Thursday, April 28

Apr.

28 2016

The Appalachian

INSIDE

BASEBALL DUO’S LAST RIDE Pages 10-11

ARSON IN LOVILL Page 4

FUNKELSTILTSKIN Page 7

SENIOR GOODBYES Pages 9, 12-19

E T

C E T E R A

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

Charlotte Wray @_charlottewray MANAGING EDITOR Aleah Warner @aleahwarner CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Ignacio Martinez-Alvarez @theappalachian BUSINESS MANAGER

Carl Blankenship @carl_r_blank NEWS EDITOR Katie Murawski @murawskikm A&E EDITOR

Stephanie Sansoucy @stephsans DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Allison Bennett Dyche @allisonbdyche ADVISER

Lee Sanderlin @theappsports SPORTS EDITOR Kevin Griffin @theappalachian OPINION EDITOR

CRIME LOG CAMPUS APR. 25

2:14 p.m. | Larceny Broyhill Music Center Under investigation.

APR. 25 7:52 p.m. | Vandalism East Tunnel Sidewalk Student cleared through referral.

APR. 24 1:54 a.m. | Drug Violation Justice Hall A student was arrested for possession of marijuana.

APR. 24 10:40 p.m. | Drug Violation Intramural Field Drive A student was arrested for possession of marijuana.

APR. 24 10:41 p.m. | Arson Lovill Hall Under investigation.

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APR. 23 1:38 a.m. | Drug Violation Rivers Street A student was arrested for driving after consuming alcohol underage.

APR. 23 5:36 p.m. | Resisting a Public Officer College Street Circle Under investigation.

APR. 21 11:50 p.m. | Drug Violation Holmes Drive A student was arrested for possession of paraphernalia.

APR. 21 3:27 p.m. | Vandalism IG Greer Hall Leads exhausted.

APR. 20 7:42 a.m. | Vandalism Katherine Harper Hall Leads exhausted.

Justin Perry @theappalachian VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR Dallas Linger @dallingerphoto PHOTO EDITOR Carson Fletcher @theappalachian VIDEO EDITOR Dylan Dow @zen_dow WEB MANAGER

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 VISITING WRITERS SERIES The Hughlene Bostian Frank Spring Visiting Writers Series Events will take place with craft talks and readings in Plemmons Student Union.

Book sales and signings will follow each event.

• April 28 (with the Diversity Speakers Series): Poet, Memoirist, and Social Justice Activist Luis Rodriguez, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Craft Talk in Table Rock, PSU; 7:30-9 p.m. Reading in Blue Ridge Ballroom, PSU

WOMEN’S APPRECIATION GALA The gala will be held 7:30-9:30 p.m. April 28, Parkway Ballroom, PSU. The semi-formal event celebrates women in the Appalachian State community and will have music, guest speakers, performers, a silent auctions, and food. Proceeds from the Silent Auction will go to the Queen’s Foundation. RSVPs requested. Hosted by Ladies Elite.

INDOOR PLANT CLINIC A free plant clinic will be held 7 a.m.-noon April 29, ASU Biology Department Greenhouse, 211 Dale St. The ‘plant doctor’ and capable, gentle nursing staff will help diagnose any problems with indoor plants, and provide counsel on grooming and propagation techniques.

For a small fee, the staff can repot plants if it seems prudent, fertilize, etc., as necessary. Attendees may bring their own pots if they’d like.

No appointment necessary. For information, call 828-262-4025 or email meyerja@appstate. edu.

ual special event for men and women leagues.

The race will take place with check-in beginning at noon and the race beginning at 1 p.m.

April 29, Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Registration fee: $10. May be paid by cash, check or App Express at the SRC console.

The Color Run will be a 5K route through campus with multiple color stations. As the participant advances through the route they will stop at each color station and have color powder thrown on them. All racing levels are encouraged to participate in this event.

For more information including participant eligibility and rules, visit our imsports.appstate. edu.

YOM HASHOAH COMMEMORATION Appalachian State University’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies is working with a multitude of partners throughout North Carolina to organize several events around this year’s Yom HaShoah commemoration. The events will begin at 7:30 p.m. April 30 in Blue Ridge Ballroom, second floor, PSU. The commemoration is free and open to the public.

Appalachian’s commemorations will begin with a play, The Mitzvah Project, by second-generation Holocaust survivor Roger Grumwald. The play will be followed by a panel discussion on Germans of Jewish ancestry in the Holocaust. The play and panel will be followed by a question-and-answer period.

Hosted by SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Alliance), the show features performances by professional drag queens and kings from around the region.

CRAFT ENRICHMENT SPRING SALE The Spring Craft Enrichment Student and Instructor Sale will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 4 in Katherine Harper Hall.

Craft items for sale will include pottery, baskets, alcohol ink notecards, fused and slumped glass, jewelry, and more.

Parking is free for 30 minutes in the River Street parking deck.

assist in personal growth and success as a college student.

The group will meet 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesdays, room 306, Reich College of Education.

Email asmabt@appstate.edu.

TUTORING CENTER Visit room 208 in D.D. Dougherty and fill out a tutor request form. The tutoring lab is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday. Call 828-262-3060 or email apputs@appstate.edu. For more information about the services offered, go to lap.appstate. edu/tutoring.

FREE LEGAL ADVICE

WRITING CENTER

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.

Call 828-262-8284 for an appointment. Information at legalclinic.appstate.edu.

The University Writing Center (room 008 in Belk Library) will be open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, during spring semester.

Both appointments and walk-ins are accepted. Appointments can be made by calling 828262-3144 or by visiting writingcenter.appstate. edu.

NAVIGATING COLLEGE

FREE GUIDED MEDITATION

The drag show will be 8-10 p.m. April 30, Legends. Admission is $10 at the door.

The group will explore healthy lifestyle choices and the impact of alcohol and other drug use in college. Students are invited to the Wellness and Prevention Services office to join a mindfulness-based group focused on the impact of alcohol and other drug use while in college, incorporating resilience building, high risk substance use prevention and harm reduction strategies by way of stress reduction, healthy decision-making and group support to

Held noon-12:30 p.m. Wednesdays in Attic Window (room 137C), PSU. Hosted by Wellness and Prevention Services.

No meditation experience necessary. Dropins welcome.

Benefits of meditation can include a decrease in anxiety and stress, an increase in emotional stability and creativity, increased ability to focus and concentrate, lower blood pressure, a decrease in tension related pain, and improved immune system.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

SATURDAY, APRIL 30

SUNDAY, MAY 1

Tree Planting Event

“The Good Dinosaur” Screening

“The Good Dinosaur” Screening

Community Band Concert

9 a.m.-noon Durham Park Free

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

I.G. Greer Auditorium $2

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

I.G. Greer Auditorium $2

3 p.m.

Watauga High School Free

“The Good Dinosaur” Screening

“Back to the Future II” Screening

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

I.G. Greer Auditorium $2

7 p.m.

Greenbriar, PSU $1

Yom HaShoah Commemoration: “The Mitzvah Project”

Appalachian Lecture in British History

Indoor Plant Clinic

IM SPORTS COLOR RUN The Intramural 5K Color Run is an individ-

7 p.m.

Room 114, Belk Library Free

Hughlene Bostian Lecture Series: Luis Rodriguez Talk

SAGA’S MASQUERADE PRO DRAG SHOW

7 a.m.-noon Biology Department Greenhouse Fees vary

NPHC Stroll Off

7:30 p.m.

Blue Ridge Ballroom, PSU Free

Video Game Ensemble 8 p.m.

Rosen Concert Hall Free

7 p.m.

Table Rock Room, PSU

7 p.m.

Legends $5-$6

MONDAY, MAY 2

TUESDAY, MAY 3

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4

THURSDAY, MAY 5

Commercial Photography Show

“Hunting Ground” Screening and Panel Discussion

Last Day of Classes

Reading Day

“Back to the Future III” Screening

“Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” Screening

6-8 p.m.

