26 Sep 2018 by Driftwood

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

THE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS Volume: 62 Issue: 5

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

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“Against Democracy” lecture with Jason Brennan BY HOPE BRUSSTAR Editor-in-Chief Georgetown professor of philosophy Jason Brennan discussed his current political theory and supporting research on Sept. 20 during a visit to the Earl K. Long library.“I’m actually a pretty big fan of democracy,” he said, “... we titled [my book] “Against Democracy” to sell more books, frankly.” In the hour-long lecture, Brennan addressed some general complaints he had about democracy, and then took questions from an audience. He began by sharing the political behavior of his mother-in-law. “She watched [Bill O’ Reilly] in order to get mad at him,” said Brennan, “She turns into a kind of monster, almost, when it comes to politics. That’s normal.” Though a fan of democracy, students recognized Brennan did have criticisms of the institution as well.“He thinks that democracy is fundamentally flawed because ... most people lack any sort of political ideology, and ... engaging in politics only alienates people more from one another,” stated Jennifer Lin, a senior student in psychology and philosophy. Brennan aimed to point out the way that people in general treat politics, quoting Austrian political economist Joseph A. Schumpeter. In Schumpeter’s view, “The typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental performance as soon as he enters the political field. [The citizen] argues and analyzes in a way which he would rapidly recognize as infantile within the sphere of his real interests. He becomes primitive again.” One vote counts for very little, and no matter how educated it is, Brennan argues that it would be drowned out by all the other uneducated votes. “The data largely backs up Schumpeter,” Brennan said. In a very basic multiple-choice political pop quiz, he explained, 50 percent of Americans would get only about one quarter of the questions right, and the bottom 25 percent would “systematically get more wrong than chance.” They would perform worse than if they had merely filled in bubbles at random. “It’s because they don’t have an incentive to be better informed,” said Brennan. “[People] know that their votes don’t really matter all that much.” Brennan framed it in another way: being a registered voter is like being in a massive class in which the professor declares that everyone in the class will re-

-Photos by Hope Brusstar Above: Brennan explains how the individual’s eﬀort towards improved political knowledge is wasted amongst the pool of voters. Below: About 31 students, faculty and community members attended the talk, held on the fourth ﬂoor of the Earl K. Long Library. ceive the same grade as everyone else: the class average. Brennan claimed that social experiments have been held to model this, and the results are that no one would study — the entire class would earn an F. “Deliberation doesn’t work,” Brennan added. He stated that in social science studies, researchers have tried to collect groups of strangers in a room to discuss politics. Brennan continued, “You get people in the room; they tend to avoid sensitive topics; they pretend to get to a consensus ... [later,] they admit that they lied about their views; they didn’t want an argument.” Brennan questioned whether democracy was the only fair procedure for a government, and discussed some of the ways we might view it. “We’ll never have total equality,” he noted, stating that those who are rich or “have the right last name” will always have more power. “Does democracy empower individuals?” he asked. “[No.] If I voted exactly the opposite way, same results. ...That’s how democracy’s supposed to work.” A “first-past-the-post” voting system is the one used in the U.S., and it means simply that the candidate with the majority vote in either the primary or run-off election is the one who wins. “[It] statistically predicts for having two parties,” said Brennan. In other words, the fact that the U.S. government is characterized by two major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, is just a byproduct of its voting system. Both parties would have to have existential motivations to re-

ject new types of voting systems: if they approved a new voting system, they could become less important or event nonexistent. Brennan referenced the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire, who once stated, “If you have two religions in your land, the two will cut each other’s throats; but if you have thirty religions, they will dwell in peace.” Brennan stated, “If you continue to take democracy as a sacred value, you’ll never be able to make reforms,” and followed with a discussion on some ideas on alternative methods to collect the American vote. Futurarchy was one example; a voting system in which elected officials offer up means of attaining well-being for the people, and then the people in turn bet on the one they think would be the most

effective. A lottocracy would involve periodically selecting 500 Americans at random, and only those 500 people would be allowed to vote. Brennan asserted that because they would be the only eligible voters, the group would feel a moral responsibility to remain educated on their political views, and therefore would make well-informed votes. In an epistocracy, “people get voting power proportionate to their knowledge,” stated Brennan, but “it’s gonna have certain demographic problems.” Instead he offered up a “better version” of an epistocracy, a creation of his own which he called a “government by simulated oracle.” “I haven’t come up with a snappier title,” said Brennan. In this version, “everybody can vote, even little kids,” he said.

