April 29, 2020 by The Wichitan and Wai Kun

April 29, 2020 | thewichitan.com | Real Students. Real Stories. | Vol. 84 No. 13

SPORTS: Pg 9

Cycling team combines training with service.

FALL 2020: Ret urnin g to fa ce- t o-fa ce NEWS: Pg 6

MSU administration members plan to return to in-person classes for Fall 2020. “It will be wonderful to share the MSU campus with you again!” President Suzanne Shipley said.

Schitt’s Creek: Like The Kardashians...but broke.

PHO CORNER: Pg 8

SATIRE: Pg 2

A DAY IN THE LIFE: Pg 11

Pho corner gives free groceries to MSU students.

2020 cancelled? Sorry guys, we’re not that lucky.

Sam Frederick: from the field to the studio.

@WichitanOnline

MEDIA: Pg 10

@wichitanonline

@TheWichitan

OUR VIEW: Mother Nature had its best celebration in years

The Wichitan apologizes for fake news

ue to the international crisis of COVID-19, people all over the world have been in selfisolation and/or quarantine. Because of this, the environment has been positively effected since there has been less pollution in the air from automobiles and factories. For those of you who have been so enamored with the pandemic that you missed it, Earth Day was on Wednesday, April 22. According to The Atlantic, “As cities and, in some cases, entire nations weather the pandemic under lockdown, Earth-observing satellites have detected a significant decrease in the concentration of a common air pollutant, nitrogen dioxide, which enters the atmosphere through emissions from cars, trucks, buses, and power plants.” Air pollution can introduce serious health conditions in the human body including heart disease, respiratory illnesses and strokes. Therefore, without even intending to, by staying self-isolated and following government ordinances, we have positively impacted our climate. The Atlantic also said that city soundscapes have changed as well. Rebecca Franks, an American who lives in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, said, “I used to think there weren’t really birds in Wuhan because you rarely saw them and never heard them. I now know they were just muted and crowded out by the traffic and people.” Whether people want to admit that climate change is real or not, the facts proving that it is are loud — the facts of how Mother Nature has thrived during this pandemic cannot be disproven. If you haven’t been outside, whether on your front porch, in your backyard or strolling down the sidewalk, take this moment to breathe a breath of fresh air and appreciate something positive from COVID-19.

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

UN Secretary of Painic John P. Cross expands on cancelling 2020. Thank you to Chemistry Chair Christopher Hansen for the added props for this photograph. March 3.

he Wichitan would like to apologize sincerely and profusely for the spreading of the “fake news” in this article: UN declares 2020 over. In this article we reported that Amos Perkins March would mark the start of 2021, but as we enter the heart of April it has become painfully obvious that 2020 is still here. “We were going to cancel 2020, but the next day Joe Biden came out of his bunker and saw his shadow, giving us six more weeks of 2020,” Dr. John P. Cross, UN secretary of panic, announced. “Then he kept forgetting he went outside and saw his shadow about six more times, so there’s no telling how long this year will be.”

Since the original announcement of 2020’s cancellation, COVID-19 has infected nearly two million people worldwide, all professional sports leagues in the US have been shut down, the Prime Minister of the UK caught COVID-19, all restaurants, schools and most public places have been shut down and President Donald Trump even shut down some of his golf courses. “When the American president stopped golfing every weekend, we knew we were [explicitly] out of luck,” Clive Pemberton, UN representative from the UK, said. “We were more worried when that happened than when our prime minister got the virus.” Students at MSU were not pleased when they realized The Wichitan had given them false hope.

EDITORS: Kristin Silva, Amos Perkins PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: Bridget Reilly Vol. 84 | No. 13 Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room D201 3410 Taft Blvd. | Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 wichitan@msutexas.edu | thewichitan.com @wichitanonline

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ISSUE STAFF: Taylor Anderson, Jordan Breedlove, Colin Stevenson ADVISOR: Jonathon Quam

“Not cool bro. The Wichi-whatever said this 2020 crap would be over with by now,” Chad Chadman, alcohology senior, said. “I thought I was gonna get back to drinking ‘ronas with the boys, but now we’re having to stay inside so we don’t catch the ‘rona.” While The Wichitan works tirelessly to make sure errors like this never occur again, the United Nations has come up with a new strategy to take on 2020. “Everyone here at the United Nations has put on our tin foil hats, and we are now waiting patiently for our alien overlords to come and enslave us,” Gregory Worthless, UN secretary of alien affairs, said. “At this point we feel like that’s a better alternative than whatever’s happening right now.”

