The Appalachian March 2023

AUBREY SMITH

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

editor@theappalachianonline.com

JADE OGLE EDITORIAL

CHIEF COPY EDITOR GABRIELLE TROUTMAN

MANAGING EDITOR

DAN DAVIDSON

SPORTS EDITOR

ASHER DAVIDSON

A&C EDITOR

JENNA GUZMAN

NEWS EDITOR

VIVIAN PARKS

ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR

ETHAN SMITH

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

BRIONNA DALLARA

ASSOCIATE A&C EDITOR

HOLLIE MOORE

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

LEAH BOONE

OPINION EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA

CAMERON BURNETT

VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR K SLADE

EVAN BATES

PHOTO EDITOR

WILL HOFMANN

ENTERPRISE EDITOR

BUSINESS

CHLOE LINEMAN

BUSINESS MANAGER

business@theappalachianonline.com

ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR

MCNEIL JOHNSTON

GRAPHICS EDITOR

PRUETT NORRIS

ASSOCIATE MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

HIATT ELLIS

ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

ANDREW RICE

ASSOCIATE ENTERPRISE EDITOR

COLIN BROSS

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND PR

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ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

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41. Functional 43. Circle parts 44. Bus patron

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Thorny bloom 51. All set

Neck areas 55. Rainy mo.

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54. Salon treatment, for short 56. Plot 57. Cincinnati baseballers 59. French preposition 60. Deed

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Greek mythology figure 65. Walk heavily

12. Heart artery

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22. Rot 24. Diner 25. Intention

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47. Spanish title 48. Deck’s kin 49. Graven images

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52. Following 53. Choir member

Local alpaca farm celebrates 20 years of business

Kayla Masterman | Reporter

The rolling countryside, the personable farm animals, the sounds of the birds and the soft whispering wind greets visitors at Apple Hill Farm.

Located on Apple Hill Road in Banner Elk, Apple Hill Farm is a local fiber farm where “animals talk and people listen,” according to their website. Fiber farms raise livestock and harvest their fleece.

Apple Hill Farm’s mission says the most notable alpacas on the farm provide people with the chance “to get back in touch with what’s real.Founder and owner Jane Lee Rankin said she “once met an alpaca and fell in love and decided that working with alpacas” is what she wanted to do.

The farm is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and is continuing to grow.

“We started with animals in 2003 and were open to the public in 2006. We have introduced so many people to alpacas,” Lee Rankin said. “We have given people an experience they have

never had before. We had over 80,000 people come to the farm last year.”

The farm’s mission is to provide the public with special encounters with the animals and the farm’s long-range mountain views. They aim to help guests “disconnect with the noise and chaos of daily life and, instead, find a connection with the animals and natural environment here on the farm,” said Ayla Albert, the assistant farm manager at Apple Hill Farm.

Visitors are able to form connections with the animals and scenery around them by experiencing the daily farm tours. The walking tours last about 45-60 minutes and offer guests the opportunity to interact with the animals and learn about the logistics of fiber farms.

General manager Brianne Harris has been working with the farm for 11 years and enjoys sharing the meaning behind their year-round farm tours.

“We love giving people the chance to experience the mountains, listen to the birds,

watch the animals and be with themselves and their families in a more intentional way,” Harris said.

Even though it is essential to the team the public enjoys the presence of the animals, the farm is not a petting zoo.

“We make sure that as we are raising them it is their choice whether they get touched or not,” Harris said. “The only time we force an interaction with an animal is for medical care.”

The farm has many animals such as, “alpacas, llamas, horses, donkeys, chickens, two miniature pigs, one miniature cow, regular cows, angora goats, farm dogs and one guinea,” Harris said.

The farm provides the public with various exhibits. The most popular attractions are between

the alpacas and the angora goats, Harris said.

“The alpacas are really unique, they have this presence and energy. The angora goats are just like poodles with horns and you get to feed them and they are really social,” Harris said.

Albert said the farm can have special impacts on others.

“Watching a kid see an alpaca for the first time and realizing each time just how special this farm is can’t be beat,” Albert said. “Every day is a new experience for us and our guests … so there’s never a dull moment.”

Aside from tours, they conduct several different events yearround.

“On the farm we offer knitting with the alpacas classes, photography tours and, during the

summer, baby goat yoga,” Albert said. “We also open the farm during the shearing of the alpacas every June to allow the public to experience this side of animal care.”

The farm participates in several events in the area such as craft fairs at Sugar Mountain and the Valle Country Fair, Albert said. Apple Hill Farm is about eight miles away from campus and many students are employed at the farm.

“One of our goals is to be a really good employer and to train and inspire employees,” Lee Rankin said. “Many people who come to work for us are App State students so we really focus on the soft skills and giving people the chance to learn how to work on a farm, with animals and with the public.”

Brianne Harris, Ayla Albert and Claudia Holman pose for a portrait at Apple Hill Farm. Photo by Samuel Cooke.

Apple Hill Farm is home to a variety of animals including alpacas, chickens, dogs, horses, pigs and more. Pictured is the chicken coup at Apple Hill Farm. Photo by Samuel Cooke.

Albert said she started out as a biology student and was looking for a job involving animals; consequently she started working at the farm as a tour guide in 2020, and then advanced to assistant farm manager in October 2021.

Harris described the farm as a peaceful getaway.

“We have a lot of college students who come during exam time, just so they can get away for a little bit,” Harris said.

The Apple Hill Farm Store is open from noon-4 p.m. on Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m.4 p.m. Saturdays. From socks to yarn to stuffed animals, all of the gifts at Apple Hill Farm are made from alpaca fiber.

“Almost everything that we sell in our store is made from alpaca fiber,” Harris said. “It’s either from our animals or fair trade from Peru or the U.S. made. Everything in our store is ethically sourced.”

Top: Claudia Holman watches the alpacas as she finishes her morning rounds at Apple Hill Farms. Photo by Samuel Cooke.

Bottom: The guard dogs at Apple Hill Farms serve an important role as protectors from the natural predators in the surrounding area including coyotes, bobcats, black bears and mountain lions. Photo by Samuel Cooke.

Watauga County Library seeks funding for $13.9 million expansion

Will Hofmann | Enterprise

Editor

On a sunny Boone day, the large windows in the back of the Watauga County Library let in a bright, nostalgic glow swallowing up the study tables below. Leading up to them are dozens of bookshelves, a storytime area featuring a large castle and numerous workstations for library employees and public-use computer labs.

However, in every space there is an exception.

In the windowed study space, groups are often so close together any noise will travel to another table. The teen section next to the castle is a small red table with five chairs.

One of the employee workstations for library services has created a makeshift extension to their main desk so every employee can have space.

Many of the books sold by the

Friends of the Watauga County Library, a community group which fundraises and supports the library, extend into a long, narrow hallway, where they’re moved to after being held at an off-site storage unit.

In the same hallway is the office of Head Librarian Monica Caruso.

“So this is where the Friends of the Library work: the hallway,” said Caruso as she gestured to boxes and shelves of books sold by the Friends of the Library.

A proposed expansion of the library aims to solve these problems.

The $13.9 million proposal could potentially double the size of the public library, extending the library’s main floor out onto its front lawn and potentially adding an optional basement and second-floor.

Caruso, who has worked in the library for 13 years, has seen significant growth in the utilization of library services. As of 2022,

32,587 people hold library cards at the Watauga County Library, making up nearly 58% of Watauga County residents, according to statistics released by the Watauga County Library.