Everyone would be interviewed for three pieces of data: their performance on a quiz of very basic political knowledge, a list of their sociopolitical desires, and their demographic information. Then, all of this voter data would be open-source, to be analyzed by experts in the public sphere, who would make an estimate of how the public would vote if it were perfectly informed. Essentially, they would use the populace’s general desires to extrapolate their decisions. “I thought it was an incredibly thought-provoking talk,” added student Jennifer Lin, “I definitely agree that we need to consider the idea of democracy from more pragmatic and consequentialist perspectives. ... I think it’s essential to focus on educating citizens.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

NEWS

Fundraiser for former editor-in-chief Christy Lorio’s Cancer Costs

BY ERINN LANGILLE Copy Editor Christy Lorio is a long-time University of New Orleans student, now in the graduate department of the Creative Writing Workshop for nonfiction, and a former Editor-in-Chief of the school’s Driftwood newspaper. While in Cork, Ireland as part of her graduate assistantship with the study abroad program, she found out she had brain and colon cancer. On Sunday, Sept. 30 from 6 to 9 p.m., the fundraiser “Craic for Christy” will be held to help support Lorio through this difficult experience. It will be at the Auction House Market at 801 Magazine St. Food will be provided by Dona Pizza, Tava Indian Street Food, Fly Right Galaxy, Freret Beer Room and Elysian Seafood. Artwork by Brent Houzenga, Marshall Blevins and Lorio will be available for purchase, and all proceeds go to [Lorio’s] cancer care. A special auction for gift cards will round out the event. E: Erinn Beth Langille, Driftwood News Editor C: Christy Lorio E: Can you tell me a little about yourself? C: I’m from the New Orleans area. I grew up in Marrero and

Photo courtesy of Christy Lorio I’ve lived uptown for a collective 10 years. Like many people born and raised in this area, I’m fiercely proud of having grown up here, especially after living in Arizona for three years after Hurricane Katrina. The adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” certainly rang true for me during my time in the desert. My grandparents on my dad’s side were both Cajun. My sister and I have been working on our family tree for several years and were able to trace my paternal grandfather’s side of the family back to France — that side of the family has been in Louisiana since before the Louisiana purchase. Unfortunately, our rich Cajun heritage comes with health problems. According to Louisiana Cancer Prevention and Control Programs, Louisiana has the third-highest mortality rate for colorectal cancers in the country, which is partially due to people of Cajun descent being more at risk for colorectal cancer, possibly in part [due] to genetic diseases. My college career has been affected by cancer several times. I’ve been a student at UNO off and on since 1999. I took a semester off in 2001 after my dad died of colon cancer, then dropped out in 2003 when my paternal grandmother died of pancreatic cancer. I came back to UNO in 2013 and earned two bachelor’s degrees in

English and Film & Theatre in 2015. I served as Editor-in-Chief for Driftwood during the 20142015 academic year, which led to a year-long fellowship with The Times-Picayune. Prior to returning to school, I had worked as a retail manager for eight years while pursuing a freelance writing career when I graduated. Once my fellowship ended, I freelanced for a few months before starting the CWW program at UNO for creative nonfiction. I am currently a second-year student in the program and the [graduate assistant (GA)] for the writing workshops abroad; I had studied in Ireland summer 2015, so I was thrilled when I found out the GA position was opening up right when I entered the program last year. Perfect timing! E: Can you describe how you came to find out your cancer diagnosis, and what proceeded afterward? C: As part of my [assistantship], I went to Cork, Ireland this past summer to help run the on-site program. I was there for two days, out walking alone in the city center when I had a seizure. I’ve never had a seizure in my life, so at first I found the sensation oddly curious. I got scared when I realized I was losing control of my body and I lost the ability to speak. Initially thought I was going to throw up, so I found a bench to sit on so I wouldn’t lose my lunch on a passerby. The whole incident lasted about 10 minutes. When it was over, I sat for another 15 minutes to compose myself, then walked a block to get in WiFi range so I could research nearby hospitals. I had a special emergency app on my phone, but I didn’t even think to call Ireland’s version of 911. Instead, I found a taxi and had the driver bring me to a hospital, where I stayed for a week while a team of doctors and nurses ran tests on me. I mentioned my family history of colon cancer, and that’s the only reason the doctor performed a colonoscopy. He said he was “99 percent sure” that I didn’t have colon cancer, so when the results came back positive, I was devastated. (The brain tumor

was secondary.) Receiving that information alone in a foreign country was frightening; I thought I might die in Ireland and never see my family again, but thankfully my travel insurance covered an emergency flight home, as well as [a] flight for my husband to come to Ireland and fly back home with me. I arrived back in New Orleans on June 27, had multiple doctor appointments on June 28, and had brain surgery on July 5. I started chemotherapy two weeks before the fall semester started. E: How has your life been affected? How is the illness affecting your body, mind and spirit? What’s the current prognosis? C: My cancer diagnosis has consumed every aspect of my life. Not to downplay brain surgery, but the brain tumor was not as big of a deal as the colon cancer diagnosis. Brain surgery felt like an anomaly, whereas colon cancer is my worst nightmare come to life. It was hard enough going to school at age 21 with a sick dad; being a full-time graduate student with a part-time job while battling a life-threatening illness feels like the equivalent of climbing a mountain. Still, I try to look at the bright side; my oncologist told me my team at Ochsner can cure me, a word I’m sure they don’t just throw around. Cancer is scary, but I have wonderful people in my life that have made it easier, including several friends that are cancer survivors. I also make a lot of butt jokes. Might as well do something to diffuse the fear of dying, right? Prior to my diagnosis I was lifting weights and running three times a week. For the past year and a half I focused on my fitness and nutrition. I’ve always been active, but something inside me clicked and I took it to a new level. I’m not a religious person, but I can’t help but think the universe was getting me ready to deal with chemo. Brain surgery affected my speech, which makes talking in class frustrating, particularly during my evening classes when I’m tired. It’s getting easier and easier to speak but it’s still a chore to talk in class. I try to participate

