June, 2024 Tuna Talk

Tuna Talk

2023-2024

Staff

Griffin Akkashian

Lucas Bagne

James Drake

Conor Field

Zoe Fleischer

Alli Margolis

Vijval Nandigala

Jad Saade

Megan Sims

Advisor: Michelle Stamler

Are The Red Wings Stanley Cup Bound?

by Griffin Akkashian

As we approach the middle of the NHL season, many Red Wings fans are jumping for joy because of how well the team is playing. Though not sitting at the top of the division, the Red Wings have looked like a serious contender in the Eastern Conference, showing early signs that last year’s 35-37-10 record will be greatly improved upon come April.

The Detroit Red Wings are one of the most historic franchises in all of hockey. Being one of the “Original Six” teams, the Red Wings have the 3rd most Stanley Cup wins with 11, behind only the Montreal Canadians (24) and Toronto Maple Leafs (13). Despite the storied history of the team, it has been just over ten years since the Wings have advanced past the 1st round of the playoffs. In fact, the Red Wings haven’t even made the playoffs since 2016, and the last Stanley Cup victory was in 2008. With no progress being made, the Red Wings turned to a familiar face to help build them back to greatness, Deroit legend Steve Yzerman.

Many would call Steve Yzerman the greatest Red Wing of all time, and if not for Gordie Howe it would be unanimous. While Yzerman won 3 Stanley Cups as a player across his 22-year Red Wing career (1997, 1998, 2002), the Red Wings hired him to be both their GM (general manager) and executive VP in 2019 upon seeing him build a Tampa Bay Lightning team which would go on to make three straight Stanley Cups, winning two of them (2020, 2021). In Michigan it has become a well-known phrase, the so-called “Yzerplan” refers to a very methodical, meticulous method of team building which looks at the long-term as the top priority. Since the Yzerplan worked in Tampa Bay, fans of the Detroit hockey team had something which seemed long gone when “Stevie Wonder” was hired,

hope. Four years later Red Wings fans are finally getting a glimpse of how Yzerman’s genius and patience may lead to ending the 15-year championship drought. The most exciting part of the team’s newfound success is explosive offense.

The Red Wings offense is a sight to behold this season, ranking top 5 in goals scored this season (as of 12/19/23). The hometown kid and captain, Dylan Larkin, has had a great year now that he finally has some talent around him. Earlier this year, Larkin sustained a head injury and there was a clear dip in the team’s production while he was gone, as the team ended that stint with a record of 1-4. Larkin is not only the captain of the team, but also the heart and face of the organization. The biggest change in the lineup has been the addition of Alex DeBrincat. To start the year, DeBrincat and Larkin were an unstoppable line for any defense in their way with both players in the top 5 for points in the NHL through the first few games. Unfortunately, the two had to be split up on the lines because of the relative lack of production from the rest of the team. 21-year-old Lucas Raymond has also been very productive as he had the third most points on team through 30 games. With the offense sizzling, the only thing that may stop this team is the defensive play. The defense is full of players with a lot of experience, but at the time of writing this they are simply lacking production. For this team to win anything significant, the defense needs to be much better. The goalie situation is also a problem. Alex Lyon is a very solid backup goalie which is always a great piece to have, but the starting goalie, Ville Husso has been terrible as a starter. In spite of the fact that Husso has been abysmal, the team is still winning a lot of games, and certainly look ready

for a playoff run.Detroit is on the rise and the state of Dtroittroit sports beautifully reflect that fact. While the city has had a rough go in the past, Michiganders know that Detroit is quickly improving. The Tigers have very solid young peices and are starting to improve, the Lions have made

huge strides recently, and while the Pistons are terrible, even they have a couple building blocks for the future. All of that said, Detroit will always be Hockeytown, and the team the Red Wings are becoming could be something very special for years to come.

What Your Teachers Read

by Alli Margolis

Teachers are harbingers of knowledge. Oxford Languages defines an expert as a person who has a comprehensive/ authoritative knowledge in a particular area, a valuable resource. Roeper has its own set of literary experts, who are often left as untapped sources for learning. So, let’s tap the well, and hear what our English teachers have to say about their area of expertise: books.

What qualities do you enjoy in a book? Do you hope to see aliens and intergalactic wars flit across the pages, or tales of princesses locked in castles? At the library, which shelves call your name? Your upper school English teachers enjoy:

Dan Jacobs: Science Fiction

Adam Darington: Fiction

Ben Fisher: Fiction

Kelly McDowell: Fiction

Susannah Nichols: Fiction

Assigning homework is an inevitable part of a high school teachers job. As students, we can only hope that they are choosing texts that are enriching our lives; knowing this bunch, they most certainly are. Over the years, Roeper’s English departments has promoted a wide variety of books, but which are their favorite to assign?

Dan Jacobs favorite text to assign is Dracula, by Bram Stoker. In this story, Jonathan Harker travels to stay in a castle located in Transylvania, owned by Count Dracula. Throughout the course of his stay, Harker discovers that Dracula is not as he seems: he is a vampire. Fleeing the castle, Harker, and others he told his tale gather to hunt Dracula. Written in 1897, the novel is told from a collec-

tion of media, such as diary entries, letters, and newspaper articles.

Adam Derington thinks Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut, is the most valuable text he assigns. The text follows the narrator Jonah on his literary journey as he pens a book detailing the Hiroshima bombing. The complex ideas evoked by this story are explored through the authors morbid sense of humor. A post-modern novel focusing on scientific development, religion, and the arm’s race.

Ben Fisher enjoys assigning Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly to his tenth grade English class. When he was tasked with reading Frankenstein as a Roeper student, he abhorred it. During his time in higher education, he grew a fondness for the text. The story follows Victor Frankenstein on his road to creating a sentient creature in his lab, through some rather unorthodox methods. This gothic romantic book is often regarded as the first science fiction novel.

Kelly McDowell enjoys dissecting the text Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin, with her students. The story of an American man living in Paris during the 1950s discovering his sexuality. The protagonist, David, struggles with feelings of isolation, masculinity, and bisexuality. Follow his story through the complexities of life, living in a society that rejects one of the core tenants of his existence.

Susannah Nichols feels that Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which she taught in her former Russian literature class was her favorite to assign. It is a classic story, written in

nineteenth century Russia, following the life of an impoverished student, Raskolnikov. He sets himself on a path of great internal struggle following his murder of an elderly woman. A suspenseful tale of guilt and redemption.

Now that we’ve discussed our teachers curriculums, we can delve into their personal favorites. What titles they would choose above all others, given free reign. What books they continuously return to, and hold close to their hearts.

Dan Jacobs favorite text is the poem, Song of Myself, by Walt Whitman; a free verse poem, part of a larger collection, called Leaves of Grass. The collection as a whole has heavy romantic and transcendentalist influence, and speaks of finding the divinity in nature, while highlighting the powerful self. Dan felt that while reading this poem he was “pulled out of the material world for a moment,” which let him see himself “in connection to all sorts of things he had never seen before.”

Adam Derington is a huge fan of A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords, by George R. R. Martin, the third book in the A Storm of Ice and Fire series. The text divulges a land of fantasy, with Dragons and great warriors. There is immense political intrigue among the nobility of various kingdoms. Now, the series is widely known for its popular TV adaptation, A Game of Thrones, named for the first book in the series. Adam appreciates the way the text approaches classic fantasy tropes, and themes of justice, honor, divided loyalty, and as stated by Adam, “agency in a world that restricts us.” Adam felt that he could fully immerse himself in this fantasy world, making it a favorite of his.

Ben Fisher’s favorite book is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. The novel itself takes place during the renaissance. It is an adventure fairytale, steeped in romance. It follows the journeys of Princess Buttercup, Westley, pirates, giants, beasts and more. Aside from the captivating storyline, Ben admires Goldman’s unique writing style. The text presents itself as a historical docu-

ment, edited for readership. There are gaps in the story, that the editor skips over, and briefly summarizes in italics. Ben finds this approach to be comical, and what sets it apart from other texts.

Kelly McDowell selected Ulysses, by James Joyce as her favorite book. She admires Joyce’s work because of his ability to exemplify the innately flawed nature of humans, and that “no one really knows who they are.” The text is regarded as a prime example of modernism. The novel takes place in a single day, following Leopold Bloom. Bloom challenges ideas of the male hero, and the role of the protagonist. It hones in on the profound, mundane, and profane.

Susannah Nichols favorite novel is a tale from her childhood, Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery. Susannah is fond of this series because she felt a connection to the character in her youth. She has fond memories reading the text with her mother. She was enchanted by the magical quality of the farm. The main character, Anne Shirley is an orphan, and a victim of the foster care system. By accident, she is sent to Green Gables farm, adopted by Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert. The Cuthbert’s were expecting a strong boy to help out on the farm; Anne the redheaded spitfire was certainly not what they were hoping for. Despite this, Anne is hopeful that Green Gables will be her forever home.

Sometimes, the words on a page have the ability to irrevocably alter us. A powerful enough text can shift a person’s entire outlook on life. It is an unparalleled experience, to find words on a page that resonate deeply within your soul. Every member of the US English department has been fortunate enough to experience this. Let’s explore the books that they asserted as being the most powerful texts they have encountered.

Dan Jacobs had this life altering experience while reading Hamlet: a Shakespearean tragedy following the story of the Danish Prince, Hamlet, on his quest for revenge against his uncle, King Claudius.

Before there was King Claudius, there was King Hamlet, the Princes father, murdered by his own brother. In order to fully usurp the throne, King Claudius had one last step to his plan, marry his late brothers wife. In this tragedy, Shakespeare bridges the gap between life and death, real, and mythological.

Adam Derington felt changed after reading A Theory of Justice by John Rawls. The novel is a deep dive into political philosophy, tackling alternatives to utilitarianism, and justice in the distribution system. The book is intended to be a comment on the entanglement of liberty and equality. It delves into the social contract, and Kantian philosophy.

Ben Fisher experienced an irrevocable alteration to his view of a text after reading the 1967 essay, Death of the Author, by literary critic Roland Barthes. The essay discusses the “ultimate meaning of a text,” and prioritizes the readers interpretation of work, over the authors intention.

Kelly McDowell felt the power of Maya Angelou’s words in her autobiographical novel, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing. This book is one of seven autobiographical novels by Angelou, detailing the trials and tribulations of her life. This one in particular tackles Angelou’s adolescence, from age three through sixteen. Angelou depicts her journey overcoming racism and teen motherhood, in a story of fierce character development.

Susannah Nichols was a changed person after reading Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese. Saul Indian Horse is a young Ojibway boy who goes into hiding with his family during a series of government kidnapping of indigenous people. The winter brings tragedy, and Saul suddenly finds himself alone in the world. Placed in a horrific boarding school, steeped in violence, Saul discovers his solace: hockey. Through the years, Saul cultivates his talent, despite the harshness of a world that won’t except him for the qualities that make him innately him.

Have you ever thought about what you would want to bring with you if you were stranded on a desert island. Now let’s say you were allowed to bring a book; which would you choose? The Roeper US English department would choose:

If left stranded on a desert island, Dan Jacobs would bring Popisho, by Leone Ross with him. In this story, the g-ds gift each person magic, known in this world as cors. Main character, Xavier Redchoose, is known as the macaenus of his generation, meaning it is his job to make each person one perfect meal at a designated time. Xavier’s long lost lost love is on the road to reckoning because of her healing powers. The governors daughter is getting married, and the governor has requested a meal out of turn. Graffiti on the island is asking hard questions about the status quo. Only the pages will tell what will happen with this triple threat of circumstances.

On a desert island Adam Derrington: would be sure to have his copy of The Witcher Series, by Andrzej Sapkowski with him. The Witcher series is comprised of six books, and 15 short stories, and now a Netflix original series following Geralt of Rivia. Witcher’s hunt the beasts of their world, and are gifted supernatural abilities to do so. In addition to their powers, every Witcher’s pride and joy are their two swords; one made of silver, the other made of Steel. What would happen is a Witcher lost their weapons? Follow Geralt on his journey of battle and love.

Ben Fisher and Susannah Nichols both circumvented this question. Ben stated that he would bring a “a complete printout of Wikipedia.” Susannah said she would bring “a blank book to write in.”

We have examined our teachers past reads. The books that they return to, the books that they assign, but what is their current literary stimulant?

Dan Jacobs is currently reading Disfigured, Amanda Luduc: a new take on fairytales, that challenges the ableist stereotypes of classic tales. The text strongly establishes that disability is not a punishment, or impediment. Furthermore, it explores the connotations of characters with disabilities in older tales ranging from Brothers Grimm to Disney.

Adam Derrington’s current read is proof that learning is never finished. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, by Bell Hooks is an examination of the power that education holds as a key to freedom. It advises students to use intellect to push boundaries in the name of fighting bigotry, and how to reorganize the current education system to better make social change, making it valuable to students and educators alike.

Ben Fisher is reading Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr. The story follows the four main characters through different centuries and walks of life. In the 15th century, Anna lives in the village of Constantinople, where she learns to read, an anomaly for her time. She finds the last story of the Aethon, a boy who longed to be a bird, to fly up to a utopia. Outside the walls of the city, Omeir lives, and has been conscripted to lay siege to Constantinople. In the present, Zeno is putting on a youth production of the story preserved by Anna. In the future, Konstance is alone in space, copying down the story of Aethon, told to her by her father. Learn how the story of Aethon can

mean different things to different people, how the world is continuously evolving, creating new realities and different dangers.

After a tiring day at work, Kelly McDowell is turning the pages of companion novels The Passenger and Stella Maris, by Cormac McCarthy. The novels portray the individuality of grief, from the point of view of a brother and sister: a diver for the US Coast Guard (The Passenger), and a psychiatric patient (Stella Maris), haunted by their past and present.

Right now, Susannah is reading Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett. The story takes place in 2020 when the main character Lara’s three daughters return home to their family Orchard in Norther Michigan. Years ago, Lara had a dalliance with a famous actor, Peter Duke, with whom she shared the stage with at the Tom Lake theatre company. Lara’s girls ask their mother to recount the tale of her romance with Duke.

These recommendations cover a broad spectrum of literature, with lessons seen, and those yet to be discovered. Books are not the only area of expertise for Roeper teachers. We are lucky to be in a petri dish of learning, with our educators constantly incubating knowledge. What teachers will you ask next to broaden your horizons, which books from this list will you pick up in a moment of free time? Use your time in this environment to your advantage, and remember to “tap the well.”

Devastation in Paradise by Megan Sims

Maui is a beautiful island known to many as paradise. The island was struck with devastation on August 8, 2023. A brush fire, that firefighters originally declared was under control, re-ignited due to the high winds and raced towards the town of Lahaina, a small community that was once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom. Within hours, fire consumed the historic town of, burning everything in its path. Thousands of residents and tourists were forced to flee quickly, leaving everything behind.