Smith Gallery, Schaefer Center Free

Hosted by Red Flag Educators 6 p.m.

Price Lake, PSU Free

7 p.m.

Greenbriar, PSU $1

David Marvel Student Trumpet Recital

7 p.m. and 9:40 p.m.

I.G. Greer Auditorium $2

6 p.m.

Rosen Concert Hall Free

3

ARSON IN LOVILL N E W S

BY JORDAN BOLES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

(Left) The bulletin board in East Residence Hall last year. (Right) The bulletin board that was set on fire in Lovill Residence Hall this year.

A

n unknown perpetrator set fire to a bulletin board that covered the topic of privilege on the fourth floor of Lovill Hall which activated both the fire alarm and sprinkler system on April 24 around 10:41 p.m., Appalachian State campus police said.

The board was an almost exact copy of the board that sparked controversy last year in East Hall.

There is also a version of the board posted between McAlister’s and career exploration in Plemmons Student Union.

According to a university email update, no injuries have been reported but 40 of the 219 students that live in the residence hall have been displaced

due to water damage from the facility sprinkler systems.

ASU police officer Lt. Richard Hicks said some students are being moved to empty beds on campus while others are being housed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites.

Residence hall meetings were held Monday that included residence life staff, campus police officers and staff from the Counseling Center to provide support for students impacted by the event.

Students were told that so far the arson has cost the university $20,000 total in damages, and has been projected to cost a total of $50,000, Rachel Bowman, a freshman resident of the fourth floor of the building who

attended the meeting, said.

“The board covered a wide range of privilege,” Bowman said. “It didn’t cover just one race or one gender, I felt it was very informative.”

Beside the bulletin board, the RA had a notice posted that if anything on the board triggered them, they were encouraged to find the RA and talk to them about it.

Bowman’s room was not severely damaged, however other rooms on the fourth floor and those below sustained heavy water damage.

Taylor Ramsey, a freshman resident of the third floor, was moved from Lovill to Eggers on Monday due to water damage. Ramsey said she spent Sunday night and all day Monday

packing and relocating with the help of university staff.

Sgt. Fred Carrero confirmed that at both of the meetings held by the university on Monday, students were told about the anonymous reporting process.

Students are encouraged to contact university police with any leads or information regarding the crime. Any tip that leads to an arrest will be eligible for an award up to $1,000, according to an email from campus police.

Lt. Hicks said that several interviews were recently conducted in hopes of finding the accused arsonist.

“They are feeling pretty good right now about coming to a conclusion soon for formal charges,” Hicks said.

SPEEDWAY STAYS OPEN DESPITE PRESSURE FROM TOWN

BY SAMMY HANF SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Despite being issued a cease and desist letter by the Town of Boone, Mountain View Speedway still held its regularly scheduled races last Saturday.

The cease and desist letter was issued on April 11, stating that the speedway was an unlawful use under the town’s unified development ordinance.

“Prior to the re-opening of the speedway last year, the race track had not been used for motor vehicle racing for approximately 17 years,” town attorny Allison Meade wrote. “Accordingly, operations 4

of the speedway is not a legally nonconforming (i.e., “grandfathered” use) and instead constitutes a new use under the town’s unified development ordinance. Pursuant to the UDE a new use of land requires that the applicant apply for and be issued a valid zoning permit. The Town of Boone has not issued any permit approving the race track for racing; nor has it issued a certificate of zoning compliance allowing such use to commence.”

Meade warned that failure to comply would result in the town issuing a notice of violation, which would cost

the racetrack $100 a day in civil fines for remaining open.

The town issued a notice of violation to Mountain View Speedway last week.

Nathan Miller, attorney for Mountain View Speedway, said his client will be appealing the notice and that he is confident it will come out in their favor.

The dirt track received complaints from nearby residents after re-opening in April 2015.

The citizens' group, Watauga Citizens for Local Control, a chapter of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense

League, appealed to the town on their behalf.

The appeal was dismissed on April 18, after Boone Planning & Inspections director Bill Bailey testified March 23 that his informal guidance on the legality of the track was made in error.

The Boone Board of Adjustment voted 6-1 to dismiss.

Miller said his clients relied in good faith on Bailey’s guidance.

Mountain View Speedway's Facebook page indicated that they are planning to go through with events scheduled for April 30.

Photos Courtesy of Luke Weir and Eleanor Palmer

N E W S

APPALACHIAN NERD NETWORK HOSTS SIXTH ANNUAL NERDCON

(Top) Emily Chandler at her contact table where she sells jewelry during NerdCon. (Right) Ashton LeBlanc and Sarah Taylor cosplay at NerdCon. The event was held on April 23 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union.

BY HALIE HAMILTON NEWS REPORTER

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ix years ago Jessi Hustace wanted a nerdy community in Boone, so she decided to form the Nerd Network. To bring people together she decided to host Appalachian’s first NerdCon, Kyle Matheson, Nerd Network’s president, said “The biggest goal was gathering nerdy people into a single club and from there it just grew,” Matheson said.

Advertising for this year’s NerdCon consisted of chalk drawings featuring iconic characters. The artists behind this were current Nerd Network vice president Camilla Ekker-Runde and former student Aston LeBlanc.

“We included a drawing with each chalk advertisement, and we tried to draw characters that most people would be able to recognize, such as Pikachu and the Companion Cube from ‘Portal,’” Ekker-Runde said. “We wanted the advertisements to be eye-catching and relatable to our target audience.”

Matheson said that NerdCon is Nerd Network’s flagship event and it is getting bigger each year.

“We are getting more panelists and stuff like that. The first NerdCons were just about run solely by the officers of Nerd Network,” Matheson said. “Now we pay people to come here and do panels and discussion and stuff like that. We are getting more legit like an Aaron Moran

actual Con would be, of course it is hard with the entire Con being free but we are getting bigger and bigger just by word of mouth.”

This year at NerdCon there was a vendor’s room with 25 different vendors, a cosplay contest, panels, trivia, lip sync battle, the Video Game Ensemble club and other nerdy activities.

“My favorite thing is the vendor room, people come from all over and stay here to sell the stuff they crafted over the years,” Herman Li, a NerdCon volunteer, said. “It is very cool to see the same faces back here from years back and how they are still on their grind and making a living out of it.”

Matheson said that it is important for nerds to have a place where they feel they can express themselves and find more friends to connect and bond with.

“The community, that’s the biggest joy I get out of it, just noticing people that maybe you didn’t know were nerdy,” Matheson said. “You see people on campus all the time and you didn’t know that they were actually into the nerdy things you were. A lot of people find it hard to find other people in the community, so this is a way for everybody to be in one place and to find each other and establish connections.”

5

A R T S

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

FROM THE STUDIO TO THE WEB

Senior industrial design major Sheilla Sanon explains her capstone project. The cardboard is a model for a shelf with a drawer, box and mirror.

She describes it as a character furniture piece that describes her and her brother.

BY KATIE MURAWSKI A&E EDITOR

A

n industrial design student at Appalachian State University has made her own furniture design blog with the help and support from her professors.

Since its creation in January, the blog has gained momentum through networking with other designers from abroad on social media.

Sheilla Sanon is a senior industrial design major at Appalachian State University. She decided to start her own furniture blog, Dikore, as a component of her new year’s resolution to “work on projects independent of their outcome.”

She said that Dikore is a play on the word decor, which is defined as the furnishing and decoration of a room.

Sanon’s inspiration grew from the support of her instructors Alyssa Coletti and Richard Prisco, interim applied design chairperson.

Sanon said that Coletti really pushed her to start her own blog on the last day of her class with Coletti. Coletti is no longer an instructor at Appalachian State, but she still keeps up with Sanon’s blog.

“Sheilla’s musings and reflections on what she’s learned are definitely the most unique part of the blog,” Coletti wrote in an email. “But as she analyzes her experiences, trials and education, she has the 6

opportunity to take a second look at what she’s been learning and distill what she thinks is most important to her.”

