Ampersand | Winter 2022

Jewish students embrace Hanukkah traditions

BEAUTIFUL FOOD

Sharing culture through Latin cooking

BRAVE TALES

Heritage and hope

editorial

EDITOR Erin Kenney

DESIGNERS Fanny Cheng, Abbie Herrin

ASSISTANT EDITORS Dawn Sawyer, Melanie Velasquez

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jim Bass, Christa Bugg, Lilly Kersh, Gianna Rodriguez, Elizabeth Rymarev, Olivia Wakim, Lucinda Warnke, Julianna Washburn, Jesse Wood

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jim Bass, Melanie Velasquez

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Grace Johnson, Vanessa Tam advertising

STUDENT AD MANAGER Ryan Jones

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Sam Cockerham

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Claire Han

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Jasmin Herrera professional staff

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Rebecca Burns

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Melissa Mooney

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Charlotte Norsworthy

CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR Brandon Dudley ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Barri Leach

MAGAZINES & GUIDES ADVISER Mary Logan Bikoff

©2022 THE RED & BLACK PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The Red & Black reserves the right to refuse advertising any reason. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of The Red & Black. Advertising Contact us at 706-433-3001 or advertising@randb.com.

SINGLE COPIES Can be shipped. Order at redandblackstore.com. ABOUT US A nonprofit, independent student news organization, the Red & Black Publishing Co. produces a weekly newspaper, The Red & Black, which has served UGA and Athens since 1893. We publish news online daily at redandblack.com, publish Ampersand Magazine and produce special-interest publications and books.

Jesse Wood

Jesse Wood is a sophomore journalism major who started at The Red & Black the past semester.

Gianna Rodriguez

Gianna Rodriguez is a senior journalism major with a passion for covering the Latino community. She is the assistant opinion editor.

Melanie Velasquez

Melanie Velasquez is a junior journalism major. She is the current assistant guides and magazines editor.

Olivia Wakim

Olivia Wakim is a senior journalism major who enjoys writing about the Athens food scene. She is the assistant eat & drink editor.

Lilly Kersh

Lilly Kersh is a junior journalism major. She is the current assistant culture editor.

Julianna Washburn

Julianna Washburn joined The Red & Black in December 2020. She is the current recruitment manager, and she is a senior journalism major.

Christa Bugg

Christa Bugg is a senior journalism student studying journalism and sociology. She writes for the opinion and culture desks.

Lucinda Warnke

Lucinda Warnke is a junior majoring in journalism and English literature. She is an enterprise reporter at The Red & Black.

music & arts

Wired for the winter

by JESSE WOOD

Garrett Gray, the bass player in Cam and His Dam Jam Band, knows rehearsals are important. But, he also knows live shows are even better.

“One good live show is worth 10 practices,” Gray said.

Live Wire, a music venue in the northwest corner of downtown Athens, has given the band — and many others — that platform. Since February 2022, the Athens-based psychedelic rock band has performed at the venue many times, often during its regular Wired N’ Weird shows.

“The staff and the stage and the lights and everything were just really great,” Gray said, “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to play at the Live Wire, because I love that stage. I think it’s one of the best stages and one of the best venues in Athens.”

Formerly a warehouse, in 2015 Live Wire was completely transformed by local owners into a hot spot for live performances by burgeoning artists, as well as private events.

Several indoor and outdoor spaces make Live Wire an all-seasons venue, with Robertson Hall indoors featuring a 15-foot screen, a large stage and a dance floor, and for mild winter nights, the Garden Courtyard and Upper Deck, home to a large outdoor stage and bar, food truck parking and an optional tent.

Wired Wednesday is one of the venue’s most popular nights. While the lineup changes week to week, each show brings together local artists with musical styles ranging from electronic to bluegrass.

On the second Wednesday of each month, the Wired Wednesday theme is Wired N’ Weird, when Cam and His Dam Jam Band often play. As a band gaining traction in the music industry,

performing live is vital for building a reputation and a fan base. Gray said Live Wire has given the band the space to continue this growth.

“Live performance is what separates the men from the boys when it comes to a band,” Gray said. “For Wired Wednesday, we have the floor to do whatever we want. Performing here, we can bring new people in and make our name more heard around town.”

Every fourth Wednesday, you can expect to find yourself Peach Pickin’ if you visit Live Wire. This event showcases the country music scene in Athens with bluegrass tunes, local vendors and mason jar lighting.

Peach Ice Cream Bluegrass, a collective bluegrass group from Athens, has starred in the most recent Peach Pickin’ shows. Josh Bennett, who plays banjo for the band, says the setting has allowed Peach Ice Cream Bluegrass to play around with new sounds.

“We’re all in rock bands as well, so we add an element of funkiness,” Bennett said. “We play a lot of songs that you wouldn’t expect to be bluegrass. And, we all have pedals on our instruments. Those pedals make crazy effects. It’s pretty new to the bluegrass scene right now.”

In addition to Wired N’ Weird and Peach Pickin’, Live Wire’s shows take on other themes from week to week — one recent Wired Wednesday show was dubbed Chords & Truth. Eli Cain, a rising country singer in Athens, performed in the show, which is devoted to singer-songwriters showcasing their original songs.

“It felt like a real concert, not a gig,” Cain said. “People were there to listen to songs I had written, and that was their sole purpose. It was not like any other gig I’ve done.”

