The Northerner
OCTOBER 2020 THENORTHERNER.COM Est. 1970
2020 HASN’T STOPPED THEM Students find ways to create, advocate and grow during the global pandemic By Northerner Staff
The Northerner
The Northerner Magazine LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
VOL. 66
OCTOBER 2020
Now that the semester is in full swing, we wanted to highlight students who are making the most of their classes, organizations or hobbies during a pandemic.
Sports Editor Matthew Dietz wrote about women’s basketball point guard Ally Niece and men’s basketball junior Trevon Faulkner.
Many students’ lives were completely altered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, students still accomplished their goals during these times. I’m excited to show you eight incredible students who are all so talented in unique ways.
“As a point guard, Niece has always known her role on the Northern Kentucky women’s basketball team was to be a leader. Entering her junior season—a season that, due to COVID-19, promises to be unlike anything the team, fans or the NCAA have ever seen before—the leadership role that Niece is embracing becomes even more important,” Dietz wrote.
News Editor Rachel Smith profiled senior music performance major Gita Srinivasan and junior music and environmental science double major Maria Osbourn. “Srinivasan joined “the string family” when she was 12 years old and has now played the cello for 11 years. She’s on the instrumental track of cello, which she has played ever since she begged her violin teacher to let her try one afternoon during lessons,” Smith wrote. “When Osbourn’s not administering flute lessons over Zoom, she visits local parks in her hometown of Louisville. It was a local park, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, that first sparked her interest in environmental issues at the age of 14. During a visit to Bernheim, Osbourn noticed several initiatives about forest conservation in the area”, Smith wrote. Arts & Life Editor Alyssa Weber wrote about senior dance major Bri Mullins and junior musical theatre major Je’Shaun Jackson. “When Mullins was around 3 years old, she was small for her age and very shy around other children and adults. Her mother wanted to help coax her out of her shell, so she enrolled her at Kiddie Kapers Dance Company in Lexington, Kentucky,” Weber wrote. “When the COVID-19 pandemic started in March, Jackson believed that it was the best thing to happen for him as a performing artist. Despite the circumstances being nerve-wracking, he said he welcomed the situation as an opportunity for self discovery,” Weber wrote.
“The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team will have a much different look to it than last season, and with all the upheaval, the door is open for a new leader to emerge both on and off the court, and Faulkner, the lone returning starter from last season, is ready to fill the role,” Dietz wrote. I wrote about junior English major and Loch Norse Magazine co-Editor-in-Chief Chloe Cook, as well as sophomore biological sciences major and SGA senator Kaitlin Minniefield. “Cook sees her role at Loch Norse as an uplifter. She wants to give her staff and contributors the confidence to show their work and help them get to the place they want to be with their writing. Though she said it’s more challenging to connect with writers this semester since everything is virtual, she still strives to make writers and their work feel valued,” I wrote. “Minniefield recently joined the Student Government Association (SGA) to amplify and advocate for the Black community on campus. The SGA senator said she wants to see issues involving minorities on campus being pushed to the forefront,” I wrote. Lastly, Photo and Design Editor Billy Keeney took wonderful and stunning photos for most of the articles. It’s always inspiring to see people passionate about the things they love, and these students truly are passionate about their talents. —Natalie Hamren, Editor-in-Chief
Natalie Hamren Editor-in-Chief, The Northerner About The Northerner The Northerner is an independent student-run media outlet innovatively providing relevant and credible content to facilitate informed discussion within the Northern Kentucky University community. While upholding the ethical standards of traditional journalism, The Northerner provides practical experience in interviewing, writing, editing, photography, publication, web design, marketing, advertising sales and billing, legal and ethical decisionmaking, and other aspects of a student-run business. The Northerner Magazine is a special publication published and distributed on Wednesday while classes are in session, multiple times a year. Thenortherner.com is a studentproduced news website that publishes new content daily. The Northerner Magazine, thenortherner.com and its staff are members in good standing of the Kentucky Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press and benefit from all of the training and support provided. Entire content is copyright of The Northerner and may not be reprinted without prior consent. Views expressed do not represent those of the administration, faculty or student body. The Northerner is considered a designated public forum. Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Northerner staff respects the right to a free and open dialogue under the First Amendment.
