The Appalachian April 23, 2021

The Appalachian April 23, 2021

Pursuing peace Students find creative ways to cope with stress Aubrey Smith | Reporter

As the spring semester comes to an end and exams are just around the corner, students are finding ways to cope with the large amounts of stress and burnout they’ve been dealing with.

The combination of college and COVID-19 has contributed to anxiety, depression and loneliness in students. On top of that, App State students have seen almost no breaks this semester.

Alana Coley and Kaitlyn Mesimer have been navigating their first year of college amid a pandemic.

“It’s been hard to start college during all of this,” Mesimer said.

To combat the stress, the roommates enjoy watching TV shows such as “Friends,” “The Office” and “Shameless.” They also like to spend time outdoors.

“We go to Durham Park a lot just to chill out there and do homework,” Coley said. “Me and my boyfriend go and play frisbee in the park because we’re cooped up in the dorms doing homework all day.”

The cold winter in Boone can be hard for students who struggle with seasonal depression. Roughly 5% of adults in the U.S. deal with seasonal depression, and January and February are the most challenging months for those struggling with it.

But as the warm Boone weather returns, students are returning to outdoor campus hotspots. Hammocks, shared blankets on Sanford Mall and the slap of hands on a football are the sights and sounds of spring, coming back to campus.

Sophomore Grace Abbott said this semester has been rough, but she feels like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Abbott has found peace in going on drives every week to prepare for what’s ahead.

Continue on page 9

Grace Abbott on the roof of a car. Abbott enjoys going on drives to destress from class.

Courtesy of Grace Abbott

“It’s wrong, if you ask me”: president, members leave sorority Page 4

All-American wrestler brings constantgrowth mindset to the mat Page 12

1

News

Pass/no credit officially not offered for spring 2021

Courtesy of Pixabay

Jake Markland | Associate News Editor The pass/no credit policy will not be offered to students for the spring 2021 semester, the provost announced in an email Wednesday “Please know I have carefully considered each perspective, balanced all of the input, and have decided to accept the AP&P recommendation,” said Heather Norris, executive vice chancellor, in the email.

Instead, the university extended the last day to drop a class from April 21 to April 26, giving students more time to consult their advisers. Norris also announced that App State will offer financial assistance to students who need to take summer classes.

Norris said the administration will continue encouraging instructors to be lenient with their students, echoing a message Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Mark Ginn shared with all faculty and staff on March 1.

The provost encouraged students to contact faculty, department chairs, the dean of students office or academic affairs office to voice concerns and get assistance.

“It is important to note that App State’s faculty and administration care very deeply about the success of our students.” Norris said.

2

April 23, 2021

Students able to use meal plan in University Bookstore Hollie Moore | Reporter Students with excess meal plan money have once again been given the chance to use their money toward bookstore purchases just like the fall semester.

Campus Dining, the AppCard Office and the University Bookstore are working together to provide this opportunity with no need to transfer funds. Students can purchase App State apparel, technology, clearance items and textbooks. Gift cards are not included in the offer, Campus Services announced in an email.

Campus Dining and the University Bookstore “recognize these unprecedented times have impacted students greatly. This opportunity is in place to give students flexibility in how they spend their remaining meal plan funds,” they explain.

Over the course of the 202021 academic year, the university has altered operations of multiple on-campus dining locations due to limited funds from COVID-19 setbacks.

Freshman Jasmine Ryan was required to have a meal plan since she lived on campus this year.

“The dining options are pretty good, I typically stick to the same stuff every day though, like Chickfil-A and the Habaneros section,” Ryan said. “The options are pretty limited and they don’t usually add anything new to the menus.”

Since Ryan purchased the most expensive meal plan, she found herself trying to get rid of the money by the end of the semester before she found out it could be spent on the bookstore.

“A lot of people, including myself, are mad about this because I’ve been trying to spend as much meal plan money as possible and even sold some of it for cheaper to oth-

er students,” Ryan said. “I could’ve spent my extra money on getting a new laptop or other stuff at the bookstore.”

In the fall semester, the University Bookstore explained that the opportunity was a success. They saw a rise in technology purchases, especially Apple Inc. products.

Purchases must be made between April

28 and May 12 at 5 p.m. After the opportunity closes, meal plan money is non-refundable.

The purchasing process can be online or in the bookstore by swiping AppCards or selecting “Student Card” when checking out online. All funds for the purchase must already be on the student’s AppCard, the payment cannot be split between payment methods.

Students can use their meal plan money to purchase items at the University Bookstore between April 23 and May 12.

Max Correa

News

April 23, 2021

NC to lift most COVID restrictions by June 1, Cooper says Jake Markland | Associate News Editor Gov. Roy Cooper announced most COVID-19 restrictions should be lifted by June 1 in a press conference Wednesday.

If two-thirds of the adults in North Carolina are vaccinated, Cooper believes the state can lift social distancing requirements, capacity limits and mass gathering restrictions safely by the beginning of June and begin to put the pandemic in the past.

“Our careful, reasoned approach has worked,” Cooper said. “North Carolina’s strong safety protocols and actions to slow the spread are why we’ve been able to avoid a surge in cases.”

The mask mandate will stay in place for now and is not part of this goal.

Cooper emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated, adding that North Caroli-

na has an adequate supply for everyone.

Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen said lifting the mask mandate would become more realistic after two-thirds of the adult population is vaccinated.

North Carolina opened up vaccine eligibility to all adults on April 7, more than two weeks ahead of the rest of the country, which opened eligibility on April 19.

As of April 21, almost half of North Carolina adults are at least partially vaccinated and more than one-third are fully vaccinated.

The state has seen 952,529 cases of COVID-19 and 12,480 COVID-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Cooper plans to issue an executive order next week outlining May safety restrictions.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced that most COVID-19 restrictions could be lifted by June 1 if two-thirds of North Carolina adults are vaccinated. This goal does not include the mask mandate.

Courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety

Body positive community finds safe haven in Women’s Center Cameron Stuart | Reporter The Women’s Center is bringing a program to campus to provide a safe space for body image discussions.

Called Body Positive AppState, the program stems from The Body Positive, a nonprofit organization creating curriculums for discussions and training on body positivity.

Through this program, people are trained and certified to work toward ending “the harmful consequences of negative body image,” according to their website.

Melanie Turner, graduate assistant at the Women’s Center, said all people are affected by a lack of body positivity, but female-identifying college students in the U.S. have the highest rates of eating disorders, depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses that can be related to one’s perception of their body in a society that discriminates awgainst fat people.

