9/17/21 Red & Black Issue

Red & Black

The Free

s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r o f w a s h i n g t o n a n d j e f f e r s o n c o l l e g e w j r e da n d b l ac k . c o m W a s h i n g t o n , P e n n s y lva n i a September 17, 2021

WHAT’S IN THIS WEEK’S PAPER...

EVENTS “Our present influences how we remember the past” - Sierra Walker

DIVERSITY “Shaer plans to attend law school and study constitutional law” Katie Krise

OPINIONS “I love the way W&J chose to go about this year” - Sophie Machesky

SPORTS “The cross country’s team next meet is on 9/11 at Bethany” - Alex Puskaric

Dubjay Diner Opens for Fall Semester PAGE 02

WJREDANDBLACK.COM

Courtesy Grace DePaul

CAMPUS NEWS 2

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Courtesy SAB Instagram

SAB members volunteer at the opening night of DubJy diner.

Sierra Walker Red & Black Contributor

On Friday, September 10, 2021, DubJay’s diner held its grand opening from 8 pm to 12 am. The diner is located on the bottom floor of the Hub and creates a retro atmosphere with the use of black and white plaid tabletops, record and neon sign decorations, and black barstools The Student Activity Board (SAB) oversees running the

diner and is responsible for the hard work it took to clean and decorate the room before the opening.

The SAB’s effort in preparing for this event was well worth the turnout.

Before 7:30 pm, many students had already congregated in a line outside the entrance of the diner to be one of the first fifty students at the event who would receive a T-shirt. The line of students waiting for the clock to turn to 8 pm lengthened past the garage doors of the Hub, around the corner of the building, and wrapped around to the jukebox.

Santina Bohlander, one of the members of SAB who worked the

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opening, stated, “Opening night of the diner (previously Monti’s) has always drawn a big crowd. We purchased enough for a busy weekend, but we actually ran out of things a lot sooner than we expected, so the event exceeded expectations.”

The long sleeve shirts distributed to the lucky fifty group of students included a record design with “Student Activities Board” around it on the front and the DubJay’s Diner logo on the back.

Members of SAB served a variety of food including: milkshakes, slushies, pretzels, Dino nuggets, pizza rolls, and nachos. “We went very early to the

event to get one of the T-shirts. There were a lot of people, but we got one.

We ordered milkshakes, pretzels, and pizza rolls. The food was so good! The best part was chatting outside while eating,” said exchange student Freda Niehues. The overall student response to the event was very positive.

The activities board has set some rules for the diner. They consist of following W&J’s mask policy, prohibiting barstool seating and alcohol consumption and vaping, not serving students under the influence, and notifying CPS for unnecessary behavior. Stop by the remodeled diner to enjoy it yourself!

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3 CAMPUS NEWS

Event: PNC Virtual Information Session with W&J

Date: Thursday, September 23 Time: 1pm - 2pm Location: Virtual Event – Teams link

can be found on Handshake Events Calendar

Description:

Join our virtual information session with W&J alums that work at PNC. This virtual session will be filled with information about career paths with PNC. Take this valuable opportunity to network with PNC employees. Have a question about jobs at PNC? Want to learn more about internships at PNC? This is the place for you!

Attention Accounting Majors! Upcoming Event: Sisterson On-Campus Interviews for full-time positions and internships

Description: Mike Comstock, from Sisterson, will be on-campus Monday, September 20 to conduct

in-person interviews for their current full-time positions and internship opportunities. Job and internship postings will be on Handshake soon.

Resume deadline: Thursday, Sept. 9 at 5pm.

Date & Location: Monday, September 20, Center for Professional and Career Pathways More Information: Jobs/internships can be

found by searching Sisterson on Handshake. Apply through Handshake.

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Current Events

Nurse Transforms Covid Vaccine Vials Into a Work of Art Sierra Walker Red & Black Contributor

A Col. nurse took the opportunity to recycle COVID-19 vaccine vials and turn them into a stunning piece of art which pays tribute to healthcare workers like herself.

