The Appalachian, October 2024

October 17, 2024

Cover by Kaitlyn Close

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October 17, 2024 Jenna Guzman | Editor-in-Chief editor@theappalachianonline.com

Editorial

Business

Siri Patterson | Managing Editor Vivian Parks | Chief Copy Editor Madalyn Edwards | News Editor Abby Buckner | A&C Editor Leah Boone | Opinion Editor Clay Durban | Sports Editor Mia Seligman | Enterprise Editor Andrew Rice | Political Editor Omar Alvarez Valencia | Translations Editor Ella Adams | Community Editor

Ethan Batchelor | Business Manager business@theappalachianonline.com

Visual

Adviser

Kaitlyn Close | Visual Managing Editor Rian Hughes | Graphics Editor Hayden Wittenborn | Photo Editor Gabriel Plitt | Multimedia Editor

Marketing Julia Woodring | Director of Marketing & PR Emily Escobedo Ramirez | Director of Engagement

Leigh Tauss

The Appalachian is the award-winning independent student-run news organization at Appalachian State University, published since 1934. The student staff maintains all editorial discretion, and there is no prior review by university faculty, staff, or administrators. The Appalachian strives for accuracy in news gathering and reporting. If you think we have made an error, email: editor@appalachianonline.com.

Participation in The Appalachian is open to all current full-time students at the university. For more information about joining, email: outreach@theappalachianonline.com.

The opinion pages of The Appalachian are open public forum. contributions are welcomed via email to editor@appalachianonline.com. Opinions expressed are those of individual columnists, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the news organization overall. Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The Appalachian editorial board.

One copy of The Appalachian per person. Additional copies can be purchased from the newsroom for $1 each.

Website: theappalachianonline.com

Oct. 9, 1934, marked the beginning of a legacy. Welcome to The Appalachian’s 90th anniversary special issue as we celebrate 90 years of serving our community! From weekly to monthly print editions, to online content and interactive graphics, and even newsletters and social media posts, our publication has grown and adapted over the years and has worked to deliver news and be a forum for our readers over the decades.

Throughout this paper is a mix of current stories and stories paying homage to our publication and community’s history. To the right is an editor’s note from our first issue. We are proud to share how far we’ve come since then. We thank our staff and our readers over the years for making this all possible.

Jenna Guzman | Editor-in-Chief Boonie comic by Yakira Gurganus

October 17, 2024

News

Community unites, rebuilds Mountain Pathways School after Helene

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Ella Adams & Ryan Rudow | Community Editor & Reporter

When Hurricane Helene descended on western North Carolina, the Mountain Pathways School was filled with water and mud. The storm washed away books, furniture, toys and school supplies from the small school built on the floodplains of Howard’s Creek.

Christina Sornito and her husband Jon Carter, both associate professors of anthropology at App State, drove out to the school to see the damage on Saturday after the storm. Their 4-year-old son attends Mountain Pathways.

“It just looked like Howard’s Creek became a river coming down the mountain,” Sornito said. “It just looked like it, since everything had been wiped out.”

The campus was ruined after the storm, leaving the students, teachers

and families of Mountain Pathways in limbo. So, they banded together to rebuild.

In the days following the storm, parents, families, faculty and former Mountain Pathways students volunteered to try to rebuild the school.

“It’s just having people here to sort out whatever we need done,” Carter said.

The Montessori school, located approximately three miles outside of Boone, serves about 55 students on its campus. Founded in 1987, the school aims to provide highquality education regardless of racial, cultural, religious or economic background, according to the Mountain Pathways website.

“The parent community and the families that are able to kind of come

Anna AD

out and help support is so different than a lot of schools that I’ve worked at in the area,” said Mountain Pathways Co-Director Jenny Darcy.

The campus has two buildings and an outdoor space. Pre-primary students — 18 months to 6 years old — attend classes in the Children’s House. The Norwood Building typically houses elementary and middle school students, Darcy said, but Mountain Pathways has been renting the space to Wildwood Agile Learning Community, a local homeschool group.

“Our Norwood building was hit really hard by flooding,” Darcy said.

“The flooding went up to pretty much ceiling level. On our Children’s House, the flood damage is not as bad. It was probably seven inches at its maximum inside the building.”

Mountain Pathways’ ample outdoor space was wrecked by the flooding, leaving the playground in deep mud.

“We’ve had the creek access and there are big open fields and the beautiful trees,” Darcy said. “So we’re just trying to get back to that vision again.”

With the school’s campus in disarray, already limited child care in Boone is now an even larger concern. Carter and Sornito said getting the school safe for children again is a priority.

“We have to get this school running because it enables all the rest of us to do

our jobs,” Sornito said.

She thinks the school will rebuild but said she is unsure of what the timeline will look like.

“Child care in the area has also been completely destroyed,” said CoDirector Tori Pendleton. “And we’re not going to be able to provide child care for who knows how long.”

Pre-primary Lead Teacher Caroline Culligan said “​​really it’s been wonderful” seeing the community response.

“We’ve had past students that are now, like 10 years old, bringing all of their friends,” Culligan said. “We had like, literally 30 kids here yesterday mopping. So although it’s been sad, it’s definitely felt good knowing that we have such a wonderful community.”

The buildings are insured and administrators are applying for FEMA relief, Darcy said, but the majority of the

immediate financial support is coming from the school’s GoFundMe, which has raised over $30,000 as of Oct. 15.

Despite the long road ahead, Darcy said she’s “feeling pretty hopeful right now.” The educator said Mountain Pathways is lucky to have such involved parents and caring community members.

“And you know, we’ve been wanting to do some restoration and renovation for a while,” she said.

“So we’re kind of hoping to use it as a blessing in disguise and work from there. Our goal is to save the Children’s House and rebuild as soon as possible so we can get the children back in here.”

Editor’s note: Jon Carter currently serves as Ella Adams’ thesis adviser.

App State anthropology professors and Mountain Pathways parents Jon Carter and Christina Sornito stand in front of a pile of debris from the school on Oct. 5. The couple volunteered their time to rebuild their 4-year-old’s school.

Courtesy of Ryan Rudow

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October 17, 2024

News

One of App State’s expression tunnels connecting East to West campus was closed off after filling up due to flooding on Sept. 27. | Photo by Emily Simpson

Sept. 27 - 28, 2024

A resident carries their cat away from the Bavarian Village apartment complex on Sept. 27. | Photo by Nicole Evans

Picking up the pieces: Post-Helene

Flooding rises to the first floor of an apartment complex on Meadowview Drive on Sept. 27. | Photo by Nicole Evans

On Sept. 26, Boone was hit

by Hurricane Helene. Students and locals struggled with the loss of power, water and internet.

Some even lost their homes and valuables.

In the aftermath of the storm, students and locals were displaced from their homes and apartments.

Flooding in this area is uncommon and many people were unaware

Chunks of Ball Branch Road missing due to the effects of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 30. | Photo by Emily Simpson

of the damages that could be caused.

Due to the aftermath of the storm, the American Red Cross had opened up the Holmes Convocation Center as a shelter for students and locals. Trivette and Central Dining Halls have been opened to the public as well.

Relief efforts have started all across western North Carolina.

Samaritan’s Purse has started accepting donations for the town of Boone and other areas in the High Country.

The Boone community has been heavily impacted by the storm, but relief efforts are underway. The Appalachian’s photo desk went out during and after the storm to get photos of the damage.

October 17, 2024

News

The Legends parking lot collapsed into a sinkhole on Sept.

27 due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. | Photo by Emily Simpson

A staircase on King Street was left destroyed by the Category 4 storm on Sept. 28. | Photo by Jenna Guzman Marlene Vert stands outside her home in Bavarian Village on Sept. 28. Residents must move their belongings and find somewhere to live. | Photo by Nicole Evans

Flooding on the first floor of Rivers Street Parking Deck reaches the base of some cars due to excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27. | Photo by Emily Simpson

The aftermath of a home on Zeb Street is seen after Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28. | Photo by Hayden Wittenborn

A fallen tree is in the parking lot where El Tacorriendo and its seating are located on Sept. 28. | Photo by Jenna Guzman

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News

October 17, 2024

Booming Boone: Thriving through change

Colin Wishneski | Reporter

The food scene in downtown Boone has long been a source of pride for the town. As Boone has been rocked by major changes such as the population growth of the town, the rapid growth of App State and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants in Boone have had to adapt.

“The size of the college has grown tremendously,” said Michael Bosse, the manager at Macado’s, a chain restaurant based in Salem, Virginia, that opened a location on King Street in 1989. “The city has to grow where the college grows.”

According to the school’s fact book archive, the 2000-01 academic year hosted a student population at App State of 12,499. In the 202425 academic year, it was 21,570.

This 72.6% increase was motivated by initiatives for strategic planning and resource investment by App State to increase enrollment from underrepresented communities and

hold high retention rates.

As App State has grown, its student population has flocked to King Street for weekend outings with friends and a change of pace from the dining halls.

For the most part, business on King Street has kept up. However, there have been some issues.

“The lack of parking for people coming into town has been a problem,” Bosse said. “Students from ASU have been parking downtown more and more.”

King Street was built to serve as a modest, two-way downtown road with areas for parallel parking on each side.

Today, the traffic on the road can be heavy, especially during rush hour and tourist season in the fall. In spite of the traffic, business on King Street has kept up.

“We haven’t been hurt much,” Bosse said. “We’re still busy.”

One way Macado’s adapted is by having their employees work more hours with longer breaks. This lets them keep serving big crowds

whenever it’s needed.

Another obstacle for restaurants in Boone was the COVID-19 pandemic and the supply chain crisis that resulted. Jeshua Jolly, the chocolatier at Venture Chocolate and Wine Co., experienced this firsthand.

“We were supposed to open in 2021 but construction got held up,” Jolly said. “The work of opening this place was wild, there was lots to do.

That’s normal for any new business.”

Jolly described the delays as a blessing in disguise. The extra time gave him and the rest of the team at Venture the chance to make sure everything was set with their business and make extra preparations.

It also spared them from the prospect of opening during the period of COVID-19 restrictions, which would have made succeeding during their early days near impossible. When they opened in the summer of 2022, they quickly found their niche.

“Our goal is to create somewhere where people can feel welcome and

People walk down King Street outside of Macado’s restaurant on Sept. 21.

Photo by Mady Helt

eat delicious things,” Jolly explained.

“We view ourselves as a gathering place or date spot. We’ve been hosting App alumni parties and we’re hosting our first wedding next year.”

Despite changes the recent years have delivered, Boone remains in

many ways the same.

“Regardless of how big it’s gotten, Boone still has a small-town feel,” Bosse said. “It never feels cramped, and everyone still knows each other.”