“This is not just for women. It just happens that women are the core of who’s being affected. So we start at the core, and help the foundation build from there,” Turner says.

Turner said this will lead to a culture of body positivity, starting in the Women’s Center and “radiating outwards.”

Women’s Center volunteer Chandler Smith brought the idea to the center in fall 2020 after researching similar programs.

Smith, a junior dietetics major, said she wanted a safe space to discuss body image, mental health and toxic body standards without negative comments or backlash.

“As young adults, we are so subject to the toxic body standards that are perpetuated on social media and just media in general,” Smith said.

“Getting validation from a body positive community is so important.”

The program will begin in fall 2021 after peer facilitators go through hours of curriculum training. The

Graphic by Xanayra Marin-Lopez program will recur every semester, with a maximum of 30 students allowed to participate each semester.

Though there are not yet concrete dates, Turner said programs will be made up of likely weekly meetings run through the Women’s Center.

Turner said the curriculum is flexible, which is important for a place such like the Women’s Center. Each meeting could be different, and could include artistic activities, going outdoors, and facilitating discussions on certain themes and topics.

“To create a program in these identity centers, it has to be flexible,” Turner said. “You can’t expect everyone walking through this door to have the same personality as the last. This program will adapt and evolve.”

So far this semester, Turner said the center has partnered with Wellness and Prevention Services and Intercultural Student Affairs to fund the $12,000 needed for the program, and has sent out interest forms to students and faculty interested in being peer facilitators.

Turner said in the grand scheme of things, body insecurity is one of the largest hindrances against empowerment, community and progress, but it is only a piece of a greater puzzle.

“We can’t all fix everything all the time,” Turner said.

“And if we can start with one piece, and create a sense of community and empowerment that did not exist before, if we can move past the semantics that society has told us are very important, we can start to establish a community of empowerment again.”

3

News

April 23, 2021

Dear COVID

Student-led project helps community address pandemic’s impact

Students share their COVID-19 experience through a display on Sanford Mall. Small pieces of cloth display student reflections.

Jesse Barber

Abi Pepin | Senior Reporter Students, faculty and community members can anticipate seeing fabric displaying experiences throughout the pandemic on Sanford Mall in the next few weeks.

Students in associate professor

Greg McClure’s Education as a Practice of Freedom seminar have spent the semester discussing their experiences in education in conjunction with democracy and empowerment.

Using the discussions from class,

a group of seven students decided on telling community members’ experience with COVID-19 through their project, Dear Covid.

Mikayla Stahlbuscha, a junior classmate, said her group wanted to focus on ways to engage community members in something meaningful.

“When Dr. McClure suggested something that addressed the virus, we immediately took to the idea,” Stahlbusch said.

The group has collection boxes with scraps of fabric around campus; contact tables on Mondays and Wednesdays on Sanford Mall and in Plemmons Student Union; and contact tables every day at the Health Sciences building and in the library.

“Students can write just a word or phrase about what COVID-19 has meant to them and then we’ll display them across Sanford Mall to help people express themselves,” Garrett Hoyt, a sophomore classmate, said.

Hallie Wolfe, a junior in the class,

said the class discussions are unique.

“It’s kind of unconventional,” Wolfe said. “Instead of having the traditional professor and student roles, we all work together to collaborate and run the class.”

Stahlbusch said she enjoys the ownership the class promotes, adding McClure ensures his students understand their voices and perspectives are just as valuable as his.

“I feel as if I truly have a say in my education and the topics we pursue and explore,” Stahlbusch said. “I also like that the class fosters an intimate and safe community with fellow students, as I don’t often find it this comfortable to be myself in college classes.”

Wolfe said she feels like there is more reporting and statistics rather than hearing about people’s experiences with COVID-19.

Hoyt said he was doubtful at first about how big the turnout would be, but the group’s goal is to provide people with an outlet to process and

express their feelings.

“After seeing a lot of the responses we’ve already gotten it’s really touching just to see everyone’s story,” Hoyt said.

“It’s anonymous but just to build a connection to something we’ve all been through has been rewarding.”

Stahlbusch said she hopes that participation in the project will be a “release and a relief ” for the community.

“Our primary goals for this project are to foster a sense of true community, to give space to voices that have been silent and to issue a rally cry in the face of the virus that has taken so much from us,” Stahlbusch said.

The group has a portion of the project on display on Sanford Mall and will continue adding responses in the coming weeks.

Stahlbusch said she hopes people will take time to read other people’s responses and gain a better understanding for each other.

Free speech and secrecy Alpha Gamma Delta sees struggles in leadership Emily Broyles | News Editor In November 2020, one App State student was voted as her sorority’s president. Four months into her term, she has self-suspended from the organization. So have 15 other women, including two advisers.

Junior Chandler Cohn, former president of the Nu Alpha chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta, says because of a political divide and disagreement on freedom of speech within the chapter, she was “voted out.”

“I think a lot of people are confused as to what is political and what is just discussing human rights or

4

topics that are really prevalent in our world today,” Cohn said, who joined the organization her freshman year.

Cohn posted a TikTok in the wake of the presidential 2020 election, stating that Donald Trump’s supporters were not Christians. The video was “friends only,” meaning that only Cohn’s followers who she also followed could view it – it was not public. Cohn said she never made a political comment in chapter meetings or on behalf of the sorority.

“While she has every right to her political opinions, a large part of

her responsibility as chapter president was to foster unity among chapter members,” Kaitlyn Whisnant, the current president of Nu Alpha, wrote in a statement. “Openly announcing that anyone who supports Trump is not a Christian is in direct conflict with that responsibility.”

She said the president should create “a neutral space for girls to develop their own opinions” in politics.

“As president, while you do have every right to free speech, it is important that we are holding ourselves to a higher standard and not taking a

political stance within the context of the chapter,” Whisnant said.

She said after “several lengthy discussions” about “a number of issues stated” in the chapter’s policies and procedures, the Nu Alpha Executive Council asked Cohn to step down from her position as chapter president.

According to both Cohn and Whisnant, the sorority’s bylaws state it cannot have a political affiliation as an international organization. Members, however; are allowed to voice their own opinions. Both the national organization and App State chapter

posted statements on their respective Instagram accounts about issues like Pride Month and Black Lives Matter.

On June 2, 2020, also known as #BlackoutTuesday, Alpha Gamma Delta posted a picture of a black square captioned “Pause. Reflect.

Learn.” on its national Instagram. The organization followed up with a new post the next day titled, “We didn’t make it clear enough,” asking people to join them in holding each other “to the highest standards” after backlash.