Magazine Staff
Editor-in-Chief Natalie Hamren
Design Editor Billy Keeney
News Editor Rachel Smith
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Sports Editor Matthew Dietz
Photo Editor Billy Keeney
Contact Us
Contributors
Photos Josh Kelly
Arts & Life Editor Alyssa Weber
Your Name Here Contact us to have your work featured!
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Email northerneredits@gmail.com
The Northerner
The Independent Student News Organization of Northern Kentucky University NO. 2
OCTOBER 2020
CONTENTS
The main entrance to Griffin Hall at night.
(Cover) Kaitlin Minnifield in the Student Union. Photos by Billy Keeney
Gita Srinivasan mentors through music, Bri Mullins on connecting through dance, Je’Shaun Jackson’s selfdiscovery with theatre and how Chloe Cook uplifts other writers By Rachel Smith, Alyssa Weber and Natalie Hamren Page 4 to 11
Ally Niece on stepping up as leader, and Trevon Faulkner on being the lone returning starter By Matthew Dietz Page 12
Sustainability and diversity
NEWS
ARTS
NKU artists, writer on creativity and empowerment
SPORTS
NKU Basketball’s new leaders
Maria Osbourn on steps for sustainability, and Kaitlin Minniefield on amplifying Black voices on campus By Rachel Smith and Natalie Hamren Page 14
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The Northerner
Maria Osbourn in a small park in Louisville .
The Northerner
Photo provided by Loren Marie Photography
A CONVERSATION ABOUT CONSERVATION NKU junior advocates sustainability on campus By Rachel Smith Sustainability is a series of steps. Maria Osbourn said she takes them one at a time. “At the moment, I am really working on reducing my plastic consumption,” Osbourn said. “I think it's hard to get away from plastics. They’re kind of everywhere in our life, but there are ways to get around it.” Environmental sustainability describes the responsible interaction with the planet to maintain natural resources and not jeopardize the ability for future generations to meet their needs. There are small ways to implement sustainability into your everyday life, according to Osbourn. A chore as simple as shopping at a grocery chain can be swapped for planting a small vegetable garden or visiting a local farmer’s market. This change in routine can reduce plastic waste by avoiding the plastic-wrapped produce of a grocery store. Osbourn is a junior double majoring in music and environmental science. When she’s not administering flute lessons over Zoom, she visits local parks in her hometown of Louisville. It was a local park, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, that first sparked her interest in environmental issues at the age of 14. During a visit to Bernheim, Osbourn noticed several initiatives about forest conservation in the area. She began reading all of the information provided at the park about how forests help stabilize the climate through the release of carbon dioxide. When forestry declines due to pollution and wildfires, climate change is accelerated. “That’s when I first tried sustainability. I thought it was really interesting and it just took off from there,” Osbourn said. In addition to environmental issues, Osbourn said she also 14
soon developed a passion for music. In middle school, she started playing the flute after receiving some health advice. “I have really bad asthma, and I was told that playing the flute would help me learn how to expand my lungs,” Osbourn said. In high school, she was part of a tutoring program where she taught the flute to younger students. After enrolling at NKU, she couldn’t choose between environmental science and music as her major—so she chose both. Osbourn recently became a junior instructor with NKU’s Music Preparatory Department over the summer. She delivers private flute lessons to students over Zoom. “My teaching style is very hands-on. I like to ask questions just as much as I give feedback,” Osbourn said. “I make sure that when I teach there is a mixture of positive feedback and criticism, so the student feels really encouraged to continue instead of defeated.” According to Osbourn, music has given her a sense of community and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Right now, we're having some really tough times for everyone, and music can really help ease the isolation and the pain that some people are feeling,” Osbourn