Oct 23, 2019

THE MEREDITH

Boo. Happy Halloween!

HERALD

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October 23, 2019

Future Looks Bright: Meredith's Solar Energy Project Inside This Issue The

By Emma Fry, News Editor NEWS Zombie Walk Lucky Tree A&E N.C. State Fair 2021 Puts a Ring on It A Pop of Culture: Survivor OPINION Freshman Perspective on Corn Reframing the Narrative

My name is Emma Fry and I am a sophomore here at Meredith College. As a Rachel Carson Council fellow, I am currently working to get solar energy onto our campus. Over the past several months, I have been working toward a goal that originated from the support I have had throughout my life and new sources of encouragement that have been invaluable in my belief that I am capable of making a difference. Though it has evolved into an environmental organizing project to bring solar installation structures to Meredith College, my idea for change in our small campus community started out as nothing more than a belief that my school

Forever an American Girl

rized every curve of, “American Girl.” Inside the box

By Hannah Davis Johns, Staff Writer was the second-ever doll

For little girls growing up introduced into the Girl of in the early 2000s, it was easy to be the Year collection, surfer girl Kailey obsessed with American Girl dolls.

Hopkins. I quickly immersed myself For many moms they were a teaching into Kailey’s world through the doll, tool, and for many adolescents they her accessories and her book series. were a status symbol. The American Kailey launched in me a life-long love Girl dolls were more than just dolls to for American Girl dolls, and as my us, they were a way of life. In a childcollection grew, so did my knowledge hood before VR games, the American of history and the world around me.

Girl dolls were able to immerse us in

In the American Girl podhistory and teach us about ourselves. cast, historians Allison Horrocks and

It was December 31, 2003, Mary Mahoney read and review book when, after a day full of Christmas by book, the multiple series within festivity, a six-and-a-half year-old the American Girl cannon. While me was finally ready to open my also providing historical context to final present. At the very back of the the books, the women discuss the Christmas tree is a rectangular box, different understandings you have of covered in wrapping paper, that just these characters as adults versus chilreaches my chin. As soon as my mom dren. Both Horrocks and Mahoney gives me the go-ahead, I frantically have discussed in the podcast that rip off the wrapping paper to reveal their early exposure to the historithe packaging I had waited the whole cal characters impacted their love of of my six years to see. Printed across history and influenced their career the front of the box was the sacred paths. Horrocks and Mahoney state logo that my tiny brain had memovery early in the first episode that

Rating Non-Academic Building Lounges

could become a focus of the community for taking steps toward conservation and sustainability. My proposal to the Rachel Carson Council’s (RCC) Fellowship Program centered around my desire to bring solar energy to my campus, and after being awarded this position, I began the process of reaching out and connecting with people who are experienced in the field of sustainability and communication. I talked to professors early on, connected with students and spoke about my proposal at a small group discussion about activism. I knew my goals were ambitious, but I have been fortunate to find a lot of support from professors and students on campus.

they are both Mollys and provide a decent argument to prove this.

After listening to 13 straight hours of the American Girl podcast, I couldn’t get my mind off of American Girl dolls. This spurred a conversation with my editor, and I discovered that, ironically, Herald Editor Mimi Mays grew up favoring Kit Kittredge, the nine-year-old who dreams of becoming a reporter! This conversation sent me down a thought spiral that ended with a question: did our favorite American Girl dolls influence who we become as adults? I couldn’t get this question out of my head, so I decided to conduct some (informal and extremely biased) research. First, I took to stalking my middle school possé, and many of them seemed to fulfill the prophecy their American Girl dolls set. The Kirsten of our group is now a stay at home mom living on a farm, our Felicity is still obsessed with horses and great at missing the point and I was of course our ring leader, the greatRead more on page 2...

By Staff

Lower Cate   Not as busy  No tables  Not good use of space  Rest stop, not home base Library Basement   No cell service  Kinda creepy  Smelly bathrooms  Cool nooks  Seating options Heilman Hall   New comfortable couches  Good for groups  Vending machines  Inconvenient for non-residents

Upper Cate   Sometimes busy, sometimes not  Not a lot of power outlets  Close to parking  Computers, printers, fridge, food  Lots of seating options

Library Ground Floor   Can be noisy  Vending machines, pod  Computers  Outlet options  Good seats

Library Top Floor   Quiet  Nooks  No open spaces  Unclean upholstry

Poteat Hall   Vending machines  Tables and couches  The Poteat charm

Belk Dining Hall   Music  Odd weekend hours  Food  Not good for ppl w/no meal plan

Carroll Hall   Comfortable, relaxing  Bonsai tree  Coloring books  Computers, tables, seating options  Inconvenient location

A valuable lesson I have learned is that we are not alone in our dreams.