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

News

April 23, 2021

LGBTQ+ students at App State A Timeline of their history and progress made Xanayra Marin-Lopez | Multimedia Editor LGBTQ+ students first saw an official safe space on App State’s campus in 1972 with Human Sexuality Day. Oct. 25 of that year was filled with discussion groups, information booths, panels, films and special talks.

For the week of April 19 to the 23, App State hosts its own “Pride Week’’ in conjunction with the Henderson Springs LGBT Center and the Women’s Center. The week consists of events like “Coming Out!” on Sanford

Mall and Lavender Graduation in the student union.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton named the month of June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.

Police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, a gay bar, after midnight on June 28, 1969. Police could legally raid the club for selling liquor without a license, though the gay community and other gay clubs

constantly were targets of police brutality. Police arrested many patrons and anger grew into protests. The crowd fought against the injustices sought on the LGBTQ+ community, creating The Stonewall Riots.

To commemorate its anniversary, the next year, organizers marched from Stonewall up 6th Avenue and sparked gay pride parades all over the nation.

Just as organizers have fought for equality around the world, students and local organizers have created change at App State.

Here is a timeline of campus events related to awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.

• 1976: The Counseling Center forms a support group for gay students on campus • 1979: The Gay Awareness Organization is formed under the direction of Jeff Isenhour. “The purpose of this organization is to provide information and awareness, to improve the stereotyped image of the gay, to inform the campus on the needs of the gay, and to form a network for gays to communicate with each other,” Isenhour said. The organization is granted a charter by the student government association and, after months of controversy, is endorsed as an official club by Chancellor Herbert Wey • 1986: An AIDS Advisory Council is formed to educate students on the disease • 1990: Sexuality and Gender Alliance forms •1991: IDS 3533 Gay Experience/Media Interpretations class is offered by Kim Duckett • 1993: Sexual orientation is added to the antidiscrimination policy • 1993: SAGA is renamed to B-GLAD: Bisexuals, Gays and Lesbians Associated for Diversity • 1999: Students participate in the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network’s Day of Silence on April 7, where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students wore tape over their mouths and handed out fliers for awareness • 2002: Gay Lesbian Bisexual Trans Task Force is organized • 2008: Gender identity and gender expression are added to the campus Equal Employment Opportunity policy • 2008: LGBT Center in Plemmons Student Union opens (Timeline is taken from App State Library’s Diversity Collections)

The Henderson Springs LGBT Center acts as a support system for App State’s LGBTQ+ students and allies. It offers resources and education, and holds events such as LGBT 101 in which participants learn the basics of LGBTQ+ with information on common terminology, inclusive language and what to do when someone comes out to you.

Jean Thielen is a volunteer for the center who credits it as contributing to a safe environment for LGBTQ+ students. Thielen is a bisexual transgender man.

“I’m not sure I would use the word ‘thrive’ to describe what Appalachian does for their LGBTQ+ students, but it does offer a better environment than a lot of places,” Thielen said. “(The LGBT center) immediately made me feel more comfortable coming to App, because there wasn’t anything like it growing up, and it was the first time I had a group of people that I knew I could safely be out around instead of just scattered individuals.”

Thielen feels lucky to not have experienced much negativity toward his identity on campus. However, he said he acknowledges one shared problem among trans people: he’s heard teachers use the wrong pronouns for trans students after stating their identity to the class, a microaggression.

When professors ask for introductions at the beginning of a semester, they often make a point to ask for pronouns.

This is a cause the LGBT center and students alike have advocated for in recent years.

“I don’t believe it comes from a place of malicious intent, but it still hurts to be called something you aren’t,” Thielen said.

Mira Jones, who uses they and them pronouns, also works in the LGBT center and plans events like Pride, which didn’t happen this year because of COVID-19.

Unlike Thielen, Jones said most of their professors have respected and remembered their pronouns, though Jones has heard “horror stories” from the trans community at App State in which teachers refuse to respect pronouns.

Jones says the LGBT 101 event could be more useful for inclusion if promoted better or if it was part of the curriculum for incoming students.

“Unfortunately, not many students take time out of their day to go and the center doesn’t have the resources or manpower to hold it more than once a semester,” Jones said.

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

(The LGBT center) immediately made me feel more comfortable coming to App, because there wasn’t anything like it growing up...

Jean Thielen in October 2019 volunteering at the LGBT Center. He considers the center a home on campus.

Courtesy of Jean Thielen

5

A&C

April 23, 2021

Changing Music Student Seniors i Kara Haselton

Nick Lipsette In March of 2020 when COVID-19 halted most life in the U.S., it drastically changed the education of music students. Nick Lipsette, a senior musical performance major, was no exception, his junior performance being first postponed before the department decided to continue with it virtually. Lipsette found himself playing for his couches and computer in the living room of his house in Boone. Now, one year later, Lipsette still finds himself playing to a screen through $400 worth of sound equipment bought to due this forced adjustment.

Lipsette has played trumpet since he was seven years old. At 6 years old, he saw the Dallas Brass, pointed at the trumpet player and told his grandpa “That’s what I want to do.”

For Christmas that year, he got a trumpet and has been playing ever since. This spring, Lipsette prepares for his 45-minute senior performance, the last step before completing his undergraduate education.

6

(Top Left) “The reason I like music so much is that I can get together with a group and create a product,” Lipsette said. However, that’s the very aspect of music playing and music education that has been affected the most by COVID-19. Lipsette continues to attempt to play with others virtually. At 7 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday mornings he plays through their “morning routine” with a few professors and a graduate student.

(Bottom Left) In music classes, such as his orchestra ensemble, students can only practice in a room for 30 minutes before having to let the room air out for 15 minutes. This forces the ensemble to transition to different rooms a few times during their class period. The music department has been using a program to keep track of all the rooms being used for practicing in the music building so as to allow rooms the proper amount of time to air out due to the virally spread nature of COVID-19.

A&C

April 23, 2021

g the Tune in the Age of COVID-19 | Photographer

Maggie Stone During an airborne pandemic, vocalist based education has suddenly become dangerous like never before. Maggie Stone, senior vocal performance major, used to meet with her choir in person, with everyone in the same room. Now, her choir meets virtually to learn their pieces and then records their separate parts before sending them in to be edited together. “Singers masks” were ordered by the school, but “singing with masks doesn’t work,” Stone said. “It’s like singing in a pillow.” To accommodate, all vocal classes have been moved online.

(Top Right) Before COVID-19 changed her education, Stone was in classes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. everyday.

