October 8, 2020-Student Life Newspaper, Washington University in St. Louis

The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

VOLUME 142, NO. 4

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They will not have a fall season, but the Bears are getting back in action (Sports, pg 6)

Unpacking the lyrics and emotions of internet star Joji’s newest album (Cadenza, pg 9)

‘Show our Black sisters the respect they deserve’: Hundreds of students mourn together at vigil for Breonna Taylor

College Republicans, Democrats work to excite and engage students ahead of November election GRACE KENNARD STAFF REPORTER

MORAD SULIMAN | STUDENT LIFE

Over three hundred students gathered around the East End steps to mourn Breonna Taylor. Participants wore masks, stayed socially distanced, held signs and lit candles to show solidarity. “The event was such a beautiful reminder of the solidarity that we could have as a campus,” junior Nana Kusi said.

JULIA ROBBINS STAFF REPORTER “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.”

The numbers, symbolizing the number of bullets that police officers fired at Breonna Taylor, echoed against the buildings of the East End during a vigil held Saturday. Taylor’s murder at the hands of the officers has further fueled a nationwide movement fighting for justice.

More than three hundred students gathered together on the East End steps and grass lining the hill to Brookings, carefully spacing six feet apart.

“We really wanted this space to be primarily for students to stake their claim on this campus and make their feelings known,” Junior Nana Kusi, one of the organizers of the vigil, said. “I think on this campus there’s not many spaces or avenues through which I feel particularly represented or seen as a Black woman at Wash.

U.” Kusi, senior Sabrina Sayed as well as juniors Nafi Seife, Rene Kina and Yohanes Mulat organized the vigil to recognize Taylor and repudiate the system that killed her and failed to bring her killers to justice.

The ninety minute vigil featured speeches from the organizers of the event, an open mic and a moment of silence at the end of the night.

“For me, it was really impactful to hear from my peers with very similar experiences as me express their feelings, really be able to be candid, and put people on the line as to how they're treated and how they navigate these spaces on campus,” Kusi said.

The ground rules for the vigil were laid out at the beginning; it was to be a space primarily for Black students, and individuals were asked to

be mindful of the space they chose to take up that night. Students were asked to be respectfully quiet, and to stay masked and socially distant.

“I thought it was really powerful, how we got so many people to show up,” Kina said. “I didn't know if it was going to be a popular event because this has been so controversial these past few months. So just seeing all this support, for me, was really really eye-opening.”

Calls to action on both national and individual levels rang through the night.

“It is time to show our Black sisters the respect they deserve,” Sayed said in her speech. “It is time we fight with our sisters and brothers and nonbinary family members the same way we would for our blood. Ask yourself if any Black woman in your life sees you as her ally, as someone who fights for Black women.”

Kusi echoed this sentiment in an interview with Student Life.

“Nobody thinks that they’re a racist, and nobody thinks that they’re discriminatory or prejudiced against Black women, but many people are,” Kusi said. “In their actions, absolutely, they exclude and silence Black women in a variety of spaces and axes, and I want people to interrogate that.”

Maya Phelps, a freshman who spoke during the open mic portion of the night, similarly wanted the vigil to encourage people to question their actions.

“For people that chose not to come, I guess I want to question really why,” Phelps told Student Life.

“What inside of you makes you want to ignore the death of Black people, especially Black women? And why are you not advocating for the lives of people who are still living?”

Before the vigil started, tealight candles were placed approximately

six feet apart from each other for students to stand behind. After the organizers of the vigil spoke, students walked around to light the candles in commemoration of Taylor’s life.

“I definitely thought that the image itself, with the candles and people standing socially distant but definitely together in a sense, was very powerful,” freshman Kayzad Bharucha said.

As students stood apart from one another, cupping their hands to the candles to prevent the wind from blowing them out, the open mic section of the night began.

One of the students who spoke during this section of the night was sophomore Aaliyah Allen, the president of QUEENS, a Black women’s affinity space on campus. Allen spoke to how the unique oppression of Black women stems from the intersectionality of their identities.

“We talk about the loss of Black men at the hands of the police very often,” Allen said. “Gender disparities have been a racialized issue in America; we talk about white women’s inability to maintain their home life and juggle to climb the ladder of corporate America. But where does that leave Black women? Where did that leave Breonna?” “‘You catch more flies with honey than vinegar,’ they say,” Allen continued. “All while America catches flies with the body of millions of slaughtered Black women since the first of us was stolen and taken to stolen land. Well frankly, I don’t give a damn about your feelings anymore. Your feelings over my life, my mother’s life, my sister’s life, my friends’ lives, women I haven’t even met—their lives? Absolutely not.”

In addition to calls to end racist and corrupt governments, societal and educational systems, the vigil was a declaration of support from Black

upperclassmen to the younger Black students at the University.

“We wanted to show some of the underclassmen who didn’t get the opportunity to meet a lot of the upperclassmen on campus… that there is a strong Black community on this campus, that there is a unified Black community on this campus,” Kina said. “And I think that’s something that you wouldn’t have had otherwise because we’re, for the most part, online.”

Phelps agreed, noting how difficult it had been for her to get to know Black upperclassmen prior to the vigil. “It definitely felt like they just weren’t there because of COVID,” Phelps said. “[But at the vigil] it just felt like they put their arms around us, and it was definitely something that I needed.”

Some of the themes of the night were manifested in the cardboard signs that some students held up, bearing phrases such as “Be the Change,” “Protect Black Women” and “What crime did she commit in her sleep?”

At the end of the night, students were encouraged to bring their posters and candles to a shrine for Taylor at the top of the steps.

“I hope what people took away is that it’s really, really important to check on yourself and how you interact with your Black friends and friends of other marginalized groups,” Kusi said. “If you don’t have friends of any marginalized identities, why is that?”

Ultimately, Kusi said she hoped that the vigil showcased the power and importance of collective community care.

“The event was such a beautiful reminder of the solidarity that we could have as a campus, like what can be done when students care, when we check up on one another and create space for one another,” Kusi said.

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There is no shortage of political opportunities this fall, and the College Republicans and Democrats are working diligently to engage students with local and national campaigns.

With the November election fast approaching, the College Democrats are planning to focus their efforts on local initiatives.

“I think that Trump is more than likely going to win Missouri.” College Democrats President Arik Wolk said, “[So] in Missouri I think that the bigger chance for Democrats to be successful is at the local level—the Jill Schupp versus Ann Wagner race. I think the governor’s race is going to be pretty competitive [as well].”

Missouri’s political leaning has shifted over the years. It used to be known as a bellwether, voting for the winning presidential candidate in all but one election between 1904 and 2004, but in recent years has taken a turn to the right. The shift can likely be attributed to the fact that the state’s population no longer parallels the nation’s demographics. For example, Missouri has a low Hispanic population, while nationwide the group has become the largest minority.

Missouri now consistently leans Republican, with Romney winning the state by 9.4 percentage points in 2012 and Trump winning with an 18.5 point margin of victory over Clinton in 2016.

Politico predicts Missouri to be a “Solid Republican” state in the presidential election, partly because of Trump’s previous commanding win in the state in 2016. If this prediction rings true in November, that would mean Missouri’s 10 electoral votes will go to Trump in his race to 270.