Several of my professors have been invaluable to me throughout the entire process of proposing my project and seeing it through to the next steps, many of which would be insurmountable without their help.

Working to this point in my project, I have come to truly understand what it means to create something from the influence of those who came before you, as well as the significance of collaboration, even when working toward the smallest successes.

Though the project is just beginning, it began with my hope Read more on page 2...

Photo courtesy of Meredith Athletics

Angels Take Down Falcons and Greensboro

By Lilly R. Wood, A&E Editor

Oct. 19 was an exciting day for the Avenging Angels, who took the win in both day's games. The gym was full of tension as the three volleyball teams went toe-to-toe for a conference win. Meredith fought against the Pfeiffer Falcons and won all three noon sets.

Then, Pfeiffer and Greensboro hashed it out before the Angels battled Greensboro at 4 p.m. Meredith lost the first set with Greensboro, increasing the tension in the gymnasium, before they won the next three.

Quad Residence Halls   Very basic  4th floors are hidden gems Johnson Hall   2nd floor chairs are comfortable  Few table options  Good views  Outlets The Oaks   Lots of options  Often not busy  Sound travels easily  Inconvenient for non-Oaks tenants

Check our social media to tell us what you think of our ratings.

See our next issue for reviews of outdoor study spaces!

News

Dawn of the Downtown Dead – 8th Annual Raleigh Zombie Walk

By Savi Swiggard, Associate Editor

The dead walk the Earth! On Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in Nash Square, the Raleigh Zombie Walk will shamble their way through the streets, terrorizing those innocent civilians unprepared for ghoulish fun. The event is free, family friendly, and lasts roughly an hour and a half.

If you’re looking for a fun photo op, a Thriller flash mob, and/or the opportunity to freak out pedestrians, you’ll find the Raleigh Zombie Walk offers that and more.

If your undead makeup skills

aren’t ready for the runway, you can contact Savi Swiggard for a $5-$10 zombie glam at (919) 522-3357. Her services include dripping flesh, edible blood, ghastly wounds and all makeup works for sensitive skin and be latex-free.

As you prepare to stumble through downtown, remember to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a jacket for chilly weather. The Herald recommends making a thrift store run for cheap clothes you won't mind ripping and tearing for the

Raleigh Zombie Walk 2018, photo by OakCityLive

ultimate easy zombie look. If you're looking to be your own zombie MUA,

We All Know Lucky Tree, but How Well?

Lucky Tree is the locally owned coffee shop and art gallery across Hillsborough St. from Meredith College. It is a regular hangout spot for NC State and Meredith students alike, but how well do patrons know its origin and history? Not as well as they should.

The shop was opened four years ago by twin sisters Amanda and Ashley Faries. The sisters are locals who were raised in Durham, which is just 25 minutes down the road. When asked about how the idea for Lucky Tree came about, the sisters referred to it as their “inner desire.” They were raised in a crafty and resourceful environment that bred creativity and drive, which made opening the shop an easy decision.

Lucky Tree is much more than just a coffee shop. The sisters have built a solar powered bean roasting station in their backyard, so on a sunny day your coffee is roasted by nature herself. The baristas bake everything that is seen in the case, including the oatmeals, and also make all of the syrups throughout the day. However, the truly amazing part of Lucky Tree coffee is that it comes directly from a farmer in Honduras that the sisters are in contact with.

Not only is it fair-trade, but it emphasizes Lucky Tree’s family atmosphere.

beautiful that is when all of that unexpected comes Lucky together.” That Tree is everis Lucky Tree: a evolving and great collection has definitely of the unexexpanded since pected. they hired The sisters their first emwanted a makployee, Mahlet er’s space beHailemariam, cause they felt who said it as though they has “grown had no space tremendously.” to showcase Hailemariam their unique went on to say art. Originally how much they had a tent Lucky Tree at the Raleigh has meant to Flea Market, Photograph by Dave Bryant her: “I started and that space (Pictured from left to right Amanda and working there turned into their Ashley Faries) during a transiart gallery, Lucky tion period in my life. They were Pie. They opened Lucky Pie in Cary there for me when I needed them... in an attempt to create a space for offering their open arms in celebratartists who also felt similarly and to ing my successes.” She values the make contacts within the local art impact Lucky Tree’s community had community. From there, they built on her life, and it is obvious that she Lucky Tree from the roots up in their is not the only one who feels this current store front. way. There are lots of regulars who

The twins described the became friends with the baristas and experience of creating Lucky Tree as owners. Interactions are less those “letting go and going where we felt of a customer server relationship, lead.” Everything within the shop is but more like those of a family. The detailed, purposeful and made to be sentiment is really embodied when uplifting, from the rope that holds Ashley says, “We embrace the differGinger the mannequin (from their ences of one another and seeing how childhood treehouse) to the hand-

crafted earrings made by the sisters.