WHAT: Bloodkin and Friends

WHEN: Dec. 9

WHERE: 40 Watt Club

PRICE: $20

WHAT: Kishi Bashi - Tall Tall Trees

WHEN: Dec. 31

WHERE: 40 Watt Club PRICE: $30

WHAT: Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine WHEN: Jan. 23

WHERE: Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

PRICE: $40-$70

WHAT: Martha Graham Dance Company

WHEN: Feb. 2 and 3

WHERE: Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

PRICE: $50-$60

WHAT: Flipturn and Hotel Fiction

WHEN: Feb. 24

WHERE: Georgia Theatre

$15-$18

Peach Ice Cream performs at a Live Wire show. [Courtesy/Peach Ice Cream]

Eli Cain sings at Chords & Truth. [Courtesy/Eli Cain]

Cooking from the heart

Latina student’s empanada business shines a light on her culture to outside communities

by GIANNA RODRIGUEZ

Walking into Isabelle Smith’s apartment, it immediately smells of rich seasoning and freshly blended sofrito. Smith, also called Izzy by her loved ones, sits at the kitchen table surrounded by large bowls of ingredients.

The senior culinary science and nutrition major scooped cooked ground beef from a large bowl and piled it into the delicate disc of dough. Smith gently enclosed the disc and crimped the edges with her fingers as if it were a little dumpling.

Smith prepared the empanadas, a staple Caribbean Latin dish, the same as she would for one of her empanada sales, where she sells them to students for $5 each. She sold 45 empanadas in her most recent sale, but that was one of her smaller ones. In the spring 2022 semester, when she had a flexible schedule, Smith successfully ran her biggest sale, selling about 150 empanadas to other students.

“Mimi is the master empanada maker,” Smith said of her Dominican grandmother as she laid the empanadas side by side on parchment paper. As the canola oil heated in the sleek wok that looked like it had never been used, she recalled how empanadas have played a role in her family history.

Like Smith, her Mimi used to sell empanadas when she was her age, 21. She sold them at the local church for 75 cents each and sold so many she made the same amount of money then that Smith makes from selling them now at $5 each.

Smith started this business with the hope of gaining something more than just the additional change in her pocket — she gets the heart-warming feeling of sharing this piece of Latino culture with other students.

“It makes me feel very loved,” she said. “Even if I don’t know them, a lot of times I welcome people that want to pick up their orders at my house. It’s just really heartwarming knowing that you’re putting a smile on somebody’s face by creating something they like.”

BEING A PART OF THE SIX PERCENT

As of Fall 2021, the Latino community made up only 6% of

student enrollment at the University of Georgia. While Latino culture on campus is not abundant, the family tradition and love behind Smith’s cooking shines a light on her community for others to learn about it.

“Being a part of that 6% feels very special,” she said. “I can say that it’s very nice being able to share a little more representation around campus.”

Smith grew up eating Dominican and Puerto Rican dishes from her mom’s side of the family. She wanted to take these meals with her to college, which is when she started exploring the world of culinary science. These recipes, specifically the empanadas, are only a small part of Latino culture she’s able to share with those outside the community.

When asked about any obstacles being Latina in a predominantly white community has forced her to face, Smith says, “like everyone, it’s sometimes hard to fit in certain social circles.” She is often asked “what are you?” by people referring to her ethnicity, but perhaps her empanada sales might give a token sense of what it means to be Dominican and Puerto Rican.

‘NOT ONLY GOOD FOOD, BUT BEAUTIFUL FOOD’

To students who don’t know her personally, Smith is known as @iizzyeats on Instagram, where she showcases the empanada sales along with elegantly plated Latin and Caribbean cuisines. Accompanying mouth-watering photography is a section of testimonials about the sales. There’s no doubt her talent touches

other students with the showering of compliments the upcoming chef receives, such as “better than the ones I had in PR” and “compliments to the chef.”

Bethany Younce, a fourth-year dietetics major at UGA, is familiar with Smith’s talent and passion for food. A classmate and friend, she can’t get enough of Smith’s cooking.

“I consider myself to have a love for cooking, but this girl takes it to a new level. She makes food — not only good food, but beautiful food, and she is always so willing to share it,” she said. Younce has classes with Smith and gives props for how seriously she takes food safety when preparing for the empanada sales.

Since discovering a passion for food, Smith dived into the industry first as a food safety and quality intern at Chick-fil-A and now as an intern at Cooking with Chef JJ. She thanks the connections she made at Chick-fil-A for the initial business growth, but she also made an effort on her own by getting the word out to UGA Instagram pages with a larger following such as ugaaffirmations.

Smith dreams of continuing her entrepreneurship — as an ice cream business owner where she creates her own flavors. Until she can make this dream become a reality, Smith plans to continue sharing these dishes filled with love and Latino tradition with others to keep that ‘heartwarming’ feeling with her.

To keep up with Isabelle Smith’s empanada sales, you can follow @iizzyeats on Instagram.

UGA culinary science and nutrition student Isabelle Smith holds a plate of beef empanadas she made and paired with sliced limes. [Gianna Rodriguez]

Recipe: Beef Empanadas

From the kitchen of Isabella Smith

What you’ll need:

1 lb. 80/20 ground beef 1⁄2 cup chipotle sauce

1⁄2 cup Goya sofrito 1⁄2 white onion, diced 1⁄2 green bell pepper, diced, cored 1 tbsp minced garlic

1 packet Goya Sazón – con culantro y achiote Goya empanada dough discs

PLUS: Salt, black pepper, chicken flavor bullion, chili powder, ground oregano, ground cumin, fresh lime juice – add this at the end for best effect

Use preferred cheese mix and meat inside of empanada shell. I like Oaxaca!

Directions

 Add diced onion and bell pepper to your pan with a 1⁄2 tbsp olive oil on low-medium heat

 After about four minutes, add in garlic and cook until fragrant

 Add ground beef, sofrito, and chipotle sauce  Once the ground beef is browned, add seasonings to your liking

 Once cooked through, add lime juice

 Let cool for at least one hour

 Once cooled, add ground beef and cheese to the empanada shell and seal the edges with a fork  Heat a wide and deep pot of canola oil, measuring about two to three inches deep. Fry three empanadas for 2-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.