Melony Winkelmann, the president of the Friends of the Watauga County Library, said working to sort and organize books for their book sale is difficult.

“There is really no place to sort,” Winkelmann said of the workspace the Friends use. “There’s a kind-of little shelf in there, about three feet long, and a rack where we kind-of sort them by categories. And then we put them in Blue Skies Storage until we’re ready for a sale.”

In order to have enough space for books, the Friends, who operate their bi-annual book sale out of the library, have to rent a $175 storage unit from Blue Skies Storage in order to have enough space to operate.

The current proposed plan includes a basement which the Friends could use to sell, store and transport books, which could help cut costs and improve working conditions for the Friends, Winkelmann said. The basement would also be accessible from the parking lot, according to the current plan.

“It looks like it would be just lovely to have a basement in the library with another entrance from the front parking lot there,” Winkelmann said.

The library’s circulation and door count compared to the Ashe and Avery County libraries is a reason for expansion as well, Caruso said.

“They’re both bigger and we are the busiest,” Caruso said.

Boone Town Council member Jon Dalton George said the size of the library and utilization of space displays a clear need for expansion.

“The library actually was built smaller than it was originally planned way back when it was originally constructed. And now with the level of growth that we’ve had, the utilization of the facility, I mean, it definitely needs an expansion,” George said. “We’ve got groups like Digital Watauga, that do so much in terms of preserving the history of this area, and a lot of libraries have rooms dedicated to that, you know? It’s a lot harder to find that space in ours.”

Digital Watauga is an organization which catalogs historical photographs in order to “preserve and display the High Country’s archival memory,” according to the Digital Watauga website. Digital Watauga was created from a $25,000 grant made available through the Library Services and Technology Act, and is a project in conjunction between Watauga County Library

County Librarian Monica Caruso treads through the Watauga County Public Library’s Youth Services workroom, Feb. 21, 2023.

Photo by Mayesivy Carlson.

and the Watauga County Historical, according to their website.

The size of the Watauga County Library is a historical issue. When the library was proposed in 1994, it was estimated it would be 22,000 square feet of floor space. When it was completed, the building was a third smaller, measuring only 16,000 square feet, according to a 1995 project description.

However, the library would need to raise most of these expansion funds on its own, Caruso said.

“So maybe the county would contribute about one-third? I don’t think it’d be more than that,” Caruso said. “So, I have to look into a lot of grants and I’m encouraged to do that.”

Since the facility is owned by the county and not the Town of Boone, funding is split between multiple sources, which is something George is aware of.

“It’s kind of outside of our

traditional wheelhouse in terms of funding,” George said.

However, this is not stopping George and other town council members from getting involved.

“We’re trying to figure out ways that we can contribute as somebody that doesn’t really own the facility, but as somebody that, you know, the library is in our downtown district and is used by a lot of Boone residents,” George said.

For the library’s 116 volunteers and numerous staff members, the current size does not meet the “essential size” for the Watauga community as set by North Carolina Public Library Standards, according to a presentation given on the need for expansion. Essential size for the library is 23,400 square feet, according to the presentation.

Additionally, weekly events like Story Time, Tai Chi, Lego Club and the Teen Action Group often find themselves contending for space and

time.

“We’re constantly competing all the time, and sometimes we even have to bring a program to the floor out here in the back,” Caruso said.

For example, the Adult Services office space, which has two workstations, is shared by a group of nine people on a weekly basis. Oftentimes, members of Digital Watauga and other adult services employees have to coordinate when they can come in and use the space, Caruso said.

“I mean, there’s just a ton of different ways it can be really utilized by a ton of people. It’s sorely needed,” George said.

LGBTQ+, minority focused books rise in book bans

Hollie Moore | Associate News Editor

Roald Dahl, who’s written children’s book staples such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda” and “James and the Giant Peach,” has an adult book “Mya Uncle Oswald.” In the case of campus librarian Jennifer Luetkemeyer, it was a mistake found in her junior high library. It is an anecdote she recalls in light of the many book challenges and bans across the country.

After her personal story, Luetkemeyer, associate professor of library sciences at the university, said librarians are getting more strict about the books entering their collections. However the concern is not typically of mistakes, but rather the reluctance to bring a book into a collection that could be at risk for getting banned.

She outlines the typical library’s process as first, filling out a form. After that, a committee is created to read the book and consider the appeal. When a decision is made, they can appeal that decision, which would then usually turn it over to the school board.

Luetkemeyer said recently people are going straight to the school board instead of following a similar process, which she said most libraries have.

“The danger in school boards allowing that to happen is that they have policies in place and once you deviate from the policy and don’t follow the policy you open yourself up to litigation,” Luetkemeyer said.

Watauga County, within the past nine years of Scott Elliott serving as superintendent, has no book bans or challenged material, Elliott wrote in an email. In 2016, a policy was adopted for parents to challenge books and the steps they have to meet for that challenge.

The lack of challenges are in lieu of a parent comment to the Board of Education about the book “The House of Spirits” by Isabel Allende. The comment claimed the book as “horrific,” “graphic” and “immoral,” according to the School Library Journal website.

Allende had, at the time, “written 20 books, translated into 35 languages, and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide,” she wrote in her letter to

the Watauga County BOE. The letter mentions over 11 awards for “The House of Spirits.”

Watauga County voted they would not ban the book and have not banned one since.

The highest percentage of banned books in North Carolina originates in the neighboring Wilkes County school district. Wilkes County holds 38% of North Carolina book bans, with Pitt County following with 31%.

As social topics surge in recent years such as the Black Lives Matter movement rising in 2020 and LGBTQ+ rights debates at the federal level, it reflects in the books banned.

Of the banned books in the U.S., 70% of the bans originate from southern states. States such as Florida, which accounted for 22%, have book bans enforced through the entire state for each library, said Luetkemeyer.

Florida has taken a recent step to eliminate African American studies and contemporary topics, such as Black Lives Matter, from their curriculum.

With that, the College Board removed

many Black writers and scholars associated with critical race theory, the queer experience and Black feminism from the AP curriculums.

“There are librarians who have become so terrified of this situation that has begun to occur that they are self-censoring in the books that they purchase and trying to pre-anticipate what might be challenged so that they don’t even purchase those titles,” Luetkemeyer said.

Over 2021-22, the top six banned books in the United States were centered around people of color and LGBTQ+ identifying people.

“Book challenges have just exploded in the past few years,” Luetkemeyer said. “It is definitely — I don’t know if I would say politically motivated so much as a byproduct of how completely polarized our political system has become.”

One of Luetkemeyer’s past students reached out to her a couple years ago in regard to an atypical question toward the alum’s library content. A woman had come into the primary education

library and asked for a list of every book in the library that had a Black character.

“Our job as librarians is to make sure that our collections represent everyone in the community,” Luetkemeyer said. “Everyone in the community should see themselves represented in the collection and when we pull books off of the shelf, and when we self-censor, that stops happening.”

During 2021-22, 2,532 books were banned in the U.S., according to PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans, an organization created to promote free expression.

In 2021, about half of the bannings were reasoned in relation to sexually explicit material and LGBTQ+ content.

In comparison to the American Librarians Association’s Banned and Challenged Books website listing the top 10 challenged books in past years, lists before about 2016 were almost entirely banned from explicit material in relation to violence and language.

