The Only In-Person Test You Need — Technician 10/8/20

TECHNICIAN OC TOB ER 8, 2020

VOL . 101 | NO. 7

THE ONLY IN-PERSON TEST YOU NEED

FREE COVID TESTS FOR THOSE ON CAMPUS See Page 4

Contents

2 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

IN THIS ISSUE: page

03

Meet Angela Gay, new director of the African American Cultural Center

WHAT YOU MISSED: A quick look at the headlines in and outside of NC State

Student Government addresses fall reopening, supports lawsuit in new legislation Two new pieces of Student Government legislation, R39 and R42, address the shortcomings in the NC State administration’s response to COVID-19 during the fall semester and offer support for a class action lawsuit against the UNC System filed by staff members who did not feel supported during campus’s reopening.

NEWS

SOURCE: TECHNICIAN

page

06 Deuling Columns

First state monument to the African American experience breaks ground in Raleigh Work on the first North Carolina monument to the African American experience began Oct. 7 in Raleigh.

The monument, the Beacon of Freedom, will be at the center of North Carolina Freedom Park. The park is set to be completed in 2022 and located on Lane Street, between the governor’s mansion and the North Carolina Legislative Building.

OPINION

SOURCE: THE NEWS & OBSERVER page

Who’s Who at Student

President Trump returns to the Oval Office after hospitalization due to COVID-19

09 Media: Agromeck’s

Cameron Motsinger

Last week, President Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 and subsequently hospitalized at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Trump returned to his work at the Oval Office Wednesday, with his physician, Sean Conley, reporting Trump had been fever-free for over four days and stable vitals his vitals are stable. Trump was placed on oxygen at least twice during his hospital stay. Many White House aides and officials have also tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT page

11

NC State football travels for major test against solid Virginia squad

SOURCE: NPR

Chilean police officer detained after allegedly throwing a teenaged boy off a bridge during a protest During an anti-government protest in Chile’s capital city of Santiago on Friday, a police officer allegedly threw a 16-year-old boy off of a bridge and into the Mapocho River. The incident was captured on video and has since gone viral in Chile. The boy survived the fall, but sustained injuries and was transported to a medical care center. The police officer has been detained on suspicion of attempted murder.

SPORTS

KNOW YOUR RESOURCES: Student Health Services:

(919) 515-2563

Counseling Center:

(919) 515-2423

University Police:

(919) 515-3000

Women’s Center:

(919) 515-2012

Sexual Assault Helpline:

(919) 515-4444

GLBT Center:

(919) 513-9742

Student Legal Services:

(919 )515-7091

Multicultural Student Affairs:

(919) 515-3835 COVER PHOTO BY RYAN FARISCHON

SOURCE: CNN

Editor-in-Chief Rachael Davis

323 Witherspoon Student Center, NCSU Campus Box 7318, Raleigh, NC 27695 Editorial Advertising Fax Online

919-515-5017 919-515-2411 919-515-5133 technicianonline.com

technician-editor@ncsu.edu

technician-copydesk@ncsu.edu

Copy Desk Chief Sarah Newton

Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Abbie Davies-Cutting

Managing Editor Alicia Thomas

Marketing Manager Zahra Rangwala

technician-design@ncsu.edu

technician-managingeditor@ncsu.edu

technician-marketing@ncsu.edu

Multimedia Managing Editor Jaylan Harrington

News Co-Editors Cassie Englund Anna Beth McCormick

technician-digitalcontent@ncsu.edu

Social Media Co-Editors Emma Rizzo Antonio Dinkens Social Media Analytics Manager Joey Rivenbark

technician-news@ncsu.edu

Arts & Entertainment Editor Austin Dunlow technician-features@ncsu.edu

Design Editor Ann Salman

Opinion Editor Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen

technician-opinion@ncsu.edu

Assistant Opinion Editor Shilpa Giri Sports Editor Camden Speight

technician-sports@ncsu.edu

Assistant Sports Editors Nicholas Schnittker Tristan Tucker Photo Editor Ryan Farischon

technician-photo@ncsu.edu

Assistant Photo Editor Marissa McHugh Video Editor Rachel Amponsah

technician-video@ncsu.edu

Assistant Video Editor Vasanth Ramdas

Technician (USPS 455-050) is the largest student newspaper of NC State University and is published every Thursday throughout the academic year from August through May except during holidays and examination periods.

Opinions expressed in the columns, cartoons, photo illustrations and letters that appear on the Technician’s pages are the views of the individual writers and cartoonists. As a public forum for student expression, the students determine the content of the publication without prior review. To receive permission for reproduction, please write the editor. Subscription cost is $100 per year. A single copy is free to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. Additional copies are $0.25 each. Printed by Triangle Web Printing, Durham, NC, Copyright 2011 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.

