Tuesday, February 2

Feb.

2

2016

The Appalachian

INSIDE

BEHIND THE INK & NEEDLE

ASU GOSPEL CHOIR

Page 6-7

TRUMP VS. SANDERS

Page 8

FRESH RACKETS Page 9

Page 10

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THE TEAM Malik Rahili @malikrahili EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITORIAL MULTIMEDIA BUSINESS

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CRIME LOG CAMPUS JAN. 29

JAN. 24

3:30 p.m. | Larceny Belk Library

11:39 p.m. | Underage possession of alcohol Justice Hall A student was arrested for underage possession of alcohol.

Under investigation.

JAN. 27 11:15 p.m. | Larceny LLC Under investigation.

JAN. 26 8:05 p.m. | Burglary LLC Under investigation.

JAN. 26 8:05 p.m. | Larceny LLC Under investigation.

JAN. 26 9:59 p.m. | Trespassing Belk Library Complex A man was arressted for trespassing.

JAN. 23 2:55 p.m. | Drug violation LLC Three students were arrested for possession of marijuana.

JAN. 22 10:23 p.m. | Drug violation Hoey Hall Two students were arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.

JAN. 22 3:11 a.m. | Underage possession of alcohol Doughton Hall A student was arrested for underage possession of alcohol.

Justin Perry @justincperry PHOTO EDITOR Carson Fletcher @theappalachian VIDEO EDITOR Dylan Dow @zen_dow WEB MANAGER

N E W S

SAFE STUDENT PROJECT NEW CLUB OFFERS DEFENSE OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS

By Tommy Culkin SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

T

wo Appalachian State seniors are offering a sense of security to students and staff by equipping students with free pepper spray and self-defense classes through the Safe Student Project, a new club and local business they started toward the end of spring 2015.

Kristen Howell, senior marketing major and president of SSP, and Sara Bailey, senior risk management and insurance major and vice president of SSP, formed the club with help from the campus police in response to the violence and sexual assaults that were reported on campus last year.

“We just felt that was the right time to do it,” Howell said.

“I feel like there are people out there doing something about it, but not as proactive as they need to be.”

Howell and Bailey lead two hour sessions at least once per semester. About 30-50 units of pepper spray are handed out per session completely free. At retail price, pepper spray sells for about $15, Bailey said.

Funding for the club that allows them to give out free pepper spray comes from sponsors such as the Winkler Organization, New River Tire and Auto Company, Alpine Insurance Company and others.

Individuals also donate money in support of SSP’s mission.

The idea of handing out pepper spray came from a family friend of Bailey who handed out pepper spray to his friends.

After doing some research, Bailey decided it would be a good idea to hand out pepper spray to all college students, not just friends, since it is easy to carry and does not leave permanent effects on the attacker.

“You can’t really pass out things like brass knuckles or knives and be like ‘Here, protect yourself,’” Bailey said. “[Pepper spray] is also nice because it has a dye in it. If you spray someone with pepper spray it dyes their face for about a week and it’s really hard to get off, so the police can identify them.”

As opposed to weapons like guns and knives, pepper spray is actually the only weapon that

4

students are legally allowed to have in their possession, according to Bailey.

One of the struggles the club has faced is getting males to take the pepper spray for themselves.

“People should know that it’s not just for girls,” Howell said. “A lot of guys will be like ‘I’ll give it to my girlfriend,’ and that’s great but you can only fight so much. When someone comes up to you with a weapon there’s only so much you can do with a punch.”

Still, SSP is working to partner with the Boone Docks Mixed Martial Arts, a club that focuses on the culmination of several self-defense styles into an effective system, said Spencer Reeves, manager and head Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach.

Reeves said he met with the leaders of SSP at the Winter Club Expo and instantly thought both organizations could benefit from partnering, especially since all branches of martial arts were founded as a reason to give people the confidence and technical ability to protect themselves in a worst case scenario of physical confrontation.

“I believe that everyone, in school or not, has the right to feel safe at all times,” Reeves said. “As someone who teaches self-defense for a living, I was interested in offering to help them out with training the people in their organization. After talking for a while, we found that we were all on the same page and are currently figuring out how best to come together.”

Currently, classes led by Boone Docks Mixed Martial Arts consist of about 20 students. Plans are being made to organize self-defense seminars for students.

“We are hoping to introduce people to the martial arts in a way that will give them some skills and confidence as well as encouraging them to continue their martial arts and self-defense journey outside of the set seminars,” Reeves said. “[We] take pride in knowing that every student that comes through the door is one less potential victim.”