“Library books are optional which is why it’s the parents’ responsibility to police that reading,” Luetkemeyer said.

Watauga County’s census on microfilm from 1860 to the mid 1990s, located in the Watauga County Public Library, Feb. 21, 2023.

Photo by Mayesivy Carlson.

Rental rush creates High Country housing troubles

Will Hofmann | Enterprise Editor William Becker | Reporter

A teacher arrives in Boone with a job lined up, ready to purchase a house and settle down. It seems like it should be a piece of cake; after all, they already have their sights set on a house and can meet the full asking price. The trouble? There’s a couple from California with their sights set on the same house. They can offer more, they can pay cash and they’re looking for a new rental property. This is one of several anecdotes recalled by Leslie Eason, an agent for Keller Williams High Country Realty, who said this is not an isolated incident.

“I know multiple cases where people have not been able to accept the jobs because they couldn’t find housing either to rent or to buy,” Eason said.

Eason, who has been in real estate since 2007, said due to the pandemic, both the value and demand for homes in the High Country region have skyrocketed.

“It has trended up dramatically,” Eason said. “The value, if you take the rolling three months, like, you know, last three months of 2022 versus the last three months of even 2019, the average property value like in the towns has gone up by 70%.”

Property values are not the only substantial change that occurred in the region’s housing market, said Eason. Homeowner demographics have changed in recent years as more buyers have begun searching for second homes, often for purposes beyond their personal use, Eason said.

“In the old days, they were buying second homes for themselves,” Eason said. “And in the past five years, and then especially the past three years, it’s been almost all of the second home buyers are also looking to rent their homes out.”

The increased demand for housing is also evident in local and federal financial data.

January 2023 saw 46 single-family residences from the High Country Association of Realtors sell, totaling $31.5 million. In January, houses sold between Watauga, Ashe, Avery and

Alleghany Counties sold for an average price of just below half a million dollars.

Cost of housing in Watauga County rose at a rate 25% higher than the North Carolina average in 2021, according to data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The average change in housing price in North Carolina was 11.9%. Cost of housing in Watauga County rose by 15%, and was the eighth highest out of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

Last year, estimated house prices in Watauga County rose by another 13.4%, according to the Zillow Home Values Index.

This substantial increase is not limited to only Watauga County. Between Alleghany, Ashe, Avery and Watauga Counties, the average cost of housing rose by 12% in 2021, according to data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

“There is no affordable housing in Ashe County right now,” said Brantley Price, town manager for West Jefferson, which is located roughly 20 miles northeast of Boone.

Price said second homes have become increasingly common in Ashe County, as well as tourism, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic when he said tourism “exploded.”

“We’ve got a lot of second home people up here,” Price said. “We don’t know the number, but a lot of people have homes in Ashe County that are second homes.”

Price said the increased demand for housing in the county has come from a variety of factors, including the ease of access to internet in rural areas.

“I mean we’ve got Skyline, and, you know, they’ve got some of the best Wi-Fi and broadband here than anywhere. We’ve got it all over the county,” Price said. “I mean, even out in the most rural areas so people can work from home here.”

Price also said many buyers have been motivated by cheaper housing options in areas such as Fleetwood and Todd, though he maintained that housing prices are still quite high.

“I mean, a 1,000-square-foot house is probably going to cost you $200,000$300,000,” Price said.

Price recalled an example of a relatively new development near the edge of downtown West Jefferson which demonstrates the rapidly increasing price of housing in the area.

“He fixed a three-bedroom Airbnb at the top,” Price said. “Totally fixed it up nice. Building went for $1.4 million.”

Price also recalled another example nearby, which carried a similar value.

“Building across the street, they put two Airbnb’s above it, and it’s got two retail spots below it,” said Price.

The building later sold for around $1.5 million, Price said.

Eason said another issue that has posed a challenge to affordable housing in the area is the expensive and often difficult nature of constructing a home in a mountainous region.

“Any builder that I speak to is like, ‘you know, it’s really hard,’” Eason said. “There are so many unforeseen issues when you’re building a house here with this kind of terrain and this kind of weather, so it never is on time and it’s always over budget. So the money, it’s very hard-won funds for a contractor.”

Price echoed a similar statement, as he said the high cost of bringing

construction workers and building materials to the area drives up the price.

“You can’t find anybody to do it. If you just wanted to build a house today, it’d probably take you two to three years before they could start on it,” Price said. “More than likely, you’d be lucky to find somebody.”

In addition to the challenges created by rapidly increasing housing costs, Eason said the higher volume of shortterm renters and rental properties has placed a strain on local infrastructures in the High Country.

“Our infrastructures are relatively small here and we cannot handle the transient movement, you know, in the streets, in the neighborhoods, and it’s putting an undue pressure on our overall infrastructure,” Eason said.

Local restrictions on short-term rentals have been developed to combat this issue, with limited success, Eason said. While Boone’s restriction does not go into effect until this summer, Blowing Rock has an ordinance currently in place against renting properties within certain areas of the city limits for less than 28 days at a time.

“That being said, you can go onto one

of these sites and see that there are lots of properties that have been on Airbnb,” Eason said. “You can drive around on a ski weekend and see a lot of cars parked in some of these houses, right? So that has been done under the radar..”

Boone Town Council member Jon Dalton George said financial gain likely serves as an incentive for homeowners to continue offering short-term rentals, despite restrictions against them or challenges they pose to local infrastructure.

“You know, if you can make $200 a night on a home, right, you’re never going to rent that long term to any regular human being, right?” George said. “I mean, you could make in 10 days what you would make renting to a family.”

Earlier last year, George helped pass Boone’s short-term rental regulations, which aim to keep housing within the Town of Boone more affordable, George said.

Read more online:

A motion blurred vehicle travels northwest on Tynecastle Highway, passing Sugar Mountain Resort, Feb. 15, 2023.

Photo By Sam Byrd.

Muslims at App State navigate Ramadan

Amena Matcheswala | Reporter

Traditional foods and holiday spirit come together during the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims across the world fast from sunrise to sunset to commemorate the revelation of the Quran. Boone’s corner of the world holds its own celebrations, but not without difficulties unique to Muslims living in the High Country.

Muslims on campus face a shortage of prayer spaces and acceptable foods at acceptable times, a particularly relevant issue during the upcoming month of Ramadan from March 22 to April 21.

Mealtimes specific to Ramadan often take place outside of the regular hours of campus dining locations. Suhoor is the morning meal eaten before the fast begins at sunrise and iftar is the evening meal eaten after the sun has begun to set and Maghrib prayers have commenced. Both are often much earlier or later than regular mealtimes.

Past experiences with Campus Dining have left Muslim students’ needs unaccounted for. Sophomore political science major Amarah Din recounts multiple times where bacon was in her sandwiches at the Carving Board after she specified wanting no bacon and often realized the error after she had begun to eat her sandwich. She approached Campus Dining at the time of the issue with a request for special training to ensure employees knew how to deal with allergies and religious dietary restrictions.

Din also accompanied other students who approached the Director of Campus Dining, Elizabeth Riede and Executive Chef Jules Bott with concerns about a lack of halal, or religiously permissible, meat options and the use of alcohol when cooking certain dishes.