Copyright ©2019. First copy free. Additional copies $1.00 each. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. Opinions expressed in The Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (250 words or fewer) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a email address, telephone number and address.

Time to Decriminalize?

“Neither the marijuana user nor the drug itself can be said to constitutea danger to public safety.” - Richard Nixon BRIDGET REILLY PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR ith numerous shelter-in-place laws, states across the US are grappling with what is essential in that part of the world. Connecticut has limited social gatherings to five people. Florida closed its beaches. Texas has allowed alcohol deliveries from restaurants. Colorado and eight other states deemed marijuana dispensaries essential for recreational use. Another 22 states classify marijuana for medical use is essential. Naming marijuana dispensaries as essential has sparked discussion on whether or not it is fair for a person convicted of cannabis possession to be sitting in jail in one state while another state is employing people to sell and distribute the very same drug. For now, in Texas, possession of 2 ounces or less of cannabis over the THC content of 0.3% is a Class B misdemeanor and it could land you in jail for up to 180 days and/or a fine of up to $2,000, along with a nonexpungable criminal record. In the Texas Crime Report for 2018, the number of arrests for drug possession was just under 126,000. Half of drug-related arrests were for possession of cannabis Sativa. In 2019, Texas accidentally (kind of) decriminalized the plant by changing the legal definition of marijuana to “cannabis with less than 0.3% of concentrated THC,”

PROS

MEDICAL BENEFITS: • Some medical benefits derive where a person’s endocannabinoid system is lacking in one form or another, for diagnoses such as anorexia nervosa, PTSD, bipolar disorder and fibromyalgia. Cannabinoids in marijuana can alleviate some of the symptoms related to such diagnoses by counteracting the side effects. Other medical benefits include: Treatment of glaucoma – use • Treatment decreases pressure in the eyeball. • Increased appetite and reduced nausea.

•

(the psychoactive element that provides the high) for the sake of legalizing marijuana’s sister – CBD – which does not carry THC. The marijuana flower and the CBD flower are similar in appearance and smell which makes differentiating the two a near-impossible task unless tested in a lab. To accurately prosecute cannabis users or distributors, Texas labs will require new, expensive testing equipment (costing up to $500,000 per machine). The State of Texas does not have this equipment according to Director of Governmental Relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, Shannon Edmonds. “Evidence can come only from a laboratory capable of determining that type of potency – a category which apparently excludes most, if not all, of the crime labs in Texas right now,” Edmonds said (May 2019). Before we continue, it’s important to know: Decriminalization: the repeal or amendment of statutes which made certain acts criminal, so that those acts no longer are crimes. Legalization: making something that was previously illegal permissible by law. With that, we turn to the common pros and cons of decriminalizing cannabis:

Treatment Treatment of arthritis – laboratory studies have concluded that THC can be seven times more potent than Aspirin. Improved counts of T-cells in HIV/AIDS patients. patients

LEGAL BENEFITS: • No criminal record for first-time offenders. • Fiscally beneficial to drug treatment programs due to the focus in more serious areas of drug offenses. • Decreased jail/prison population. tion • More time dedicated to getting opioids and narcotics off the streets. streets

CONS •

•

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH

A marijuana dispensary weighs flower to sell. March 3.

•

Research shows when you decriminalize, police are more likely to penalize users for possession. possession In a 1989 Journal of Public Health Policy study, Eric Single found that “net widening” (a theory that officers are more likely • to penalize a person for an offense where the penalty is lessened) is more prevalent when they can issue a cita• tion instead of charging a person with a crime. Increased addiction — according to the NCBI, 9% of overall users develop an addiction. Decriminalization or legalization may encourage users who • would not otherwise be exposed to addiction. Impaired short-term memory — the NCBI reports that frequent users find it difficult to learn and retain infor-

mation. Daily use on lungs — inhalation of the smoke from cannabis can increase the likelihood of daily coughing, increase the production of phlegm and a higher, more frequent risk of lung infections and lung illness. Increased heart rate — for three hours following the intake of marijuana, your heart rate is elevated. Child development during and after pregnancy — if used while pregnant, the drug can affect a child’s attention span, memory and problem-solving abilities. Reveal underlining schizophrenia and/or increase symptoms of patients with schizophrenia involving paranoia and disorganized thinking, as well as causing other underlying mental health issues.