Howell and Bailey also have

Kristen Howell and Sara Bailey of the Safe Student Project with some of the pepper spray they give out for free at the project’s sessions. They give about out 30-50 units per session and host them at least once a semsester. long-term goals that will help to grow the club as well as raise awareness on preventative measures against sexual assault and other types of violence.

Some goals include present-

ing at freshmen orientation and selling pepper spray and drink test kits through their website to raise funds in support of the cause.

“We just want to raise aware-

ness in general,” Howell said.

“You don’t think something is going to happen to you unless something does happen. It’s about thinking about it before it gets to that point.”

Photo courtesy of Kristen Howell

N E W S

THE HUNT FOR HOUSING RCP HELPS STUDENTS FIND OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING

BY TOMMY CULKIN NEWS REPORTER

Rent College Pads, a service that assists students in finding off-campus housing, recently came to Appalachian State University.

The service partners with landowners and allows students to view all the important information when deciding where to rent, such as price, number of bedrooms, whether they allow pets and more. It also shows when upcoming open houses are and helps students find roommates.

“The main goal of RCP is to simplify the housing search for students,” said Jeremy Schmidt, the director of marketing.

RCP currently represents 19 landowners in Boone, said Chris Hoff, the market development director for Appalachian State.

The service’s website allows students to search campuses by zip code and compiles available housing in their system on Google Maps. Students can instantly access online forms that will send messages to landlords and phone numbers are provided to call landlords immediately.

Hoff said the number of Appalachian students already using RCP is a testament to the service’s success.

“In the first 10 days, over 1,500 students have used RCP,” Hoff said. “This was a great response in such a short period of time. I’m excited to see this number continue to climb.”

The company makes a concerted effort to represent small, independent landowners rather than just big companies. Schmidt says this is an important part of RCP’s mission statement.

“Big, national conglomerates are already very visible,” Schmidt said. “Mom and Pop shops don’t have the money for marketing, or they might not be able to do it as well. We find it’s important to help them.”

RCP chose Appalachian as the next school to expand to because it met the criteria they look at when selecting a school.

“We look for a high percentage of students living off campus, we look for growing enrollment trends and we look for college towns,” Schmidt said. “Appalachian met all those requirements.”

Justin Perry

Schmidt said the service was created because the founder, Dominic Anzalone, realized how difficult it can be for students to find a place to rent.

“When he was in college, there was a year when he had a hard time finding a place,” Schmidt said. “He exhausted all the routes available, and realized there needed to be an easier way.”

Over the past five years, RCP has grown from only being at Marquette University in Milwaukee to being at 30 universities nationwide.

In their second year, they expanded to the University of Wisconsin and in their third year they became interstate, expanding to universities such as the University of Georgia and Texas A&M. Schmidt said they prefer to be thorough at a small number of campuses.

“We find it’s important to form relationships,” Schmidt said.

“We don’t want to be one of those companies that works with you and then you never hear from us again. We do value quality over quantity.”

Schmidt said the company is a successful service because everyone working for them understands the situations that college students are in.

“We all remember how hard it is to find a place,” Schmidt said. “It shouldn’t be that hard. There needs to be resources available to students in these busy times.”

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A R T S

&

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

Tattoo artist Justin Norton applies ink to a tattoo on Jason Korff at Speakeasy Tattoo Company on Feb 30.

THE ARTISTS BEHIND THE NEEDLE

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attoo artist Greg Kinnamon opened Speakeasy Tattoo Company on King Street in 2008. With the recent closing of Ink Link Tattoo and rebranding of Joker’s Asylum on NC Highway 105, Speakeasy holds a monopoly on the industry for Appalachian State students and the accompanying local population.

Four artists hold space at the studio in addition to Kinnamon, not including the guest artists that frequently make their way through Boone. Their names are commonplace even to the non-inked students on ASU’s campus, but each have their own stories, styles and motivations. Kinnamon was voted Best Tattoo Artist in the Appalachian’s Best of Boone competition last year.

Derek Lilly’s time at Speakeasy started two and a half years ago, after traveling from parlor to parlor on a yearly basis. Tattooing, he says, is not something most people recognize as conducive with traveling.

Before Boone, Lilly lived in Atlanta and dreamed about coming back to the mountains for a relaxing life and to “actually enjoy doing tattoos again.”