October 17, 2024

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NC Banker Hall of Famer begins his 47th year at App State Kayla Masterman | Associate Visual Managing Editor

Thousands of bankers in North Carolina know who Harry Davis is.

He is not only a professor of finance, but the longest-serving faculty member in the Walker College of Business, and he just started his 47th year in September.

“I’m certainly old enough to have retired 10 years ago, but I just keep teaching. I love this job. I’m very much connected to the banking industry in North Carolina,” Davis said.

Davis said there are three reasons he has stayed at App State for 47 years: “First, the opportunities that ASU have given me made this an incredible experience. The people I work for and with are number two, and number three is Boone, this environment.”

Davis helped start 27 banks in North Carolina and was inducted into the North Carolina Bankers Association Hall of Fame on Sept. 30.

He said all of his accomplishments came about because the Walker College of Business was taking off right as he got here.

During the 1976-77 academic year, Davis started out in the Department of Accounting. Three years later, the Department of

Finance, Banking and Insurance was formed and he became the chair of the department.

“In addition, I applied for the NCBA professorship of banking and I got that job too,” Davis said. “So all of these things just came open, the department just got here.”

Davis said being the NCBA professor of banking has been the greatest thing he could have possibly achieved in his career “because of all the doors it’s opened for me and all the places I’ve been able to go and the people I have met.”

Five people who came out of Davis’ classes became bank presidents.

“I can’t walk anywhere in Boone or North Carolina without running into a former student,” Davis said.

Dean of the Walker College of Business Sandra Vannoy is one of Davis’ former students. She wrote in an email that if you’re a student who does not know him but are considering taking his class, you will learn a lot.

“I can say that from personal experience,” Vannoy wrote.

He currently teaches commercial bank management and finance classes in the graduate Master of Business

Harry Davis points to a cherished photo from his early days at App State in his office in Peacock Hall on Sept. 13.

Photo by Kayla Masterman

Administration program.

“I, as an MBA student here at App State, took Dr. Davis’ commercial bank management class,” Vannoy wrote. “He brought real-world applications of the material he covered to his class, making the learning experience truly meaningful.”

One reason Davis has remained at App State for 47 years is because of the great bosses he has had. He said if you don’t like your boss, it’s hard to enjoy your job, so he feels very fortunate.

“Ken Peacock and I were the best of friends. Heather Norris and I are great friends, Sandy Vannoy, too,” Davis said.

Davis was the finance department chair for 17 years.

“Ken Peacock and I had a great time working together. That’s why I stayed at the job so long: friendship,” Davis said.

According to the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, Davis has served as a consultant for numerous start-up banks in North Carolina.

He was a part of a group that helped start the High Country Bank.

After five years, they were acquired

by Yadkin Bank. Davis served on its board of directors for over 20 years.

Davis is the dean of the North Carolina School of Banking. They moved the school to Boone for the

first time at the end of July. The school was previously held in Chapel Hill and Durham and is the oldest state-supported banking school in the United States. Davis said bringing the school to Boone is one of his major accomplishments.

Davis said next year, there will be a search to hire someone to be the Harry M. Davis Professor of Banking, a million-dollar endowed professorship. The professorship is aimed to preserve and build upon Davis’ lifetime of work and achievements during his long tenure at App State.

According to a message from the chairman of the NC Bankers Association, the Harry M. Davis Professorship will allow the Walker College of Business to attract and retain talent to teach, conduct research and perform service in the field of banking and finance.

Vannoy said beyond being helpful, personable and intelligent, Davis is a great teacher.

“Dr. Davis has nearly four decades of service to North Carolina’s banking industry, and he uses that experience to ensure that our banking curriculum is relevant and reflective of industry needs,” Vannoy wrote.

Davis’ educational journey took place across three states. He grew up in Statesville and attended UNCChapel Hill for his bachelor’s in economics. He then got his master’s

degree in economics from Vanderbilt University. He then went to the University of Georgia to earn a doctorate in finance.

During his App State tenure, Davis said he has witnessed many changes.

“When I started teaching, I used a chalkboard all the time. There were no computers or screens,” Davis said.

“Now, all of my presentations are on PowerPoint. I can’t see very well, so technology has actually been good to me.”

Another change Davis has witnessed was the establishment of Peacock Hall, which opened in 1990, 14 years after he started at App State. When Davis first came to App State, his office was in Walker Hall because Peacock Hall didn’t exist.

Today, Peacock Hall is undergoing renovations that are expected to extend the life of the building by 30 to 50 years, according to campus construction updates.

When Davis first arrived, he got the sense of a quaint mountain town and a small, welcoming campus. He said he has seen many changes in Boone and on campus since he moved here in 1976.

Read more Online

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October 17, 2024

‘That’s Politics’: App State election seasons through the decades Andrew Rice | Political Editor

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October 17, 2024

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From former president Richard Nixon to the Boone Town Council and from front-cover cartoons to interactive online graphics, The Appalachian has provided election coverage throughout its rich history.

In honor of its 90th anniversary and the upcoming 2024 presidential election, The Appalachian compiled highlights from various decades of the paper’s election coverage. The way The Appalachian reported election results and trends offers glimpses into the past of App State’s political landscape.

One of the first instances where The Appalachian reported election results appeared in a Nov. 6, 1942, edition of the paper. The article, titled “Democrats elect candidates for state-wide win,” reported on multiple North Carolina races.

The report detailed the race for U.S. Senate between incumbent Democrat Josiah William Bailey and Republican Sam J. Morris. The article reported based on “incomplete but representative” results including races where “Five Democratic representatives had no opposition and thus were automatically re-elected.”

The remainder of the article reported on various other Senate and state gubernatorial races.

It was not until the 1960s when political and election content became more consistent in The Appalachian.

The decade contained various editorial pieces on elections including a series of letters to the editor by Dale

Simmons titled “That’s Politics.”

In the Nov. 1, 1968, edition of The Appalachian, a feature story on the front page covered a visit by a Newsweek columnist predicting Nixon to win the 1968 presidential race.

The article, accompanied with a political cartoon by P. Phillips, presumably depicts the three candidates in the 1968 presidential election. Republican Nixon, Democrat Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace running with the American Independent Party are featured in the cartoon.

The following Nov. 8, 1968, edition features another political cartoon by P. Phillips, announcing Nixon’s nomination as president. This edition did not include the results of races other than president.

As The Appalachian roared into the 1970s, election coverage continued to become increasingly prevalent. The Nov. 10, 1972, edition documents Republican James E. Holshouser, “a Boone native,” winning the North Carolina governor’s race. The article reported a “close” race and said Holshauser’s lieutenant governor is Democrat James Hunt.

“This is the first time in North Carolina’s history that candidates of different parties have been elected to the governor and lieutenant governor positions,” the article reads.

The 1980s marked an increased focus on local electoral results as represented in the Nov. 4, 1982, article titled “Democrats dominate

County sheriff, board of education and board of commissioners.

Graphics became a staple in relaying election results throughout the remainder of the 1990s with a story reporting election results from Nov. 7, 1996, containing an explainer of results accompanied by a graphic including various local races and early results.

Included in these results were referendum movements specific to North Carolina. One movement showed voters favored giving the North Carolina governor veto power.

The report included 4% of precincts and 75% of voters in those precincts voted in favor of granting the governor the right to veto legislation. North Carolina was the last state in the country to adopt the right for the governor to veto.

Throughout the 2000s, The Appalachian continued its trend of election coverage, utilizing visual reporting and taking into account various local political groups views.

In the Nov. 8, 2012, edition, the front page headline of The Appalachian reads “FOUR MORE YEARS” in reference to the reelection of Barack Obama. The issue also highlighted Pat McCrory’s election as the “first GOP governor in state since 1989,” and a political cartoon by Andrew D. Cox. Nov. 7, 2013, saw a use of colored graphs to represent local election results including races for Boone mayor and Boone Town Council. At the time of publication, Andy Ball won the race for mayor with “almost 60 percent of the votes.”

In the Nov. 3, 2016, edition, candidate guides became a practice in anticipation for Election Day. Candidates from state and local races in a “Behind the Ballot” section were featured with brief summaries of their political careers and affiliations.

These summaries continued in a similar fashion in the years following and were often published before

Election Day. The Appalachian continued regular reporting of midterm and local elections from Nov. 9, 2018, accompanied by graphics representing races in North Carolina and across the country.

Due to a close race, the results of the 2020 election proved elongated for The Appalachian. A Nov. 6, 2020, edition summarized the state of the presidential election in North Carolina.

At the time of printing, the article said “there are still questions as to who will be the next president and when results will be finalized in North Carolina,” Political Editor Moss Brennan wrote.

The Nov. 13, 2020, edition of The Appalachian featured coverage “in a year like no other.” Multimedia Editor Xanayra Marin-Lopez featured student reactions to election results and tabulations which predicted Joe Biden as president.

Down the ballot, Brennan’s analysis reported Watauga County “stayed the course” as he summarized Democratic candidates who won all available county seats aside from the register of deeds which was uncontested.

The Appalachian continued regular reporting of midterm and local election results in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

One especially noteworthy piece of coverage in this time was Dalton George’s election to maintain his seat on the Boone Town Council in 2021.

George was appointed to fill a seat vacancy before a municipal vote led to him maintaining his seat, making him the youngest public official in North Carolina at the time.

Throughout its history, The Appalachian’s election reporting serves as a glimpse into the past history of App State and the Boone community. Readers can stay tuned as The Appalachian continues its legacy of reporting on elections in 2024.

election results” by Jane Keller. Keller covered North Carolina House and Senate local races including Watauga County sheriff, board of education and board of commissioners.

This trend was followed up in the Nov. 8, 1984, “Republicans make strong showing election day” article.

Assistant News Editor David Pinaula summarized Ronald Reagan’s victory over Walter Mondale as well as multiple state races and local Watauga County races.

This edition also featured reactions from local Republican and Democratic groups. Staff Writer Chris Wilkins wrote, “Republicans celebrate victory” and News Editor Kristin C. Copren wrote, “Democrats lament their losses.”

The trend of publishing election results with local party results continued in the Nov. 6, 1986, edition of The Appalachian. This continued in various forms throughout the remainder of The Appalachian’s coverage in the 1980s.

In the 1990s, The Appalachian 1 continued covering local races A cartoon of Gov. Rick Perry from a November 2012 issue. throughout Watauga County as well as prominent state races representing 2 A political cartoon depicting the duck pond ducks from an October 2012 issue. the area. A Nov. 8, 1990, headline reads “Helms edges out Gantt” 3 A political cartoon from Nov. 1, 1968, about the presidential debate between in reference to the U.S. Senate former president Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. races between Jesse A. Helms and 4 Democrat Harvey B. Gantt.

A political cartoon about former president Barack Obama’s presidency from a The article, written by Editor-inNovember 2012 edition.