Coletti wrote that she thinks the coolest part about Dikore is that Sanon goes beyond only talking about new products, trends and concepts. Coletti wrote that Sanon creates original content important to furniture designers and she also takes submissions from young designers doing good work who would otherwise find it difficult to get attention for their designs.

Prisco said that he does not read blogs but he checks in on Sanon’s blog because she is a student of his. “The blog is very nicely done and professional with good writing,” he said, and hopes Sanon will pursue a career as a furniture writer for a magazine.

Sanon is working on her capstone class with Prisco as her instructor. He said that she is designing a “unique” piece of furniture for her project. She said that her piece of furniture is a shelf with a drawer, box and mirror. This piece is reflective of her two older brothers’ personality as well as her personality.

Appalachian State alumnus Derek Elliot graduated in 2013 and is now a design engineer at Bernhardt Design. Elliot said that Dikore provides a great spot for potential employers or business partners

to really get a look at what Sanon’s style is and what she’s interested in.

“I think showcasing your work is extremely important,” Elliot said. “A blog is a great way to share your ideas and connect with people who have similar interests.”

Dikore is composed of furniture designs from various designers, an assortment of mental wellness articles she calls Zen and a design store. The furniture designs range from student designers to what is popular in the professional world.

Sanon said she is especially proud of the collaboration of various designers ever since the blog went on the web.

“Since current blogs and magazines heavily focus on professional designers, I want Dikore to be a place where designers, from amateur to professional, can share their ideas and projects with one another.” Sanon said.

Zen offers various articles on mental health in the design world. Coletti wrote that she especially likes Sanon’s musings and lists on how to make life better in the Zen section. Dikore’s design store sells designs Sanon has applied to Redbubble. com products such as T-shirts, pencil cases and laptop cases. Sanon said there are quirky designs that practically everyone in creative fields can relate to. Quirky

designs, Sanon said, like a T-shirt that reads, Frank Lloyd Wrong or a coffee mug that reads trust me I’m and industrial designer, is what one can find on the design store.

Sanon began the blog as a way for other designers to showcase their work.

People from various countries like Portugal, India, the Netherlands and United Kingdom have had their work featured on the blog.

“I recently reached out to a man on Instagram who I believed to be just another furniture designer,” Sanon said. “I later discovered he was a senior lecturer at the Cambridge School of Arts, an associate lecturer at Chelsea’s College of Art and an acclaimed designer from London who has worked with many prestigious companies.”

Sanon defines industrial design as the practice of why and how everything looks the way it does. She said that Appalachian State’s program is rigorous, but it is one of the best.

“When I transferred in 2013 I couldn’t draw a cube, I couldn’t build a thing and I wasn’t a confident speaker,” Sanon said.

However, thanks to amazing professors and hard work, Sanon said she has accomplished things she had only dreamed of.

Dallas Linger

A R T S

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

FUNK FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY FUNKELSTILTSKIN BRINGS ECLECTIC FUNK TO BOONE'S MUSIC SCENE.

Funkelstiltskin performs at Boone Saloon on April 14. (Left to right) Nick Lawrence, Travis Shoulder, Joshua “Bizkit” Upchurch and Erik Brandt.

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hat started out as a jam session between three strangers in 2013 has since evolved into a funk band on the rise in Boone.

Erik Brandt, Patrick Garnier and Jeff Carney had only recently met each other when the three decided to play music together one afternoon. It was their first time jamming as a group, but when two students heard their music and approached them about playing at a house party later that evening, they agreed and quickly picked a band name: Funkelstiltskin.

“It was definitely a trial by fire band,” Brandt, guitarist and lead vocalist, said.

“We had no songs practiced or memorized at all so we were pretty much just jamming for these drunk people at a party for hours and hours.”

In the three years since Funkelstiltskin’s impulsive beginning, both Carney and Garnier have left the group and new band members have replaced them to create an almost completely different lineup. Now Funkelstiltskin has four members: Brandt, Travis Sholder, Joshua “Bizkit” Upchurch and Nick Lawrence.

Sholder and Upchurch joined the group in September 2015. Sholder, a bass player from Raleigh and a junior sustainable technology major, transferred to Appalachian State University in August and posted an ad on Craigslist looking to play for a band. Carney was still in Funkelstiltskin at the time and responded to his ad, inviting Sholder to join the band.

Upchurch is the third percussionist that Funkelstiltskin has had after Garnier and Landon Powell, the band’s last percussionist before he moved to Charlotte in August 2015. Upchurch said he had only been playing the drums for a short Photos Courtesy ofJameson Midgett

BY ALEAH WARNER CHIEF COPY EDITOR time but Brandt encouraged him to join.

Powell is still considered to be a member of Funkelstiltskin’s, and he still returns to Boone occasionally to act as a second drummer during performances.

Nick Lawrence is the newest addition to Funkelstiltskin, a guitarist and vocalist who replaced Carney in February 2016.

Brandt said he and Lawrence had different guitar playing styles that blended well together and Lawrence fit in with the group immediately.

“We’re just an eclectic crew of dudes who want to share the funk with me and you,” Brandt said.

With a name like Funkelstiltskin, funk music is implied, but the band doesn’t conform to one genre. They also incorporate a mix of blues, jazz, reggae and even country into their songs.

“I’d like to believe there’s no bars on the type of music we play,” Brandt said. “It’s originated in funk but then we stretch out from there into pretty much anything we can get our hands on. We’re just trying to play as many different things but still have our brand of style on it, but not really have a genre slapped on it.”

Each of the band members have helped add to the variety of genres that Funkelstiltskin covers. As new musicians have come and gone, the band has adapted to each individual’s playing style and interests. While Carney inspired more jazz influences, Sholder has experience playing in a metal band and Lawrence has helped to bring more country influences to the group.

“We still like to hold true to how we sound as individuals,” Upchurch said.

“We are all exposed to different kinds of music so we can pull it off.”

Brandt is Funkelstiltskin’s primary songwriter, but the band collaborates on each song to make it their own. They

draw influences for song writing from Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and Kurt Cobain, and look to bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish for inspiration on instrumentals. Sholder said the choruses to their songs typically don’t have lyrics.

“It’s a jam along, not a sing along,” Sholder said.

By calling themselves a jam band, they give themselves the freedom to improvise in their songs as well. Paige Shaffer, senior exercise science major and a friend of the band since November 2015, said Funkelstiltskin writes set lists for each show but each set has room for the band members to get creative and change things up depending on the excitement of the crowd.

Funkelstiltskin typically performs their original songs at shows, but lately they have been learning and performing more covers. The band has performed with local rap duo Pragmaddix to perform hip hop covers or to play instrumentals while Pragmaddix freestyles over them.

With its current lineup, the band has gained more recognition in Boone’s local music scene in the last eight months than ever before. Upchurch said that when he and Sholder joined, they were excited to hit the ground running in a band that was already making a name for itself among college students. Funkelstiltskin had already graduated from house party shows to booking performances at local bars like Murphy’s, The Local and Boone Saloon, and on April 18, the band opened for Jonathan Scales Fourchestra at Boone Saloon to kick of his tour.

The band’s recognition has also started to extend outside of Boone. They have performed shows in Raleigh and on April 19 they traveled to the Blind Tiger in Greensboro to open for Imperial Blend, an electronic rock group.

“We’re gaining momentum,” Upchurch said. “We’re getting together a bunch of merchandise, and summer is coming up so we’ve got a lot of opportunities to play with some bands. The ball is rolling, I’m not going to say we’re about to blow up or anything but we’re here.”

The band is hoping to carry that momentum into the summer. They are booked to perform at Boone in Blossom, a music festival in Butler, Tennessee from April 29 to May 1. Brandt said he would like to see Funkelstiltskin perform in more cities in North Carolina, mentioning Asheville and Wilmington, as well as going out of state to venues in Virginia and Georgia.