“I chose to tattoo because I can pay my bills and have a smile on my face at the end of the day, and so I can do something fun that I enjoy,” he said. His father was a photographer and his mother was a portrait artist. Lilly has always been around art, he said.

Like his mother, Lilly specializes in portraits and realism. “Not a lot of people can do portraits and that’s why I enjoy doing them,” he said. “It’s a specialty thing and there’s no room for error. I enjoy the challenge for that.”

Most famous artists have a particular tattoo style, Lilly said, although every artist learns dozens of differ-

6

BY KELSEY HAMM A&E REPORTER

ent techniques.

“For the most part, super famous artists have a style and that’s what they are famous for,” he said. “I think it gets boring doing the same type of tattoo all the time. To get pigeonholed is kind of boring.”

To learn, Lilly called tattoo artists he admired and asked them about their equipment and pigment. Once, he quit at a shop the day after giving the wildest tattoo he’d experienced.

“I did an octopus with the head of a peach on a woman’s vagina, with the tentacles going around and everything. It was gnarly – it was not cool,” Lilly said.

Currently, Lilly is working on half a body suit with jungle scenes and tree frogs for a client. Intricate tattoos normally take multiple sessions, Lilly said.

“A lot of people you have to ask, ‘Where are we starting?’ because they have all these ideas but … we need to have a beginning point,” Lilly said.

Cutty Bage started her tattoo journey in Albuquerque, New Mexico after learning to draw at age of 23 and completing a three-year apprenticeship.

“It didn’t take me long to get a feel for drawing, I was watching someone draw and one day it kind of just clicked in my head that it all made sense,” she said. “I never in a million years thought I would be able to draw or draw something well enough that someone would want to put it on their body.”

Her style ranges, but clean lines are found everywhere in Bage’s work. Multiple clients, like sophomore theater major Noel Harrold, said they are ecstatic to have a talented female tattoo artist in the area with unique work.

“I really like a couple different styles, like neo-traditional with solid bold line work and solid color fills –

kind of comic book style,” Bage said. “I also like black work, or dot work or tattoos that look like they’re etched in wood.”

Bage’s tattoos can be seen on campus with students sporting themes of women, Halloween and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Designing a tattoo requires picking the customer’s brain, Bage said.

“It’s different for everyone, some people are better at verbalizing exactly what they want and some people have no idea and need the help figuring out what would look cool and what wouldn’t,” she said.

Unfortunately, people do try to purchase tattoos while intoxicated or before thinking their ideas through, she said.

“There are definitely some tattoos I don’t want to do, like if some kid comes in and wants a pot leaf on their hand I’ll say ‘let’s think about this for a minute,’” she said. “I won’t do anything offensive.”

Even as a tattoo artist, Bage is still not completely used to the pain of getting a tattoo.

“I’m the biggest baby ever when it comes to getting tattooed and I feel like it gets more painful the older I get,” she said. “I mean, I freak out before every tattoo.

I always get super nervous but it’s fine. Once it starts happening I remember that it’s not so bad and that there’s a reason why I do this.”

Growing up in a religious family, Taka Cooper never thought he would be a tattoo artist. Throughout high school, Cooper took summer school every year and avoided paying attention by drawing on himself.

While studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, a friend convinced him to take on an apprenticeship that lasted only one month.

“I had in the back of my head an image of people

Chris Deverell

who tattooed and just in general this idea of traditional American tattoos and really boring stuff, so it never really interested me,” Cooper said. “I never knew you could do other stuff with tattoos until I started tattooing.”

Since starting, Cooper’s perception of the industry has flipped 360 degrees, far away from the stereotype of bikers and drug addicts, although there are “certainly people like that.”

“Different people are getting into tattooing. It started out as bikers and hardcore old school dudes wanting to do tattoos and now slowly there’s a lot of art students and even moms doing them,” he said.

“Honestly, anyone can do tattoos if they get the right practice and the right training.”

Cooper is covered in his own work from the knees up, and has also tattooed his brother, sister, friends and many other tattoo artists, he said.

“I’d say my style is progressive Japanese, just because my mom is Japanese and I’ve always liked that kind of stuff,” Cooper said. “I wouldn’t say it is traditional Japanese, I don’t want to do traditional Japanese. I wouldn’t mind doing it, but I feel like my style is a little aggressive. I love cool, mean looking things.” Cooper has outgrown his dislike of traditional American styles.