Stone meets in person only for her personal voice lesson and when practicing with her accompanist Clara Kempter, senior flute student, to prepare for Stone’s senior recital. (Bottom Right) “If I didn’t have lessons in person,” Stone said. “I would’ve taken a year off.” However, she also said that this altered year has still been beneficial in several ways. “COVID has helped me learn to stay positive and allowed me to sit back and take a break and pause,” Stone said. Not only that, but “Zoom has been helpful because grad school interviews have been over Zoom, which is great to not have to travel.” Some teachers have even been giving free lessons, which Stone is glad to have access to.

Since two years old, Maggie Stone’s passion has been singing. Now a senior vocal performance major, Stone grew up listening to the jazz and beach music that her father’s band plays. Coming into the Hayes School of Music, Stone was intimidated; but she quickly learned that “everyone is super nice (and) really goofy.”

7

A&C

April 23, 2021

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK Emily Broyles News Editor

Graphic by Camryn Collier

You’re on campus, and it’s sunny. You’re sitting with your latte and final exam study guides. How can you not pretend you’re Elle Woods? There might only be so many places in our mountain town to study and shop, but the possibility for imagination is endless.

Artists in the early 2000s, heavily advertised now as “Y2K,” made it so easy to hook listeners into movies or music videos, making them think they were the star. As kids, we probably had no other word to use than it being “cool.”

With graduation just around the corner, dare to dream like you’re “13 going on 30,” or simply ground yourself in the “Perfect Day” you’re having in the High Country. You are definitely Britney in her blue tracksuit on the way to the SRC or Jennifer Lopez in her Versace dress for this spring formal.

Let queen Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child walk you across the bridge from pop to R&B, and be met with VIP entrance to Mariah Carrey and Mary J. Blige’s runs and whistle tones that will have you and your ears in your feelings. Let’s also not forget the top-tier party anthems from Kylie Minogue and OutKast that will bounce you into the club fantasy you totally were not expecting.

Everyone was cooler back then. Play this on your fancy mp3 player and listen for yourself.

8

BSA spotlights Black Arts Movement in gallery walk

The Black Student Association is hosting a Black Art Gallery Walk on the second floor of the Plemmons Student Union until May 5. The exhibition was intended to be in honor of Black History Month in February, but got delayed until the beginning of April.

Kara Hasleton

Lily Kincaid | Associate A&C Editor Students can now participate in a gallery walk located in the Plemmons Student Union that allows them to explore art from famous Black artists, such as Imamu Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni.

The gallery walk was organized by the App State Black Student Association and is centered around the Black Arts Movement.

The Black Art Gallery Walk is a self-guided tour that starts at the Office of Intercultural Student Affairs and ends at the BSA office, both of which are on the second floor of the Plemmons Student Union.

The gallery will stay up until the end of the semester.

The Black Arts Movement spanned from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s and was contiguous with the Black Power Movement. While the art, literature and music from this era partially served to uplift the Black community, it was also meant to draw attention to violence toward Black people.

The purpose of the gallery walk is to “expose the community to some aspect of Black culture,” BSA president, Laouratou Boiro said.

Boiro said the current public school system does not provide enough education about the Black Arts Movement. She said that she hopes this gallery walk will not only educate people about the Black Arts Movement but also encourage them to do their own research into Black artists and culture.

“It can be hard for anyone with a marginalized identity to get that equitable attention and resources and education,” Boiro said. “So for me, it’s kind of just letting this be a stepping stone for some people in our community to start educating themselves about communities other than their own.”

The gallery features nine easels, each of which explains the Black Arts Movement or highlights a key artist in the movement, such as Maya Angelou or Sonia Sanchez.

Some of the easels include interactive QR codes. The easel titled “Who was involved?” has a QR code that links to a YouTube video about the key artists in the Black Arts Movement.

One of the last easels encourages participants to find a Black art-

ist they like and make a collage of their work, Boiro said. She said this is a way to keep people engaged with the gallery walk and prompt them to learn about different artists from the movement.

BSA initially intended for the gallery walk to be a Black History Month event, but COVID slowed down the process, said Jerisha Farrer, assistant director of Intercultural Student Affairs and BSA lead adviser.

Farrer said instead of canceling the event, they decided to incorporate it into the university’s Diversity Celebration, which began on April 8.

Typically, Diversity Celebration is a week-long event, but this year the school condensed it into two days due to COVID, said Imani Dillon, the graduate assistant of the Multicultural Center. This year is the 20th anniversary of App State’s Diversity Celebration.

“I want people to take away that the Black Arts was a movement,” Farrer said. “It helped Black-identifying artists and individuals communicate, in a way, both feelings and emotions that sometimes we can’t put into words.”

A&C

April 23, 2021

From tip-off to T-shirts Basketball player finds passion in business Ansley Puckett | A&C Editor After a long day on the basketball court dribbling, shooting and passing, one App State women’s basketball player then goes home to plan, design and manage a clothing brand.

Loving clothes and fashion her whole life, senior Maya Calder decided to start her own business in January 2020. Calder owns and operates Mac Apparel, a clothing brand that offers T-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, shorts and hats.

Some of her designs include matching sweat suits sets that come in red, grey and pink and feature the brand’s double M design surrounded by wings. The line also offers customers shorts with the word “Mac” and shirts saying “New Drip.”

Naming her clothing line Mac Apparel after her initials, M.A.C., Calder designed the line’s logo herself, bringing it to life with the help of a friend and realizing her dream of owning a business.

“I’ve always been interested in the business. I love business. I love getting money. I love selling stuff,” Calder said. “I think I do a good job at it.”

After teaching herself how to start a line of clothing, her business got off to a slow start.

Calder said the clothing brand was delayed after several manufacturers sent her the wrong material and products, wasting her time and money.

“That’s when I realized, you have to fail before

you actually succeed at something,” Calder said. “I was getting real annoyed, and I was like, ‘Maybe this is too much.’”

However, after researching several manufactures, she said she found one that fit her vision for the brand’s product quality and appearance.

“When I finally got the right manufacturers, they put my ideas to life,” Calder said. “Somebody that can understand what you’re trying to tell them and make it come to life, that’s one of the main things, so when I found that person, it just made it way easier.”

Calder said it has also been challenging to balance her responsibilities and the clothing brand, pushing her to make time for her passions and her obligations.

“It’s really hard. It’s time management,” Calder said. “Because I have practice and schoolwork, I gotta kind of put the clothing brand off for a little bit, and then when I have time from school and basketball, that’s when I try to focus on my clothing brand.”

Despite the challenges, Calder said the best part of running her business is the support from family, friends, teammates and coaches.

Tyquita Jackson, a friend of Calder’s, met her at a party while she was planning Mac Apparel and jumped at the opportunity to buy clothes from her line.