Funkelstiltskin’s next project is finishing their EP with the goal of releasing it by Appalachian State’s graduation weekend on May 13-14. They have been recording a four track EP with Daniel Boney, a recording engineer at The Office recording studio in Tennessee. The band is still working out a title, but in the meantime Lawrence joked that it would be named “‘Subject to Change,’ so when it changes we can be like ‘we told you.’”

It is the musicians’ personalities and sense of humor, Shaffer said, that contributes to their success as a band. The guys joke around about their favorite songs being “the ones that smell like deviled eggs, that kind of funk,” and being “not only the hottest group, but also the hottest group.”

Even with the recognition Funkelstiltskin is starting to get, the musicians operate on the idea that their main goal is connecting with their audience members on a deeper level, and reaching as large of an audience as possible. Lawrence said anyone can listen to and enjoy their music because, “Funk is for the whole family.”

7

BATTLE FOR THE BELT S P O R T S

Members of the football team stretch before practice.

BY NICK JOYNER SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER

T

he App State football team is still working hardmonths after the season’s exciting conclusion in a 31-29 Camellia Bowl victory.

After a 45-yard fumble recovery

by Ohio against the Mountaineers in the third quarter, App State could have accepted their fate as a strong regular season Sun Belt foe, but not bowl champions.

All of that changed when junior tight-end Barrett Burns caught a 17yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Taylor Lamb to make the score 24-14. Sophomore defensive back Latrell Gibbs intercepted an Ohio pass the following possession to give the Mountaineers great field position and senior running back, Marcus Cox, the team’s leading rusher, wasted no time with a 26-yard scoring run to make the score 24-21 with 13:10 left on the clock. Burns added another touchdown reception later in the fourth quarter that saw App State regain the lead after trailing by 17, before ultimately winning the contest on a last second 23-yard field goal, 31-29.

Just because the season’s over doesn’t mean the competition is gone. Duplicating a post-season game jam-packed with intensity and emotions is impossible, but that doesn’t mean the coaching staff 8

can’t spice things up a bit in the off-season. Appalachian State’s coaching staff selected eight team captains, who each picked co-captains to help them lead their respective teams in an off-season strength and conditioning program.

Battle for the Belt is an intrasquad competition pitting the eight teams against each other and awarding points for offseason and conditioning program, performance in the classroom, service to the classroom and all-around character.

It just so happens that Burns and Cox, the two who were on the receiving end of three crucial touchdowns in that remarkable Camellia Bowl comeback, are atop the standings nearly five weeks into the Battle for the Belt competition.

“A couple captains, about eight of us, drafted an entire team. It’s a team of about nine or ten from our entire roster," Burns said. "We compete in lifting, on Tuesdays we come out here [to the field] and do a team competition. One team will battle another specific team for that day, and get points [based] off of that."

The competition created by the Battle for the Belt is helping each player individually by pitting them against a teammate on another team who is trying to show why they should be fighting for a starting spot next fall. All of the extra workouts, study sessions and even community service displays the resolute

attitude and commitment to the football program. That helps the players prepare for the grind of an intense and long season, well before summer and fall camp.

“This is the second year we’ve done this, and I really like it a lot,” Burns said. “I think it kind of gets people more into the off-season, instead of just waking up and coming in to workout versus, you know, having a competition where there are prizes at the end. That helps out a lot. It definitely translates later on; it’s keeping us competitive after the season ends. Keeping the competition there keeps us ready and on our feet.”

After three consecutive years of over 1,200 rushing yards, Cox has established himself as one of the Sun Belt’s best players. Heading into last season, Cox was tabbed as a preseason Doak Walker candidate, an award presented to college football’s top running back.

Marcus’ team of ten has sat atop the standings for most of the Battle for the Belt thus far.

“In the weight room we’re getting points, out here in team competitions we are either winning or within a couple points of the team we’ve faced that week,” Cox said. “We’re staying out of trouble. At the beginning we had a couple guys get in trouble, but since then we’ve got it together and now are earning the points that we need to earn.”

All of the work and effort put into becoming better student athletes and football players will be tested early.

App State opens next season at Neyland Stadium, home of the Tennessee Volunteers. More important will be the team’s ability to improve week in and week out before the Sun Belt regular season starts Oct. 1, home to the Georgia State Panthers.

The Battle for the Belt is important to all of the players and coaching staff. It represents all of the hard work necessary to becoming a top-tier football program. this is the second consecutive season in which the competition has fueled off-season workouts. After a successful 11-2 season, including a Camellia Bowl win, it is safe to say the competition paid off.

“We started this last year, and I think you can see that we came together as a team over the off-season last year,” Cox said. “I feel like this competition brings us together and gets the best out of everybody, because everyone wants to win at the end of the day. This competition helps us push ourselves, each day.”

As of April 27, Cox’s team (3,658 points) holds a narrow lead over second place Burn’s team (3,651 points). Defensive lineman Nate Norwood captains the team currently in third place, with 3,392 points.

Nick Joyner

O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: CHRIS WARNER

BY CHRIS WARNER FORMER SPORTS EDITOR

I

arrived to The Appalachian with little but an enthusiasm for sports and a desire to get behind the scenes.

I had never written, but I loved reading sports articles – I figured that was requisite enough to give it a shot. I had just decided to change my major, my job and a few relationships I held on to for much too long, and I was just looking for something exciting to occupy my time.

It has taken me figuring out how to say goodbye, however, to realize what I’m now walking away with.

I’m leaving with some amazing memories – like standing on the field during the celebration after Zach Matics secured App State’s first bowl win.

Or watching Latrell Gibbs intercept Deshaun Watson’s first pass in Death Valley. Or experiencing the genuine excitement of seeing our newspaper redesign. Or just being a part of the hilarity that always seemed to ensue during late production nights.

I’m also leaving with some lifelong friends. People who have my back and know that I have theirs when it mattered most. I’ll always be a phone call away.

Most importantly, I’m leaving with some wisdom I’d like to impart before I go. It might save you some time and frustration.

Mistakes will happen. Some big, some small. Acknowledge them, ac-

cept them and move on. I’ve learned that our fear and guilt surrounding our mistakes tends to outlast people’s attention spans, if we let it.

Time, not money, is your most valuable asset. Invest it wisely.

Build relationships with the people around you. Appreciate them, empathize with them and show them that they can depend on you, even when logic or reason says otherwise. Then, don’t be surprised when they’re willing to run through walls for you.

I’ve always felt that Quaker missionary Etienne de Grellet provided such clarity for how we should treat other people: “I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” The Appalachian has taught me that investing in people is a sure way to consistently be rewarded.

I have so many wonderful people from The Appalachian to thank for helping shape who I’ve become – a list far too excessive for my word count limit. So I’ll settle for just a few, with the hope that those who go unnamed can let memories shared serve as the ultimate token of my appreciation.

To Malik – It has been an honor to serve on an editorial board with you.

You taught me how important taking

the time to relax and laugh during moments of chaos can be, and during one of the hardest periods of my life thus far, you showed me what true compassion looks like. Thank you.

To Lee – Without getting too sappy, I’ll say that “thank you,” will never truly be thank you enough. Continue to innovate, to push the limits of what’s been done and to lead with your heart. I am humbled to know that I’ve learned more from you than I could ever have hoped to teach. Thank you.

To Aleah – Without you, I don’t know if I’d have ever known The Appalachian existed, let alone become a part of it. I began reading The Appalachian by picking up copies in search for your stories, many of which I still have today. You are strongwilled, resilient and more capable than you know. When things get tough, let this be a reminder, just as you were a reminder for me this year. Thank you.

To the sports desk – I’m so proud of all we accomplished this year. This desk is truly built on your shoulders.

Watching each of you grow throughout this year has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I look forward to your future successes and am honored to think that I had even the slightest hand in helping you get there. Thank you all.

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S P O R T S

SENIOR DUO HELPS FRESH FACES

Senior infielder Grayson Atwood follows through his swing.

BY BRYANT BARBERY SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER

M

otivated, determined, seasoned, mature, confident and specialized are words that typically surround senior collegiate athletes.