There’s a lot of feedback received in a tattoo parlor that the client might not think about, Cooper said. For example, accurate tiger teeth need to be rounded because carnivores blunt their teeth while eating. Additionally, owl claws

are usually the same size as the head.

“I feel like the best artists are tattoo artists, because we have to draw so many types of things every day and you want it too look good,” he said. “You constantly re-draw and there’s a bunch of other people here telling you if it looks good or not.”

If asked about the kind of people who tattoo, Justin Norton would say that they are “mostly nerds.” Norton moved to Speakeasy from Louisiana a year and half ago and immediately recognized the positivity of tattooing in a place with “comic book stuff everywhere.”

“I think for many people there’s an intimidation factor when they come in and most of us are laid back people who want to tattoo,” he said. “The whole attitude since the ‘80s and ‘90s has changed.

We’re all regular people.”

Norton commonly receives compliments on his lettering, video game and music related tattoos.

Recently, Norton Derek Lilly tattooed “Final Fantasy” characters and Evil Knievel. Of the four artists, Norton took one of the more traditional paths through apprenticeship, learning to draw for the purpose of tattooing and discovering the ins and outs of the business.

“I learned how to draw because of tattoos,” Norton said. “I apprenticed for a while, and it’s a strict learning curve that leaves room for no error. You can’t mess up at this. The learning curve comes in during the apprenticeship and people get weeded out then, and if not then, in the first three years.”

"I did an octopus with the head of a peach on a woman's vagina, with the tentacles going around and everything.

It was gnarly – it was not cool."

Tattoo artists supply everything themselves, from their machinery to pigment, with the exception of their own room in a tattoo studio. Some beginners tattoo pig ears and pumpkins first, though it is nothing like human skin, Norton said. Most people begin tattooing on themselves, friends and family.

To practice, Norton attached a pencil to

his tattoo machine.

“At my apprenticeship I lucked out.

It wasn’t the greatest shop and they were just looking for free labor and never intended to teach me how to tattoo, but I loved it,” Norton said. “Once I got out of that, I found someone to teach me how to tattoo immediately. You have to build up from nothing.”

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A R T S

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E N T E R T A I N M E N T

ASU GOSPEL CHOIR: A PLACE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION K

BY MOLLY FLINCHUM A&E REPORTER

eith McCutchen, advisor of the Appalachian Gospel Choir, has been a faculty member of Hayes School of Music for four years with the choral department.

The gospel choir has been a haven for students of color to sing and worship in a style similar to the one they had back at home, McCutchen said. Though the music is always in a continuation of change, it offers a familiarity within its style and culture.

The choir was started by an Appalachian State student in 1974, McCutchen said, and the time period it was started in is interesting because of the state of race relations.

“The choir wasn’t in the school of music as it is now,” McCutchen said. “It existed under multicultural affairs as just a student organization first before it was under any official university entity.”

“I think in terms of the singing that the music either reflected things they did sing at home and were familiar with, or this new possibility within gospel music in which it is totally different than what their parents and the old folks sang at home,” McCutchen said.

The style of gospel music is changing in 10 year increments, McCutchen said.

Those changes are usually seen in the instruments being used as well as vocal delivery.

The choir currently sings in unison, where in years past the choir would have a variation of harmonies to reflect the way gospel music was being done at the time.

There are now around 15 to 20 students who are involved with the choir, whether it be for its religious aspect or the tradition of the music. The club participates in different expos the university hosts, and it engages in civic activities with various churches in Boone. They also host workshops for the community to participate in.

“The principals of the Gospel, the principals of Jesus that people seek to live out ...

Those are kind of highlighted in the music,” McCutchen said. “It’s a class for anyone.

It offers the opportunity to sing within a style and culture of a tradition, and a tradition that’s offered so much to American music and American culture.”

McCutchen said the club is a win-win in that it is an open class that also has a cultural dynamic within the university.

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Roy Cox, freshman political science major, said that he enjoys the family-like community he found within the choir as well as its diversity.

“It’s not just one ethnicity, we have different ethnicities so you have a wide range of songs you can sing,” Cox said. “We are not just all one race singing one type of music, we are very inclusive.”

Cox also said that he doesn’t feel pressured by his commitment to the choir. He said that people come when they can within their busy schedules and learn the music, and the other members will love and support each other.

“Another thing I like is that it’s cool to just end your day by just singing praise to God,” Cox said.