as much as possible. One of the side effects of the chemo I’m on is that my hands cramp up, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to write sometimes. The side effects go away after a few days, but they can be debilitating. Fortunately, my classes this semester are more discussion-based, so I don’t have to take notes as much as if I were in a lecture-heavy class. E: There’s a fundraiser on Sept. 30th. Can you describe the goals, participants, location and what an attendee can expect? C: The fundraiser was actually my brother’s idea. I was very apprehensive about it, mainly because I wasn’t planning on telling anyone except close friends and family about my cancer and I didn’t want to beg people for money when everyone is already inundated with GoFundMe and Kickstarter projects. That said, my brother is a professional cook and I’ve been encouraging him to branch out and do a pop-up for years. So when he approached me to do a pop-up fundraiser on my behalf, I said yes, more out of support for him. Of course the money raised will be nice; it will help pay my insurance deductible and any additional expenses that my health insurance doesn’t cover. Last year, I waited tables two nights a week in addition to my GA job. After Ireland, I quit that gig, so the fundraiser money will help give me a financial boost from those lost wages. I’ve had some professional or personal involvement with nearly everyone that is lending their talents to the pop-up. I’ve worked with almost all of the food vendors at various restaurant jobs I’ve held. I have two artist friends selling their paintings and I will be selling prints of my own photography. We even have a dance troupe, the Oui Dats, slated to make an appearance. My neighbor is a member of the Oui Dats. We also have a slew of local businesses that have donated gift cards for a raffle. Last I checked, we’re up to $500 in gift cards ranging from tattoo studios, restaurants, clothing stores and yoga classes.

Veterans donate christmas presents to those in need BY CLAIRE SARGENT Reporter

-Photo by Claire Sargent. Caption: Omega Delta Sigma President, Ollie Olivero.”

The Louisiana chapter of Omega Delta Sigma, a co-ed National Veterans’ Fraternity, works with disabled veterans and their families here in the New Orleans area. The organization at University of New Orleans (UNO) is working this semester with Bastion Community of Resilience, a non-profit community located in Gentilly that provides housing to disabled veterans and their families. Ollie Olivero, the president of the UNO chapter of Omega Delta Sigma, discussed their organization’s work with Bastion and how others at UNO can become involved. “We’re working with Bastion to

provide a holiday experience for the kids and families there. The community recently doubled in size almost overnight. A lot of these families are moving in right before the holiday season, so we’re bringing UNO’s community to Bastion to provide a holiday experience. We’re currently recruiting organizations to sponsor a child, buy toys and other items, and go to Bastion to play Santa in December,” Olivero said. Omega Sigma Delta is helping to provide a holiday experience for these families, who may not be able to experience the joys of Christmas without the fraternity’s help. Bastion will provide a list of

all of the children who live in the community and the children’s Christmas lists to Omega Delta Sigma. These lists will include anything from toys to toiletries and other necessities that the families in the community may need. After Omega Delta Sigma receives these lists, they will inform other organizations on campus that wish to support their cause with the next steps. Organizations who participate will pick a child to sponsor and buy items that are on the child’s Christmas list. “In the near future, we will gather all of the organizations who are participating together, and each organization will pick the children they wish to

sponsor. There will be about 40 different kids that will need sponsorship,” Olivero said. Since many children still need sponsorship, there’s opportunity for more organizations to become involved. So far, organizations from UNO, and even some organizations outside of the university community, have joined in this cause. In order to ensure that every child at Bastion Community of Resilience gets this holiday experience, Omega Delta Sigma encourages organizations to support. For more information on Omega Delta Sigma’s work with Bastion, email Ollie Olivero at pres. laa@omegadeltasigma.com.

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

A brief survey of the CleanUpNOLA initiative BY CRYSTAL MCCAY News Editor Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced a new initiative for cleaning up New Orleans, deterring littering, and making the city “healthier and more welcoming.” The initiative is known as CleanUpNOLA, and it will incorporate a range of the city’s departments, including Sanitation, Health, Parks & Parkways, Code Enforcement, and Neighborhood Engagement, according to Nola.gov. A major focus of the effort will involve strengthening the function of existing departments. The initiative will focus specifically on certain regions throughout New Orleans. Keeping streets and buildings clean is among the main priorities. One way that the city plans to deter littering is to order and place more littering cans throughout town. The effort also strives to include the community in the cleanup engagement, so public awareness will be incorporated into the strategy. Enforcement of sanitation laws is another achievement goal of the program. More enforcement agents are soon to be hired by the Sanitation Department, and residents will consequently be held more firmly to littering restrictions and other environmental protection standards. Lastly, the program seeks to discourage dumping of waste materials by providing a new site

- Photo via creativecommons.org

The mayor launched a city-wide initiative to clear the streets of litter. for these activities. The objective is to increase the ease of access to designated sites. To accommodate these expansions, the city intends to make some budgetary changes. The de-

partments affected will be the Departments of Sanitation, Safety & Permits, Parkways, and Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control. The initiative is divided into two components, with the first

focusing on strengthening existing programs as outlined above. The second component is concerned with the long-term maintenance of these standards. Moving forward, members of

the New Orleans community may notice increased opportunities for involvement with clean-up efforts, as well as an uptick in enforcement of environmental protection measures.