Chief Rae Beasley, also included a 5 graphic summarizing results of state A political cartoon of former president Bill Clinton from a September 2012 issue. and local races including Watauga

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October 17, 2024

App State’s history of hotel housing Siri Patterson | Managing Editor

App State began placing students who applied for on-campus housing in the Sleep Inn Hotel, located about half a mile from campus, in 2023. But this is not the first time App State has utilized hotels and other unorthodox housing solutions to make room for all its students.

During the fall semester of 1978, a staff writer for The Appalachian, Del Hunt, wrote a front page article with the headline “Dorm openings.”

“If Noah’s Ark could solve ASU student housing problems then it might be a welcome solution,” Hunt wrote in their opening line.

Hunt reported that for the second consecutive year, students were being housed in two motels near campus, Greene’s Motel and Watauga Motel, despite there being 110 rooms available in on-campus residence halls.

According to Hunt’s article, the Director of Housing Operations in 1978, Bill Sposato, said the excess of rooms on campus was caused by no-show students who had reserved rooms, creating the need to house some first-year students in motels.

An article published in The Appalachian the previous year reported that App State did not plan to house students in motels for more than one semester. Staff Writer Debbie Cook also spoke to Sposato, who said there were 100 students being housed in motels.

In 1989, Staff Writer David Peete reported in his article that 71 students were temporarily housed in activity rooms and lounges in residential halls at the start of the Fall semester.

Peete spoke to the Vice Chancellor

for Student Development, David Mclntire, who said the temporary spaces were used because App State overbooked its residence halls each year to account for no-show students.

Overbooked students were canceled out by no-show students, fulfilling the university’s desire to keep residence halls at 100% occupancy.

Peete graduated from App State in 1992 and said he wrote the article his freshman year because he was one of the temporarily displaced students.

Peete is from Fort Myers, Florida, and said his parents were shocked and disappointed after driving 13 hours to App State to find out Peete would be staying in the lobby area of a residence hall. Peete himself doesn’t remember being too bothered.

“I mean, I’m sure it wasn’t great; I’m sure I was maybe a little upset about it,” Peete said. “But it just felt like I sort of had plenty of other things to do, including starting class.”

Peete said he does remember the constant noise that overwhelmed the hall, with so many excited first-years sharing the same space.

“The noise of the dorm, as you could imagine, just never stopped,” Peete said. “It was always music, and laughing, and just playing games in the hallway, and popping popcorn and it was just a mess. It was very hard to get any rest or sleep or whatever.”

Peete said after a week he came back to the dorm to find a note on his cot informing him of his new assigned room in Cone Hall across campus. He said he had no one to help him lug his belongings across campus.

Peete said it was a “rough start,” but the experience is memorable and

Director of University Housing Brandon Nelson sits at his desk on Sept. 20. | Photo by Hayden Wittenborn

he has nothing bad to say about his time as a Mountaineer.

Four years later, App State once again found itself with an abundance of students and a lack of rooms.

In 1993, News Editor Dawn McGuire reported in her article that students were being tripled up in rooms in East Hall, and others were placed in the lobbies of Frank and Bowie halls. This time, the culprit was delayed construction and renovation in Justice, Gardner and Coltrane halls.

Director of University Housing Brandon Nelson said the approach to housing students today differs greatly from years past.

“Where we’ve gotten stronger as a university is just like recognizing data points with particular students,” Nelson said.

University Housing no longer overbooks residence halls to compensate for no-show students.

University Housing utilizes data from the admission’s checklist which first year students must complete to determine which students are likely to enroll and which seem like they may not attend.

“Did they sign up for orientation?

Did they attend orientation? Did they

do their prep class, which allows them to register? Did they do their housing contract?” Nelson said.

Nelson said the university now aims to have their residence halls 99% filled, rather than 100%, to account for roommate change requests and other issues that come up in the first few weeks of class.

In contrast to Greene’s Motel and Watauga Motel, Sleep Inn was implemented by University Housing as a permanent residence hall, not a temporary fix to housing shortages.

There are 139 students residing in Sleep Inn, and Nelson said some students chose to return to the hotelstyle hall after living there the previous year.

Some additions and changes have been made to make the hotel feel more like a traditional residence hall and to accommodate student needs, such as the addition of a lounge area, extra washer and dryers, a kitchen and App State-themed decor.

Nelson said the two most important changes implemented were increasing the bandwidth of the building’s Wi-Fi and allowing one parking space per room.

“We kind of learned as we

gathered feedback and tried to make adjustments where we were like, ‘Oh this would make sense to help here,’” Nelson said.

Jake Russolese, a junior history education major, said he lived at Sleep Inn last year after transferring to App State.

Russolese said he struggled in the beginning, especially when he lacked Wi-Fi in his room and had no place to park.

However, Russolese said the overall situation was not bad after the university began addressing problems.

“I kind of got used to it,” Russolese said. “I ended up not really being opposed to it because I was involved in a lot of extracurriculars, so I was outside of my room a lot.”

Russolese said one of the perks of living there was the furniture and appliances the room already had, including a TV, microwave and mini fridge.

First Carolina Management Hotels, a North Carolina-based company that owns hotels across the state, is still the owner of Sleep Inn and works with App State to house students. This, Nelson said this is why the hotel kept its furniture and appliances when it

October 17, 2024

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1977

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The lobby of Daniel Boone Inn, which housed students in the 1970s, featured in an article published in The Appalachian on Sept. 13, 1977.

Courtesy of The Appalachian, published Sept. 13, 1977

Student Ashlyn Parnell’s bed and room decorations at the Sleep Inn on Sept. 25.

Courtesy of Ashlyn Parnellf

began housing students.

Russolese said another downside of living at Sleep Inn was a lack of connection he felt with other students, despite efforts from resident assistants to increase resident interaction.

“It wasn’t really like a dorm-style environment where people were walking around talking to each other,” Russolese said.

Ashlyn Parnell, a junior English major and current resident of Sleep Inn, said they have had a much different experience.

Although they were a little hesitant at the idea of staying at a hotel, Parnell said the mega-sized single room and constant interaction with other residents has made the experience comfortable and welcoming. Parnell’s RA organized a collage-making event, which initially brought the Sleep Inn residents together.

“We all bonded over it,” Parnell said. “And since then we’ve been

inseparable.”

Parnell said they have not had any issues with the Wi-Fi since the university updated the system and any issues they have seen are typical to that of a traditional dorm. They said they would highly recommend to any first-year student to try living at Sleep Inn. “I almost didn’t go to Sleep Inn and I would have been heavily devastated,” Parnell said. “I would have not known what I was missing out on.”

Nelson said the success of Sleep Inn is due to the university’s strong relationship with FCM Hotels, the RAs and staff of the hotel who are on-duty 24 hours a day and the maintenance staff that keeps operations running smoothly.

“Our facilities team — really all of them: residence life, facilities and admin — they care about this place like it’s their own home, and you can see it in the buildings,” Nelson said.

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October 17, 2024

Student activism over the years: Where are they now?

Jenna Guzman | Editor-in-Chief

Whether it be local to App State’s campus or Boone, or it’s a national or international issue, Sanford Mall and the pavements of App State have beared witness to dozens of marches, hundreds of chants and thousands of signs and heard the voices of student activists.

Stepping back in time through The Appalachian’s coverage, App State students of the early 1960s protested issues revolving around campus restrictions. A decade later into the 1970s, students voiced their opposition to the Vietnam War through class walk-outs, boycotts and protests as well as their concerns with nuclear weapons with other protests and die-ins. In the late 1980s, students marched along campus protesting the Apartheid in South Africa.

Protests continued over the years,

and in the 2000s issues became more focused on the United States.

Gun control, pipelines, women’s reproductive rights, politics, racial injustices, police brutality and more all surfaced amongst issues college students were concerned about.

Some protests even expanded outside of Boone, with App State students protesting in places such as Washington, D.C., and New York City outside of the Trump Tower.

Student activists have also built upon the work done prior to them.

Today’s students on App State’s campus have protested for some of the same reasons former student activists did, whether it be university conditions, free speech, overseas conflicts, issues regarding the climate or issues that personally impact people’s identities.

One of these former student activists is Bailey Gardin, an App State alumnus who graduated in the spring of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. During his time at the university, Gardin, along with others, founded the Black at App State Collective.

The Black at App State Collective is a student-led group created to amplify Black and minority voices at the university. Members of the group advocated for their beliefs through different ways such as protests, attending meetings, writing letters to university administration and more.

In 2020, the collective led a protest on campus as a result of the university’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement. During this protest, members of the collective and other students marched from Sanford Mall

he advocated for into his studies and his instructing.

“I’m able to take all that education and all that leadership experience and I’m able to teach them,” Gardin said.

“It’s about being an inspiration to the next generation.”

Another former student activist and founder of Black at App State is Kyndavee Bichara. Bichara graduated in 2022 and now works in finance.

“When I was on campus doing activism, I did it out of the space and place of passion for change and doing what I thought was necessary to get that change done,” Bichara said.

The collective worked to bring more inclusivity to campus back in 2020, and seeing how recent Diversity, Equity and Inclusion cuts have impacted campuses around the state including App State, Bichara said it’s

Students protest the amount of pollution on App State’s campus in 1975.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Appalachian State University

Graffiti on a construction site on App State’s campus in 1969. It reads “But! What if they don’t attack?”

Courtesy of Special Collections, Appalachian State University

App State students protest the Vietnam War in front of Edwin Duncan Hall on April 21, 1972.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Appalachian State University

Graphics by Chloe Pound

to BB Dougherty, the administration building on campus. Once at the building, the collective stayed put, refusing to leave after police threatened arrests if they did not leave by the time the building closed.

The collective also published a list of demands toward former chancellor Sheri Everts, the university administration and others.

Gardin, who also served as App State’s student body president from 2021-22, is now a law student at Brandeis School of Law in Louisville, Kentucky, and is a street law student instructor at a high school where he speaks on law topics, including the importance of lawyers, how to know one’s rights, arrest processes and more.

Gardin said he has implemented the skills he gained from being an activist, such as leadership, and what

An anti-nuclear weapon put on by App State stu April 1979.

Courtesy of Special Co Appalachian State Uni

October 17, 2024 “disheartening” to see the work they did on campus go backward.

Gardin said seeing the changes is “super unfortunate, but it’s also too at the same time not surprising.”

Gardin noted that since the 1940s, there has been a progressive wave in terms of educational reform for Black students, from the integration of schools to allowing Black students to attend law school and more. However, he said there have also been regressive things following them, such as the banning of books and now DEI cuts.

“It’s just super unfortunate to see that people are trying to actively take us backwards when really, you know, there’s no need to,” Gardin said.

Gardin said things like this bring motivation to people like him and Bichara to move forward in their generation to create opportunities for the next generation because “they’re going to need this now more than ever.”

