on resource packets for students. Judiciary Committee explained that they are examining the elections packet in order to clarify rules surrounding Groupme usage and endorsement guidelines during the upcoming Student Government campaigns.
Physical Planning Committee shared information about planned renovations for Luter Residence Hall and a new academic building on Davis Field after a meeting with Capital Projects. Public Relations is working on the Student Government website and Student Organizations Council Committee is reorganizing the chartering process. IV. Senator Reports Senior member of the Academic Committee Caleb Woody talked with the Office of Parking and Transportation about the system of fines and the possibility of restructuring it in a more equitable way, taking into consideration the financial inequity that exists across campus. V. Constituent Concerns Students expressed interest in finding ways to memorialize Lemont White and shared that some groups had already planned to write letters to his family. Another concern was brought up in regard to a students’ inability to take or sit in on classes in the School of Business if they are not in the school.
News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, January 23, 2020|Page 5
Benson: all-gender bathroom is more accessible Continued from Page 1
The reconfiguration of a bathroom on the third floor will allow for transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming students to use the bathroom with ease while eating on the second floor or socializing in one of the many student spaces on the third floor. “For transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students, having access to all-gender restrooms is a really important part of being able to go about their daily lives and perform necessary bodily functions without stress and anxiety,” said LGBTQ Center Director Angela Mazarais. “And for students who spend a lot of time at the LGBTQ Center, having access to an all-gender restroom close by is one way that we can increase access and a sense of inclusion in this part of campus.” The new bathroom, which is located across from the LGBTQ Center, contains a toilet stall, urinal and a baby changing station. It is designed to function for a single user, but can also be used for companion or child care. As the co-chair of the Physical Planning Committee, sophomore Caroline Wright helped to establish this restroom as all-gender. After meeting with Mazarais to learn more about the importance of and history surrounding all-gender bathrooms on campus, the committee reached out to John Shenette, vice president of Facilities and Campus Services. “Facilities took on the project and we found out that the bathroom renovation had been completed at our first [Student
Government] Senate meeting this semester,” Wright said. “These types of bathrooms are important, because they help make gender nonconforming individuals, whether they are trans or non-binary, feel safer in public spaces.” Following the reverberations of North Carolina’s 2016 House Bill 2 (HB2), the venture of creating all-gender bathrooms at the university has continued to take on importance. Although it was eventually repealed in 2017, HB2 stated that individuals could only use the bathroom that correlated with the gender listed on their birth certificate. Thus, transgender individuals were not legally allowed to use the gendered public restroom with which they identified. “To have our state legislature make a bill that really seemed to target transgender people with absolutely no evidence behind it was really harmful to trans and gender nonconforming people around North Carolina and really scary for students on our campus,” Mazarais said. Since the university is a private institution, HB2 never impacted campus. In fact, the university was already in the process of renovating bathrooms, as well as establishing a policy that new buildings on campus would automatically be built with all-gender restrooms. “It was really good for us when that bill passed, we were able to say: ‘Hey, actually this is something we have already been working on — here’s our map of all gender restrooms’,” Mazarais said. “These are ways in which we can structurally support the lived experience of
trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming folks on our campus.” As the university continues to tackle this issue, Wright pointed out the current lack of all-gender restrooms in Wake Downtown. According to the university’s Human Resources webpage, the only accessible bathroom is on the first floor of the Wake Forest School of Medicine. “I think, with the new construction happening on campus in the next few years, all-gender restrooms should be a consideration in terms of planning for new construction and renovation,” Wright said.
Mazarais highlighted the work the LGBTQ Center is doing to be a further resource for the transgender, non-binary and gender noncomforming students, faculty and staff. Alongside increasing the number of all-gender bathrooms, the center has worked to solidify genderneutral housing and is moving to put together a comprehensive guide for transgender students. “We are really trying to think about the different places across the student life cycle where students may need an accommodation of some sort in order to have an equitable experience in their education,” Mazarais said.
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The new bathroom features both a toilet within its own stall and a urinal, as well as a sink and a baby changing station.
UPCOMING SPEAKERS KYLE KORVER Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. Wait Chapel Kyle Korver is a professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks. Korver has attracted the attention of both sports fans for setting records on the court, such as the highest 3-point shooting percentage in the NBA, and of the nation for sparking conversations about racism after the publication of his essay about how white privilege has shaped his experience. He will deliver a speech as part of the “Voices of Our Time” guest speaker series.
Benjamin Crump is a famous civil rights lawyer who has represented clients in the Trayvon Martin, Martin Leed Anderson Boot Camp, Jannie Ligons and Robbie Tolan cases. He has also gained acclaim as a speaker, with features on NPR and BET, and as an author, with articles about civil rights and criminal justice published frequently in Time magazine and discusses civil rights issues for African-Americans. He has become known as an impassioned advocate for equality, especially for marginalized people.
Feb.12 at 6 p.m. Pugh Auditorium
BENJAMIN CRUMP
CORNEL WEST March 20
Cornel West is a professor of public philosophy at Harvard University and professor emeritus at Princeton University. West graduated from Harvard with magna cum laude within three years before attending Princeton to obtain an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy. He is the author of several books on race issues, including his most recent, Black Prophetic Fire. He will speak as a part of the “Voices of Our Time” guest speaker series. The event is free and open to the public.
Page 6 |Thursday, January 23, 2020
Old Gold & Black | News
MLK: Author discusses King’s real legacy Continued from Page 1
His younger self ’s remarks, he told the audience, were marked by criticism for his own race, defined by claims that African Americans themselves were at fault for the issues facing their community. “We talk a lot about racial progress,” Kendi said. “We talk about King’s dream. But we also must talk about King’s nightmare, which was the progression of racism, the sophistication of racist policies, of racist ideas and even of racial violence.” From there, Kendi went on to dissect the nature of racism. He addressed the fact that most Americans believe they are not racist. In fact, he said, slave trad-
ers and the other oppressive groups likely believed the same thing. Kendi called for an examination of self, a period of self-reflection and personal change. Kendi argued that there is no gray area when it comes to racism; one is either a racist or an antiracist. “This is the question: what are we going to do as individuals? What side of this struggle are we going to be on? Are we going to take the antiracist position? Or are we going to take the racist position?” Kendi said. According to Kendi, the true danger lies in the belief that one is not racist; by refusing to accept that change is necessary, racist ideas and viewpoints are allowed to continue to infiltrate American society.
“The only thing wrong with black people,” he said, “is that they believe there is something wrong with black people.” The rest of Kendi’s remarks were also powerful. He discussed the ways in which racism still pervades American society, including standardized testing and skewed media coverage, exposing many of the conclusions reached by professionals as fraudulent and unfairly biased. He ended the speech by stressing the point that inadequacies are not only acceptable but inevitable, and reiterating that each individual’s efforts to embody the tenets of antiracism, in spite of these inadequacies, is what will result in effecting positive social change.
First-years demonstrate sustainable leadership Students in first-year residence halls can participate in a selfassessment of their sustainability BY CAROLINE WALKER News Editor walkct18@wfu.edu With the issue of climate change increasingly capturing the attention of the public, more and more first-year students arrive on Wake Forest’s campus with a passion for sustainability and a desire to become involved with environmental activism. As a result, the Sustainability Leadership Group (SLG) was formed during the fall semester of 2019 when the program coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, Brian Cohen, decided to tap into the potential of first-year students. The inaugural cohort of the SLG is composed of 29 selected students from the class of 2023 that had developed ecoconsciousness at an early stage in their college career, and will continue to influence others as sustainable leaders throughout their following four years on campus. Many already knew that they wanted to become involved in sustainability initiatives, including freshman Meredith Powers, an SLG representative from Luter Residence Hall who explained how the program appealed to her passion for promoting public awareness of environmental issues. “I really wanted to make a difference,” Powers said. “I’m from California, so I grew up where sustainability and climate change information was given to me from a young age, and I wanted to bring that to North Carolina.” Pursuing this passion, Powers worked alongside her fellow student leaders during the fall semester to conduct sustainability outreach in the university’s seven first-year residence halls. Through interactive boards and activities, including “Choose to Reuse” outreach and a recycling sorting game, participants became informed about environmentally friendly habits that students could practically incorporate into their daily lives and habits. Additionally, the SLG representatives
talked to resident advisors about ways to incorporate principles of sustainability, such as waste reduction or energy conservation, into college dorm life and held meetings to increase residents’ acknowledgement of their environmental responsibility. From sharing information with their peers to initiating conversations about sustainability with stakeholders, SLG provides members with valuable experience in formulating ideas, collaborating with others and directing their own projects. Some, like SLG representative freshman Sam Lowenhall from Babcock Residence Hall, have never been involved in a sustainability or leadership club before. “It gives me an opportunity to learn more about sustainability and teach others,” Lowenhar said. “For the most part, [first-years] run this. We talk about ideas and debate things.” After educating their peers about sustainable practices last semester, the SLG representatives decided to focus their efforts this semester on holding a friendly competition, called the Green Room Challenge, between residents in the first-year residence halls for highest achievement of sustainable living practices. The project operates through a selfassessment that provides students with the ability to evaluate their personal habits in respect to levels of sustainability, and reflect on whether they are being eco-conscious on a daily basis. When completing the assessment, they will have to consider their performance in four main categories of sustainability — energy, waste, water and purchasing — that are each worth 25 points and a miscellaneous section worth eight additional points, for a total possible score of 108. The practices and habits evaluated include how often respondents properly sort recyclable material when disposing of waste in their residence halls, wait to wash dirty articles of clothing until they have a full load, immediately report a maintenance issue or attend sustainability-related events. According to frehsman Lydia Evans, one of the SLG leaders in Luter, the goal of this project is to heighten stu-
w
Photo courtesy of Residence Life and Housing
Last semester, first-year students had the opportunity to get involved in environmental activism by joining the Sustainability Leadership Group. dent’s awareness of sustainable or unsustainable elements of their residential lifestyles so that they can start thinking more about the environmental impact of their daily actions and decisions. “The big motivator for me is the education aspect, because I think that a lot of what bars people from engaging in sustainable habits is that they don’t know what they are,” Evans said. “This is going to draw people’s attention to those things, so my hope is to get as many people as possible to participate.” In hopes of meeting their goals for participation and education, the SLG leaders are sending out the self-assessments to residents of their halls this week. After the responses are graded on a rolling basis, participants will receive Green Room Certifications with colors highlighting different levels of sustainable achievement — green for “in progress,” bronze for at least 55 points, silver for at least 70 points, gold for at least 85 points and platinum for at least 100 points. Yet, the numerical outcome of the self-assessment scores is less important to the SLG members than the fulfillment of the project’s educational purpose of increasing awareness about environmental responsibility and sustainable living practices. “The project opens the door to con-
versation about improvement,” Powers said. “We just want to get people thinking about their habits so that they can improve them.” That is why participants in the Green Room Challenge who are not pleased with their initial rating are encouraged to implement more sustainable practices over the course of the semester. After a period of one month, they can resubmit the self-assessment so that their new living practices and habits can be re-evaluated. By transforming routine actions like recycling into a personal challenge to become more sustainable, the SLG leaders have appealed to the competitive drive that propels “Work Forest” to excel in their academic efforts and channeled that positive energy into improving their environmental consciousness and sustainable achievement. “I’m hopeful that the project will make students’ resource conservation habits and sustainability involvement more visible,” Cohen said. “Wake Forest students care deeply about the impact their actions have and are becoming increasingly mindful about the decisions they make, especially in relation to sustainability and climate change. By making these decisions more public through a friendly competition, we hope to create opportunities for conversation, unity and action.”