Where to find immune-boosting foods

Winter is coming, so stock up

DAILY GROCERIES CO-OP

Located on Prince Avenue near downtown, Daily Groceries has been an Athens staple since 1992. Daily is a community-owned and community-driven grocery store that offers local produce and niche dry goods. You can expect to find berries, fruits, vegetables, greens and other fresh immune-boosting essentials, as well as an array of supplements.

BEAR HUG HONEY COMPANY

For those looking for a sweet and tasty immune booster, honey is a classic option. Not only can honey soothe a cough, but it has been shown to induce generation of antibodies. Bear Hug Honey Company is a local shop that sells a variety of different types of honey, including flavor-infused and raw honey options. Some of its most popular options include its Georgia wildflower honey, ginger honey and its variety pack.

ATHENS FARMERS MARKET

The Athens Farmers Market offers locally grown produce including immune-friendly sweet potatoes, ginger, beets, broccoli, garlic and more. The only thing you’ll have to worry about is seasonal availability of the produce you’re looking for, but lucky for us, it’s leafy greens season.

FIGMENT KOMBUCHA

Sick of fruits and veggies? Athens-based Figment Kombucha offers signature immune-boosting beverages, as well as kimchi and other fermented foods. Not only are these packed with probiotics, but they are also delicious.

THE BEEKEEPER’S BRIDE

Elderberry syrup is a great choice for those looking for a boost of vitamin C during the winter season. Elderberry syrup from local company The Beekeeper’s Bride contains elderberries, hibiscus flowers, chamomile flowers, red raspberry leaf, echinacea, rose hips, ginger, raw honey and filtered water. All the ingredients are organic. They also offer an infant and pregnancy-safe formula.

The Beekeeper’s Bride founder Michelle Brinson offers some key insight on her process for making elderberry syrup and how it can help your household this season. thebeekeepersbride.com

by ELIZABETH RYMAREV

Small talk among an audience of 100 slowly comes to a stop as the stage in front of them lights up and a quiet man walks onto the stage. Robert Tucker, a storyteller at Rabbit Box, begins to tell the audience the story of his father.

He explains to everyone that the man he calls father is actually his stepfather, and their relationship went from stepson and stepfather to father and son. The touching story drew some laughs from the audience, and many shared a similar bond that Tucker experienced. The best part for Tucker was the way the audience was able to relate to him on different levels.

Rabbit Box explores this human connection — the non-profit organization in Athens has brought together listeners for the past 10 years through the art of storytelling. It dives into topics that audience members across all backgrounds can learn from and illustrates that the way humans connect is through shared experiences.

These valuable stories present themselves in many forms through different times in history, but at their core, a lesson is learned and a person is transformed.

Hearing stories helps us understand each other, gain empathy

and perceive a range of experiences, much like reading books, according to Pat Priest, the story coach at Rabbit Box. Any barriers that seem to separate us dissolve, and these stories bring us closer.

Rabbit Box holds seven events a year and each one has a theme. Past themes like “stuck” and “undone” have guided tellers and given the audience a peek into the types of stories they were going to hear that night. The themes are chosen by the organization’s board and are planned for the whole year. They keep the theme broad, yet interesting and meaningful to be able to appeal to all stories. November’s theme was “last call,” and this could mean a last call from a loved one, or a last call chance to change your life, Priest explained.

Storytellers submit their pitches through Rabbit Box’s website for upcoming shows and are then coached by Priest to prepare their stories to be received by an audience. She helps move the pieces of the story into place, and collaborates with the storytellers to come up with a structured beginning, middle and end.

Priest said her favorite part of coaching is being able to hear a wider story than the one presented on stage and watching stories resonate with the audience

“We throw out line after line to build this big community

—Robert Tucker

Connie Crawley, a member of the Rabbit Box board, tells a story in January 2019. [Courtesy/Staff]

web of people meeting one another, across these perceived barriers of race, age, sexuality — it’s just been marvelous,” Priest said.

Tucker defines a good story as something that is sincere and actually connects with someone.

According to Tucker, funny stories hook the audience and keep them lightheartedly engaged. More serious, heartfelt stories explore harder topics and answer many questions. What was the struggle? What was found along the way? How was it overcome? What was the lesson?

A good storyteller needs to be brave — it takes courage to get on stage and tell a story, Tucker said. On the other side of the curtain, the quality of a storyteller depends on the ability of the audience to be patient and willing to listen.

“Be brave, get up there and do it, and the audience has your back. They

actually are waiting on pins and needles to hear you share your story and they’re gonna love your story no matter what it is. If it’s your story to tell, they’re gonna love it,” Tucker said.

Outside of Rabbit Box, Tucker operates his own private practice as a mental health therapist. He believes that the best intervention in therapy is making the person feel like a human being and ensuring that the person who sits across from you knows that the way that you feel is OK, similar to storytelling.

“Sometimes just being able to sit in a space with a person, meet them wherever they are –- that’s humanity,” Tucker said.

Rabbit Box’s upcoming themes include “awkward,” “duets” and “ready or not.” Shows are held at the VFW venue and tickets are $8 per person through Venmo or $10 per person in cash, and food trucks are present.

Robert Tucker tells a story. [Courtesy/Amy Moss, Rabbit Box]

sex & dating

The most difficult word to say

by OLIVIA WAKIM

I am a professed lover of gossip. After a few glasses of wine, it’s cathartic to sit down with friends and discuss the gory details of our lives.