4 April 29, 2020 | Satire | Campus Voices | Activities | News | Cycling | Wichi Suggestion | A Day in the Life | Photography With this list in mind, trying to compare Report of 2017 (after cannabis was decriminal- there’s a whole other story for the 58,000 Texans mix. states and their cannabis laws is difficult. Texas, ized) cited a 37.4% decrease in drug arrests from arrested for alcohol abuse. After decriminaliza-

If nothing has convinced you thus far, Okla-

by population, sits second on the list. The closest the 5,411 arrests made in 2016. From 2015 to 2017, tion, Maine saw a 28% drop in arrests for opium, homa has already legalized cannabis for mein size, based on cannabis leniency is New York Maine saw a decrease of 71% arrests, saving (on cocaine and derivatives, along with a decrease in or California. For the sake of being in a conserva- the basis of ACLU calculations ACLU that it drug overdose deaths for 2018. It is unclear as to tive state, New York and California statutes for costs $4,300 to arrest a person for cannabis pos- whether or not this is correlation or causation; the drug are a little too liberal for 21st century session) $8 million. If Texas had a 71% decrease however, Maine addiction centers have reported Texas; however, Maine is a reasonable conserva- of its 2015-2017 marijuana arrests, 42,660 Texans an increase in some drug addiction admissions tive comparison.

would have avoided arrest, and the State would to programs treating substance use disorders

dicinal purposes. When the south moves without you, you are moving too slow. Texans are not slow, just cautious — let’s not allow Oklahoma to replace us on the map. None of these statistics take account of race

Maine decriminalized the use of cannabis in have saved $187.2 million. Money that could go since the decriminalization. Instead of arresting or ethnicity. It would require the space of this November 2016. Possession of 2.5 ounces or less, to education, finishing the I-35, criminal reform and fining cannabis users, wouldn’t it be a bet- entire newspaper to detail the effect that decrimor paraphernalia has no incarceration time and and saving those going down the road of addic- ter idea to focus on methamphetamine users and inalizing marijuana has had on communities of put more effort into their rehabilitation?

no maximum fine. Cultivation of up to three tion. flowering plants is allowed and the use of can-

By comparison, in 2019, the number one drug

While the idea of decriminalizing marijuana

nabis is only permitted in a private residence or threat for Texas was methamphetamines, which is attractive, it is not an easy task, nor should it on private property. Sales and distribution are killed around 1,000 Texans the previous year. be. In the next 10 years, Texas legislators have an illegal (although COVID-19 put a pause on the However, only 22% of arrests for possession enormous mission ahead of them. The use of this next legislative session which would see a sug- were made. To add to this crisis, surveys from plant can stay on a person’s record for life; keepgested legalized, government-taxed market), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Ser- ing a conservative state happy is one thing, but

color. The evidence is in every state crime report: people of color are four times more likely than whites to be arrested for possession of marijuana. So, I leave you with this question: why should people be arrested for an offense related to cannabis, while the same substance, when dressed

and carries a maximum fine of $2,000 and/or a vices Administration found on average 120,000 saving a Texan’s job security and their ability to up as culturally appropriated dreadlocks in a maximum sentence of one year.

Texans in the age group of 12+ have used meth- apply for housing or academic scholarships are jean jacket behind a glass case, is an essential

The Maine Drug and Liquor Violations Crime amphetamine in the years of 2016 and 2017, and important social benefits to be weighed in the business in another state?

PHOTO COURTESY OF WESLEY GIBBS | PHOTO COURTESY OF NORML.ORG | PHOTO COURTESY OF NORML.ORG

Destigmatization through the education of cannabis. | Texas marijuana laws. | Maine marijuana laws.