I watched in my living room the news reports rolling in, stating that the death toll had mounted to over 100 lives lost, with over 2000 acres in ash. My mind wandered to the 150-year-old banyan tree occupying Lahaina’s town center; its 46 separate roots, and looming figure that stood over 60 feet high. I listened as the world collectively breathed, hoping to hear the fate of the world-renowned tree. Would this a symbol of the rich history of Lahaina survive the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century?

As the world mourned the losses on Maui, the firestorm was so intense that the water was on fire. As a result, many questions emerged, such as “How could this happen? Why was there no warning? What could have been done differently to avoid the substantial loss of life and propety? What needs to be done to prepare for future catastrophes?”

Less than two years ago, I vividly remember walking down the bustling Front Street during my family’s holiday. The ocean waves were lapping against the rocks, the warm breeze coasting my skin. Shopkeepers beckoned, welcoming me. Thousands of different conversations blended together, in harmony with the street musicians’ song creating the unique Hawaiian vibe.

I recall walking in wonder under the expansive stretch of the banyan tree canopy, reveling in the shade, seeking refuge from the hot Lahaina sun. I watched families celebrating birthdays, visitors taking photos, and couples holding hands. Happiness, joy, love, and contentment filled the air, giving Lahaina its unique claim to paradise. To see the burned bark of the banyan tree, stripped of all of its leaves, was jarring and the sense of loss was overwhelming.

Hiking along some of the mountain pathways that overlooked once ancient sugar and pineapple plantations were some of my favorite memories. The fields were covered with tall grasses which were overgrown and untended. Later investigations into the causes of the firestorm identified many of these non-native grasses as a contributing factor to the ferocity and speed of the wildfire.

High winds from a passing hurricane, miles offshore, snapped a powerline, igniting dry, highly flammable In the span of less than an hour, the high winds pushed the “contained” fire high up in the mountains, down towards the ocean, plowing a path towards the historic town of Lahaina in its path. An insufficient water supply only worsened this dangerous situation.

There were no warnings, no emergency alerts. 911 was down and there was no cellular service since the fire had damaged the cell towers. This left many little time to flee for their lives. I remember thinking back to how long it took me to get to Lahaina after landing at the airport. There is only a single road, one lane each way for most of the distance. Lovely and enjoyable if you have all of the time in the world, deadly and disastrous if you have only seconds to escape the consuming flames. This made it nearly impossible for

many of those who tried to get out of harm’s way. Burning buildings and downed power lines made the few roads out nearly impassable.

I shudder at the terror that the people in Lahaina endured that evening. As the fire burned itself out and the smoke cleared, the rubble where a thriving town of 13,000 was unveiled.

I watched in amazement as a team of arborists and horticulturists formed a task force to examine the banyan tree. They methodically tended the tree and cultivated the soil around the root systems. Just as experts came to tend the tree, donations of food, clothing, and money flooded in to help the displaced people of West Maui. President Biden pledged the full support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and emergency disaster funding to help with recovery. In a show of American unity, people from across the country offered their services to further help with the rescue and recovery efforts. In times of need and great devastation the people of the United States come together to support each

other. West Maui needed their help, and the rest of the U.S. managed to donate over $500 million in relief funds, food, and clothing.

One third of the banyan tree is showing strong signs of recovery: green sprouts can be seen along its branches and root systems. Another third is only showing moderate signs of growth. The remaining third has remained in its damaged state. Arborists caring for the tree have stated that it will be a long road to recovery, but they remain hopeful.

To Maui residents, and the rest of the world who watched these events unfold, the banyan tree has become a symbol of hope and the resilience of life. These events reminded everyone of their mortality, and to appreciate the world and people around them. Despite everything torn from the Hawaiian people as a result of these fires, their spirit remains, a testament to the strengths of human nature.

The Future of Youth Sports

by James Drake

Growing up playing sports during recess and after school was a staple for kids, but has this trend been changing? The amount of kids playing sports has been dropping and covid has only accelerated the decrease in youth sports participation. With these alarming rates continuing to grow what is the effect it has on the youth?

From 2008 to 2018 the amount of kids playing sports has dropped from 45 percent to 38 percent. Almost 75% of kids quit playing sports at around 13 years old. (When asking Todd Dunfield on the subject, he said) Kids are increasingly abandoning sports both on a local level and national level, and with the various physical and mental benefits of youth sports this decline in participation is distressing. Kids who play sports and are more active are less likely to be obese, and have lower rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. They learn discipline, social skills, and promote physical activity. Kids who play sports in their youth are also more likely to be active later in life, promoting these benefits throughout their life.

Kids who don’t play youth sports miss out on these benefits, and one of the driving factors for the decrease in sports participation is the increased intensity of youth sports. Kids are playing year-round, traveling, and clubs have become increasingly expensive. This has been an ongoing debate, are youth sports too competitive? Sports are a competitive activity, and kids need room to grow, develop, and compete, so it’s important to compete and still enjoy sports when kids are in their youth.

Another one of the growing deterrents for kids play sports is injuries. With kids specializing in sports as early as six years old, and kids playing for more than eight months out of the year, sports injuries have become increasingly severe and common. When kids are so young and developing, sports injuries can quickly stop kids from playing sports, and detrimental to their future in sports.

Sports should be a fundamental aspect of kids’ lives growing up whether or not they are going to play sports seriously or not. There are mental and physical benefits that every kid should get.

Buckshot Roulette

by Jad Saade

Mike Klubnika’s latest horror release, Buckshot Roulette, has taken just about every media platform by storm. From TikTok to Twitch to YouTube, creators everywhere have been playing this game. This is his 5th experimental horror release and might be the most widespread game of his so far. Big creators everywhere have already played the game, and within just weeks of its release there are already countless spin-off games of it.

Buckshot Roulette is a spin on the classic anxiety-building Russian Roulette. Instead of a revolver, players use a shotgun, and it takes a more player-vs-player approach. The addition of items adds a strategic twist to the gameplay, allowing players to detect a blank, rack the shotgun, skip a turn, or deal double damage. It costs $1.20 on Itch.io at the time of writing and is a great game to pick up if you’re new to Klubnika’s work.

Buckshot Roulette draws inspiration from a 2021 game, Daniel Mullins’s Inscryption. Klubnika even mentions Inscryption in the game’s credits as his

inspiration. The main similarity is that the gameplay has the player matched against a dealer. The ways the dealers may play are different in the two games, specifically, how fair they play. The dealer in Buckshot Roulette plays fair, and even uses some items on himself upon the player’s choice to play an item against him. Inscryption’s dealer, on the other hand, bends the rules frequently. The games remain similar in how both core game loops lock the player in a scenario that doesn’t end until one party dies.

For many fans of Inscryption, Klubnika’s recent release is a great option to allow them to dive back into the game’s life-or-death stakes with an industrial take. Buckshot Roulette offers an enjoyable, unique experience while also drawing ideas from card games, fitting for more than just those who have enjoyed Inscryption. For all players, Buckshot Roulette offers an interesting take on the horror genre, offering players a fun and creepy experience.

The Roeper Schedule-One More Time?

by Lucas Bagne

Roeper has had a different schedule each year for three years in a row and four different schedules in the past five years, but hopefully an end to the constant change is imminent. On the surface, the changes don’t seem to make much sense because the average class time per day has decreased. In 2019 the schedule consisted of two days with eight, forty-five-minute blocks and a community block every Wednesday and it had been that way for decades. Core classes met every day and electives met every other day. For core classes, there were 220 minutes of every core class in a week or about forty-four minutes per day.

The 2020 and 2021 schedule were the same, this was the Covid schedule. Core classes met only twice a week so the total amount of core class time in a week was only 110 minutes, averaging 22 minutes per day over the five-day rotation. The schedule for the past two years has had the same amount of class time per day with 110 minutes over the course of 3 days or 220 minutes over the course of 6 days for an average of 37 minutes per day.

Having less class time reveals the obvious, we did not change the schedule for that reason, so why did we ever change? According to Birmingham Campus director, Sussanah Nichols, the biggest reason for the initial change was to have fewer transitions. About the switch from the 2-day schedule to the 3-day schedule, Sussanah said, “It was seen that there were too many transitions in a day, it was too stressful for people, I think the idea of not having classes meet every single day would create a better pace of play for students.”

Having longer blocks would also hopefully allow teachers to get through more difficult material in a class.

Regarding the most recent change to the six-day schedule, the main reason for the change was to match the lower school. On the topic, Sussanah said, “Hale and Paula (lower school scheduler) looked and determined that a six-day schedule was best for both campuses, and we as a campus could either do a six-, two-, or three-day schedule.” Matching the lower school was important because the two campuses share teachers, and it makes it easier for parents who have kids at both campuses. This change will also hopefully make it easier for incoming sixth graders because they will not have to adjust as much to a completely different schedule. Sussanah also mentioned that within the lower school, each stage used a different amount of the letters in their schedule and that this change would hopefully make the stages and their schedules more similar.

Another big reason for the recent change was to allow physical education teachers and art teachers to have classes three days out of the six-day cycle, allowing electives to meet more often than they were able with the three-day schedule. Todd Dunfield has taken advantage of this and now has physical education classes that are meeting three days out of the six-day cycle. In his opinion, this is a positive because it is important to be active and having another day of PE allows students to be more active and have more opportunities for fun. While talking to teachers about the recent change, one issue that kept coming up with the

current schedule is that it is a little more difficult to remember what classes are in each day. Michal McConville said, “I have the exact same schedule that I had last year but I still have to look at it every day. It’s not that big of a deal but for some of my students that don’t have the same classes on A Day and D Day, it’s very challenging for them”. She was not as keen about the previous shift from the forty-five minute classes every day, “in terms of time, it’s not that different, it’s just the number of meetings. For me, it’s had a big impact because I still have to give quizzes and tests. I feel like when I see them, I have less time to interact with them even though the class period is longer.” Because of this, Michal said that she has had to cut out certain lessons resulting in students learning less overall in comparison to previous years. Michal believes that in classes like math or science, teachers are giving out more homework to combat this. As a homeroom teacher, she’s noticed this and said, “A lot of my students are struggling, they feel like they have more homework or are required to learn more outside of class, and I didn’t hear this before.”

The overwhelming consensus is that the new schedule makes it harder to get desired classes. The biggest reason for this issue is classes not

meeting at the same time every day. Frequently students can get one block of an elective but the other will not fit into their schedule. On this topic, Michal said, “I have not, in years past, had as many students saying that they are completely locked out of a certain core class.” Sadly, with this format, this is not fixable because classes on different blocks on different days make it less likely for a class to line up perfectly with a student’s mostly full schedule.

To some, the six-day schedule versus the threeday schedule is a clear improvement, but should Roeper look back to the past and revert back to the original schedule? On the topic, Sussanah said, “I think it is unlikely because there are a lot of educational resources that show that having longer classes and fewer meetings per day is beneficial.” However, this does not mean this schedule is an end to all the conversation on what is best for Roeper. About this, Sussanah said, “If I was betting, I would say that for the next couple of years, it would look the way it does now, what I do think we can keep getting better at is three days versus six days and community blocks, these are things that remain under consideration, and we are open to feedback.”

Famous by Griffin Akkashian

There are few events throughout human history that bring the entire world to a grinding halt, few disputes in which every man, woman and child must choose a side for which to fight, few battles that have shaped the world so profoundly. I am talking of course about Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift.

Beginning at the Video Music Awards in 2009, after Swift received her first ever VMA for “Best Female Video” Kanye West stormed the stage. Kanye took the microphone out of her hand and told the world that he believed Beyonce should have won the award. This moment made headlines across the nation, receiving attention from multiple national news outlets. Given the extraordinary amount of attention this moment received, is Kanye right, did he make Taylor Swift famous?

Kanye, who was already accepted by many as a musical genius, had singlehandedly forged the path for many all-time great rappers to follow. There was a clear shift in the rap community as Kanye continued to emerge, both in overall relevance and in style. The 90s were owned by rappers like The Notorious B.I.G, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and the Wu-Tang Clan, all of whom had a style unique to them. The late 90s to early 2000s is when Eminem and Dr. Dre made one of the most successful rap labels of all time. This was around the time Kanye was emerging as a top dog in the rap world. Kanye had dropped his first studio album in 2004, The College Dropout, where Kanye featured Ludacris, and started his collaboration with Jay-Z. Kanye’s next album, Late Registration, was well received in 2005, but 2007’s Graduation

is considered one of the greatest rap albums ever made, and propelled Kanye’s career to where it is today. The popularity of these albums paved the way for current rappers like Drake, RTB MB, and Kendrick Lamar in the modern era of rap. Graduation is what made Kanye a staple in the “GOAT” debate. Kanye would follow up in 2008 with the release of 808s and Heartbreak. The success of Kanye in the 2000s meant that by the 2009 VMAs, Kanye had amassed a huge following, and perhaps the most loyal fan base across hip-hop and rap. How does this affect Taylor Swift’s legacy?

Taylor Swift started making waves in 2006 with her debut album released at just 16 years old titled simply, Taylor Swift. Though Swift is a pop artist, her debut album spent 24 weeks at number one on Top Country Albums and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, where it became the longest-charting album of the 2000s decade. Swift had released one more album before 2009, titled Fearless, which included the songs “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me”, this album is widely considered to be one of Swift’s best. “You Belong With Me” is the song that garnered the Best Female Video at the 2009 VMAs, sparking controversy by beating out Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It). The feud between Kanye and Swift began that night and has only grown since, as the 2016 song, “Famous” by Kanye only added fuel to the already bright-burning flame. Referring to her by first name in the song, Kanye repeatedly states that he made Taylor Swift famous, and does so with incendiary and graphic language. Taylor Swift is now a global superstar, and her popularity has surpassed that of Kanye

West, at least among certain demographics. Did Kanye’s actions almost 15 years ago contribute to Swift’s level of fame and popularity when she was starting out?

Simply put, both sides of the argument are correct. Taylor Swift would probably not be where she is today without Kanye West. However, it would be unfair to say Kanye made Taylor Swift famous as she had already achieved immense

success before the VMAs. There is no denying that the headlines that Kanye made on that fateful night in 2009 at the VMAs certainly gave Swift a massive boost in popularity. In that sense, there is no clear-cut answer to the debate. While Swift can thank Kanye for her boost in popularity, the idea that Kanye is the only reason Swift is famous is ridiculous and unfounded. One thing’s for sure though, Famous by Kanye is still a banger, even if Kanye did not in fact make her famous.

Pandabuy By Conor Field

When shopping for a new pair of Nike’s, basic sneakers fetching $120 can seem too expensive. The price is in part because Nike is a behemoth in the fashion industry, with a yearly revenue reaching $45 billion. The customer is not paying exclusively for the shoe’s quality or its performance, but rather the swoosh on the side and the four-letter word on the back.