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship starts a cake war this mainly because I really like cake and I knew I could help out,” Angel explained. Cake War is an regular event for Chi Alpha. Angel said, “It is something we usually do for the Privateer Plunge events, but we have done it in the spring. It something we … do [annually].” This makes event planning very simple. “I could build off of the previous years. The hardest part is coming up with a theme and getting all the items together,” Angel explained. Each team had about five people working on a single cake. “I actually got more people

BY CASSANDRA JASKIEWICZ Managing Editor On Thursday, Sept. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m., Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship hosted a cake-decorating competition. The participants broke into groups and came up with team names that matched the Pokémon theme of the Cake War. Each team was to incorporate the Pokémon theme into the design of their cake.

The four teams had a few minutes to plan and execute the chosen design. Chi Alpha provided frosting, food coloring, a variety of candies and sprinkles for the participants to use on their cakes. Cakes were graded on creativity, how well the Pokémon theme was integrated, presentation and team effort. In addition, the Chi Alpha introduced obstacles for the participants to overcome. Paola Isabel Angel, the treasure and life group leader from Chi

Alpha, made participants only use one arm for a few minutes, took away a team’s most-used utensil, and even turned off the lights. The students worked hard to handle whatever obstacles they were presented with. If they were caught ignoring obstacles or breaking rules, points were deducted from their final scores. Chi Alpha regularly hosts events for students. “Usually we ask life group leaders to host an event. I chose

than I thought! I was expecting around 10 people and we got about sixteen people from the start and then more showed up late,” Angel said. Once the cakes were properly judged and the winners announced, everyone ate the cake that they worked on and mingled with their teammates and the other participants. If students want to attend more events like Cake War, Chi Alpha has commuter worship on Tuesdays at 12:20 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 7:37 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Milneburg Hall room 179.

- Photos by Cassandra Jaskiewicz Left: Students hard at work on their cake. Above: The winners of the cake decorating competition.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

NEWS

VASA’s 10th annual Paper Lantern Night draws a crowd that honored both Vietnam and New Orleans. If a guest donated a dollar or more they could get bubble tea or a Vietnamese-style dessert. Many members of VASA worked toward hosting this event, even calling on members outside of the university’s chapter. Tania Wilson, computer science major at Louisiana State University (LSU) and a member of VASA, volunteered to help out in hosting the Paper Lantern Night. Wilson explains, “VASA ... set up this event and ... asked [its members] for volunteers ... I just helped with decoration.” Members from other chapters often step out in order to help fellow members. Volunteering at VASA events at other univer-

BY CASSANDRA JASKIEWICZ Managing Editor On Saturday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m., the Homer Hitt Alumni and Visitor Center hosted the 10th annual Paper Lantern Night. This event was planned and lead by the University of New Orleans Vietnamese-American Student Association (VASA). VASA is an organization whose goal is “to provide and spread cultural awareness throughout the UNO and Greater New Orleans community through service, advocacy,

and friendship.” Besides the Paper Lantern Night, other major events put on by the Vietnamese American Student Association are the canoe trip, Asian culture night and the date auction. Paper Lantern Night had decorations, t-shirts for sale and arts and crafts. VASA secured musical performances with dancing and singing on the first floor of the Homer Hitt Alumni and Visitor Center. The second floor had a photo booth and more seating. They also offered a wide variety of food

sities is common practice. VASA is open for all, Wilson said. “I got lured in by a friend, basically, and I went to one of their events, the date auction! That’s the one that really got me. … I saw that and wanted to do that. I found out there was a lot of volunteering involved, and social events. It had a good mix of what I was looking for, and so it became exactly what I wanted.” The date auction is one of the most popular events that VASA hosts. Wilson explained, “It’s a big performance show. It is very loud! Very fun!” Wilson also highlighted more events to look forward to. “LSU VASA sets up a basketball tournament and invites all

Many students came together to make Paper Lantern Night happen.

the alumni back and they make their own teams and compete. The money we make from that gets donated!” The association regularly hosts charity events. “Usually these events are for philanthropy. Basically during the summer there is a conference respective VASA members attend and decide on what philanthropy group we send our money to. So all the money that all the VASAs make will go to that charity,” said Wilson. Wilson and VASA deemed Paper Lantern Night a success. Students are welcomed to join VASA at 12:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in Kirschman Hall to see what the association is working towards next.