Shannon Alsobrooks, a junior psychology major, is the current president of the gospel choir. She joined the choir during her first semester as a freshman after participating in a gospel choir workshop.

“I have been singing in choirs since I was around the age of six,” Alsobrooks said.

“I enjoy the choir because I have always been involved in choirs at my church back in Maryland. The choir has in a way been my home away from home.”

Alsobrooks said that the choir was important to Appalachian State because it offers a place to anyone who is interested in any aspect of gospel music, instrumentally or vocally. She said that the group is supportive and helps individuals step out of their comfort zones in order to grow.

“Gospel choir is different from other choirs because gospel choir is the one place where you can sing and never be afraid to be yourself,” Alsobrooks said.

Appalachian Gospel Choir will be performing with the jazz vocal ensemble on April 22 at 8 p.m. The performance will include guest vocalist Nicci Canada, a jazz and gospel artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. McCutchen said that during this event, the musicians will be incorporating some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches and reflecting on the racial tensions and violence that has happened in the past few years.

The gospel choir meets in room 214 of Hayes School of Music on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Shannon Alsobrooks

S P O R T S

NEW FACES

APP STATE USHERS IN THE NEXT ERA OF WOMEN’S TENNIS

A

by Jason Huber Sports Reporter

pp State women’s tennis has a new look heading into the 2016 season. With four new freshmen coming and no graduating seniors from last year, the Mountaineers are facing a season of some inexperience.

This year’s team has three seniors, captains Clare Cox and Mackenzie LaSure who were last year’s captains as juniors, and Brianna Armellino. All three are experiencing their second season in a row as the oldest players on team with no seniors in 2015.

“It is similar because we were still captains last year, but this team is a lot bigger,” LaSure said. “The younger girls need a lot of leadership and it is really important to be together and rely on each other.”

After a 0-2 start, the team is hoping the freshmen are gaining some confidence with much of the season to play.

Redshirt freshman Taylor Bygrave, who sat out last season with an injury, won her first career match against College of Charleston two weeks ago.

“It was exciting,” Bygrave said. “Being my first win ever in college, I was super excited.”

Bygrave, from Australia, has been making the most of her experience at Appalachian State.

“We didn’t have tennis in high school in Australia,” Bygrave said. “Coming here is an exciting new opportunity.”

Freshman Heidi Swope has showed her teammates she will be a difficult opponent in the future. Swope put up a tough fight against No. 4 UNC, falling 3-6, 5-7 in the Mountaineers first match, and pairing up with senior captain Cox in a long doubles match against College of Charleston.

“Pairing up with Heidi hopefully helped build up her confidence,” Cox said. “That is what she needs as a fresh-

man – to build confidence in winning.

It is hard as a freshman to experience winning and hopefully the tight match helped her out.”

Cox and Swope’s double match was not the first senior-freshman duo that head coach Colin Crothers has paired up this season. LaSure and freshman Remi Andre paired up in the team’s first match against UNC. “I just try to tell the freshmen to remember why they are here and to stay focused,” LaSure said. “They have to realize they worked hard to get to this level and everyday is a new opportunity.”

Crothers spoke about how in junior tennis, doubles are not played as much so this is a new experience for most of the freshmen.

“The experience from the seniors hopefully teaches the freshmen,” Crothers said. “We have a good set up of freshmen and upperclassmen.”

Adjusting to college life is difficult for anyone, especially so when playing a Division I sport, but with four freshmen on the team the adjustment has been a bit smoother.

“Other girls are going in the same situation as you,” Swope said. “There were some girls who came in this spring who had a harder time transitioning but having the girls in the same position as you really helps.”

While freshmen like Swope and Bygrave have competed this winter already, Crothers is aware that it’s going to be hard to get everyone playing time with such a large team.

“We have a young team and a very big team,” Crothers said. “It’s going to be hard to get playing time but I try to make it fair and have as many challenge matches as I can. The freshmen have been stepping up.”

With all the new faces on the team,

Photo courtesy of DC Mayo/Appalachian State Athletics

Freshman Taylor Bygrave (above) and Heidi Swope (below) return shots during their home opener on Jan.16 at Yonahlossee Tennis Club.

the seniors realize this year is more about building for the future.

“There are a lot of new people on the team and it is hard to balance with different dynamics,” Cox said. “Normally it doesn’t get better until the middle of the season but it has been tough trying to adjust some.”

On the coaching side, this isn’t Crothers’ first rodeo and his expectations are high for the team.