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SUDOKU

MSU Texas administration plans in-person classes for Fall 2020

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHTIAN

Hardin building. April 21. CORTNEY WOOD WAI-KUN EDITOR idwestern State University administration members announce in-person classes for Fall 2020 following an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott, R–Texas, Monday afternoon that initiated the first phase of reopening the Texas economy. In a post on social media from MSU Texas officials sent Monday about 4 p.m., officials stated they plan “to be fully operational this fall for inperson instruction.” “For now, I want to encourage you to stay the course, continue to support one another, and finish this semester strong,” MSU President Suzanne Shipley stated. “I know I speak for many of you when I say how much I miss greeting you and seeing you enjoy our lovely campus spaces. It will be wonderful to share the MSU campus

with you again!” Shipley also said leadership teams are planning for the many aspects of opening the fall semester and are anticipating the possibility of needing to alter plans at some point in the 20202021 academic year. Officials will create contingency plans for possible scenarios that could require that adjustment for a course of action for the fall or spring semester. This decision follows directly after Abbott issued his latest executive order in his 2:30 p.m. press conference where he allows the stay-athome order to expire on April 30 to begin phase one of his method to reopen Texas. Abbott said doctors advising state officials about health guidelines and safety procedures drove the decision to implement this plan. “We want to make sure we were able to open

as quickly as possible, but as safely as possible,” Abbott said in the conference. “These are the decisions that are the result of tremendous input by the best possible medical team. We would not be making the decision to open Texas without that advice.” In the conference, Abbott provided a list of businesses can open May 1, and this order “allows these businesses to open, but it does not require them to do so.” The following businesses are allowed to open May 1 with restrictions: - Retail stores - Restaurants - Movie theater - Malls Business occupancy cannot be more than 25%, as well as libraries and museums. Outdoor sports are also allowed with a maximum of four

players at a time, such as tennis and golf. While Abbott did not provide a clear date on when other businesses like hair and nail salons, bars and gyms would be allowed to open, he said he looks for those reopenings about mid-May but would like to open them “ASAP.” Abbott tweeted out a link to a live stream of KXAN coverage of the press conference. Below is the full press conference and wrap up from KXAN reports. If COVID-19 is contained in the phase of Abbott’s economic reopening plan, then more businesses will be allowed to open with elevated occupancy to 50%. Should a rise in COVID-19 cases increase in Texas, Abbott said restrictions will return to ensure safety for Texans.

Students discuss plans after quarantine All of us can’t wait for this pandemic to be over and to be free of quarantine. Due to self-isolation, there hasn’t been much opportunity to get out of the house, do routine activities and be with friends. Here are some of the first things students plan to do when the quarantine ends:

EMMA MIDGETTE UNDECIDED SOPHOMORE “After quarantine, I’m going to meet my niece for the very first time because I won’t be able to see her until afterward.”

TARIQ PRATT

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE

“I plan to go outside and play volleyball and enjoy the public events to the fullest because life is too short and everything should be appreciated.”

IMANUELLEPREMED SKERRIT FRESHMAN

KAYLA PARNELL

“Probably go to a restaurant, I actually miss going places.”

“[I will] probably have a lot of people over for dinner since I’ll be married before the end of quarantine and my fiancé and I love to cook [and] host.

NURSING SENIOR

NATHAN BLAIN

ASHLEIGH JARANITA

“I’m definitely taking a week off work [after quarantine], because this has drained me.”

“The first thing I’m going to do after quarantine is celebrate my 21st birthday! [I want to] dress up all fancy with my friends and hit up a nice fancy restaurant.”

EDUCATION SOPHOMORE

MICAH WILSON MASS COMMUNICATION SENIOR

“As soon as quarantine is over, I am going to go to the gym. I’ve missed being able to do my normal routines. It’s been difficult to be consistent with working out so I’ll be glad to get back in there.’’

RADIOLOGY FRESHMAN

CLAUDIA NURSING ANTILL SENIOR “I honestly can’t wait for the gyms to open back up. The gym was my way to relieve stress. I also can’t wait for little road trips.”

AVERY LEWIS

COLLIN COOVERT

“The first thing I am going to do once quarantine is over is hang out with my friends. I have missed being around them and getting to hang out. It will be really good to feel social again!”