Even though we’re as familiar with each other’s stories as our own, we love to recap our romantic successes and failures, our current crushes or relationship woes. It’s the ultimate form of bonding for us to recount tales of awkward dates, unrequited crushes and, of course, bad sex stories.

From time to time, our stories seem to match. There’s that one guy who was a little too pushy so we felt awkward saying no, or the other one who thought kissing meant guaranteed sex, and it felt impolite to leave him high and dry.

“I didn’t want to be a tease,” I’d say, embarrassment turning my face hot.

Those sex stories aren’t just bad — they’re painfully uncomfortable, leaving behind a film of shame afterwards like a red wine stain you can’t quite scrub off of the counter.

I’ve always asked myself why I didn’t say no. Something has to be wrong with me. I decided I must be weaker than other women, otherwise I would have been able to stand my ground.

When I went to college, I was told never to go into an empty room with a strange man. I was taught not to leave my drink unattended or separate from my group. I suppose I was overconfident in my abilities to set firm boundaries. I thought I knew how to avoid the sexual assault we see in popular media, where a terrifying man appears out of the dark corner of a party and attacks.

There is one big gap missing from my education. I wasn’t taught how to say no. I wasn’t taught how to be assertive, how to stand firm in a decision despite invisible pressures. I didn’t understand that being a “tease” might be better than compromising myself for the sake of appearing sexy and likable.

Every time I have said yes when I wanted to say no, I did it because I didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. The thought of that confrontation

was so distasteful to me that I participated in sexual activity I didn’t want.

Answers are my way of consoling myself. I wanted to know if this was a common experience, something other people dealt with. Why was a word as small and simple as ‘no’ so far out of reach at times?

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

My search for answers began with Emily Mouilso, clinical associate professor at the University of Georgia. She explained the effect gender roles have on our relationship with sex.

“When we talk about female gender role socialization, these are processes that start really early, basically from birth, and they’re messages that we give to our girls and boys and the whole society about what it means to be female, what it means to be a good girl,” Mouilso said.

Being a “good girl” means acting sweet and polite. It’s gentleness and soft-spokenness. It’s coy glances from across the bar, a smile or a flirtatious comment here and there. Being a good girl means to want sex, but only after we’ve been persuaded that we want it. It’s desirability. And if we are desired, we should be glad for it.

Adrienne Baldwin-White, a professor and researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University, conducted a research study entitled “When a Girl Says No, You Should be Persistent Until She Says Yes.” In it, she considered college students’ perspective on the meaning of consent. The study also looked at the factors leading a woman to say yes to sex they don’t want.

According to the study, women are taught that their sexuality must be pursued in order to be valuable to society. It implies a woman’s worth is in how many men she can please and attract.

“Therefore, women may agree to participate in sexual activity despite their own misgivings because society has socialized them to believe that they are obliged to fulfill a man’s sexual needs,” Baldwin-White wrote.

Our gender expectations are so ingrained in

our life, in the way we grow up, in our subconscious, that it’s almost hard to recognize their impact. Years of watching Netflix rom-coms, reading explicit romance novels, listening to the news and watching porn have solidified gender and relationship expectations into our subconscious.

We see what a desired woman looks like, and how a strong man should behave. We observe how to have sex and how to be in relationships through the media we consume and the rhetoric we grow up with.

“When we remember that these are really powerful messages that were given from a very early age and they’re reinforced in a million different ways throughout our life, those things are absolutely going to be in our heads, and they’re going to come out in these situations,” Mouilso said. “They can really have a significant influence on people’s behavior.”

This isn’t a phenomenon relegated to womanhood.

“Those messages can be in men’s heads when people are socialized in a traditionally masculine way and can make it hard for them to be honest and open about what they want in

[Vanessa Tam/Staff]

situations where they don’t want to have sex,” Mousilo said.

There are plenty of stereotypes around men’s sexuality. Men are expected to always want sex and to be aggressive and dominating — don’t take no for an answer, if you will.

“I think having more awareness about how powerful these messages are and how they can impact behavior in this particular situation can be very empowering,” Mouilso said. “It gives you a sense of ‘Wow, okay, that makes sense why this happened the way it did. I’m not just weak or crazy or stupid.’ And if you can understand it in that way, I think it often helps people just feel like they can process that experience.”

In all honesty, researching this topic was, more than anything, a way for me to come to terms with my own experiences. I was tired of ruminating about it in my head, dancing through what if’s and berating myself for not being able to confidently decide what happens to me.

Explanations may not be a solution, but I hope it can offer some peace of mind to know this is not a burden one must carry alone. I hope we can begin to empower ourselves to start saying no. We owe it to ourselves.

Finding vintage flair

Sarah Vogt of Carla Sue Vintage talks winter fashion

by ERIN KENNEY

When Sarah Vogt was little, she was enamored with the fashion sported by Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy”. She loved flipping through photographs of her grandmother’s 1940s New York fashion, which Vogt found to be fabulous. It wouldn’t be until after she finished grad school, however, that she fully dove into her love of vintage.

Formerly a professional violinist, Vogt started selling vintage as a hobby in 2014. She moved to Athens five years ago, and she now runs Carla Sue Vintage, a vintage clothing shop on Etsy. The shop, which Vogt runs with a business partner, has racked up nearly 4,000 sales and has an average five star review.

Ampersand spoke with Vogt about her vintage clothing shop, and what a modern fashionista can learn from vintage winter trends.

HOW DO YOU SOURCE YOUR VINTAGE PIECES?

My business partner and I both source stuff for the business, and it really it comes from a variety of sources. We both go to thrift stores and estate sales. The best things are private buys — when you just have a lead, for example, there’s somebody whose parents have unfortunately died or are moving and downsizing, and they’re ready to part with things. That’s the best way to source things, because you’re not competing with other people and you’re finding

things “out in the wild,” as they say. I’ve loved finding things that come straight from the original owners, and they can tell you stories about how, “Oh this is the dress I wore on the plane for my honeymoon,” or “This was my first big purchase in high school.”