“This is my 18th year, so I have seen everything,” Crothers said. “I’ve been in this situation and hopefully the expectation is they will learn from others.”

With Cox and LaSure helping pave the way for the Mountaineers’ new players, the future looks bright for the team if everyone stays focused.

“They just need to have a good attitude and stay positive, no girl drama,” Cox said.

Teaching the freshmen will not be the seniors’ only focus this season. They’ll also be looking to end their Mountaineer career on a strong note.

“Everything is my last. Each time I play a certain team it is my last and it drives you more,” LaSure said. “It makes you more focused and committed because the reality of it being your last time makes you want to go out with a bang and a winning season.”

The Mountaineers have a lot to focus on this season, from helping the freshmen to winning their conference, but as long they stay focused it should be a very intriguing season.

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O P I N I O N

TRUMP, SANDERS: STRIKING SIMILARITIES

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BY QUENTIN RUSSELL OPINION WRITER

iding high on the tides of anger and frustration, one candidate this year has seen a massive surge in the polls.

Born the son of immigrants in a borough of New York, this man is doing his best to win the nomination for his party.

Confident, daring and bold, he takes everything that the establishment throws against him and tosses it aside as if it means nothing to him.

An outsider, he may be running for the party’s nomination, but he is not of the party. If he were to be elected it would be due to a revolution, a massive movement of people heading to the polls in support of him.

He doesn’t toe the party line. In fact, it seems that he goes out of his way to trample the line.

A rather divisive point in his campaign is his stance on immigration. He feels that open borders hurt workers and that there should be restrictions on them.

In the beginning, it seemed as if he didn’t have a chance. Many people laughed at him and said that he was fighting a losing battle, that he was seen as a joke.

But through his dedication and his inability to be bought, this man has risen to the top of his party and is surging ahead in the polls.

He has also been known for his rather distinctive, never-changing hairstyle.

And while he might deny it to the ends of the earth, his campaign and political stances are rather similar to Donald Trump’s.

Indeed, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are more similar than anyone, including the two of them, would like to admit.

Sanders is quite adamant on this, saying rather tersely in an interview on Meet the Press that his campaign is not like Trump’s.

However, despite his protests, the two have similar views and are going about their campaigns in similar ways.

In fact, when it comes down to it, they could be said to be two sides of the same coin. Both come from outside the establishment, using the anger and resentment of the middle-class to support themselves.

They have been able to capitalize on the frustration of the people to gain momentum.

The two have fundamentally differing philosophies, but their stances on certain policies are surprisingly similar.

While Trump is famous for wanting to “build a wall,” Sanders has said in an interview with Vox that he felt that open borders hurt American workers.

Both have said multiple times that they are frustrated with the current taxation system and that they would change it as soon as possible, although Trump has shifted a lot on this.

The big difference between the two is their stance on taxation and how they would approach it. According to Forbes, in 2011 Trump was in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, while Sanders has stated multiple times that he is all for increasing taxes on the wealthy.

It is on this point that it becomes clear that Trump, despite his appeal to the common man, is not the candidate who would support them. He is a man of the millionaires through and through, and his actions cannot hide that.

The reason he can't be bought is that he doesn't need the money. He was a millionaire long before most readers of The Appalachian were born.

Trump's campaign is largely self-funded. Sanders, on the other hand, has received support from worker's unions and individual donations.

The two candidates also differ in their stances on public programs, with Sanders being more generous in his support for those programs than Trump is.

He has gone on record calling out Sanders and Hillary Clinton for "giving away" too much in his October rally in Virginia.

Trump wears his persona of leader of the common man as a mask, while Sanders actually is that leader.

At this point, the two seem to be strong contenders for their respective party nominations. The Iowa caucuses will be the first in a series of many tests.

Time will tell if either candidate actually wins, but if they do and the 2016 ballot is Trump vs. Sanders, it is going to be an incredible campaign season.

Russell, a freshman Journalism major from Charlotte, is an opinion writer.

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LACK OF ON-CAMPUS EARLY VOTING SITE WILL REDUCE STUDENT TURNOUT

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BY LAUREN MERRILL OPINION WRITER

ith the upcoming March 15 primary election, a decision to remove the Plemmons Student Union voting site will cause a lag in student voters.

On Jan. 19, by a margin of 2 to 1 votes, the Watauga County Board of Elections put in place a plan proposed by Republican chairman Bill Aceto to remove the early voting site on Appalachian State's campus.