“Especially those invisible ingredients like gelatin, or lard, or things like that, I worry about that, and alcohol, and whatever’s in any of our food. It’s hard to know exactly what’s in it,” Din said. After multiple meetings with various Muslim students and allies, a take home meal option has been established by

Campus Dining to all students holding a meal plan, Riede said. This will allow students to bring home meals for suhoor and any other mealtime during which dining halls will be closed. The takeaway option will be available to students from March 22 at 4 p.m. to April 22 at 4 p.m..

“Students will be able to sign up for them on the Campus Dining website,” Riede said. “Campus Dining is also partnering with a guest chef, Farid Ahmed, to advise on dining options for Ramadan, and we will have more information to share next month.”

Students created a Google Form available to both Muslim students and allies who wanted to express their desire for halal meats in the dining hall. It includes questions on what dishes students would like to see served for

various important meals such as suhoor, iftar and eid celebrations.

With such options on the table after meetings had been conducted, and with the addition of the survey responses to bolster their cause, the students “left feeling really happy, like it was going somewhere,” Din said.

The communal nature of Ramadan has not been lost in the High Country. Organizations such as the Islamic Center of Boone and the Muslim Student Association provide spaces for students to support one another during Ramadan fasts, pray in groups and break their fasts in a community setting.

The Islamic Center of Boone, which opened July 2022, holds Jummah prayers every Friday, a day considered sacred in Islam. They also offer lessons on Islamic topics including prayer,

Quran study, and wudu, an ablution performed before prayer.

Such classes are offered occasionally to students and anyone new to or curious about the religion. Classes are potentially going to be offered more regularly, said Aladdin Fouad, a member of the community.

MSA president and junior art history major Hammad Chaudhry previously had to rent a prayer space on campus, which was often time-consuming and the spaces weren’t guaranteed, professor of biology Khadija Fouad said.

“Now we have a central place to gather. For example, Hammad is having an MSA general body meeting there,” Khadija Fouad said. “It’s a headache for him to organize on campus.”

On-campus prayer spaces are limited to a prayer room on the third floor of Plemmons Student Union in the Rich Mountain Meditation room 302. However, the room is multipurpose, which leaves no guarantee that it is being maintained to the standard appropriate for prayer. Additionally, the reservations may be pending for up to three days, which is an obstacle during the month-long observance of Ramadan.

MSA meetings are held after Friday prayers as a space for Muslim students to meet and familiarize themselves with one another, Chaudhry said.

Read more online:

Students convene in Plemmons Student Union Rich Mountain room, a space where students are free to practice meditation and/or prayer, Feb. 16, 2023..

Photo by Taylor Ward.

Intercultural clubs amplify awareness, speak against hate

Erin Isley | Reporter

Along one hallway of Plemmons Student Union, an array of dazzling colored flags hang from the ceiling, painting the top of one’s peripheral vision. Each radiant rectangle that flaps in the breeze of the bustling hallway represents a country where an international student studying at the university is from or where a student or faculty member has studied abroad.

App State is home to more than 20 international, multicultural and religious based clubs that provide students with the opportunity to engage in international and cultural exploration, according to Intercultural Student Affairs.

International Appalachian, Hillel and the Asian Student Association are three of the intercultural clubs found at App State.

INTAPP is an organization affiliated with the Office of International Education and Development seeking to internationalize App State by welcoming international students and sending domestic students abroad.

“It’s made me a little more understanding. There have been times especially in my first year of INTAPP where I’ve had to cross a few boundaries or had a few cultural differences, but it’s kind of just made me recognize there’s so much more than tiny Boone,” senior history major and president of INTAPP, Lilly Lloyd said. “And that’s really valuable.”

INTAPP assists in the transportation of international students from the airport to campus, International Orientation as well as INTAPP meet and greets where international students can get to know one another and the INTAPP members better.

“I was really just looking for a community of like-minded people. I, myself, wanted to study abroad, but unfortunately I never did because of COVID, and it never lined up with my schedule,” Lloyd said. “But I really just wanted to increase my cultural

awareness.”

INTAPP’s efforts are to provide the opportunity for students to gain a new perspective on their own culture and those of others, according to INTAPP’s mission statement.

“Culture is really just like honoring people’s backgrounds and their traditions and their families,” Lloyd said.

Hillel is one of the religious clubs on campus that seeks to teach students about the reality of Jewish culture, said Hannah Pines, junior psychology major and co-president of Hillel.

“Hillel is basically the club of Jewish life on campus. That’s the way I explain it,” Pines said.

While Hillel does not have specified weekly meetings, they do lead Shabbat services once a month at the Temple of the High Country and organize casual hangouts where members commune together to brainstorm ways to spread Jewish cultural awareness.

“One thing we don’t really do is advertise converting. It’s just kind of like if you learn about the religion, you like the religion, and you want to convert that’s perfectly great, but we don’t really push our religion on people,” Pines said. “We’re more about teaching and learning.”

Hillel’s next big event will be their Day Against Hate on April 16 on Sanford Mall. Members of Hillel will be raising awareness of antisemitism.

“We have experienced antisemitism on campus and off campus. One thing that’s very prevalent, in the expression tunnels, there have been things said about Kanye being correct about the Jews and all the horrible things he’s been saying,” Pines said. “There have been swastikas drawn in there and ‘Hail Hitlers.’”

Hillel hopes to be joined by other intercultural clubs at their Day Against Hate. These clubs can also table and talk about their experiences, Pines said.

In this way, Hillel seeks to operate as a community and support system for Jews and non-Jews on campus.

“With Hillel, it’s open to everyone,”

Pines said. “It doesn’t matter your denomination. It doesn’t matter if you’re not religious.”

Asian Student Association hosts weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in room 226 of the Plemmons Student Union as well as two yearly events open to everyone. Their fall Charity Gala brought in $859 for Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to stopping racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, said senior chemistry major and president of Asian Student Association Tan Lin.

ASA encourages students of all cultures and ethnicities to come to their meetings to learn about Asian cultures and engage with fellow students outside of classes, Lin said.

On April 16, ASA will host their Asian Fest featuring a traditional dress fashion show, traditional dance performances from their members, food, games and a guest speaker to talk about

their experiences as an Asian American and Pacific Islander.

“Last year some of my close friends and the previous president, they did tinikling, which is a traditional Filipino dance with two bamboo sticks that two people hold and there’s dancers in between jumping,” Lin said.

The App State population currently consists of 18.6% racially and/or ethnically underrepresented students, according to Diversity and Inclusion at App State.

Both Asian Fest and Hillel’s upcoming Day Against Hate are open to all students regardless of race or ethnicity. Members from the clubs will be available to answer questions about their respective cultures and share their traditions with the App State community at the events.

“It’s not limited to certain people either. You can fully immerse yourself in a culture if you really wanted to,” Lin said.

President of International Appalachian Lilly Lloyd poses for a portrait in the Plemmons Student Union, Feb. 15, 2023. Photo by Mayesivy Carlson.

Left to right: Tan Lin, Elias Devendorf, Savitha Tranquebar, Kevin Ha and Julia Murray. The executive board for the Asian Student Association club ensures the club is a safe space for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and meets weekly to connect and support each other, Feb. 15, 2023. Photo by Maggie Busch.

INTAPP members, executives and staff pose for a picture in Plemmons Student Union after their weekly meeting on Feb. 16, 2023. Photo by Mayesivy Carlson.

Solo career: Meet the music department’s solo major

Abby Buckner | Reporter

The stereotypical college experience entails lecture halls and large classes with students often blending into one another and battling to find their individuality. For one student, his college experience is much more unique as he is the only student in his major.