Usually one of many seniors on a team is considered leader or captain of the team.

A duo of seniors, Caleb McCann and Grayson Atwood, are the only two seniors on the baseball team this year and both have had to take responsibility in training the young players on the team and providing an example of how a veteran collegiate player should handle themselves.

App State head coach Billy Jones joined the program four years ago and has seen both McCann and Atwood grow and mature along the way to be ready to be in a leadership position this season.

Anyone that takes a gander at this season’s roster for the Mountaineers will have to look closely to find the word "senior" beside a player’s name.

McCann and Atwood are the only two players that meet the criteria of senior in the midst of a plethora of young faces.

“They both have done a good job for our program, especially this year.

They have been the lone two seniors on the team that have been infiltrated by a bunch of freshmen," Jones said. "They have been great teammates and good leaders and have been guys that the younger guys can go to this season."

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McCann came to Boone after a successful four years at Northeast Guilford High School in Greensboro.

He came into a period of transition in the App State baseball program as he was recruited by former head coach Chris Pollard, who left after the highly successful 2012 season to be the head coach at Duke University. McCann has seen this year as kind of an odd season in terms just how many new guys there are here.

“It’s kind of weird having only two seniors on the team,” McCann said. “I am the only one left in my recruiting class. Being a young team, we lack experience but we give 110 percent.

As seniors, me and Grayson try to lead them by example.”

McCann came to App State during Jones’ first season as the head coach of the Mountaineers. He came to Boone along with nine other freshmen in fall 2012. McCann saw immediate action during his freshman and sophomore years as a relief pitcher appearing in 13 games, including one start against East Tennessee State University.

McCann had a highly successful junior campaign, appearing in 23 games as a relief pitcher along with picking up his first career win at North Carolina A&T University where he struck out eight Aggie batters over four innings of work. This season, McCann has been utilized both in the infield and on

Senior infielder Grayson Atwood returns to the dugout and celebrates with senior right-handed pitcher and infielder Caleb McCann after making a run to home plate.

Dallas Linger & Kelsey Sharkey/App State Athletics

the mound, putting him in the hitting rotation for the first time since high school.

After not seeing action from the batter’s box for three years, McCann is holding a respectable .270 batting average this season, bringing in seven runs including his first career home run last week against Wake Forest. From the mound, McCann has had to allow younger arms to move into the rotation, pitching only six innings this season while holding an earned run average of 4.26.

“Getting my first home run last week was awesome," McCann said. "I never really expected to get an at bat after pitching my first three years."

Atwood first played at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

While a Tar Heel, Atwood showed signs of promise early on as he appeared in 39 games and started in six games. He held a .282 batting average over two seasons with one double, two home runs, 11 runs batted in and 11 runs scored.

His first career homer came against Miami during the 2012 ACC Tournament. He was part of a team at UNC that advanced to the 2012 NCAA regional and 2013 College World Series.

“I enjoyed my time at both places,” Atwood said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to get more playing time and being able to make the most of the season in coming to App.” Atwood came to App State in the fall of 2013 but had to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. Last season, he started 33 games for the Mountaineers, hitting three home runs and six doubles.

His best performance came against No. 16 Maryland where he went 4-for-5 batting with two runs scored and a RBI

Senior infielder Grayson Atwood looking back after making a run. in the upset victory.

“A good moment last season was when University of Louisiana-Lafayette came in here at number one in the conference and we pulled on the series upset against them," Atwood said.

"Upsetting the number one team has been something I will always remember about my time here."

This season Atwood has started 24 games, batting .168, while scoring nine runs and two doubles. He is tied for

second on the team in home runs with three on the season and has seen most of his action playing third base.

“I have really enjoyed my experience here especially now with me and Caleb being the only two seniors," Atwood said. "It’s been an adjustment with all the new guys and all the young faces.

We just try to set an example for those guys and see them contribute."

Both players have been welcomed into the App State baseball program and

have been instrumental in the growth of younger players into the system.

“It’s been a fun four years and it’s sad to see it end. I have been blessed with this opportunity," McCann said.

"I have tried to take advantage of all of my resources and have been able to maximize my potential since being here. Me and Grayson have become really good friends and try to stick together as the old heads on the team this year."

Senior infielder Grayson Atwood slides to third base.

Dallas Linger

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O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: TOMMY CULKIN

BY TOMMY CULKIN SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

I

was introduced to The Appalachian somewhat by chance in a class on the first day of my junior year. The editor of the arts & entertainment section at the time, who was in the class with me, encouraged us to come to an interest meeting if the idea of writing for a newspaper sounded appealing.

I decided to check out the meeting, and the rest was history.

The very first story I was assigned was to cover a protest following the death of Michael Brown. Covering that protest, I knew in my heart that this was what I wanted to do in life: I wanted to give a voice to those that have something to say, and inform the public about the world they live in.

When I first started writing for The Appalachian I had no concept of AP style. I still remember that I wrote that first article in the format of an essay, and I can only imagine how long it took the editors to transform it into something that could be printed in a newspaper.

However, under the guidance and tutelage of the supremely talented editors, I quickly learned the ropes, and in no time at all I shed the label of “intern” and became a full staff reporter. At the start of my senior year, I was promoted to senior news reporter.

At the end of my junior year, the news editor at the time encouraged me to apply for the position of news editor, which was opening up. She assured me that there was a very good chance I’d get the position. I declined because I love reporting so much that I didn’t want to diminish my writing output, even if it meant taking a higher position of authority.

Writing for The Appalachian has probably been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. I’ve had the privilege of meeting and interviewing the very best that Appalachian State has to offer.

There are numerous students who have the drive, morals and intelligence to be future leaders in their field. And I’ve had the honor of meeting them.

I’ve met students who have won national and international competitions, professors and students who have won the most prestigious awards, and faculty members who are working tirelessly to make Appalachian State a better place.

Every article I write, whether I’m writing about something positive or negative, is a profound learning experience. I learn not just about the topic I’m covering, but a bit about myself as well.

In addition to that, working for 12

The Appalachian has allowed me to work with some of the most talented individuals in collegiate news media, and soon-to-be some of the most talented individuals in professional news media.

My only regret from my time at

Appalachian State is that I didn’t get involved with the paper sooner.

The paper has been the source of all of my favorite memories, and I only wish I could have had the opportunity to form more of them.

I can’t adequately put into words

what working for The Appalachian has meant to me. It’s cemented my belief that news reporting is what I want to do as a career. Every second of the experience has been a joy.

Thank you for everything.

O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: BRYANT BARBERY

BY BRYANT BARBERY SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER

O

ne blink of the eye and you are graduating. You’re gone. Your time is up. That is the harsh but beautiful reality that is college. What matters is what you do with those four years and what you experience that will shape the rest of your life for better or worse. You come to college for knowledge and leave with memories and wisdom.

I came to fall open house during my senior year at North Moore High School in fall 2011, toured the campus and went to my first App State football game where the Mountaineers whooped up on Savannah State.

That tour was love at first site for me and sealed the deal as to where Bryant Andrew Barbery was going to spend his next four years.

Those four years have come and gone, and I have realized that I truly made one of the best decisions of my life when I decided to attend App State. I am graduating with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training out of the best program in the state and was blessed to be under the program director Jamie Moul. Through the athletic training program I have met lifelong friends that I call family and have been instructed by extraordinary and caring professors.

Life as a student athletic trainer has to be one of the toughest and most time consuming majors at App State. The experience in the healthcare of athletes is second to none but it is definitely challenging and a lot of hard work. I have been blessed to meet so many athletes and athletic trainers through this experience. Every semester has brought challenges and awesome experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.

With athletic training I have blessed to have worked with volleyball, baseball, track and field/cross country, field hockey, football and men’s basketball. I worked with the football team last semester that went 11-2 during the season. We went to and won our first bowl game in App State history with a 31-29 thrilling win over Ohio that capped an unforgettable season.