This was not an easy process though; it was originally a failed kickstarter.

Then one of their friends told Ashley about a walked-out space whose previous owners had left a semi-usable espresso machine along with various scraps of material. This was how Lucky Pie Gallery turned into Lucky Tree. The beautiful chandelier that hangs above the register was made from cups and coffee filters that the previous owner left behind. Everything was a project, and the sisters worked day and night for months to create their shop.

On the topic of how being women has affected their business, the two stated that they did not feel it has had a significant effect. Ashley said that it was interesting how many times a patron would come in and request to speak to the owner by using the pronoun “he.” She said that frequently she would just respond with “I’m sorry, HE isn’t here right now” as a way to joke with the customer.

On a more serious note, the sisters do feel that the details they put into the space were made more prevalent because they are women. Examples of this include “the ambiance, the sound, the music, comfortable seating and plants.” All in all, Lucky Tree is special, and not just because of how good the coffee is.

American Girls, cont. from p. 1... est American Girl of all, Samantha, the eventual suffragette whose white savior complex gives her a penchant for trying to help the less fortunate.

American Girl dolls were such a fixture in my and many others’ childhoods that it’s impossible for them not to have influenced us.

Revisiting the books and the char-

acters as an adult can prove interesting and enlightening (especially since the landscape of the brand has changed drastically since the early 2000s). Whether you were a Molly or

a Samantha, and whether you read the books at 10 or 19, one thing is constant: American Girl encouraged young women to be brave and follow their dreams, and that is ageless.

Solar energy, cont. from p. 1... that Meredith could incorporate solar panels onto the roofs of the academic buildings.

Meredith has been moving forward with its own solar plan and other green projects. The idea is to create an interactive outdoor classroom with a sustainable garden and solar panels. The space is designed for mindful and educational interaction with nature. Outdoor lessons are planned to be conducted in a spa-

cious, unenclosed structure that will provide learning and close contact with the garden. Mr. Lyons and other staff on the college’s campus were able to make improvements in internal areas, such as improvements to the boiler system, the Sharon Campbell Facilities and a Green Revolving Fund that helps to cover the costs of these internal sustainability projects.

I have also been working on coordinating and discussing my proposal with the Meredith Angels for the

Environment Club.

Progress rarely comes all at once, and working on a big project can amount to a strenuous task even when an individual is not alone.

This year, students around the world, such as Greta Thunberg, have shown us that anyone can have a bigger impact than they thought possible. Change is not something we can wait for others to do in our place. Though solar panels at one college may not change the world, all

that any of us can hope to do is make change in our own communities. If we were all to make that effort in our own spaces, we may then see real change. Solving the climate crisis will require all of us to do what we can.

Even if it terrifies you, remember that undertaking a community project means that you’ve got a whole community behind you.

By Ell Shelp-Peck, Staff Writer

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check out Hughie and Louie's Costume shop on Creedmoor Road.

Arts & Entertainment

Final Days of Fun at the N.C. State Fair

A POP OF CULTURE

By Katelyn Wiszowty, Staff Writer

Every year when October rolls around and the air gets a tad bit cooler, many North Carolinians celebrate the fall season with the N.C. State Fair. This year’s festivities began on Thursday, Oct. 17 and will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 27. Gates are open this Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight. Tickets can be purchased online or in person with cash or a card at the price of $13 for adults and $7 for kids of ages 6-12.

The fair will be holding special days this year, including Military Day and Hunger Relief Day. In addition to the daily 38% military discount given to current service members, Military Day (today, Wednesday) includes Waterfall Stage activities and displays of military equipment at the Grandstand. On Food Lion Hunger Relief Day, fairgoers are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina; six Food Lion-brand cans equal free admission!

There are many new and

2021 Puts a Ring on It

exciting rides, foods and events to experience this year. The new Skygazer that towers over Hillsborough Street is no average Ferris wheel; it’s the largest one Some of the winning produce, displayed in the Expo the N.C. State Fair Center, photo by Jacob Zacks has ever offered, and the largest traveling wheel in the wristbands.