John Lynch is a junior sacred music major with a minor in religious studies. Sacred music explores the realm of

religious-based traditional and contemporary music. According to the university, the Hayes School of Music is home to almost 500 students pursuing various music majors. While Lynch may be among them, he is the sole student studying sacred music.

“It can be a little weird, being the only one,” Lynch said. “I feel like a little fish in a big pond sometimes.”

Lynch grew up homeschooled in Troutman, a small town outside of

Charlotte with a population under 4,000. He said the area was quiet with not a lot to offer him besides church and music, leading him to foster an aptitude and love for chorus.

Lynch started playing the piano when he was 11 and began singing in a choir at 14. He later attended Mitchell Community College in Charlotte before continuing his education at App State. When trying to decide on a major, he initially considered pursuing

graphic design but ultimately decided to follow his passion for chorus and major in sacred music.

“It’s something I grew up in and have always enjoyed,” Lynch said.

“I remember looking through the different majors and thinking it felt the most like me.”

While attending community college, Lynch was formally introduced to classical music by one of his professors, Kelley Hutchinson.

“She was my old voice teacher

and the one I really credit with getting me into classical music in general,” Lynch said.

After falling in love with classical music, Lynch developed an appreciation for the opera that led him to discovering oratorio.

“Oratorio is an often large-scale musical composition usually on a sacred or semi sacred subject, generally scored for solo voices, chorus and orchestra,” said director of music at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, James

Secular music major John Lynch, prepares for his choir class that takes place in the choir auditorium of Broyhill Music Center, Feb. 15, 2023.

Bumgardner.

Lynch started singing at St. Mary’s recently, but quickly made a positive impression on Bumgardner with his vocal talents.

“John appeared rather out of nowhere but had a successful audition that went beautifully,” Bumgardner said. “He has a beautiful voice, both clear and colorful; he’s also smart and really listens to what’s going on around him, which is crucial for any good choral singer.”

The choice to major in sacred music, while it may not be a common one at the university, has guided Lynch down an independent and specialized avenue. One of Lynch’s good friends, junior music education major Caleb Autry said they aren’t incredibly familiar with the major, but there is a common overlap in classes for all music majors.

“It is interesting he is the only one of his kind,” said Autry. “I hear about him being the only student with a professor for some of his classes, which sounds really fun and intimidating at the same time.”

Joby Bell is a professor and coordinator of sacred music at the university who stresses the importance of learning the roots and influences of sacred music in all music curricula.

“Although the number of students majoring in sacred music is always lower when compared to other majors the subject matter is not forgotten by, nor even foreign to, many students,” Bell said.

Bell believes music is a fundamental part of humanity and community with its long and rich history, knowing where it originates from is essential to understanding contemporary and secular adaptations.

“What any music major quickly discovers is that the music of the medieval church is where music history begins in the Western Hemisphere,” Bell said. “In other

words, without the music of the medieval church, we wouldn’t have hip-hop.”

An important motivator for Lynch is to break the stigma surrounding the idea of sacred music. Lynch said he thinks that many people have preconceived notions about the major just from its name and jump to stereotypes of religious communities without having prior knowledge about what it is.

“The human experience is super complex,” Lynch said. “As a queer-identifying individual, it can be difficult when people make assumptions about who I am as a person when they learn about my major and interests.”

Outside of his classes, Lynch said he enjoys going to drag shows at Lily’s Snack Bar, singing at St. Mary’s, working part-time at the Watauga Medical Center and taking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. After graduating, Lynch hopes to sing in churches for a while, but ultimately wishes to stay connected to and surrounded by music.

“I would love to be able to sing at The Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City and continue to pursue my love of singing opera in some capacity,” Lynch said. “I am open to the possibility of doing any number of jobs: soloist, professional choir, music director, etc.”

Junior John Lynch sits in front of a piano after playing a few songs in a rehearsal room on the fourth floor of Broyhill Music Center, Feb 16. 2023. Photo by Ashton Woodrfuff.

Club Ice Hockey looks for rink, recognition

Andrew Rice | Associate Enterprise Editor

Every Wednesday, sophomore exercise science major Luke Miller finds himself in either Greensboro or Winston-Salem until 1 a.m. practicing for App State’s Club Ice Hockey team. Miller, who plays center on the team, said he finds the practice schedule for the team “challenging” as he balances it with a class schedule that he is “barely able to get up for.”

“We were practicing at 12:15 in the morning in Greensboro,” Miller said. “I mean we weren’t getting home until four-ish in the morning.”

With 26 years on the ice and a 6-8-2 record, the team is fighting to make the community aware of their presence and get a closer rink to practice on.

The men’s ice hockey club team was founded in 1997 and has played in rinks across the state since its inception.

Without an indoor ice rink in Boone, the team has sought cities with the closest available rinks, like Greensboro and Winston-Salem, for their weekly late-night practices.

The team practices in Greensboro once a week for the first two months of the season before transitioning to practice in Winston-Salem for the remainder of the season, which ends in late February.

Beca Devore is a senior communication, advertising major and the co-vice president of the team.

“It’s really tiring,” Devore said. “We all definitely wish there was something closer that we could play earlier.”

Wyatt Pressley, a senior construction management major, plays at right wing for the team. He said that hearing about the traveling and the weekly practices initially “shook” him.

Devore said the demand for hockey in North Carolina has increased, but the state infrastructure has yet to provide supply for the increased demand.

“There’s not a lot of rinks,” Devore said. “In the western side of North Carolina, they definitely have the ability to have a rink, it’s just that they haven’t caught up yet.”

Despite the challenge, players and staff on the team enjoy the sense of camaraderie they get while bonding on these trips together.

“If you don’t love hockey, you’re going to burn out from these practices and these weekends,” Miller said.

Devore said she has felt a bond form on the team because of the schedule after having transferred from a different program in Maryland last year.

“It creates a sense of community that I don’t think many other varsity teams get,” Pressley said.

Devore said the beginning of the season can be very anticipatory before the team heads back to Winston-Salem.

“It’s definitely something we look forward to,” Devore said. “The guys are

always counting down until we are back in Winston-Salem.”

Without a rink in the surrounding area, players and staff on the team say they feel like recognition for their program is often missing. They say this missing recognition ends up translating in the treatment of the team by fans and the university.

“The biggest thing we talk about nonhockey related is probably our campus presence,” Miller said.

Devore said players on the team are accustomed to peers being surprised by the team’s mere existence at the university.

“It definitely hurts a little bit that there’s nothing in this area when we think it could be a good spot,” Devore

“We kind of get lucky if we have a significant amount of more than just parents there,” Devore said. Despite the setbacks, players and staff are taking strides to make the team more recognizable. Through increased social media presence, a refurbished website and big wins in their division, the team hopes to increase their visibility on campus.

After moving up to the Collegiate Hockey Federation’s Men’s Division II the previous season, the team hopes to gain more recognition as they face off against more familiar universities in the area.

The Mountaineers play in tournaments consisting of two matches over the course of a weekend. In their first tournament of the season, the Mountaineers tied and then defeated long-time rival Elon. The Mountaineers later defeated Christopher Newport and lost to them the next day.

The Mountaineers then went on to take two sweeping victories against The Citadel. In one of the most prominent wins of the season, the Mountaineers defeated the Duke Blue Devils. Later, the Mountaineer men’s team fell to the East Carolina Pirates in both matches of their tournament. The Mountaineers also went on to lose a single-weekend game against Charlotte on Feb. 11.

said.