- Photos by Brennan Probst

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

Friday Night at NOMA: An evening of art and community engagement The evening is filled with opportunities to learn about and experience art history through the extensive display of exhibits that the museum offers, ranging from pre-Columbian art on the third floor to European Renaissance and Baroque art on the first. Adding to the already - Photo by Crystal McCay immense array Neptune Steel Orchestra performs at Friday Nights at NOMA. of offerings of the museum, for this art that everyone who BY CRYSTAL MCCAY Friday nights at NOMA brings works here has.” News editor in even more for visitors to experience. As New Orleans Museum of The New Orleans Museum “We always have a live muArt gallery attendant Matthew of Art hosts Friday Nights sical act, we have an activity at NOMA with a range of Germenis describes, Friday table for children, sometimes activities for visitors to expenights at NOMA serve “to there’s also an arts activity for rience and enjoy every week. make use of the very wonderadults, we have an open bar, “Pretty much every Friday ful staff here at the museum and we usually try to do either night,” Germenis explains, that knows about and cares a gallery talk with one of our about everything that we have “with the exception of maybe curators, especially when a three or four Fridays every in here, and trying to give show has just opened up, or year, we have [Friday Nights back. I think that’s what Friwe will get a docent to do a at NOMA] until 9 p.m. So we day nights are about, having tour throughout the museum. extend our hours three hours the community share with us We also try to do a screening instead of closing at 6 p.m.” in different ways the passion as much as possible, mostly

documentaries. Those are in our auditorium,” Germenis describes. This past Friday’s musical performance featured a Caribbean steelpan group titled Neptune Steel Orchestra. The distinctive feature of the group’s performance was the various sizes and tones of the steelpans played by its members. The steelpan traces its origins back to Trinidad and Tobago, a pair of islands in the Caribbean near the coast of Venezuela. “We started this particular group in 2016. We are all from Trinidad,” says group member Suzette Riley. “We live here now in New Orleans. The captain is the person who owns all of the pans. He is who we call a “pan man,” a person who has been involved in pan for a long time over the years, so he started that back in Trinidad, then he came to New Orleans and continued the tradition of beating pans.” Neptune Steel Orchestra’s performance at NOMA captivated the attention of the crowd and even attracted a few dancers. As Riley explained the instrumental elements of the group, “we have a range of instruments

that play different tones. The lead pan is the tenor pan that plays the melody. From there you have the supporting pans. . . they play the chords and some melodies as well. And then you have the triple cello, which plays a lot of the chords and countermelodies. It brings a richness and a deeper tone to the band. And then we have the rhythm section in the back, and that helps to bring the beat together. Then we have the drummer, which is a traditional set of drums.” Other activities at the event included a guided tour of the full collection of the glass and ceramics gallery, a family activity table, a gallery talk with museum curator Mel Buchanan, and a film screening. “All of this is designed to attract a much larger demographic depending on what your interest is,” Germenis said of NOMA’s engagement focus. “So if we have people that want to watch documentaries, we try to satisfy them. For people bringing families in, we have something for kids, and we try to do as many talks as possible as well to educate the community about what we have.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

VASA Paper Lantern Night

-Photos by Brennan Probst On Sept. 22, the University of New Orleansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Vietnamese American Student Association (VASA) hosted their 10th annual Paper Lantern Night.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

Women’s coffee talk presents Little Women off the page BY CASSANDRA JASKIEWICIZ Managing Editor On Thursday, Sept. 20 at 12:30 p.m., the Women’s Coffee Talk lecture series hosted Dr. Anne Boyd Rioux to discuss the Louisa May Alcott novel “Little Women” and its many resulting adaptations. Dr. Anne Boyd Rioux is a professor of English at the University of New Orleans, the graduate coordinator of English and a member of the women’s and gender studies faculty. Rioux has written a book, “Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of ‘Little Women’ and Why It Still Matters,’ in time for the 150-year anniversary of Little Women. Rioux began the talk with a brief plot overview of “Little Women” and how it follows four sisters and their journey into adulthood, emphasizing that the book “tells young readers that there isn’t just one way to be a girl and that certainly there is no one way to grow into being a woman. There are multiple ways.” Rioux explained that these girls have unique personalities with flaws and struggles that they must overcome during the course of the narrative. Rioux compares “Little Women” to some of the contemporary work at the time. There are big differences between Alcott’s work and other novels of the period. Alcott’s work featured more female characters and their roles within society. Rioux said, “These were things that were extremely unusual for the nineteenth century. “When I read this book, I had no idea that “Little Women” was a national sensation and that it has meant so much to women around