People have been making and buying knockoffs for a long time, it’s not hard to find an Adidas hoodie with four stripes rather than three stripes in flea markets and shops around the world. Recently, more frugal people have been online, using websites like the Chinese site Pandabuy and AliExpress. The main selling point of Pandabuy and websites like it is the price. Many people jump at the opportunity to get cheap products, even with the complex ordering and shipping process and the risk of diminished quality. The question is, what ill effects do Pandabuy and websites like it have on the fashion industry? What about the designers of products and the workers in the factories making them? Can big brands hold their ground while their buyers are content to go for knockoff products at lower prices?

People using Pandabuy move away from the original manufacturers, not in favor of smaller, less popular companies, but rather the same identifiable products for lower prices. The long delivery time and the risk of slightly lower quality is worth the risk for most customers simply because of the significantly lower price tag. The first step in the process for a new shopper is to survey the vast landscape of Chinese e-commerce websites,

these sites are where you’ll find whatever product you’re searching for. The most credible sellers and consistent items in terms of quality can be hard to find on these websites, in part due to the language barrier or the design of the websites. To solve this issue, Pandabuy shoppers will follow tried and true links provided by other users from social media. You then paste the item’s link into Pandabuy’s search bar; at this point you can find more information about the sizing of the product and see images of what you are getting. Next, you’ll complete the payment process and Pandabuy will order your items from the seller and the products will be delivered to the warehouse. Once the item is stored you can arrange for delivery by inputting your address, paying the international shipping fee, and placing the order. After the delivery order is submitted your items are packed by Pandabuy and they ship your order.

There are a multitude of advantages when buying from real companies. The standard shipping from Nike is free for orders over $150 and will arrive within 3-5 business days. That time can be shortened with an additional fee for expedited shipping. Additionally, many Nike customers are shopping for shoes and athletic equipment. For athlete’s needs, a reliable pair of shoes to prevent injuries is a necessity, for fashion-focused shoes, reliability isn’t the biggest concern. Because of this, many customers find comfort in the fact that brand name products are tried and true, a known commodity that professional athletes rely on. When it comes to fake athletic shoes from Pandabuy, buyers might not be as confident that they will hold up, even if the shoe itself was a far

cheaper option. Where a functional mishap in a pair of fashionable shoes would simply mean the need for a new pair or possible repair, a mishap in a pair of athletic shoes could result in serious injury.

Is it possible that Pandabuy and Nike or Adidas are coming from the same factory? There are 146 Nike factories, and 337 Adidas factories in China, how much of the revenue from those factories is making it back to the company, and how much is slipping out into street shops and onto e-commerce sites? “Yuandan goods” is a term for pieces that come from the same factories as the real deal but are sold at counterfeit. It’s not uncommon for errors in production to result in them being thrown out and wind up being sold as a fake. These kinds of products are unique from both the genuine goods and the true fakes and add a third wrinkle to the mix, towing the grey line between real and fake products. The knockoffs coming from other factories can have diminished quality, while the “seconds” that are from the real factory have the same quality as the real thing. Generally, “Yuandan Goods” don’t make up the majority of the products on Pandabuy, or even fake products in general, so it’s not often the case that most of the real products are made alongside the fake ones in the same factory.

Whether the factories in China are producing real or fake products, they still must be run and maintained by workers. Oftentimes the conditions the workers endure are unsafe, and factory

owners are so focused on making a profit that the health and well-being of their workers is ignored. The state-controlled union in China does not represent the workers well, and they are not allowed to form their own union. The factories in China are often overcrowded and the living conditions are often horrendous, not to mention the large underaged working population in China. The workers are also severely underpaid for the harsh overtime hours they are expected to work it was reported their pay was lower than a dollar in 2000, the figure is closer to $5 a day in more recent years. Whether the products the workers make are being sold for $200 or $2, the profits do not seem to be making it back to them, certainly not enough to justify some of the conditions they’ve been experiencing for decades.

The mainstream retailers that stock their shelves with brand name products probably don’t feel much of a dent financially because of Pandabuy and websites like it. However, they do lose some customers who are content with the quality and lower price that Pandabuy provides. To those customers inclined to save a little money, there are not many negatives to using Pandabuy if a buyer is smart about choosing their products, they can get clothes and merchandise that matches the quality of the real thing at slashed prices. Despite the benefits Pandabuy presents in contrast to the prices of major companies, the poor standards of living for the people making the products cannot be overlooked, even if a customer’s only concern is to save some money.

10-Year Olds in Sephora

by Zoe Fleisher

Lately there has been a lot of talk about people going into Sephora, and all they can see are little girls. It’s been a trend for girls starting around the age of 10 to go to Sephora to shop with their friends. This doesn’t seem like a problem, but it’s not just shopping. These children are being rude to other customers and employees, making a mess with the testers, and buying inappropriate products for their young skin, ‘ Are these girls growing up too fast?’

Creators on Tik Tok have been posting stories of their personal interactions with these kids saying they’re selfish, mean, and some have made them cry. ‘Where are these kids’ parents?’ you might be thinking. That’s another issue, most of these girls are unsupervised. Their moms drop them off at the mall, pick them up later, and have no idea how their child has behaved. Parents are contributing to the problem. Parents in this situation side with their children, right or wrong, and often are just as mean to the Sephora employees, if not worse.

People online have been complaining about how some stores have been removing testers from certain stores. Having testers at beauty stores is common so people can sample the product, see how it feels, and try to color match to find the right shade. These young girls have been abusing the testers by using them to make ‘ skincare smoothies’ in the store. Skincare smoothies is a trend advertised by the brand most sought after by 10-year old’s, Drunk Elephant. The idea is that instead of applying multiple products one at a time, you mix them together like a smoothie to be applied all at once. This brand’s easy packaging design allows you to mix all of your products on the top of one of their moisturizer bottles and then blend them together. However, when this

is done in the store, it creates a disgusting mess that employees have to clean up.

Why would 10-year-old girls want expensive products that their skin doesn’t need? If anything, they are harming their almost perfect skin with products that have harsh ingredients like retinol, which is suggested for people over the age of 25. The influence of social media on young girls these days has played a big role in this issue, because social media isn’t meant for little girls. Apps like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Snapchat have become increasingly popular to younger generations, but the mature content has stayed the same. They’re exposed to things, good and bad, at the age of 10, that most people weren’t exposed until they were much older and were better able to evaluate the information.

Kids having access to social media at such a young age exposes them to influencers and ads for products they don’t need. A child’s skin is significantly different than an adult’s. Kids are more prone to eczema because their skin is thinner, allowing water to release easier. Active ingredients like retinol and peptides are too strong for their highly sensitive skin. Using make-up and skincare products designed for sensitive skin or hypoallergenic skin would be much safer for these children. Infor-

mation that emphasizes the importance of the potential harm of these adult products used by children isn’t advertised on social media, so kids are unaware of the potential harm they are doing to themselves. All they know is that their favorite influencer used it and now it is what they want. Thinking about the generation before these children, the things they wanted for special occasions were Beanie Babies, Silly Bandz, Furbies, and a Razor Scooter. These days, kids are talking

about Ugg Slippers, Drunk Elephant products, Lululemon, and Stanley water bottles. There is nothing wrong with little girls wanting to play with make-up, but there is something to be said about their choice of product and the reasoning behind these choices. Where did all the princess play make up go? Children shouldn’t be buying expensive products and putting full faces of make up on every day. Children should be using makeup made for kids and using it to play dress up.

Disney’s Cash Grab

by Alli Margolis

The magic of Disney is not rooted in originality. In the past, the multimedia mogul looked towards the Brothers Grimm and the classic orated tales of other nations. Today, rather than striving for wholly unexplored content, Disney has returned to its past ventures in acts of self-plagiarism. Opting to play it safe, and reach for low hanging fruit in the entertainment market. In a bid to line their pockets, they are revamping their most successful cartoon movies as high production value live action films.

Because the stories behind these films are already classics, they have assured viewership. They expectedly appeal to adolesence, but also adults, due to feelings of nostalgia. The fanfare surrounding these re-imaginings is similar to the renewed sense admiration of classic Disney films when they were released from the vault. Before Disney had their own streaming platform, their movies were only available for purchase for a limited amount of time before they were placed in the Disney Vault for several years. When they were re-released, the movies received a resurgence in popularity.

Unbeknownst to many – because the films were not widely popular – Disney began its venture recreating films in the 90s, commencing with “The Jungle Book”, “101 Dalmatians,” and “102 Dalmatians.” All around, these ventures cannot be regarded as successful. They respectively raked in 43.2 million, 320.7 million, and 200 million worldwide, and cost respectively 30 million, 67 million, and 85 million dollars. For reference, the 1967 cartoon film, “ The Jungle Book” made 378 million dollars in the box office, and cost a mere 4 million dollars to make. Critically the

Dalmatian films were also a failure, sitting below 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Disney went into a several decades long hiatus from live action remakes.

Unlike many of the more modern remakes, the 90s films did not have the draw of uber famous actors/actresses. This is why starting in 2010 with Alice and Wonderland, the remake market took off. The movie stars Johnny Depp alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Alan Rickman. Fans of the cast’s other franchises flocked to support them, in addition to fans of the original book and movie. The production budget was 200 million dollars, which resulted in 1 billion dollars in the box office worldwide, a major boon for Disney.

Disney’s next remake debuted in 2014: Maleficent, staring Angelina Jolie alongside Elle Fanning. Unlike the prior mentioned remakes, this film rewrote the original 1959 movie, Sleeping Beauty. This tale told the story of Maleficent, who was formerly portrayed as the villain. In this film, Maleficent’s past is depicted as an explanation for why she is perceived as evil. When the film jumps to the present, this rendition gives Maleficent a redemption arc, and paints her as a motherly figure to Aurora. The roots of this film are eerily similar to the world-renowned Broadway play, Wicked, another prequel to a beloved classic, The Wizard of Oz.

Disney also attempted another remake of the Jungle book in 2016, grossing 966 million dollars worldwide. Likewise, the Dalmatian movies were redone for a second time. Cruella, the 2022 film starring Staring Emma Stone serves a prequel to

the original Dalmatian series, highlighting the life Cruella de Vil, the villain of the original franchise. Very reminiscent of Disney’s tactic for Maleficent.

Despite a lack of originality, many of the Disney reimagining’s have attempted to right past wrongs, and diversify their film portfolio. By doing so, Disney is attempting to repair its reputation as a problematic film maker. But is this diversification an act of genuine repentance, or tokenism? It is questionable whether or not Disney would have attempted to make their films more politically correct without financial incentive and a call to action by the public. Society has to decide if it finds these efforts suitable. Is alter-

ing past films enough, or should Disney be striving for a more inclusive future by creating new stories, that highlight their character’s unique culture without out playing into ethnic and racial stereotypes? Only time will tell if Disney will take that final step towards genuine inclusivity.

The question remains, why is Disney so stuck in the past? Is the media mogul just not what it used to be, stuck in a creative drought. Perhaps this apparent cash grab is being used to fund the next generation of movie magic, or maybe, in this crazy, ever changing world, people prefer to return to their roots, and find comfort in nostalgia. It will be telling to see where Disney goes next.

Theft: Blip on the Radar or Epidemic?

by Griffin Akkashian

Over the past few months, reports of theft and vandalism have been circling the halls of the Roeper school. Were these items left unattended? Were they not properly secured? Or were the thieves daring enough to infiltrate a sealed backpack looking for a big score? While these questions must be answered, the real question is who’s to blame? The thieves, the administration, or the students themselves?

The Roeper School provides its students with more freedom than most schools. All over the school, students roam comfortably knowing they always have a peer or two just around the corner. This relaxed atmosphere sometimes causes students to forget that not everyone has the most upstanding morals or plays by the rules. These factors have led to countless thefts over the years, with new instances of stolen goods popping up at a slightly higher rate than usual. While some of the reports address neglected or left behind goods, stories of students invading the backpacks and bags of their classmates to steal money and other items have also been present of late. Because Roeper is so invested in being a safe space for its students, students should have the right to feel comfortable leaving their bags out for a minute or two. With that said, are Roeper students too comfortable in our environment and does the school shield its students from the real world? This dichotomy says that although Roeper’s goals and principles should mean that all students are safe from being the victims of petty theft, the reality of the situation is that leaving expensive items or cash unattended for any period of time is a bad idea, and it is on the students to take care of their items.

There may not be a direct correlation between theft and vandalism, however, vandalism is unacceptable in any environment and the students who vandalize the school should be punished accordingly. Recent acts of vandalism have the school on edge, the school needs to spend more effort looking into these incidents so the student(s) who participate in these acts get what they deserve. It’s important to remember that while nobody wants to think about theft at this school, we need to keep it in mind going forward. Students should always have their valuable items secured and keep them close at all times. These simple steps would ensure that no student needs to bother the administration, their parents, or add another stressor to their day.

While reports of theft and vandalism have happened from time to time at this school, it seems like these incidents are becoming more frequent with each passing year. Why are students feeling so much more comfortable acting out now? The first reason would be a maturity issue in the younger grades. It seems like a relatively safe assumption that the vandals of The Roeper School would be in middle school rather than high school, especially considering the rooms in which the incidents have taken place have been primarily middle school classrooms. This theory is backed up by a few anonymous teachers, who have recently alluded to the idea of the younger kids on campus being less mature than usual. One reason for this could be COVID. Although for some it feels like a millennium ago, the younger students on campus would have missed crucial social development years in elementary school due to COVID restrictions. This could have caused a negative effect on social behavior, standards,

and even morals for them. An uptick in vandalism could be yet another lingering effect from the pandemic. As for the theft issue, there is no real reason these incidents are happening now more than ever. It is entirely possible that a small fraction of the current middle and upper school population is less morally sound than usual. This is bound to happen every few years. While theft could possibly be attributed once again to a lack of social awareness and regular social behavior due to the pandemic, it is far more likely that certain students just don’t care about morals. These students, if found, should face serious punishments from the administration, so as to make these students think twice before reaching into somebody’s wallet or bag.

Though the administration can discuss and make clearer policies regarding leaving things lying around unattended, the need for change ultimately falls on the students. Students should not leave anything valuable unattended, including their backpack itself, not just the contents inside. If students would simply carry around their necessary belongings, we would never have to worry about personal theft here at Roeper. One question remains; if these acts of theft and vandalism continue to occur, what do we do? As for vandalism, the administration needs to prioritize finding the culprits, and when they do, punish them far more intensely than Roeper is inclined

to do. These students need to be expelled, or at least suspended to permanently discourage this kind of behavior. If these students continue to get away with nothing more than a public service announcement and a smack on the wrist, then the students will never stop committing these atrocities. As a school, there also needs to be more transparency when these incidents occur. Only a small fraction of these incidents have been clearly explained to the student body, usually all we hear is an unspecific recounting of events which don’t really help the students to know what to do differently. Additionally, the administration and faculty need to promote taking better care of personal items, one of the best ways to do this is utilization of lockers. Students using their lockers with locks (like in the good old days) could go a long way for the safety of personal belongings.