said. “I would encourage people to turn to music whenever they need it.” In addition to leading students in music during private lessons, Osbourn dedicates her time to spreading more awareness about local environmental issues. This semester, she became an intern with NKU Sustainability—an organization that manages the NKU community garden, hosts Earth Week, and promotes waste reduction and energy conservation efforts across campus— where she primarily runs the organization’s social media accounts. “On my end, I'm really working on the awareness side,” Osbourn said. “I think my biggest thing right now is trying to get student voices more involved in all the initiatives we're trying to do for October and the rest of the year.” October is campus sustainability month, and Osbourn has collaborated with NKU Sustainability to promote several events such as Netflix watch parties and a county-wide clean up day for Campbell County. For NKU specifically, Osbourn said she is trying to inspire and lead students to recycle more on campus. “If we can get our recycling program really down, and everyone really understands the importance of recycling and how to recycle, that would really help our university’s output and our impact on the environment,” Osbourn said. According to Osbourn, social media can be used as a tool to connect with people on an individual level. Once an individual becomes interested in the idea of sustainability, it isn’t long before they can forge a connection with nature itself. Photo by Josh Kelly “We can work more closely with the environment because we are the environment. We're not separated from the world we live in,” Osbourn said. According to Osbourn, she has seen increased engagement with recent Facebook and Instagram posts for NKU Sustainability. Environmental concerns have grown into the forefront of the younger generation’s minds as evident in Greta Thunberg’s activism and the Youth Climate Movement. Though climate change is a global issue, students can contribute to sustainability through individual impact—all they need is some inspiration, Osbourn said. “I would say that the biggest motivator for reducing an individual's impact [on the environment] is hope. I noticed that a lot of people can get really anxious about the environment and climate change and everything that's going on,” Osbourn said. “But the good news is that all of us can take steps to decrease our impact.”
‘BE BRAVE’ SGA senator wants diversity, representation on campus By Natalie Hamren
Kaitlin Minniefield, sophomore biological sciences major, recently joined the Student Government Association (SGA) to amplify and advocate for the Black community on campus. The SGA senator said she wants to see issues involving minorities on campus being pushed to the forefront. “We tend to not be seen or be heard on campus,” Minniefield said. “I just really would like to see these things happen for us, especially now with everything that's going on in America. I would really like to see the Black community and the Hispanic community and the international students be seen and heard on campus.” Minniefield joined SGA this semester after a peer recommended it, saying that she would be good for the organization and could help push forward issues on campus. Minniefield said she thinks SGA struggles with representation. At an induction meeting she went to, she recalled looking around the room and only seeing a handful of minorities at the meeting. She thought to herself, ‘Wow, we’re not represented here, so how can we be heard here?’ She said she wants to work toward more representation in SGA, as well as monthly or bimonthly fairs to connect students with resources on campus they may not know about. Minniefield said resources aren’t highlighted at orientation for students, especially minorities. She hopes to have virtual fairs where students can get to know faculty and staff members that can assist them if needed. As a senator, Minniefield hopes to increase opportunities for other Black students on campus. “I hope to build a door. I hope to make a seat at the table for other young African American women on campus and other young African American students,” Minniefield said. “I want them to know that we are needed where the decisions are being made because they are making decisions without us and they're not taking us into consideration.”