I would say those three things are really where we’re sourcing everything: estate sales, thrift stores and private buys.

HOW DO YOU STOCK YOUR SHOP FOR WINTER?

In general, we have a lot of back stock, and there are certain pieces that we pull out every winter, like the classic ’50s and ’60s box coat — with or without a fur collar. That’s kind of a classic piece that always sells. There can be more trendy items that we either will pull out of back stock or search for. I’ve noticed this year it seems to be a trend to wear big overcoats, kind of menswear inspired — lots of ‘80s and ’90s overcoat styles.

ARE THERE ANY VINTAGE TRENDS YOU THINK SHOULD MAKE A COMEBACK?

I do think that people used to have more of a cohesive look. Back in the ’40s and ’50s, a woman might have a black Persian lamb coat that would have a matching hat and muff, or something like that. Even if you think about the ’70s and ’80s, with a lot of things

like Etienne Agner, the oxblood leather boots and gloves. Just having all of your outerwear accessories match was a big thing. I’m not sure if I see that as a trend that should come back. I think that it would make things easier. I have this navy blue trench coat that has a green plaid flannel lining, and so I found a hat from the same period that had the same colors in it, and now I’m looking for a pair of gloves that match just because I don’t want to have to think about putting things together in the morning.

IS THERE ONE WINTER STAPLE EVERYONE NEEDS IN THEIR CLOSET?

I would say a coat, because a coat is a classic piece that can be styled so many different ways. Vintage coats were so well made — these coats have lasted 50, 60, 70 years and other than times when there’s moth damage because they haven’t been stored properly, they hold up really well. I’ve tried on coats before from the ’50s and ’60s with whatever I happen to be wearing when I’m working and I’m like, “Oh man, it looks so chic and modern.” It doesn’t have to look dated at all.

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Sarah Vogt has been enamored by vintage fashion since her childhood. (Courtesy/Sarah Vogt)

by GIANNA RODRIGUEZ

Fashion doesn’t have to be left as something material. As students and Athenians face winter it could be worth it to invest in a coat that is not only comfortable, but also a mood booster. Different coats have their own purposes and styles of wear, and it could be easier than you think to find the one that suits your lifestyle:

TWEED BLAZER

The classic tweed blazer is seen in movies filmed on Ivy League campuses. Think of fall fashion at Harvard — this is what comes to mind when I spot a student in class styling a tweed blazer with a pair of straight jeans. As I come closer to graduating it feels like more and more work to dress up for class, but a blazer makes the process feel effortless. The rug-like texture is seen in every thrift store once the leaves fall, making it an affordable, stylish option to consider investing in.

How to wash: Dry clean or hand-wash in cold water with mild detergent and air-dry.

Recently spotted: A vintage, mustard yellow blazer at Community.

DENIM

Durable and timeless, the denim jacket has been a staple since the first one was created circa 1880 by Levi Strauss. A denim jacket is versatile enough for a range of temperatures, so if you find it hard to spend money on something you’ll wear only half the year, a light-weight denim jacket could be your go-to. With sherpa lining on the inside for warmth. Denim jackets should often be purchased second-hand, as true denim becomes more durable and comfortable the more it’s worn.

How to wash: Wash it alone on a cold cycle or hand-wash. Recently spotted: A worn-in Levi’s denim jacket (complete with red logo on the chest) at Dynamite Clothing.

PEACOAT

While it can be perceived as a dressier garment, the peacoat is a classic that keeps returning in style in different versions. A boxy, more masculine version was first worn by American sailors in the 19th century, but it has changed to fit trends today. The peacoat is now double-breasted with an oversized collar, often worn on top of dresses or a pantsuit. Peacoats aren’t for everyday use, but it’s a garment I consider to be classy and worth the few wears a year.

How to wash: Dry clean or hand-wash in cold water with mild detergent and air-dry.

Recently spotted: Peacoats ranging in color from dark gray to vibrant red at America’s Thrift Store.

LINED RAINCOAT

A lined raincoat is a luxury to own for windy, wet weather. It’s important to choose a raincoat that has some sort of lining or insulation on the inside, otherwise you’ll be dry, but still cold. These can get pricey purchased brand-new, but you might find it worth the investment for your commute to class in the next winter storm.

How to wash: Wash on a cold cycle and air-dry.

Recently spotted: Patagonia and Kuhl raincoats at Half-Moon Outfitters.

Whether thrifted or bought brand-new, coats last longer than almost any other garment in your closet, so why not invest? Don’t rush into it; you’ll find one that gets you excited to bundle up, roam under the gloomy skies and breathe in the crisp air.

[Grace Johnson/Contributor]

Members of Athens Area Pickleball practice at Southeast Clarke Park. [Photos/Jim Bass]

The fastest growing sport in America takes Athens Dawn of pickleball

by JIM BASS

A breezy weekday morning may inspire many to go on a ride around town, take a peaceful walk or read a book if they aren’t having to rush to work or school. However, the same can not be said for a growing number of Athenians who have picked up a paddle and made their way to local parks in Athens to play the hot and trending sport of pickleball.

Over the course of the past decade, many Athenians may have noticed a new addition while walking around the parks of Athens. While passing by the many tennis courts, basketball courts and baseball fields, one area that seems to stay active with players throughout the day is the pickleball courts.

The sport of pickleball has a relatively short history, having been created in 1965, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a mainstay sport across the nation, including Athens. Pickleball is considered the fastest growing sport in the country, with 4.8 million players according to a recent report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The sport has entered the city of Athens over the past decade and rapidly gained popularity.