Another former activist who is paving the way for future generations is 2021 App State alumnus Dalton

ns protest udents in

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13 George, a member of the Boone Town Council and the mayor pro tempore.

“I got involved at App State because there was just a community and an environment that really lended itself to it,” George said. “I mean, both on-campus and off-campus organizations were very much fueled by young people.”

As a student, George advocated for different causes such as sustainability, voting rights and housing. He noticed the challenges people faced, such as unsuitable living conditions, but people never stayed around in Boone to try and resolve them. Advocating for issues people faced inspired George to run for a seat on the Boone Town Council, leading him to become the youngest person appointed at 22 years old.

“A lot of people have started important fights here in Boone and Watauga County, but had to leave for whatever reason,” George said. “I want to keep fighting.”

In his position, George continues

to advocate for the things he did as a student and is able to push for changes in the community by bringing the issues to the town council such as the use of plastics, housing ordinances and advocating for tenants affected by Hurricane Helene.

“It continues. It’s just in a different way,” George said.

Some advice Gardin and Bichara said student activists should remember is that although student activism is important, one should still experience college to the fullest, make the most out of your time and to take care of yourself. Bichara also advises student activists to realize that activism can come in many forms, such as internal joy and peace.

“Being a young adult, being a student, that is a form of activism,” Bichara said.

Additionally, Gardin said one reason why the collective was successful was because they worked strategically in ways such as knowing when to make statements, when and where to apply pressure, building the

right relationships and more.

“I think we were able to help give people a voice by applying constant pressure and just doing the best that we can to fight the good fight because ultimately it’s why you always want to be able to make the big change,” Gardin said.

They both also said for student activists to recognize that the work they put in “doesn’t go unseen” and does have an impact now and in the future.

“I think while we did the work we did on campus we knew that it wasn’t just about us, that people did work before us that put us in the position to be able to do the work that we were doing would impact people down the line,” Bichara said. “It’s important work, so keep doing it.”

George shared a similar sentiment, saying student activists should know their reason for advocating and should listen and speak to others to understand what other people are experiencing.

“Figuring out what injustice is out

Students and members of the Black at App State Collective stand outside BB Dougherty Administration Building, where protesters were issued warnings of arrests and citations for refusing to leave the interior of the building after 5 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2020.

Photo by Jesse Barber

there and I guess biting on to it, not letting go,” George said.

As an alumnus of both the collective and App State, Gardin said during his time advocating they called for the resignation of the chancellor.

With new leadership at the university, he hopes to see them work to find ways to support their student body, faculty and staff.

Although no longer a student, with DEI initiatives being cut, Bichara challenges the university to “step up” and show its support for marginalized communities even though legislation has changed.

As students come and go in the university, changes are inevitable.

With college being a few years out of one’s life, Bichara said this: “Get from it with what you can get from it.

Enjoy what you can enjoy. Fight what you can fight.”

ClimACT and its supporters marched across campus Sept. 24, 2021, after attending the board of trustees meeting that day to demand climate action.

Photo by Becca Bridges

A speaker makes a speech on Sanford Mall after App State’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action held a solidarity march to support reproductive rights, in response to Texas’s new anti-abortion law Sept. 13, 2021.

Photo by Jesse Barber

14

October 17, 2024

Dan’l Boone Inn fosters family through history Meg Frantz | Associate A&C Editor

Server Sarah Fredenburg poses next to handmade quilts featured on the Daniel Boone Inn’s walls on Sept. 20.

Photo by Nicole Evans

Employee Jenny Cole smiles in front of the Daniel Boone Inn on Sept. 25. She has been working at the restaurant for over 12 years.

Photo of Nicole Evans

Head Chef Richard Coffey smiles in the dining room of the Daniel Boone Inn on Sept. 20. The inn’s menu features Coffey’s family recipes.

Photo by Nicole Evans

On the corner of King Street and Hardin Street, there is a white, wooden building with columns adorning the front. Walk up a stone pathway surrounded by a garden of flora and fauna to enter a place that preserves the past in its food and multifaceted history.

Dan’l Boone Inn was not always a southern family-style restaurant.

It was built in 1925 on land worth approximately $1.38 million, according to Watauga tax records. It began as Boone’s first hospital and was a residence and office to Dr. R.K. Bingham.

The building was then a housing option for App State professors, or what App State was known as then, Appalachian State Teachers College Daniel Boone Inn didn’t only serve as housing in the early days of the establishment. In the Sept. 13, 1977, edition of The Appalachian, it was reported that Daniel Boone Inn acted as a boarding house for students as another option as opposed to oncampus housing.

The housing option hosted

approximately 40 students, and it was coined “living at Daniel Boone.”

The students featured in the 1977 article, written by Staff Writer Jocelyn Clayton, described it as “quieter than the dorms” and a place where “everybody gets along real good.” One student said it was closer to the dining hall than the other dorms. What every interviewee mentioned in common was the homey atmosphere.

The homey atmosphere of the establishment remained when the Whitaker family bought the building in 1959 and changed it into a familystyle restaurant, most famous for its biscuits.

Ordering at the restaurant is different from other places, as patrons pay a flat fee and receive everything on the breakfast or dinner menu depending on the time of day they visit. All dinner meals start with a salad if it is summertime or soup if it is wintertime.

Daniel Boone Inn also does catering and takeout, and Richard Coffey — the head chef of the restaurant and employee for almost 39

years — said older generations tend to opt for dining in and students tend to opt for takeout. Coffey uses his family’s recipes in the restaurant.

“My mom’s and my grandparents’ chicken and dumpling recipe, we use that in the winter,” Coffey said. “And then a lot of the food we have here I had at home all the time.”

In keeping with the family tradition, the female servers are required to wear dresses that resemble southern, prairie tradition and an apron around the bottom half of the dress.

Coffey said that while the uniform has changed over the years, it has always reflected older generations to honor the tradition of southern women wearing dresses and aprons in the kitchen.

Sarah Fredenburg, a 2024 Watauga High School graduate and server at the restaurant, said she conducts herself in a professional but friendly manner to follow along with the family-style food and atmosphere of the restaurant.

“The hardest part would be the

fast-paced work of the environment with it being a high-demand restaurant,” Fredenburg said. “The most rewarding would be the outside connections you can make with people you work with, the financial benefits and improving communication skills with customers.”

Fredenburg said she has served customers who have dined at Daniel Boone Inn since the 1970s and who admire the tradition the restaurant upholds.

While Daniel Boone Inn has held strong amid changing owners and services offered, it has not been free of challenges.

Server and hostess Jenny Cole said during the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniel Boone Inn had to shut down for four months and she lived from paycheck to paycheck. Regardless, Cole said the current owner, Jeff Shellman, worked to continue the family Daniel Boone Inn fostered even when quarantine protocols hit.

“He emailed everybody and said ‘You need a box of food? Drive through the parking lot,’ and that’s what he did for us every week,” Cole said. “He had food we could really use, food like cereal and eggs and loaf bread and stuff like that because college kids don’t cook but they can handle macaroni and cheese.”

Cole added she was living with her granddaughter at the time and though it was hard, Shellman did everything he could to assuage employees and keep their spirits up.

“He takes good care of us,” Cole said. “We’re his team and he looks after us and he’s been one of the greatest people you could ever work for for sure.”

October 17, 2024

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E-News from the ground up: Celebrating 30 years of Boone’s classic coffee shop Jenna Guzman | Editor-in-Chief

Over 30 years ago, one would walk into the small building on Howard Street and smell the rubber of tires and see cars and other equipment for sale. Today, people walk into that same building, smell the aroma of coffee grounds, ask for a white chocolate mocha and sit down at the same table someone sat at decades before them.

What originally started as Espresso News and Mosaic Books in October of 1994, founded by Mark DeBroder and Teresa Webb, now celebrates its 30th anniversary this October as Espresso News.

The building, which is about 90 years old, was originally home to Winkler Motor Co., where Ford Tractors were displayed in the windows.

Once the original owners of Espresso News obtained the building, guests could walk in and be met with the black and white checkeredtiled floor, newspapers and over 450 magazines available for customers to read or purchase. Back then, a small cup of coffee was 94 cents and a large was $1.27 — refills were also free.

Uijin Park is the owner of Espresso News. He first stepped foot into the shop in 1994 and started working as a barista in 1997 after one of the former owners noticed him seated and asked if he wanted a job.

He never planned on becoming the owner of the coffee shop, as at the time he envisioned himself going to grad school for art. How he became the owner, however, is something Park describes as “bittersweet.”

In 2001, DeBroder was diagnosed with cancer and was given a year to live. Before DeBroder’s passing in 2003 and with no experience in the business world, Park offered to keep DeBroder’s legacy going, saying the coffee shop was DeBroder’s baby.

“He was about to lose everything, and that’s a hard place to meet,” Park said. “But I wanted to keep it going.

And it’s been awesome in that sense

of being able to keep his vision and dream going.”

Since Park took ownership of the shop, Espresso News looks a bit different from what it did in the 1990s. The floors are no longer black and white checkered, new windows were installed and the magazines and newspapers aren’t sold there anymore as Park said the store lost money by keeping them. Additionally, the shop did not offer events such as live music back then, something Park said they organize and are open to today.

In the early 2010s Park turned the upstairs of the shop into a wine bar called Low, where guests could go to have a glass of wine or a beer and have a “chill spot.” However, after a few years Low was removed and it turned into another seating area.

Although Park said the first 10 years of running the shop were hard, in the end, it has become much more than a shop.

“This is my home,” Park said. “If I get in the car, I will always drive here.”

Today the upstairs of the shop is now closed off as it is being turned into an apartment for Park and his family.

“That’s how much I love this place that I’m going to live here,” Park said.

“And people are like, ‘Oh you’re going to be at work,’ and I’m like, ‘Dude that’s going to be awesome!’”

Despite some of the physical changes, some things within the shop have remained the same since its opening.

Some of the tables people sit at in the shop today were made by DeBroder and have been there since the store’s opening. Additionally, Park said he’s kept DeBroder’s vision alive by continuing to have everything handcrafted from roasting the coffee in-store to making the pastries from scratch.

“None of those things I wanted to change,” Park said. “I was like, ‘That’s great. That’s what we want to do.’”

Another aspect Park has aimed to

keep the same is how employees are treated. He said DeBroder “treated you like a human at all times,” an idea Park stands by and said everyone, including himself, is friends with everyone.

He said most employees work at the shop for a minimum of four years to a decade, and he attributes the low turnover rate to a positive working environment.

One employee who worked at the shop for a decade, Brian Knox, even created the iconic logo found on E-News’ merchandise and windows: the image of a woman with glasses.

Park said who that is will always remain a mystery, but he believes it is a combination of facial features of the staff at the time.