I started writing for The Appalachian during my sophomore year and it has truly been an amazing experience covering sports here at App State. I have been blessed to write stories on amazing athletes and coaches here at App State including coach Jerry Moore, Denzel Dejournette and countless others. I will never forget interviewing legendary coach Moore at Cracker Barrel one snowy day in Boone. It was by far the best interview I have ever had with one of the best and most genuine human beings I have ever met.

God is placed first and foremost in my life since I accepted Jesus

Christ as my savior when I was 12 years old, which is the best decision I have or ever will make. God allowed me to be a part of Athletes In Action here at App and help to co-lead a Bible study in the hopes of reaching athletes here on campus.

I have seen God work in my life through my involvement in AIA. I came to App along with one of my best friends in high school, Justin Marley. People in high school said that friends that room together in college will end up hating each other. That is definitely not case with Justin. He and I are both in the athletic training program and are known as the “twins.” We have roomed together each of the four years here in dorms starting with Bowie Hall room 403 while making a short hiatus in Summit during sophomore and junior years and once again returned to the same Bowie room we started in for our

senior year together. He has come to be my best friend and don’t know what I have done without his support and friendship during these four years at App. Thanks bud!

I also met the love of my life here at App State during my sophomore year in Lauren Worthington. We have been dating for two and a half years now and these years with her have been the best of my life. She has been there for me and supports me always even when I can be hard to get along with especially since I am a sports fanatic. She is beautiful, kind and just simply amazing. She will make an awesome elementary school teacher one day as she has a heart for kids. I love you, babe!

Thank you so much for being there for me and being the best girlfriend I could ever dream of having. I am one blessed guy.

My four years at App State have been extraordinary. There have been

many ups and downs with there being way more ups than downs during my four years. I would like to thank my father (Terry Barbery), mother (Sherry Barbery), sister (Torry Barbery) and my grandparents for loving me and supporting me while I was away from them. My grandma Betty Brown’s many banana puddings that she made me and sent to me were very appreciated as well.

I would like to thank God for his many blessings he has given to me including all of the memories and experiences he has given me while during my time at App State. God is my rock and my salvation and I love him and trust him with whatever my future holds. My favorite Bible verse I have held onto while at App State is Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” I can truly say after four years I have given my all for Appalachian State.

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O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: JUSTIN PERRY

BY JUSTIN PERRY VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

T

here's a running joke in the office that I’ve quit more times that people can keep up with.

While not entirely true, I have held six positions in four years, one of which I made up by accident.

I’ve seen our staff dwindle to 30 and grow to nearly 100. I’ve quit three times, only to come walking back in the door a week later.

After four years of wondering why, I think I’ve finally figured out what it is that keeps pulling me back to room 217 of the student union.

Inside these four gray walls work the best, most creative, dedicated students on this entire campus. They also happen to be the best people I’ve ever met in my entire life.

I walked into this office freshman year with Andrew Clausen, a kid like me who was trying to figure himself and this new place called college out one Club Expo at a time. He had a passion for putting words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs. I had a passion for capturing light in a box with a piece of glass. Naturally, The Appalachian seemed like a good fit for us both. Little did I know that we had just made what was probably our most life changing decision.

Fast forward one year and somehow we’re both editors.

It’s 3 a.m. and we’re still awake by the light of one dorm room lamp along with Malik Rahili, another amazing guy we met along the way. Open on our laptop is what we affectionately called “The Appalachian 2.0,” a redesign of our publication that we made entirely from scratch simply because we wanted too. Simply because we were passionate.

Without that passion this place would cease to exist, and perhaps that’s the true story here. Late at night when most students are off neglecting to study or “Netflix and chilling,” our staff is here writing, photographing, editing and designing. The energy never dies in this room. We love our readers, we love this campus, we love storytelling and we love this office. For better or for worse, The Appalachian has become a part of our soul.

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Since joining, I’ve shot countless sporting events, met the president of the UNC system, spent a week documenting the Boone mayoral candidates, gotten lost in New York and shot photos from the rafters in Convocation Center. There are more amazing stories than I could possibly recount, but none of them mean anything without the people who I experienced them with.

This is the part where I list all of the people who meant something to me, did something special or changed my life simply by working alongside me. It can in no way be exhaustive, because I only get so many words on a page and I’ve met so many incredible people, but I can try my best.

To Andrew, Malik, Stephanie and Ashley, thank you for believing in me and always supporting my ideas. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew.

To Allison, thank you for putting up with my crap and being willing to keep it real with me. Your guidance has helped more than you realize.

To Paul Heckert, Michael Bragg and Maggie Cozens, thank you for pushing me to do better and never letting my passion for journalism or photography die. You three were more than friends, you were mentors.

To Molly, thank you for helping me become a better leader and a better person.

To everyone who has ever decided that they liked me enough to work for me, thank you for allowing me to make an impact in your life. I am grateful for every one of you.

To every other editor I’ve ever worked with, thank you for the laughs, the good times and for helping keep me sane. You all are some of the most hard working and amazing people I’ll ever meet. I’m proud of you all.

To Dallas, never let your passion for photography die.

Never stop seeing differently. Photos have the power to change the world.

Finally, to our readers, thank you for helping us put out twice a week since 1934.

O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: ANDREW CLAUSEN

BY ANDREW CLAUSEN FORMER MANAGING EDITOR

L

et's get together and do something cool."

How many times did I hear that from Malik Rahili and Justin Perry in the four years we’ve been friends, and the four years we’ve been working, in whatever capacity, for The Appalachian? A lot.

Of all the things I’ve done in college, the best things I’ve done is meet those two guys, walk into Club Expo the first week and sign up for student media.

And sure, you can keep telling me that journalism is dying and print journalism is already in the grave and the market is horrible and nobody in journalism is happy.

That’s OK. Admittedly, 95 percent of the time, all those things are true.

But then, in that other five percent of the time, when Malik, Justin, myself and a host of other truly incredible people would get together, we would do the coolest of things.

I’ve been thinking about the past a lot lately.

And as my mind goes to memories of the SoCon basketball tournaments where sketchy things/ stains were found in cheap, old hotel rooms and a SoCon football championship that included storming the field and hurdling over the players’ bench, the Sun Belt move

"

that involved trudging up for a “no comment” in the snow, redesigning the paper once, twice, three times, and the incredibly long hours in the newsroom where we churned out content and worked our asses off, I realize that we didn’t do it for anything as self-righteous as the future or for class or even for the readers.

We did it for each other.

We did it because we felt obligated to never let each other down. Because if you were to say student media was about putting out a product twice a week, selling ads or winning awards, you clearly never worked in that crummy old office. It was more than that. I hated leaving that place midway through college but I needed a change. And it brought me two of the most important experiences of my life: the Charlotte Hornets and the Department of Sports Information here at Appalachian State.

But just as it was the right decision to leave, it was also the right decision to come back. For four years, Malik, Justin and I talked about all the things we would change if we were in charge. And then we got the opportunity. No, it wasn’t always easy. In fact, it rarely was. It was the hardest semester of my college career and I’ve never got less sleep or stressed so much, and yet, it was all completely worth

it.

We worked on creating a better relationship with the department of communications and got more journalism students in the door; we shifted from a newspaper to a news magazine in order to emphasize storytelling over “filling a place on the page”; we passed down a lot of knowledge to a young group that will take over after we’re long gone; we tried to make the place everything that was great about when we were the newbies in the newsroom, and only ever tried to improve it.

Maybe we were successful, maybe we weren’t. Maybe people read us, maybe they didn’t. That was honestly never important to me.

Because to me that wasn’t the point.

We did it for each other.

And I’d do it all again.

Endings are never easy and I don’t know how I want all of this to end. I know what maybe the next two years look like, but it will be different without everyone. And then after that, who knows? I just keep thinking that something should signal the end, something meaningful that signals the completion of four long years, like in my favorite TV show finales. But that’s not how real life is. And that’s OK. Because to actually quote my favorite show “Scrubs”: “The truth is,

you should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone, anyone, feel a little better. After that, it’s all about the people that you let into your life.”