For the College Republicans, the less competitive nature of the presidential election this year in Missouri means they can also focus more of their energy on the close House race between Ann Wagner (R) and Jill Schupp (D).

Matias Mayesh, president of the College Republicans, said that plans are in the works for a phone bank before the election, but it’s been a challenge not being able to connect with club members in person.

“I want us to be involved and be able to go out and do some activities for local campaigns like canvassing, but it’s a bit difficult with all the restrictions and we don’t want to break the rules,” he said.

“So that's something I’ve been trying to organize and trying to manage and see if that’s possible [and] if we can do that safely.”

Wolk echoed some of Mayesh’s

SEE ELECTION, PAGE 3

2 STUDENT LIFE

EM MCPHIE & TED MOSKAL | SENIOR NEWS EDITORS | NEWS@STUDLIFE.COM

theFLIPSIDE FLIPSIDE THU 8

CLOUDY 81/57

FRI 9

CLOUDY 82/63

MOSTLY SUNNY 73/51

PARTLY CLOUDY 79/53

CLOUDY 76/59

AM CLOUDS/PM SUN 81/60

TUES 13

MON 12

SUN 11

SAT 10

WED 14

MOSTLY SUNNY 70/49

EVENT CALENDAR THURSDAY 8 New in the Lou: Through the Eyes of Movement Leaders Virtual Event, 4 p.m.

The Gephardt Institute is hosting “New in the Lou,” a series of panel discussions to catalyze dialogue about St. Louis through the eyes of our local community.

Conversations are geared towards undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty/staff, with attention on new members of the WashU community. Attendees will be entered to win door prizes from STL Style!

FRIDAY 9 Gender, Race and Election Webinar Virtual Event, 12 p.m.

In this conversation, we will explore how varied group expectations shape voting behavior. We shall also explore how disaggregating “group” identity helps us understand voter self-interest. How are “identity politics”--white nationalism, divergent gender politics and Black Lives Matter-- playing a role in this election?

SATURDAY 10 Welcoming the Second Quantum Revolution Virtual Event, 10 a.m.

Kater Murch, of Washington University in St. Louis, will present. Quantum mechanics underlies the transformative technological advances of the last century. This “first quantum revolution” has been enabled by semiconductor devices, where quantum mechanics ultimately governs the conduction of electrons. Quantum mechanics, with exotic features such as quantum superposition and entanglement, has the potential to be harnessed in new devices that take advantage of the inherent complexity of quantum systems. Scientists are beginning to identify places where this “second quantum revolution” has potential for true impact. Murch will outline this exciting future, focusing on cases where quantum technologies will allow us to see, probe and quantify the world in fundamentally new ways.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

As on-campus activities continue, Student Health Ambassadors facilitate COVID-19 safety measures OLIVIA POOLOS STAFF REPORTER Washington University introduced the Student Health Ambassador program this fall in order to foster peer-topeer interactions that enforce COVID-19 safety regulations.

Stationed outside in hightraffic areas, the Student Health Ambassadors (SHAs) offer hand sanitizer, masks and reminders to complete daily self-screenings. There have been roughly 160 students who have completed at least one shift, according to one of the logistical directors, Assistant Director for Sports Operations Jamaica Cannon.

Cannon said that one of the goals of the program is to encourage a sense of community responsibility. She also indicated that while the end goal is to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the program was more of an indirect means to that end by giving students the tools to practice safe living while on campus.

“It helps foster that sense of community in that we really are all in this together, and that we care and all want to be here,” she said.

For freshman William Sepesi, the presence of SHAs on campus is simply a reminder to stay on top of his personal safety practices, such as completing the daily self-screen.

“I think in general, that it’s a good effort by the University to have constant presence and a constant force to encourage good habits,” Sepesi said.

Undergraduates from all four grades are SHAs, motivated by a variety of different factors. Senior Kristen Reikersdorfer was immediately interested in the SHA position after it was offered to her via the biology department.

“Public health is something I’m pretty passionate about, so I jumped on it right away and applied,” she said. Reikersdorfer is one of about one quarter of SHAs that are working as volunteers. Students who are paid receive 10 dollars per hour.

For senior Kate Koch, a paid worker, the job was a way for her to stay involved with student life while taking online classes.

“I’m living off campus and not really involved with too many things going on anymore,” Koch said. “So it was partly a way to get me out of my apartment and onto campus, partly to have some contribution to

the community.”

Aside from keeping the community healthy, one of the main concerns of SHA organizers was keeping the student workers safe as well. Even though SHAs often come into contact with dozens of people per shift, they are always outside, masked and distanced as much as possible.

Cannon confirmed that each SHA has their temperature taken before each shift and are reminded not to come to work if feeling ill.

“Safety for all of our students is paramount,” she said.

Sophomore SHA Avita Clarke said she wasn’t worried about getting sick while on duty due to the limited amount of close contact needed during a shift.

“The only interactions I have with people are to give them hand sanitizer, and that’s a two-second exchange,” she said.

While the tasks accomplished by SHAs may seem small, the cumulative positive influence over hundreds of students could be game-changing.

“I can unequivocally say it’s one of the most impactful programs I have ever been a part of,” Cannon said. “It’s worth all the time and all the effort.”

SUNDAY 11 Public Tour: ‘House and Home’ Catholic Student Center, 2 p.m.

Join us for live, interactive tours on Zoom. Student educators design and lead virtual tours featuring several artworks in the Kemper Art Museum collection, showing images of the artworks through screen sharing and answering participant questions. On October 11, Nina Huang (Sam Fox School ‘22) shares artworks in the collection that depict domestic spaces and explore the many meanings of home.

MONDAY 12 Abend Family Visiting Critic Endowed Lecture: Margarita Jover Virtual Event, 5:30 p.m.

Margarita Jover, cofounder of the Barcelona-based firm aldayjover architecture and landscape and associate professor in architecture at Tulane School of Architecture, will deliver the annual Abend Family Visiting Critic Endowed Lecture.

Jover’s practice and research focus on mitigating and reversing socioecological crises with a particular focus on the interplay between cities and rivers.

CURRAN NEENAN | STUDENT LIFE

Student Health Ambassadors are stationed across campus to ensure that students are wearing face masks, have access to hand sanitizer and maintain proper social distance.

Midwestern Climate Summit focuses on equity and momentum CLARA RICHARDS CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Chancellor Andrew Martin introduced the Midwestern Climate Summit at its virtual kickoff event on Oct. 2 by stressing the urgency of the project’s ambitious short and longterm objectives.

The Midwestern Climate Summit aims to accelerate work in climate action, outreach, engagement, research and education. While the six-week-long summit was forced to transition online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that shift opened

up new opportunities for expansion.

The summit’s founding partners, including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ohio State University and Washington University, spurred the main initiatives, but the event is meant to be a true collaboration between a large number of stakeholders. Leaders hope to work with higher education institutions, local government partners and business community partners to build momentum toward climate action.

The summit started with a land acknowledgement led

by Phil Valko, assistant vice chancellor for sustainability and executive committee member. “While none of us played a direct role, we are the beneficiaries of this history,” Valko said, echoing the theme of equity that ran throughout the entirety of the summit.