News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, January 23, 2020|Page 7
Can a zero-tolerance policy be possible? After a semester of racial tensions on campus, students and administration debate the idea of a zero-tolerance policy for white supremacy BY MEREDITH HAPPY Staff Writer happmp16@wfu.edu Junior Miles Middleton was the only black person in his freshman year hall. “In that retrospect, I think that’s a little ridiculous,” Middleton said. “And I’m not telling them to fluctuate the number of how many minorities they accept a year. I’m just saying they need to at least have some type of purpose to include people.” The spring semester of 2019 was a time of growing racial tensions, action and change at the university. A photograph of the dean of admissions, Martha Allman, surfaced, in which she is pictured standing in front of a large confederate flag in the 1982 Wake Forest yearbook, The Howler. After a campus-wide forum and subsequent speak-out, students demanded action and change from the administration regarding race relations on campus — first and foremost, a zerotolerance policy for white supremacy. A student activist group on campus, the AntiRacism Coalition (ARC) created a list of demands in spring 2019. The university was quick to act on some of them, such as allotting a larger space on campus for the Black Student Alliance, providing them with a new lounge in Kitchin Residence Hall. However, they were less willing to compromise on some of the other demands. “If Wake Forest wants to continue to proclaim that this institution welcomes and supports all students, then there needs to be a policy that explicitly states that white supremacy will not be tolerated,” said senior Tariq Shanks. The university administration has seemed hesitant to implement a zero-tolerance policy for white supremacy. One concern for the administration regarding a zero-tolerance policy is figuring out what it would look like. The administration is cautious to include a policy that is not comprehensive. “What do you mean by white supremacy?” said President Nathan Hatch. “Is wearing a Trump hat a sign of white supremacy?” Dean of Students Adam Goldstein had similar questions and concerns to those of Hatch. “We want to be careful about our use of terms, because what’s hate speech?” Goldstein said. “What’s free speech? What does free speech mean and what doesn’t it mean? You want to be really careful about how we are all either agreeing or disagreeing to those definitions. I would also [ask], what’s zero tolerance for white supremacy?” Hatch also clarified how we must balance damage done to a person with standards of freedom of expression. “The phrase is very simple, but the implementation is extremely complex,” Hatch said. Many students feel the policy would be less complex than the university is letting on, and can be clear on what acts indicate white supremacy. “White supremacy is any behavior or symbol that endorses the idea that white people are superior, or that people of color, Muslims, Jewish people and other marginalized communities are a threat to this country and the livelihoods of white people,” Shanks said. So, what would such a policy look like and how would it be implemented? “Just putting out a statement that says we don’t tolerate actual white supremacy,” Middleton said.
The university has certainly grown, and the administration, although hesitant to implement such a policy, appears to have become more attuned to what students of color are experiencing on campus. In an effort to better understand what has occurred on campus, Hatch has set up new commissions to look at how the university handles issues of race: The President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community and the Committee on the Intersection of Bias, Expression and Conduct. Further, the Slavery, Race, and Memory Project has been made more public by the
Photo courtesy of the The Office of the President
President Nathan Hatch established commissions to learn about racial issues on campus. establishment of its own website. “I think that what I heard about the lived experience of people who had experienced overt racism or sort of more implicit racism,” Hatch said in reference to conversations from last spring. “I think there were some very poignant stories that had a huge impact on me and how do we build this campus to be a place where everyone feels at home.” Goldstein said that when he experiences anti-Semitism, he feels fear and anger and for that reason, he
is very aware of the troubling and damaging effects of white supremacy. “It’s a scary world right now,” he said, “and I think it’s scarier than it was five years ago. For some, people view these issues as issues of policy and law. For others, they view these issues as issues of human dignity. For me, these are human dignity issues. Yet, I understand that there is a legal framework and there’s also a policy framework.” This is not just a university-specific issue. Campuses all over the country are struggling with issues of race and inclusion. Students and administration alike are feeling the pressures from our more polarized culture, especially in the years of the Trump presidency. “There have been white supremacist actions on campuses across the United States. For example, at American University, black students were called racial slurs, threatened and found bananas hanging around the campus,” Shanks said. “Also, Syracuse University students protested after discovering racist graffiti in a first-year dormitory. All these examples support the need for a zero-tolerance for white supremacy.” Students expressed that our divisive culture is even more of a reason for the university to be a leader in our mission for Pro Humanitate and implement a policy of zero-tolerance for white supremacy. Moving into the new year, the university will continue to grapple with issues of race, especially in the greater context of white supremacy, which our entire country is finding to be more common in day-to-day life. There will also be the acts of white supremacy on campus that most students and administrators will never hear about. Students of color live in fear of white supremacy and many of these vicious acts will continue to go unreported. “Obviously I can point to the Dean Allman thing like a thousand times, and I can point to the little instances that happen on campus,” Middleton said.
Photo courtesy of the Winston-Salem Journal
Following the surfacing of racist photos from the university’s past and the occurrence of racist incidents, students held a speak-out on campus to protest white supremacy.
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“ Running facilitates perceptual sense of clarity Meditation
The treadmill is a clairvoyant machine of lucid mindfulness and sublime mindlessness Kyle Ferrer
Staff Columnist ferrka16@wfu.edu
“To be with the one I love and to think of something else: this is how I have my best ideas, how I best invent what is necessary to my work,” Roland Barthes says in The Pleasure of the Text. The beautiful misdirection Barthes speaks of has to do with deep feeling’s associative power, a creative occurrence that pivots off the active heart. Bending the axiom away from the lovely, I’ve found that running nourishes me with something quite like Barthes’ lover. My intense, sometimes womblike bobbing on the treadmill has indirectly generated some of my best ideas, or at least exhumed pieces of moribund writing.
The act of running dissipates It’s a Romantic sentiment to view the the fog, its consistent bounce physical act of running as one that breaks lulling my brain into an empty the habits of perception. But with every bead of sweat, one expires pieces of the rhythm...” If ever I find myself unhappy or frustrated writing a review, editorial or academic paper, I run. The act of running dissipates the fog, its consistent bounce lulling my brain into an empty rhythm, one that silently clears out all the malformed thought to make room for a kind of sylvan bliss. Ideas, like disembodied arms wrestling in space, no longer stunt one another, but roam in and out of the clearing like gentle animals. It’s an Edenic catatonia where recaptured innocence induces a receptive present instead of a time-lorn projection. The physical tumbling forward gathers itself in a poised procession of ideas, some confidently swatted, other’s flashing like sticky lightning, begging to be bolted onto language. When the latter happens, I snatch my phone from the treadmill’s ledge and shakily type paragraphs about (real examples) Jordan Peele’s Us or Nicole Krauss’s Forest Dark.
ill-fated finicking that slips out words like scatological bullets. A run, either in nature or on the looping tread, can separate experience from time. We release from chronology into atypical reflection, a mood not of mental lassitude, but of spontaneous liberation, “an eye made quiet by the power/Of harmony” as Wordsworth says. In this meditative presence, termed by the unpronounceable Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as “Flow,” time elapses as an unknown rate. Unutterable overflows can rise into a head and be skimmed off the top of the brain, a skimming whose final stage is a frantic assembly into word (this last part is me on my phone, sweat dropping on my jack-hammering screen). Running plays within a viscous ocean that randomly sprays the forebrain with tiny insight. The word itself, play, is often used to describe how we arrive at our best ideas. Like Barthes says, it’s a spontaneity spawned from a concentrated elsewhere (the one he loves; the run). Our receptivity to play spurts us toward some better idea, and
the moment our self-conscious awakens, we stumble toward translation through a discombobulated snatch. Perhaps this is an over-analysis of why I’ve come to enjoy running, an activity I used to despise precisely because it ached with my own over-sensitivity to its duration. But the unpredictable, mini-madnesses that have jarred me on the treadmill have produced bunches of paragraphs that have been incorporated into my work. I can’t ignore those gifts. It’s a strange thing, the human mind. Paralyzed by backward-looking nostalgia and spurred on by an anxious future, it resists the beauty and insight of presence. But the best feelings (then ideas) arise from zaps of innocence, portions of presence gleaned after the fact. Surely, I’ve looked strange, boring down on my phone while dripping sweat, but know it’s because I am in a frenzied act of translation. I’ve been singed, and wish to memorialize marks of eternity and show it to you. Sadly, it’s impossible. For Willem De Kooning, “Content is the glimpse of something, an encounter like a flash. It’s tiny –— very tiny, content” For me, too, in so many words.
wedding days than it has on maintaining a healthy, loving marriage itself. The Business Insider reported that the average cost of a U.S. wedding is $29,200, with 28% of couples going into wedding debt. Being that the site also reported the average yearly individual salary to be $59,160, it’s insane to think how the average person is willing to spend half their yearly income on a single day, in a country where there is a 50% marriage failure rate. Besides the irresponsibility of acquiring massive debt to celebrate for only a few hours, weddings have become overblown because of the assholes that it can bring out of people. Shows like Bridezilla may be scripted, but there are many brides in real life who depict similar unwarranted tantrums over petty things that people can only laugh at since they can’t strangle them. The relationships between relatives and friends, and the bride and groom can change for the worst over fall-outs during wedding preparations. If most of us can agree that it’s ridiculous to lose relationships with people over petty wedding preparations, or that it’s silly to indebt yourself and partner for what’s essentially just
a party, then why does it continue to happen? In the age of social media where many people have become obsessed with portraying themselves to have more than what they have, our society is at risk of experiencing an upward trend of overspending money on weddings and underspending time and love with significant others. The strength of a marriage cannot be measured by the price tag attached to the wedding. Even if you can afford the most extravagant nuptials, it will be all for not if you find out you married the wrong person. Or, if you lose a good friend or relationship because of a spat over something wedding-related. Although I’ve slowed down on the wedding research, and understand that I won’t be able to make my dreams a reality for a little while (hopefully this Wake Forest degree will pay for itself in due time, as it’s been advertised), I’m still just as excited as I was on Christmas Day when he proposed to me. Why? Because no matter when the wedding will be or how much will be spent on it, I know that my marriage will last well after the big day because it’s built on true love between best friends.