Maya Calder surrounded by clothes from Mac Apparel.

Calder said she’s always had an interest in business.

Courtesy of Maya Calder

“I think she does a really great job at marketing it,” Jackson said. “Just to see her on the social media platform marketing, offering rewards and things like that for her customer base or her clients, I just think it’s amazing as a college student and a basketball player at the same time.”

Jackson said she admires Calder’s ability to face new challenges even without knowing what to expect.

“I just think her being able to get it kicked off,” Jackson said.

“Just taking those talents and abilities outside of school, outside of sports, outside of everything else she’s dedicated to, you know her family, that’s a big step.”

Calder said she’s been amazed by the reactions and responses to her clothing, motivating her to continue the business even through the challenges.

“The feedback has been mostly positive. Feedback that makes me want to keep going and keep creating more designs,” Calder said.

In the future, Calder hopes to grow her brand to a larger scale while inspiring other people to follow their passion as she did with her business.

“Anything you put your mind to or any dream you have, or any passion you have, just go ahead and do it,” Calder said.

Continued from page 1

“I’m a big Sunday drive type of girl,” Abbott said. “Just to recenter myself before the week starts and to calm back down.”

Sophomore Hannah Wood designates her Saturdays for taking the day off from school work and instead spends time going on hikes with her friends. Putting school work on a pause has helped Wood focus on her friends and enjoy the scenery, she said.

Wood appreciates the effort professors make to ease students’ workload, but still feels tired from her amount of schoolwork.

“I feel like I have been able to manage everything, but I’ve definitely been exhausted because I’ve always had a bunch of assignments,” Wood said.

In past semesters affected by COVID-19, the provost has given students the choice to opt into the pass/no credit grading option, providing some relief to those whose academic work has been affected by the pandemic. This semester, students will not have the opportunity to opt into the pass/no credit grading option.For freshman Emi Velez, stepping away from electronics has helped deal with stress.

“Either going outside and enjoying the weather or going to the game room and playing pool, getting away from electronics is super helpful for me,” Velez said. “Or just sitting in my room by myself watching a show that I’ve been wanting to catch up on or reading a book or something that has nothing to do with school.”

While the unique scenery on campus helps students get outside more often, Abbott said she feels like she doesn’t appreciate it enough while in school.

“I feel like a lot of us don’t enjoy enough where we live because we are so encompassed in our school work,” Abbott said.

As summer break draws near Abbott and Wood are looking forward to appreciating and enjoying their environment in Boone more, without the stress of schoolwork.

“I feel like I can appreciate the summer more now so than before because I haven’t had a break,” Wood said. “It’s exciting just to focus on myself.”

Maya Calder wearing a shirt from her clothing line, Mac Apparel.

Courtesy of Maya Calder

9

Sports

April 23, 2021

Two App State disc golf duos place in top 25 at

2021 college national championship

App State disc golfer Matt DaCosta watches a drive sail towards the basket at the national championship April 7-10 in Marion, North Carolina.

Courtesy of John Pearce

Alex McCaskey | Reporter App State has many club sports available for students to take part in during their time at App State, and one of these clubs is the recently-formed disc golf team.

The club was officially introduced in 2018, and before then, it was a student-run Facebook group.

“This is the first instance in which the club is actually affiliated with App State clubs and organizations,” club adviser John Pearce said.

Disc golf, much like ball golf, can be a sport that may feel very individual at times.

However, the disc golf team provides the opportunity for players to meet others who share a passion for the sport. This gives the club a strong sense of community on the course that helps develop bonds that often carry over off the course.

“When you meet the people who have the passion for the sport you love, that is immediate common ground,” team member Jackson Palmer said.

Palmer and Matthew DaCosta, his doubles partner, saw their bond develop so much that they decided to rent a campground and camp out together for a weekend near the course where a tournament was taking place.

“We hung out after the rounds in the tournament, and ate dinner together, and we talked about our hobbies and passions outside of disc golf,” Palmer said.

The team competed in four tournaments this season, including the 2021 College Disc Golf National Championship April 7-10 at the North Cove Disc Golf and Social Club in Marion, North Carolina. Tournaments take place throughout the year in various parts of the country and after regional qualifiers, the national championship is held for teams that meet the qualifications.

The club performed well in the Wolfpack Cross County Classic Feb. 27-28, with every team member scoring under par on the final day of the tournament. One doubles pair finished in the top ten, placing ninth overall.

Three App State doubles teams went to the Tiger Town Throwdown March 7-8 and was hosted by Clemson Disc Golf. One pair finished the first round of the tournament with a score of 14 under par and an overall finish of 18th. Despite rain during the Liberty Flamethrower the 27-28 of March, Palmer and DaCosta earned a top ten finish.

“We fought back hard, without ever having seen the course before, until we walked up and played it,” Palmer said.

There are three flights within the national championship, the first flight, the second flight and the national championship flight. The flights work like divisions, two teams from each school are allowed to play in the top division and there is a cut after the first day. After the first day of competition, if a school had more than two teams make the cut, the remaining teams from that school will go on and play in the first flight.

For teams that did not make the cut in the first flight, they will go on to compete in the second flight. The App State team finished

with two teams placing in the top 25 in the national championship flight.

In the national championship flight, the doubles pair of club president Marc Anderson and Ben Mapes finished tied for 20th place with a score of 203 and the pair of Palmer and Nicholas Fox finished tied for 24th with a score of 205. The first flight saw Jonah Horton and Connor Moravec post a score of 213 and end the flight in a four-way tie for 17th place while the pair of Matthew DaCosta and James Halligan finished the second flight in sole possession of 20th place with a score of 220.

“After Marc took over as president, the club turned the corner and the national championships was the culmination of that hard work,” Palmer said.

Recently, the team has shuffled pairs around, allowing players to have a different doubles partner than the one that they have competed with in previous tournaments. In some cases, this may affect team performance, but Palmer believes that the club has the type of chemistry that allows anyone to be paired up together.

“The club as a whole, especially the team, is just a group of tight-knit guys,” Palmer said.

Disc golf has been growing in popularity over the past few years and when the pandemic saw many sports and recreational activities stop, disc golf saw more people picking up the sport due to its outside and socially-distant nature.

Pearce said courses that would not have been full a couple of years ago have so many people playing that longtime players are facing backups on the course that they aren’t used to.

“Overall, the impacts are positive because it’s getting people outside and doing healthy things,” Pearce said.