“It’s no one but all of us,” Park said.

Those who have come and gone and the general flavors of choice have also changed a bit, as DeBroder told The Appalachian in 1995, “We appeal generally to an older crowd.”

At that point, the menu was focused on drip coffee and lattes, but today it features a variety of drinks with different flavors and fun designs.

“We feel good when someone smiles at a cup of coffee,” Park said.

Espresso News has become a hub for everyone, from students, faculty and staff to locals and tourists. Even Park’s own children can be seen around the shop, something they consider a community, which Park describes as his favorite part about the shop.

“It is definitely like a big family of people that support each other,” Park said.

Although prices for a cup of coffee have changed over the past 30 years too, with each bean roasted and each drink served with a pretty design, Espresso News has always made it a point to have quality over quantity, and they believe in people over profit.

“It’s not the coffee,” Park said.

“It’s the people.”

The front window of Espresso News, featured in an article published in The Appalachian on March 16, 1995. | Photo by John Lane

A barista works behind the counter at Espresso News in 1998. | Courtesy of The Appalachian, published Oct. 13, 1998

Espresso News employee Anna Mae Black prepares a beverage for a customer on Sept. 25. The coffee shop has an extensive drink menu, including some seasonal specials such as the Chai Cider. | Photo by Taylor Ward

16

October 17, 2024

App State football: Honoring the past, building the future Davis Lemons | Reporter

Coach Edward Cameron Duggins standing at College Field during his time at App State starting in 1939. Duggins led the Mountaineers to their first conference title in nine years.

Courtesy of Special Collections, Appalachian State University

For many at App State, college football has defined the college experience. For nearly a century, Saturdays in the fall have seen many of the Mountaineers’ most faithful flock to Kidd Brewer Stadium to see their team play. In its 96-year history, the App State Mountaineers football team has given people a lot to celebrate.

College football in the town of Boone, as locals know it, began on Sept. 29, 1928, when the Appalachian Normals, of Appalachian State Normal School, traveled to Mountain City, Tennessee, for a game against Mountain City, according to a Watauga Democrat article. The Normals would be shut out 26-0, according to the App State football 2024 media guide. Led by head coach Graydon Eggers, the Normals finished the 1928 season with a 3-6 record.

The football team started being referred to as the Mountaineers in

local papers around the 1930 season.

Starting in 1931, the Mountaineers played in the North State Conference.

This year also marked the first conference championship and first postseason victory for the Mountaineers, according to the App State football media guide. Head coach C.B. Johnston led them to a 9-2-2 season and a 15-7 win in the Charlotte Charity Game against the Catawba College Indians in a game that the Charlotte Observer described as “weird but spectacular.”

Kidd Brewer took over as head of the program in 1935, according to an article in The Appalachian published Sept. 13, 1935.

“Coach Brewer excelled in athletics while a student at Duke University, starring in football, boxing and track,” the article reads. “His record as a coach at Gulfport is very commendable.”

Despite his success as a player,

he is most remembered for his 1937 season, where the Mountaineers went undefeated in the regular season, won their second North State Conference championship and lost the Toy and Doll Charity Game to Mississippi State Teachers College, according to the App State football media guide.

The Mountaineers won their second bowl game in the 1938 season, defeating Moravian 20-0 in the Charlotte Charity Game. A headline in the Dec. 9, 1938, edition of The Appalachian reads “Gaffney leads Mountaineers to victory.”

“Coach Kidd Brewer, seeing his last game as Appalachian coach, used two teams to wear down the northern invaders, who lacked reserve strength,” the article reads.

Brewer left the program after 1938, ending his coaching career with a record of 30-5-3. Before a game against The Citadel on Sept. 3, 1988, Conrad Stadium was renamed to

Kidd Brewer Stadium, according to an article published by The Appalachian on Aug. 31.

According to the article, Chancellor John Thomas spoke fondly of Brewer, saying “Kidd Brewer was a consummate college athlete and a gifted coach,” and that “We feel it appropriate to honor this gifted athlete and longtime friend in this manner.”

In 1939, the Mountaineers won their third conference title, according to an article published Nov. 30, 1939, in The Appalachian.

Head coach Flucie Stewart coached the team to a 7-1-2 record before leaving the program. Stewart returned as coach in 1946 and again would leave after one season, according to the App State football media guide.

App State spent most of the 1940s struggling. Football was canceled for the 1943 and 1944 seasons due to the Second World War. “Those who were here when football was dropped from the curriculum must certainly be possessed with a hilarious feeling nowadays,” reads the Sept. 21, 1945, edition of The Appalachian.

The program saw success again beginning in the 1948 season, as head coach E.C. Duggins won the Mountaineers their first conference title in nine years, according to an article from The Appalachian published Nov. 19, 1948. The Duggins-coached team also won the 1949 Pythian Bowl and another conference title in 1950.

Duggins left before the 1951 football season. According to an article published in The Appalachian on Sept. 12, 1952, Duggins served as a Lieutenant-Commander in the United States Navy during the Korean War. He came back and finished his coaching career at App State with another North State Conference title and a Burley Bowl victory against East Tennessee State. Duggins left the program after the 1955 season.

The Mountaineers went from 1955 to 1970 without winning a conference title or playing in a bowl game. The best record the Mountaineers put up during this time was 8-2 in 1960 and 1968. App State left the North State Conference after the 1967 season and switched from NAIA to NCAA

Division I competition in 1970, according to an article from ESPN. The Mountaineers spent their first season in Division I as an independent before joining the Southern Conference for the 1972 season.

Sparky Woods was hired as head coach in 1984. In Woods’ five seasons as head coach the Mountaineers returned to their winning ways of the 1930s and 1950s. In 1986, led by star running back John Settle, the Mountaineers claimed their first Southern Conference title and their first conference championship in 32 years, according to an article published in The Appalachian on Nov. 11, 1986.

Settle ran for 1,661 yards and 20 touchdowns in 1986 and became the first Mountaineer to have his jersey retired at the end of the season, according to an article written by The Appalachian Sports Editor Jerry Snow on Nov. 25, 1986.

The Mountaineers backed up 1986 with a second Southern Conference title in 1987. The Mountaineers defeated Richmond and Georgia Southern in the first and second rounds of the playoffs before falling to Marshall in the semi-finals.

“Appalachian State established itself as the Southern Conference’s dictator by holding off Marshall 1710 and clinching its second straight conference championship Saturday,” wrote The Appalachian Sports Editor Mike Smith in the edition from Nov. 10, 1987.

Graphic by Rian Hughes

Read more Online

October 17, 2024

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History of Tailgating in the high country Fran Murphy & Trey Blake | Reporters

Saturdays in the fall are for friends, family and football, but some people’s favorite part of football Saturdays are what occurs before kickoff. Many students, alumni and people all over western North Carolina travel to Boone for the smells of burgers and barbecue on the grill and the sound of a sandbag hitting wood during a game of cornhole. Families embracing, children playing and meat to be eaten is what tailgating is all about.

A tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating, which primarily takes place in the United States and Canada, often involves consuming alcoholic beverages while barbecuing and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas.

“Tailgating means coming together to celebrate and hanging out to bring in something special here at App State,” said first-year transfer student Dylan Miller. “I come and meet new people sometimes and enjoy the experience they’ve had over the years they have been here.”

To tailgate on campus, App State requires a reservation two days prior to the game. Tailgating on Sanford Mall is reserved for student clubs and organizations to tailgate prior to every home game. Tailgating spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

For those who wish to tailgate for away games, a popular substitution for tailgating is watch parties. Alumni chapters are holding four separate organized watch parties this season at locations all over the country. While the first one had been planned for Sept. 28 against the Liberty Flames, Hurricane Helene caused the event to be canceled. Fans can register through App State’s alumni website.

Tailgating likely has its roots in college football, dating back as early as 1869 with the first college football game between Rutgers and College of New Jersey, according to American Heritage.

In the mid-to-late 1980s, students would park out in the west student parking lot before it was repurposed into the west side studio dorms.

“There wasn’t really the alumni

following that there is today so there weren’t many non-students at these games. We went, but it was more of a social event,” said 1993 graduate Grey Shell. “We didn’t watch a whole lot of football, we stood underneath the bleachers and had some beverages.”

While the first three years of Shell’s college career saw some teams above .500, his senior year of 1993 saw the team go 4-7 with a 1-7 start to the season. While the team was not finding much success on the field, students still found pleasure in the tradition of football.

“All the tailgating happened in the student parking lot which basically no longer exists,” Shell said. “From Trivette all the way to the stadium was just one big parking lot, so you can imagine, I don’t know, 1,000 cars or something like that, so just one big tailgate.”

While the parking lot tailgates are a tradition for many, some of Shell’s favorite memories of game days came from more spontaneous experiences outside the stadium.

“My senior year, we went up to the tower on Pilot Mountain,” Shell said. “There’s a tower up there and we just hung out for hours before the game and it was awesome. Easily my favorite moment of college.”

Moving into the new millennium, the culture of App State football changed into three straight National Championships from maybe reaching the second round of the playoffs.

Frank Aycock has worked at App State since 1987, and is a professor in the Department of Communication.

“There were some that tailgated, but they were real small tailgates,” Aycock said.

When Aycock arrived in 1987, the attendance at Conrad Stadium, which was renamed to Kidd Brewer Stadium in 1988, ranged from 11,000 to 24,000, according to articles published in Asheville Citizen Times and Johnson City Press.

“The games started around 1 to 1:30 in the afternoon, so there really was not a whole lot of time to tailgate,” Aycock said. “So people would frequent the different restaurants and things like that.”

While Boone was a dry town from

1949-86, Blowing Rock was not.

“I don’t think there’s ever been any problem with people having liquor,” Aycock said. “Even if you weren’t shopping for it at Food Lion or Lowe’s for wine and beer, they’d simply bring in their six-pack.”

Aycock said the mid 2000s is when stadium expansion, Student Yosef Club activity and tailgating started to take off.

“Once the game started being at 3:30 p.m. where people could tailgate all day, we began to see more and more tailgating,” Aycock said.

App State defeated the Michigan team, who was ranked No. 5 in the nation, by a score of 34-32 on Sept.

1, 2007. App State’s fan base showed up with more frequency following the manic upset victory. Home game attendance hit an average of 27,080 per game in 2007, rising from the average of 22,589 in 2006. Kidd Brewer Stadium set the Sun Belt Conference and program attendance record for the third consecutive year last season with an average home attendance of 34,734.

App State hit an all-time high this year with 21,570 students enrolled in the fall. As App State’s population grows alongside home game attendance, spots at some popular tailgating areas have become competitive and crowded.

Campus locations such as Sanford Mall and the under-construction Peacock Lot have been known to bring in many people for tailgating, where student organizations such as fraternities host parties. With Peacock Hall under construction, this has led many people to flock toward Sanford Mall.