The only way students should feel 100% secure is if they have their personal belongings with them at all times. Although Roeper stives to be the safest school possible, it is just that, a school. With so many students, some very young, it is impossible to keep an eye on everyone, meaning it is left to the students to prioritize personal safety. Until the day comes (which it never will) that Roeper sinks to using security footage, students are responsible, students need to take initiative to stop theft from happening at school.

What to Expect When Attending An Indian Wedding

by Vijval Nandigala

Weddings in India are more than just the union of two individual, they are grand, multi-day celebrations that bring together families, communities, and age-old traditions in a vivid tapestry of colors, rituals, and festivities. Across the length and breadth of this vast nation, weddings reflect the rich diversity of India’s cultures, customs, and regions, each with its own unique flavor and splendor.

At the heart of every Indian wedding lies a series of sacred rituals and ceremonies, each steeped in symbolism and significance. The engagement ceremony, known as the ‘Sagai’ or ‘Misri,’ marks the formal beginning of the wedding process with the exchange of rings and the application of henna, a reddish-black dye prepared from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna tree, on the bride’s hands. The henna is formed into deep intricate patterns usually depicting flowers and leaves and acts much like a short-term tattoo. Henna is said to attract positive energy and aid fertility.

Pre-wedding festivities like the ‘Sangeet’ are filled with music, dance, and laughter, as family and friends come together to celebrate the soon-tobe-wed couple. ‘Mendhi’, another pre-wedding festivity, tends to even have choreographed performances by family members. These family members range from middle-aged adults to young children.

The ‘Haldi’ ceremony, where the bride and groom are adorned with turmeric paste, is believed to bless them with prosperity and ward off evil. The paste is applied to the face, neck, hands, knees and feet. This ceremony tends to happen the day before the wedding, but it is possible for the ceremony to happen weeks before the wedding.

The main wedding ceremony, often referred to as the ‘Vivaah Sanskar,’ is a profound and sacred affair, with the couple taking the seven vows (‘Saat Pheras’) around the sacred fire while mantras are chanted by the priest. The groom applies vermilion to the bride’s forehead and ties the ‘Mangalsutra’ (sacred thread) around her neck, symbolizing their union.

Indian weddings are a grand display of sartorial splendor, with each region showcasing its unique styles and traditions. The bridal attire is a work of art, with intricate embroidery, delicate zari work, and exquisite craftsmanship. In the North, the bride wears a heavily embroidered lehenga or ghagra, both of which are similar ethnic pieces that resemble a western wedding dress with more ornate colors and intricate designs. These tend to be paired with a decorated choli, a traditional blouse, and dupatta, a scarf-like fabric worn around the head and neck. In the South, the iconic Kanjeevaram or Banarasi silk saree is used. Making these sarees is a labor-intensive process that can take up to six months.

The groom’s attire is no less resplendent, with elaborately embroidered sherwanis, traditional dhoti-kurtas, or sleek bandhgalas adorned with intricate craftsmanship and precious stones. No Indian wedding is complete without a grand feast featuring a sumptuous spread of delectable dishes that celebrate the culinary heritage of each specific region. From the rich, flavorful curries of the North, such as rajma masala curry or aloo gobi, to the aromatic and spicy delicacies of the South, such as chicken 65 or rasam, wedding feasts are a gastronomic delight that bring together families and communities to savor the flavors of love and togetherness. Since Indian Weddings tend to be so large, the food is normally catered in a buffet style.

Music and dance are also an integral part of Indian weddings, with each region boasting its own unique folk dances and rhythms. From the energetic ‘bhangra’ of Punjab to the graceful

kuchipudi’ of Andhra Pradesh, these vibrant performances add to the festive atmosphere and create cherished memories. With North Indian instruments such as the tabla or the South Indian instruments like the mridangam, the music be tween these weddings can be vastly different.

Whether it’s the opulent grandeur of a Punjabi wedding or the intricate rituals of a South Indian ceremony, Indian weddings are a celebration of love, family, and the rich tapestry of cultural traditions that make this land so diverse and captivating. Each wedding is a unique masterpiece, woven with threads of heritage, symbolism, and the unwavering spirit of celebration that defines the Indian culture.

“Year of the Woman” Thirty Years Later by Megan Sims

In the high stakes game of national politics, serving as an elected politician in Congress remains a boys’ club despite Time Magazine declaring 1992 as the “Year of the Woman” about thirty years ago. The country celebrated a time when more than two women at a single time were serving in Congress. In 1992, three were serving in the House of Representatives and were later joined by four additional women who were elected to the Senate in November of that year. These gains greatly expanded the presence of women in Congress where legislation and debate shape the world we live in. While 1992 was a breakthrough year, progress towards more equal representation in Congress since then has moved at a snail’s pace. Though women have made significant strides in gaining more positions in Congress over the last three decades, today there are 151 female politicians, or 28.5% of the 535 total seats, currently serving in the 118th Congress. Of these 151 congressional leaders in the House and Senate, 107 are Democrats and 43 are Republicans with 1 Independent. Though the composition of today’s Congress is more representative than it was 30 years ago, and we must celebrate the progress made by these trailblazing women, the numbers of women getting elected and serving at the national stage remain disappointingly low. If women make up 50.8% of the country’s population, why aren’t more women from either major party regularly serving as representatives and senators? Further, of the women who do serve in political office at the national level, why are they more likely to be Democrats rather than Republicans? Lack of confidence and conviction in their own abilities, personal considerations such as family priorities and a value for government service, political party attitudes towards women, and limited access to funding and critical grassroots networking may all play a role in the meager number of Republican women running for and getting elected to political office.

Women have an important perspective and voice on today’s leading issues, where as Vice President Kamala Harris once said, “every issue is a woman’s issue.” Women should be encouraged, through mentoring and funding, to pursue political office. This pathway is often set at the grassroots level, providing critical campaign resources and money which allows interested women to pursue national service and political office.

Each year, increasingly more women overcome the self-imposed barriers such as a lack of confidence or conviction that they are the right person to represent the interests of their communities. Without encouragement from their Party, strong candidates may never decide to run for political office and place themselves on the ballot. Whether they doubt their qualifications to be considered a serious candidate or lack access to a network of support and money, there needs to be an active effort by political parties and community leaders to actively recruit women to run for political office. Some studies have identified the essential role that active efforts outside of traditional political action committees and social networks as the reason there are more Democratic women than Republican women holding Congressional office. Democrats have a well-developed community advocacy network, organized around racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines. Traditional Republican donors and networks are more limited in their diversity. The major political parties need to assure that there is a pipeline of strong female candidates, overcoming some of the unconscious bias that still permeates donor decisions and party politics.

Community advocacy groups engage interested women at the grassroots level, seeking to empower and encourage them to find new opportunities to enact change to improve life in their respective communities. These groups often are

organized around issues that challenge a community and threatens the health and well-being of its residents. People unite around shared experiences and a desire to make their community healthier and safer for a better tomorrow. Since the 1970s, many of the goals and objectives of these community advocacy groups align with the Democrat Party platform. Thus, the mentoring, connections, and financial support from these organizations tends to generate more Democrat candidates for office, resulting in more Democrat women getting elected to serve in Congress. Recent gains in the number of Republican women elected to Congress may be a result of increased activity of more conservative-leaning community advocacy groups such as the Moms for Liberty movement which was formed in 2021. Such community advocacy groups cultivate promising candidates for office, build relationships with a network of contacts to help get their message out, and provide critical financial support through donors. These resources are essential elements to a successful campaign, leading to serving in Congress.

Such support, especially to support Republican women, remains limited. This reality fails to recognize the Republican history of advocating for women’s rights and encouraging women to serve in political office. The first woman to get elected to Congress was, in fact, a Republican in 1916. Jeanette Rankin was fairly elected by the people of Montana to serve as their Representative, three years before the 19th Amendment was ratified and women across the country were assured of their right to vote. Rankin may have benefited from the very things critical for women to get elected today; she had social connections to party politics through her brother who was Chair of the Republican Party of Montana. In addition, she came from a wealthy family and her brother funded most of her campaign costs. Access and funding are the two most critical elements to successfully being able to be elected to political office, especially on a national scale.

Once elected, women continue to face a challenging work environment that is filled with spoken and unspoken bias, prejudices, and outright hostility. The conservative values of the Republican party often emphasize clearly defined and often traditional gender roles, ones that don’t always encourage women to consider political office. When women do receive Republican Party support and are elected into office, they must fall into step with the party’s talking points and key positions or risk being censured and cut off from fundraising and campaign support. For example, Congressional leaders like Liz Cheney (R-WY) a high-ranking Republican woman who dared to put service to her country before the party, paid the penalty with her career. After facing censure by the Republican Party for daring to voice an opposing position, she lost her re-election bid. In contrast, by towing the party line, Republican Representative Elise Stefaniak (NY) has risen to become the fourth most powerful Republican in Congress and the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House now that Cheney was ousted by the Republican party. Stefaniak was the youngest woman to ever get elected. Her constituents are in a conservative region in the predominantly liberal state of New York. She worked for Speaker Paul Ryan before pursuing her own career in politics. While she embraces the turmoil of national politics, Stefaniak continually steers clear of the cutthroat Speaker of the House chaos and chooses to remain behind the scenes. As she embraces the GOP party lines, she continues to build her reputation and power, attempting to keep out of the spotlight that comes with such contentious leadership positions as the Speaker of the House. Stefaniak dodges the toxic politics that easily tear down its leaders who try to put country before party. Her position of power is wielded when powerful men are seeking the prize leadership positions such as when Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mike Johnson (R-LA) each sought her support to be nominated and selected as Speaker. While it worked out better for Representative Johnson, Stefaniak balances party politics while reinforcing her power. At some point, there will be a time

when she needs to take a stand and her actions will determine how history remembers her. The need to put party before country and people may wear on many potential candidates and discourage interested women from seeking office. The endless pressures placed on them by the quid pro quo of the party who got them elected, the endless cyclic need to consider re-election, and the scrutiny of a hungry media that invades their personal life in search of the next big story may also serve as deterrents, reducing the pool of women interested in seeking and serving in political office. This often leaves only candidates with the most extreme views, contributing to the polarizing society we see today. Representatives with extreme views does not truly represent the communities they took an oath to serve.

When we are disheartened by partisan politics that plague our government, polls remind us that women, independent of identified party affiliation, across the country can unite around critical issues such as the cost of healthcare, access to healthcare, violent crime, terrorism, and gun violence. Most American women can agree that these are critical issues that must be addressed with the goal to improve health and wellness of our communities. If we can recognize these issues as common issues that must be critically addressed, why are we as a country as divided as we are? Our ongoing failure to have elected leaders truly represent the issues that we identify as critical may be a significant contributing factor.

When the Republican Party continues to ignore the importance of women in government and policymaking, they further isolate themselves from the mainstream voter. Women want their interests and priorities to be recognized and heard by Congress. Democrats transformed the engagement of women on pivotal issues into elected political office more successfully than the Republican Party in recent decades, Republicans must leverage its female members as energetically and enthusiastically as their Democrat counterparts. Republicans should see this as an opportunity

to lead and govern into the future rather than a threat. Continued resistance to encouraging women to seek and win political office creates a risk for being out of touch and irrelevant to the mainstream voter. The Republican Party should allocate investment of resources and funds to increase efforts to engage qualified women and encourage them to seek national office.

To overcome resistance from Republican Party leaders, Republican women should look to the trailblazing women who sought to use their voice to make a difference and the lives of their constituents better. Sarah Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to the House of Representatives, once remarked that “a lot of talent is lost because that talent happens to wear a skirt”. Communities and conservative advocacy groups should look beyond the traditional venues where they have always searched to identify potential candidates. They should mentor emerging leaders and cultivate their passion for doing good rather than overlooking them because they are women or of color. Republicans can look across the aisle and recognize the asset that engaged women represent to the party as well as the country. For example, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who served as the fifth longest running Speaker of the House, is often complimented by both Democrat and Republican representatives about her ability to organize and guide important legislation through the House. Republicans should take a cue from the progress that Democrats have made and not discount the contributions that women can make by serving in public office. Republican women who want their voice to be heard about the issues important to them should not be discouraged and fade into the background subject to supporting roles that lack any influence or ability to foster change. They should look to the American women who overcame substantial gender, sex, and racial barriers, regardless of party affiliation, to make a difference and serve their country, placing service before party loyalty. and serve as tomorrow’s Congressional leaders to make a difference in the lives of the people of this country.

Phineas and Ferb by Griffin Akkashian

Very rarely does a show start strong, stay consistent in quality for several years, and end with a satisfying conclusion. So which show could this possibly be? Breaking Bad? The Sopranos? Game of Thrones? While these shows are all great, one stands above all. I am talking of course about Phineas and Ferb.

Phineas and Ferb was a show made for kids but enjoyed by all. Premiering in 2007, the show follows a pair of brilliant stepbrothers who want nothing but to live the 104 days of summer to the fullest. The two use every day of summer the best they can, each day becoming a new adventure and lesson for the boys. Whether it’s building a roller coaster around the town, a beach in the backyard, or becoming one-hit wonders for just one day, each episode is sure to leave the viewer satisfied and entertained. The show uses a mix of intelligent humor, outrageous concepts, and self-awareness to create the perfect TV show for all ages. The best part of the show is easily the music. With an extremely talented voice cast, the show has produced a great number of legitimately fantastic songs. Even if you have not seen or (somehow) don’t enjoy the show, nobody can talk negatively about the music.

The show never overstays its welcome, nor does it try to be anything it’s not. Most episodes only run around 12 minutes, and the show sticks to a formula that works. Every episode shows the boys’ sister, Candace, desperately attempting to prove to their mom that the brothers are doing

something dangerous and reckless, with all the boys’ work somehow disappearing by the end of the episode. While all of this is going on, the addition of the boys’ friends, Baljeet, Buford, and Isabella usually provide some comedic one-liners or snappy dialogue to spice up the episode. The side-plot of each episode shows the family pet, Perry the Platypus, sneaking off to fight the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Doofenshmirtz is a nemesis of sorts for Perry, often stealing the spotlight from Phineas and Ferb altogether. With his cartoonish schemes to take over the Tri-state Area using a new device or “Inator” he’s made, something always somehow going wrong and the dynamic between the scientist and the platypus is a perfect complement to whatever the boys are cooking up. Though the scientist and platypus fight in every episode, the scenes always display more of a “frenemy” relationship, with the two often sharing heartfelt moments.