News

TECHNICIAN 3

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Meet Angela Gay, new director of the African American Cultural Center

Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen Opinion Editor

After a staffless reopening at the beginning of this year, the African American Cultural Center (AACC) chose Angela Gay, a Ph.D. candidate in education leadership, policy and human development, as the new director of the African American Cultural Center.

Gay, having previously worked as the assistant director at the Women’s Center, accepted the role Sept. 8.

According to Gay, the primary role of the director of the AACC is not only to help run key programs but to uphold the needs and interests of Black students on campus. This includes promoting student research, programming various cultural events and creating a support space for students. Gay said with recent events, such as the Breonna Taylor indictment hearings, students need support more than ever.

“There are many politics at play for this role, even going into like the UNC System, also recognizing we’re at a place of racial injustice and it is at peak currently,” Gay said. “There’s a very specific need related to this position that we have to explore.”

According to Gay, the application for the position was a multi-step process. After submitting a general application on the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED) website, Gay was asked specific questions on envisioning Blackness growing at NC State.

Gay said her responses drew from her personal work alongside activists such as Charlene Carruthers, who visited NC State for the Womxn’s HERstory Month last year.

“I also referenced Adrienne Maree Brown’s ‘Emergent Strategy’ because those things help guide my work,” Gay said. “Whether I’m doing work for women and/or people of color or Black folks, those are some of the things that help guide my perspective.”

After the first portion was complete, the application process became much more interactive. According to Gay, the second part of the application process involved the development of a plan for the 30th year anniversary of the AACC. Gay said she created a fictional budget, framework, plan, programming and strategy, often going through the history and archives of the AACC to learn what the center means for students on campus. The plan was later reviewed by various administrators within campus community centers, who collaboratively decided on the new role.

Sheri Schwab, vice provost for OIED, said the final decision to choose Gay was from her previous work within the University.

“Dr. Gay’s been part of the OIED team for several years now in the Women’s Center,” Schwab said. “She has a strong programming background, as well as connections with stu-

dents, so she just brings a lot of vision and great connection with the community.”

According to Schwab, the search for a new director began around May, prior to the departure of the previous director in August. With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the interview process considerably, the role of director was empty throughout the beginning of the semester. Interim Director Sachelle Ford stepped in temporarily while the interview process was finishing up.

“We really were looking for a person to come to the role at a very important time,” Schwab said. “Obviously not only from the recent events related to racial equity and anti-Black racism, but also because in a couple years, 2024, will be the 30th anniversary of when the building was named after Dr. Witherspoon.”

For the future of the AACC, Gay said she wants to transition her role towards a more “holistic” approach, highlighting opportunities for students to engage in leadership roles within events and activities, alongside the creation of a scholarship for students looking to go to graduate school. Gay said she hopes the AACC will expand into other parts of the University in the near future, collaborating more with other campus communities and departments.

“The work that we do should not be just

housed within the African American Cultural Center,” Gay said. “We have Black students, Black faculty, Black staff and Black visitors, and

we have other people of color and white folks at our university who need to learn that our liberation is tied to one another.”

RYAN FARISCHON/TECHNICIAN

A shot of the outside of the African American Cultural Center in Witherspoon Student Center on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020.

JAY ENCARNACION-RIVERA/TECHNICIAN

Angela Gay, director of the African American Cultural Center, offers some pointers on posing during the Afro-Futurism photo shoot on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2019. Afro-Futurism is the idea of re-imagining the future through a Black lens, and these photos will be used in a gallery as symbolism to support the idea.

News 4 TECHNICIAN Fall semester COVID-19 trends highlight necessary changes for spring semester THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Amber Detwiler Staff Writer

Julie Casani, director and medical director of Student Health Services, shared COVID-19 trends in the fall semester, indicating an increase in positive cases around Aug.18, with a five-time increase in cases on Aug. 20.

Casani reported 46% of positive cases were in Greek Village and 10% were in other residence halls from testing conducted from July 31 to Sept. 7.

She said cases have dropped off after the closing of University Housing, which she attributes both to a decrease in the spread of COVID-19 and a decrease in testing.

“I knew we would have disease on campus,” Casani said. “What I didn’t expect was this ginormous cluster. This number of people was way beyond any of our expectations as fast as it happened.

I expected this curve to be f latter and more drawn out [...] I don’t think anybody would have risked coming back if we thought we were going to be pivoting as fast as we did. I mean, we pivoted 11 days [into the semester].”

Justine Hollingshead, chief of staff and assistant vice chancellor for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs (DASA), said close to 2,000 students currently live on campus between Greek Village and oncampus residence halls and apartments.