People say the best things in United States. At 155 ft. (or 15 stories) life are free, and that just might be high, it promises an ‘over-the-top’ true. Ncstatefair.org provides a list of view of the Raleigh area. New foods “100 Free Things to Do.” Some highinclude roasted pumpkin spice corn, lights from this list include pig races a Reese's donut, crack-n-cheese at Hogway Speedway, lumberjack stuffed turkey leg, pineapple Dole shows, the Flippin’ Aerial Acrobatic whip and pumpkin spice hushpuppies. There will also be new shows at Spectacular, the Pygmy Goat Costhe Grandstand including the Motor- tume and Agility Contest, nightly fireworks and free samples. Free sports Mayhem Demolition Derby samples will be available of kettle and the Monster Truck Freestyle. corn in Kiddieland, N.C. Fudge near There’s also a chance for spectators the Flyer, peanuts in the Education to get in on the action by going for building and hushpuppies near the a ride in a monster truck. Tickets entrance to the fair (just look for the for the Skygazer and these Grandlong line). The final days of the fair stand events are not included in the are here, and time is running out! For entrance fee and must be purchased more information on this year’s N.C. separately from ride ticket sheets or State Fair, go to ncstatefair.org.

By Staff Juniors: Savi Swiggard, Associate Editor, Huma Hashmi, Staff Writer, and Katelyn Wiszowaty, Staff Writer

On Friday, Oct. 18, the Class of 2021 gathered at Prestonwood Country Club for Ring Dinner, an honored tradition at Meredith College since 1992. The event was a celebration of progress, presenting juniors with their Onyx rings and serving as a gateway into the “Meredith sisterhood.”

Dr. Jean Jackson lead the ring ceremony and was welcomed with exuberant applause as she approached the stage. Thinking about the significance of the Onyx, she prompted the juniors to hold their rings against their heart before putting them on. The room was filled with boisterous cheers as the juniors officially became part of the Meredith sisterhood after a week of anticipation. Tears and laughter mixed in to create a cacophony of happiness.

The Alumnae Association Legacy Ring Essay Contest winners were announced: the first-place winner received reimbursement for her ring, the second place winner received reimbursement for her ticket and third place winner received a ring dinner t-shirt. Guest speakers Christi Snyder and Angie Tucker from Southern Sugar Bakery talked about the growth they experienced during their time at Meredith and the unexpected journey that their lives took to create the business that they have today.

Their speech reminded the

Class of 2021 that the ring is more than a reminder of the classes they have taken in their college life. It also includes the connections that they’ve made along the way. Tears started to roll as the juniors anticipated feeling the weight of the Onyx and the significance of their congregation. And they were not disappointed once Dr. Jackson gave the word.

Photo by Savi Swiggard

The formal dining hall gleamed with chandeliers and golden balloons, making for an excellent background to the Class of 2021’s flood of pictures. Each student was gifted a jewelry dish with the Meredith Lux to hold their ring. Students could be seen taking photos around the grand stair and with gold letter balloons that spelled ‘Onyx’. The meticulous details put into the event made it feel thoughtful as well as elegant. The pictures juniors took at

the venue were as beautiful as the friendships they signified and the hard work that was done over the past three years.

The main dish was a choice of filet mignon and chicken with a side of roasted potatoes and steamed asparagus. The vegetarian dish was cheese cannelloni in a marinara sauce topped with steamed asparagus, and the vegan dish was a tofu stir-fry topped with fresh sprouts.

However, many students felt that their dietary restrictions were not taken into consideration. Non-meat options were clearly an afterthought, the standard option had not one but two meats.

After the ring ceremony ended, the event concluded with the arrival of Littles with gifts for their Bigs and other friends, who were welcomed with more cheers. As the night ended, everyone broke apart for more pictures with all who had come to celebrate. The juniors slowly left that night with a twinkling new item on their finger which represented their achievements and the many more experiences to come. This unforgettable night would not have been possible without everyone who made contributions, and the Class of 2021 would like to thank Bailey Birchet, Ashlynn Davis, Brooke Day, Samantha Arzu, Bri Donovan and many others who all worked hard to make October 18th so special.