Dr. Robert Bullard, the first speaker at the kickoff, emphasized a similar message throughout his keynote speech.

“This whole idea of addressing equity is a prerequisite to achieving climate-resilient communities,” Bullard said. “When we

COURTESY OF JOE ANGELES

During his commencement address in 2019, Michael Bloomberg announced that the University would serve as anchor for the Midwestern Climate summit. The summit aims to connect educational institutions, businesses and local government to accelerate ways to slow climate change.

provide the greatest protection for the most vulnerable, we provide protection for us all.”

Highlighting the theme of equity was an intentional move by the students and administration team that planned the event.

Marginalized communities are historically, systemically and repeatedly excluded from climate conversations, but it is those communities that are the most disproportionately affected by climate change.

“That [exclusion] felt so wrong, on so many levels, and was something that we had a lot of conversations about, especially the way that we want to elevate the voices of people who are historically excluded from these conversations,” sophomore Julie Deleger, a student member on the steering committee, said.

The student representatives pushed to find speakers representative of the groups most impacted by climate change for the series of online sessions, titled the Think Tank. Deleger said that when considering speakers, the sub-committees would ask themselves, “Are we sure that we aren’t just giving the same mic to the same voice, over and over again?” to ensure that the

speaker lineup was specifically targeted to achieve a focus on justice and equity.

The summit was originally scheduled to occur over two days in St. Louis, but adaptation for COVID expanded the project’s reach. Instead of following the blueprint of previous conferences and summits, it pushed organizers to maximize their reach and make the events accessible to a wider audience.

“It has made us be really creative and [think] about doing this in a way that’s really authentic to our goals and engaging with our participants,” Deleger said.

That creativity involved the organizers broadening their reach, as the summit is now accessible to participants outside of St. Louis.

Eliminating location-based barriers to entry made the event much more open and accessible.

Professor David Fike, director of environmental studies at the University, said that the move online ensured that the summit is open to anyone who wants to log in and that it will not contribute to the carbon footprint associated with travel to major conferences. While there are also challenges that come with holding an online event, such as making sure that participants are actually engaged,

the planners attempted to combat Zoom fatigue with a dynamic experience involving breakout rooms, discussions and workshops.

The kickoff session on Friday was just the beginning; Think Tank events will continue on alternating Fridays until Nov. 20. The series is expected to draw in thousands of participants from across the country, creating drive for the focus to shift to follow-up actions in the spring.

One of the major goals for the summit was to have conversations and dialogues that generate momentum, especially for larger institutions. The continuation in the spring will serve to hold these institutions and organizations accountable.

“My biggest hope for this is that we do generate a momentum especially amongst students that will carry on to the spring, because it’s a constant chipping away at layers of legislation, layers of administration and layers of bureaucracy, and that nothing is going to change if we aren’t constantly working at it,” Deleger said.

“This decade is a critical decade to take action, and the action has to be action that connects both planet and people,” Valko said.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

EM MCPHIE & TED MOSKAL | SENIOR NEWS EDITORS | NEWS@STUDLIFE.COM

STUDENT LIFE 3

On-campus dining involves new safety precautions for workers and students ELISA XU CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Dining on campus this semester looks quite different than it did before COVID-19.

While all dining areas except for the law cafe are open and running, many have reduced hours. Most items are packaged in to-go containers for students to grab and go, and all of the dining areas have reduced indoor seating.

Any customization comes from mobile ordering, where students can pre-order their meals on their phones and pick up a customized meal.

The process of getting food has been altered to fit social distancing guidelines as well.

“You come in and you have the concierge greeting you,” Travis Bernard, a chef at the Bear’s Den (BD) said. “They only let about 15 people in at a time. Everyone in the line has to stay six feet apart. You go through the line, you pick what you want and if you pick what you want at the beginning of the line, you get to hop out of the line and go to the cashier to check out. But if you don't

see what you want once you get to the end of the line, then you have to go all the way back around.”

When asked about the reasoning behind these changes, Associate Director of Dining Andrew Watling emphasized the importance of safety.

“Obviously the quality of the food and the service are extremely important to us, but we're not going to put those over creating a safe dining experience,” Watling said.

“We worked with the medical experts on campus to set this up, as well as the workers in the facilities to get this put into place.”

Besides the social distancing requirements and the pre-prepared meals, the dining administration has also taken measures to make sure workers are safe when handling food.

These measures include self-screening for symptoms, temperature checks, mask mandates, increased handwashing and working in smaller groups to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.

“Before we came back, we

had an orientation where we had to watch videos about COVID-19, about how to keep yourself safe and how to wash your hands,” Bernard said. “They gave us all the tools and protocols to be safe and stay safe. We also get our temperatures checked and have to answer a couple of questions on the clock-in monitor before we clock in.”

Despite all of the safety precautions in place, there are far fewer students eating at the dining halls than the dining administration expected.

“We're serving about 5,500-5,700 student meals per day, which is down from 13,000-14,000 per day in a normal semester,” said Watling.

Senior Qiqi Chen said that the social aspect of dining on campus has significantly changed compared to previous years.

“There’s a lot fewer people on campus, since some people have stayed home and some people are completely online and off-campus with their classes,” Chen said. “I think you just have fewer friends with you on campus

MORAD SULIMAN | STUDENT LIFE

A student orders from the Bear’s Den. All open dining areas have revamped the food ordering process to fit social distancing guidelines, with changes such as reduced capacity and mobile ordering.

during lunch time. In previous years, a lot of the time when you're eating lunch, you're eating with your friends. Right now, it seems more likely that you're eating by yourself.”

The plastic barriers in place at various dining locations do allow for between 2-4 students to sit at a table together, though students sitting at these tables have greatly decreased in number

from past years.

“I do think [the screen separating the table] has a non-trivial effect on the conversation flow,” Chen said.

“You feel like you’re more separated.”

While she stated that she personally prefers eating outside compared to inside the dining hall due to the airflow, Chen observed that the frequent cleaning of the plastic screens and tables by workers

seemed to make eating inside perfectly safe as well.

“I just really want to give a shout-out to anyone working at the dining halls right now,” Chen said. “It seems like they're really doing their job by keeping the tables clean and keeping students comfortable dining inside, and also providing a space for students to socialize safely even though we're all living through this pandemic.”

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ELECTION from page 1 woes about the inability to resume their typical programming, but the College Democrats are also trying to make the most of the situation. “We’re trying to keep everything virtual just because of COVID safety reasons, but also that way [so that] students who for whatever reason were unable to make it to St. Louis this semester are still able to participate in events.”

College Democrats have hosted and plan to host several candidates on the ballot this November in virtual settings including Yinka Faleti, Nicole Galloway, Jill Schupp and Cori Bush.

Additionally, Law Professor Denise Lieberman gave a presentation about how to vote absentee and vote by mail in Missouri, something that Wolk foresees could be a challenge.

“I think the biggest challenge is how insanely complex it is to vote in Missouri, particularly for college students,” Wolk said. “Voting absentee and voting by mail are separate things in Missouri [and] in some instances, you need to get your ballot notarized which is an insane challenge.”

Mayesh vocalized his own concerns regarding the upcoming election, worries that many have also started to articulate nationwide as October begins. “I’m worried that neither candidate will concede, to be honest,” he said. “I’m worried that we won't know the results for a protracted amount of time, and that’s not healthy for anybody.”