“ expectations miss the point Outsized wedding Weddings & Marriage
Delusions of nuptial grandeur permeate social conceptions of marriage Kasy Heath
Staff Columnist heatka15@wfu.edu
I’m going to deviate from my normally politically-driven articles this week and direct my attention to a different territory: love and relationships. I recently got engaged, and the emotional bliss involved was sweet and cute at first, but evolved into a discombobulated frenzy for a short time. Many people dream of their wedding day and fantasize about its infinite possibilities in regards to venue, décor, theme, food, attire, guests, etc. What they don’t typically fantasize about, however, is the rip-your-hairout stress of actually sitting down and planning it. In true fashion of being newly engaged, I immediately started researching all things wedding-relat-
Our society has placed higher standards on wedding days than on maintaining a heathy, loving marriage itself.” ed. Holy shit, a wedding demands a lot of things. The first couple of weeks of planning weren’t bad. In fact, I treated it like a research paper for a class (which I take very seriously). I researched. I researched the research. I laid out my findings to analyze. I concluded that wedding planning was too much, and that I couldn’t afford any of it. Yet, I became addicted to virtual window shopping of all things weddings. My fiancé and I are on our own as far as financing our big day, and unfortunately, how we envision our wedding day doesn’t align with our budget at the moment. We ultimately decided to do the ceremony and reception exactly how we wish, meaning that we’ll wait to do the wedding when we can afford to do it how we want. I was satisfied with the agreement, but started to think deeper about how our society treats weddings and marriage. As victims of materialism, our society has placed higher standards on
Opinion | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, January 23, 2020 | Page 9
“ inequities preclude justice Institutional Political Theory
Discriminatory institutions aggravate differences of circumstance Jack Portman
Staff Columnist portjt17@wfu.edu
When we consider why societies form, the interests and survival of the socialized individuals and groups seem to be a compelling catalyst. By coalescing into a larger, formalized community and distributing responsibilities across the population, humans appear better equipped to weather instability and endure hardship. Additionally, the economic institutions which form concomitantly enable community members to engage in labors other than agriculture, such as textile production, accountancy and professional basketball. The well-known enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau inaugurated discussion of a theoretical “social contract” in his eponymously titled book in 1762. Rousseau posed that individuals consent to surrender certain freedoms by observing social and gov-
Without justice as a prefiguration for the development of [institutions], no institutions can be said to be just.” ernmental authorities, in exchange for the protection of other legal rights and the various benefits of living in a community. This exchange seems to make quotidian life comfortable and social organization efficient. However, efficiency is not itself a satisfactory benchmark for considering a society’s moral dimensions. Rather, gauging whether some individuals are held to more taxing social contracts than others within a society may shed light on the state of a society’s moral framework. Although a society may be considered efficient, if certain classes are stripped of more freedoms than others, or if circumstances of birth can reasonably be said to significantly effect peoples’ life outcomes, the society cannot be considered just — and, as the American philosopher John Rawls argues in his book A Theory of Justice, “justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought.” Without justice as a prefiguration for the development of other social, political and economic institutions, no institutions can be said to be just. The concept of social justice is therefore one
which permeates discourse on inequality, achievements gaps, and wealth accumulation. By examining how historical modes of oppression and disparities in power shaped the institutions which so pervasively dominate social and political life, the relevance and necessity of social justice becomes strikingly apparent. A common criticism levied against social justice is the one raised by the Austrian philosopher Friedrich Hayek: there is supposedly no objective moral standard with which to measure social equality. Hayek proposes that redistributing capital from the wealthiest to the poorest would constitute an unjust erasure of the rights of the wealthy. How then, can any proposed redistributive project proceed? On a finite planet, infinite economic growth is impossible. Resultantly, capital is also a finite resource. If capital is finite, the accumulation of capital by the world’s top income earners − such that the 26 wealthiest humans control as much wealth as the poorest 50% of the world population — seems to be explicitly at odds with the rest of humanity’s access to wealth. And it is important to consider that the huge swaths of capital stockpiled by a few hyper-rich individuals in this way were accumulated in an unjust system which benefited those born into lucrative
or stable circumstances and hindered those born into non-lucrative or unstable circumstances. Hayek argues that redistributing wealth from the richest citizens to the poorest citizens would be unjust, but I believe that would only be true if the rich accumulated their wealth in a just society. There is significant data and a rich literature to show that the circumstances into which one is born — such as race, gender, geography and financial conditions — significantly effect ones life outcomes, suggesting that institutionalized discrimination and differences in access to opportunities render our society unjust. Considering that the hyperrich accumulated their wealth in a society which discriminates on the basis of circumstance, allowing some to enjoy lax social contracts while others suffer from more punitive contracts, it seems that their wealth isn’t a just dessert. Institutional reforms and redistributive policies which alleviate the conditions of the poor are a crucial aspect of social justice. Likewise, the payment of reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans will help to mitigate circumstantial institutionalized unjustness. So long as access to opportunities and the real abilities of citizens to take advantage of their rights are unequally distributed, our society cannot be considered just.
Reserve candidates. One has no fixed principles but a finger in the air to test where the political winds are blowing; the other has a blind commitment to a dangerously wrong set of beliefs. To borrow from my favorite musical, “Hamilton:” We know it’s lose-lose, but if you had to choose? Where Shelton is concerned, we don’t have to choose − we get both. Her career path has been eminently political, including stints on Bob Dole’s campaign president for 1996 and that of Ben Carson in 2016 before signing up with Trump’s Treasury transition team. Back during the Obama years, while the country was still struggling to recover from the worst effects of the Great Recession, she heaped rhetorical abuse on the Federal Reserve, arguing that easy money and expansionary fiscal policy threatened to provoke “ruinous” inflation and “debase” the dollar. Now, despite the fact that the macroeconomy is in the midst of the largest expansion in U.S. history, she believes that interest rates should be cut to zero and that the Fed should support the president’s agenda and prop up financial markets. It’s convenient that her about-face came just when a Republican was elected president. Ridiculously, she called for a “new Bretton Woods conference” to be held at Mar-a-Lago. It’s absurd to suggest that she would be anything but a liability to the Fed’s crucial independence.
Not only would Shelton be dangerously susceptible to pressure from the president, she simply advocates for bad policy. The hill she has chosen to die on throughout her career has been a dubious one: the gold standard, which opponents rightly see as an illconceived limitation on liquidity that almost strangled the world economy to death during the Great Depression. Never mind that support for the gold standard fundamentally contradicts her espoused support for easier money: the rising price of gold would suggest that the Fed tighten. Thus, although she appears to have deftly convinced the president that she supports his bad ideas, she actually supports different, worse, hopelessly incongruous and confused ideas. Right now, the Federal Reserve is a place where coldly apolitical technocrats manage the U.S. money supply with integrity, common sense and the best data analysis available. It is a credit to the country that Fed policymakers are able to follow objective evidence where it leads and to put aside ideological beliefs and a priori suppositions. I hope that the U.S. Senate recognizes that Shelton can’t be trusted with this thankless, yet desperately important task. The scariest part is that if the White House’s maladroit economic policies precipitate the next recession, we might not have a Ben Bernanke or a Janet Yellen in control at the Fed. If Trump ousts Powell, it could be Shelton.
White House“nominee to Fed remains unqualified Economics
Judy Shelton’s nomination to the Fed’s Board of Directors is irresponsable Amanda Wilcox Staff Columnist wilcaf16@wfu.edu
There are currently two vacancies on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and three years into his presidency, Donald Trump has struggled mightily to fill them. True to form, most of his problems have been of his own making − in this case because several of his recent picks have been unqualified political loyalists. Last spring, I wrote a column that the president’s then-nominations, Stephen Moore and Herman Cain, were zerocredibility partisan hacks who did not belong within a country mile of the Eccles Building, the Fed’s headquarters. It was a relief to everyone who cares about competent, fact-led policy when both Moore and Cain withdrew from the nomination process. However, that didn’t mean Trump was finished attempting to remake the Fed’s Board of Governors in his own unholy image — in other words, choosing manifestly unqualified lap
Shelton dangerously susceptible to pressure from the president, she simply advocates for bad policy.” dogs with fringe-of-the-fringe ideas. Enter Judy Shelton, who was previously nominated by the Trump administration to serve as the U.S. director for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Last week, the White House announced that her nomination, along with that of economist Christopher Waller, would be sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration for the remaining vacancies on the Board of Governors. On one hand, Waller seems to be a fine choice for the Board of Governors. He is known to be a “dove” on interest rates, which is undoubtedly one reason why Trump selected him, but he is a nonpolitical expert who wrote in 2011 that central bank independence “is the key tool to ensure a government will not misuse monetary policy for short-term political reasons.” He has also served as research director at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for the past ten years. He’s spent his career in academia and in the Fed system; although his monetary policy views might appeal to Trump, he is a serious researcher and reasonable candidate. Shelton, on the other hand, is a disastrous choice. Let’s say you are deciding between two dreadful Federal
Thursday, January 23, 2020 | Page 10
Opinion | Old Gold & Black
American “Dream maintains relevance Political Theory
As students inherit changing social realities, a return to American ambition calls Connor McNeely Staff Columnist mcneb19@wfu.edu
Something inextricably connected to ambition in our society is the American Dream. If you ask anyone young about it, they’ll tell you about social mobility rags to riches — what we learned in our high-school curriculum. The far more intriguing question to ask them, or anyone, is what does the American Dream mean to them as an individual? For most, it’s popular to say that the American Dream was never real, and if it was, that the cutoff was definitely somewhere in the last century. There’s some comfort in a cynical perspective — the denial of that naïve or arrogant idea that could debase someone’s appeal or intelligence to other people. It would mean that they weren’t grounded in our reality, which has exhibited consistent privilege to exclusive groups. Others would dis-
Ambition is something inside us that is entirely determined by a leaden and seemingly infinite culture.” cuss the principles of equity among all citizens, or the constraints of the United States government on rights and on the freedom to chase the American Dream — where it appears in discussion most often — but few realize that we all dream in ways such as these, just maybe subconsciously and not in dialogue. We rarely admit it in public. The truth is that people’s ambition is often their defining characteristic. Just ask Abraham Maslow. If you need proof, the way most people introduce themselves is by saying a name and then their future career. Now, that may be a little narrow, and it may not apply to just everyone, but it’s why we’re all here at college. Students are working for their degree, and for their future. Ambition is something inside us that is entirely determined by a leaden and seemingly infinite culture. We exist at the peak of entertainment’s exponential curve and it’s so easy to tell that you can just walk around and look to see the saturation of instanta-
neous diversion. People spend hours of the day looking at their phone. “Influencer” is a prestigious job title. If you’ve got a free minute, odds are that you’ll aimlessly refresh your Instagram or Twitter feed several times — it’s almost as if you’ve skipped a minute of your own life to get to the more entertaining part. What does that mean for us? Surely we’re not hopelessly changed by such a colossal shift in human history — in the very human psyche itself? Unfortunately, we are. It’s irrefutable that we’re different now — or at least it will be once more comprehensive studies are completed and as we realize how we’ve spent our time as our lies go on. Our society is built for impatience and quick fixes, and money has always been the way to bypass waiting. As a result, our minds have been rewired for instant pleasure and our perception and internal manifestations of ambition tend to reflect that. We want the best career — something that makes a respectable amount of money. But that’s not to say that we’re a lost cause. I’m not some boomer ranting to you about how disappointing this generation has turned out to be. I’m in this just as much as anyone else,
and I realize that this isn’t our fault. We didn’t completely change the face of technology and social reality, or design some of the immutable utilitarian principles of our economy. While our generation may be out for ourselves, we’re still fighting good battles, and that’s evident in our efforts to save the environment around us. Alternative energy production is rising across the world in many industrial sectors with $286 billion invested in alternative energy sources compared to $130 billion in fossil fuel production. Young people like Keiana Cavé — who has developed patents for carcinogen detecting technology — are crafting practical solutions to protect the natural world around us. The question for us is what do we believe about the American Dream? How will we let it define us? Or will we? Perhaps the time is right for the nation to embrace this now quixotic notion and to make it reality. If this does happen, one thing is for certain. We won’t be the Willy Loman of last century. Ambition needs to transform into compassion and a realization of the people around us, not empty fulfillment in a sizable paycheck.
the craziness of Wake Forest and just live in a city. It’s liberating. Make a playlist to listen to on the Tube. Get over your flying anxiety, you won’t crash. Embrace being pale. Ride the bus. Smile at the mean bald man that works at the front desk at school. Allow yourself to be present with everyone. Living with a group of girls makes building relationships easy, especially when you spend time together making tik toks. Pretend like it’s Christmas as soon as Halloween is over. Stare at people on the street. Beautiful people deserve to be looked
at. Dress however you want to. No one cares. Most importantly, exercise gratitude (and also buy something with fur on it). Enjoy where you are now. I’m sure as I live out the rest of my semester at Wake, I will uncover more lessons from abroad. They will bubble up and I will realize that I have been changed for the better. I won’t be embarrassed to disagree, to speak up in class and to say no. Taking a break from life at Wake Forest gave me space to breathe, to step back and decide the kind of person I wanted to be when I got back.