Pressley said the addition of an ice rink in Boone would allow for more staffing positions to be filled so the team would look more established, like some of the other teams they compete with.

Pressley mentioned specific aspects of the team like medical personnel and athletic trainers which competitors like High Point and East Carolina University have but App State lacks.

“We’ve definitely come a long way with how we present ourselves but we still have a lot of work to do,” Pressley said.

As well as lacking medical personnel, players and staff say they feel a lack of fan support when compared to their competitors.

Pressley said the team had “no shot in the world” of beating teams like Duke and Elon when he was a freshman.

“Beating teams like that and actually competing with bigger named schools gets the word out that it’s not a joke,” Pressley said. “It’s serious coming up here to play hockey.”

Pressley also said these kinds of wins will attract more students to the university to play on the team.

“I think the best thing that’s come out of this season is showing teams that we care and we work hard and we want to win games,” Pressley said.

Junior Vice President Joseph Iorio and teammates head out of the locker rooms to face Eastern Carolina in Greenville, Photo Courtesy of Hayden Wittenborn, Jan. 28, 2023. Photo by Hayden Whittenborn.

Alum announcer finds success at TCU

Kurt

Zottl | Reporter

The pinnacle of sports broadcasting is calling a championship sporting event. For Fox sports analyst Brandon Gaudin, who labeled the 2011 NCAA National Championship “a dream come true,” there is nothing more significant in sports than a championship game. For former App State student Brian Estridge, he is one of the lucky few who got to live out that dream earlier this year when he announced the College Football National Championship.

Estridge’s opportunities came quickly as he was announcing a high school state championship game even before he got to college in 1989.

“When I was about 14 years old, I got a job at a radio station in South Carolina, so I was still in school at the time,” Estridge said. “Later on that year, I called the 2A Girls State Basketball Championship game. That was the first play-by-play experience that I had, and obviously one that led to a lifelong passion and dream.”

While Estridge was working at the radio station, the owner of the station told him that if he went to App State, he would have the opportunity to announce games in Boone. Estridge took the opportunity and ran with it.

When Estridge arrived at App State, he was once again thrown into work at a very young age.

Estridge arrived in Boone the same time head coach Jerry Moore started his first season with the Mountaineers.

“While I was in school, I became a part of the network,” Estridge said. “I actually was a sideline reporter on the radio broadcast and worked in media relations.”

When Estridge finished his time as a student, he remained in Boone following graduation and helped

create what is known now as the Appalachian Sports Network.

“When I graduated, I was actually going to work at a governor’s office in North Carolina and they created a position internally in the athletic department for me to be the voice of the Mountaineers,” Estridge said.

Estridge remained at the university until 1996, when he left for the University of Miami-Ohio to be their play-by-play commentator for a year. Afterward, Estridge found a home in Fort Worth and has been with Texas Christian University since 1998.

Estridge has been working at TCU since 1998 as the radio voice of the TCU Horned Frogs for the football and basketball games, doing their play-by-play coverage with analyst John Denton.

This past football season, TCU made the National Championship in football for the first time since 1938. Estridge got to live what is every announcer’s dream: calling that national title game.

“I knew that the possibility of calling a national championship was there,” Estridge said. “But, you gotta get super lucky though.”

That’s also the case not just in terms of broadcasting, but also in all aspects of sports.

“Let’s face it, Georgia was lucky to be there. Not that they aren’t the best team in the country, but they had to get by Ohio State. Sometimes you gotta catch a break here and there, and TCU did all season long to advance to winning the Fiesta Bowl and the advancement to the National Championship,” said Estridge.

Estridge describes this past year with the Horned Frogs as “a year full of firsts.”

“I got the opportunity to call that national championship game and TCU won at Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse earlier this year,

which no school does in college basketball,” Estridge said.

While Estridge has found a new home in Fort Worth, Texas, the App State alum still often finds himself in a place that helped shape who he is today: Boone.

“I try to get back to Boone as much as I can, which is still not enough,” Estridge said.

Estridge will finish out the 202223 college basketball season as the radio voice of the TCU Horned Frogs.

Brian Estridge poses for a portrait in his booth at Amon G. Carter Stadium, the home of the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs.

Brian Estridge interviewing Hall of Fame coach Jerry Moore during his time at App State. Estridge is now the director of broadcasting for TCU athletics.

Senior forward finishes legacy for Mountaineer hoops

Trey Blake | Reporter

Over the last four years, 6-foot-5 recreation management major Donovan Gregory has made his mark on the App State basketball program, being the only Mountaineer in history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 150 steals.

Gregory, who shared the court with Black and Gold legends like Justin Forrest and Adrian Delph, has blossomed into the all-around player the team relies on.

“His entire game has just grown so much,” head coach Dustin Kerns said. “He’s one of 35 players with 1,000 points, but he’s also got 500 rebounds along with a ton of steals and almost 300 assists. I think he’s a Swiss Army knife, so he’s really good at everything, especially winning.”

With this growth, Gregory has also become the Mountaineers’ on and offcourt leader throughout the season.

“He’s tough on you,” sophomore guard Terence Harcum said. “Coming

in last year as the new guy, he just instills this culture in you.”

Coming out of Carmel Christian Academy as the 10th ranked player in the state, according to 247Sports.

Gregory received offers from his hometown university of Charlotte, but

always felt like Boone was his calling.

“It was just a good fit,” Gregory said. “Coming to the basketball games and football games growing up, it just felt like home.”

His freshman season saw little involvement from the guard/forward,

as he averaged just 10.4 minutes in 24 games throughout the season.

Gregory broke out and became a full-time starter during his sophomore year, reaching 10.7 points per game and a respectable 2.4 assists per game. He also took his game on the defensive side of the ball to new heights, averaging 1.9 steals per game.

During his sophomore season, the Mountaineers won the Sun Belt Championship. Gregory shined defensively, netting 14 steals over the conference tournament, including eight against Coastal Carolina in the tournament semifinal, where he became the first Division I player in over a decade to put up at least 14 rebounds, eight steals and six assists in a game. His eight steals are also tied for the second most ever in a game by a Mountaineer.

“Winning the Sun Belt was great,” Gregory said. “That was just a very tough year for me and the team with COVID, so to see all that hard work pay off was special.”

His junior year was consistent with his previous year. He averaged 10.9 points and continued hounding people on the defensive end. Gregory’s decisionmaking with the ball in his hand was improving day in and day out. He achieved a career-high 23 points against Arkansas-Little Rock and a career-high in assists against South Alabama with 10.

That 10-assist night sparked a six-game stretch in which he put up a combined 32 assists, the most of a stretch thus far in his career. Those playmaking abilities gave Kerns the faith to hand over the offense to Gregory in his senior season.

“It’s extremely important to have a playmaker at his size,” Kerns said. “He’s a tough matchup with him being one of our best ball handlers. He’s just a high IQ passer as well.”

Former standout scores successful avenue off and on field

Kolby Shea | Reporter

As streaming, which is playing video games online for others to watch, has taken the entertainment industry by storm, one former App State football player now makes a name for himself in athletics and in gaming.

Chicago Bears running back and former Mountaineer Darrynton Evans has capitalized on this movement while he continues his career in the NFL. He has amassed over 21,000 followers on the popular streaming platform Twitch, and over 10,000 subscribers on YouTube under the channel name ItzLiveee.