Given the extraordinary nature of a presidential election in the middle of a pandemic, voting in-person

presents potential health risks, so far more Americans than usual are expected to vote absentee. Some states, like Illinois, have stated that all absentee ballots postmarked as late as November 3rd will be counted. This makes it likely that there will not be a definitive result on Election Day for the next president of the United States.

Both Mayesh and Wolk expressed excitement for the upcoming debate between their respective clubs. They are hoping to hold it the week before Election Day and are working to find an energized moderator for the event.

“It will just be a couple of our club members versus a couple of theirs just talking about some issues with the race,” Mayesh said.

“It’s going to be healthy, positive stuff. It won’t be about attacking each other.

It’s more just talking about policy and [other related] things.”

“The way we’ve always kept it tame is that we both plan it,” Wolk said. “We are co-hosting and co-planning this event so there has to be some teamwork and cooperation there.”

After the election, Mayesh said that his club will be able to have a really interesting conversation about the future of the Republican party.

“Either way, we're going to have to acknowledge what does Trump’s win or loss mean for what we should do as a party?”

Mayesh said. “Because you can look at the populations in the demographics of the United States, and you can see right now the Republican voting bloc is not going to hold. It’s not

sustainable. We need to be able to expand our voting bloc to Hispanics and other minority communities.”

For Wolk, his favorite part about being involved with the College Democrats is seeing students get involved with initiatives, something that took place during the 2018 midterm elections and that he is starting to see again now.

“The amount of Wash.

U. students that get involved in St. Louis and in Missouri politics, like the way people get involved with campaigns, is really cool,” Wolk said. “I think my favorite part is just seeing students get engaged and try and make a difference in not just St. Louis but on a grander scale than that.”

Maggie O’Connor, a member of the College Democrats who is working as a field fellow for the Jill Schupp campaign, is a great example of this involvement. In a statement to Student Life, O’Connor said she first met Schupp while canvassing for her 2018 state senate campaign with the College Democrats.

“My advice [to students who are interested in getting involved with politics but aren’t sure where to start] is to do your research to find a candidate that you believe in, and then reach out!” she wrote. “Getting involved in local politics has given me a much deeper appreciation for the community that exists beyond campus. Wash. U. students are very fortunate that St. Louis has great opportunities for young people to take on meaningful roles in highly competitive races.

Volunteering is always a great place to start.”

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Navigating WU as a freshman during the pandemic RYAN RICKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER When I fantasized about my first few weeks of college, I thought of what many of us were probably looking forward to: the new freedom, the new ways to make friends, the new foods and the new city to explore. Even then, I always understood that the reality would look different than the fantasy. For one thing, there was no way I was going to transform from a shy person to an extremely social one in the span of a few months. But I never could’ve expected it to be like this.

Back in February, when people were becoming worried about COVID-19, I had hope. Hope that this wouldn’t become an issue.

Even in March, as we were sent home, told that we’d be doing online school for at least two weeks, I had hope that this would end soon and that my last few weeks of high school would go as expected. Even after we were told in April that we would be online for the rest of the school year, I had hope that my summer would be normal. That I could enjoy my last summer of freedom before moving to college. Up until that fateful moment in May, when Washington University announced that the fall semester would be delayed, I had pictured my first few months in college being normal.

Maybe it was optimism, maybe it was denial. Either way, here I am, a freshman in college in the middle of the pandemic.

If I could only use one word to describe these

past few weeks, I’d go with “difficult.” Because that’s what everything has been— difficult. Making friends, socializing in general, going to classes, getting involved in extracurriculars, all of these were things I knew I would at least somewhat struggle with during my transition to college. But the pandemic has made everything so much harder. And what I think a lot of people don’t consider is that these things are harder for reasons that go beyond wearing masks, social distancing and communicating over Zoom calls.

Classes, for example, are difficult not just because I have to do some of them over Zoom, but because they’re all so varied. I have a class that’s asynchronous, one that’s online and synchronous and two that are mixes of those two options.

I have a couple of in-person classes, except one of them has online components while the other does not.

These classes feel regimented in a way that I didn’t expect from college. All of our seats are turned towards the front of the room like we’re taking a test, and I can’t lean over to talk to any of my classmates because our seats are so far away from each other. Whenever I am able to talk in class, I pretty much have to shout because of both the masks and the distance. The new classroom environment has taken a lot of getting used to, and I’m still not all the way there yet.

It’s hard to keep track of everything when no class is the same. Some classes have their Zoom link posted on Canvas, others send it out right before class

starts. Some classes record their lectures, others don’t.

It’s hard to know what to expect, and that has made the transition even harder, because I already had nothing to compare my college classes to, and now I can’t even compare them to each other.

When I’m not in class, I’m doing everything except relaxing and enjoying some free time. I’m not going to blame all of this on the pandemic; I already had workaholic tendencies stemming from even before high school. But the pandemic has definitely made it worse.

I’m in my dorm room all the time, so I have nothing better to do than to work.

Every night since Sept. 14, I’ve refused to stop working until I’ve done every bit of work that I can do.

Even when it’s an assignment that’s not due for over a week, it’s hard to stop myself from trying to finish it because there’s nothing else for me to do.

If I’m not doing school work, then I’m probably in a meeting for one of the many, many clubs I signed up for. During the virtual activities fair in August, I signed up for way too many clubs, ranging from Active Minds to Bears Care to the Anime Exploration Team, partly because I’m a workaholic, and partly because I’m socially starved. These clubs have helped a little bit with my lack of socialization, because I get to talk to people that I have at least one thing in common with, but having every meeting over Zoom kind of puts a damper on that.

Speaking of socializing, it’s safe to say that my social life is severely lacking. I’d

CURRAN NEENAN | STUDENT LIFE

A group of students walk past Olin Library before classes begin. Due to COVID-19 protocol, the freshman experience has been marked by lots of masks, social distancing and long hours in dorm rooms.

say that during the last few weeks I’ve spent a good 90% of my time in my dorm room. Why? Well, there’s no reason for me to go anywhere. Most of my classes are online now, and when I do go out I usually get everything I need to do done (like getting lunch and dinner) in one trip. In the classes I do have in-person, it’s hard to approach anyone with our seats being six feet apart. And unfortunately for me, I’m not the type of person who can randomly walk up to someone and introduce themselves.

Not that the University hasn’t tried to give us opportunities to socialize though.

While we have been asked to remain in our dorms and stay distanced, there have been a couple of opportunities to meet new people.

Every Friday, there’s been an event called BEAR-idise, where we play bingo to try to win prizes and then we go into what are essentially breakout rooms to play

different games, like the newly popular Among Us. For the most part though, every social gathering has been put together by students, and I haven’t been in much of a mental position to take advantage of any of them.

Don’t get me wrong, I have managed to connect with some people, like my suitemates, or a couple people from class or some people from group chats made over the summer.

Though I’m not sure if I can give myself much credit here. Most of these impromptu meet-ups happen because someone recognizes me on one of my rare trips outside my dorm, and we end up having a conversation for a little bit.

But none of these connections feel real yet because I haven’t been able to spend much time with anyone.