“I think Sanford is a great place to tailgate, but when fraternities take majority over the tailgates there, it takes away from the other students,” said senior digital journalism major Sam Wilson. “I think developing a real frat row might fix this problem but that’s many years down the line.

For the time being, there’s not much that you could do because of the lack of space.”

Near the stadium, many student dorms have been renovated or constructed, including Thunder Hill and Raven Rocks, which have become tailgating hotspots of their own.

The bars in Boone, many of which are near Kidd Brewer Stadium, have a huge presence on game days as well, even for non-football games.

“Basketball is actually way bigger for us here than football is, a lot of that is our proximity to the stadium,” said Trevor Moody, owner of Lily’s Snack Bar. Lily’s is located directly across the street from the Holmes Convocation Center, where App State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams play home games.

“No matter what time the game is happening or who is playing, we got good basketball business,” Moody said.

With the Holmes Convocation Center setting the record for average and total attendance last season, Lily’s had plenty of opportunities for pre and postgame customers.

“There’s definitely a lot of people that go to the Rivers Street Ale House,” Moody said.

Ale House, Lily’s and other bars such as the Boone Saloon and Elevation 3333 are popular game-day locations for fans who choose not to tailgate to hang out before and after football games.

Graphic by Rian Hughes

As football and admissions continue to expand at App State, the sports culture that goes along with it will as well. But the true meaning of tailgating will never leave the hearts of Mountaineers for years to come.

“I think tailgating is about being around a group of people where I enjoy their company — eating food, shooting the stuff and having a good time,” Wilson said. “Whether it’s on a Thursday, Friday or a Saturday, just enjoying that free time with your loved ones.”

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October 17, 2024

Leah’s Lens: ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’: A theme song for the decades Leah Boone | Opinion Editor

If there is one thing to be true this October, it is this: you have either been living under a rock, or you know this month is The Appalachian’s 90th anniversary. For the last nine decades, The Appalachian has been bringing the Boone community and student population news, announcements, opinions and more. And you know what they say — everyone deserves a theme song. With the countless changes to The Appalachian and App State as a whole, it seems only fair for the evolution of each decade to be reflected through a theme song.

1930s: “Begin the Beguine” by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (1938) The beginning years of the newspaper could not be more different from today. Whether it be a variety of cigarette ads, an ad for Cottrell’s Quick Lunch saying, “Eating with us is like making love to a widow — you can’t overdo it” or questionable advice to freshmen, there are certainly aspects that would not fly in today’s society. However, some things never change; there was still a large amount of construction happening around campus and town 90 years ago. Regardless of any potentially problematic parts of this decade’s papers, it was still the beginning of a legacy.

1940s: “Don’t Fence Me In” by Gene Autry (1944) The 1940s were full of new advancements to Appalachian State Teachers College — Student-Faculty Government Association, a multitude of club gatherings and female students were finally allowed to attend nighttime movies. With so many improvements and new allowances for women, it only made sense for the song of this decade to be a classic, all about being free and doing what you want.

1950s: “Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis Presley (1956) Beginning fairly early in the decade, there was a strong emphasis on editorials and opinion writing.

Throughout multiple issues of the paper, a quote was written at the top of the editorial section: “Although I may disagree with everything you say, I will defend until death your right to say it.” The focus on opinion pieces continued throughout the decade, with comics, columns and comments galore. “Blue Suede Shoes,” a song all about Elvis Presley’s priceless dedication to his shoes over all else, including the line “slander my name all over the place,” fits the focus of editorials and the 1950s perfectly.

1960s: “Walk On By” by Dionne Warwick (1964) The Appalachian throughout the 1960s covered numerous topics.

Sections were introduced or brought back, including “Pick the Winners” for sports and “The Fifth Appalachian Literary Supplement.” The paper became longer, with small features and news blurbs throughout each edition.

It was an exciting time in Boone, made far more exciting in 1967 when Dionne Warwick performed on campus. Because of this event, naturally, the theme song of the 1960s had to be by Warwick herself.

1970s: “We’ve Only Just Begun”

by The Carpenters (1970) The 1970s was a busy time for Boone and App State students.

Student Government Association elections were underway, a budget council was created and James Dickey came to Boone. There was a stronger focus on campus and town news, such as the dedication of Walker Hall to John Walker and the expansion of the Watauga County Hospital.

Additionally, a large piece was written regarding Title IX and the reduction of discrimination based on sex. It was only fair for such an innovative

decade to have a theme song all about personal growth and adventure.

1980s: “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds (1985) The 1980s editions were filled with news for students in multiple forms.

Calendars were present in multiple copies, letting the students know about upcoming events happening around campus. The classifieds section was also prominent throughout the decade, giving readers the inside scoop on everything available in Boone.

Multiple editions also included “The Appalachian Features,” in which the most recent news in the media was documented. This hit song by Simple Minds is an easy choice for this decade, as The Appalachian ensured no student would forget about events, opportunities or Hollywood news.

1990s: “Bitter Sweet Symphony”

by The Verve (1997) As the country grew significantly during the 1990s, The Appalachian followed suit. In-depth reporting became quite prominent during the decade, with many stories being longer and more detailed than they were in previous years. “Newsbriefs” were incorporated in multiple print copies, giving students quick details of events occurring around campus, while the majority of the rest of the paper was dedicated to longer articles and advertisements. “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” a song all about the dichotomy of life, accurately depicts the short vs. long aspects of The Appalachian through the 1990s.

2000s: “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga (2009) In the 2000s, The Appalachian began to incorporate many more interactive components to the paper, including polls, quizzes and students’ thoughts about certain topics, as seen in the Sept. 6, 2007, edition. In the Feb. 13, 2007, edition, a section entitled “I Can Read” was published,

Graphic by Rian Hughes

which included a photo of a student reading The Appalachian. It reads, “If this is you in the picture, come in and claim your free T-Shirt from the Student Publications office upstairs in the Plemmons Student Union.

Make sure you bring a copy of ‘The Appalachian’ with you.” Due to the myriad of interactive components during the 2000s editions, especially the candid photo in “I Can Read,” the theme song choice is clear.

2010s: “Better Than Words” by One Direction (2013) A large focus was put on both photos and graphics in the 2010s editions of The Appalachian. When Barack Obama was reelected, the front page was completely dedicated to it, with a large photo of Obama at the forefront. In multiple issues thereafter, the graphics were the focus of the covers, and by 2016, the entire front cover was a photo or graphic.

These images easily drew readers in, potentially more than just words would have. “Better Than Words,” while not

explicitly about The Appalachian, is still an accurate representation of the decade.

2020s: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” by Taylor Swift (2021) In the decade of the 90th anniversary, The Appalachian continues to produce entertaining, fair and influential content. The front covers continued to have a graphic focus, with some editions having the beginning of the corresponding story on the front page. Nowadays, the photos continue to be the entirety of the front cover, with previews for what’s to come listed or incorporated in the image. An eye-catching front cover is all a reader needs to pick up a copy of the paper and immediately be drawn in by the previews, thereby spending much more time than anticipated pouring through the whole edition. Because of this, the theme song for the current decade was obvious — a long-awaited masterpiece.

October 17, 2024

19

OPINION: Party like it’s the 1930s this Halloween Anna Kate Mock | Opinion Writer

Graphics by Emma Getz

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Halloween? Is it an array of jacko’-lanterns, ghosts, goblins, witches and skeletons? A deep dive into the religious traditions that began with the Celtics and Anglo-Saxons? Or is it the allure of dressing up and getting drunk with your friends at a Halloweekend party? All of the aforementioned images have been conjured by App State reporters quite vividly over the past 90 years.

These facets, including the goings-on around campus during this spooky holiday, have been explored

in The Appalachian since 1934.

Following a plunge into the archives, it’s reasonable to question whether the parties have noticeably peaked at a certain point or another.

The answer lies in a search through 13 past articles, which resolves that the Halloween shindigs were undeniably superior in the 1930s.

In 1934, App State students embraced the dramatics of Halloween, holding parties that had faculty members pretending to murder each other, music performed by peers that added to the haunting

atmosphere, attendees dressed as everything from ghosts to goblins and girls acting catty as “no party was complete without the cats.”

The trend continued the following year with a Halloween party that featured a sword fight and an orchestra for means of entertainment.

The backdrop included spooks, goblins and witches stationed along the halls. Autumn leaves, corn stalks and jack-o’-lanterns cemented the aesthetic of the party, a result of the careful planning by master of ceremonies, Gene Wike.

In the same 1935 issue, the

supernatural aspects of Halloween were documented. Hallow Even, a festival worshiping saints, was “an eve of gayety and pranks because on the morrow all spirits, good and evil, will appear on earth,” which provided the religious undertones to the celebration. Through this lens, experimenting with witchcraft and mischief-making honored the presence of a supernatural influence and superstitious customs that have evolved over a 13-century period.

This article alluded to the complex nature of Halloween the parties of this generation seem to be lacking.

In 1938, a combination of 700 students and faculty members gathered in a gym covered end to end in black and orange crepe paper and leaves. Skeletons were placed for all attendees to take in. The party consisted of a costume contest –– the winning costume being Father Time –– tap dancing, the play “Knives from Syria” and live music.

By the 1940s, the Halloween parties began to be less elaborate.

An article in 1942 revealed the party planning was a race against time. The event was described as not spectacular but entertaining nonetheless. According to the writer of the piece, word of the party reached the president of the student body two days before Halloween, yet still remained relatively well-planned regardless of these circumstances.

The festivities in 1944, however, redeemed the previous years, with a host of ghosts, goblins, witches and pirates described as glowing with the enthusiasm of Halloween. The gym floor was decorated with corn stocks, pumpkins and multi-colored leaves. A “hill-billy band” played as the partygoers square danced. There were bingo games, candy walks, a mystic soothsayer and a house of horrors featuring dead men’s brains, eyeballs and bones.

By the 1950s, entire campus parties seemed to fizzle in popularity, and specific groups were left to pick up the pieces. The article “Girls in Lovill Stage Ghost Nite” by Ruth Foltz described Lovill’s halls party which consisted of ghost stories, pranks, their own version of a house of horrors, fortune telling and a costume masquerade. The outlier of this was a party held in 1955 held in the men’s gym. The line-up of events had square dancing, a talent show and cake walks.

By the 1960s and 70s, The

Appalachian presented more articles about the history of Halloween festivities than the actual parties.

These pieces cement the idea that parties drawing back to religious and spiritual narratives through their elements and activities are superior.

A 1982 interview of App State faculty talking about their memories of Halloween exhibited an assortment of experiences. One specific anecdote from an infirmary physician included an interesting perspective on Halloween: “Enjoy the Halloween spirit, but beware, because it is a mythical, evil thing that brings out the satan spirit in man. It always has and always will.”