Laura Weiss, a Col. nurse who came out of retirement to help administer vaccines in February when asked by Boulder County Public Health, stated that, “I had noticed all these hundreds and hundreds of empty vaccine vials that were otherwise going to be wasted, and I thought they were just really beautiful and wanted to do something significant and meaningful with them.”

After getting permission, she was able to do just that. An eBay purchase Weiss made inclined her to want to make a chandelier.

She discovered the empty frame of the chandelier online and knew it would be a great backbone to her project.

The most captivating aspect of the chandelier is that from a distance it appears an ordinary chandelier, but upon closer inspection it is obvious

Vaccine vials arranged as an artistic chandelier.

that it is something unique. This stands to remind the world that assumptions can be proven to be incorrect once one provides additional scrutiny.

Although Weiss’ chandelier does not have a definite home yet, Weiss wants it to be a constant symbol that honors the hard work of medical management workers who put their health and lives on the line while serving others during the pandemic. “There’s too many

people and professions to mention, but especially these nurses who I just witnessed work tirelessly, hours and hours and hours, and days and days and days, without a day off, who just have so much passion and skill, and care and kindness,” Weiss said.

While Weiss is inspired by the continuous effort of healthcare workers in the COVID-19 crisis, she herself has become an inspiration to

Courtesy CNN

others. This comes at a time when the Delta variant of the coronavirus is starting to increase.

Boulder Public Health employees and others are recognizing her art piece’s call for unity in these unprecedented times.

This call for unity reminds people of ways to protect others and oneself in a way that honors the efforts of everyone’s involved in the pandemic.

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5 Current events Red & Black

Remembering 9/11 Through The Years

Students hold the American flag in recognition of the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Sierra Walker Red & Black Contributor

On September 11, 2001, United Flight 93 was thwarted out of terrorist control by brave passengers and crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Now, the mountainous terrain creates a setting that places the Flight 93 National Memorial in a pocket of quiet remembrance exactly where it is needed.

The 20th anniversary of the tragic events that occurred on this infamous date will be remembered by generations to come. The public’s remembrance of tragic events such as 9/11 is a complex sensation that is formed by many

aspects. People old enough to have recollections of the terrorist attacks can recollect on flashbulb memories.

These are the “I was here when this happened” evocations that take a more personal form.

Cultural memories of this tragedy are memorialized in monuments and memorials like that of Shanksville.

Twenty years after the devastating attack that occurred on American soil the way this event is remembered is different than how it was viewed on September 12, 2001, September 11, 2004, September 11, 2011, or any juncture of the date.

“Our present influences how we remember the past - sometimes in ways that are known and sometimes in ways that we don’t realize,” said Jennifer Talarico, a psychology professor from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania who

studies how people form personal memories of public events.

Although about a fifth of the American population is too young to remember firsthand the critical progression of events that changed history, many young adults can respond with stories about the event when asked. This is a result of the informational age. Society has formed a communal memory compromised of video footage of the destruction, flashbulb memories, and viewing memorials. Groups have experienced this information flow apart, separated by time and location, but nonetheless they have experienced it together.

This allows the younger generation to reconstruct the event through their won lens that is influenced socially.

On September 11, 2016, the 15th anniversary, President Obama said,

Courtesy Associated Press

“Fifteen years may seem like a long time. But for the families who lost a piece of their heart that day, I imagine it can seem like just yesterday.” The idea that this tragedy feels like it happened recently but is really becoming a part of history in the larger perspective is what we are faced with on the 20th anniversary along with future anniversaries to come.

Current incidents in Afghanistan are correlated to the attacks of 9/11 and require an up-to-date memory of the tragedy. Along with the recency of the attack, this prevents the terrorist attack memory from becoming strictly history.

When 9/11 does become history, it will be remembered simply because it was a day that upended the world and it is imperative to hold onto a sense of what changed things, and how.

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diversity First Gen. Student Spotlight: Lillien Shaer Katie Krise Red & Black Contributor

Lillien Shaer ’22, is a first generation Palestinian American.