“The first thing I’m doing after quarantine is finding the closest soccer field and just going to kick the ball around. I miss playing the sport I love and can’t wait to play it again.”

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION SENIOR

KINESIOLOGY SOPHOMORE

Pho Corner provides groceries for MSU students still on campus

PHOTO BY OMAR COMBIE | THE WICHITAN

Volunteer filling a student’s grocery bag with a bag of shredded cheese. April 18. | Free grocery giveaway outside the Clark Student Center. April 18. OMAR COMBIE GRAPHIC DESIGNER

some food to Midwestern students.”

“It was enough for a single college student to have breakfast

In collaboration with the GEO as well as Mustangs Pantry, for a week if you stretch the eggs and everything else,” said Allen.

o provide free breakfast items to students still on campus, Pho Corner organized the giveaway. With the help of donors, they Volunteers from the GEO, Mustangs Pantry and the student the restaurant Pho Corner held a free grocery giveaway at contributed roughly 300 bags of groceries. From 1 – 3 p.m., stu- body assisted in the distribution of grocery bags. the Clark Student Center on April 18. dents came to the CSC to pick up a bag containing half a gallon “I needed to get out of the house and this seemed like a really “It was commendable [of them] to bring the breakfast items to of milk, 20 tortillas, shredded cheese, a pound of hash browns, a good reason to,” Tishauna Perkins, clinical lab science junior and students who were experiencing a need,” Syarra Tonge, accountpound of bacon and 12 eggs. volunteer, said. ing senior, said. There are still 126 students residing on campus, not including Pho Corner is a Vietnamese restaurant located at the corner of those staying in the various off-campus apartment complexes. Midwestern Parkway and Wayne Avenue. The restaurant, which The majority are international students who cannot return home had yet to officially open, has been conducting a free grocery due to closed borders. giveaway campaign to support persons in the community suffer“Last I checked, they [the government] were going to reevaluing from food shortages during the pandemic. ate in May whether or not they will open their borders,” biology “We started doing these grocery giveaways at Pho Corner junior Cheslin Malloney, who is from St. Kitts and Nevis, said. about four weeks ago,” Phillip Allen, co-owner of Pho Corner, “It’s good to see that people within the community are concerned said. “It started out as a one week deal but then people started about not only international students but students who are stuck donating.” here because of the pandemic. I just want to say ‘Kudos’ to the Pho Although they are primarily focused on the elderly, the disCorner and thank you very much.” abled and single parents, Allen said when he became aware of the To this date, Pho Corner has handed out approximately 2400 students still on campus, he wanted to help. bags of free groceries, valued at $17,000, to persons in the comMichael Mills, director of the Global Education Office, said, munity. “[Pho Corner] contacted us last week after hearing about ourComAllen said, “My biggest thing is that I wanted people to undermunity Link program where we were linking up members of the stand that just because you’re international, just because you’re community with some of our international students who were PHOTO COURTESY OF PHO CORNER a foreigner, just because you’re not a US citizen, doesn’t mean here, to take care of some essential supplies. They contacted us Pho Corner restaurant at the corner of Midwestern Parkway and we’re not going to try to help you.” wanting to know how they could help, and they wanted to donate Wayne Avenue.

MSU CYCLING TEAM TRAINS I WHILE DELIVERING I TAYLOR ANDERSON SPORTS EDITOR OVID-19 has shut down stores, restaurants, gyms and sports seasons, but it didn’t shut down Cycling Head Coach Charlie Zamastil’s heart to help out the community in this time of need. Zamastil and his team decided to stay in town to continue their off-season training and incorporate a carrier service within those sessions. The team has delivered food, letters and even groceries to Wichita Falls residents who don’t feel safe leaving the shelter of their home to retrieve the items themselves. “Essentially we wanted to incorporate training solely in town with trying to do good for the elderly and at-risk population we have here,” Zamastil said. Zamastil got the idea from when he used to bike around while living in Philadelphia during graduate school. Biking back and forth to various everyday locations gave him the idea that the cyclists on his team could do the same for other people. “I didn’t have a car until I moved here, and I definitely didn’t live close enough to walk anywhere in a big city. I biked to class and biked to work,” Zamastil said. The cyclists deliver and retrieve a wide variety of items with only their bike and a backpack. Whether it’s something as pivotal as retrieving medicine or as trivial as fetching a bottle of beer, the cyclists are willing to help out the community. “We’ll come and get whatever they want. Whether it’s giving us money and going to the restaurant and coming back to deliver the food, picking up a letter or running out to go get some beer,” Zamastil said. Due to the NCAA shutdown, the cycling season was cut short with only two more tournaments left until the national championship in Wichita Falls. “It sucks. I think we had a tremendous team this year. They ended the season while we had just retaken the conference lead so we ended up being declared conference champions, but that seems a little hollow since all the racing wasn’t done,” Zamastil said. The shortened season cuts extra deep due to the success the team was having, both on an individual and team level. “We had a lot of individual winners plus the team overall win, which has come to be expected for us, but at the same time it’s like it feels in-