With about 3,000 students indicating interest in returning to campus for the spring semester in “de-densified” living situations as of Oct. 2, Hollingshead said

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

she hopes to increase this number to fill the close to 4,000 spaces that meet these new campus living standards.

“All students that live on campus and students who lived on campus at the start of the fall semester were notified by housing to inquire about their interest in coming back,” Hollingshead said.

“It’s certainly going to be better if students are in single rooms versus sharing a small enclosed space, so that’s why we’ve elected to go with single rooms. And so, Housing has a plan for how they’ll start doing those assignments that hasn’t happened yet.”

Hollingshead said 117 additional bed spaces have been designated for quarantine and isolation after having to utilize the StateView Hotel for several weeks during the height of the outbreak in the fall semester.

“We won’t be putting students in North Hall for occupancy for the semester because we’re going to hold those spaces for quarantine and isolation,” Hollingshead said. “So we’ve increased from 166 bed spaces that we had at the beginning of this semester, between Avent Ferry and E.S. King, to 283 spaces between Avent Ferry and North Hall.”

Casani said there were no documented COVID-19 cases spread through classrooms during the fall semester. She said while changes have been made to housing for the spring, the University could do a better job of understanding and planning for socialization patterns as well as

GRAPHIC BY KYLE HOWE/TECHNICIAN

educating students on the potential health risks associated with COVID-19.

“We expected students to stay in their room and not play, and I think that that was unrealistic,” Casani said. “There’s going to be students who wear their face coverings and stay away from other people in dangerous situations. You’re going to have a bunch of people who just really don’t care, and they’re gonna do what they want to do… What can we offer that majority of people to allow 19- and 20-yearolds to socialize, do what they come to campus for, but do it in a way that’s safe?”

Casani said people are immune for 90 days after testing positive for COVID-19, meaning most of the campus population

that tested positive in the fall will be susceptible again at the start of the spring semester.

“The spring will have the same risks as the fall,” Casani said. “Unless we change our behavior, it’s going to be the same, and nobody wants that... We have to be pretty clear that that might happen. And we have to be pretty clear about what we’re going to do differently so that we don’t go through this crazy disruption that we went through in the fall.”

Hollingshead and Casani said they encourage students to reach out to Student Government or DASA for ideas, suggestions and other input regarding safe campus engagement for the spring semester.

Student Health Services continues to offer biweekly COVID-19 surveillance testing Amber Detwiler Staff Writer

As of Sept. 18, NC State’s Student Health Services has begun offering free COVID-19 surveillance testing every other week for asymptomatic individuals in residence halls and Greek Village, according to Julie Casani, director and medical director of Student Health Services.

Casani said the University has pledged to pay for any testing costs not covered by insurance, but the total funds allocated for these costs are unknown.

“Once we had our big explosion of cases, we realized that we really needed to do more surveillance testing on campus,” Casani said. “Also the technology

changed, so we’re now able to do nasal swabs as opposed to deep nasal swabs or even pharyngeal swabs. And so, people can self-administer the test, and that has cut down the time for administration of the test to seconds.”

Lisa Dolan, medical laboratory supervisor at Student Health Services, said the nasal swab test provided by Student Health is the most accurate available, but timing of the test is important because patients generally take five to seven days after exposure to become infected and test positive.

“With supply and demand and test availability, we’re only allocated a certain number of test kits,” TESTING continued page 5 Dolan said.

COURTESY OF MARY COLE PIKE. PHOTO BY BECKY KIRKLAND

News

TECHNICIAN 5

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

“I’m not sure how t hat w i l l be determined, continued from page 4 who gets the test here versus who gets sent out to a reference lab.... It’s very encouraging if we can get all the test kits that we need eventually.”

Dolan also said Student Health sends COVID-19 tests to LabCorp for processing and receives results back within two to four days. Student Health has also recently installed an analyzer capable of performing molecular COVID-19 tests on campus with same-day turnaround.

From the start of the fall semester to Sept. 18, 11,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered on campus, according to Casani. She said testing is divided into five cohorts: Student Health patients and the mobile lab (which makes up 19% of testing by the University), cluster health surveillance (34%), the Wolfpack Surveillance Program (9%), athletics health surveillance (37%) and residence hall and Greek Village surveillance (1%).

Casani also said while testing is still offered at Student Health, they are not testing as much as earlier in the semester, especially at surveillance testing sites, including mobile lab and the residence hall surveillance programs. She said this is partly due to students moving off campus, but also because students choose to get tested at locations other than Student Health.