Growing up, college was always a part of her plan. Not only did her high school encourage students to continue on to higher education, but it is something her mom always wanted for her as well. “My mom wasn’t able to go to college out of high school because she got married at 19,” Shaer said. “I know for a fact she really wanted my siblings and I to go to school.”

Despite her mother’s wishes for her to attend college, Shaer felt backlash from other members of her family. As a woman, “they felt I should’ve just gotten married,” Shaer said. Regardless of the wishes of her extended family, Shaer applied to a multitude of colleges and decided on attending Washington & Jefferson College. Since coming to W&J, she has become very active in both academics and campus life.

Shaer is majoring in political science and international studies with a minor in public policy and concentrations in American studies and conflict resolution studies. Every semester she has been granted the Dean’s Award and is a Finnegan Foundation award winner. She was originally supposed

to intern with them this past summer, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Instead, Shaer interned with the Commissioners Office of Chester County.

Throughout her time at W&J, she has been very involved throughout campus. She currently serves as Vice President of Alpha Psi Omega (Theatre Honorary Society), Alumni Relations Chair for the Pre-Law Society, Captain of the Improv Club and the Chief Learning Officer of Kappa Alpha Theta. Previously, she had served as Captain of Mock Trial Team B, Treasurer of Alpha Psi Omega, Secretary of the Improv Club and Philanthropy Director of Kappa Alpha Theta. In addition to these, Shaer has also starred in many theatre productions on campus.

After she graduates this May, Shaer plans to attend law school and specialize in constitutional law. She will be the first member of her extended family to attend post-graduate education and one day will become the first lawyer out of all of her family members. “I have a really strong passion for social justice and social progress, and I personally feel law is a wonderful way to make concrete change in the world,” Shaer said. “I’m really excited to gain a better understanding of logic and argumentative structures as well as being able to utilize law to its fullest extent.”

Courtesy Katie Krise

Shaer poses for photo at Theatre Slam, an anual theatre event on campus.

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Activism Account Profits Off Black Women’s Success Ana Giampa Red & Black Editor

In the early months of 2020, Instagram account @soyouwanttotalkabout, created by an anonymous source, was started to combat political misinformation. Home to many of the popular infographics shared on Instagram stories, @ soyouwanttotalkabout focuses on progressive political content with an emphasis on current events. This content ranges from the legalization of cannabis, Critical Race Theory, to the Texas anti-abortion legislation.

After a year of social and political unrest, @soyouwanttotalkabout’s account amassed 2.8 million followers and became one of the most popular examples of social media activism.

Recently, @soyouwanttotalkabout became @so.informed and the account owner was revealed to be Jessica Natale. The sudden name change and identity reveal was in response to accusations of plagiarism and lack of transparency by her followers and by other activists.

The reveal of Natale, a white woman, as the content creator behind the popular Instagram account was a surprise to many followers. It was believed that the account was connected to Ijeoma Oluo, author of the popular non-fiction book So You Want to Talk About Race.

After revealing her identity, Natale was immediately hit with negative comments and posts from followers who felt tricked by the similarities in name and content. Oluo’s book was

published in 2018, two years prior to the inception of the Instagram account, but it regained popularity again in the summer of 2020 in the wake of the George Floyd murder and police brutality protests. This time period was also a crucial time for the Instagram account as it gained a majority of its popularity due to this period of political unrest and desire for education.To many followers, the names of the account and the book were similar, leading them to believe that they were both associated with Oluo. Now knowing that they are separate entities, there are now claims that Natale is profiting from Oluo’s work and success.

Oluo has since spoken out about the matter on Instagram, and has called out Natale for her lack of transparency and the association with Oluo’s work. She details the lack of response on Natale’s end, as it is “duplicitous and really shady,” Oluo said. “It has been really frustrating to see these celebrities, these huge pages, share the work of a white woman that is capitalizing off of the work of other people of color and other marginalized populations,” Oluo said.