“ abroad allows for reflection Returning from Study Abroad
Readjustment to life on campus allows students to consider their experiences Libby Biersach
Guest Columnist bierec17@wfu.edu
The transition back to campus after studying abroad in the fall is not something people really talk about. As a second semester junior who just returned from London, I was not expecting the wave of emotions I experienced. Without much time for reflection, I found myself jotting down my thoughts in the car on a family trip to Florida over the break. I knew that if I didn’t give myself a space to reflect, I would not allow myself time to process my feelings. Sure enough, I got back to Wake for recruitment a couple weeks ago and immediatly felt overwhelmed. I felt like my experience in London was a dream. It was as if I never left Wake Forest. I fell back into old patterns. When people asked me about my time in London I responded each time with, “It was amazing!” I never paused to think about why
A semester abroad is kind of like taking one big, sloppy, fun and unrealistic step into adulthood.” it was amazing. Why couldn’t I articulate my thoughts? Sitting down at the end of a crazy first week of classes, I forced myself to jot it all down. Get it all out. I decided to write a letter to myself. Frantically typing on my iPhone notes, this is what came out. Abroad doesn’t change you, but it does foster growth, both personal and in the relationships of the people you go with. A semester abroad is kind of like taking one big, sloppy, fun, and unrealistic step into adulthood only to step back into being a college student when you get back to the U.S. It’s great. Let yourself be alone, take a walk by yourself, go somewhere new to get a coffee. Buy the shoes. Have another cookie. Watch a dumb British reality TV show. Never be afraid to advocate for yourself and what you want. When you want to walk quickly to class, walk slowly instead, taking in your surroundings. No matter what, there should always be a big pack of Cadbury Buttons in the freezer. Go shopping for trinkets in the airport. Give yourself a needed break from
Olivia Field / Old Gold & Black
A view of the iconic Tower Bridge in London, England, spanning the River Thames. The bridge was constructed in the 19th century.
SPORTS
T H U R S D AY, J A N U A R Y 2 3 , 2 0 2 0
PAG E 11
Online at: www.wfuogb.com Editor: Amanda Wilcox, wilcaf16@wfu.edu Assistant Editor: Ben Conroy, conrbd19@wfu.edu Will Zimmerman, zimmwj19@wfu.edu
OLD GOLD & BLACK
Deacs dominate Eagles, fall to Tigers Turnovers and injuries continue to challenge Wake Forest while Sarr, Oguama and Massoud show strength CHRISTIAN ODJAKJIAN Staff Writer odjact18@wfu.edu Conference play marched on for the Wake Forest Men’s Basketball team Sunday, as the Demon Deacons (9-9, 2-6) easily took care of severely depleted Boston College (BC) (9-9, 3-4), 80-62. The 18-point victory was the largest margin of victory in an ACC game for Wake Forest since John Collins and co. defeated NC State by 30 points in February of 2017. “The lineup that we started the game out with, our big lineup with Oliver [Sarr] and Ody [Oguama], I thought they were terrific,” said Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning. “I thought our frontcourt in general, with Ismael [Massoud] was wonderful, too.” Sarr and Oguama feasted on the glass and inside, each putting up double doubles. Fourteen points to go along with 13 boards for Sarr, and 16 and 10 for Oguama, were both career high marks for the players. “Ody’s six offensive rebounds were huge,” Manning said. “John Collins didn’t even get six. Six is a big time number.” Massoud, also a freshman, has seen a more expanded role lately, and continued to display his talent with a 14-point, six rebound performance. Senior Brandon Childress found a nice rhythm as well, scoring 20 on an extremely efficient 6-8 from the field, including 5-7 from downtown. Wake Forest surely took advantage of a banged-up Boston College squad, missing four of their top seven scorers, including their top two rebounders. Boston College Head Coach Jim Christian was visibly frustrated after the game: “I had two walk-ons out there for 30 minutes. I’m trying to teach guys plays on the fly,” he said. A highlight from the game was freshman walk on Grant Van Beveren’s first career basket, a layup in the final minute. The Coliseum erupted in cheers. Turnovers continue to be a glaring issue for the Deacs, as they gave it away 16 times, which BC turned into 21 points. At home against one of the worst teams in the ACC, missing significant pieces, anything less than a victory by double digits would have been embarrassing.
Photo courtesy of Winston-Salem Journal
Wake Forest players celebrate after their 80-62 victory against Boston College. Despite injuries suffered by key players, the Deacs have shown strength in an unusually weak ACC. The win avenged the season series against the Eagles, after Wake Forest fell to them in their season debut back in November, 77-70. Wake Forest looked to piece together consecutive wins after dropping three straight as they traveled to face Clemson (10-8, 4-4) Tuesday night, where they narrowly fell 71-68. Chaundee Brown missed his fifth straight game and Isaiah Mucius returned to action after missing the BC game. A loss is a loss, but to go on the road and compete so well two players down and against a team that just beat Duke was definitely an encouraging sign. ESPN’s BPI gave Wake Forest a 75% chance to win the game with nine minutes remaining, up 56-51. But the offense stalled out down the stretch, as the Deacs shot just 2-11 from the field for 12 points during the last nine minutes. The turnover situation improved, as the team only gave it away nine times, breaking a streak of four straight games with 16 plus. Childress provided all six of the team’s assists for the game, well below the season average of 12.4 a contest. Andrien White notched a season-high with 22, and Sarr continued his impressive season with another dou-
ble double, this time of 16 and 12. When Sarr picked up his third foul early in the second half and had to sit, Clemson was able to shift the momentum of the game. Sophomore guard Hunter Tyson was huge for Clemson down the stretch and scored a career high 21 points. With just under six minutes left, a layup from Tyson put the Tigers up for good, and he followed it with a huge three pointer two minutes later. Wake Forest was able to limit Clemson’s best player, Aamir Simms, to just seven points, after putting up 25 against Duke. This Clemson team epitomizes how wide open the ACC is this season. It’s not nearly as top-heavy as previous seasons. Esteemed bracketologist Joe Lunardi predicts only 5 ACC schools will make the tournament, which would be the smallest showing since the league expanded in 2014. Wake Forest has failed to capitalize on the increased parity within the league, and while the team seems to have improved from last season, their place in the standings is no different. Up next for Wake Forest are more winnable games, with a home matchup against the offensively challenged defensive champions, University of Virginia, on Sunday. On Wednesday, the Deacs will see if they can beat Notre Dame in South Bend for a second straight season.
Hoover looks to guide team to tournament Undefeated at home, Wake Forest Women's Basketball looks forward to a promising season with NCAA hopes BY SAMANTHA WEXLER Staff Writer wexlsn17@wfu.edu Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jen Hoover knows what it takes to be a student-athlete at Wake Forest. She was one. A 1991 graduate of Wake Forest, Hoover was a three-time All-ACC performer on the court for the Demon Deacons. She ranks second on the school’s career scoring (1,728) and rebounding (1,006) lists. Now, as the head coach, she is looking to lead her team back to the NCAA tournament — a feat she achieved in 1988. In her eighth season back with the Demon Deacons, the pieces have seemingly fallen into place. Past seasons
have been stricken with injury and inexperience, but this year’s team is stout, smart and prepared for a tough ACC schedule. Wake Forest is currently 11-6, including an impressive 4-2 through the start of conference play. The ACC is one of the toughest conferences for women's basketball, but the Deacons have not shied away from the challenge. On Thursday night, the Demon Deacons posted their fifth consecutive home win with a victory over the University of Virginia Cavaliers. Now seasoned veterans, juniors Gina Conti and Ivana Raca are leading the team on the court. In the win over Virginia, Conti and Raca posted 21 and 20 points, respectively. It was the first time in school history that the Deacons posted back-to-back wins over the Cavaliers. Over the past two months of the season, Wake Forest has been undefeated on its home court, winning five games in a row at LJVM Coliseum. Another high point for the Demon Deacons is their success from the freethrow line. Against Virginia, the Deacs knocked down
94.1% of their shots from the free-throw line with 16 points coming from free throws. On Sunday, the Demon Deacons traveled to Raleigh to take on a Tobacco Road opponent in the NC State Wolfpack. Last year, when the Deacons took on the Wolfpack, it was a tough game — Wake Forest fell 80-46. This year, the game was much more competitive, with the Deacons in it until the end. The strength of the No. 9 team in the nation was too much to handle, but Wake Forest fought a close game until the end, losing 59-45. Raca led the Deacons once again against NC State, recording a double-double with her 10 rebounds and 16 points scored. Alex Sharp was just off, recording nine points and nine rebounds in Raleigh. The Deacon defense was able to constrain some of the Wolfpack's shooting abilities, holding them to just 32.3% shooting. The schedule will continue to see tough competition for the Deacons as they take on No. 13 Florida State on Thursday at the LJVM Coliseum, followed by Syracuse on Sunday.
Page 12 | Thursday, January 23, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Sports
Astros sign-stealing scandal rocks MLB MLB issues harsh penalties to Houston, creating ripples across the league BY REN SCHMITT Senior Writer schmwm16@wfu.edu
Last week, MLB announced the results of their investigation into the Houston Astros’ 2017 illegal sign-stealing scheme, a developing story that will continue to dominate baseball storylines throughout the 2020 season. The investigation found that the team engaged in an electronic sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 season and throughout the team’s 2017 World Series run. The league’s punishment was severe. General Manager Jeff Luhnow and Manager A.J. Hinch were both suspended for one year and subsequently fired by the Astros. The team lost four top draft picks and paid a $5 million fine. Red Sox Manager Alex Cora and Mets Manager Carlos Beltran also parted ways with their teams due to their involvement in the scheme while they were members of the Astros. The scheme — first reported by The Athletic and later confirmed by the league’s investigation — involved Houston using a centerfield camera relaying signs to a video monitor near the dugout to steal the signs of opposing catchers. The upcoming pitch-
es were communicated most commonly to hitters with a series of loud bangs on a trash can that corresponded to the pitch type. Though their communication method was decidedly rudimentary and borderline comical, this sort of ruthless pursuit of any competitive edge has defined the recent success of the Astros, who are often on the cutting edge of baseball tech. The dark side of their undiscerning quest for wins manifested itself most publicly in their trade for relief pitcher Roberto Osuna, who was suspended for violating the league’s domestic violence policy, and their questionable organizational culture was revealed when Assistant General Manager Brandon Taubman approached a group of female reporters and belligerently boasted about acquiring Osuna. The Astros had become the league’s bad guys long before whispers of their signstealing scheme went public, and now, they are confirmed cheaters as well. Though players avoided punishment — in part due to CBA protections and the complexity of punishing players who are now spread across multiple organizations — they drew leaguewide ire on social media from countless players and will face unfriendly opposing ballparks for the foreseeable future. Worse yet, for both MLB and the Astros, the team’s 2017 title never again will be viewed as legitimate. Though the league did not decide to vacate their title, it will
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times/TNS
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw leaves the mound after their loss to the Houston Astros in the 2017 World Series. permanently exist in the annals of baseball history with an unofficial asterisk beside it. For opposing players and fans, the Astros’ behavior forever will mark that season with “what ifs.” Both the Yankees and Dodgers came very close to defeating the Astros in the postseason, and perhaps they would have prevailed had Houston not been cheating. The dust has not settled yet, nor will it in the near future. Boston’s 2018 World Series looks less legitimate each day, and the results of the league’s investigation
into their 2018 illegal use of electronics, likely spearheaded by Cora, should be announced before the start of the 2020 season. MLB will suffer from the fallout of these incidents for years to come, and nothing can tarnish a sport quite like an incident that mars the integrity of its on-field product. Houston, once upheld as the example of how to run a modern franchise, will now be remembered as the trash-can-banging organization that sullied both their franchise and baseball as a whole.