-Photo by Cassandra Jaskiewiciz Dr. Anne Boyd Rioux giving her lecture on “Little Women”. the world,” said Rioux. “Little Women” has numerous adaptations, from television shows and cartoons to graphic novels, web series and films. These adaptations started as early as 1818 and have continued on today with a new film coming out at the end of September. “It has been adapted many times,” Rioux said. “In fact, it might be one of the most adapted classic novels ever for big and small screens. “[Adaptations] tend to reflect the time in which they were made. Adaptations are just an interpretation of the text. So the people who are making the film have to decide what to include what to leave out,” Rioux said. “What you see in these adaptations is a reflection of

the time they were made as much as the original one [was].” In the talk, Rioux examined the three major film adaptations that were made in the United States. The first film she examined was the 1933 film starring Katharine Hepburn as Jo. It placed thematic emphasis on charitable aid, which was the influence of the Great Depression. There are scenes of the girls shopping for charities and helping soldiers who have returned home that are not in the book. Rioux added that “The 1933 film shows a tremendous emphasis on the romances. The movie has barely begun and suddenly they are pairing off them off with boys.” In contrast to the the 1933 film, the 1949 film version was in color,

and the tagline for this movie was that it was the world’s greatest love story and a Technicolor romance. Released post-World War II, society had seen many dramatic changes to the role of women. Women had taken an active role within the workforce, but were supposed to return home as the war ended. They needed to take care of the home and become domestic consumers. This new adaptation shows this by adding a new shopping mall scene that was not in the book. “They called it a love story. Now love was a part of it, but it was supposed to be a coming-ofage story,” Rioux remarked. The third film was the 1994 version, famously featuring Winona Ryder as Jo, and this poster is very different from its predecessors. There is no emphasis on the love and romance aspect of the story and it has a more feminist approach. “This was an era of family values...while this movie had a strong feminist bend too, it also appealed to the family audience.” However, the dialogue of this film was very different from the book. The other movies still tried to have lines that referenced the book directly. “They gave the characters all kinds of lines that are not within the book … [it] tried to say the things that Alcott wasn’t able to say at the time, but probably would have said if she was alive today,” Rioux commented after showing some clips from the 1994 version. This movie looked at the double standard that women face, changing the language of the scenes

to match the concerns of today when it came to showing skin, and changing the direction of the narrative. There is a 2018 adaptation that will be coming out this September that was advocated by the same director of the 1994 version. When asked about her own desires for the upcoming adaptation, Rioux said, “I think [what] would be really interesting is if the romances were played down, not the main part of the storyline as [they are] in other adaptations, and that the girls were given more opportunities to explore who they are. In the book, there is a lot more space given to them to make mistakes and learn.” She continued, “There are so many great scenes in the book that show the girls’ struggles that are not seen in the movies at all…. the book shows us that none of these people are perfect. That aspect of it, to me, has such a powerful message and has been downplayed in all of the adaptations. “There is something universal about these four girls and their relationships to each other [that] has made it adaptable in so many different times and places all over the world.” If there was one thing Rioux wanted the audience to take away after the lecture, it would be that “[“Little Women”] is a story I want to know and a story I would want to read.” The next Women’s Coffee Talk takes place on Oct. 30. Dr. Shelby Richardson will give the next lecture, called “I Conjure You,” on the topic of witches.

Tennessee Williams literary contests open to emerging writers BY ERINN BETH LANGILLE Copy Editor The Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival is the preeminent literary festival in the city of New Orleans, and every year it holds writing contests that are open to emerging writers. The contests have been an annual event for the festival for over 30 years. Students at the University of New Orleans (UNO) are eligible to submit their work to any or all of the writing contests. Tracy Cunningham, managing director of the Tennessee Williams Festival, said, “Tennessee Williams himself won a writing contest early in his career and it was a real boon to his confidence. It helped him keep writing. We started the contests to encourage other promising young writers, and to reward them for their hard work and talent.” There are four contests: fiction; “flash,” or very short, fiction; poetry and one-act plays. The contests open in May, and submission deadlines are coming up in October. Each has a different set of winnings, including prize

money ranging from $500 $1,500 dollars and publication in magazines like Louisiana Literature, Louisiana Cultural Vistas, The New Orleans Review and UNO’s own Bayou Magazine. Winners also have the opportunity to read their winning submissions at the festival. There are judges for each contest, a winner, a runner-up and eight to twelve finalists. Graduate students at UNO’s Creative Writing Workshop have assisted in the first round of blind contest readings, before the submissions are decided by the final judges. This year, the fiction contest is judged by Hannah Pittard. Pittard is the author of the novels “Listen to Me,” “Reunion,” “The Fates Will Find Their Way,” and the most recent “Visible Empire,” which Houghton Mifflin published in June 2018. She directs the MFA program in creative writing at the University of Kentucky. The “flash” fiction contest is judged by Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler, author of 16 novels and six short story collections, while the one-act play contest is judged by award-winning playwright John Guare.