The show is simple, smart, and built upon a great plot. Simply put, the show cannot be much better than it is and that’s okay. The creators of the show knew when it was time to walk away, and they were able to have a satisfying finale to correctly send off the characters. The show is coming back on air after nearly a decade for two new seasons very soon, and I for one will be watching. Though at its core, it is just a show for kids, the show remains timeless and a great program to throw on in the background and know exactly what you’re getting. This show deserves a 10/10, and I would highly recommend giving it a chance.

The United States Government; Fans of Religion by Conor Field

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution is being torn to shreds by the very government that should strive to uphold it. The Founding Fathers quite clearly sought to separate church and state so that United States citizens could be free to choose which religion they observed rather than being forced to submit and follow the State religion.

The First Amendment includes two clauses relating to religion; the first is the establishment clause and the second is the free exercise clause. The establishment clause exists so government cannot establish a religion of its own, although “establishment” is ambiguous as a word, it generally references the Church of England as an example. The establishment clause also defends against un-constitutional endorsement or assistance of religion, with a test set in place by the Supreme Court that dictates if the assistance of government is appropriate. The free exercise clause defends citizens’ rights to practice their religion, barring practice that violate “public morals” and government interest. Recently, the supreme court has been doing away with a defined line between church and state.

A recent case that went before the Supreme Court was Carson v. Makin. The issue was that the state of Maine was subsidizing tuition for parents to enroll their children in a public or nonreligious private school, given that their town did not feature any public high school of its own. The Supreme Court found the law that imposed this financial support to be unconstitutional, violating the Free Exercise clause of the first amendment. This meant that Maine would now have to include those religious schools in their funding. Justice

Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion saying that it is unreasonable to say that the Free Exercise clause disallows Maine from funding only a religiously neutral school. Additionally, she reasons that a nonreligious school is the only kind that the government could fund without violating the establishment clause by supporting religion directly with the power of government.

David Carson was a parent who lived in a place in Maine with no public high school to send his children to. Through the tuition subsidized by the state of Maine, he and other parents opted to send their children to religious or sectarian schools. These schools were not approved by Maine because they must be public or non-religious private. Carson and other parents filed a lawsuit for this issue with the state and it made its way up to the Supreme Court where it was the majority ruling that the free exercise rights were being violated because of the exclusion of religious schools from the funding.

Another ruling that pulled religion and government closer together was in the case Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. A public high school football coach came under fire for audibly praying with his players on the field. This act defies the establishment clause of the first amendment, a school official coercing players into participating in religious activity has long been unacceptable. The prayers were coercive because of the impressionable students who may not have wanted to pray but didn’t want to separate themselves from their team. The Supreme Court took the stance that Coach Kennedy never intended to pray with his players. However, quite the opposite was true since he requested to continue the prayers.

Many who sided with Coach Kennedy and those who agree with the religious funding in Maine declare that the constitutional enforcement of the establishment clause is an attack on religion. However, to propose that the establishment clause is hostile towards religion completely misses the point of the entire idea of the separation between church and state. In fact, the establishment clause acts as a buffer so no government funding or support can unfairly endorse any one religion over another. If the government does begin to prefer, or even appear to prefer, one religion over all the other religions in the United States, of which there are many, many would view it as an attack upon their religion of choice or chosen lifestyle.

So, the enforcement of the establishment clause maintains that division and assures that all religions and the followers of those religions are

equal under the protection of the government as citizens of the United States.

There have been other cases that have come before the Supreme Court relating to the free exercise clause and the establishment clause.

In Carson v. Makin the case specifically pitted the two clauses against one another, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District does the same. It certainly does become a sticky situation when the two religious clauses are essentially going up against each other, and the complex decision is left to the supreme court. However, the idea of separation of church and state which takes its shape in those clauses in the first amendment, seeks to protect all religions and their believers. The hostility towards certain religions because of the support of others is a slippery slope that the government should do best to avoid.

Censoring the Schlostic Book Sale

by Alli Margolis

Each fall, children flood the doors of elementary school libraries all across the nation. Running through stacks of books with friends, filling out their wish lists for their parents. This annual celebration of books is a highlight for many students, and fosters a love of learning among the adolescence. This event is now under duress: Scholastic book fairs are allowing schools to opt out of carrying their Share Every Story package, which contained their “more diverse” selections that highlight themes of racial discrimination, LGBTQ+, and those with disabilities.

The new policy is receiving mixed reactions from the public. Authors like Amanda Gorman, whose book Change Sings is among the titles that can now be excluded “feels betrayed.” On the other hand, those in favor of Florida’s new censoring policies, like their “Don’t Say Gay Bill” are in favor of Scholastic’s decision. In fact, Scholastic stated that their decision to introduce this policy was spurred by the newfound censorship around the country. It is unclear what scholastic’s policy will be moving forward, but for the duration of this year, 2023, the policy will remain.

Moving forward, corporations like Scholastic will continue to face challenges propagated by the far-right wing sector of this nation. The question remains, is the broad scale stifling of creativity a violation of the first amendment right, freedom of speech? New age policies like those in Florida are being compared to fascist regimes of the past, like the Nazis, whose reign of terror was also initiated with smaller scale efforts, like book bans, and the hindering opposing opinions.

Only time will tell when Americans will decide how far is too far? We can only pray the masses will seize this call to action before the nation has reached the point of no return. It is a step in the wrong direction, to have private corporations complying with the discriminatory practices of the government. Change is marked by a series of small movements, that in a conglomerate, form a bigger picture. In some circles, a picture is referred to as being worth a thousand words, a thousand words that Scholastic and many state governments would rather put behind lock and key, to never see the light of day. Who will help these words break free?

A Brief History of Pumpkin Pie by Lucas Bagne

Pumpkin pie is an essential part of Thanksgiving for millions of American families every year. The sweet and spiced dessert is an American icon that is loved by many, but how did this come to be?

Pumpkin pie may not look like much, but it has a very rich history. Pumpkins were native to America and brought to Europe in the Columbian Exchange, and recipes using pumpkins were quickly created and popularized in Europe. The first pumpkin pie recipe was by the British, but it wasn’t even close to what we know as pumpkin pie today. The British pie contained slices of pumpkin and apples between two crusts with sugar and spices. There are records of pies like this made by colonizers in New England, but the British version was not very popular in early America.

Another early version of pumpkin pie was a savory dish baked inside of a hollowed-out pumpkin. Early colonists, lacking many newer ingredients and spices would fill this hollowed out pumpkin with milk, spices, and honey, and bake it in the ashes of a fire. Lacking sweetness, this early version of pumpkin pie was more of a meal than a dessert.

The first mention of the pumpkin pie that we know today was in a cookbook published in 1796 by Amelia Simmons. She had two recipes for pumpkin pudding that resulted in pumpkin custard in a crust. Similar recipes can be seen in many more cookbooks throughout the years, but it was not truly prominent until Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent writer and editor, advocated for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday. Hale saw pumpkin pie as symbol of American

abundance and included it in her vision of a Thanksgiving feast. Hale wrote a chapter about Thanksgiving in her relatively famous abolitionist novel Northwood: Life North and South. Her recipe for pumpkin pie was a large part of the chapter and inspired many Americans to try the pie out for themselves.

Thanksgiving was previously a holiday that states chose if they wanted to observe but at the request of Hale, Lincoln ended this practice in 1863. Lincoln wrote “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Hale’s role as the mother of Thanksgiving, and her book that included what she thought the celebration should look like, resulting in her having a lot of say in what was on the table. The result of this was her now famous pumpkin pie recipe becoming a staple at millions of Thanksgiving feasts.

Pumpkin pie has come a long way from its original form in early America. Originally, it was a regional dish but now it is present at millions of Thanksgiving tables across the whole country. It’s evolved from a simple, savory dish to the sweet and spiced dessert we know now that is an essential part of a holiday known for bringing families from around the whole country together.

The Death of the Pac-12: How Greed and Selfishness Destroyed Tradition

by Lucas Bagne

The Pacific 12 Conference (Pac-12) is an athletic conference consisting of the premier western universities, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Colorado, University of California Berkeley (Cal), University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC), University of Utah, University Washington, and Washington State University. Originally founded in 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference, the Pac-12 has a very strong tradition of winning. Proudly nicknamed the “Conference of Champions”, Pac-12 teams have won more NCAA national championships in team sports than any other conference in the history of college athletics.

In 2011, fresh off adding Utah and Colorado to the conference, the Pac-12 was at the table negotiating and successfully inked the largest TV contract in the history of college sports. The Pac-12 was making roughly $250 million per year with this new deal. Previously, the Pac-12 was only making $60 million annually so this new TV deal looked like it would ensure the future of the conference for years to come.

The future looked strong for the Pac-12 until the conference realignment dominoes started to fall in a separate conference. On July 21, 2021, the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma announced their intention to leave the Big 12 Conference for the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This move kicked off the largest conference realignment since the death of the Big East Conference in 2013. With the eight other Big 12 schools left for dead, all eight schools looked west and approached the Pac-12 in an attempt to merge into a super conference. However due to poor conference leadership and two schools,

UCLA and USC not wanting to add any more schools to the Pac-12, Conference leadership made the worst possible decision and stayed at twelve schools. In contrast, to the Pac-12, the Big 12 went out and added Brigham Young University, University of Houston, University of Cincinnati, and University of Central Florida, schools with strong success at lower levels of competition to bring stability to the conference and increase media value. This mistake was made even worse when the Big 10 and SEC inked massive media deals. Once media deals and ticket sales are combined, each BIG 10 school now makes $58.8 million per year while each SEC school makes $49.9 million per year. Both are greatly exceed than the $37 million that Pac-12 schools were making at the time.

Less than a year after USC and UCLA blocked the Pac-12 from adding any Big 12 schools, on June 30, 2022, both schools announced they were leaving the conference for the Big 10. This was a massive blow to the Pac-12 because USC and UCLA were the Pac-12’s two largest revenue earners. The timing was brutal since this was right before the Pac-12 was set to negotiate a new TV deal. The second big blow to the Pac-12 was the newly restocked Big 12 negotiating a new TV deal before the Pac-12 had a chance to sit down at the table. This meant that the largest player, Disney with FOX and ESPN, had a lot of money already invested in college football and most football and basketball slots were filled with Big 12 and Big 10 games resulting in the Pac-12 not being a top priority for them anymore. The third and largest blow to the Pac-12 was them overestimating their value. Even though the Pac-12 was considered the “Conference of Champions”, the Pac-12 has not won a football national championship since 2004 and has not won a men’s basketball cham-

pionship since 1997. This competitive downturn lowered the value of the conference so when the Pac-12 finally sat down to negotiate with Disney and asked for $50 million dollars per school per year, Disney immediately walked away and stopped all negotiations with the conference.

Once it became clear that even if the Pac-12 got a new media deal, it wouldn’t be anywhere near the amount of money that other conferences are making, many schools started to look for a way out. On July 27, 2023, Colorado announced they would be leaving the conference to join the Big 12 in 2024. Just over a week later, on August 4, 2023, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah also announced they would be leaving the Pac-12 and would be heading to the Big 12. On that same day, Oregon and Washington both announced that they would leave the Pac-12 for the Big 10. This left the Pac12 with four teams, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State, and Washington State. Initially, there were talks about expansion by bringing in Mountain West teams, but these talks didn’t result in any actions. On September 1, 2023, Stanford and Cal announced they would be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.

This round of conference realignment hurt Oregon State and Washington State more than anyone else. Being left out of the four other main conferences has hurt both teams in worse ways than just money. Oregon State’s head coach and former player Johnathan Smith has led Oregon State to national relevance with their first ten-win season since 2006 and owning two of the school’s 12 total ranked finishes in the school’s hundred plus year history. However, with the future of the program not clear, he decided to leave his alma mater and head to Michigan State University. Immediately after this news, Oregon State’s two best quarterbacks entered their names in the transfer portal. Conference realignment turned an exciting team with an upward trend into an irrelevant program overnight. In addition to this, Washington State’s star quarterback entered the transfer portal. There is no doubt that playing un-

important games against inferior teams affected this decision.

The future of the Pac-12 does not look bright but there might be hope for the two remaining teams. It was just announced that the Pac-12 and Mountain West reached a scheduling agreement with Oregon State and Washington State playing six games each against Mountain West schools. Most experts expect a merger down the road but the financial outlook of the death of the Pac-12 has so far stopped this from happening.

The financial outlook not being clear is the result of a legal battle between the departing schools and Oregon State and Washington State. As of now, Oregon State and Washington State are in full control of the conference but are still being sued by the departing schools for the money they would have received in payouts. Until this issue is resolved, it is unlikely that there will be a merger, or any additional teams added to the Pac-12. A merger is a must because the 2024 season will be the first year of the new twelve team playoff. One of the new wrinkles is the six top ranked conference champions receiving automatic bids to the playoffs. However, to qualify for this, the conference you are in must have eight or more teams. If Oregon State and Washington State merged with the Mountain West the champion of the league would most likely make the playoff. Both schools would also have an advantage over many Mountain West teams in recruiting and budget meaning they would likely be powerhouses with a decent chance of making the playoff every year.

The “Conference of Champions” as we know it is officially dead and they can blame nobody but themselves. Greed and selfishness by Pac-12 officials and TV representatives have destroyed over a hundred years of tradition and regional matchups for super conferences that have zero geographical significance. West coast teams like Cal and Stanford playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference is a travesty that negatively affects everyone involved.

Tattoos: Meaningful Memory or Permanent Mistake?

by Griffin Akkashian

What’s better than a temporary piece of art on your skin? Answer, a (relatively) permanent piece of art on your skin. Tattoos have been around for thousands of years, and amazingly, not one person has regretted getting them done. On a more serious note, tattoo art is an extremely common practice across many cultures in addition to being a widely popular form of self-expression. Permanence is a universally scary subject in life, so why are tattoos still so popular today?

Throughout world history, the stories of great men, women and civilizations are told century after century. What is often left out of these tales of greatness are the many tattoos that watched history unfold. Ancient Egyptians are often cited as the best example of tattoo usage in the past, as it is believed Egyptian women were often marked with tattoos as a religious symbol for pregnancy, as well as the upper class for religious reasons as well. While Egypt is certainly a prime example of the practice, there is evidence of tattoos in many other ancient societies. It is believed that Polynesian culture used tattoo art to signify social status, as well as display personal feats or achievements. The Greeks and Romans in the Middle Ages would give tattoos to criminals, prisoners, and slaves to either designate ownership or permanently mark a criminal with a symbol for their crime. Tribal societies often give tattoos for spiritual or therapeutic reasons, in addition to marking social status and milestones in the tribe.