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

Physics sophomore Morgan Ballesteros rides in the mens ‘A’ criterium at the Texas Tech. Feb. 23. complete,” Zamastil said. The team shifts their training to the off-season in hopes of being competitive next season. The uncertainty of when that next season will arrive has lead to uneasiness for both Zamastil and his team. “We have work to do, but it feels like what is the work going to be for. Am I going to be burnt out and all of a sudden start competing or am I going to be in great shape [with] nothing to be competing for? The uncertainty is very hard,” Zamastil said. The team keeps their head high in waiting for the next tournament, but they continue to lift up the community with good deeds in the meantime. To get in touch with the carriers, email your delivery inquiries at cycling@msutexas.edu.

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

Exercise physiology graduate student and mechanical engineering freshman form a pace line behind a University of North Texas cyclist. March 8.

A WICH ITAN SUG G ESTION :

Schitt’s Creek

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMBD.COM

icture this: the Kardashians have suddenly lost all of their money and are forced to live in a backwater white-trash town. Sounds like a hilarious train wreck you’d want to watch, right? Well, that’s esAmos sentially the plot of Schitt’s Perkins Creek. Schitt’s Creek follows the fabulously wealthy, entitled and eccentric Rose family after a financial advisor robs them of almost all their assets and money, and they are forced to move to the town of Schitt’s Creek that Mr. Rose bought his son as a joke. While at the beginning of the series, the Rose family desperately tries to find

a way out they slowly adapt to the small town around them and grow closer to the town’s folk around them. The series is entirely built around it’s incredibly, hilarious and talented cast. Eugene Levy (the dad from American Pie) plays Johnny Rose, the patriarch of the Rose family and the emotional/ moral backbone of the family (although he’s not above a meltdown of his own). Levy’s son, Dan, plays the initially obnoxious but later loveable son David Rose. Annie Murphy is the shows breakout star as she perfectly plays the daughter Alexis’ growth from boy-obsessed brat to independent businesswoman. But it’s acclaimed actress Catherine O’Hara who steals the show as

Moira Rose, eccentric former actress and owner of the most unique, pompous dialect you’ve ever heard. Schitt’s Creek is at its core a comedy, and a truly hilarious one at that, but what makes this show so great is the character development of the cast that leads to tender moments. Johnny’s relationships with the hick town mayor Roland Schitt and the motel worker Stevie (my favorite character) are particularly great. Schitt’s Creek is also one of the only shows I’ve seen that openly displays sexuality in a setting without homophobia. Openly gay star and show creator Dan Levy said he wanted to avoid LGBTQ tragedy tropes that dominate most shows with gay characters.

I’ll leave this by saying that Schitt’s Creek is easily the most unique show I’ve ever watched. From the cinematography to the pacing to the character development and the care and detail put into minor characters, there’s not another show like it. However slow the first episodes may be, it is incredibly worth it to keep watching. Number of Episodes:

Six seasons, 80 Episodes Status:

Completed Where to Watch:

Netflix Warning:

Occasional Strong Language

A DAY IN TH E LIF E:

SAMUEL FREDERICK

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAM FREDERICK

Sam holds his baby cousin while hugging his mother. May 12, 2019. TAYLOR ANDERSON SPORTS EDITOR ost students spend their free time hanging out with friends or binging Netflix, but Mass Communication Senior Samuel Frederick spends his free time creating his own music. With the passion for music and the motivation to be different from other rappers, he has already released three albums this year on Spotify. “It’s just a passion of mine — I use it as an outlet. I mean, I personally don’t do drugs or drink so music is somewhat a coping mechanism for me. When I want to release things or express myself, I tend to put it in the music, and I have always tried to sound different than most stereotypical rap artists nowadays,” Frederick said. Frederick started his college years playing football as a wide receiver but soon came to figure out that his heart wasn’t on the field rather in the art of creating music. “Football taught me to always have fun with what I’m doing. The moment it becomes more of a job and a hassle and it starts affecting your emotions negatively, you should reevaluate it or just stop,” Frederick said. Known as “Josiah” in the music industry, his albums have attracted listeners from more than 350 cities across the nation including Los Angeles and New York. He strives to be different by cultivating value into each of his lyrics.

“Well, most artists nowadays tend to have the same generic message with a lot of the same characteristics — money, drugs, sex and violence. I try to rap more about things that are relatable because I feel like it creates more value. Instead of following the trend of what sounds ‘hot’ or whatever, I more so just say whatever is in my heart at the time. One of my favorite quotes is ‘Only real music is gonna last, all that other bullshit is here today and gone tomorrow,’ by Jimmy Smith,” Frederick said. Frederick gives credit to rapper J. Cole for

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARLEY WARRICK

Playing wide receiver, Sam leaps to catch the ball in football practice. Nov. 15, 2018.

his poetic lyrics. After he was introduced to his music in high school, Frederick has been a fan ever since. “He’s very relatable and in some songs, it’s almost like you’re learning from it. Like some lines have hidden gems in them. I like it when you hear a song and it gives you insight and can apply to real life. Then the fact he actually raps in a more traditional style, no autotune or like rap-singing, and 9/10 his lyrics are meaningful,” Frederick said. Like J. Cole, Frederick uses his real-life experiences in his songs. He learned to open up to and try to connect with his listeners. “Sometimes, I use my real-life experience to inspire a song. This song called ‘Crazy’ and ‘Her Letter’ are pretty deep. Basically written about girls, I kind of go into what it’s like to be heartbroken or a song like ‘Rain’ which is not too deep but more so a vibe type song. But you would have to listen to ‘Her Letter’ to get the full picture — you might cry. Seriously, I used to be shy about opening up, but then I realized that’s what makes good music. Nobody is going to judge the artist off the things they say because a lot of people can relate to whatever the topic is. So, if you make a song about heartbreak, yes, you may be talking about one specific person, but we all know as listeners, you just replace the name with the person you may know, or feel a way about,” Frederick said. Over a thousand listeners demanding for his new albums, Frederick has never stepped into a studio. He records all his music in his car with GarageBand. “I never been to a studio or anything, I just make sure it’s quiet, car off, windows up, and mainly at night so there is no extra noise whatsoever,” Frederick said. Frederick is set to graduate in Fall 2020 and plans to continue to expand his music career. “Well, I’m set to graduate this fall, so I’m hoping to use my degree to get a job with a steady source of income. I really don’t care what I’m doing because mass communication is not my passion. I also just started trading forex which is also looking really good for me money wise. I want to put the extra money I have into music as well in order to gain more exposure down the road. It’s really hard to be successful in music unless you invest in yourself, promotions, playlisting, videos and things

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAM FREDERICK

Working on writing music from his makeshift car studio. March 18. like that,” Frederick said. Frederick plans to release a music video for “Rain” in the summer. “I haven’t considered doing any live performances, but the music video to ‘Rain’ is definitely coming this summer along with a couple of others,” Frederick said. Frederick’s music is available on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube as “Josiah.”

EARTH DAY EDITION

PH OT OGR APHE R Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CO RNER

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

A mule looks over the Grand Canyon. Dec. 2018.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

A heron glides across a lake at sunset. Jan. 4.

PHOTO BY JORDAN BREEDLOVE | THE WICHITAN

Pink represents the beauty of the future as we look forward to better times. April 26.

PHOTO BY COLIN STEVENSON | THE WICHITAN

A deer stares off into the distance in Fossil Rim. April 2.

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN

A butterfly rests for a moment. Victoria, Australia. Dec. 2010.

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