The poetry judge is Greg Brownderville, author of three books of poetry, including “Gust,” and more recently, “A Horse With Holes in It.” Brownderville runs the creative writing program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas in addition to being the editor-in-chief of The Southwest Review. Previous judges include Amy Hempel, Vijay Seshadri, Michael Cunningham, Justin Torres, and UNO alumnus Jericho Brown. Paul Willis, executive director of the Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival, secures the judges each year. “We want to have interesting literary figures with a sensitive eye. They come to the festival after judging and give readings, craft talks and sit on panel discussions, so it is vital they are engaged in the larger literary world, and have a connection to young writers. Many have been teachers, and won contests of their own in their early careers.” He continued, “A highlight is when a contest winner gets to meet the judge at the festival and has a chance to hear firsthand the good writing work they’ve

done.” The fiction and one-act play contests close Oct. 1, while the poetry and flash fiction contests close Oct. 15. Winners are an-

nounced in February. The festival runs March 27 - 31, 2019 and takes place in Hotel Monteleone and at various venues around the French Quarter.

- Photo courtesty of Tennessee Williams Festival The four contest judges for the 2019 Tennessee Williams Festival, from top left : Greg Brownderville, Robert Olen Butler, Hannah Pittard and John Guare.

ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

Question of the Week

How do you feel about the dining options on campus? WITH CLAIRE SARGENT “I don’t eat on campus often because I live close and want to save money. Maybe if there were better options, I’d feel more inclined to eat on campus.”

“I drink coffee on campus occasionally, but I don’t eat many meals on campus. The Galley is always out of everything and doesn’t look appetizing.”

Nayara de Souza, Graduate student, Civil Engineering

Angelica Valeros Senior, Accounting

“None of the options on campus really excite me enough to eat on campus.”

“The options are alright, but I don’t typically choose to eat on campus. Chick-fil-A is always good whenever I do eat on campus!” Brittany Jackson

Brett Pickett Senior, Psychology

Graduate student, Public Administration

“I like eating at Moe’s and the Sandbar on campus. I haven’t tried the Galley since I don’t have a meal plan, but I’ve heard it could be better.”

“I don’t live on campus, so I don’t eat here often. However, the food options could be better.”

Hoanz Psang IELP student

Savannah Rappold Senior, Biology

“The dining options can definitely be improved by adding a Mediterranean option, such as Byblos, and other diverse food options.”

“While I do enjoy putting on a few pounds, I think there could also be some healthier food options.”

Patrick Walsh Freshman, Psychology

Yosef Mitwali Freshman, Biology

“I like Chick-fil-A, and I want to check out The Cove. I do like that I have the option to get take-out at the Galley whenever I’m on the go.”

“Although there are many food options on campus, I prefer to eat at Chick-fil-A. I’d feel more at home if they added a Cane’s on campus.” Cole Bertaut Freshman, Undecided Major

Tiera Gaines Freshman, Business

How do YOU feel about the dining options on campus? We want to hear YOUR opinion. Check out our Facebook page @UNODriftwood

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

PUZZLES AND COMICS

COMICS

SUDOKU

WORD SEARCH

Lantern Coffee Little Cake Food

Campus Tennessee Lorio Clean Friday

Registration Contest Vote Veterans Christmas

Democracy Options Literary Writers

Editorial

OPINION

How to get off your phone We are stuck to our screens in the same way that we always leave Walmart with armfuls of things we didn’t even know we wanted. We enter the store because we needed milk and eggs; we stay because we’re trying to pick a sugary cereal — or, even worse, analyzing nutrition facts on product after product — a form of procrastination that seems OK because it’s ostensibly “productive.” Similarly, we pick up our phones because we need to send an important text; we stay on our phones because we want to see who liked our last Instagram post. So, how do we get the most out of these impressively innovative handheld tools without getting lost for five hours in Clash of Clans? The key is to front-load the responsibility. Take one step now so that you can relax afterwards, and not have to constantly practice self-con-

trol at every moment. Buy an alarm clock. Yes, a digital alarm clock. Don’t use your iPad’s alarm app; don’t use your laptop, either. Get the cheap kind that plugs into your wall and sounds annoying when it goes off. Charge your phone outside of your bedroom — really, do this — and set your alarm clock before you go to sleep at night. You may even want to place it across the room, out of reach of your bed. Ironically, to get one of these, you may have to go to Walmart. When you wake up in the morning, you won’t be able to grab your phone immediately, and laying in your bed with your phone for hours after you wake up will require extra steps. Hide your phone from yourself, or ask a friend to hide it for you. If your phone is sitting in your attic,

or if you’ve intentionally dropped it between your bed and the wall, you’ll be less inclined to go back and get it. It won’t be so easy to retrieve, and that puts one barrier between you and wasted time on Twitter. Having a friend hide it is an added bonus because you won’t even know where it is, and you can have fun looking for it when you’re done studying. Download an app. Though this option ironically requires you to use your phone, it can actually be quite effective. There are apps out there that employ different methods to keep you off ofp your phone. For example, Forest is an app available for both iPhone and Android that rewards points for time away from the phone. Once you get enough points, you can use them to cause a real tree to be

Column

Are you registered?