Another thing that has really hurt my friend-making prospects is anxiety. I must admit that I’m probably on

the extreme end of the spectrum in terms of spending time in my dorm, but what else can I do? Being close to other people right now, even when it’s just two of us, feels dangerous. The University’s positive testing rate may be low, but who knows if or when that may change? Not to mention that the selfscreening form that we’re supposed to fill out every day is based on symptoms.

Asymptomatic cases are well-known by now, so how am I supposed to know if anyone has the virus based on that?

There’s an uncertainty surrounding the entire situation, and it makes it so that the only place I can feel safe, or feel that I am keeping others safe, is in my dorm.

And as new groups of people are reported on the Covidiots page every other day, I can’t help but grow more and more confident in my decision to stay in here, even as I feel lonelier and lonelier.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

STUDENT LIFE 5

Student Life contest: Send us your favorite pandemic facewear BENJAMIN SIMON SENIOR SCENE EDITOR The coronavirus has introduced a whole new realm of fashion: masks.

We saw it at the MTV Video Music Awards when Lady Gaga flashed more than five different masks in a night, including one with horns and another that looked like a fishbowl. September’s digital New York Fashion Week featured mask after mask, as if each one was trying to outdo its predecessor.

Masks have come in all different designs and material—plain black masks, crocheted masks, superhero masks, tie-dyed masks. We even hear there are South 40 masks swirling around out there.

Whatever it looks like, we want to see yours!

Your mask doesn’t have to be fancy. We’re not asking you to look like Lady Gaga. Maybe it has a cool backstory or unique feature. Maybe you made your own mask or found one at Target that speaks to you. Maybe you dazzled up your basic blue surgical mask or found one in a thrift shop five years ago and saved it all of this time. Maybe you now feel motivated to go and create your own mask.

(If you’re still looking for that motivation, check out these handmade masks.

They’re pretty cool.)

Regardless of what your mask looks like, send us a picture and tell us why you’re submitting it. It’s

okay if you didn’t make the mask yourself—that doesn’t mean it’s not important to you. Even if you don’t have a story and just want to send in your mask, we still want to see it!

Submitters will have the chance to win in multiple different categories, including best store-bought mask, best homemade bask, best story and more.

Extra points if it is related to Wash. U. Winners will have their masks featured in Student Life. We’ll have more information later this month.

The deadline to submit is next Wednesday, Oct. 14. To enter, fill out the short form below: http://bit.ly/ studlifemasks

GRAPHIC BY CHRISTINE WATRIDGE

#ThisCivicMoment: Gephardt Institute creates space for WU to reflect ISABELLE GILLMAN STAFF WRITER In 2005, the Gephardt Institute of Civic Engagement was created

by Congressman Richard Gephardt with the goal of encouraging students to help support communities worldwide. This goal manifests itself in a number of ways, including Gephardt’s Civic Scholars Program, the Arts as Civic Engagement Program and the University-wide blood drives each semester.

The Gephardt Institute’s most recent community engagement project is called #ThisCivicMoment, aimed at inspiring Washington University community members to voice their “perspectives

on the implications of the civic moments of our time including COVID-19, the Movement for Black Lives, 2020 Census, and 2020 National Elections,” according to the program’s web page. #ThisCivicMoment is an online series open to submissions from anyone in the Washington University community, including students, faculty, alumni and staff.

Submissions may come in a variety of creative forms of expression, from journalistic to academic to video or audio recordings.

The program welcomes a variety of media that effectively communicate feelings about community and society as a whole.

Each submission not only features the content, but a

list of reflection questions and additional readings that viewers can engage as well.

The project, however, isn’t designed to elicit 20-page stories or in-depth documentaries. Instead, contributors produce written work no longer than 350 words and audio recordings no longer than five minutes.

In this short amount of space, #ThisCivicMoment asks contributors to consider questions such as, “How will you act in this civic moment?”, “How will you respond to this civic moment?”, and “What are you committing to doing as a result of this civic moment?”

While these prompts are aimed at those submitting their work, Dr. Jillian

Martin, the Assistant Director for Strategy and Evaluation at the Gephardt Institute, hopes the entire Washington University community will consider these questions as well.

“We created #ThisCivicMoment for the campus community to engage in critical reflection about the civic issues of our time,” said Martin. “Just this year alone we have multiple moments—COVID-19, movement for Black lives, national election, and census—that will have significant implications for the future. As the next generation of leaders, influencers and scholars, students offer a unique voice in connecting current events with personal

narratives, historical and journalistic perspectives, calls to action, creative expression, and academic essays. Most important, students can speak directly to other students and engage each other in the critical issues of our time.”

The Gephardt Institute has already started showcasing its submissions for #ThisCivicMoment, ranging from essays to videos. An undergraduate student majoring in political science and religious studies, Yohanes Mulat, wrote a poem about the struggle between protesting and staying safe from the coronavirus.

Taylor Brown, a student at the Brown School of Social Work, wrote an essay titled, ”We are the

Cure: How to Help Our Democracy Recover from the Pandemic.” A 2020 alumna, Charlyn Moss, submitted a poem and recited it for the Gephardt Instagram page.

“Gephardt Institute has so many programs [and] opportunities for student involvement,” said Brooke Bulmash, a Civic Scholar and senior majoring in Architecture. “In my opinion, it’s definitely a great resource for individuals [or groups] wanting to get involved with civic engagement and engage with the St. Louis community. My involvement with Gephardt has been enlightening [me] about civic and community issues and has definitely been my most meaningful involvement on campus.”

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6 STUDENT LIFE

SPORTS

DORIAN DEBOSE & JOSH SHAPIRO | SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS | SPORTS@STUDLIFE.COM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

For football, business is back, but not quite usual DORIAN DEBOSE SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Last Monday, a familiar sight returned to Francis Field. Football players— Bears who have remained in hibernation since the cancellation of their season back in July—began to work out at their home field again.

“It's all socially distanced kind of workouts on the field,” said senior defensive lineman Peter Pigatti.

“Running and lifting like small weights, just what we can bring outside. I believe next week, if it all continues to go well, we're going to be putting the pads on.”

The football team, along with the remaining fall sports, were able to resume practice last week. Since football is a sport centered around physical contact, their early practices have focused on preparing their bodies for the remainder of the fall and—hopefully—a spring season.

“We were told pretty early on when the season was canceled that the goal would be to have some sort of games in the spring,” senior defensive back Will Hurley said.

“And so that was kind of the outlook that we had regardless of whether it would happen or not.”

Before practices resumed, players maintained disciplined workout schedules so that they would be ready for the return of practices.

According to Pigatti, running, lifting and following

the training regimens put forward by head sports performance coach Terry O’Neill has been a huge part of maintaining his preparedness for the season.

“He still kept sending us programs,” Pigatti said.

“Everybody encouraged each other to keep working hard and all that. As athletes, it's not really part of your mindset to give up.”

Due to social distancing guidelines, the football team has not been able to practice as a full unit and they haven’t been able to practice in full equipment. But they have remained devoted to keeping prepared for a season that may never come.

“We have two groups: one in [the] morning, one in the afternoon,” Hurley said. “[We’re] basically trying to ready our bodies for our next phase, which hopefully results in us actually practicing with each other.