Recent years have brought a different approach to the idea of tattoo art, more personalized tattoos are depicting deeply personal memories or values. The 20th century showed an explosion in popularity for soldiers receiving tattoos as symbols of their time spent defending our freedoms, or to memorialize a fallen comrade. The early

1960s brought a significant rise in popularity of tattoos being used for self-expression or assertion of individuality. This is the age in which we live today.

Tattoos can be a great option to express a deeply personal value in a remarkably simple way. Many people get tattoos of a significant date in their lives ensuring that something or someone meaningful is never left in the past. The most frequent dates people want to mark are the date of a wedding, the birth of a child, or the day a loved one passed away. Having a permanent reminder of such significant days not only displays how important or significant the event was, but also reminds a person to reflect on the blessings in their lives. In some cases, people will get a tattoo of the face of their pet to remember their furry friend. It is also common for people to get less meaningful, purely art-based tattoos. Flowers or animals can simply be interesting designs which people want to see on themselves every day. Many people enjoy the esthetic of tattoos and cover themselves in designs, some meaningful and some not.

While tattoos can be very meaningful there are instances when recipients of tattoos regret getting them completely.For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and for every tattoo enjoyed, there is a tattoo regretted. There are many reasons tattoo recipients regret their decisions. One of the more common reasons is that the design just does not turn out as hoped or expected. A lot of times, people will get an idea of a design in their head and if that idea is not perfectly executed on their skin, that can cause serious regret for some people. Many romantic partners find themselves in a less than ideal situation as

they receive a tattoo of the name of their partner, only to separate sometime later. Another common reason for tattoo regret is the change in mental state from the time of receiving the tattoo to a given point in the future. Many people decide to get tattoos during a time of distress or when under the influence of alcohol. Deciding to opt for a permanent change is not a good idea while not being of sound mind. According to a study reported by Boston 25 News, six months t o one year after receiving a large tattoo, 15% of recipients regretted their decision.

However, after two years, that number jumps to 51%. For smaller ankle or wrist tattoos, only

12%of Americans regretted their choice, which is low compared to most countries. Medium sized tattoo purchasers had varied degrees of regret, but the consensus is that about 35-50% of medium tattoo recipients had wished they never got them done.

With the advanced technology available today, most cases of regretted tattoos can be removed. However, tattoo removal can be a very expensive, and sometimes painful process, and not all tattoos can be easily removed. The benefits of getting a meaningful tattoo can be well worth it, but being of sound mind when making the decision is of paramount importance.

The Year That Changed Everything for Women’s Sports

By: Megan Sims

Title IX passed in 1972 to promote equality among genders in education. Before this bill passed, women’s sports lived in the shadow of the more popular, men’s sports. Women could certainly play sports at the college level, but it was a common misconception that the real talent and aggressive drive to win could only occur in the men’s division. There was a level of excitement generated from truly competitive and by extension, rough intense play that drew attendees and viewers. Few women’s games were heavily promoted or ever aired on T.V. broadcast creating a circular effect, limiting attendance and viewership. Even when talent was present in women’s sports, it was a well-kept secret and interest never translated into increased attendance at games or garnered media attention. Today, social media can capture talent in action and generate immediate interest when amazing plays are made by talented female athletes. As exposure to women’s sports grew and priorities were no longer defined by a few media providers, sports fans demand that women’s sports be more accessible – whether to attend in person or to watch on TV. This phenomenon emerged in the 20232024 sports season when extraordinarily talented female players were front and center, playing to sold out crowds and assuring broadcast stations that viewers would watch and generate substantial revenue dollars from eager advertisers.

TikTok generated a buzz to promote several talented volleyball players, following them from their play in high school up to the college circuit. As awareness of competitive play piqued the interest of fans nationwide, attendance at volleyball games grew exponentially and often the games were sold out. Colleges, sensing an opportunity to generate additional revenue, shifted the volleyball games to larger venues which enabled them to sell more tickets. In fact, Nebraska recently broke the attendance record for any women’s sport when their volleyball team played Omaha,

with over 92,000 fans cheering on their team. Tickets on the secondary resale market were going for as much as $400 per seat, well over the base price of a seat at a college volleyball game.

Women’s college basketball reached frenzied heights of excitement as social media highlighted several talented players who were on par with their male counterparts. TikTok often encouraged speculation about who would win a head-to-head match up—pitting a female player against a male player- with many agreeing that the female player had more talent and would likely triumph in a matchup.

Iowa standout Caitlin Clark easily garnered the most attention this year when she became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer across men’s and women’s basketball, scoring 3,951 points throughout her collegiate career. The nation was riveted by her talented plays. Women’s March Madness captured the nation’s attention and was the topic of discussion in the hallways and across social media. People were watching and broadcast media saw an opportunity to bring in revenue from engaged fans.

Talented collegiate female athletes have proven that people are interested in women’s sports, demonstrating that competitive play is no longer a boys’ game. Women athletes have the potential to generate profit for their colleges and for broadcast media. As the demand for viewing women’s sports increases, the potential for market expansion is substantial and the drive to make money will continue to improve visibility of women’s college sports in years to come.

Women who play competitive sports in college continue to show that they have the same level of talent and competitive play as their male counterparts. Social media in conjunction with the presence of strong charismatic female players in

college sports have shifted the focus away from men, and dramatically improved awareness and excitement for women’s games among fans and the general public. Attendance and viewership exploded, as did the opportunity to make money off of advertising and merchandising. Holds great promise and will draw in even more media attention. As women’s collegiate sports gain

prominence and popularity, the notable pay disparity between female and male athletes going pro demands attention. The notable pay disparity between a top tier female college athlete going pro and that of any male rookie is substantial and will likely face greater scrutiny as women’s sports continue to gain popularity.

Lynx Air Shutdown; Canada’s Big Two

by Jad Saade

On February 22nd, 2024, Lynx Air made headlines as the year’s first airline casualty. Lynx Air was a Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier based out of Calgary, Canada. In their message that day, they said they would keep flying through 12:01 a.m. MT on Monday, February 26. They cited the following reasons for shutting down: compounding financial pressures associated with inflation, fuel costs, exchange rates, cost of capital, regulatory costs and competitive tension in the Canadian market. This fall is what many people say will be the first of many, with doubt about the existence of a Canadian low-cost carrier looming for the future. Experts predict more shutdowns as Canada’s market shifts towards reconsolidation.

Canadian airport costs have always been high, making existence as a true ultra-low-cost carrier extremely challenging. Some of Canada’s biggest airports are allowed by law to add up to $35 Canadian to an airline’s ticket prices as “airport improvement fees.” Airlines will never even see a penny of those fees, yet they drive the ultralow-cost market away. Import duties, a tax the government takes on imported goods, also rack up quickly for these types of airlines, who often lease lots of foreign airliners such as the Boeing 737. Finally, the biggest killer in the Canadian airline market is the competition.

Coming in with a population of just under 39 million, Canada is a small market. This seems strange, since Canada is the world’s 2nd largest land mass. Picture California’s population spread across an area of almost 4 million square miles. What makes it worse for Canadian airlines is how concentrated the Canadian population is. 72% of Canada’s population lives below the 49th parallel, and there are only 17 major metropolitan areas sprinkled throughout the country, with six of them making up half of Canada’s popu-

lation. There’s not much room to breathe for airlines in Canada.

Canadians travel seasonally, during the summer, traffic flows mostly East-West, while during the winter, Canadians flood south to U.S. and Caribbean destinations to escape the cold. This fuels a market for airlines like Sunwing, which are purely focused on low-cost operations to the Caribbean, but makes domestic service throughout Canada very dicey.

Due to Canada’s unique market, coexistence without direct competition has proved to be almost impossible, leaving room for only 2 big airlines to service the Canadian domestic market. Recently, there have been many more startups, but in the 1980s, the big two were Air Canada and Canadian Airlines. The split was pretty even, with Canadian Airlines operating about 40% of all Canadian domestic flights. However, right around Christmas of 1999, a huge takeover of Canadian by Air Canada had gone through and Canadian Airlines officially became a subsidiary of Air Canada.

Air Canada had a domestic market share of 77% by 2000. WestJet, a young airline based in Calgary that had launched 4 years prior, saw an opportunity to expand their route map to the East. At this time, WestJet held a mere 7% of Canada’s domestic market compared to Air Canada’s 77. Throughout the decade, though, they had managed to work themselves into the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal triangle that had won Air Canada so much business, among many other destinations in the East. WestJet also expanded operations to much of the continental U.S., Hawaii, and started operations in the Caribbean. By the end of the decade, WestJet had risen to 38% of the Canadian domestic market compared to Air Canada’s 55.

During the next 10 years, WestJet continued to diversify their service while Air Canada continued to grow as Canada’s flag carrier. In 2014, WestJet announced their first route to Europe. A year later, they got their hands on 4 767-300ERs, widebody jets that would be critical in allowing them to expand their service overseas.

In mid-2015, Enerjet, an airline that had been transporting oil workers on chartered flights since 2008, signed an agreement to purchase 40 Boeing 737 MAX8s and lease 6 more. They had also announced plans to re-launch as a low-cost-carrier and fill what they saw as a gap in the Canadian market. The investors who backed this were those from Indigo Partners, a company that had invested in other prominent LCCs such as Frontier Airlines, Volaris, and Wizz Air.

Due to Enerjet’s entire fleet being grounded in 2019, right around when they wanted to relaunch, and then a year later the pandemic, Enerjet’s plans to re-launch got heavily delayed. In 2021, Enerjet finally went through with their rebranding and on November 16th, Enerjet revealed their new name: Lynx Air.

Leading up to and during the pandemic, the dynamic in Canada’s airline market changed. The big two remained the big two, but several smaller airlines began to take a bigger stance in the domestic market. Such as Flair Airlines in late December 2018. After a decade of operating cargo flights from Canada to Cuba, investors 777 Partners backed them through a huge brand makeover with the goal to build a big low-cost carrier for the Canadian domestic market.

Lynx wasn’t the only airline to suffer from the pandemic. Air Canada’s revenue for the year of 2020 declined 70%, or $13.3 billion Canadian due to Covid-19 and travel restrictions. WestJet was forced to close a considerable portion of their route network and lay off nearly 7,000 of their around 14,000 staff members. In 2023, they also reintegrated Swoop, their low-cost carrier they

launched in 2017 to compete with new entries in the market like Flair Airlines.

Another brand that made strides was Porter. Porter had a very dramatic start back in 2006, after a lawsuit with the city of Toronto. With the compensation from the suit, they bought out the Air Canada terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and denied them access, taking it for themselves. Since then, after the federal government denied support for plans to expand Billy Bishop, they announced that they would begin flying out of Toronto Pearson, the city’s main airport, in mid-2022. However, the pandemic caused them to suspend all flights from March of 2020 to September 2021. After their long shutdown, they finally went through with their plans and expanded their route map across Canada, into the Northeastern U.S., and warmer locations like Florida and California.

In the grand scheme of things, Porter is more of a thorn in Air Canada’s side than it was to Lynx. However, Flair Airlines, based in Edmonton, just north of Calgary, where Lynx was based, was a huge competitor. To make things worse, during the pandemic, WestJet refocused their routes out of Calgary, increasing the weekly number of flights to even more than Air Canada’s, which had to back off in the area due to the capacity WestJet was providing. Lynx, who was based in Calgary, didn’t have the luxury to back out like Flair or Air Canada, which continued to eat into their profits elsewhere.

Flair wasn’t doing very well either, with Edmonton getting the same treatment from WestJet and Air Canada. Flair’s situation in Edmonton was very similar to Lynx’s situation in Calgary competition-wise, and in the weeks before Lynx Air shut down, there were talks between the two of a merger. Flair Airlines would be the surviving entity, showing just how much worse things were looking for Lynx in the first few weeks of 2024. Ultimately, Lynx couldn’t make it and the merger fell through.

In Lynx’s shutdown announcement on the 22nd of February 2024, they mentioned that they would remain flying until Monday, the 26th of February at 12:01AM. There were enough delays that Lynx 130, their last flight, touched down at Calgary at around 2AM.

Today, Lynx’s assets are set to be auctioned off. Their assets included around $345 million in equipment, including 9 leased planes. They had even more than that, around 355 million dollars, in liabilities. The CEO of Flair Airlines, Stephen Jones, says he wants to be added to those allowed to bid on Lynx’s assets. He’s trying hard to get on that list, wanting to salvage as much as he can from the merger that fell through.

Even though Jones is showing a lot of interest in being able to bid, Flair is not in the best place financially itself. In March 2022, the Canadian Transport Agency ruled that the airline was in violation of a law requiring all Canadian airlines to be Canadian owned. This meant stripping shareholder rights from its biggest investor, 777 Partners, if Flair wanted to keep its operating license. A request for an extension was filed, but the National Airlines Council of Canada, a group consisting of Air Canada, Air Transat, which is a potential bigtwo airline which got bought out by Air Canada, and WestJet, urged the CTA to reject it in a move of reconsolidation.

On March 11th, 2023, Flair saw four of its planes repossessed overnight by their lessor, Airborne

Capital Ltd, after they alleged that the airline missed several millions of dollars in payments in the preceding 5 months. Stephen Jones says he’s only missed 1 million in payments and was in the process of paying it back, further citing the repossessions as fueled by competition.

Most recently, in January 2024, the Canada Revenue Agency has opened the possibility of seizing some of Flair’s property due to about $67 million Canadian in unpaid import duties on its fleet of 737 MAX aircraft. On top of that, Flair continues to have to pay over $7 million US monthly for leases on its 20 odd aircraft in its fleet. The airline is also managing loans upwards of $200 million US, making it even harder to pay the import duties on Flair’s aircraft.

The pandemic had a big effect on both big and small airlines. The number of passengers flown by Canada’s big two in 2020 was the lowest since 2003. At the same time, due to the sheer amount of funds available to these airlines compared to younger, smaller entries in the market, the big two have strengthened their grip on the domestic market over the last year. Lynx’s fall marks the first of more to come, with some doubting the existence of a Canadian low-cost carrier at all in the future. Even though Porter is rapidly expanding to try and become Canada’s third, all the signs show that Canada’s airline market is headed towards reconsolidation, so the question remains: Who’s next?

The Misuse of Feminine Care Products

by Alli Margolis

At the start of the 2023-2024 school year Roeper introduced free sanitary products in the bathroom. A boon for menstruating students. On average, a menstruator spends upwards of $9,000 on period products in their lifetime. In the past, Roeper had sanitary products in the office, available to students upon request. This did alleviate some of the financial stress of a periods for students, however, the aid of these products was contingent on a student’s comfort level with seeking out said products. Many students were intimidated by the prospect of inquiring after the period products and possibly the hand off because of the internalized societal stigma surrounding menstruation, a natural bodily process.