While this may be an extreme take on this celebration, there are very real dangers when it comes to Halloween parties today.

Currently, the main focus across all college campuses on Halloween is the act of getting drunk. This holiday has become one of the biggest party weekends on campuses. A study reported that college students drank an average of 1.4 more drinks on Halloween night than any other weekend.

This led to more recent articles by The Appalachian covering topics like “How to navigate Halloweekend,” a piece written in 2023 that provides advice on how to stay safe during all of the festivities. Party culture has kind of detracted from the ways Halloween can be fun without alcohol. It’s hard to take in all of the culture that can be found in this holiday, or activities that bring the student body together if you’re falling down drunk.

This is not meant to put anyone down or discourage people from letting loose and having fun with their friends, but a certain child-like wonder and enjoyment in the actual celebration needs to make its return.

The article “Adult Halloween sucks” perpetuates a similar point, focusing on the nostalgia of Halloween as a kid.

Maybe it’s time to shake things up and party like it’s 1934!

20 Opinion

October 17, 2024

OPINION: The U.S. voting system needs reform, but votes still matter Allison Lehan | Associate Opinion Editor flawed with institutions like the

With the 2024 presidential election coming in blazing hot, the United States political climate has become increasingly turbulent. People in the U.S. are living under stark sociopolitical divides, the driving topics and most fervent defenders of which are entirely unavoidable on a day-to-day basis.

These harsh divides have led many U.S. residents to lose faith in the U.S. electoral system and voting power as a whole, a common reason for such feelings being cited as systemic shortcomings in the election process.

Many voters, especially younger generations, don’t feel like their vote matters.

It is undeniable that the U.S. electoral system is fundamentally

Electoral College and the general two-party system leaving U.S. residents unsatisfied with their country.

However, even in this flawed system, the importance of individual voting power is not up for debate.

When someone who is eligible to vote actively chooses not to, they are considered an abstaining voter.

One of the most common defenses for abstention voting stems from the organization of the U.S. election system itself: the Electoral College.

Through the Electoral College, the presidential elect in a given election is not chosen by popular citizen vote the way the term “democracy” would suggest, but rather by which party represents the majority of voters in a combination of specific states.

Because of this system, many people, especially in states that firmly affiliate themselves with a specific side of the political spectrum, feel that their vote

doesn’t matter if they vote in a way that opposes the majority vote of their state. Many U.S. residents believe the only voting that matters in U.S. elections is in swing states like North Carolina, where the majority vote could go either way.

From a strictly presidential election perspective, this reasoning has merit.

A vote for the minority party in a staunchly-affiliated state will not decide which party takes control of the executive branch in accordance with winner-take-all fashion.

The Electoral College makes it possible for a presidential candidate to take office without actually winning the majority vote of the country. This happened in two more elections, including the famously close 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush and the 2016 presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

This dysfunctional system provides U.S. voters with a false illusion of political autonomy and fuels the misrepresentation of American values in the U.S. government. Under the Electoral College system, voting power is unequally distributed. The amount of voting power a U.S. citizen has depends on where they live, which completely opposes the fundamental equality principle the U.S. Constitution stands for. It’s all about democracy for the U.S. until it comes time to actually organize the government. In what world is it fair to have a national leader elected after losing the majority vote?

Despite this counterintuitive organization, showing up to the ballot box in November, even in states whose population overwhelmingly opposes one’s political opinion, matters much more than one might

think. The November election is not only for choosing who will win the presidential office but also for smaller, state-oriented offices like the governor, lieutenant governor, state senators and representatives.

The president might have executive power, but these offices are much more consequential on a state-level and individual basis, and they’re more easily influenced by popular vote than the president. The candidates who represent each state are in charge of determining laws on issues like education access, firearm regulation, abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. In many ways, these offices have much more of an impact on individual rights than the executive-in-chief.

In true swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, there should be absolutely no question why individual votes matter. The term “swing-state” is used synonymously with “battleground state” for a reason. These are the states over which the election is determined, and even a tiny, almost insignificantseeming margin in votes can mean victory for a party.

In 2008, Barack Obama defeated John McCain in North Carolina by approximately 14,000 votes out of the 4.3 million cast. In 2016, Trump took the state over Clinton by just a 3.6% voter margin and once again won the state over Joe Biden in 2020 by an even slimmer 1.3% lead. In swing states, every vote matters and there cannot be room for apathy when it comes to individual voting responsibility.

There are other reasons why people choose not to vote, though, even in states where citizens have a disproportionately large amount of voting power. Misrepresentation of U.S. values amidst party polarization has also been credited with perceived disillusionment of individual political power.

Extremism has been normalized in U.S. politics as a result of accelerated polarization. The dual-party system has restricted its millions of eligible U.S. voters to a false sense of political freedom. U.S. voters are forced to choose between two extreme groups who claim to represent a generalized

set of opposing social and economic issues.

This rigidity of choice leaves little room for nuance, moderate reasoning and alternative ideas in U.S. politics, and it forces people to “choose the lesser of two evils” rather than using their supposed individual political autonomy to help build a government that properly represents majority values and interests.

A 2024 political poll by AP News discovered that nine in every 10 U.S. adults agree on fundamental American values. In a supposedly harshly divided nation, there’s a lot more ideological convergence than one might expect.

Because of these limited options, many people choose not to vote at all for fear of using their vote to inadvertently support something they don’t agree with. There is no one party that reasonably represents the whole of U.S. values, especially concerning progressive leftists who commonly report that the Democratic Party is still a right-leaning institution in the grand scheme of political ideologies.

The U.S. fervently defends the ideals of democracy while simultaneously disparaging the principles they stand for. In a system more aligned with true democracy, the traditional winner-take-all electoral system would be abandoned and state electoral votes would be proportional to state popular vote ratios, including third-party votes. Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that have adopted this system as of present.

This more democratic system would have vulnerability towards third-party votes, which some might see as a critique but would ultimately leave room in the electoral system for the voices of those unhappy with the two predominant U.S. political parties.

A dismantled Electoral College would have more potential for a departure from the two-party system.

Read more Online Graphic by Kayla Masterman

October 17, 2024

OPINION: Harris fell out of a coconut tree, Trump fell off the map

Christian Etherson | Opinion Writer

Graphic by Bobby Carter

As the 2024 election draws near, pundits and voters alike obsess over every angle with which to analyze the two candidates. One underrated angle is their social media strategies and the online support that spins out of them. While former president Donald Trump has beaten his last two opponents in the meme ground game, Vice President Kamala Harris is quickly catching up, even surpassing his peak in 2016.

With rising support and enthusiasm from young voters, she is taking up more of the national conversation while Trump stagnates.

Harris has crafted her persona as a foil to Trump: joy and positivity vs.

revenge and gloom, resulting in a level of organic online support not seen since his first bid for office.

Trump is no stranger to publicity.

From early dealings in real estate to later enterprising in entertainment, he has understood the importance of pruning his personal brand. Despite heavy business losses and bankruptcy, the Trump brand is still synonymous with success. This is due to a commonly cited mantra: “no press is bad press.” It is no wonder, then, that Trump launching his bid for the presidency in June of 2015 would lead to intrigue and polarization.

Trump began his fame with a slew of media interviews throughout

the 1980s, making appearances with David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King and others. His wealth and ego attracted viewers and left them curious. He used this notoriety to grow his brand into the 2000s when he created and hosted his game show: “The Apprentice.” This is where Trump developed his signature line: “You’re fired!”

During the latter half of the show’s lifecycle, Trump often took to Twitter, now X, posting several times a day in the same brash manner he would use to kick off contestants. This behavior cemented him as ultimately confident in his opinions and unapologetic in giving them, laying

Opinion 21 the groundwork for the themes of his presidential campaign just years later.

At the first Republican debate in 2015, the candidates were asked to raise their hand if they would refrain from pledging their support to the eventual nominee. Trump defiantly thrusted his hand in the air, the only candidate to do so. The audience erupted with thunderous boos and gasps as host Bret Baier reiterated the question, giving him another chance.

Trump responded with a smirk: “I understand, I fully understand.”

Not only did Trump posture himself as hostile to his debate opponents, but also to the Republican establishment itself. The outsider attitude that originally garnered jeers eventually won over the support of the party, as Trump coasted through the primary election with 1,542 electors, 982 more than the runner up.

In just months, the majority of Republican voters went from booing to chanting “drain the swamp!”

Trump had spent the primary season building an ecosystem of online content creation that churned out endless free press where it mattered most: social media.

When the election rolled around in November, Trump’s momentum was in full swing, particularly on sites like Facebook, Reddit and 4chan.

Through fiery rally speeches and a deluge of tweets, Trump was creating clippable moments that would be turned into memes and shared widely across the internet.

Despite posting at similar rates to his opponent Hillary Clinton, he garnered over double the engagement. In 2016, the Trump meme ecosystem worked in three key ways: amplifying perceived positive qualities of Trump, spinning negative jabs into positive views and relentlessly attacking political opponents.

For instance, on TheDonald, a subreddit with 800,000 members at its peak, edited compilations of Trump sparring with debate opponents and throwing insults were often shared.

Attacks on Trump’s prominent spray tan were turned to make Democrats look obsessed, spawning the “orange man bad” meme which cast those against Trump as parrots who repeat talking points from mainstream media.

Finally, nicknames like “crooked Hillary” or chants of “lock her up” served to turn his opponent into an

evil caricature who was unappealing to voters. By comparison, Clinton’s attempts at online relevancy, with moments such as “chillin’ in cedar rapids,” “Pokemon Go to the polls” and dabbing on national television, made her seem inauthentic and out of touch with voters.

With his army of social media followers behind him, Trump secured the presidency in a historic upset.

Celebration ensued across the social media sphere, with one 4chan forum poster writing, “We actually elected a meme as president.”

After Trump’s loss and unsuccessful attempt to cling to power in 2020, his social media sphere was still operating, although it took on a new tone. Trump’s rhetoric shifted from enthusiastic to vengeful.

Memes posted during Joe Biden’s presidency reflected this, centering around attacking him, and celebrating Trump’s authoritarian tendencies.

For example, “sleepy Joe,” “let’s go Brandon” and Trump’s 2023 mugshot became the most widely spread. Although the circle of online content was becoming smaller and more negative as opinions of Trump worsened, people thought it would be enough to secure the win due to Biden’s perceived cognitive decline.

This was likely true, as polling data showed Biden slipping, especially after his historically bad debate performance. Finally, he decided to drop out of the race and unleash a new challenger: Kamala Harris.

Biden endorsed Harris on July 21, and in the weeks following, a whirlwind ensued. With an aggressive campaign strategy, Harris stormed through swing states and was welcomed with packed venues and energetic supporters. In just five weeks, she raised over $500 million, signed up hundreds of thousands of volunteers and closed the gap Trump won over Biden. Enthusiasm for Harris skyrocketed, far surpassing her opponent.