The name change and transparency of Natale’s account does not erase the popularity gained and followers earned off the back of Oluo’s work. @So.informed cannot be divorced from @soyouwanttotalkabout and it is undeniable that any further success gained by Natale is a direct response from the popularity of Oluo’s work.

“I hope that from here on out those 2.8 million people who come for easy, Courtesy Justin Gollmer quick, feel-good information to help them feel informed will actually be connected to the people doing real work,” Oluo said to conclude her Instagram statement. @soyouwanttotalkabout’s account copied the work of Ijeoma Oluo, pictured above.

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opinions W&J Gives New Opportunities Despite COVID-19 Sophie Machesky Red & Black Contributor

Being a college freshman, there are many exciting, new experiences to look forward to, like football games, festivals, dorm life, my first college classes and being away from home. All of these are things that W&J makes out to be lively and unforgettable. But, there are many factors that now come into play when it comes to a “normal” college experience.

In March of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic made its way across the country, closing all schools, enforcing mask mandates, and making everyone

stay at home. I locked myself in my room, afraid of making any contact with the outside world. I completed my junior year of high school solely online, relying on zoom meetings and YouTube videos to teach me. My friends and I couldn’t see each other in that span of time, so we FaceTimed almost everyday, gossiping about what has happened to our lives.

In June of 2020, we started to go about life normally again, still wearing masks, though, and going to as few public places as possible. Then we had a hybrid senior year, having in person classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and virtual classes on Wednesdays. Activities that were supposed to be fun, like homecoming, college visits, and prom, were all awkwardly strung together by covid restrictions. Going into college,

I had no idea what to expect. Would everyone be vaccinated? Would we wear masks everywhere we go? I was beyond worried to begin living here if it meant that someone could test positive with the coronavirus, thus making every dorm go into quarantine and revert to virtual classes.

However, I love the way W&J chose to go about this year. Masks inside all buildings is the best rule that we could have, keeping us safe around others, while also giving us freedom to not wear them outdoors. I’m also thankful that it was necessary for all students to be vaccinated. I feel very safe here.

W&J provides me with a comfortable campus that is full of possibilities. I can go about a normal college experience, there is still a part of me, though, depressed that my college experience won’t be considered “normal”.

College or its students, faculty, or administration.

The Red & Black welcomes all reader contributions, but reserves the right to reject articles of pure promotional nature, as well as articles which do not meet its standard of integrity, accuracy and decency.

The Red & Black also reserves the right to edit submissions.

A student wears a mask on their college campus.

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E ditorial P olicy The Red & Black is the official, registered student-produced newspaper of Washington & Jefferson College. It is published Fridays with the exception of exams and break periods.

Editorials are based upon the opinion of the respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper, the

Courtesy Patch

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17 September 2021

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9 Opinions

Don’t Breathe II Provides New Protagonist Sophie Machensky Red & Black Contributor

Don’t Breathe, a horror movie that was released in 2016, followed the story of a group of teenagers that broke into a blind man’s house to attempt to rob him. In doing so, they discover that he is quite capable, even for not having sight. This movie made a worldwide profit of around $157.1 million. Being such an intense and well-done film, a sequel has been released, titled Don’t Breathe 2.

In the first film, the old man is the villain, going after and killing the teenagers who are attempting to steal $300,000 he received as a settlement from a woman who killed his daughter.

The second film takes an interesting turn, however. The sequel begins with a close up of a little girl laying on the road, then transitions to eight years later. We find out that she is the daughter of the old man from the first film. He is very protective of her; he rarely ever lets her go out of the house, especially without his supervision, and he refuses to let her attend public school.

The reason that the second film is interesting is because in the eye of the audience, the old man is no longer the villain. With all of his sins from the first film aside, we consider his situation and are actually rooting for him in this film. That is because a group of men break into his house trying to kill him and kidnap his daughter. We follow the old man throughout the movie, on

his journey to save his daughter from the group that took her away.