In 2013, during pickleball’s small beginnings in Athens, a group of Athenians became interested in the sport after a course was offered by Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services, along with an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute special interest group for pickleball. These two classes sparked enough interest in the community that several players decided to form an official organization for pickleball in Athens, leading to the formation of the Athens Area Pickleball Association in 2014.

The association was initially created to hold local tournaments in the Athens area, but has extended its reach to educating new players as well. They offer accommodations to its members, like balls and paddles, and work with the local government to maintain and improve pickleball facilities.

The AAPA plays all across Athens with indoor pickleball at Heard Park and Community Center, Lay Park Community Center

and Athens First United Methodist Church, and outdoor pickleball at Southeast Clarke Park (the only park with designated pickleball courts), Satterfield Park, Heard Park and Bishop Park.

Many people have been picking up the sport due to the ease of access, but another aspect that is mentioned by many pickleball players in Athens is the sense of community. Lilly Garrett sees the sport as a social game as well, due to the shorter games and kind sportsmanship shown with players.

“It is a very friendly group. They just like playing pickleball,” said Lilly Garrett.

McEnaney also believes in this sense of community that is formed on the pickleball courts in Athens and has found the same experience across the country while playing in different places like New York, Florida and Myrtle Beach.

“It’s a social thing, a lot of people that I’ve met have said, ‘You know, I would’ve never met all these people if I didn’t find pickleball,’” McEnaney said. “Everywhere you go, even out of state, there’s places to play and you are always welcome.”

There have been efforts to expand pickleball courts to more areas across Athens and add on to the current courts as well.

After its creation, the AAPA quickly grew in membership and currently has over 450 members of all age and skill ranges, according to AAPA President Lilly Garrett. Many members also participate in tournaments all across Georgia including Newnan, Hiawassee and Griffin, where tournaments have reached over 1,000 participants.

Along with being the president of the AAPA, Garrett and her husband Gary also teach newcomers how to play pickleball twice a week. They credit the fast growth of pickleball to many different aspects, but mention that a major factor is how quickly new players are able to pick up the sport.

“The fact that almost anybody can start playing on the first day [is a reason it is growing so fast],” Gary Garrett said. “Tennis is one of those sports where you have to work with it to actually go and play a game. With pickleball, you can learn quickly.”

The sport looks similar to tennis or badminton but is played on a small 20 feet by 44 feet court using paddles, a net and a ball. This smaller range of play makes the game easily accessible to all ages and skill levels.

NOT JUST A RETIREMENT GAME

Outside of the AAPA, pickleball as a whole has seen a massive rise in popularity with college students,with many going to the local courts to play in the afternoons and evenings. The sport initially picked up a stereotype of being considered a “retirement game,” but AAPA board member Tom McEnaney believes that pickleball is on track to become a club sport for colleges like the University of Georgia and could eventually become a major college sport.

“It’s not just a retirement game anymore. Lots of kids are learning it,” McEnaney said.

These include trying to expand the Southeast Clarke Park courts, further improve the courts at Satterfield Park and also encouraging UGA to add pickleball courts to their Intramural Fields for students to play on.

AAPA Treasurer Kevin McHugh said that the organization is always working to improve the pickleball community and would like to see the sport continue to grow in popularity over time. He also hopes to bring more courts for Athens to hold bigger tournaments in the future.

“As an organization, we try to get more courts wherever we can,” McHugh said.

Ten years ago, pickleball was a sport not on many Athenians’ radars. Since then, the sport has captured the attention of people of all ages as the number of pickleball players continues to grow.

True gifts

Ways the Athens community is sharing light & warmth this winter

Editor’s Note — As the last fall leaves tumble to the pavement and frost begins dusting the parking lots around town, Athens is bracing itself for winter. While the first day of the season isn’t until Dec. 21, colder temperatures and darker days already make life feel a bit dreary. For the winter issue of Ampersand, our writers sought out

Mutual aid group offers neighborly care

Winter may not be the season for a cold glass of lemonade, but for local mutual aid group, Lemonaid, it’s the perfect time of year to serve unhoused and underhoused people in the community.

Every Sunday, the group of around five core members is joined by other student volunteers to prepare and distribute over 60 hot meals around Athens, in addition to supplies like tents and sleeping bags. They are funded entirely by community donations.

“[Our mission is] to do everything we can to support our neighbors that are struggling with homelessness, and a mission of raising awareness about what it’s like to be houseless in Athens and advocating for fair housing policy,” said Colette Blackmon, a University of Georgia senior studying international affairs and agricultural communications.

Casey Serrano, a senior student majoring in geography, has been volunteering with the organization since spring 2021. They see Lemonaid as a way for students to contribute to the town

while attending the university.

stories on Athenians and University of Georgia students finding and sharing warmth, literally and figuratively, in the community. In these snapshots, you’ll find ways people are keeping others warm this winter, and some ways you can share warmth, too.

“There’s a real need for organizations where people have direct contact and consistent bonds with people outside the UGA community in order to really be a part of Athens,” Serrano said.

Lemonaid focuses on those consistent bonds, and the seeks to connect with the community on a personal level. The organization sees its work as mutual aid as opposed to charity.

“[Mutual aid] is really more about solidarity and building structures that take care of people, as opposed to just going in and feeling like you’re helping and doing good,” Serrano said. “We really try to address the root problem.”

Yet while Lemonaid considers the roots of these issues, they also seek to provide for the community’s immediate needs. They distribute hot, balanced meals, such as casseroles and burrito bowls, every weekend at two to four locations around town.

“I know that we’re not solving every single problem. But

what we can do is make someone’s day a little brighter,” Serrano said.