With the majority vote on Aceto’s side, there will now be locations at the Watauga County Administration Building, Blowing Rock Town Hall, the Western Watauga Community Center and the fire departments in Deep Gap and Meat Camp.

It is not necessary to have two voting sites within one mile of each other, Aceto said.

“The Watagua County administration building site is more than adequate to handle the needs of our urban polling location," he said.

But in 2012, 35 percent of all early voters in Watauga County cast their votes at the student union and it has been the majority voting spot for ages 18 to 25, according to wral.com. That is the typical age range for college students, so it doesn’t make sense to take their main voting site away from them.

In 2013, the board of elections combined three precincts into one at the Agricultural Center intended to serve more than 9,300 registered voters, according to the Winston Salem Journal. During this time, the student union served 3,660 voters.

In comparison, the county government building voting site had 1,889 voters and the Agricultural Conference Center had 3,791. The student union makes up one of the largest portions of the voters in Watauga County.

Given all this information, Aceto is very wrong.

Since the majority voting location for college-aged adults is at the student union and a large majority of the voters have gone to the student union in the past, having a voting site at the university is crucial to early voting if the polls want to see a large turnout of voters.

Though the voting site at the Watauga County Administration building is not that far, it is not an ideal location for busy college students.

For students, it is easy to get to the student union when you are already on campus.

It is time consuming and wasteful to have to go out of the way for a voting site that should already be at the university.

Parking can also be an issue for those students who live off of campus and would have to drive to a voting site. Parking spots are not always readily available on King Street and during certain hours payment is required.

Appalachian's campus is also easily accessible for everyone. Thirty-four percent of students live on campus, according to U.S. News and World Report, and those that don't are on campus at some point in their day anyway, making voting at the student union easy.

With a significant portion of Watauga County consisting of voting-aged students, having a site easily available to them just makes sense, one that would be easy to get to and wouldn't take us out of our way in our already busy lives.

Polls will see a drop in voters because of this decision. In order to get more students to vote, a voting site at Plemmons Student Union is necessary.

SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

App News is a service of the Division of Student Development. Email dycheab@appstate.edu.

Submissions should not exceed 100 words and must include the event title, date/time, location and cost, and a contact email, phone and/or URL. Announcements will be edited as needed and will run as space allows. Preference is given for events that are free or have a nominal cost.

A P P

N E W S

WHAT TO DO CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Nominations are being accepted for the W. H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion through Feb. 26 by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Development.

The W. H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion, named in honor of Dr. William H. Plemmons who served as the second president of the University from 1955 to 1969, was established by an action of the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees in 1996.The award was created to recognize the time, energy, skills, and commitment of students, faculty, student development educators and staff who exceed their peers in providing leadership that enriches the quality of student life and advances the education of students.

Students and university employees are invited to nominate a student or university employee for this award. Nominations may be made in the following categories: 1. A student leader who has provided distinguished leadership above that of other student leaders.

2. A Student Development Educator within the Division of Student Development for meritorious leadership in his or her work to enrich the quality of student life and learning.

3. A member of the faculty who has provided meritorious leadership through his or her work with student clubs or organizations, or work that enriches the quality of student life and learning outside the classroom.

4. An employee of Appalachian State University who has provided meritorious leadership that has significantly enriched the quality of student life and learning outside of the classroom.

For information, contact Dino DiBernardi,

Chair of the W. H. Plemmons Medallion Committee, at 262-2060, or Rita Wells at wellsrk@ appstate.edu. Visit www.plemmonsmedallion. appstate.edu.

GUIDED MEDITATION Guided Meditation hosted by Wellness and Prevention Services will be held 2-3 p.m. Feb. 2 in Tater Hill, room 155, Plemmons Student Union. No meditation experience necessary.

Drop-ins welcome.

Feel free to wear comfortable clothes, bring a yoga mat or pillow if desired. Benefits of meditation can include: a decrease in anxiety and stress, an increase in emotional stability and creativity, an increased ability to focus and concentrate, and lower blood pressure.

INTERNATIONAL MEET AND GREET The event, hosted by International Appalachian is to encourage dialogue between international and domestic students. The free event will be 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10, Blue Ridge Ballroom, PSU.

THE WELLNESS WORKSHOPS The Counseling Center presents “The Wellness Workshops: Feelin’ Good in the Neighborhood!”

Space is limited. Reservations should be made at campbellha@appstate.edu. Extra credit slips will be made available. Visit counseling. appstate.edu or call 828-262-3180.