The main reason why I loved this film was because of the many turns it took. There are plot twists that take place (that I won’t spoil right now) that the audience would never have expected to happen. In terms of a horror movie, I would give it a 7/10.

It wasn’t as scary as you would think, considering the fact that it’s rated R. However, there are a lot of gory moments that take place in which I had to cover my eyes. I definitely think the first film is a much better option if you are at home and want a horror movie to watch, but if you’re looking to go to the theatres and see a motion picture, this might be the way to go.

Courtesy The Art Hunters Courtesy Amazon

Stephen Lang poses in a promotional poster for Don’t Breathe II.

A poster promotes the first entry in the pair of don’t Breathe films.

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Tara Westover Advocates for Open Education

Courtesy amazon

Tara Westover poses in a promotional photo for her memoir Educated.

Sofya Maxnide Red & Black Staff

Published in 2018, Educated is a memoir of Westover’s phenomenal journey from a poor, uneducated, isolated child to now the esteemed Dr. Westover we know today.

Although the power of education is a theme that runs through the book, Westover continually hooks readers through the eccentric actions of her

Mormon family, and the graphic events of her life. Readers will be amazed at the incredible way Westover passively narrates the scenes of her life, stopping at points to make any corrections or adding second viewpoints as needed, while progressively leading us to the Tara of present day.

Readers will find that the Westover family is staunchly against the government and any institution of the government, which includes but isn’t limited to the public school system.

Homeschooling was the only option Westover was given, and in this we find a key point: some education can be blinders. Westover was fed many

lies about the freedoms that education can allow, and for most of her young life, Westover had no other choice but to believe in them.

It wasn’t until she heard The Mormon Tabernacle Choir that she realized there are things that need to be taught, and it wasn’t until she was roughly sixteen that she had a desire to be taught.

In Westover’s journey to education, readers will find that education is not only the beginning of knowledge, but it is also the end of ignorance.

Westover describes the first semester where she asked, in class, what the Holocaust meant, and she rehearses

the shame she felt at not knowing the suffering of the Jewish people. Her brother’s continual use of the “n-word” prompted her to search the history of slavery, and more things eventually led to her PhD in history from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Readers can note two things from Educated about the nature of education: it brings forth your truth and it allows one to have a voice.

Westover found these things in her mental battles with both her family and religion, however we are constantly learning, so education is as long as the life it teaches I hope Westover’s education doesn’t end here.

sports

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11 Sports

W&J Cross Country Competes at Muskingum Alex Puskaric Red & Black Contributor

Led by Cassie Carr and Faith Remich, the women grabbed first and second in the individual results for the 4k, earning them second place out of the four teams competing. On the men’s side, Aden Dressler, followed by five of his teammates secured six of the top ten spots in the 6k race. This earned them a first place finish out of the three teams that competed.

Carr would later be nominated for W&J Female Athlete of the Week, and Dressler would be nominated for the Male Athlete of the Week.

They would also both be mentioned as considerations for PAC Runner of the Week, while Freshman Julian Paul would be a finalist for PAC Rookie of the Week on the men’s side.

Their results speak for themselves, and it’s clear that both teams are ready to go all the way to the top this year.

The previously mentioned muddy conditions caused more problems than just a tougher race however, as it also trapped the team’s bus, stranding them in the middle of Ohio.

With no way back home, the team made the most of what they had. One

freshman made a bed out of pizza boxes, another group of runners had a dance party, and others just watched Tiktok until their battery started dying. Two hours later, when bats were flying overhead and the sun had set, their salvation finally came in the form of a tow truck.

The cross country team’s next meet is on 9/11 at the Bethany Invitational.

This will be the first time they have run at Bethany in the eight-thousand meter race since 2019 after competing there in a five-thousand meter race in the PAC Championship meet in crosscountry last spring.

Conditions should be a little drier compared to last week’s race, so let’s hope the bus doesn’t get stuck this time.

Courtesy W&J Athletics

Posters shows the logos for the W&J XC and Track teams.

Courtesy JW Photography

Cassie Carr competes at the Muskingum Invitational.