Although the organization delivers hot food, Serrano cautions the narrative that they bring warmth to the community beyond a single meal. Instead, Serrano believes more structural change and political consciousness is needed to develop sustainable solutions.

And while structural change that holds institutions accountable may be the larger mission, Lemonaid believes in the simple importance of a good neighbor.

“Houseless people get a lot of coldness from their neighbors … I think that just by knowing people’s names, and having conversations with people and asking them how they are, it’s really the bare minimum, but I think it can make a big difference,” Blackmon said. “Just acknowledging someone’s humanity.”

— Lilly Kersh

Members of mutual aid group Lemonaid meet on campus before distributing meals around town. [Photo/Jim Bass]

Nuçi’s Space provides mental health services

Eric Carter and the Bloodkin band members used Nuçi’s Space to rehearse songs in the early 2000s. All the while, Carter was battling alcoholism.

“In my little alcohol-addled brain, it never occurred to me [to get help]. I didn’t even try to figure out all the other stuff that [Nuçi’s Space] did … like help for suicide counseling,” Carter said.

But when the musician met Nuçi’s Space founder, Linda Phillips in 2008, he knew — just by the look in her eyes — that he would get the help he needed.

“She saved my life,” Carter said. “She did that for a lot of people.”

While Phillips passed away from pancreatic cancer in January 2021, her legacy continues to weave its way throughout the Athens community.

Phillips created the non-profit in honor of her son, Nuçi Phillips, a 22-year-old musician who died by suicide in the fall of 1996 after battling severe depression. Since its beginning in 2000, the goals have been rooted in suicide prevention and providing mental health support.

As winter skies darken and cold weather drives people indoors, rates of seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) often heighten. Nuçi’s Space can be a place of solace for musicians — especially those who experience seasonal depression.

“It’s just nice to know that there’s a place that you can actually walk into and maybe get some help,” Carter said.

While there is an emphasis on mental health for musicians, according to Kara Johnson, the health and wellness program manager at Nuçi’s Space, everyone is welcome.

“Sometimes people just need somewhere to come get a cheap cup of coffee and sit in a safe space and listen to other people play music,” Johnson said.

Senior music major Kathleen Sullivan has used Nuçi’s Space to rehearse and perform throughout her time at the University of Georgia. She said that along with other mental health battles musicians face, like self-comparison, there’s a mood shift that occurs among her and her friends when the winter comes around.

Hospital donations spread joy

Over the last few years, we’ve depended on frontline healthcare workers like never before. At St. Mary’s Hospital, one organization is giving back.

The Sunshine Patrol delivers magazines, crossword puzzles and snacks to the hospital’s frontline staff who are still working long hours and battling COVID-19. Many of the snacks are received as in-kind food donations, which spread positivity and support among the healthcare workers.

“We found that our frontline healthcare heroes absolutely love the gesture,” St. Mary’s Foundation Regional Director, Aaron James, said. “It gets them through.”

But, you don’t have to be a part of a designated group to spread joy this winter. Outside of Athens, Georgia’s largest children’s hospitals are in Atlanta. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which has three main locations, accepts donations of in-box and unused toys, coloring books and assorted electronics and gift cards. All donations are received at the information desk in the front lobby of each location, and you can visit the CHOA website for more details on donations.

For Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients specifically, donation wish list items include infant mirrors to

“When the sun goes down so much earlier, you just don’t want to be out and about doing things,” Sullivan said. “It can feel kind of gray sometimes.”

While musicians using the studio don’t have to reach out for help, they are aware that help is present.

“We always joke that music gets people in and then the mental health is kind of intertwined with everything underneath,” Johnson said.

Nuçi’s Space doesn’t have counselors in-house and doesn’t serve as a crisis center. They help to navigate mental health care by connecting people to tangible resources, providing some financial assistance or simply showing they care.

Letting people know they’re not alone and being a glimmer of hope to others who might be struggling is something Carter hopes to do to carry on the gift Linda gave him.

“It sounds kind of mundane, but it’s just connecting with another person,” Carter said. “It can be the smallest thing that can give somebody else some hope.”

— Julianna Washburn

attach to cribs, mobiles, plastic activity mats, teething rings and pacifiers. Toys and blankets for extra warmth can boost both patient and parent morale.

Other donation avenues include donating to a charitable organization. Trust Your Strength is a nonprofit organization that collects donations to support NICU families. Alena Smith, founder and two-time NICU parent, knows first-hand how isolating and difficult the journey can be when becoming parents to a NICU baby. Her experience in the NICU inspired her to start the organization and support other families.

Trust Your Strength relies on donations to create care packages for in-need families. Items focus on self-care and relaxation to bring comfort and peace to parents during their child’s hospital stay.

Whether you donate to adult or children’s hospitals, your contribution makes a huge impact on the community.

“A lot of situations that these families are in is life or death,” Smith said. “Knowing someone’s thinking of them means the world.”

— Christa Bugg

Linda Phillips was the founder of Nuçi’s Space.

[Courtesy/ Eric Carter]

Heritage and hope

Jewish students find strength and community through Hanukkah celebrations

by LUCINDA WARNKE

Gabriela Lefkovits poses for a portrait in the Sigma Delta Tau house. [Photo/Melanie Velasquez]

When Kyra Solovei thinks of her childhood Hanukkah celebrations, magic comes to mind. She has fond memories of her mother cooking and her family coming together. As a child, she attended a Jewish school and recalls a season surrounded by celebration.

“It’s just a really exciting time of year,” said Solovei, a sophomore studying genetics. “To have an opportunity for all my family to get together — we do get together pretty often, we do Shabbat dinners every Friday — so it wasn’t that different, but it was just a new, exciting way to get together.”