I don't really know what that's gonna look like, but so far it hasn't really been positionally focused or any real football scheme type practice.”

Fall of 2020 was going to be a different year for Wash.

U. football. For the first time in over 30 years, they were going to start a season without head coach Larry Kindbom at their helm.

“We hired a new head coach, going into the spring, in which our spring practices were going to be kind of the first time we were able to meet and interact with

CURRAN NEENAN | STUDENT LIFE

Then-junior defensive back Andrew Whitaker scans the field before a snap against North Central College last fall. The Bears have started practicing with the hope of playing games in the spring, but practices have focused on staying in shape rather than football-specific drills.

our new head coach [Aaron Keen],” senior defensive back JT Streepy said, adding “And, obviously, that was not able to happen.”

In addition to the coaching change, a number of leaders on the team from last year graduated. Quarterback Johnny Davidson graduated in the spring, alongside key offensive contributors John Fisher, Mitchel Groen, Tim Mattheissen and Nick Watts.

For a team in the midst of regime change, the pandemic could have been devastating.

But they have maintained

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cohesiveness by diligently working.

To Streepy, the lack of a preseason to integrate new members of the team was a challenge, but he believes that the team has worked to overcome that unexpected hurdle.

“It kind of changed the dynamic a little bit, but I think the coaching staff in general, as far as the fall sports [are concerned], has done a good job throughout the summer of staying in touch, holding team meetings and having player meetings where we've gotten to know the new players on the team,” Streepy said. “I think preseason is the biggest thing that is different from this year versus the years before.”

Hurley concurred with Streepy. “We didn't have that preseason and made

things a little bit more difficult,” he said. “But there are some people on our team that organized some bonding events, social distancing enforced. We'd be in Forest Park. We do random things like throwing the football around. All very spaced out and stuff because of COVID and everything. But just to try to get to know them, you know, in any way we can.”

Whether efforts to integrate the freshman are successful can likely only be judged in the spring or next fall, when Wash. U. football trots out on the field for their first game in what will then be over a year. But now, the Bears are just jazzed to be playing—or at least almost playing—again.

“There’s a lot of excitement to get back out there,” Streepy said. “For the seniors and juniors who know our

way around the place, it's good to finally be able to meet these freshmen in person and kind of gauge what the team is going to be like and I think that has been very optimistic, and it has been very positive for both the coaches and the players.”

For seniors like Hurley, they are clinging to the hope that the opportunity to play again comes sooner rather than later.

“As a high school football player. I knew that going into the [last high school] game, ‘This is going to be my last game,’” Hurley said. “Last year, there's no way in hell I ever thought that would be my last game. It'd be really nice to have the opportunity to go into the season and know these are the last games. Just to have the opportunity to suit up again with my best friends.”

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The Bears celebrate during a 35-10 win against North Park University last October.

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STUDENT LIFE 7

Upcoming Events: Oct. 5 -Oct. 21

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1-2 pm: Work Group: Government, Politics, and Public Policy Internships and Jobs

5:30-6:30 pm: Zurich North America

5-6 pm: Senior Launch: Put Your Career Plans in Motion VIRTUAL EMPLOYER INFO SESSIONS: 4 pm: Boeing 5-6 pm: Capital One

5-6 pm: Engineering Senior Launch: Setting Your Job Search in Motion

3-4 pm: Identifying, Translating, and Developing Your Transferable Skills

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8 STUDENT LIFE

KYA VAUGHN | SENIOR FORUM EDITOR | FORUM@STUDLIFE.COM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

STAFF EDITORIAL

The least you can do: Here’s how to vote in this fall’s general election

N

ormally, the Student Life Editorial Board would run a staff editorial about voting during the last week of October, just before Election Day. This year, though, voting is different.

The pandemic—along with various efforts to suppress voter turnout—has made voting incredibly complicated this fall, despite the need to exercise our right to vote being as clear as ever. So here we are now, a full 26 days before Nov. 3, to explain how to vote in this year’s general election.

Since many Washington University students are Missouri voters, we have chosen to focus on this state’s voting process. Other states have different processes and restrictions, so if you choose to vote elsewhere, be sure to get specific information about how that particular state handles the voting process. The website howto. vote can connect you to the information you need if you cast your vote outside of Missouri.

ABSENTEE VOTING

BY MAIL If you are not going to be in Missouri on Election Day but still have a Missouri address or if you meet other criteria, such as working at the polls on Election Day or caring for someone who is sick, you can vote absentee.

Absentee voting was already an option for some Missouri voters prior to the pandemic, but the state added two additional reasons to vote absentee this year: incapacity due to illness or being part of a high-risk group for COVID19. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, you do not need to provide proof that you are in a high-risk group, so you can use that excuse to do absentee voting as well.

The first way you can vote absentee is completely contactless. You can fill out an absentee ballot request form and then email or mail it to your local Board of Elections. That request form is due by Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m., so make sure to fill it out as soon as possible

to guarantee that it’s received on time, especially if you’re sending it in via mail. The Board of Elections will then mail you a ballot, which you will have to fill out, get notarized and return by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 (either by mail or by dropping it off at the Board of Elections). That is a lot of steps, so be sure to start this process as soon as possible to ensure your ballot gets counted.

If you fall into one of the two new categories, you do not need to have your ballot notarized. For the other excuses, the Gephardt Institute has developed a list of notaries on and near campus to help you notarize your ballot in a timely manner.

ABSENTEE VOTING IN PERSON If you meet one of the state’s criteria, you can also vote absentee before Election Day by going to your local Board of Elections and filling out an absentee application.

You will receive your ballot on the spot and be able to cast

it while you’re at the Board of Elections.! In order to vote absentee in person, you have to go to the local Board of Elections by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2. This option does not require you to go to a notary, since that will be taken care of at the Board of Elections, but you still need some form of identification.

MAIL-IN VOTING If you will be in Missouri on Election Day and do not meet the other criteria to qualify for absentee voting, you still have other options beyond voting in person. To respond to the pandemic, the state introduced universal mail-in voting this year.

The process is very similar to absentee voting, but you do not need to have a specified reason in order to vote by mail.

To start, you must mail the aforementioned ballot request form to your local Board of Elections or go in person to apply for the form (unfortunately, email is not an option). Again, the deadline

to have your request submitted is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21. If you’re mailing in the request form, be sure to account for the time it will take for it to be processed and delivered through the mail.

They will then send you a ballot, which you must fill out, notarize and return by mail no later than 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Just as with the absentee voting process, there are lots of steps, so start now!

IN-PERSON VOTING ON ELECTION DAY If neither of those options work for you, you can still vote in person on Nov. 3.

You can look up your polling place location at the Missouri Secretary of State’s website, which also provides a list of acceptable forms of identification that you’ll be required to have with you on voting day.

THINGS TO REMEMBER Follow all of the instructions on the ballot request

form and on the ballot itself, including signing all of the correct places. Do not give election officials a reason to disqualify your ballot by filling out the wrong parts of the form or forgetting to sign the envelope.

If you’re voting absentee or with a mail-in ballot, start as soon as you can!

The deadline to have your ballot request submitted is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, but don’t wait until the last minute, as the mail moves slowly and your request may not get there in time.