Pop-culture column by Staff Writer Hannah Davis Johns

Surviving Reality TV

In today’s world of Bachelors, Big Brothers, Next Top Models, Master Chefs and Ninja Warriors, it’s hard to picture a time when reality competition shows weren’t a staple of American television. Then, in the year 2000, a show made it mark on history with just an island, 75 crew members, 15 castaways and one sole ‘survivor.’ Executive producer Mark Burnett reformatted the Swedish competition show Expedition Robinson to create Survivor: you simply take 16 to 20 people, put them on an island, vote someone out every three days until just one person remains, and this individual is the sole survivor and earns one million dollars.

Survivor premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS, and the first season became the most watched summer series since Sonny and Cher. The show would go on to win seven Emmy awards, despite premiering before reality competition categories were introduced. It’s now 2019, Survivor’s 39th season premiered on Sept. 25 of this year and it’s hard not to see the impact the show has made on popular culture as well as American culture.

In the year after Survivor, both Big Brother and The Amazing Race would premier on the same network, the year after that ABC and Fox would try and cash in on this trend with The Bachelor and American Idol on their respective networks.

This would continue in the following years with The Bachelorette, America’s Next Top Model, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance and more.

In many ways, we have Survivor to thank for stars like Kelly Clarkson, Winnie Harlow and Christian Siriano. In many ways, the idea that a person could launch a somewhat reputable career off reality TV came from Survivor as well, when Elisabeth Hasselbeck was discovered on its second season.

Of course, it would be irresponsible of me to not mention one other very infamous career to which Survivor more directly contributed.

After the tremendous success he experienced with Survivor, executive producer Mark Burnett decided to dip his toe into reality competition again, but this time with less starving-on-an-island and more corporate affair. Burnett would premier this new show in January 2004, and The Apprentice would go on to run for 15 seasons and make a household name out of the host, now-President Donald Trump.

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Opinion A Freshman's Understanding of Cornhuskin’

By Rachel Van Horne, Staff Writer

Cornhuskin’ is quickly approaching, and, as a freshman, I have a suspicion that “I just have to experience it;” however, in my few short months of being here, I think I may be starting to understand this important event. From what I have deduced from oral legend and scouring the internet for answers, Cornhuskin’ was started by some bored Meredith students in a P.E. class who had cornshucking as a grade requirement.

Somewhere along the line, someone got too competitive, and it became a part of the bigger event we know today.

Being a freshman, this is how I expect this hoedown to throwdown:

On Friday, Nov. 1, after a week of Hall Raids and an undoubted loss of sleep due to Corn practices, the classes emerge from their hideaways carrying giant containers full of

thousands of soda cans. The Can Art co-chairs make their appearances: one on the ground with the cohorts of able-bodied workers desperately trying to assemble their artwork in thirty minutes, while the other is up in the balcony of one of the quad residence halls giving commands over video call. Then, once everything is complete, the artwork is showcased for a very short period of judging, and then the classes are required to clean up their art pieces quickly and efficiently.

Now we get to the good part: the main-day activities of Cornhuskin’. Starting the day will be a giant parade on the main drive of Meredith where the classes join together to march upon their campus as loudly as possible. They will carry in their class banners, make the sounds of their battle cries and smile and

wave for all bystanders to see. Later on, the elaborate dance entrances are showcased for all to marvel at. Included in this section of the programming will be the seniors with their 8 minute dance routine memorializing their time in Wonderland (just my personal prediction; I in fact have no clue what they will do). Following that will be a bunch of smaller but equally as important activities: Angels serenade us with the song of their class, corn is shucked against corn, classes scream for their classmates as well as cheer on their opponents (after all, Corn is all about unity), girls will dunk their heads in water in an attempt to reign apple bobbin’ supreme, then everyone will dawn their pig noses for hogcalling, words will be shouted across the amphitheatre and for a few fleeting seconds everyone will forget that this is even a competition among classes

and just enjoy the power of the sisterhood created by Meredith College. At the end of the festivities, the wise judges of Corn will cast upon us mere mortals their decision as to the Cornhuskin’ 2019 winner. But no matter which class they decide on, Cornhuskin’ is all done in the name of sisterhood and unity, and all the classes love each other.

These are just my predictions; however, I can only hope that Corn will surpass my expectations, whether it be through the friendships created through Corn practice or commiserating with my fellow sisters during hall raids. The experience of Corn is something I am excited to experience alongside my other Meredith sisters.

are made of plastic. The paraffin candles take over for beeswax candles, even though the former pollutes the air and the latter purifies it. In capitalist consumption culture, it is all about ‘seems’ to be.