Unfortunately, since the products are freely available in the bathrooms, students have abused these products. In early December, desecrated tampons began littering the floors and walls of the women’s restroom: ripped apart, or saturated and flung on the ceiling. A complete waste, especially after the tampon shortage of the summer of ‘22, and quite frankly, an unpleasant sight.

Whomever is committing these acts of utter wastefulness is staging an attack on multiple systems of our schools infrastructure, whether they are doing so consciously, or not. When a bathroom is vandalized, someone who encounters the scene will likely report it to the office, and the office will report it to Vern. Vern has to temporarily close the bathroom to retrieve the tampons from the ceiling. When asked about this infamous phenomenon, Gretchen remarked on a day when she had students report three separate instances, in three separate restrooms of tampons dangling from the ceiling, “as if the culprit was moving from bathroom to bathroom.”

By mid-December, the period products had been removed from the bathrooms, and placed back in the office. It remains unclear when or if these products will return to restrooms. Despite this being the logical move to prevent further action by the culprit(s) while they remain anonymous, it is most severely impacting Roeper’s menstruating students. We are back exactly where we started.

Sadly, disregard for school property, especially in bathrooms, seems to be a pattern within the community. Derogatory comments have been left on the walls of the gender-neutral bathroom. Not only have these words offended those who read them, but cleaning them also temporarily closes the bathroom, and forces Vern to stay after school to paint over them. It is curious to think about why such a pattern is occurring; these acts are an abuse of the freedoms and privileges that students have been given at Roeper, with the understanding that in return, they should act as respectful citizens of the world – and this community. The continuation of these acts may back administration into a corner that results in a need to conform to more normative standards for a middle/high school. For instance, Birmingham schools have security cameras located outside the entrances to their restrooms, so they can identify exactly who was in the restroom at any given time when an incident occurs. Those who are perpetrating these acts should think long and hard about what their end goal is because they are hurting their peers, and the staff that work tirelessly to make this school a welcoming and inclusive learning environment. Their goal(s) remain unclear. They should consider taking advantage of our school’s relatively open dialogue and express their feeling via words. They will accomplish more, without leaving others in the crossfire. Regardless, these acts should cease immediately, so as to restore dignity to the Roeper restrooms.

Will Your Roommate Be A Monster?

by Zoe Fleischer

The majority of incoming freshman think the most important part of the college preparation process is finding a roommate. Whether you want to be best friends with your roommate or just want someone who’s easy to live with, finding the right person can be tricky.

There are a few different ways students go about picking a roommate. Most schools have a Facebook, or Instagram page where you can post pictures of yourself with a short bio, and your contact information. Other prospective students will contact you, and you can reach out to them to get a sense of who they are. This is the most popular method of choosing a roommate.

Another popular option is to have a roommate assigned to you randomly, or rooming blind. When filling out the housing form, you answer a series of questions about yourself, and your living style, and they will do their best to match you up with someone who answered similarly, so not entirely random. You are asked questions like, what time you go to bed, what time you wake up, and if you are a tidy or messy person. Finally, you can choose to room with someone you know. The choice is yours, but it’s not easy to decide.

Statistically, about 50% of students going to college who will be living on campus opt for a random roommate, a larger ratio than most think. This gives the school a big pool of students from which they can match up. The unknown in this option can be scary but odds are, because of the survey you filled out, you will get paired with a roommate who has a similar living style to you. After submitting the survey with your housing application, you should get your room assignment 2-3 months before move-in day. This gives you time to get to know your roommate, suggest rreasonable rules if necessary, and discuss and compromise on

something that might be an issue in the future.

A disadvantage with the random option is that a living style match doesn’t guarantee a personality match. This divide could lead to some agitation for everyone involved. Many students in college housing have posted their personal stories with random roommates online. Some of the more common issues that led to “horror stories” were either, lack of communication about your personality, or struggles with practicing different religions. Communication about important aspects about your life is essential to maintain a positive environment for everyone. If you aren’t candid on your survey or with your roommate in general, then you aren’t setting yourself up for a successful living situation. The most important thing to do when opting for the random roommate is to be specific on the survey and hope that whoever you get matched with has done the same.

The other 50% of incoming freshman decide to choose their own roommate whether it’s from one of the school’s social media pages or choosing a friend. Naturally, most people think this is the most reliable approach since you already know the person before you decide to live with them. Some stories posted online have said great things about this route but there have also been a fair amount of bad. Some people simply don’t ask the right questions like: when do you go to bed, when do you wake up, how much time do you anticipate spending in the room, or the bathroom? They find out the hard way that they are great friends, but they aren’t great roommates, which can lead to a breakup of the friendship or make things really awkward.

One of the more uncommon choices is the option to get a single room. This is uncommon because of the room availability thereby making this the

most expensive option. Obviously, not everyone can have a single room and some colleges even say that having a roommate is one of the best ways to make connections.

When deciding which option you should choose, it can come down to your personality. More outgoing students tend to go the random

route because they are prone to making connections faster. Introverted people, however, frequently choose their roommates themselves because they tend to be less outgoing when talking to new people; and then there is always the option of a trying to get a single. Overall, college will a great experience for everyone to find their place and their people.

Do Hippotherapy and Equine Assisted Therapy Work?

by Megan Sims

Mankind has been riding horses dating back to 3500 BC; for survival, for work, for transportation, and for recreation. In 1952, the world would learn of another potential purpose for the horse – use in therapy to help those with physical impairments improve function and range of motion. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Denmark equestrian Lis Hartel spoke of how basic exercises on horseback helped her recover from the devastating effects and physical impairments caused by childhood polio. This would capture the interest of care providers globally and birth a new form of therapy – hippotherapy- designed to help patients with physical, cognitive, and emotional impairments improve functional outcomes and have a better quality of life. Winston Churchill’s words “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man” speak to the potential of this medical therapy, harnessing the power of horses to enhance the life of man. Over the next decades, German, Swiss, and Austrian care providers took the lead in this emerging field and began integrating horses into their physical therapy regimens to better serve their patients with physical impairments. Physical therapy on horseback in this earliest form was the origin of today’s hippotherapy. Hippotherapy became more standardized when a group of American and Canadian therapists studied the essential elements of hippotherapy in the late 1980s, developed a standardized curriculum, and introduced it widely to medical providers in North America. Hippotherapy evolved and expanded beyond physical therapy into cognitive therapy and psychotherapy. Today, hippotherapy and equine-assisted therapy are generally accepted medical therapies, covered by most health insurance, to treat a wide variety of physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional impairments.

Even though hippotherapy and equine assisted therapy (EAT) sound similar, they’re not. The

National Institute of Health’s (NIH) definition of hippotherapy is, “a form of physical, occupational and speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input” usually delivered one to one. EAT is a more general term that also refers to the use of the horse’s natural movements to help improve individual physical strength and coordination as well as improve cognitive function and emotional regulation and trauma recovery. It can be delivered in a private session or in a group setting. Both rely upon the specialized training of the health care provider, knowledgeable in clinical care as well as familiar with horse training and the mechanics of the horse’s movements. Hippotherapy uses the horse as a tool to improve patient muscle strength and flexibility with a defined set of exercises, essentially it is physical or occupational therapy on horseback. EAT is targeted towards individuals with disabilities who may experience additional therapeutic benefit while learning how to balance on horseback and engage in basic riding lessons. EAT emphasizes the development of the riding skill for the person with disability with the recognition that there may be derived therapeutic benefit that comes from getting the person with disability on the back of a horse.

Multiple studies have shown that hippotherapy and EAT both demonstrate multiple positive effects compared to other standard clinical therapies (e.g., physical therapy) such as shorter recovery time and rapid gains in gross and fine motor control. In addition, both have reported dramatic improvements in mental health including self-awareness, independency, increased trust, reduced anxiety, less feeling of depression and isolation, increased self-esteem, better social skills, better impulse control, increased problem-solving skills, improved communication skills including non-verbal expression, better

understanding of healthy boundaries and the importance of assertiveness, learning to control one’s own negative, self-absorbed thoughts and confidence in nurturing and communication with another living creature.

Both hippotherapy and EAT have professional therapists who are specifically trained in both types of therapy and get certified by the American Hippotherapy Certification Board to help kids and adults like many other therapies. Many certified therapists are in Michigan and have been serving Michiganders since equine treatments were discovered to be a reliable medical therapy. While hippotherapy is often covered by insurance, there are only three certified hippotherapy centers in Michigan making access challenging. In addition, private sessions inclusive of travel are often expensive and subject to high health care deductibles. Being certified by the sole accreditation body, the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) is a costly and time-consuming effort. In contrast, there are 18 EAT centers in Michigan but they are not covered by insurance as they are often considered a recreational activity rather

than therapeutic care. Given the evidence of clin ical testing required for certification. This creates extensive waitlists even for those with the means to utilize such services. While there are more EAT centers, resources are still limited compared to more traditional clinical care. For example, there are nearly 10,000 physical therapists in Michigan while there are only 3 certified hippo therapists across the two peninsulas. Therefore, there are populations across Michigan who simply do not have the money and/or the time to access much needed hippotherapy and EAT care, creating health inequity for those with limited resources.

People with disabilities can greatly benefit from the use of horses in therapy to improve their physical and mental health, resulting in improved functionality. As hippotherapy and EAT continue to gain credibility and demonstrate clear clinical benefits, we must begin to address the limited access to such beneficial resources. To encourage increased coverage by the health insurance companies, more research to quantify the benefits of hippotherapy and EAT.

Senior Speeches: Important Moment or Waste of Time?

by Griffin Akkashian

High school graduation is an extremely important event in the life of a teenager. In late May and early June, young men and women all over the nation end a major chapter of their lives and begin new one, moving closer to adulthood. Graduation ceremonies are filled with emotions, photos, and a ludicrous number of speeches. Roeper decided decades ago that in addition to traditional speeches given by the administration, each student will receive a speech given about them by a teacher of their choosing. These speeches add hours to the already lengthy ceremony making many ponder the question, are they necessary?

The Roeper graduation ceremony is very different from public high school graduations. Because of our extremely small class sizes, Roeper can personalize the ceremony and make it special for each student and their family. The ceremony at Roeper actually takes significantly longer than most public high schools because of the senior speeches. Each teacher is told to make their speech last 3 minutes, but everybody knows if there is one thing Roeper teachers like to do, its ramble. In the past, teachers have made speeches lasting longer than 15 minutes. This length of speech is unacceptable, and for the graduates it is most likely unbearable. While some families enjoy hearing good things about their graduating student, most families do not want to sit and wait for hours listening about the achievements of 30-50 teenagers they do not know. The dread of knowing how long and tedious the ceremony is going to be can put a significant damper on an otherwise celebratory day. However, the day is ultimately about the graduates, not their families. How do the graduates feel about the senior speech tradition?

While most past and soon to be graduates do not look forward to the incredibly long lineup

of speeches, there is always room for a variety of opinions. After talking to many recent graduates, the clear consensus is that the graduation ceremony was certainly made less exciting and enjoyable by the senior speech tradition. Many graduates said that although they enjoyed hearing their friends’ speeches, hearing them for many of their fellow classmates became tedious, draining, and boring. Although the class of 2020 never had the typical ceremony due to COVID, many graduates from the class have positive feelings toward their ceremony. The consensus around the 2020 ceremony was that the efficient, drive-in style of ceremony with no senior speeches was better than the more usual alternative according to some graduates.

The upcoming graduating class is extremely optimistic regarding the ceremony, with many seniors looking forward to graduation. The only conceivable reason for seniors wanting graduation to come as fast as possible is because of all the exciting speeches... right? Two seniors even mentioned how mentally, they had been ready to leave-I mean “graduate” for a few years now (both students have the last name “Akkashian”). Although the outlook from students and families regarding senior speeches are primarily negative, the teachers have their own opinions.

To be chosen to speak on behalf of a graduating senior should be flattering for a teacher. The student is saying to the teacher they pick that they appreciate and respect them for all they have done over the years, as well as displaying a close relationship moving past teacher-student dynamic into something closer to mentorship. Despite the good intentions of the students, many teachers have problems with the speeches. While most teachers are proud to be delivering the speech for the given student, the stress added onto these teachers at the busiest time of the year is

no laughing matter. Depending on how beloved the teacher is, a teacher can be tasked with delivering a difficult number of speeches. Because the end of the year can yield a significant workload for some teachers, getting asked to do a speech can add to an already lengthy to-do list. While most teachers do not care for the added stress, they are more than happy to perform the speech because of the importance and meaning behind them. Despite the negatives, most teachers are honored by the request, and give each speech the personal touch and amount of time they deserve

Graduation is an emotional day for families, teach ers, and some students. Having this personal touch added to the ceremony is a good way to send off the graduates, some of whom have been members of the Roeper community for 15 years. However, the extremely long ceremony can detract from the celebratory part of the day. As long as the teachers giving the speeches are okay with the added responsibility and pressure, the speeches are a nice tribute to all that the graduate has accomplished and should remain an intricate part of the ceremony.

Dressing for Prom

by Conor Field

School dances are a beloved tradition, and most of those who attend will remember the moments they shared for years to come. Aspects of events like homecoming and prom stir up a little more excitement as the big night approaches. There are many important tasks leading up to a school dance like finding a date, buying a new dress or a suit, and planning parties and dinners around the dance.

Numerous students feel anxiousness and pressure while preparing for a school dance. Much of that pressure comes from buying a new outfit. Between the students renting or buying suits, and those renting or buying dresses, who experiences the most of that pressure? or is the pressure the same between those two groups?

The process of buying the outfit is an important piece to investigate while trying to understand this pressure. For people wearing suits, it seems common for some to wear the same suits year after year. Freshman or Sophomore year students are more likely than upperclassmen to do this. However, they might buy a new outfit when the old one doesn’t fit any more.

One student said they felt some pressure but did not care about it; this student also preferred a proper suit-shopping trip over buying from Amazon specifically for their senior year. Another student shared this experience, saying that it feels more important to “show out” for senior year. A good number of male students felt girls would feel more pressure than boys when shopping for a school dance. One student said dresses are more noticed and tend to display their cost and that their cost exceeds that of most of the suits.

Those remarks were echoed by everyone, saying most suits that boys will wear are very similar, which can take the pressure off those buying suits.

Another student said they didn’t feel any pressure at all to buy new clothing items for the dances, saying they had only bought 2 suits in all four years of high school. This student also felt as though girls feeling pressure for dress-shopping were doing it to themselves, which raises an interesting question; if their peers are buying new outfits for dances, does that mean a student could or should feel pressured to do the same? Many students buying dresses felt that the answer to that question was yes.