Minniefield said several communities on campus, including the Black community, had an issue with the racially insensitive comment a then-incoming NKU student made over the summer. She said she felt the way the University responded was not productive and didn’t help ease or solve any issues. Minniefield said she felt the University’s response hindered the trust between the administration and communities on campus. In SGA, she hopes she can show other people that you can’t say whatever you want, as it may offend someone. She also said she hopes the University listens to demands herself and other Black students asked from the University—including increased sensitivity training and a center on campus for Black students to gather and socialize. Minniefield said it’s important being a Black woman in a leadership role because she can show other people that Black women’s voices need to be heard. “Honestly, people that are not Black cannot speak for our community, and that is what's been happening on campus a lot,” Minniefield said. “I feel like, if not me, who else because there's no one else trying to step up and be in the SGA to show that we need that representation there.” Minniefield hopes her experience as a senator teaches her how to deal with others’ views and leadership styles. “I hope that it teaches me more patience, and more understanding of everyone and their lifestyles and their beliefs, and where they come from and their needs and wants as a community,” Minniefield said. Minniefield wants other students—especially underrepresented students on campus—to know that if they want something, the first step is to just do it. She said you have to put yourself out there, even if you’re scared that you won’t be accepted. “Be brave. Be bold. Stand firm on your beliefs. Because if nobody's going to change the world, at least you can try,” Minniefield said. (Above) Kaitlin Minniefield on the second floor of the Student Union.
Photo by Billy Keeney
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The Northerner
Maria Osbourn in a small park in Louisville .
The Northerner
Photo provided by Loren Marie Photography
A CONVERSATION ABOUT CONSERVATION NKU junior advocates sustainability on campus By Rachel Smith Sustainability is a series of steps. Maria Osbourn said she takes them one at a time. “At the moment, I am really working on reducing my plastic consumption,” Osbourn said. “I think it's hard to get away from plastics. They’re kind of everywhere in our life, but there are ways to get around it.” Environmental sustainability describes the responsible interaction with the planet to maintain natural resources and not jeopardize the ability for future generations to meet their needs. There are small ways to implement sustainability into your everyday life, according to Osbourn. A chore as simple as shopping at a grocery chain can be swapped for planting a small vegetable garden or visiting a local farmer’s market. This change in routine can reduce plastic waste by avoiding the plastic-wrapped produce of a grocery store. Osbourn is a junior double majoring in music and environmental science. When she’s not administering flute lessons over Zoom, she visits local parks in her hometown of Louisville. It was a local park, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, that first sparked her interest in environmental issues at the age of 14. During a visit to Bernheim, Osbourn noticed several initiatives about forest conservation in the area. She began reading all of the information provided at the park about how forests help stabilize the climate through the release of carbon dioxide. When forestry declines due to pollution and wildfires, climate change is accelerated. “That’s when I first tried sustainability. I thought it was really interesting and it just took off from there,” Osbourn said. In addition to environmental issues, Osbourn said she also 14
soon developed a passion for music. In middle school, she started playing the flute after receiving some health advice. “I have really bad asthma, and I was told that playing the flute would help me learn how to expand my lungs,” Osbourn said. In high school, she was part of a tutoring program where she taught the flute to younger students. After enrolling at NKU, she couldn’t choose between environmental science and music as her major—so she chose both. Osbourn recently became a junior instructor with NKU’s Music Preparatory Department over the summer. She delivers private flute lessons to students over Zoom. “My teaching style is very hands-on. I like to ask questions just as much as I give feedback,” Osbourn said. “I make sure that when I teach there is a mixture of positive feedback and criticism, so the student feels really encouraged to continue instead of defeated.” According to Osbourn, music has given her a sense of community and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Right now, we're having some really tough times for everyone, and music can really help ease the isolation and the pain that some people are feeling,” Osbourn said. “I would encourage people to turn to music whenever they need it.” In addition to leading students in music during private lessons, Osbourn dedicates her time to spreading more awareness about local environmental issues. This semester, she became an intern with NKU Sustainability—an organization that manages the NKU community garden, hosts Earth Week, and promotes waste reduction and energy conservation efforts across campus— where she primarily runs the organization’s social media accounts. “On my end, I'm really working on the awareness side,” Osbourn said. “I think my biggest thing right now is trying to get student voices more involved in all the initiatives we're trying to do for October and the rest of the year.” October is campus sustainability month, and Osbourn has collaborated with NKU Sustainability to promote several events such as Netflix watch parties and a county-wide clean up day for Campbell County. For NKU specifically, Osbourn said she is trying to inspire and lead students to recycle more on campus. “If we can get our recycling program really down, and everyone really understands the importance of recycling and how to recycle, that would really help our university’s output and our impact on the environment,” Osbourn said. According to Osbourn, social media can be used as a tool to connect with people on an individual level. Once an individual becomes interested in the idea of sustainability, it isn’t long before they can forge a connection with nature itself. Photo by Josh Kelly “We can work more closely with the environment because we are the environment. We're not separated from the world we live in,” Osbourn said. According to Osbourn, she has seen increased engagement with recent Facebook and Instagram posts for NKU Sustainability. Environmental concerns have grown into the forefront of the younger generation’s minds as evident in Greta Thunberg’s activism and the Youth Climate Movement. Though climate change is a global issue, students can contribute to sustainability through individual impact—all they need is some inspiration, Osbourn said. “I would say that the biggest motivator for reducing an individual's impact [on the environment] is hope. I noticed that a lot of people can get really anxious about the environment and climate change and everything that's going on,” Osbourn said. “But the good news is that all of us can take steps to decrease our impact.”