This enthusiasm, particularly with young voters, formed into a meme ecosystem reminiscent of Trump’s in 2016. Drawing from the “brat summer” meme, compilations of Harris dancing, laughing and having fun were posted after artist Charli XCX tweeted, “kamala IS brat.”

Read more Online

22 A&C

October 17, 2024

Built by Boone:

Alumni reflect on the App State community

Abby Buckner | A&C Editor

Adam Church opens for Luke Combs at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 4, 2021.

Courtesy of Adam Church

Beyond Boone’s picturesque landscape lies glimpses of talent — self-starters and go-getters who have soared to success after stepping onto campus at App State. From music artists playing across the country to the youngest chair of a state political party in the United States to TikTok influencers, countless success stories have called Boone home.

Born and raised in Watauga County, App State alumnus and country music singer Adam Church said there is no better place to grow up than Boone.

“I was such a shy kid growing up, but going to school at App, all these teachers like Dr. Webb and Dr. Ballard, they were good influences to me, saying just like ‘Man, just be confident in yourself,’” Church said.

Church graduated from App State in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. As a student, he played gigs around Boone until his first official show at Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub — now SouthEnd Brewing Co. — caused aspiring musician Luke Combs to message him on Facebook asking for help with performing music.

“We joined forces and played our

first cover song of ‘I Don’t Want This Night To End,’ that’s kind of how we started this whole shebang,” Church said.

Church said it never bothers him when people ask about Combs and their history together.

“Luke always tells me like ‘Dude, no one can take this story away from you man, it’s as real as it gets,’” Church said. “No matter what happens with music for both of us it goes back to that music video, you know. I’m in North Carolina, he’s taking over the world, and we just love what we get to do.”

Church is no stranger to traveling off the mountain to write and produce music in Nashville and beyond. He said he has no regrets about living and raising his family here and feels like he can live his dreams in Boone no matter what.

“The Watauga County vibe of humanity and how nice people are, everyone here is willing to give a hand, it’s a hard place to leave,” Church said. “There’s just an aura in the town, there’s nothing like Boone and App State and the love that you get from a place like it.”

For one 2019 alumna, App State was not her first choice for college but was something she fell in love with and quickly got involved in. During her time at App State, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton was a member of the Student Government Association, Kappa Delta and was an orientation leader.

“I just got very involved at App, but there were also times I think that I really tested the boundaries of that university,” Clayton said. “I may have ruffled quite a bit of feathers.”

While searching for internships her junior year, Clayton connected with her freshman year orientation leader, Thomas Gallagher, who had previously been an intern at Emily’s List. She applied and got accepted, which she credits partially to those who came before her.

“Appalachian students take care of Appalachian students,” Clayton said.

App State’s small-town college community helps students connect whether they are current or past students.

“I was in an internship class in D.C. that summer with no one else from below the Mason-Dixon line, it was solely students that were from Ivy League schools, and I was like ‘How did I end up here from podunk little Appalachian State?’” Clayton said.

“It was because one of us had gotten a foot in the door and held that door open.”

With over 400 clubs and organizations for students to get involved in, according to App State admissions, Clayton said the involvement through those clubs will open doors to career opportunities in the future.

“College is temporary, and everything you do matters, but it’s also temporary at the same time,” Clayton said.

The temporary nature of university life is something 2023 graduate Hannah Montoya laments, but something she felt prepared for by the university.

“They’re always preparing you on the next steps after graduation and

planning your future,” Montoya said.

“I think I was very well equipped to leave, even though I held on really tight and did not want to go at first.”

With over 4 million followers on TikTok and across social media platforms, Montoya is living in Chicago working full-time for Barstool Sports post-graduation from App State.

While at the university, Montoya juggled traveling for work and being a college student. She said in order to travel, she had to sacrifice a lot of inperson classes, opting for online classes instead.

“I kind of felt a little bit like Hannah Montana with a foot in two different worlds at the time,” Montoya said.

Montoya wasn’t often recognized around campus, but when she was, she

said it was always surprising. She and a friend visited a local coffee shop when the barista taking their order said they applied and went to App State because of her social media videos.

“I had no idea that you could have an influence on people like that,” Montoya said. “That was definitely one of the biggest moments for me.”

Montoya said it was scary at first, but she feels like she has adjusted to city life in Chicago. She said she feels like her courses and the Boone environment helped her develop the tools necessary to be a part of the real world.

“The air in Boone is different, it’s an amazing thing,” Montoya said.

“Those Blue Ridge Mountains are hard to leave for sure.”

Hannah Montoya poses in her graduation cap and gown at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Montoya is an App State graduate currently working for Barstool Sports.

Courtesy of Hannah Montoya

October 17, 2024

Faith and football: In the mind of Michael Hughes

Sports 23

Trey Blake | Reporter

When senior kicker Michael Hughes arrived in Boone in June 2021, only he and the coaching staff could’ve imagined where he’d be today. From an onside kick to cement a comeback against rival Coastal Carolina, to a 29-yard field goal against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, Hughes is cool, calm and collected at every opportunity that arises.

“I rely on my faith a lot,” Hughes said. “I know whether or not God has a plan for me, and if he has me go out there and miss the kick, that’s the plan. So I play off him and my faith to just play freely and peacefully.”

Coming into this year, Hughes holds the Mountaineer record for career field goal percentage at 84.6%.

He is also tied for second with Jason Vitaris for field goals in a single season at 19 and fourth for field goal percentage in a season at 86.4%. He achieved both feats last year.

In high school, Hughes was a multi-sport athlete, playing soccer, basketball and football. However, when it was time to focus on a certain sport, his coaches couldn’t let him get away from the field.

“He originally came to George Washington High to play soccer and basketball, but he was going to come kick for us on the football team a bit,” said Hughes’ high school coach Steve Edwards Jr.. “He was a very good athlete. He could’ve played receiver for us but didn’t end up doing that.

He also came in kinda skinny and small but once he got in the weight room he just fell in love with it.”

Hughes was a three-star recruit out of George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia.

Hughes had offers from Old Dominion, Marshall and his home state team of West Virginia, all of which he received on the first-day recruiting opened, Sept. 10, 2021.

Hughes did not receive an offer from App State until two days later. Hughes committed a day later on Sept. 13.

George Washington High School is where head coach Shawn Clark also graduated from before making his way to Boone. Edwards Jr. gave insight into their relationship.

“He felt very comfortable when Clark came to meet him and felt very comfortable with the George

Washington connection,” Edwards Jr. said. “Sometimes things have ways of happening like that. I think that was a big influence on him and after the meeting they had, Michael felt like he was being a real person to him, not just a text message like the other schools had been.”

Hughes’ true freshman season saw him mainly on kickoff duties while sitting behind one of the great Black and Gold kickers in Chandler Staton.

As a freshman, Hughes had his best season on kickoffs, averaging 61.9 yards a kick and totalling 5,692 yards.

His highlight during his freshman season came from the aforementioned Coastal Carolina game. The Mountaineers’ rivals had a 14-7 lead before Hughes caught the Chanticleers asleep, finding receiver Milan Tucker for a surprise onside kick.

“As a freshman, I definitely had a bit of an adrenaline rush, so being able to calm myself down and execute was the main goal,” Hughes said.

“When you go out there and do something like that as a surprise, you have to mimic everything that you do normally. Then you go out there and execute it; you remember your cues and what you need to do to complete it.”

His second year was his first on the field goal unit, going nine for 12 and a long of 40 yards. The 2022 football season was an up-and-down one for App State. A 63-61 loss against instate rival UNC-Chapel Hill kicked off a wild first three weeks. A surprise win over Texas A&M followed the UNC-Chapel Hill loss, and then College Gameday came to town for the hail mary winning “Miracle on the Mountain” game against Troy.

In the fourth quarter of the game against Texas A&M, the game was tied 14-14 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter before Hughes walked out to attempt to break the tie and go up 17-14.

“Being able to go in there when everybody doubts you and you have your back against the wall and it’s only up there, that’s one of the best feelings in the world because you have nothing

to lose,” Hughes said. “It’s very, very relaxing.”

Hughes hit the 29-yard field goal to give the Mountaineers a 17-14 lead. The Black and Gold never relinquished the three-point advantage and walked out of College Station with their biggest win since the Michigan kick in 2007.

After that game, Hughes’ jersey was temporarily hung in the College Football Hall of Fame.

As the football game grows, so do opportunities for student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, more commonly known as NIL. Hughes is no different but isn’t looking at it as a personal gain.

Hughes uses his money gained from the NIL collective to give back to his community.

“I did a breast cancer awareness donation and represented a woman who had stage 4 breast cancer and we raised over $5,700 for her and she ended up beating cancer,” Hughes said. “My grandmother passed away from cancer before I was born, so I have seen the direct impact that could have on a family, especially growing up.”

Hughes’ junior season saw the most success App State had seen since he walked on campus. Finishing the season 9-5 and a berth in the Sun Belt championship, Hughes had reached the goals he and Clark set when he was being recruited.

“I came here to compete for championships,” Hughes said.

“That’s what coach Clark promised me. A chance to compete for championships and bowl rings.”

Last season, Hughes also set a Mountaineer record for the longest game-winning field goal kick. Hughes hit a 54-yard kick as time expired to defeat the ULM Warhawks.

Hughes’ close friend and roommate during road games, redshirt senior punter Conner Maynard, was the holder of the record-breaking kick and gave some insight into what the two were thinking at that moment.

“We always find a moment before the kick to line up and it’s just honestly like practice from there,” Maynard said. “Michael just swings, and then, it’s just like practice. I think that’s why we’re so good at it.”

Maynard also spoke about Hughes’ two different colored shoes tradition.

“That’s just a Michael thing,” Maynard said.

“I could never do it, but he pulled it off.”

Hughes said the shoe difference is more of fan service than a tradition, superstition or a fashion statement.

“So last year, I ordered the white cleats and the left one was super hard for me to plant with. Our equipment guy gave me a pair of black cleats, and I started wearing the black one on the left and stuck with it,” Hughes said. “So, yeah, I guess I’m a little superstitious but fans seem to like it and I like it, so yeah, it’s a thing.”

While the season is off to a shaky 2-4 start, Hughes is a perfect five for five and a long of 36 yards against the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley.

“I could sit here and tell you a thousand names that have helped me get to where I am,” Hughes said. “All the coaches, teammates, support staff and most importantly God. Everyone that has helped me, I just want to thank everyone that has ever helped me.”

Kicker Conner Maynard holds the ball for senior kicker Michael Hughes on Sept. 23 at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Photo by Emily Simpson

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October 17, 2024

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