Chiefs and 49ers set for Super Bowl clash The winners of the two NFL championship games showed different strategies BY RAFAEL LIMA Staff Writer limara17@wfu.edu On Sunday, the only visual link between the way that both the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers took care of business at home during championship weekend was the red confetti rain of the teams’ shared color. Using very different offensive philosophies, the Chiefs and 49ers dominated their respective opponents in the Titans and Packers to set up one of the most contrasting matchups between offensive styles in recent Super Bowl history. Kansas City Chiefs 35, Tennessee Titans 24 The Tennessee Titans seemed poised for another miraculous win after jumping up to a 10-point lead twice in the first half. However, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, much akin to his 24-point comeback magic against the Houston Texans in the divisional round, seamlessly led the Chiefs to victory once again. Mahomes displayed the kind of complete game that had fans pegging him as the best quarterback in football during his 2018 MVP season. He threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 53 yards and a touchdown through the ground.
Rich Sugg/Kansas City Star/TNS
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates his touchdown run in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans. After dislocating his right kneecap in Week Seven in a game against the Broncos, the future of the Chiefs quarterback in 2019 was in limbo. There were many talks about shutting him down for the rest of the year to avoid recurring health issues like the ones that led former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to retire during the offseason. Now, Mahomes seems to be back to his full powers and leading an offense perfectly designed by head coach Andy Reid to maximize his tantalizing skills. In both playoff games against the Texans and the Titans, there was a palpable sense of scoring every time the Chiefs received the ball. Since trailing the Texans by 24 points early in the second quarter of the divisional round, the Chiefs have score touchdowns in 12 out of 17 total drives for the remainder of the playoffs. This is
an astonishing rate of touchdowns scored in 70.6% of offensive drives. The Titans even tried to keep the score close on a decent night by quarterback Ryan Tannehill (209 passing yards and two touchdowns). Yet, without Derrick Henry rushing for 150-plus yards again, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense were just too much for them to handle. San Francisco 49ers 37, Green Bay Packers 20 The other conference championship game of the evening featured a completely different type of offensive dominance, as the 49ers literally ran the Packers out of town with 285 yards through the ground. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan deserves all the praise for putting journeyman running back Raheem Mostert in the best
position to succeed within the 49ers’ offense. Prior to landing on the Niners, the undrafted running back out of Purdue University was cut from six different teams over his initial 18 months in the NFL. On Sunday, Mostert set the 49ers single-game record for rushing yards with 220 to go along with four rushing touchdowns. The Niners' running game was so effective against the Packers that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was asked to throw the ball a total of eight times and for only 77 yards in the entire game. This marks the fewest pass attempts in a playoff game since Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese attempted only seven passes for 73 yards in a 24-7 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 1974 during Super Bowl VIII. Garoppolo’s numbers seem even more incredible if we consider today’s pass-happy tendencies in the NFL. The Niners' formula for winning against the Packers seemed to turn the NFL’s clock back in time with a dominant running game and extremely physical defense. Their defense held Packers star running back Aaron Jones to just 56 rushing yards while forcing three turnovers out of a Packers squad that was fourth-best in turnover differential (+11) in 2019. Now, the 49ers' defense has a much taller order to replicate, their success against the red-hot Chiefs offense. It will be interesting to see which offensive approach prevails on Feb. 3: the Chiefs aerial attack led by Mahomes or the physical 49ers running game? Either way, we’re in for a treat.
Sports | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, January 23, 2020 | Page 13
Deacon Spotlight: Lexi Franco BY LUCY NELSON Senior Writer nelsld16@wfu.edu Lexi Franco is the co-captain of Wake Forest’s Women’s Tennis.The senior came from Largo, Fla. as a five-star recruit and has helped the team make the NCAA all three years since she’s been here. As a freshman, she only lost one singles match and posted a 12-8 overall record last season, also going 4-1 in dual match contests. Off the court, Franco studies health and exercise science and plans to go to P.A. school post-graduation. Lucy Nelson: I know you had lots of offers at other schools … Do you think you made the right choice to play for Wake Forest? Lexi Franco: Yeah, the past three and a half years have probably been the greatest years of my life. I’ve made some of my closest friends on the team that I know will last a lifetime, and I definitely made the right decision choosing Wake Forest. LN: Favorite memory off the court at Wake Forest? LF: I would say just the friendships that I’ve been able to make outside of the tennis court and just going to every class and knowing somebody is probably the greatest feeling. Like I’ve been able to make connec-
tions with people and everybody is so nice at Wake Forest. So it’s been incredible to make those connections with people. LN: Favorite memory on the court? LF: My favorite memory was my freshman year at NCAA’s clinching the doubles point for our team to go up 1-0. LN: What are your goals for leading the team as a captain this year? LF: My goals for leading the team I would say are just being there for each one of my teammates on and off the court. Whether they’re going through things related to tennis or not … just being there for them and just always supporting them no matter what they’re doing. LN: Are you watching the Australian Open right now? LF: Yeah, [the team] loves keeping up with whatever major tournaments are going on. Like at the beginning of the school year, the U.S. Open was on so we’d have the whole tennis team over at our house watching the major matches.
LN: Do you all have a fan-favorite that you root for? LF: No, I mean it’s just funny to see that some girls that we grew up playing juniors tennis with are on TV. So, we’re actually watching some of these girls play that we knew and it’s really cool to see how someone we know took a different path and to see where they are now is really interesting. LN: Biggest tennis idol? LF: I would say my biggest idol is Roger Federer. I mean, his game is just so classic. He’s just a classic player and I like everything that he does off the court too, like his philanthropy and giving back is a huge part of what he does. It’s really special that he can think of other people outside of his career. LN: Hopes for this spring? LF: I hope this year that we’ll be able to maintain a Top-25 ranking, which we’ve been able to do last year, and I just hope we can continue to do that this year. And also just make the NCAA Tournament. We’ve made the tournament for the last four years now, so I think making it this year and being a part of the NCAA tournament for all four of my years in college would be really an incredible feeling and something special that I will never forget.
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletic Communications
DEAC NOTES Bogues to be inducted into North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
Track and field team posts three top-five finishes at Virginia Tech Invitational
The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that former Wake Forest point guard Muggsy Bogues will be inducted this spring as one of 12 members of the Class of 2020. Bogues was a standout player for the Demon Deacons from 1984 to 1987 and remains the school leader in career assists (781) and career steals (275). He played 14 seasons in the NBA and was the shortest player in NBA history at 5’3”.
Wake Forest Track and Field took three top-five finishes on the last day of the Virginia Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, Va. on Jan. 18. Sophomore Ethan Roach won the men’s 200 meters while sophomore Cydney Delley placed fifth in the women’s 400 meters with a time of 56.82. Freshman Anthony Jones took fifth in the men’s high jump. Wake Forest will compete next at the Bob Pollock Invitational on Jan. 24-25.
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletic Communications
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletic Communications
Page 14 | Thursday, January 23, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Sports
Deacs head into season-defining stretch Despite losing Chaundee Brown and Isaiah Mucius to injuries, Wake Forest could find itself competitive in a weak ACC BY JAKE SINGER Staff Writer singjr19@wfu.edu The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-8, 2-5) soundly defeated the Boston College (BC) Eagles (9-9, 3-4) at the LJVM Coliseum on Sunday by a score of 80-62, ending a three-game losing streak that had threatened to derail the Deacs season and gaining revenge for a season-opening loss in Chestnut Hill. With junior starting guard Chaundee Brown missing the last four games and sophomore starting forward Isaiah Mucius injuring his leg during the shootaround prior to Sunday’s contest, Coach Danny Manning was forced to start perhaps the ACC’s most-improved player, junior center Olivier Sarr, alongside freshman forward Ody Oguama. Both Sarr and Oguama responded to the call, with Sarr posting a double-double in the first half, and Oguama having by far his finest game in a Wake Forest uniform, tallying 16 points and 10 rebounds. With the two big men dominating in the paint, senior guard Brandon Childress had ample room to operate, and he sliced through the Eagles’ defense to lead all scorers with 20 points, including going 5-7 from three-point land. Wake Forest opened up a seven-point lead at halftime, and then rode a 16-3 run at the start of the second half to take a commanding 52-32 lead with just under 14 minutes left. Although BC attempted to rally, cutting the lead to 12 at one point, the Deacons responded, and during the final minutes the outcome was never in doubt. With the win, Wake Forest improved its record to 9-8
overall, 2-5 in the ACC, and escaped a tie for the conference cellar with UNC. While this win had to feel good for the Deacs, they will have little time to celebrate. Wake Forest’s next four games are all against unranked conference opponents, and this stretch will most likely determine whether the Old Gold and Black will have the opportunity for post-season play. The ACC is having its weakest season in years, and with perhaps only a few exceptions, Wake Forest will have a chance to win every game left on its schedule. Of course, to do that, they will continue to need strong performances from Sarr, who demonstrated to Manning his desire to be in the starting lineup with his play against BC, and to get the injured Brown and Mucius back in the rotation. First, the Deacs will take on Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night. Clemson won back-to-back games at UNC (ending a 59-game losing streak to Chapel Hill) and at home against Duke, but returned to earth Saturday, losing to NC State. Wake Forest then returns home Sunday to face Virginia, the reigning national champs. With much of its championship team departing to the NBA, Virginia has struggled at times this year, and recently endured a three-game losing streak, which included a loss at BC. As usual, Virginia thrives on the defensive side of the ball and maintains the best scoring defense in college basketball, but has failed to find any success on offense. This will be a good opportunity for Wake Forest, considering they haven’t beaten the Cavaliers in six years. Wake Forest then travels to South Bend to take on Notre Dame at the Joyce Center. The Fighting Irish have struggled all season, but were able to scratch out a win at Georgia Tech in their last contest. After making the tournament three years in a row, Notre Dame has missed the dance each of the last two years and will need some more quality wins if they want to end that streak this year.
Wake Forest won at the Joyce Center in February of last year and will hope to continue their success next week. Finally, Wake Forest will play host to Clemson on Feb. 1, an end to what looks to be a season-altering stretch of games. These next few games will not only determine the fate of the Demon Deacons’ postseason chances, but quite possibly Manning’s future. The head coach has been on the hot seat for some time now, but is holding onto a contract that reportedly runs through the 2024-2025 season and includes an $18 million buyout. If all goes well, the Deacs could find themselves in the thick of a weak ACC and possibly in tournament contention for the first time since John Collins led them to the dance in 2017.
Photo courtesy of Winston-Salem Journal
Freshman forward Ody Oguama celebrates after scoring against Boston College on Jan. 19.