Members of the App State disc golf team with App State alum and current pro disc golfer Jeremy Koling at the 2021 College Disc Golf National Championship in Marion, North Carolina. Pictured from left: Nick Fox, club president James Halligan, Matt DaCosta, Jeremy Koling and Marc Anderson.

Courtesy of John Pearce

10

Sports

April 23, 2021

“I want to be the first to win it all for App State” Silas Albright | Sports Editor

W

hen App State junior wrestler Jonathan Millner walked off the mat at this year’s NCAA championship after earning prestigious All-American honors, he said the emotion that first overcame him was disappointment.

Wait, so directly after reaching one of the most elite tiers in college sports for only the ninth time in App State history and the first time since 2017, Millner felt disappointed?

“I felt like I didn’t wrestle my best the whole tournament,” Millner said.

Millner, the No. 7 seed in the 149-pound bracket, won his first two matches to reach the quarterfinals before falling 5-2 to eventual national champion Austin O’Connor of North Carolina. Millner followed that up with a 10-7 decision over Duke’s Josh Finesilver to secure top-eight and All-American status. He then dropped two more placement matches to finish eighth on the national podium.

“I expect to win everything,” said Millner, a Greensboro native. “My goal going in there was to win a national title, which for some people may be far-fetched, but for me, that’s one thing I put down. I want to win it all.

I want to be the first to win it all for App State.”

Almost three weeks before, Millner won his second straight individual Southern Conference title, automatically qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Over the past two seasons, Millner, who didn’t start wrestling til his freshman year of high school, is a combined 20-0 in SoCon duals and tournament matches.

“He expected to win the conference tournament, we all expected him to win it. It wasn’t really anything that surprised any of us,” App State head wrestling coach John Mark Bentley said. “He’s just got bigger goals and bigger aspirations.”

So when Millner says he expects to win everything, he means everything.

11

All-American wrestler Jonathan Millner unsatisfied with national recognition “There’s always a really fine line between confidence and cocky, that’s what I try to explain to everybody,” Millner said. “No matter if you try or not, you’re always going to cross it, but you can’t care about that — Let’s say you are cocky. If you treat people with respect and you do the right things, they’re just going to say you’re confident.”

Although Millner has breezed through the past two SoCon seasons, he wasn’t always this dominant. In fact, wrestling unattached as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18, he actually struggled so much that he nearly quit the team.

Bentley said Millner dealt with common “mental and physical struggles” many wrestlers he’s coached have experienced as freshmen, and that the freshman version of Millner was “nothing like the Jon-Jon you see now.”

When Millner reached the point where he was just about ready to walk away, the two had a conversation and Millner decided to stay on the team.

“I think at that point, he made a decision mentally that he was going to buy in 100%,” Bentley said.

“Once he finally committed to being here, putting down

He’s not near tapped-out to what his full potential is. I really feel like he could be the first national champion from this program. I think he believes that, as well.

App State junior wrestler Jonathan Millner slams Chattanooga’s Tanner Smith in the 2020 Southern Conference title match. Millner is the reigning back-to-back SoCon champ at 149 pounds, and is a combined 20-0 in conference duals the past two seasons. This year, he also became the fourth All-American under App State head coach JohnMark Bentley’s leadership.

Andy McLean

roots, from that point forward, his trajectory has just started taking off.”

Millner explained that when he was still new to the sport and getting tossed around more, he’d pick one positive thing that he did well out of every match he wrestled to focus on and hype himself up, even while in reality, he wasn’t near the wrestler he wanted to become. He’d also pick one thing he could change and improve on from each match. He’d take that one thing he did well to boost his confidence, and take the area to improve on into training to continue strengthening his skills.

“Once I do that, I’m creating the opportunity to find a way to get better. Then, that fake belief in myself becomes real belief, and that turns into confidence,” Millner said.

Millner’s attitude, whatever the correct adjective for it may be, is an important and enjoyable one to have in the locker room that helps motivate the team to get better, according to both his teammates and head coach.

“I don’t know if it’s cocky or confident or what, but no matter what, if you say you’re going to wrestle him, he’ll be like ‘Alright, I’m going to beat you up today then,’ or something like that,” App State senior 174-pounder and fellow NCAA qualifier Thomas Flitz said with a chuckle. “He’s always got something to say, got this little chip on his shoulder, he’s always ready to scrap. He doesn’t fear anybody.”

Millner said he thinks trash talk is the best way to build confidence in his teammates, and in a sport as fiercely competitive as wrestling, the culture of the program has to be that way in order for success.

Millner and his team’s resume speaks for itself: this year, they set a program record with seven out of 10 starters qualifying for the NCAAs, including five individual conference champions.

Read More online at www.theappalachianonline.com

Sports

April 23, 2021

Freshman Lindsay looks to continue strong OL tradition at App State

Cameron Burnett | Reporter After committing to the Mountaineers back in May of 2020, freshman offensive lineman Jaden Lindsay enrolled at App State for the spring semester and has been heavily involved in spring practice, earning the opportunity to play with the starters during practice.

There was no fall high school football in North Carolina and Lindsay has been preparing to come to Boone since last summer, electing to graduate from high school early and forgo his senior season this spring.

“He should be in high school right now getting ready for the prom, probably couldn’t get a date so he decided to enroll early. But, this guy didn’t play football last fall and the speed of things has really shocked him in some ways,” App State football head coach Shawn Clark said. “He has a long way to go, but he’s come a long way in nine practices.”

Lindsay has been working toward playing right guard this season, taking over for super senior Baer Hunter, who moved to center. The East Forsyth product has a connection with Hunter, who played at West Forsyth,.

“He’s a heck of a player, you know, he’s from our rival high school at East Forsyth and you already know how I feel about those guys over there and I talk mess to (Jaden) about that a little bit,” Hunter said. “The ceiling is the roof for him and once he understands and starts listening, he can come out there and play as fast as he wants to.”

Coming to App State, Lindsay became the second-highest ranked player in program history, according to 247Sports. When he enrolled at App State, Lindsay became an immediate competitor for a starting role on

App State freshman offensive lineman Jaden Lindsay hits a sled during spring practice this season. “He has a long way to go, but he’s come a long way in nine practices,” the Mountaineers head coach Shawn Clark said.

Courtesy of App State Athletics/Cooper Quickel

the offensive line, which lost multiple starters from the 2020 roster.

App State offensive line coach Nic Cardwell recruited Lindsay. After watching all of his high school tape, Cardwell and the staff knew it was a no-brainer to bring Lindsay into the program.

“He’s big, he’s strong, but he’s learning right now he’s not the biggest one anymore and it takes a little bit more technique and fundamentals,” Cardwell said. “He’s got a nasty streak, he’s very fluid, he’s got some twitch to him … when we saw that on film, how hard he played and the kind of twitch that he had, we definitely wanted him to be a part

of our program.”