Be sure to bring with you an acceptable form of identification whenof voting in person or dropping off your absentee ballot.

Just because polls show a wide margin in the national election does not mean that your vote is meaningless: State and local elections are very important and are often much closer than the national votes, especially in states like Missouri.

The struggle to balance college and current events REILLY BRADY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

ver the past few weeks, we’ve been hit with an overwhelming amount of information: the result of Breonna Taylor’s case, high numbers of COVID-19 cases in schools re-opening around the country, the first presidential debate, Trump contracting COVID-19, the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the push for nominating a Supreme Court justice before election day and the devastating effects of climate change, to name just a few. But this surge of unprecedented events within the past few weeks is not unique: This entire year has been filled with waves of change, emotion and tragedy.

Some topics have been ever-present, just under the surface, and are finally being addressed by Americans instead of being swept under the rug, such as police brutality and deep-seated racism in American society. Others are completely new issues that we haven’t quite figured out how to deal with yet, like the worldwide impact of COVID19 on physical and mental health, economic systems, travel, international relations, employment rates and overall daily life.

Among all of this change and uprooting of societal norms, somehow, life continues. Students are studying for tests and completing assignments amid a pandemic and an election that will directly impact their lives.

Sometimes, I take a step back to attempt to process all of the change in my personal life and in the world. How am I supposed to focus on a minor assignment when California wildfires rage near my hometown and my family? How do I study for a quiz while worrying about staying safe amid COVID-19? It’s extremely difficult to balance the abundance of information that I’m inundated with as I’m constantly updated about political candidates and COVID-19 cases on top of the overwhelming stress of starting my first year of college. Not only am I balancing living independently in college, developing a social life and dealing with dozens of assignments, I’m also constantly trying to process

the impact of the events of the world around me.

While the stress of the outside world has impacted students in previous years and decades, the overwhelming nature of 2020 has especially affected current college students. College education has always continued throughout election years, throughout wars, throughout tragedies.

But that doesn’t mean it’s any less difficult to cope with the collective pressure of studying hard, paying attention in class, staying healthy and dealing with the often disheartening realities of our present day. I constantly feel useless; my actions never feel like enough. I can try to lessen my individual environmental impact, yet our climate still suffers. I can sign petitions

and attend protests, but police brutality and systemic racism continues. I have the power to vote, but my vote is only one of millions. I can follow all of the guidelines to stay safe and healthy, but the reckless actions of others perpetuate the pandemic.

However, I also realize how vital an education is.

Many of my classes discuss these current issues, and I am learning about the historical background of many of these topics. I feel slightly comforted to know that I am educating myself on these relevant topics, doing my best to understand the state of our country and the world. But I’m impatient. I want to have a greater ability to bring about tangible, meaningful change that outpaces the speed at

which these monumental events are occuring; right now, I feel like I’m falling behind.

Getting an education is what I can do right now in hopes to have more of an influence in the future. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to stay focused; I find myself often discussing the news instead of studying, reading about COVID-19 cases in each state instead of writing an essay or checking for election updates instead of getting extra sleep.

Some days, homework feels useless compared to the weight of the current world; other days, education feels vital to try to understand present realities. Either way, it’s overwhelming. For now, I can only hope that by the time I can make more of an impact, it’s not too late.

The presidential debate debacle OLIVIA POOLOS STAFF WRITER

U

nless you’ve been living in an ice cave in Siberia, you’ve heard about the first presidential debate of 2020.

Miriam-Webster has put a screen capture of Donald Trump’s scrunched-up, scowling face adjacent to Joe Biden’s too-white fake smile next to the definition of “garbage fire.” It was, in short, a disaster—an opinion that I’d guess is widely held by members of both political parties.

As I cringed through the

mudslinging and interjections on Tuesday night, I realized that it’s time for a change. Presidential debates, at least this year, have lost any positive impact they may have once had.

Televised presidential debates had a strong start in 1960, with Nixon and Kennedy bantering back and forth about civil rights and Chinese communism. The two men were composed.

They were civil. Since then, the American public has largely viewed debates as a way to get a feel for a candidate’s political stance, as well as watch them think on their

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Associate Editor: Matthew Friedman Managing Editors: Jayla Butler, Kya Vaughn

feet and respond to pressure. Undecided voters get a chance to see their options in action, and those who may not usually vote can get inspired to cast a ballot.

The downfall of the debates started in earnest in 2016, when Hillary Clinton and Trump batted insults and interruptions back and forth, both amusing and horrifying their audience.

And this year? It’s gotten even worse. The debate didn’t help make up anyone’s mind. In fact, it actually pushed voters away from the whole mess (unless the reason for low-voter

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turnout will be Trump’s expert theory of rampant mail-in ballot fraud).

Additionally, many of the debate topics, carefully posed by moderator Chris Wallace, lead the candidates to either irrelevant tangents (read: Hunter Biden, the flammability of certain trees and who is more knowledgeable about suburbs) or to spew misleading or incorrect information. Not only does the American public not need to hear about the candidates’ family drama, they were also bombarded with blatantly wrong facts about COVID-19, climate

change and the economy. It’s easy to make the argument that the debate did more harm than good in terms of informing the public about what’s truly at stake in this election—aside from our collective sanity.

Okay, you might argue that one bad debate doesn’t mean that the entire practice is rotten. However, gone unchecked, the circus put on by Biden and Trump sets the precedent of “anything goes,” for future presidential candidates. Americans are tuning in for the show, not for information—and that’s a mindset that’s difficult to

YOUR VOICE: SUBMISSIONS We welcome letters to the editor and op-ed submissions from our readers. Submissions may be sent to letters@studlife. com and must include the writer’s name, class and phone number for verification. Letters should be no longer than 350 words in length, and readers may

undo, especially if the next few debates go even half as badly as the first one did.

The presidential debate tradition has been nice—but add it to the list of things 2020 has ruined, possibly forever. Even though many may not agree with me now, I’m betting that by the time the final debate rolls around, we’re all going to be channeling Biden, asking the T.V: “Will you shut up, man?”

If we really want people to vote (which we do!), we need to cancel the rest of the debates. Instead, let’s just focus on surviving until election day.

OUR WEB POLICY also submit longer op-eds of up to 750 words. We reserve the right to print any submission as a letter or op-ed. Any submission chosen for publication does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Student Life, nor does publication mean Student Life supports said submission.

Once an article is published on studlife. com, it will remain there permanently. We do not remove articles or authors’ names from the site unless an agreement was reached prior to July 1, 2005.

CADENZA

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

ISABELLA NEUBAUER & SABRINA SPENCE | SENIOR CADENZA EDITORS | CADENZA@STUDLIFE.COM

STUDENT LIFE 9

Try to keep up: ‘Tenet’ is as electrifying as it is perplexing GRADY NANCE CONTRIBUTING WRITER Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers Christopher Nolan welcomes audiences back to theaters with a mindmelting concept and the most creative action you’ll see all year: ”Tenet.”

Watching “Tenet” in theaters—the first time I’d been to one since quarantine began—felt like coming back from summer break and being handed an exam on the first day, but I didn’t mind.

After a decade in which he challenged audiences’ notions of time with “Inception” (2010), then shattered them entirely in “Interstellar” (2014), it seems as if in 2020, Christopher Nolan is picking up right where he left off.