While her love for her faith hasn’t dimmed, she said as she got older and began attending secular schools with many non-Jewish people, there were fewer accommodations for Jewish students observing holidays like Hanukkah. Additionally, she began to encounter antisemitism from her peers and online.

Solovei isn’t alone. According to a report from the Anti Defamation League — an international organization that seeks to combat antisemitism — antisemitism in the U.S. reached an alltime high in 2021. The University of Georgia isn’t isolated from the issue, either, with outrage sparking across campus and beyond after antisemitic messages were posted outside TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, after the Georgia-Florida game on Oct. 29.

However, Jewish students at UGA continue to build community in spite of opposition, with celebrations like Hanukkah representing a cornerstone for unity and support.

A TIME FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

The story of Hanukkah stretches back to 200 B.C. At that time, Judea came under the control of Antiochus III, the Seleuclid king of Syria, who continued to allow the Jews living in his territory to practice their religion. However, when his son — Antiochus IV Epiphanes — came to power, he outlawed Judaism and made Jews worship Greek gods. He led a siege of Jerusalem, where he killed thousands and desecrated the city’s temple.

A Jewish priest and his five sons lead a rebellion against the Syrians. They were eventually able to retake Jerusalem, and the sons set out to cleanse the temple and light its menorah — a candelabra with seven branches that must be kept burning night after night. But, there was a problem: the Jews only had enough oil to keep the candles burning for one night. In what the world now knows as the Hanukkah miracle, however, the oil lasted eight nights. To commemorate the event, Jewish sages proclaimed an annual, eight-night long festival.

Today, Hanukkah is celebrated by Jewish communities across the globe. Many American celebrations of Hanukkah often include making latkes — cakes made of fried potatoes — and light-

ing a Hanukkiah — a candelabra similar to a menorah that has nine candles to represent the eight nights of Hanukkah plus an additional one to light the others. This year, the festival takes place between Dec. 18-26.

Chase Flagel, a sophomore studying econom ics, said for his family the story of Hanukkah is important, but the opportunity for people to come together is what matters most. He said family time during Hanukkah has become espe cially important since starting college.

“It wasn’t as much of a celebration of the Jewish story of it, but it was kind of like the pin nacle of my family time,” Flagel said.

Gabriela Lefkovits, a sophomore studying jour nalism and social entrepreneurship, said for her family the hope the story of Hanukkah represents resonates deeply with her family and the time they spend together.

“All the miracles that we celebrate when we celebrate Hanukkah really resonate with my family because my grandmother was a Holocaust survivor, and she was the only person in her entire extended family that was able to survive the camps,” Lefkovits said. “I think that’s part of the hope that we celebrate and the miracle we celebrate on Hanukkah, just that our family’s still here.”

Even away from home, Jewish students at UGA find ways to celebrate. Lefkovits is a member of UGA’s chapter of Sigma Delta Tau, a historically Jewish sorority, and said it’s reaffirming to be around other Jewish women honoring the same beliefs and traditions.

Solovei said she looks forward to the glow of the menorahs at the Hillel center and Rohr Chabad House, and their Hanukkah dinners and celebrations.

“It’s just a safe space for people to go to regardless of religion, but, also, especially if you’re Jewish, where you can feel comfortable and open and have people who are similar to you in that regard,” Solovei said.

OVERCOMING THROUGH COMMUNITY

Nevertheless, celebrating Hanukkah — and being Jewish in general — can be challenging in an environment where being Jewish is seen as “other.”

Flagel said even though he grew up in a community that included other Jewish families, he often had to miss school to ob serve religious holidays, causing him to fall behind. Solovei said she still runs into that as a college student with professors who ar en’t always accommodating.

Flagel also said that being on a campus where Jewish students are a minority means for some people he is the first Jewish person they’ve ever met. He said that he doesn’t consider a lack of knowledge to be antisemitic in itself, but people sometimes make insensitive comments due to not knowing much about Jewish people and their traditions.

Other times, anti-Jewish sentiment is more overt. Following the Georgia-Florida game on Oct. 29 in Jacksonville, Florida, antisemitic messages were found outside the stadium and around town. One message projected on the outside of the stadium read, “Kanye is right about the Jews!!!” in reference to antisemitic tweets posted by rapper Kanye West earlier that month.

Both UGA and the University of Florida released statements on social media afterward, but Solovei said the incident was still upsetting to watch as a Jewish student.

“The comments under [the statements] were pretty disgusting,” Solovei said. “It was a lot more comments than I ever expected, a majority of them were negative. I was shocked by the amount there really was and I feel like it’s popping up more and more.”

Lefkovits said every Jewish person she knows has experienced some form of antisemitism during their life. She also recalled the messages at the Florida-Georgia game, and when swastikas were graffitied on doors in Russell Hall in December 2019.

“Security has been more of an issue, it’s something on our minds in the Jewish community,” Lefkovits said.

In spite of the challenges, Lefkovits, Flagel and Solovei all agree on the importance of celebrating Hanukkah and being proudly Jewish even in the face of hate and negativity.

Flagel emphasized the importance of celebrating Hanukkah publicly with loved ones.

“To me it’s just meaningful to light the candles and remember the holiday,” Flagel said. “I’ve never lit the candles alone, and I think that’s indicative of what the holiday means to me.”

Lefkovits agreed and said for her a major part of Hanukkah is the Jewish community’s ability to unite and persevere through

“I think a really important aspect of the Jewish identity is the idea of hope and that we will never lose hope that things will get better despite everything bad that’s happened to us over time,” Lefkovits said. “I think … we give one another hope that things will get better and things will change.”

[Grace Johnson/ Contributor]

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