BY HOPE BRUSSTAR Editor-in-Chief Sept. 24 - 28 is voter registration week in Louisiana, and anyone age 17 and up can register. Students who haven’t yet registered to vote can seize this opportunity to do so, as Louisiana residents have the convenient ability to register online. Louisiana residents can go to voterportal.sos.la.gov/VoterRegistration to register online. When you visit, be prepared with your driver’s license and social security number. When I registered online, it took just a few minutes. I also used the same website to alter my registration later, when I wanted to change my party. Regardless of the state one lives in, anyone can visit NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org and put in her information to get directed to the appropriate online registration form. According to the National Voter Registration Day site, “If you’re a student, you can choose either your campus or your permanent address as your home, and vote in elections for that location.” You can’t use a P.O. box to

register to vote, since a P.O. box is not affiliated with any single residence and is only a rented mailbox. Imagine the voter fraud that would take place if people could vote from a P.O. box! People from Texas could vote in Rhode Island, and then their vote would “count” for more electoral votes. We can’t have that, now can we? Side thought: I wonder how many people have moved to Rhode Island so that their votes were worth more. Funnily enough, the more people who might do that, the less each individual’s vote is worth. Voting itself must be done in person, but sos.la.gov has all of that information ready for you. You will need to visit voterportal.sos.la.gov and click “Search by Voter” to find the voting booths for your particular address. Remember to bring your driver’s license or state-issued identification! The middle school near my neighborhood is where I have to go to vote, and it’s a mile away. Early voting is a separate option that lets you take part in an election before the election day. Early voting locations will be different than your election day voting location, but you’ll see the same ballot. Previous to this election I have voted at my parish’s justice center. Those who are from another state and wish to vote remotely can mail in their votes. This is called a “mail-in” or “absentee” ballot. According to the League of Women Voters of California site, “A vote-by-mail ballot is a paper ballot, with the same candidates and measures on it as you would receive at your polling place on election day.

The ballot is mailed to you with instructions on how to mark it and how to return it.” Voting by mail is easy, but to request the ballot, you have to find your state’s website. As for many other things, I have found it is easiest to just do a Google search. Try typing in “[state name] mail-in ballot.” On Nov. 6, Louisianians will be electing six new congressmen in what is called an open congressional election. “Open” means you can vote for whatever candidate you like, regardless of the party affiliation on your voter registration. Early voting begins Oct. 23, and to vote by Nov. 6, you must be registered online by Oct. 16. The runoff elections will follow on Dec. 8. Ballotpedia.org and Nola. com are both websites that provide useful information for every upcoming election. A brief Google search of “Louisiana congressional elections” should also do the trick. Those living in the Greater New Orleans area are in the second congressional district, and will be able to pick between four candidates: Belden Batiste, independent; incumbent Cedric Richmond, Democrat; Shawndra Rodriguez, no party; and Jesse Schmidt, no party. I recommend taking at least five minutes to read about each candidate, as a little knowledge can be quite worthwhile. Maybe you don’t intend to vote, but you might find that one of the candidates wants to stand up for something you support. Voting is free, and it is a very fundamental way of pursuing your political goals.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

planted somewhere in the world. In this app, using your phone simply causes you to stop earning points. It can’t keep you off of your phone, but it can pressure you. Flipd, an app also available for both Android and iPhone, is a bit more aggressive. Its “full lock” mode, once turned on, cannot be turned off until the timer has expired. During a full lock, the app allows only a few basic phone functions, including Google Maps, calculator, calendar, texting and calling. Thus you can keep your phone available for the things you need, and be actually forced to avoid all other distractions. Flipd cannot be thwarted, even if you restart your phone. There are many other ways to avoid using one’s phone, but these are some of the most effective.

Some people take the dive and actually switch back to a flip phone to “unplug” themselves from the artificial reassurance that smartphones seem to be so good at providing. When you walk around campus and other public spaces, notice how many people are using their phones, staring at it rather than connecting with those around them. Of course the phone is also a tool for making and strengthening relationships, but the incidental connections we might make in the elevator or in the hall can be just as valuable, if not more so. It helps to think of our dependence on smartphones like we’re six-year-old children still sucking our thumbs. It’s pleasant to do and difficult to stop, but we’re much better off if we quit. It’s time that we learn how.

DRIFTWOOD Staff

2000 Lakeshore Drive, UC 252 New Orleans, LA 70148 (504)280-6377 Hope Brusstar, driftwood@uno.edu......................Editor-in-Chief Cassandra Jaskiewicz...........................................Managing Editor Crystal McCay..............................................................News Editor Erinn Langille...............................................................Copy Editor Kimberly Williams.................................................Visuals Director Nate Nguyen...............................................................Layout Editor Brennan Probst..........................................................Photographer Matt Stennis........................................................Business Manager Missy Wilkinson...................................................................Adviser

Driftwood is produced solely by students of the University of New Orleans. Driftwood publishes every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters, with the exception of holiday breaks and midterms/finals week. Letters to the Editor and columns are the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinion of the Driftwood editorial board. All letters to the Editor are subject to editing for length, style and grammar. Editorials are the opinions of the Driftwood editorial staff and do not reflect the opinions of the University of New Orleans, its administration or staff. Please limit letters to 500 words. Submissions can be emailed to driftwoodeditor@uno.edu and must be sent no later than 5 p.m. on the Monday before publication.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018