Takeaways from the Miami Heat’s season Surging into contention for an NBA title, the team has proven to be full of up-and-comers such as Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragić BY CONNOR MCNEELY Staff Writer mcnecb19@wfu.edu
During the first half of the NBA season, the Miami Heat have surged through their schedule with a 29-win record, which has come as an unexpected development for many onlookers across the league. This level of success hasn’t been seen by the club since the Big 3 era, and it’s fair to argue that this level of skill and depth hasn’t either. Led by the stoic shooting guard Jimmy Butler, the Heat boast a roster stocked with gems like rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn, veteran point guard Goran Dragić and junior product Bam Adebayo, who has put together an all-star résumé. The Heat are locked in for the second spot at the top of the Eastern Conference and are just eight games behind the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks. But if you ask anyone in the Miami locker room about their success, the answer will always be the same. No one seems impressed. Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel, when asked about the 11-6 mark against other teams with a .500 record or better, head coach Erik Spoelstra remarked, “I mean, yeah, who cares?” Butler, the defacto heart and soul of the team, expressed similar feelings. “It means we got another 41 to go,” Butler said, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Despite their newfound success, many analysts and casual fans still count the Heat out as a legitimate contender for the 2020 NBA title. The Miami Heat seem to be a team one shooter or playmaker away from being a dangerous title-contending threat. The trade deadline is approaching and the Heat are chock-full of options.
Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/TNS
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra celebrates on the sidelines as his team competes against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Arena in Miami on Jan. 15. The Heat have choices like Justice Winslow, who never blossomed into the player most expected he would be coming out of Duke, but could still draw a good return on the trade market. Dion Waiters is still waiting in the wings to depart from Miami after a laughable series of suspensions. However, talk around the league is centering on Jrue Holiday, a veritable star with unguardable one-on-one skill similar to Butler’s. The Heat could exchange a problematic five-year contract in guard Dragić for Holiday and free significant cap space, opening up room for a mega-star push in the next season. Although their chances of drawing a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo are fairly low, due to his current position, don’t
count out the Heat as a destination for a superstar of Antetokounmpo’s stature this summer. Even if moves like these aren’t made before the playoffs, the Heat could still push very far in the race for the championship. While he may not put up blockbuster statistics, Butler is a max player, plain and simple. He’s a player that has proved his clutch ability in the playoffs and in regular season games time and time again. He doesn’t have any quit in him. With an improving defense and an already top ten offense, the Heat hold all the qualities of an elite team on both sides of the ball, and they have the mentality of improvement vital to title winners.
Thursday, January 23, 2020 |Page 15
Old Gold & Black | Sports
“Glue guys” bring depth, exceed expectations These under-the-radar players have been crucial to their teams’ success up to this point in the NBA season
(7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists), his field goal percentage is up from 39% to 45% this season (per Basketball Reference). Since Melton became a regular in the lineup, the Grizzlies have gone 15-9 and are currently on a seven-game win streak and find themselves sitting in the 8th and final playoff spot in their Conference. Melton’s sheer energy and hustle is what makes him a “glue guy” and a vital contributor for the Grizzlies, who are still searching for an identity after losing longtime franchise staples Marc Gasol and Mike Conley over the course of the past year.
BY HASSAN LADIWALA Contributing Writer ladiha17@wfu.edu It’s no secret that the NBA is a star-driven league. When LeBron James announced his infamous decision to team up with Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh and join the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010, he kickstarted a flurry of movement from the league’s best players, the likes of which the league had never seen before. Since 2016, we’ve seen a four-time scoring champion and former Most Valuable Player (MVP) in Kevin Durant change teams twice. This past season, former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis forced a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers with two years remaining on his contract, an unprecedented move that sent a strong message to owners across the league: NBA Superstars have more power than ever before, forcing teams’ general managers to be smarter than ever when it comes to team building. With the spotlight shining brighter than ever on high profile players, the NBA’s role players have been relegated to the background. While superstars give teams a shot at winning an NBA title, a team’s role players are often the ones who matter down the stretch and truly shape a star player’s legacy. A “glue guy” is typically defined as a role player who brings more to the table than his counting stats show. Whether it’s diving for a loose ball, communicating on defense or even just being a strong locker room presence, “glue guys” are vital to every team, and are a precious commodity in today’s NBA. These guys might not be on Sports Center every day, but they’re more important to success in today’s NBA than most average fans give them credit for. Below, I’ll highlight two under-the-radar players who have been vital to their team’s success during this NBA season.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/TNS
Paul Millsap and the Dallas Mavericks’ Maximilian Kleber fight for a rebound on Feb. 22, 2019. De’Anthony Melton, 20 (Memphis Grizzlies): After a tumultuous rookie season with the Phoenix Suns, the former second rounder has absolutely exceeded expectations this season, posting the highest efficiency differential in the NBA, a whopping +19.8 (per Cleaning the Glass). A player’s efficiency differential is a basic performance indicator that calculates the points the team scores per 100 possessions when the player is on the court subtracted from the points the team allows per 100 possessions when the player is on the court. Due to the Suns’ lack of depth at point guard, Melton was sometimes miscast as a starter which, as a rookie, is an extremely steep learning curve coming right out of college (which probably contributed to his rough rookie season). This season, he’s been coming off the bench behind young superstar Ja Morant, a role he’s much more accustomed to and one in which he’s thriving in. Defense and rebounding have remained his calling card, though; he is ranked in the 100th percentile among all guards in both defensive rebound percentage and free throw rebounding percentage, he’s also in the 88th, 97th percentile for block percentage and steal percentage, respectively. While his offensive stat line is fairly modest
Paul Millsap, 34 (Denver Nuggets): Paul Millsap has been around in the NBA for a while. After growing into a nightly double-double threat with the Utah Jazz, he spent his prime in Atlanta, making four All-Star games before signing with the Nuggets in 2017. At 34, Millsap might not be the player he once was, however playing next to big man Nikola Jokic in one of most unique offenses in the league has allowed Millsap to thrive in other ways. Like Melton, this season Millsap is posting an extremely high efficiency differential of +15.9 (per Cleaning the Glass). Despite averaging his fewest minutes per game since his sophomore season in the NBA, Milsap’s value this season has been with his three-point stroke. He’s shooting 41% from downtown on just over two attempts per game (per Basketball Reference). With floor spacing becoming incredibly important in today’s NBA, Millsap forces his defender to guard him on the perimeter, opening up passing lanes and pick and roll opportunities for Jokic and Jamal Murray. He’s also been a vital veteran presence and defensive anchor for a young Nuggets team, who have been impressive this season. The Nuggets defense rises to another level when he’s on the floor, allowing nine less points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court (per Cleaning the Glass). While he’s definitely getting older, there’s no selling short Millsap’s value to this team. Come playoff time, he could end up being the difference against the Western Conference’s elite.
Predicting this season’s NBA award winners Possible contenders include Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP and Ja Morant for Rookie of the Year BY NICK LALLI Staff Writer lalldp17@wfu.edu After highlighting the biggest surprises of the year last week, now seems an appropriate time to predict the award winners for this NBA season. I’ll take a look at MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year while adding some honorable mentions. Starting with MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo has made a strong case to become the 12th player to win the award in back-to-back years. He’s led the Bucks to a league-best 39-6 record while averaging 30 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and a block and a steal per game. Additionally, he’s accomplished all this on extremely high efficiency while playing only 30 minutes per contest. James Harden deserves a shout out here, as he leads the league by a wide margin in points per game. However, his Rockets have stumbled as of late, losing four straight games to drop to sixth in the Western Conference. Defensive Player of the Year (DPoY) is hotly contested year after year, and this year is no different. Defensive stalwarts like Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart and newcomer Jonathan Issac have all had incredible years. Yet Anthony Davis still leads this pack in his first season as a Laker. Davis has anchored the Lakers defense, leading them to a top-five ranking in defensive rating while averag-
ing 2.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. His defensive rebounding numbers have fallen, but that can be attributed to Davis being surrounded by big men like Lebron James, Dwight Howard and Javale McGee. Like DPoY, the field for Most Improved Player of the Year contains several worthy candidates. Shai GilgeousAlexander and Bam Adebayo have made the leap from intriguing young players to borderline all stars, while guys like Brandon Ingram and Pascal Siakam have gone from great role players to bona fide all stars. But none of them have experienced the kind of monumental growth that Bobcat’s Devonte’ Graham has. As a four-year college starter and second-round pick two years ago, expectations were low entering Graham’s rookie season. He proved nobody wrong, producing less than five points a game on 34.3% shooting from the field in only 46 games. After questions were raised about whether Graham even deserved a roster spot this season, he proceeded to silence all doubters, nearly quadrupling his scoring output to 18.6 points per game alongside 7.7 assists per contest. While his efficiency is still too low, Graham has entirely altered his career trajectory and proven himself as a solid building block for a middling Charlotte team. The Rookie of the Year discussion is not much of a discussion really, as Ja Morant has far outpaced his peers. The second pick in this past draft has placed himself firmly in the All-Star Game discussion, averaging 18 points per game along with seven assists and astounding efficiency for a 20 year-old. He’s also kept the Grizzlies, widely considered before the season to be a sure lottery bet, in playoff contention as they currently hold the eighth seed in the West. Morant hold on this award has benefitted from Zion Wil-
liamson’s absence, but rookies like Miami’s Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn are putting up fine seasons of their own. Lastly, let’s take a look at the Lou Williams award, or the Sixth Man of the Year award, as some prefer to call it. The Clipper’s resident sharpshooter has won the award three of the last five years, and looks to be the frontrunner again. He has averaged nearly 20 points and six assists per game while keeping the Clippers in contention for a topfour seed even as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have dealt with various injuries. William’s pick-and-roll mate Montrezl Harrell deserves an honorable mention as well, averaging nearly 20 points per game on elite efficiency while playing excellent defense.