Yet another student felt that all suits look the same, saying that dress shopping is harder since girls want one that is unique. This student felt like the pressure to get new dresses came from both an external and internal perspective. One student said they did not really care about any sort of pressure to buy a new suit, and instead would buy a new coat and a new undershirt when they wanted to switch things up. With no external pressure, this student is buying new suits purely for their own pleasure.

Girls buying dresses referenced wanting to fit in with their friends as one of the main reasons they felt pressured; a personal desire to show off and look good for a nice event with your friends was another main reason. Girls consistently stated that they did not feel as though a guy would need to worry at all, or at least in the same way as they did. One student said that a guy could wear the same exact suit from freshman to senior year with a different tie and have no issues.

When asked about the pressure they felt shopping for dresses the girls were consistent in saying there was a fair amount of pressure both internal and external. However, they also mentioned the enjoyment that comes from getting new, fancy clothes for a fun event with their friends. A few girls mentioned the social aspect of buying the dress, for example going out with a friend and trying on several while narrowing in on the right choice. The boys did not feel much pressure at all, and if some felt like there was pressure, they

would remedy it with a quick store visit and a new outfit. Most of the boys took notice of the girls buying new dresses each year, and when asked a good number of the boys did feel as though the pressure on the girls was greater than on themselves. It seems like the boys do not take it as seriously, at least until senior year. Buying a suit or a dress is an individual experience and personal choice, and one should feel no pressure one way or the other..

The Benefits of Meditation by

Vijval Nandigala

In the dizzying pace of contemporary life, the ancient practice of meditation offers a haven of stillness, clarity, and self-understanding. Though its roots extend back thousands of years across numerous cultures and spiritual traditions, meditation has found a distinctly modern resurgence. By training the ability to focus attention and cultivate present-moment awareness, meditation has proven an invaluable tool for reducing stress, increasing wellbeing, and gaining profound insights into the nature of human consciousness.

Archeological and textual evidence indicates that meditation was practiced in numerous ancient civilizations, long before the rise of major world religions. Cave paintings in the Indian subcontinent depict ancient meditators seated in contemplative yogic poses dating back to around 5,000-3,500 BCE. The oldest written records describing meditation derive from the Hindu Vedas, a set of sacred scriptures originating around 1500 BCE. The Vedic texts expound philosophies and practices, like the inward reflection called “dyana,” that served as precursors to meditation.

It was between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE that meditation solidified as a core practice in ancient Buddhist teachings. The Buddhist tradition’s foundational text, the Dhammapada, outlines the quintessential meditation practice: “Just as a fletcher straightens an arrow shaft, even so the discerning man straightens his wavering and unsteady thought - a thought which is so difficult to guard and hold down.” The Buddha taught a variety of meditation techniques to develop heightened states of focus, awareness, and insight, with the aim of liberating oneself from the cycle of suffering by transcending the ego and attachment. To this day, meditation remains an integral part of Buddhist philosophy and training.

With the globalization and cross-pollination of religious and cultural ideas in the modern era, meditation has undergone a profound evolution. While adherents of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, and Islam continue to embrace meditation within their respective spiritual traditions, the practice has also found widespread popularity as a secular approach to reducing stress, developing focus, and promoting overall health and psychological well-being.

Research has increasingly validated the manifold benefits of meditation. Brain imaging studies reveal that regular meditators display increased gray matter density in areas associated with perception, memory, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. Meditation has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure, improve immune system function, reduce inflammation, and increase neuroplasticity. Psychologically and emotionally, meditators exhibit greater emotional stability, cognitive flexibility, and relationship satisfaction. Meditative practices are now employed in clinical psychology, corporate wellness programs, schools, hospitals, the military, and prisons.

Yet for all the scientifically validated benefits of meditation, the true power and potential of the practice lies in the profound existential revelations and transformations of consciousness it can catalyze. With consistent dedication to meditation over months and years, committed practitioners gain insights into the ephemeral nature of physical reality, the roots of human craving and attachment, and the infinite potential that lies within the silent depths of consciousness. Those who journey into the meditative experience often emerge fundamentally changed, with heightened presence, equanimity, compassion, and wisdom that permeates their way of being in the world.

In our present era, defined by frenetic busyness, superficial distractions, fear and alienation, meditation offers a pathway to stillness amidst the storm. Whether one’s goal is stress-reduction or spiritual enlightenment, the practice of meditation beckons us inward to witness the spaciousness of simply being. By persevering through the cacophony of

thoughts and impulses that pervade the untrained mind, we access limitless peace and anchor our attention in the present moment - the locus where true joy, freedom, and transcendence of suffering arise. At its depths, meditation reveals our mind as inseparable from the vast, sacred oneness of all existence.

Airline Safety?

by Lucas Bagne

On Friday, January 5th, 2024, an Alaska Airlines flight with service to Ontario, California was forced to make an emergency landing after the Boeing 737 Max 9’s emergency door flew off midflight. Thankfully nobody was severely injured, in part because the seat was empty, but it does raise even more concerns over flight safety after 2023, a year that saw the most serious near misses since 2016. The United States flight infrastructure is lacking, and it is only a matter of time before a true catastrophe happens.

The emergency door flying off the plane of Americas biggest airplane maker, Boeing, is just another chapter added to their not so great track record; and the reason behind the incident doesn’t make it any better. The 737 Max’s door that flew off was missing four bolts when it came from the factory. Reports say the reason for the missing bolts was because Boeing tested the door but because they marked the test down in an unofficial report, it didn’t trigger the necessary procedure to replace the door and its bolts, resulting in a faulty door making it out of the factory. It gets even worse for Boeing, after inspecting all doors on their planes that were currently in production, they found 50 planes with improperly drilled bolt holes that all would have left the factory without being fixed. This incident sheds light on Boeings lack of supervision and inspections and that they were very lucky that nobody got killed from this incident.

The plane in question was a 737 Max 9, Boeings newest plane that is modernizing the company’s famous 737. This isn’t the first incident with Boings 737 Max line, raising even more questions on their safety. In 2018 and 2019 the Boeing 737 Max 8, the previous generation of the 737 Max line, crashed twice, killing 346 people. Because the body shape and weight

of the 737 Max 8 caused the nose of the plane to turn upwards, Boeing designed a computer program to detect this issue and push the nose of the plane down. This process overrode the pilot’s manual controls. When the plane was approved, Boeing hid this information from the pilots and didn’t train them in how to override the system. In 2018, this caused the crash of Lion Air Flight 610; the computer program malfunctioned, thinking the nose of the airplane was pushing up, it pushed the nose of the plane down until it did a nosedive into the ocean, killing all 189 souls on board. In response to this, Boeing updated their manual to include how to override the system, but sadly this didn’t work. In 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 experienced the same issue and crashed, killing 155 people. All 737 Max 8’s were subsequently grounded for 2 years until the issues were fully resolved.

The January 5th incident where the door flew off was the first incident in an incident filled 4 months. In March over a 2 week stretch United Airlines had 8 incidents, 5 of which involved Boeing planes. On March 4th, a Boeing plane was forced to make an emergency landing after one of the plane’s engines ingested and burned plastic wrap. On March 7th, another Boeing plane lost a tire during takeoff and was forced to make an emergency landing while missing a tire. On March 8th, a Boeing plane veered off the runway after landing and rolled into the grass. On March 11th, a Boeing plane was forced to return to its original airport after a hydraulic leak. And on March 14th, a Boeing plane was missing an external panel when it landed. Thankfully nobody was hurt in any of these incidents, but this wasn’t the end of incidents for Boeing and the rest of the aviation world.

The first incident where people were injured occurred when a Boeing plane had a technological malfunction, and it dove downwards for 3 seconds while midair. This resulted in people and babies flying out of their seats and being thrown about the cabin, with many banging their heads on the ceiling. At least 50 people were injured and many of the 50 had to go to the hospital for treatment. At least 1 person did end up dying and Boeing is investigating the issue, but it will be a while before we know why this incident occurred. Boeing is currently making a plan to present the United States government and the Federal Aviation Administration detailing how they will fix these issues, but nothing has come out yet.

Currently, there are a group of 10 whistleblowers who are shedding light on Boeings bad practices. The most damning report alleges that fuselages regularly left the factory of Boeings largest supplier with obvious defects. The whistleblower stated that he was accustomed to finding “anywhere from 50 to 100 to 200” defects on fuselages and that “I was finding a lot of missing fasteners, a lot of bent parts, sometimes even missing parts.” The fuselages in question are the same make as the plane that’s door blew out midflight, even though that incident was Boeings fault, they did find over 50 planes with improper parts in the same part as the door. The whistleblower also alleges that he brought these observations to his bosses, and that he was ignored and told to stop slowing down production. To make matters worse, in response to his reports, he was ordered to change the way that defected parts were reported in order to manipulate the numbers in favor of the manufacturer. He says that he would never fly on a Boeing 737 Max and states that many of his coworkers hold the same opinion.

Boeing and their supplier’s response to this was to reject the claim that any of this occurred and that it is not the company’s fault that there are

manufacturing defects. This issue will come to head in a legal battle where Boeing is being accused of lying to stockholders, forcing everything out in the open.

There are many more factors to aviation safety beyond the actual planes . The American aviation system is to blame for a lot of the current issues. A recent incident that highlights an incident not pertaining to airplane construction took place on February 8th. At 6:40 am at Boston’s Logan International Airport, two JetBlue planes came into contact with each other. One plane was entering the de-icing area and it came into contact with the tail of another JetBlue plane. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but it is another example of the safety issues plaguing American aviation. This is the third such incident at Logan in the past year. It is hard to know exactly who to blame for these incidents, but it does show that there is a serious issue. Many airport taxiways are underlit, overused, and lack modern technology that alerts the pilots of impediments. This is very dangerous because many planes near the runway are not fully aware of their surroundings. The only real fix to this would be the Federal Aviation Administration giving money to the airports to modernize their safety systems. Thankfully, due to the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, US airports are receiving over 15 billion from the government to modernize and increase safety protocols. These grants include money for new towers to replace existing aging towers, adding or replacing runways and taxiways, and adding other safety features to update old safety technology.

Near misses are occurring more and more every year and are often a result of not enough air traffic controllers. Near misses are defined as a situation where two or more aircraft come into close proximity to each other, posing a potential safety risk. This can occur in the air or on the ground, but most happen during takeoff or landing and many are the result of air traffic controllers sending planes either the wrong way

or pilots not understanding their instructions. This is the greatest issue with the concerning the safety of American aviation because it feels like it is only a matter of time before a major midair collision takes place.

As of May 2023, only 3 of the 313 air traffic facilities nationwide had enough controllers to meet targets set by the F.A.A. Because of this shortage, many controllers are required to work six-day weeks, a schedule so fatiguing that it can impede air traffic controllers’ abilities to do their jobs properly, putting passengers at risk. The demanding schedule of air traffic controllers adds another layer of difficulty to an already stressful job. Because air traffic control is needed around the clock, controllers often work rotating shifts that can include working overnight hours, weekends, and holidays. This irregular schedule disrupts circadian rhythms, making it harder to sleep and impairs cognitive ability and the ability to make fast decisions. These abilities are very important for a controller, and lack of sleep makes doing a very tough job even more difficult and can put lives at risk. The grueling schedule is a big deterrent in recruiting new controllers because it is hard to recruit for a difficult job that takes such a large toll on your physical and mental well-being.

Over the last 10 years, airport traffic has increased by 5% while the number of controllers has decreased by 10%. The biggest issue is a lack of new hires resulting in more people retiring than becoming new controllers. Covid made things even worse due to the decrease in flights, many controllers left and the F.A.A. slowed training efforts to replace them due to health mandates resulting in the current crisis. It can take up to 5 years to train a new controller so even if hiring does increase, it will take a while until this crisis is resolved.

The issues with the air traffic controllers almost resulted in many deaths in December of last year when a Southwest flight was just over 300 feet away from landing on top of another plane. In an interview with the pilot, he said that he was never told to abort and made the decision not to land on his own. Thankfully he was paying attention, because the air traffic controllers at the time did not do their jobs and their lack of attentiveness could have resulted in hundreds of deaths.

The only way to really fix this issue is to put a lot of money and effort into training new air traffic controllers. Currently it takes up to 5 years to train a new controller and the bulk of this could be away from home. All controllers must train for several months in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, after which, individuals are placed in various jobs around the country where they need to spend from 1 to 3 years getting on the job experience. The salary for these first years tops out around $50,000 a year and the job includes tough hours. To make matters worse, the application window is very short making it harder for people to apply for the job. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, be registered for Selective Service, be younger than 31 years old, have either three years of work experience or four years of college education, be able to speak English clearly, and be willing to relocate to an FAA facility anywhere in the country. This only allows a small group of people to apply for the job, making a very small pool of candidates available for hire.

These issues are not an overnight fix, but steps must be taken to continue to make air travel safer and ensure that no major collision occurs in the near future. Air travel is still the safest way to travel but if something goes wrong, hundreds of lives are on the line. These issues must be addressed and not swept under the rug like Boeing has done for years.

Cheers for the Roeper Forensics Team!

by Megan Sims

Roeper celebrated its second state championship on May 4th when the 13-member Forensics team placed first in their class at the Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association State tournament. This victory came after months of hard work, commitment, and dedication to refine their pieces. Team members and coaches reflected on this accomplishment and shared that long hours and hard work were essential for the coveted win.

Coaches and students alike described the extensive number of hours invested by everyone to prepare for the 2023-2024 Forensics season. It was truly a team effort. Forensics teacher and coach Dan Jacobs estimated that it took “approximately 450 hours” by the students and coaches over the course of the academic year. Sophomore Meira Gable and senior Jonathan Dennewith both acknowledge that this win would not have been possible without the guidance and unwavering support of their coaches Ben Fisher, Laura Moore, Jaffar Boumediene, and Dan Jacobs.

Dan recounts the painful process of selecting a

topic, drafting the piece, and then, “distilling it down to a coherent eight-minute storyline with emotional and dramatic appeal is a Herculean task that involves hours and hours in cuts and revisions.” Gable noted, “It definitely took a lot of work to get ready for the state tournament, lots of sacrificing time during free blocks, lunches, and even time on vacation for me but it was definitely worth it in the end.” Dinnewith also added, “…in the Informative category, which I was in, as we wrote our scripts from scratch and had to keep modifying them based on judges’ feedback…we then, in turn, had to re-memorize them.” Ben Fisher emphasized the team’s coaching philosophy, “It’s not about winning, it’s about students finding a genuine, motivating reason to work hard and create a piece of art they are proud of.” The whole process, under the watchful eye of the coaches, was clearly a team effort.

For the Roeper Forensics Team, this win was a long time coming and to quote Gable, “… having the concrete validation for all the hard work we put in… it felt amazing to have all this work rewarded, especially the pride of seeing all of your teammates succeed as well.”