And those people just deserve the utmost amount of thanks I can possibly give. In no particular order: My family, Malik, Justin, Chelsey Fisher, Michael Bragg, Stephanie Sansoucy, Paul Gates, Allison Dyche, Mike Flynn, Ryan Bower, Ben Winterrowd, Kelsey Campbell, Dan Butler, Josh Rosen, Mike Cristaldi, Jerry Snow, anyone who’s ever worked for me ever and anyone else I’ve shared a laugh with.

You are all the greatest, weirdest, funniest, most talented, inspiring group of people that I have ever known and for that, I thank you.

I know this all has to end and it’s never good to live in the past too long. But maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll all meet up on Christmas one year with our full-time jobs and our families. And as we’re sitting around laughing about the stupidest things imaginable again, making the same old inside jokes that now our wives ponder divorcing us over, and the times that we spent in room 217, we’ll crack open a few beers and once again say, “Let’s get together and do something cool.”

I know I’d be down.

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O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: CHARLOTTE WRAY

BY CHARLOTTE WRAY MANAGING EDITOR

W

hen I started working at The Appalachian, I figured I would stay for a couple months and then leave, having a little something to tack onto my resume.

That was simply not the case, and in the past two years, I quickly found myself transitioning from the graphic design desk to the news desk and then on to become the chief copy editor and finally, the managing editor.

Looking back, I think it would be easy to laugh at how intimidated I felt when I began working here. Everyone seemed so talented and I didn’t even know what desk I wanted to be on, where my passions lied, and I really didn’t know what I was going to do with my journalism major.

But this is what The Appalachian has given me: a narrowing of my passions and the confidence and connections to achieve my goals. The Appalachian has taught me about the power of asking questions and listening to people tell their stories, proving that though people may say journalism is dying, storytelling is vital to human connection, and that my journalism major actually has an important purpose.

Learning to be a better journalist has taught me to be a better friend: listening closer, paying attention to the tone of someone’s voice, asking the bolder questions, and with this, being encouraged that the world isn’t as terrible as it sometimes may seem.

The Appalachian has done great and innovative work with the newspaper redesign and the switch to better feature writing. I know this place will continue to grow and change as the journalism field changes. This place has helped so many people discover their passions and through trial and error projects, learn how they can carry them into “the real world.”

Going into this “real world,” yes, my resume does feature many positions at The Appalachian, but when I think of my time here, it isn’t about my resume.

The very first time I walked into the newsroom I was given a single goldfish by the former business manager, Paul Heckert. I think this quirky gesture has stuck with me because it made me feel comfortable and welcomed, allowing me to be myself up front. This office is a hodge-podge of people, with their individual quirks, all of which I have come to appreciate and look forward to each production day.

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The fact is that I haven’t been a part of The Appalachian as long as many of the other graduating seniors, and I wish I would have started worked here since the moment I arrived at Appalachian State. But with the time I have spent here, the only words that can sum up what I really want to say are simply, “thank you.”

Thank you to Malik Rahili for convincing me to join the graphics desk when I just shrugged my shoulders when asked what I wanted to do. This allowed me to jump into the editing process and learn the newsroom atmosphere early on, making it much harder to leave and write this experience off as just a resume-builder.

Thank you to Stephanie Sansoucy for welcoming me and my funny stories. Your drive to represent The Appalachian well, your friendship and your hilarious remarks in the newsroom mean more to me than you know.

Thank you to Andrew Clausen for passing the managing editor torch on to me and understanding the lack of sleep, frustrating moments and the odd love-hate relationship with this newspaper that comes with this position.

Thank you to Aleah Warner for closely editing all the stories and caring enough to work with reporters so they can become better writers.

Your position this semester as chief copy editor is a tedious job and the hard work you have done has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for understanding my AP Style and grammar language, and for your leftover Wendy’s chicken nuggets. I wish you well as managing editor next year, and have a good feeling you’ll leave a lasting impression at The Appalachian.

This newsroom has become my home, both in the sense that I am here five out of seven days a week and because of the people that are here. These people speak my journalism language and have accepted me as I have grown in the past two years.

I have transformed from the quiet graphic designer who came in to silently lay out a page and leave, to the managing editor who talks in weird voices when production goes past 11 p.m. and who comes into the newsroom on days she doesn’t have to out of pure habit.

So, again, thank you to everyone at The Appalachian for two great years. I am sad to leave, but excited to see what the years to come will bring for this publication.

O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: DYLAN DOW

BY DYLAN DOW WEB MANAGER

A

s cliche as it sounds, saying goodbye truly is never easy. This is especially accurate when saying goodbye to the place and people that have come to mean so much to me.

Unlike many of the people I have had the opportunity to work with, only a year of my college career was spent working with The Appalachian. Still, it was by far the best year I have had in a very long time.

When I first saw the “now hiring” sign hanging on the door to the student union in the spring of my junior year, I thought little of it as I kept on walking, day in and day out. One day, for whatever reason, I decided to do something I rarely ever do: stop and read it.

That moment was honestly one of the best decisions I have made in the past four years.

Being an international and comparative politics major and applying to be the web manager and editorial board member for a college newspaper was not something I originally thought of doing. Believe it or not, there are very few links in international politics to web design or even journalism. As a result, it is still a topic of discussion to this day on why I work for the paper.

Web design was a hobby of mine in middle and high school when I first

moved to North Carolina and needed something to keep me busy. It was something that I could do for hours on end without getting bored, helping me feel accomplished and proud of my work.

That sign on the door came at a time when I needed to make a change in my life. Instead of sitting around all day doing nothing and not bothering to get involved, I saw it as an opportunity to once again pick up an old hobby of mine and try something new.

I went home that day and applied to be the web manager for the 201516 school year, something I was very nervous about doing. I did not feel qualified. I had no journalism experience, the last website I worked on was one for my uncle years before.

A lot of the people who worked there had been there for years before me and I worried about being an outsider.

Still, I was hired. A lot of those fears went away shortly after starting the fall semester.

I met some absolutely fantastic people who, though friends with each other for years, made me feel welcome in an environment I was new to.

With the new redesign of the physical paper, I was able to make my mark online with a redesign of the website. I had the opportunity to travel to Austin, Texas to learn more about college media

and journalism. I was able to write an opinion on Donald Trump, report on a sports story, be a part of a feature story and have an impact on the future of the newspaper as a whole.

People at the newspaper like to poke fun at the fact that I’m not an emotionally open person. Little do they know that it comes out in my writing.

The opportunities given to me while working at the newspaper, the skills I picked up and the work I accomplished are all things I would not trade anything in the world for.

My absolute biggest regret in college is not having joined the newspaper earlier. A year is not nearly long enough to truly enjoy the environment and people I came to enjoy and love.

I am eternally grateful for the people I met while here and wish I had more time to spend with all of you to get to know you even better. Without the newspaper, I do not know where I would be today.

Oftentimes I would come into the newsroom just to hang out with other editors, do homework, and just relax. I never had to be there as much as I was, but to me the newsroom became much more than just work. It was a place where I knew I would be happy and included, somewhere I could go when I wanted to escape everything else.

The leap I took when applying for

the newspaper is something I will never regret and will always remember. I look back at this past year as being one of great joy, friends, and memories.

To those of you graduating, I wish you luck in everything you do here on out. I know you will make the best of it and become who you want to be.

To those of you sticking around for another year or two, I am sure you will continue to make The Appalachian a great paper and make the best out of your remaining time here in school.

Things can get rocky at times, but remember to keep your head up. There is a lot of good out there.

Thank you to Malik, Allison, Charlotte, Andrew, Justin, Samantha, Lee, Kevin, Katie, Aleah, Stephanie, Iggy, Carl, Carson, Chris and Dallas for all having a significant impact on my life and making my time at The Appalachian one to remember. Even though I will be in China, I hope to hear from all of you - call me, text me, email me, message me on the social media of your choice.