We’ve been living in what has now evolved into modern capitalism for the past 400 years. But this way of consuming is not antiquated. More than half the plastics ever made were made in the last thirty years. Most current Western living standards are about 150 years old. The current world order focuses so heavily on the historical legacy of Europe and the Western perspective that other types of knowledge are not valued for their contributions and their intelligence.

The cultures of BIPOC know how to take care of the earth, that knowledge has been passed down. It went from being respected, to maligned, to essential over the last few centuries. Governments and people have to listen. On the banks of Pigeon Lake in Ontario, an indigenous rice, Manoomin, has been cultivated by the Anishinaabe for millennium.

Manoomin is planted, tended and harvested in a complex ecosystem of care.

When the first missionaries named it ‘wild rice,’ they understood it as occurring naturally outside the realm of human care; they did not understand the complex practices involved in the Anishinaabe’s care of manoomin, the hard work and planning that went into harvesting it, nor

the ways in which the Anishinaabe respectfully entered into a reciprocal treaty-based relationship with manoomin. The harvesting of manoomin itself is a process of reseeding it for the next season, a circular relationship that ensures there is enough manoomin to sustain the Anishinaabe for future years. This process has caused government backlash because of the misconception of harvesting what grows ‘wild’ and untouched.

This limited mindset stunted the knowledge of what is possible, simply because alternatives that have been proven to work aren’t allowed to exist. When BIPOC talk about dismantling nation-states and creating alternatives, or of bringing bison back to the Americas, they are not taken seriously. We have the tools to make a new system; now we have to listen to the right people to create it.

It is Western thought and the frameworks perpetuated throughout the world that need to be re-evaluated and overturned. Without centering on Indigenous people, ecology acts as an appendage of colonialism because it excludes the destruction that neo-colonialism and “developments” of indigenous communities across the globe have done. We require frameworks that respect the relationship between the Earth and all living things. Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous people’s voices need to be uplifted because they have the tools to recreate a mutualistic relationship with the Earth.

Reframing the Narrative

By Huma Hashmi, Contributing Writer

In the Western conscious the faces of climate activism are most often white and affluent, because they are the only people the media cares to cover. Black, Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) have been on the forefront of the fight to protect the environment for centuries, and they are the ones to directly face the effects of natural disasters.

Over the last few years, floods, famines, droughts and hurricanes have become so common that it almost seems normal. But we are in an era where disorder could be the new normal unless we act to systematically change the way that we operate.

BIPOC have also been ravaged by colonialism during which their indigenous knowledge has been devalued and their non-whiteness— their indigenousness—is deemed a threat. Through displacement and the creation of nation-states, many people have had their indigenous identities erased: their knowledge lost forever or left only in echoes. Colonialism as we know it has existed for almost 600 years, an amount of time that has created destruction and displacement.

But like all empires, this system of oppression can be broken down by the very people it oppresses.

The myth of overpopulation says that there is not enough food, water or resources in the world. This simply isn’t true, because it is not that overpopulation is killing us, but the misuse of resources.

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When 10% of the population is using 90% of the resources, the other 90% of the people are not the problem. Equating population directly to the consumption of resources frees colonial machines from the responsibility of facing the everlasting waste that they produced in the pursuit of constructed capital.

In this framework, the act of existing is deemed a burden targeted at BIPOC, who make up the majority of the global population.

This system of exploitation has used the bodies and lands of BIPOC as currency, but only recently have BIPOC been allowed to participate. The pressure to compete and “rise” to the standards of living set by exploitaters is tempting, but BIPOC, and all of us, do not have to meet modern Western standards. These standards were never made with impact in mind. “Rising” to these standards for respectability might get us the white picket fence, the big green lawn, soccer practices and a twenty-minute commute, but they do not make the majority of people happy.

A significant thing to ask is why? Why do we live like this, and why are we okay with it? We innovate for convenience, not for function. For the right-now and not for the generations to come. There is no talk about the aftermath of this cultural framework. The plants with which we often decorate our house, that would naturally purify the air,

STAFF

Mimi Mays, Editor in Chief. Savi Swiggard, Associate Editor.

Lilly R. Wood, A&E Editor. Emma Fry, News Editor. Olivia Slack, Online Editor.

Copy Editors: Amelia Bryant, Sofia Mazzola.

Staff Writers: Hannah Brittain-Du Bois, Hannah Davis Johns, Yajaira Ramos-Ramirez, Ell Shelp-Peck, Rachel Van Horne, Katelyn Wiszowaty.

Contributing Writers: Hannah Flood, Huma Hashmi, Kaylee Kalaf.