Camille Fine/Chicago Tribune/TNS
Bulls forward Thaddeus Young attempts a shot against Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
LIFE
T H U R S D AY, J A N U A R Y 2 3 , 2 0 2 0
PAG E 16
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OLD GOLD & BLACK
Conflict is the center of Marriage Story Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson star opposite one another in Noah Baumbach's new film that highlights the struggles of divorce
BY KYLE FERRER Senior Writer ferrka16@wfu.edu
Having never been through a divorce (or, at 22, had even the faintest whiff of marriage), I feel like somewhat of an imposter reviewing a film so intimately about that very thing. Though I could tell of the psychological injury inflicted by a parental split, since most of my friends experienced it — the callousness, destroyed self-confidence, grand rebellion — Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach’s new film, echoes out of slim context into the sinewy, subjective world of simple being — sometimes together, sometimes apart, often in a sticky space between. I can only say, as Philip Roth says in The Human Stain, that “the jumble, the mess, proved itself more subtle than this one’s ideology or that one’s morality,” or, I would add, any single persons projection of runaway love. As a character in the film says, “It’s not as a simple as not being in love anymore.” Baumbach has always been an inveterate listener, mining life’s soundscape to create uniquely resonant voices. One knows that Jesse Eisenberg in The Squid and the Whale will never read A Tale of Two Cities if only because his dad (Jeff Daniels) tells him it's “minor Dickens.” When his mother (Laura Linney) urges him to read it for himself, we know Eisenberg’s unfailing admiration for his father, and the desire for his hand-me-down intellect, will trump his mother’s delicate suggestion. Baumbach loves interplay, the unnoticed choreography of selves that simultaneously dance around and permeate one another. The director takes words and gives us surface and subtext at once (while revealing how one often betrays the another), and in doing so creates a world vibrating with ellipses, where meaning squeezes out from the subtle collapses or snap renovations of self. Baumbach brings us right up against life’s edge, and through its vertiginous, visceral energy, in his colloquial mode, makes his ellipses into art. Marriage Story, written and directed by Baumbach, and released on Netflix, lives as another perfectlytuned, insular universe. Characters feel as large as life, blotting out everything, except their own voices. Like most all Baumbach’s films, this one feels like a nucleus, where characters slowly reveal and deny themselves (often to themselves), suppress or grimace through life’s accumulated humiliations, and come out the other side damaged but probably alright. It doesn’t really need much explication. Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson, once married, maneuver through a complicated, gradually-inimical-theneventually-amenable divorce, and Baumbach takes us through all the beats with an originality, sincerity and verve that make the film minor canon when it comes to observing marriage travails. The title tells all, and the material seems readymade for Baumbach’s articulate presentation, one that places individuals under a microscope and watches them squirming along the human continuum, fluttering our heart strings with levity and gravity. Having just watched Abbias Kairostami’s Certified Copy, about another fraying couple (Juliette Binoche, her ample genius waterlogged by a stoic William Shimell), Baumbach’s tittering, earth-bound affair felt like a burst of energy. Kairostami’s film combines the rough-hewn, jazzy ambling of Linklater’s Before Trilogy with the meditative weight of Wallace Shawn
Photo courtesy of imdb.com
and Andre Gregory’s My Dinner with Andre. Interestingly enough, Shawn appears in Marriage Story as an old, narcissistic Dionysian, as existentially interesting as oatmeal. Perhaps Baumbach wished to set up humorous dialectic between the two films. If so, Shawn’s presence gives Marriage Story a welcome, agonistic touch, since the film is a kind of athletic sibling to Andre, interested in exploring acrobatic dialogue and colloquial rhythm instead of pushing waves of philosophy from the screen. If Andre is like reading, Marriage Story is like dancing. And, too, the instances of deep thought in Certified Copy often come laden with a glaze of the abstruse and irreducible. Kairostami’s film floats philosophy toward us with the hope of indefinite thought; Baumbach’s film has more of a tornadic, sing-along spirit, a springy presence that never abstracts the viewer out of its intense machinations, and instead allows us to spin plausible occlusions along with the characters themselves. As the divorce lawyers in Marriage Story illustrate, hate is much easier to articulate than love. The trio of juridical critters consists of Laura Dern, Alan Alda (hired initially for his standalone compassion for Driver, and later canned for getting subsequently — and somewhat amiably — bowled over for it) and Ray Liotta. The first joint mediation, with Alda and Dern, has a mid-meeting lunch break that will twist you into a fit. Later, when Driver resorts to Liotta, his "own asshole," as he says, the mediation mutates into a full-blown fracas. Dern (a fit-bit, celebrity attorney lathered with smarm) and Liotta (looking like an angry, flocked Christmas tree, and yet still delivering(!), are the rhetorical warriors of the couple’s nowinternecine divorce process. Each twisted anecdote, verbalized by the lawyers, blooms on Driver and Johansson’s faces in a collage of shame and humiliation. The inane spun into character assassination becomes a penetrating example of divorce’s ability to distill relational complexity into venom, and perverting
people’s intimate moments into a pathogen aimed at infecting perception remains tragic, no matter how many times we’ve seen it. Liotta tells Driver early on that divorce lawyers show good people at their worst, which might as well be the banner on the film’s poster. The puritanical binary of good-and-bad, twisted by intellection and artifice, shows the true impossibility of injecting the nuances of love into Manichean law. There’s a scene with a government inspector, come to observe Driver with his son for the evening, that feels like a perverse form of human sacrifice, where we can do nothing but sit there like Malcolm McDowell, Clockwork Orange-style, with our eyes peeled wide to witness Driver’s tortuous suffocation. The inspector’s presence, and her a voice, slugged with molasses, limps across the sequence as she searches for holes in Driver’s parenting (holes that, for any human being, are inevitably there). “I’m easy,” she says, when Driver offers her a drink and she takes a water. Marriage Story tells us it’s easy to be alone, and says it can be tempting stay that way, to shun the irreducible, intimate lashings of love. But, as Driver sings near the end, “alone is alone, not a life.” To love is to know someone too well, particles of knowledge accumulating in a collective falling-forward toward beauty. It becomes a will toward something ephemeral, birthed from registered gestures, manners and the fickle notes of another’s subjective song. Love forms as an aspiration, toward an infinite, often impossible feeling realized through tiny, masked astonishments. Everything’s like everything in a relationship, Johansson says, the blending so deep, so irreducible to lists and describable only through anecdotes that can always be misconstrued. A constellation of qualities collect into our partner’s art; it’s sincere, if only because it can be so feverishly misguided and misunderstood, since we so often misunderstand each other in life. But, to channel Roth again, life isn’t about getting each other right. It’s quite the opposite.
Thursday, January 23, 2020 | Page 17
Life | Old Gold & Black
Movie Review | Dolemite Is My Name
Eddie Murphy stars in Netflix comedy THE HOT In Dolemite Is My Name, LIST Eddie Murphy makes his streaming service debut BY CARTER MACKLE Contributing Writer mackcj16@wfu.edu Between the hustle and bustle of the awards season, it becomes all too easy to be swept away in the drama and critique. From odd nominee choices to wonderous triumphs (here’s to you Bong Joonho) the wave of information is sometimes too much to handle. Where politics begin to pervade into media, the experiences that separate themselves from these overwhelming social understandings are a breath of fresh air. Which, if you can refrain from relentless laughter, Dolemite is My Name delivers in ecstatic bounds. Dolemite is My Name, directed by Craig Brewer, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, stars Eddie Murphy in this comedic biopic about comedian and actor Rudy Ray Moore. Delving into the predominantly obscure genre of blaxploitation film, Murphy, with scenestealing perfomances by Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Wesley Snipes, Dolemite is My Name is a fantastic and wholly uplifting look into the rise of Rudy Ray Moore in American low budget cinema.
Murphy performs in a perfect recre- pand their interests and experiences, ation of the late Moore. Set in 1970s Los many of which are shown in Dolemite is Angeles, the movie follows the unsuc- My Name. With Moore’s comical karate cessful Rudy Ray Moore. After failing moves and his vocal style, which bends to make it big in L.A., Moore has aged more towards rhymes and rap, Murphy and is teetering on the edge of hopeless- and his costars embrace the wave of Afness, though underlined by this relent- rican-American artistry that emerged in less desire to be praised. In a somewhat the early and mid 70s, making it personal split part, Murphy morphs between the and idealistic in a time when ideas such as downtrodden Rudy, down on his luck theirs were shafted and snubbed by most with lackluster album sales, and the bois- movie-goers. In what looks like the most fun Murphy terous, almost caricature-esque Dolemite, strolling through the street and thinking has had in years on the big screen, Dolemup rhymes for this act. From changing his ite is My Name is the quintessential Arclothes to match that of a pimp and ad- tiste movie — the struggling artist paving hering to him a general sense of leisurely their own way, just as was Ed Wood and intensity, Rudy adopts the personality of The Disaster Artist, and with enough hora fast-rhyming lyrical anomaly, always ribly vulgar, yet quotable lines that it will quick with a comeback and never one to remain reverberating in your head, just as stop while the iron is hot. After successful Moore’s rhymes bounce back and forth. comedy album releases, the duality fades as Rudy embraces the character further, eventually emerging onto the silver screen in a mirror of Moore’s actual first movie, Dolemite. In what would enter the overarching genre of Blaxploitation, Dolemite and Moore paved a way for more campy, low budget, yet still unconsciously funny films, to enter the mainstream by strength of their will alone. Whereas movies of this genre focus intensely on characters with oftentimes questionably racial underPhoto courtesy of imdb.com tones, Rudy Ray Moore and those who helped make his movies turn this on its Eddie Murphy’s character takes on head, instead using the medium to ex- an eccentric personality and style.
Movie Review | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars finale garners mixed reviews Many fans disappointed by conclusion to the beloved series BY RYAN KING Staff Writer kingrm17@wfu.edu It would seem that Star Wars fans are exceptionally hard to please. If you are a fan, then you know that each subsequent entry in the sequel trilogy has been met with increasing controversy, reaching its peak with the most recent film. The Rise of Skywalker is the finale of the Skywalker Saga, which is made up of all nine of the main line Star Wars films. This is perhaps why it’s been met with such intense negative opinion. I’m weary to speak for the entire fan base, but doubtful that my friends and I were alone in hoping this final film would set right what had been misdirected or just oddly written in the eighth film. And despite wanting the same result, we were left with vastly different opinions. What’s always frustrated me about the newer Star Wars films (the sequel trilogy and stand-alone films) is that in writing a story in this intellectual property, a story that would be enjoyed by the majority of fans, would not be that hard. Of course I don’t mean that you could give me the responsibility and I would make it look easy, but it’s been accomplished before many times. Countless extended universe books and animated shows have demonstrat-
ed that there are writers knowledgeable and passionate about the lore who could very well entertain the fan base, casual and die-hard alike. But what’s perhaps even more frustrating is that this understanding of what fans enjoy has been demonstrated in the films as well. My single favorite scene from any live action Star Wars film is in one of the most unremarkable entries, Rogue One. At the end of the film, Darth Vader appears on a rebel ship to take back plans for the death star. We see rebel soldiers scrambling aboard the crippled ship to get the plans into the right hands when suddenly the hull goes dark. We see Vader ignite his lightsaber and effortlessly tear into a dozen rebels, all desperately trying to fight back. This scene depicts Vader’s raw power and lack of remorse without pulling any punches. And this is what makes watching the often boring and even bizarre events in the sequel trilogy so painful. It’s obvious they could do so much so well with these films, yet they don’t. Perhaps it’s due to ambitious directors, and perhaps there’s merit to that, but is it pleasing to fans? Not to this one. That being said, episode IX was by far my favorite film in the sequel trilogy. Mainly because I was actually engaged and entertained the entire time. It also gave me the sense of magnitude and power I had been missing from action scenes in the previous films. But that’s not to say there isn’t plenty wrong with the film. I found myself engaged the entire time because it switches from one major idea to another very quickly.
I think it could have benefited from perhaps another 30 minutes or hour of runtime, so that major events could be more developed and simply have time to take effect before it moved on to something new. Another issue that significantly hindered the films ability to affect me as a viewer was a tendency to cut emotional or otherwise meaningful moments with humor or a simple resolution. Being the final film in the entire series, the plot included, means saying goodbye to many beloved characters. There were many moments where the film did that in admirable and powerful ways, only to be followed by a measly quick-jab joke or an ex-machina rendering the whole sequence meaningless and even trivialized. A sense of satisfaction becomes lost entirely, which I found quite disappointing. I’m reasonably comfortable with where the story has come to an end (complex incongruencies in the lore aside), but not entirely happy with how it got there. I’ll likely never shake the feeling that there was an immense amount of wasted potential within the sequel trilogy, but I’m thankful that it’s breathed new life into the Star Wars universe, and will lead to many new experiences as a stable mainstream property. There’s much more I could say about what the film did questionably, but you shouldn’t take my word for it. I recommend you see the film if you haven’t already and form your own opinion. There’s a good chance it’ll be different than mine.
Top 10 Moments from the 2020 SAG Awards By Catherine Regen
1.
Celebrities were out in fine form this past Sunday. The Brad-Jennifer reunion Eugene and Dan Levy’s monologue
3.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s emotional speech
5.
Peter Dinklage’s butt joke
Parasite’s record-breakng win
Camila Mendes’s dress
7.
All the Stranger Things kids looking so grown up Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner
9.
Joaquin Pheonix thanking Heath Ledger Brad. Pitt’s. Tinder.
DRINK OF THE WEEK The Hulk • • • • •
Is this a rip-off of a juice shop smootie? Maybe...