‘BE BRAVE’ SGA senator wants diversity, representation on campus By Natalie Hamren
Kaitlin Minniefield, sophomore biological sciences major, recently joined the Student Government Association (SGA) to amplify and advocate for the Black community on campus. The SGA senator said she wants to see issues involving minorities on campus being pushed to the forefront. “We tend to not be seen or be heard on campus,” Minniefield said. “I just really would like to see these things happen for us, especially now with everything that's going on in America. I would really like to see the Black community and the Hispanic community and the international students be seen and heard on campus.” Minniefield joined SGA this semester after a peer recommended it, saying that she would be good for the organization and could help push forward issues on campus. Minniefield said she thinks SGA struggles with representation. At an induction meeting she went to, she recalled looking around the room and only seeing a handful of minorities at the meeting. She thought to herself, ‘Wow, we’re not represented here, so how can we be heard here?’ She said she wants to work toward more representation in SGA, as well as monthly or bimonthly fairs to connect students with resources on campus they may not know about. Minniefield said resources aren’t highlighted at orientation for students, especially minorities. She hopes to have virtual fairs where students can get to know faculty and staff members that can assist them if needed. As a senator, Minniefield hopes to increase opportunities for other Black students on campus. “I hope to build a door. I hope to make a seat at the table for other young African American women on campus and other young African American students,” Minniefield said. “I want them to know that we are needed where the decisions are being made because they are making decisions without us and they're not taking us into consideration.”
Minniefield said several communities on campus, including the Black community, had an issue with the racially insensitive comment a then-incoming NKU student made over the summer. She said she felt the way the University responded was not productive and didn’t help ease or solve any issues. Minniefield said she felt the University’s response hindered the trust between the administration and communities on campus. In SGA, she hopes she can show other people that you can’t say whatever you want, as it may offend someone. She also said she hopes the University listens to demands herself and other Black students asked from the University—including increased sensitivity training and a center on campus for Black students to gather and socialize. Minniefield said it’s important being a Black woman in a leadership role because she can show other people that Black women’s voices need to be heard. “Honestly, people that are not Black cannot speak for our community, and that is what's been happening on campus a lot,” Minniefield said. “I feel like, if not me, who else because there's no one else trying to step up and be in the SGA to show that we need that representation there.” Minniefield hopes her experience as a senator teaches her how to deal with others’ views and leadership styles. “I hope that it teaches me more patience, and more understanding of everyone and their lifestyles and their beliefs, and where they come from and their needs and wants as a community,” Minniefield said. Minniefield wants other students—especially underrepresented students on campus—to know that if they want something, the first step is to just do it. She said you have to put yourself out there, even if you’re scared that you won’t be accepted. “Be brave. Be bold. Stand firm on your beliefs. Because if nobody's going to change the world, at least you can try,” Minniefield said. (Above) Kaitlin Minniefield on the second floor of the Student Union.
Photo by Billy Keeney
15