No matter where I am, I will always be around.

I know it is cheesy to end on a quote, but I really don’t care. I’ll be me, you be you.

“Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.” - Tecumseh

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O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: STEPHANIE SANSOUCY

BY STEPHANIE SANSOUCY MARKETING DIRECTOR

I

ve dressed up in a hot dog costume, peddled papers to students in the union, worked on a papier-mâché dragon about as tall as I am, presented at a national conference and laughed until I cried from exhaustion and joy.

The past four years have been the best years of my life, but not in the way I imagined when I moved in freshman year. Most of the stories I will tell when I’m older will take place in a windowless room, with grey walls and little reminders of the times we spent working on the paper.

The Appalachian provided me with teachers: Michael Bragg, Chelsea Fisher and Gerrit van Genderen to name a few. I’ve met some amazing friends and colleagues: Malik Rahili, Andrew Clausen, Justin Perry, Charlotte Wray, Laney Rukstuhl, Samantha Cordialini, Paul Heckert and many more. And, of course, I found a mentor, confidante, cheerleader and motivator in our advisor, Allison Dyche. All of these wonderful people have helped me become the writer, journalist and possibly even person I am today.

The Appalachian also brought me my husbandto-be, Rob Lee, who I met when I interviewed him for a news article my freshman year (thank you again, Michael). The Appalachian appeared again in our love story when Malik helped Rob plan my engagement (a fake interview with Chancellor Peacock) and Carson Fletcher videotaped it for us. And, Rob earned a lifetime of gratitude for loving me through some of the most stressful nights at the paper, and being proud of me when that hard work paid off.

I want to be clear though, I have had many

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beautiful memories outside of the newsroom: spending a summer in France studying journalism during a world cup and the solar decathlon, spending the last beautiful day of fall and first of spring on the porch of a trailer bar, spending snow days with the beautiful souls I call roommates, and of course, being in a sorority.

I also spent about a year and a half interning with some very talented professionals at University Communication. The skill and professional development I gained there are due in a huge part to my supervisor Linda Coutant who taught me so much more than how to write a press release or tell a story.

From all my beautiful, wonderful memories, I want to give you some advice - take advantage of all that college has to offer. There is a treasure trove of people who work at and attend this university and you will be doing a disservice to yourself if you don’t participate in a sliver of that. Go to the first meeting of every club you are interested in. Get to know your professors. Take a gamble and apply for the job or internship you aren’t confident enough to know you will get. Plan your time so you can go to taco Wednesday with your friends. In my experience, you need to shake all the opportunity and experience you can from this place, as much as you can handle.

Finally, a thank you to my dad, Keith Sansoucy, for always working so hard to make sure I could say yes to opportunity, and my mom, Kathleen Sansoucy, for supporting me when I may have said ‘yes’ too many times, and for always telling me ‘you’re going to college.’ We did it.

O P I N I O N

SENIOR GOODBYE: MALIK RAHILI

BY MALIK RAHILI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Y

ou know, it's kinda funny.

From the beginning of this year, I wanted nothing more than to hang up my cape and cowl of editor-in-chief and move on to the “real world.” I spent months counting down the days until graduation, and I got more and more excited that the long nights, stress-filled days and four years of not enough sleep were coming to an end.

But I’m two weeks out from graduation and contrary to popular belief about journalists, I have these damn things called “feelings,” and I’m beginning to realize that this is it – this is the end.

I’m starting to become nostalgic as I walk around campus and especially the newsroom.

During the summer of 2012, I was in the car with my girlfriend Rachel, her brother Adam and his now-wife Brittany – two alumni from The Appalachian – and they were all persuading me to join the paper. “You will make some of your best friends” and “You will learn so much about App State” were some of the things they told me.

After being the editor and working for my high school newspaper for three years, I liked the idea of getting back into a newsroom. Plus, it would give me something to do. My one stipulation was that I didn’t want to write. I wanted to lay out the paper because I hated writing. So naturally, I chose to pursue a degree in JOURNALISM. I emailed the editor-in-chief, Hannah Pomphrey, some design samples, and the next day, I was signed up for summer workshops. I came in the first day as a graphic designer scared, excited and a little hungry. I saw a banner that read “The Appalachian: Putting out twice a week

since 1934” and I knew that I was in a good place. Sidenote: I saw this suave looking, cool guy with tattoos and some rad hair. Little did I know that he was going to be my boss and one of the best people I met during my time here.

I thought to myself “I like this place!

Maybe I’ll do this for a year or two.”

Lol. Fast forward three months and I was promoted to graphics editor. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but it was paid and I was having fun. A year and a half later, I was promoted to visual managing editor. And finally someone decided to let me run this show and promoted me to editor-inchief.

During my four years here, I have created so many amazing memories that it would take the entire paper to write them all down. But times like when I designed the Sun Belt move front page, redesigned the paper three times, played baseball and marker/scissor darts in the office, created hundreds of memes, endured long nights full of laughing and a bit of crying and seeing the paper printed the next day, are some of the best moments I’ve had at The Appalachian.

But these moments would have been nothing without the people here. I owe so much to everyone here that has helped me during my four years.

To Rachel, Adam and Brittany Jennings – thank you so much for getting me to join The Appalachian. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have even thought about joining. And thank you so much for

continually supporting and helping me during my time here.

To my mom and sisters – thank you for supporting me in everything I have done at The Appalachian and in college. Also for yelling at me whenever I said I wanted to leave the paper.

To Lizzie McCreary – thank you for hiring me and seeing the potential in me to be the graphics editor. You taught me so much about design and how to effectively run a desk. Who knows where I'd be now if you hadn't been my editor and promoted me.

To Michael Bragg – you suave looking, cool guy with tattoos and some rad hair.

Thank you for being my editor, choosing me to serve on your editorial board and being a great mentor and an even better friend all these years.

To Andrew Clausen, Justin Perry and Stephanie Sansoucy – thank you guys for having my back all these years. Telling me when I have done something great and not holding back when I’ve done something wrong. Because of you guys, we were able to accomplish so many awesome things these four years. We were all here from the very beginning and you guys are some of the best friends I have made while at The Appalachian.

To Allison Dyche – you have pushed me to be better in everything I do. Instead of saying “Oh that’s great! Good job,” you told me my work was “aight” or “could be better” in an effort to make me a better designer and journalist, even when

"Everything I have I owe to this job...this stupid, wonderful, boring, amazing job."

I wanted to do the bare minimum. Also, without you, my meme skills would be nowhere near where they are now.

To all of the editors I have worked with over the last four years – thank you for the laughs, support and good times.

From Chelsey Fisher trying to get me to cheer up on a long production night, Cory Spiers talking about all sorts of video game nonsense, to Gerrit Van Genderen schooling me in what real hip-hop is, the editors I have worked with have been some of the greatest and most hardworking people I have ever met.

To my current editorial board – I can’t even begin to thank you guys. We accomplished so much this year and I have never worked with a group of more talented editors than you all. You guys have done some incredible work this semester and you have made my job of editor-in-chief worth it.

(I swear this is the last one) Finally, to Carl Blankenship – I know you are going to a great job next year as editor-in-chief.

I have the upmost confidence in you and your ability to continue improving and innovating The Appalachian. Good luck and if you ever need anything, just call.

So that’s that. This is my last byline in The Appalachian. I am both happy and sad to see this come to an end. In a really cheesy and sappy way to wrap up my time here, I want to use a quote from Jim Halpert from The Office.

“Everything I have I owe to this job... this stupid, wonderful, boring, amazing job.”

This isn’t going to be my last time in Boone or at The Appalachian. I’ll be back to check in on things and maybe play another game of office baseball. But in the meantime, I’m going back to bed.

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OCHO

The Peel Presents

THE

Eighth Publication Release Party

L E L R A Y G N TH

FIRST FRIDAY MAY 6 7 O’CLOCK