“Tenet” follows a secret agent known only as “the Protagonist” (John David Washington) sent on a mission with no information other than a single word: “tenet.” This word leads to a string of connections across the world who inform him of the looming threat sent from the future. Joined by the mysterious agent Neil (Robert Pattinson), the Protagonist learns about “inversion,” a phenomenon in which objects and people can reverse their entropy, allowing them to travel backwards through time. Bullets shoot back into guns, fallen buildings re-assemble and, most importantly, people can travel through the timeline in reverse, affecting events as they unfold; imagine a fish swimming upstream in a river. This technique is how the future, which is as ambiguous as it

sounds, plans to unleash a temporal catastrophe upon the world. With the help of deranged Russian arms dealer Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), who executes their plans in the present, the plot to reverse the world’s entropy using a doomsday device reaches its endgame.

Fighting enemies backwards and forwards, the Protagonist and his allies must thwart the plot and alter the grim fate of an unraveling world.

The movie is undoubtedly rooted in classic James Bond-like spy thrillers with dangerous stunts, enormous set pieces and an almost parodic foreign villain. This, of course, is supplemented by Nolan’s almost compulsory time-tampering and use of IMAX cameras. John David Washington delivers a strong performance in a highly-demanding role, Robert Pattinson continues to display his immense talent and a strong supporting cast ensures “Tenet” operates at its highest potential.

These strong performances are imperative, grounding a film that actively pushes the audience to their conceptual limits.

Though Nolan has toyed with the theory in earlier films, this is his most sincere attempt at time travel, and his knack for delivering a bold and original perspective shines yet again. Instead of hopping in a machine, phone booth or DeLorean, these characters actually move backwards in space and time—that is, from the perspective of those moving forwards in time.

This creates arguably the most entertaining action sequences captured on film in recent memory, as

traditional action transforms into palindromic chaos: characters colliding from opposite directions in time, fighting that which appears to be going in reverse. A car chase during the middle of the film captures the full potential of this idea, as cars are driven backwards, flipped in reverse and unexploded, all while trying to chase down someone who has seen the fight unfold before. The excitement of a concept that makes the “Terminator” movies sound straightforward reaching such thrilling heights is just more evidence of Nolan’s absolute command of his craft.

Much like its electric action scenes—from its frenetic opening sequence to the credits—the locomotive pace of this movie does not let up. Despite the 150-minute runtime, when trying to juggle the baffling premise, the inverted timelines and an overstuffed plot, you might find yourself trying to catch your breath every few scenes. Alternatively, you may be scratching your head out of pure bewilderment. Characters spend a great deal of time trying to explain the plot, yet it still feels a bit out of reach because of how far the film takes its premise.

Nolan reportedly spent nearly 10 years developing the story for “Tenet.” At some points, it feels like the viewer may need the same amount of time to understand it. Time travel is never simple, and the amount of questions that arise from Nolan’s take are almost enough to take one out of the movie. But fear not! As physicist Laura (Clemence Poesy) explains to the Protagonist early

in the film, “don’t try to understand it, feel it,” and that tenet (pun intended) certainly holds true for the audience as well.

Like much of Nolan’s filmography, trying to nitpick your way through this movie—at least while in the theater—will only give you a headache.

The best way to enjoy

this movie is to sit back and let it unfold on its own. Enough of the story makes sense to stay invested, so don’t overthink it while watching for the first time. Feel the immaculate, thundering soundtrack by Ludwig Goransson and the genius behind Childish Gambino’s “Redbone”

shake your seat. Enjoy the enormous scale of “two-way” fight scenes filmed in IMAX format.

And only after the credits roll, after you’ve taken a moment to digest and appreciate the magnificent spectacle of it all, should you begin to wonder whether it all made sense or not.

‘Nectar’ displays Joji’s unconventional, emotional music GRACIE HIME CONTRIBUTING WRITER Internet star and musical genius Joji released his newest album “Nectar” Friday, Sept. 25, where he displayed a beautiful blend of orchestral, R&B, low-fi and experimental elements that create his iconic

sound.

Joji's newest album reminds listeners of his outstanding ability to externalize emotion into music. He pairs love songs with darker or deeper musical effects such as an airy voice or resolving dissonance with a jazz-based extended chord (like in

his most celebrated song, “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK”). His work is unique to the modern music industry for many reasons, but possibly the most notable is his bombastic and simple underlying beats and how they contrast from his passionate lyrics. This

pairing provides a “stream of consciousness”-like energy, a vulnerability that attracts listeners. As Joji explained in an interview with Golden Pathway Magazine, he wants his music to make people “sad and horny.” This might be the best way to explain the background of his realistic and solemn love songs.

Right from the beginning, listeners get a taste of the strong piano that makes up a lot of the album. In the album’s first song, “Ew,” Joji summarizes the contents of what this album is all about. His quintessential buildup to a diminished resolution is accompanied by a beautiful string orchestra. His rich tones carry throughout all the songs, but they are very prominent in the beginning of the album.

Instead of his typical urge to sing in the background and not compete with the heavy drums, he dances with them while keeping his classic melancholic reverberation. We also get to see his technical vocal evolution, which I first noticed in the song “Run.” He also displays his beautifully emotional falsetto and pitch control throughout the album.

While he does provide a more uplifting mood in this album compared to

“BALLADS 1,” his debut album, he doesn’t abandon his staple realism/existentialism philosophy.

Joji collaborates with several people on this album. Lil Yachty, Omar Apollo, Diplo and others contribute in many ways, but more than anything, I feel like it is a mainstream music ploy. Most of the collaborative songs are enjoyable, but they really interrupt the album with a kick of orthodox pop and rap that is uncharacteristic of Joji’s normal work.

While this brings diversity to the album, I must admit that I am biased in favor of a classic Joji ballad.

BENNE’s appearance on the album, though, is the most fitting of the features. Not only did she fit the vibe of the album, but she matched Joji’s emotion in their song “Afterthought.” This is an aspect that the other artists could not do as well.

Like any Joji album, we cannot overlook the seemingly simple lyrics. On his song with Lil Yachty, “Pretty Boy,” Joji talks about the materialism in the world. In one verse, he says “Livin' so loud, you could never hear me cry.”

Not only is this a reference to the effects of being in the music industry, but also the pressure of men,

especially public figures, to repress feelings. When talking about “west side” (probably LA) in this song, Joji also makes a reference to the hills “burning bright.” This could also be a political statement about the recent California wildfires. We revisit his existentialist fret in the song “MODUS.” The most notable phrase is “Speed it up, slow it down, Need control, need it now / I need to live a thousand times I cannot stop, I cannot cry I will not fret, I will not die.”

This cry for immaterial answers isn’t new of Joji, but it does remind listeners of the constant fight between the external world and oneself.

Because the album release was pushed back a few months due to COVID-19, fans were anxious for its arrival, but it is fair to say that Joji’s “Nectar” lived up to the high expectations.

He executed the idea of ‘realistic and worldly love’ perfectly, yet still provided enough diversity to keep his audience attentive.

With this variety, go ahead and add this album to both your “Sad Boi Hours” and your “Summer Nights Vibe” playlists. Whatever the occasion, Joji has a song for you.

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