• Test Your Mood: Mental Health Screening, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 10, Calloway Peak, PSU • Re-shaping your Body Image, 5-6 p.m., Beacon Heights, PSU

• Mental Health: What Stops Us from Talking about It and What You Can Do To Take Care of YOURS, 6-7 p.m. March 23, Price Lake, PSU • What Shape is Your Personality: Learn more about Yourself and How to Relate to Others, 4-5 p.m. April 6, Linn Cove, PSU • Let’s Get Out! Explore the Connection Between Positive Mental Health and Being Outdoors, 5-7 p.m., April 14, workshop will take place outside, email to register

SAFETY LECTURE “Shots Fired: Responding to Active Shooters and Other Threats” lecture, presented by Chief Gunther Doerr, Directory of Public Safety & Risk Management at App State, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10, room 110, Anne Belk Hall.

Hosted by the Appalachian Student Chapter of the American Correctional Association. Free and open to the App State community.

“WHAT I WISH I WOULD’VE KNOWN” The open panel discussion will be at 7 p.m.

Feb. 16 in Whitewater Cafe, Plemmons Student Union. The discussion features faculty and staff from around campus answering questions about relationships and dating. The event is intended to be a safe space in which students can feel welcome to share their experiences and frustrations. Hosted by APPS.

OUTDOOR JOBS FAIR The fair will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 17, Plemmons Student Union. Sponsored by the Career Development Center.

Go to http://conferences-camps.appstate.

edu/adult-programs/2016-outdoor-jobs-fair for more information.

PASTEL PERENNIALS FOR THE BOONE GARDEN Hosted by the ASU greenhouse and conservatory staff, the free class will focus on the selection and care of hardy pastel perennials for the High Country. This class is taught as part of the “High Country Gardening” program led by Jerry Meyer, a seasoned cold climate gardener and designer.

The class will be 9:30-11 a.m. Feb. 20, Biology Greenhouse, 211 Dale St. Email meyerja@appstate.edu to reserve a space in class. For more information, call 828-262-4025.

SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS WEEK The awareness week is scheduled for April 11-16. All are welcome to attend. Those interested in planning an event should fill out a project proposal as soon as possible. For information, email cavallaroe@appstate.edu.

FREE LEGAL ADVICE The Student Legal Clinic, in suite 324 in Plemmons Student Union, offers confidential advice, information, and referrals provided by a licensed attorney.

The attorney can meet with any currently enrolled Appalachian State student and can advise students on any issue that is not directly adverse to the university.

Make an appointment by calling 828-2628284. Information at legalclinic.appstate.edu.

TUESDAY, FEB. 2

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3

THURSDAY, FEB. 4

FRIDAY, FEB. 5

Faculty Potpourri Recital

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night

Kate Rhudy & The Boys

Winter Exhibition Celebration

INTAPP Recruitment

Turchin Lecture Series: Julia Barello

“Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” screening

8 p.m.

Rosen Concert Hall Free

7:30 p.m. room 114, Belk Library Free

5-6:45 p.m.

Turchin Center Free 7 p.m.

Turchin Center Free

“License to Kill” screening (1989) 7 p.m.

Greenbriar, PSU $1

9 p.m.

Legends $3-$5

7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

American Indian Film Series: “A Good Day to Die”

6-10 p.m.

Turchin Center

Square Dance 7:30 p.m.

Legends $3-$5

“License to Kill” screening (1989) 7 p.m.

Greenbriar, PSU $1

6 p.m.

Greenbriar, PSU Free

“Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

SATURDAY, FEB. 6

SUNDAY, FEB. 7

MONDAY, FEB. 8

TUESDAY, FEB. 9

Old-Time Fiddlers Convention

Harmonia Baroque Concert

Lunar New Year Festival

Mardi Gras Feast

Brad Leftwich & The Hogwire String Band

Kelsey Lynch Student Cello Recital

Celebrate Chinese New Year

10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Plemmons Student Union

7:30 p.m.

Legends $5-$10

“Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” screening 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

4 p.m.

Rosen Concert Hall Free 2 p.m.

Recital Hall Free

6 p.m.

Parkway Ballroom, PSU Free

All day Asian Bar, Park Place, Trivette Dining Hall Receive free egg roll with purchase of an entree, while supplies last

All day Rivers Street Cafe, Roess Dining Hall Park Place Cafe, Trivette Dining Hall All items priced individually

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