1 can club soda 2 oz tequila 0.5 oz absinthe Juice of half a lime 3 drops of green food coloring • ice (optional)
Swirl the absinthe in a glass. Add the tequila, lime juice and food coloring. Add ice if desired. Pour in club soda and enjoy while watching the latest Marvel movie. 21+ only please
Courtesy of Markus Minanov
Page 18 | Thursday, January 30, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Life
Movie Review | Underwater
Fear abounds in the depths of Underwater Kristen Stewart stars in this new underwater thriller alongside an all-star cast BY KYLE FERRER Senior Writer ferrka16@wfu.edu
Underwater is a middle-finger-to-the-man placed under the sea, with a rebelliousness more jagged than the any slick pseudo-politics its involves. It’s more rich, eschatological fantasy than boring memorandum. At times notably vivid and well-framed, Underwater satisfies its sci-fi/horror billing, gently echoing canon (usual suspects like The Thing, Alien) in a tight 95-minute clip. The film stars Kristen Stewart, which is pretty much all you need (and most of what you get), though Underwater’s commitment to genre means it’s also peopled with light and retractable stock characters. So while the film layers in tropes, and surprises us with some sophisticated camerawork and striking compositions, it anchors itself in the magnetism of Stewart who, though maybe working slightly below her pay grade, reminds us that she alone turned shy talking into importunate genius. Stewart sometimes humanizes her lines too much, especially for a film about sea monsters. Narrated in her least-garrulous way, Stewart’s voice, unlike Brad Pitt’s, whose tedious narration of Ad Astra bloated the film badly, filigrees Underwater with aphoristic spunk. It’s a welcome respite from the film’s otherwise breakneck speed (even underwater, where figures move with forced languor, we are pushed up inside helmets enough to make Underwater feel like a space movie). The Kepler station, where Stewart’s Norah works as a mechanical engineer, is the world’s deepest drill. We are told through news clippings, running under the opening credits, that the project is steeped in an environment so deep its surrounding perils remain unknown. Within five-minutes of Underwater, a large portion of the workplace blows, and we are taken on a beautifully focused scramble, cameras following with a grip akin to a Crank action sequence. Norah is immediately competent and relatively calm, although her compassion for the numbered dead stalls some of her decisiveness. As she moves through the wreckage, we move through swift introductions that assemble the film’s traveling
Photo courtesy of imdb.com
Kristen Stewart sits in costume with her costar Vincent Cassel. They play members of an engineering crew trapped seven miles beneath the ocean’s surface with an unknown creature. cohort. Emily (Jessica Henwick), a bright, young researcher and nervous chatter, Smith (John Gallagher Jr.), her co-worker and love-interest, Paul (TJ Miller in a satisfying gallows humor role) and self-sacrificing “Captain” as he’s only named (Vincent Cassel, allowed to keep his accent) populate the film as various human expiration dates. So, what caused the explosion? Based on the visuals, some lumbering Godzilla-Poseidon amalgam pissed off about the neighbors, who also has heat-seeking lackeys attached to its skin that pick off the crew one by one. Underwater is one of those films where you can guess the order in which people perish — and when — but that’s ok. It is heady for other reasons, namely Stewart, cinematographer Bojan Bazelli and director William Euback, who hasn’t directed much, but has fourteen cinematography credits to his name. Less a visual bonanza than a submerged and subdued Niconlas Winding Refn film, Underwater’s visuals disappear for stretches, which makes ignition-by-Kristen (the
Photo courtesy of imdb.com
Norah (Kristen Stewart) earnestly discusses plans for the wellbeing of the engineering crew with Emily (Jessica Henwick) and Smith (John Gallagher Jr.) also involved.
most striking compositions contain only her) doubly noticeable. Plus, with its short run time, Underwater has no time to filibuster, which means characters speak their lines and briskly exit, nodding to the genre as they go. Allowed to commit to pace and vision (and Stewart), Eubank makes the film feel like a torpedo chasing its explosion. We tend to give directors a film’s possessive: a Martin Scorsese picture, Spike Lee joint, etc. But even Eubank knows Underwater, without Kristen Stewart as anchor and universe unto herself, doesn’t have a pulse, and dies, unseen, as genre fodder. Without Stewart’s unique command, Underwater becomes amnesia. I don’t mean to be blithe, but Stewart really does recue this film from anonymity (“ah, yes, the new Kristen Stewart underwater movie” ), and in doing so, hopefully makes viewers notice its other virtues. It’s widelyknown that once a director bolts star-power onto a film, the project stands a chance of making money. And that is true for Underwater, though I’m talking about a greater return. A rare actor can simultaneously draw attention to themselves and to their medium, emanating a personal light that draws in technical beauty. At least in Underwater, Kristen Stewart makes the creativity invested in a film seem (almost) adequate to its actor. Her Beat-intensity and charged, velvet voice bleed into the film’s musculature. Stewart’s depth drips highlighter onto the film reel, raising all the film’s hidden achievements to the surface, and one trusts if Stewart picked the project, the result must contain as much talent as she does. It doesn’t, but she makes it acceptable to think so. And even still, it must be said, there are a few itchy moments where it’s clear Stewart belongs back upstairs. But with a completely forgettable script, Stewart’s delivery makes the sci-fi shoptalk and narrative philosophy sound either warranted or committed or (dare I say) meaningful. I saw the run time of Underwater and immediately decided to see it. After a holiday season of great films all at-or-over two-hours-an-fifteen minutes, plus with Magnolia streaming on Netflix again, I craved an inand-out that could also satisfy. But there’s hardly such a thing as brevity anymore in the theater. Even bad films are too long. Quick rides that tattoo us with memorable stories are difficult to find. Mostly, they’re first-feature anomalies like Lady Bird. Now, Underwater is a far cry from Lady Bird, but it’s at least tight.
Life | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, January 23, 2020 | Page 19
Restaurant Review | Part 1
Burrito Boys: Moe’s menu, quality disappoint
Perhaps the greatest benefit of choosing this on campus option is its accessibility, since customers need nothing more than their Deacon OneCard to fill their stomachs. However guests without a meal plan are forced to spend upwards of $8 for a burrito, forcing consumers to wonder whether the sticker price is worth the beans and rice. Customers are also invited
Freshness - Micah: 5.8, Quint: 6 Despite Moe’s claims to being an advocate for fresh ingredients and vegetarian options, we found the lettuce and mixed pico de gallo to be every color but green. Upon the first bite, my entire burrito fell apart like a
Customer Experience - Micah: 8.5, Quint: 8.2 The employees that work behind the table are friendly and work with expediency. We particularly enjoyed how the employees recommended toppings that would go well with our orders. Unfortunately, the welcoming
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Price - Micah: 7.1, Quint: 7.6
We both ordered “Jr. Homewrecker” burritos, eager to experience the robust Moe’s specialty burrito. The only wrecking that took place, however, was that done to our digestive tracts, as we soon discovered the dark side of the southwest grill. The “Homewrecker” is served best with vegetables and light condiments to balance the flavor of the meat and add texture to the bed of rice. As we continued to eat, we quickly discovered what might be Moe’s most redeeming quality: its assortment of salsas. The chips at Moe’s were crisp, flavorful and appetizing. The flavors of the salsa worked beautifully with the salty taste of the chip, and to our surprise, tied the meal together by incorporating flavors that were lacking in the burrito.
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&B
Quint Shorr contributed to the reporting in this article. In its first critique on the road to finding the best burritos in WinstonSalem, the Burrito Boys try out the university’s very own Moe’s Southwest Grill. To obtain a fair, holistic review of each restaurant, we will be grading on the following: price, quality, freshness and customer experience. Comprised of Micah Porter and a guest critic (Quint Schorr), the Burrito Boys are beginning a journey to shed light on the secrets of a quality burrito.
Quality - Micah: 6.4, Quint: 5.2
dysfunctional boy band, leaving dollops of sour cream and what I believe to be lettuce in its wake. Whether fresh or frozen, the meat offered a delectable flavor that struggled to overpower the taste of “ Te x - Me x” that seemed to be omnipresent. Ultimately, you had better hope for something in your minifridge, because the likelihood of you joining the clean plate club is as good as the Office of Residence Life and Housing addressing housing concerns.
old
BY MICAH PORTER Staff Writer portmj19@wfu.edu
to purchase chips and a drink, both of which come complimentary through the use of an Old Gold with the Deacon OneCard.
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This journey had to begin close to home: right here at the campus Moe’s
environment was the only upside to our dining experience. All in all, Moe’s is an easy, accessible excuse for an authentic burrito. However, they do know how to market to different crowds. They offer V for vegan, GF for gluten-free, and DF for dairy-free. They only forgot the TF for taste-free. Overall: 6.5
Album Review | Fine Line
Harry Styles enters a new era of music In his sophomore solo album, Styles relies on influences from the past BY AMANDA GAGE Staff Writer gageak19@wfu.edu After the breakup of One Direction, Harry Styles quickly began writing and recording music as a solo artist. In May of 2017 Styles released his debut self-titled album along with a six minute ballad as his first single, Sign of the Times. In One Direction, the world saw Harry Styles as pop star heartthrob, but after hearing songs like “Kiwi,” “Carolina” and “Only Angel,” he instantly became the newest rock star. His new album, Fine Line, was released this past December, and it exceeded all expectations. It seems like he has truly found his signature sound. Taking inspiration from legends like Stevie Nicks and David Bowie, Styles has used his solo career to show fans the type of music he wants to produce: soft rock mixed with a dash of pop and folk. This new album was a chance for Styles to be vulnerable, and he opens up about the pains of heartbreak. “Cherry,” “Falling” and “Fine Line” are the tracks where
Styles shares his sorrows. They discuss the reality of falling out of love and portray how scary it can be to be alone. One of my favorite lyrics on the entire album is in “Falling,” when Styles sings, “and I get the feeling that you’ll never need me again.” These words are powerful, as everyone in the end fears abandonment and desperately wants to feel needed. Though Fine Line has been called a breakup album, there are numerous songs that spark feelings of joy, love and happiness. The album opens with “Golden,” a song that makes you want to drive down the Californian coast, windows down. He also released two singles, “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You,” which are definitely the more pop-like songs on the album. They are feel-good songs that you can’t help but dance to. Also, after putting his signature slogan “treat people with kindness” all over his merch, Styles finally put it into a song. “Treat People With Kindness” is a one-ofa-kind song that not only puts a smile on your face, but reflects the kind of person Styles is. Lastly, my favorite song is easily “She.” This track carries notes of 70s rock with a little bit of edge, and contains an exceptional instrumental section that reminds me of Welsh and Fonder’s guitar solo at the end of “Hotel California.”
Photo courtesy of amazon.com
Styles latest album focuses on themes surrounding strong emotions, such as love and loss, juxtaposed against a dance/pop sound. For those who still see Styles as the “cute one” in One Direction, Fine Line depicts Styles in a brand new light. He shows us his true self by experimenting with new styles of music and bringing back classic sounds. He has written and produced the entire album along with a team he has a close bond
with, making him stand out from current artists in the music industry. Fine Line has already been nominated for two Brit awards, and the album hit number one on the charts instantly. Styles is a breath of fresh air to the industry, becoming the new rock star we all needed.
Page 20 | Thursday, Jauary 23, 2020
Old Gold & Black | Life
HOW TO GET TO YOUR DREAM JOB Not sure what steps to take after the career fair? Never fear, we have your back. Or get advice from the proessionals in the OPCD. Your call.
BY CATHERINE REGEN Life Editor regecl17@wfu.edu
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