After getting comfortable in the system and program at App State, Lindsay is excited to play at The Rock in front of the Mountaineer faithful.

Having not visited in person, Lindsay only has an idea of what the game day atmosphere at The Rock is like from watching videos. Beyond just the stadium, the Boone community hasn’t been able to connect with Lindsay because of health and safety regulations.

“I just want to meet the stadium, I heard the stadium is jam-packed (on game day). I want to experience it, I want to play in it, I just want to be a

part of it,” Lindsay said. “It’s a family up here and I love it.”

Filling Hunter’s shoes at his position as well as graduates Ryan Neuzil and Noah Hannon is a tough task for any freshman. Even though the competition is still open, Lindsay wants to have a stronghold on a starting spot. “(Going against the starters) is brutal, I’m not going to quit though. I’m going to keep going and give everything I got. I love being with the one’s,” Lindsay said. “I’m going to keep working and I’m going to get better every day, every week and I’m going to try to stay up there.”

12

Opinion

April 23, 2021

Healthy Eating Shouldn’t be a Privilege Ella Adams | Associate Opinion Editor The pressure of diet culture and “clean eating” play a significant part in American culture. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the obesity rate is 42.4% nationally and 34% in North Carolina. Diet is the first line of defense against obesity and the health issues that come with it, like heart disease and stroke. According to doctors, a balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains and little sugar is the way to go. Eating well seems easy but it’s not as straightforward as it appears. Healthy food is expensive and sometimes hard to find. It’s a privilege in America that not everyone has.

There are a variety of factors that limit people’s access to healthy diets. Healthy food is more expensive than processed foods. Packaged, processed food is cheaper to mass produce and easier to transport than fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. According to a Harvard study, healthy diets that include fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains cost an additional $1.50 per person a day than unhealthy diets that consist of processed foods, meat and refined grains. $1.50 may not seem like much, but it adds up for people with low incomes.

In addition to healthy foods being

more expensive, they can be hard to find in low-income communities. Food deserts are common in inner city and rural communities. According to the Annie E. Kasey Foundation, food deserts are areas in which residents have very few accessible options to purchase affordable and healthy foods, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables. Food deserts are most common in areas with low incomes, high rates of unemployment and low levels of education. With the combination of high prices and lack of healthy foods in stores, low-income communities are left with processed foods rich in sodium, sugar and fat with a long shelf life.

Access to healthy food is a longstanding battle in rural Appalachia.

Poverty is not uncommon in Appalachia and communities tend to be more spread out than in urban areas. Public transportation is rare in rural communities so if you don’t have a car, getting to a grocery store is a challenge.

Boone is fortunate enough to have public transportation and access to fresh food, but the town faces another challenge when it comes to healthy eating: food insecurity among college students.

About 38% of students at fouryear colleges struggle with food insecurity. Because of COVID-19, 18-

24 year olds have faced some of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Additionally, many students are not eligible for federal assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. App State has a food pantry and free store available to those in need, but many other students around the country aren’t as lucky.

Americans are not guaranteed access to fresh, healthy food even though we live in one of the richest countries in the world. Healthy eating is not a right in the U.S., although it should be. It shouldn’t be a privilege for those who can afford it.

Write. Edit. Photograph. Video. Audio.

Design. Market. Sell.

All the experience you need, all in one place.

Contact outreach@theappalachianonline.com to learn about joining today!

13

Opinion

April 23, 2021

ABolish standardized college-admissions testing Sophia Lyons | Chief Copy Editor Standardized testing is one of the most well-known instances of institutional power in the United States.

Every year, millions of students take college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT. In 2019, 2.2 million students took the SAT, and 1.78 million took the ACT. However, a growing number of accredited 4-year universities are test-optional, considering students on metrics such as GPA, essays, recommendations and more.

Standardized testing is an outdated metric for student success because it is racist and classist. One test on one day in a high school student’s career cannot hope to be an accurate representation of their skills, especially considering extraneous factors.

From the beginning, standardized testing was engineered to enforce white supremacy: in his landmark study “A study of American intelligence,” Carl Brigham chalked up

Caleb Garbuio | Opinion Editor The SAT is not biased. It is an objective measurement of intelligence that is highly correlated with student success at a four-year university. Don’t believe me? No problem, just follow the science. But first, let’s define intelligence.

Intelligence is an abstract concept that captures different cognitive abilities called general intelligence.

There are two types of general intelligence, fluid and crystallized. Fluid intelligence is the ability to solve reasoning problems and is correlated with skills like comprehension and learning. Crystallized intelligence, for its part, relies on secondhand knowledge or knowledge accumulated from someone else. A 2015 study found a strong correlation between fluid intelligence and academic performance highlighting its importance. How is fluid intelligence tested?

Intelligence testing gives partici-

decreasing American intelligence to the presence of Black people, saying America’s intelligence decline would therefore happen faster than was happening in Europe. Brigham had been studying Army testing; his test later went on to become the SAT during his tenure at Harvard. Even if college admissions tests were found to be completely accurate indicators of success, their roots in white supremacy should lead to a reconsideration of their role in testing moving forward.

Even now, students of color and students from low-income backgrounds are more likely to have lower scores. Numerous factors could contribute: for example, low-income students may not be able to afford the test preparation higher-income students can, or lower-income students may need to spend their time working rather than studying. Importantly, however, it is not simply the circum-

stances surrounding the test that oppress students of color; the test itself contributes to lower scores.

Very controversially, former research psychologist with the Educational Testing Service Roy Freedle published an article in 2003 in the Harvard Educational Review asserting that the way SAT tests themselves are scored indicates bias: Black students, across the board, did better on questions coded as more difficult, while white students did better on questions coded as easier. He found this by coding seven factors affecting difficulty of a test question and using those factors to determine a question’s overall difficulty; he then grouped test-takers by score in ten-point increments from the lowest score (200) to the highest (800) and observed which students in which racial groups got which questions right within their groups. Because the test

does not weigh questions accordingly with difficulty, the test can reasonably be said to be biased, giving Black students lower scores despite higher achievement. After an over 40-page rebuttal manual published by the Educational Testing Review itself, another Harvard Educational Review article replicated Freedle’s work with newer SAT data and considered some of the ETR’s criticisms. Santelices and Wilson found in 2010 that the SAT does, in fact, find a correlation between difficulty of test questions, race, and likelihood to get it correct.