Evans started playing video games as a kid on the PlayStation One with his older brother. Though his controller may not have been plugged in, he still fell in love with the world of gaming. He said gaming brought his family closer together and was something

they could bond over. Two of his cousins went on to find success in the professional gaming industry, one playing Madden NFL and the other playing Call of Duty.

As he grew older, he continued to game, but it was in college he decided to try streaming for the first time. His family saw his talent for gaming and his charismatic personality and pushed him to begin recording content.

Evans said he wasn’t getting many views at first, but it became something he enjoyed doing. Once he got into the league, he had to overcome the stigma that gaming as an athlete was synonymous with a lack of focus on their profession.

“Once I stopped caring about what everybody else was going to think, that’s when I started to see success and the numbers started growing and everything went up,” Evans said.

During football season, Evans tries

streaming at least three to four times a week, but during the off-season, his content is produced at a higher volume.

He said he felt he had enough skill in the mainstream games, like Call of Duty, Madden or NBA 2K, but wasn’t sure fans would watch his content when they could watch professional gamers do the same thing he was doing.

He found his niche in NCAA 14 Revamped, which is a game that allows players to take control over their favorite college football team.

EA Sports, a video game development company, hasn’t launched this style of game in nearly nine years, enough time to produce nostalgia among the fans of the game. Evans’ content capitalizes on this nostalgia that many gamers and sports fans share.

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Chicago Bears running back Darrynton Evans totaled 31 touchdowns in his App State career and now amasses over 20,000 followers on his Twitch streaming account. Photo by Megan McCulloh.

Senior forward Donovan Gregory airborne attempting to make a basket over Ricky Clemons of Campbell University, Nov. 19th, 2022. Photo by Hiatt Ellis.

OPINION: Banned books are critical to society

Leah Boone | Associate Opinion Editor

In 1637, Thomas Morton wrote “New English Canaan,” a book criticizing the Puritan culture after leaving a Puritan colony and creating his own settlement. Morton’s book ended up being the first banned book in United States history, and 386 years later, the list has grown exponentially. Banning books deemed unsafe or unfit to read is a harmful approach to censorship and dangerously close to violating the First Amendment. Not only that, literature that explores more intense themes is becoming more necessary in current society.

A banned book, as defined by The First Amendment Encyclopedia, is a book banned by “private individuals, government officials, or organizations” due to its “content, ideas, or themes.”

Challenged books are those that people have attempted to take out of libraries or school curricula. The list of banned and challenged books ranges from profoundly themed books such as “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley to children’s books like “Winnie-the-Pooh” by A.A. Milne.

Many books that have been or are being banned or challenged are staples in literature that millions read. The “Harry Potter” series has been on a list of challenged books since the 1990s. They challenged the series due to the themes of sorcery, adolescents rebelling and more.

From July 1, 2021 to June 30, 41% of banned books had an aspect of LGBTQ+ culture, whether it be the book’s theme or the sexual identity of a character. Following directly behind this statistic, 40% of banned books during this period involved main characters of color. A common theme among banned or challenged books is topics regarding race, sexual identity or gender

expression. These subject matters should be embraced, especially in maturing children’s lives. If a growing child is learning that they identify as something that may be different from friends or classmates, banning books reflecting these identities fosters an extremely alienating environment.

The First Amendment protects American citizens’ freedom of speech, religion, assembly, press and petition. Banning certain literature seems like it would automatically violate this amendment, but there are some constraints. While this protects any public organization from any sort of censorship, private organizations have more leniency as they are not directly owned by the government.

The only method of censorship that the government can put on literature is a “time, place, or manner” restriction. Other than this exception, the government or public institutions banning literature is more than likely deemed unconstitutional. There are limited examples of speech the First Amendment does not protect, such as fighting words or obscenity. If a book falls into one of these categories, it can be argued that censoring or banning it is protected within the constitution.

Literature is critical in a child’s growth, development and sense of self. Reading a book whose main character is a person of color, identifies as LGBTQ+ or is another underrepresented group can be extremely influential in a child’s life, especially if they fall into one of these groups. However, the books with these significant themes and characters are the very same books that are being censored and banned. Limiting one’s exposure to such themes subsequently limits one’s sense of self.

Additionally, if books are

censored with themes that someone identifies with, peers or classmates are also limited in ways they can learn how to be supportive and accepting. App State course syllabi have begun to include an Inclusive Excellence Statement, which is a call to action for students to be respectful of all classmates regardless of any underrepresented culture they may identify with. Regardless of how aggressively pushed censorship is, students have a history of fighting against it.

In 1982, a case that had been ongoing since 1975 was brought to the Supreme Court; Island Trees School District v. Pico regarding book removal from school libraries.

A group of parents complained to the school board that certain pieces of literature in the library were “anti-American, anti-Christian,

anti-Semitic and just plain filthy.” The school district complied, removing the novels the parents had fought for in 1976.

A group of students led by Steven Pico began to fight against this decision, and with multiple organizations defending them, the case was taken to the Supreme Court. The students won the case 5-4, with one justice’s reasoning being that removing books “for the purpose of restricting access to political ideas, or social perspectives discussed in them, when that action is motivated simply by the officials’ disapproval of the ideas involved” violated the First Amendment.

The four that voted in favor of the school board argued that removing books from the library did not violate the First Amendment as the books were

available to the students at other locations. However, the decision made by the Supreme Court was in accordance with the idea that the removal or banning of literature from libraries violates the First Amendment and is, therefore, unconstitutional.

Literature has been an integral part of history and culture for centuries, and many profound themes are found within books, fostering critical thinking. While there is sensitive subject matter in a fair amount of literature, this subject matter is becoming more prevalent in current society as time goes on. If anything, the books that are being so heavily censored and fought against are more essential in the world than ever.

Graphic by Rian Hughes

How to enjoy college as an introvert

Nadine Jallal | Opinion Editor

Growing up, students’ first exposure to college life is through the media, which often depicts the college experience as one full of parties, drugs and alcohol, late nights of fun, unplanned adventures and more. A lot of these depictions can ring true, but that experience is not accurate for all college students, nor is it desirable to all college students.

Entering college knowing nothing about the experience but the crazy stories from the media, an older sibling, a tour guide or any upperclassmen can feel daunting for introverts.

Everything that is attractive about a college experience, according to the majority, are activities not likely to be desired by introverted students. Even in movies, introverted characters are taken out of their comfort zones and are seen to flourish after entering the social scene, which is not at all accurate to what the real desires of introverts are. For example, movies like “Geek Charming” or “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” showcase introverts being pushed to enter the social scene.

Though not advertised, introverts can have fun in college too. The biggest first step to having fun in college as an introvert is to accept that being introverted is OK and appearing as so is not the end of the world. For example, eating in the dining hall alone can be relaxing if it is not spent worrying about how it looks. Pop some headphones in, listen to music or queue a good show and enjoy the meal. Everyone else is either not paying attention or worrying about how they look eating alone as well.

listening to personal needs is the next

OPINION: Women deserve better healthcare in the High Country

Megan Koch | Opinion Writer

Everyone deserves a chance to be healthy, and that includes about 50% of the world’s population with a uterus. Sexual and reproductive ill-health accounts for one-fifth of the burden of disease worldwide. The reality is women’s health is grossly underfunded and when it comes to the U.S., the disparities scream louder in smaller and rural areas such as Boone.

step to enjoying being an introvert. Having to recharge a social battery and take a step back from others is okay. Having a roommate as an introvert could also pose some challenges with recharging a social battery, but it all boils down to setting boundaries. Being honest with a roommate about needing alone time will help nurture an honest and healthy relationship.