The concept “stereotype threat” is the most damning. Stereotype threat describes a phenomenon when a person has an opportunity to confirm a negative stereotype about their group; the threat of confirming or not confirming the stereotype is significant enough to affect the person’s performance on a task. Stereotype

threat was proven using the standardized-testing example: Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson found that when a spoken test is said to indicate speaking ability, Black undergraduate students at Stanford performed more poorly than white students, but when it’s stressed that speaking ability isn’t being tested, the correlation disappears. Thus, it’s not unreasonable to infer that stereotype threat lowers students’ scores on standardized tests as well, especially among groups traditionally marginalized by standardized testing. Further, informed by the intersectional approach, students who are subject to more marginalized groups are likely to suffer even stronger stereotype threat.

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

in defense of the sat pants a battery of questions designed to gauge an individual's cognitive ability. Standardized tests utilize the same mechanism and attempt to capture participants' cognitive ability. Yet, not all tests are the same. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery captures crystallized intelligence while the SAT captures both fluid and crystal intelligence and is correlated with academic achievement. Despite what popular media and public intellectuals will tell you, there is a scientific consensus on the SAT being used as a proxy for fluid intelligence.

There are two common criticisms leveled against the SAT. The first being that the language utilized within the SAT is culturally loaded implying that disparities in outcome are a product of biased language. To analyze this claim, we must first determine whether or not the SAT predicts college achievement. If the SAT does not predict col-

lege GPA and graduation rates, then the SAT shouldn’t be used. A 2019 study commissioned by the UC system in California found that the SAT is a better predictor for minority success at four-year universities than high school GPA. These findings replicated across demographics. Additionally, high school GPA lacked standard grading metrics resulting in grade inflation, reducing the predictive validity of high school GPA to predict college success from 2007 onward. This report also concluded that admissions counselors weighted the SAT in accordance with other admission factors. Meaning that admissions departments analyzed students’ personal statements, high school GPA and other variables. Of factors listed, high school GPA is assigned the greatest value in admissions decisions.

A 2018 study analyzing data from the Educational Longitudinal Study, found that “mismatched” stu-

dents of all colors attending selective institutions had worse academic performances. This means a wealthy legacy kid will suffer academically on account of his abilities being “mismatched” with the university. However, the study concluded that regardless of “mismatching,” minority students still obtained accreditation from selective institutions.

While dropping the SAT may anecdotally boost a university's diversity, there is no empirical proof backing these claims. In 2015, a group of researchers found that liberal arts universities that made standardized testing optional did not see an accurate representation of students. Additionally, the UC system report found that the combination of high school GPA and SAT is the best predictor of college success. The report found rampant grade inflation at wealthier schools and eliminating standardized testing

would worsen inequality. This is because there are free resources online designed to prepare students for the SAT. However, there are less resources going into lower income communities geared towards college recruiting.

Thus, the UC report authors conclude that closing the achievement test gap is easier than a secondary educational gap.

Any solution requires an effective remedy to the problem. Unfortunately, by the time of college admissions, the damage has already been done.

Harvard economist Raj Chetty found that children randomly assigned to high-performing classrooms had higher college attendance, test scores and earnings. Experienced teachers play a significant role in shaping the outcome of children suggesting an early childhood intervention will fix disparities.

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

14

Et Cetera Rice So Nice Recipe by Sophia Lyons

Risotto is the intermediate between rice and a creamy pasta dish. Although risotto is billed as difficult, it’s more easily achieved than it gets credit for so long as you use arborio rice (available at most grocery stores in Boone).

Onions, garlic, and Parmesan cheese melt into rice cooked slowly with broth to make a satisfying rice dish – leave out the mushrooms if you don’t like them. All you have to do to ensure a smooth, creamy texture is toss the rice in the olive oil and aromatics to toast it before adding the liquid. When the rice sounds like tossing pebbles in the pan, it’s soaked up all the oil it’s going to, making it ready to absorb the broth and lend its starch to the sauce.

This risotto is endlessly customizable: start with some sausage and cook the aromatics in the fat, add a can of drained tomatoes after the rice before the broth, stir in cooked shrimp or chicken when the rice is done, or sprinkle with bright, fresh herbs like parsley before serving.

Make this for your date night with your roommate after you’ve turned in all your exams.

Mushroom Risotto Serves two, 45 minutes total

•• 2/3 cup arborio rice

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable work best)

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 8 ounces fresh baby bella mushrooms, cleaned

• Kosher salt

and dried (1 package) • 1 small onion, diced

• Ground black pepper

EDITOR IN CHIEF

editor@theappalachianonline.com

EDITORIAL MICKEY HUTCHINGS

SILAS ALBRIGHT

SOPHIA LYONS

CALEB GARBUIO

EMILY BROYLES

ANSLEY PUCKETT

MANAGING EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

CHIEF COPY EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR A&C EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA ANNA MUCKENFUSS

XANAYRA MARIN-LOPEZ

JESSE BARBER

EFRAIN ARIAS-MEDINA JR.

APPALACHIAN WEEKLY NEWS PRODUCER PHOTO EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR GRAPHICS EDITOR

BUSINESS SHELLY BANZ

BUSINESS MANAGER

business@theappalachianonline.com JESSICA KIMES ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER

MEG POWELL

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Step one: Getting started Pull the stems out of the mushrooms and tear the mushroom caps in halves or thirds (they will shrink significantly during cooking). Mince the garlic and dice the onion. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the mushrooms and onions in a tablespoon of the olive oil until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid and browned, stirring occasionally for 7-9 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute a minute longer, then add the rice and remaining oil. Stir the vegetable and rice mixture until the rice has absorbed the oil, gone translucent and sounds like pebbles clicking in the pan.

Step two: Cooking the rice Salt and pepper the rice to taste, being conservative with salt because the cheese at the end is very salty, then add about a third of the broth. Stir to combine and turn the heat down to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, cook until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, 5-8 minutes. Add another third of the broth, stirring as needed to prevent sticking as the rice absorbs it over 5-8 minutes. Pour in the last third of the broth with the still-frozen peas, testing a grain of rice occasionally for doneness. When the rice is just underdone, 7-9 minutes, stir in the Parmesan cheese and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Sprinkle with herbs or lemon juice, and serve with more grated Parmesan if desired.

15

JACKIE PARK

ALLISON BENNETT DYCHE ADVISER

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

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

The opinions pages of The Appalachian are an open public forum.

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

BRING YOUR AUDIENCE ANYWHERE. PHOTOGRAPH FOR THE APPALACHIAN NEWS GROUP BUILD YOUR RESUME. ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO. GET PUBLISHED.