Introverts still need healthy interactions with others, but those interactions can be controlled. Joining clubs and organizations that align with personal interests creates a scheduled amount of time to spend with like-minded people. Furthermore, getting to know classmates could also create structured social interactions during class times that could fulfill the need for human interaction.

Introversion is a spectrum and what one introvert may find daunting, another could find exciting. For example, being friends with an extrovert could seem like a lot of work, but for some, it could be just what they need to step out of their comfort zones every once in a while. Being an introvert should not prohibit one from participating in some extroverted activities, such as going to a party. What is important to note, however, is that going to a party is not a commitment to be bound by. Attend a party as long as it is fun, and leave when it is not. Any activity becomes more enjoyable if the end of it can be dictated by one’s level of enjoyment. Introverts should not feel guilty for spending less time at a party or leaving early. If an introvert is apprehensive of the uncertainty of some social activities, they could opt to attend events put on by the university. Not only does it feel safer, but it is more structured and often planned way ahead.

For example, APPS puts on countless events throughout the year that cater to many different groups and are often well-planned, structured and fun.

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When Googling women’s health in Boone, three options show up. The first is M.S. Shook Student Health Service, which offers primary reproductive care to students such as exams, pap smears, contraceptives and treatment for gynecological problems. Colleges have limitations when it comes to their health clinics and compared to universities in more conservative areas, App State is lucky to have a women’s health program. In a post-Roe society, it is more difficult for schools to offer any reproductive counseling in a nation where states are banning abortions.

It is possible to be thankful for the resources provided and acknowledge that it is not enough. With Sheri Everts’ 25,000 by 2025 delusion, there will be immense stress on the already limited resources. The fact that there are problems greater than what the school can accommodate along with high demand leaves more women relying on our community sources.

The other two options on the Google search are Harmony Women’s Health Center and a misleading Christian pregnancy center titled the Hope Center. The Hope Center provides outstanding support for women in undesirable situations choosing to carry their pregnancy to term. They do not provide or refer for abortions or emergency contraceptives and openly disapprove of the morning after pill by describing it as unnecessary and undervalues it as something that “exposes you to a large dose of hormones and costs you money.”

These pregnancy centers are all around the country and put vulnerable women

into a position where they believe they are getting unbiased medical advice.

A pregnancy center is not a medical center and is not licensed. The Hope Center provides new mothers with mentorship. What it does not offer is medical care. Advertising as a women’s health center is frankly unnecessary and overshadows all the good this organization could potentially have. The misinformation this type of nonprofit prides itself on puts more stress on legitimate resources in the area prioritizing the health and well-being of its patients.

With the schools’ health services being limited and the Hope Center not providing real care, all that is left for women’s health falls upon Harmony, which is notorious in the town for being unreliable. The facility is plagued with long wait times, claims of negligence, a few one-star reviews and more. Harmony is spread thin, and it is disheartening to listen to the stories of women let down by facilities when it does not have to be this way.

Boone needs a women’s health center that is accessible to the uninsured and equipped to handle high traffic. This town needs to prioritize the well-being of all its residents, including the large percentage with a uterus.

More than 800 women across the globe die from pregnancy complications each day. Reproductive rights are tied to many human rights established in our government such as the right to be free from torture, the right to health, the right to privacy, the right to education and the prohibition of discrimination. Reproductive health is vital to the overall health of the person. The patriarchal lie that value is based on reproduction ability but also lost through sexual encounters is a hypocritical fabrication designed to oppress. Shame itself results in many people not seeking out care, prolonging and worsening curable conditions.

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Graphic by Kaitlyn Close

OPINION: Take Parkway rules seriously

Katie Kitchen | Opinion Writer

With an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway just minutes away, tourists and High Country residents are no strangers to sights such as the outstanding Linville Falls and views on the Profile Trail of Grandfather Mountain. To protect such magnificent sights, the Blue Ridge Parkway has established a set of rules to facilitate tourism that protects both visitors and nature alike.

Before someone hits the dusty trail, they should consider looking at rules and regulations posted by the park they may be visiting. Many parks have specific rules in place to keep the environment pristine and safe, while also providing the visitor with safety tips. The Blue Ridge Parkway has a website dedicated to many Parkway travel tips, ranging from how to be safe around animals to accessibility and accommodations in the national park. The website especially emphasizes the importance of staying on trail. When visitors go off a trail, there may be a lasting environmental impact, or their safety may be in danger. When rules are not followed while hiking, it endangers the longevity of the environment surrounding the trail, endangers animals and habitats around the parks, and makes visitors susceptible to potential danger as well.

There are 369 miles of trails on the Blue Ridge Parkway that can be explored, so choosing to go off these trails and disrupt natural ecosystems is destructive and pointless. There are many protected species of plants on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so there are rules and regulations about poaching these plants. Bears are a prominent animal on the parkway, and while they may generally be docile creatures, if they are not expecting human interaction, they may be less docile. The U.S. National Park Service expects visitors to remain at least half of a football field away from all animals seen while visitors explore the parks. A bear attack is a great way to ruin a fun trip.

More creatures to be cautious of

on the Blue Ridge Parkway are two venomous snakes, the timber rattlesnake and the northern copperhead. These two species of venomous snakes appear in North Carolina. It is much harder to see these snakes off trail, as there is less of a clear cut path. If a hiker were to get bitten by one of these venomous snakes and they are off trail, it is unlikely that they will reach safety in time.

The National Park Service has produced the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace, which was created in an attempt to continue the protection of the national park system. The first principle states the importance of planning ahead and being prepared. This principle is important to consider, as it is very likely that one could encounter danger if they are not following the rules posted by the NPS.

Next, the NPS emphasizes the importance of camping on durable surfaces. If a visitor of a national park decides to camp on a surface that is not intended to support the weight of the tent, the camper’s tent could be ruined or the plants below the tent may be ruined. The NPS lists campgrounds that are already created and ready to use, so choosing to camp elsewhere is disrespectful and disruptive.

The NPS also covers the importance of appropriately using a fire pit. There are specific rules that must be followed if one wishes to have a fire during their stay. It is important to use only dry and dead wood found on the ground. Also, campsites in the parks often have fire rings for visitors to use.

The following two principles signify the importance of leaving what one finds and disposing of waste properly.

Leaving waste on trails and campsites greatly harms the environment of the trail as it is unsanitary and animals may eat this waste and be unable to digest the foods properly.

Guests may be tempted to pick flowers or other foliage they come across on the trails. This is against the Leave No Trace principles, as plants are harmed by people picking

them or walking over them. The last two principles of Leave No Trace demonstrate the importance of leaving wildlife and other travelers alone during their retreat in the mountains. If a visitor is being disruptive by going off trail or

being inconsiderate of other travelers, the experience of the visit can be ruined. When animals are not left alone, park guests may be harmed. Leave No Trace encourages hikers to appreciate the parks they are visiting in a safe

way by staying on trail and following other safety rules and regulations that are posted by individual parks. It is important for hikers to follow these rules to keep the high country beautiful for all visitors.

Recent snowfall displays early morning foot traffic on the Trout Lake Loop Trail Feb. 13, 2023. Photo by Joshua Walters.