“Students don’t want to come get tested [at Student Health] because they think

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

TESTING

we’re going to put them in isolation and quarantine,” Casani said. “They think that if they go get tested, like in Walgreens, that we’re not going to know about it, but we are going to know about it, and in fact, the county is going to put you in isolation, and they actually have more muscle than

we do.”

Casani said she wishes more students would get tested at Student Health because the University provides resources for students who are moved into isolation and quarantine, such as contact notification and medical support if conditions worsen.

COURTESY OF MARY COLE PIKE. PHOTO BY BECKY KIRKLAND

“It can seem like punishment, but it’s really not,” Casani said. “It’s all about the community… It actually makes me sad, and it makes me nervous that students aren’t coming and getting tested at Student Health.”

RYAN FARISCHON/TECHNICIAN

COURTESY OF MARY COLE PIKE. PHOTO BY BECKY KIRKLAND

A volunteer holds up a vial and an unopened cotton swab in the tent outside of Student Health Services at NC State University on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. These items are used for COVID-19 testing, and NC State has been providing free testing for students, staff and faculty.

Opinion

6 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

DUELING COLUMNS The 2020 presidential debate had a significant impact on voters With the 2020 presidential election right around the corner, the biggest question is: Who are you voting for?

As members of some of the most crucial voting Caitlyn groups during this elecMahoney Staff Columnist tion, we are being bombarded with political ads, emails and face-to-face questions.

Televised presidential debates are supposed to be one of the main contributing factors to our decision, but do debates really influence how we vote?

Normally, debates don’t have a significant effect on voters, but Trump’s annoying and inexcusable behavior during the first presidential debate of 2020 significantly swayed voters towards his opponent.

Noah Winberry, a fifth-year studying applied education studies and history, sat down with me to talk about the debate. After watching the debate in its entirety, Winberry said there were several times where Trump’s actions and comments left him speechless.

“The comment about the Proud Boys, the ‘Stand back and stand by’ comment was — I don’t even know what to say about that,” Winberry said. “My jaw literally dropped while I was sitting on the couch.”

Viewers all across the nation had similar reactions to Donald Trump’s comments and behaviors from the debate. According to a poll by CBS News, 69% of Americans found the debate annoying and 83% said it had a negative tone that they disliked. Similarly, CBS News’ debate analysis called the 90-minute debate “a chaotic series of bitter exchanges and name-calling” that was full of “unfounded accusations.”

Similarly, a post-debate poll done by CBS News found that 42% of Americans thought worse of Donald Trump after the debate because of his actions.

Comparative, only 24% of Americans thought better of him and 34% didn’t change their mind. This means that more Americans thought worse of Donald Trump after the debate than anything else.

A key moment that influenced many voters’ opinions about the candidates

was when President Trump targeted Joe Biden’s family instead of his platform.

“When he made a show of pretending to confuse Joe Biden’s sons so that he could talk s--- about Joe Biden’s son that had drug and alcohol problems after his mother and brother were killed in a car accident, that was unacceptable to me,” Winberry said.

Most of us will agree that the most recent presidential debate was chaotic and annoying and filled with unacceptable behaviors from both candidates, but were people’s opinions really swayed by the debate?

Ask yourself this: Was your opinion on a candidate swayed or reinforced by what you saw during the debate or afterwards as you read the highlights?

According to polls conducted by Real Clear Politics, from September 2019 to Oct. 6, 2020, support for Joe Biden rose from 49% to 51% after the presidential debate, while support for Donald Trump declined. Typically, only about 3% of voters are swayed in total during a political debate. However, after the most recent debate, voter opinions changed significantly as the behaviors of the presidential candidates helped undecided voters make up their minds.

This can have a significant impact on who wins the election.

Think about North Carolina for a moment. We are typically a swing state.

As of Oct. 5, Joe Biden was ahead in the North Carolina general election presidential polls by only a few points.

Even if only a small percentage of those polled throughout the country changed their minds after the debate, that is still enough to drastically change the polling numbers and solidify a candidate’s position in swing states like North Carolina.

Even though the statistics may not seem very large, the 2020 presidential debate did have a significant impact on voters’ opinions on the candidates and resulted in Donald Trump losing support. His actions were unjustifiable, inexcusable and outright annoying. Now it is up to us, the most significant voting blocks in the 2020 presidential election, to take what we learned from the presidential debates and vote in November.

The 2020 presidential debate was an ineffective mess I think we can a ll ag ree t hat t he f irst presidential debate of 2020 was a disaster. It was nothing more than two grown men fighting like toddlers, while Destry the preschool teacher Adams Staff Columnist was failing to calm everyone down.

What is more disappointing than not seeing our presidential candidates acting like adults, is it was completely pointless; the debate did not change anyone’s mind about who to vote for.

My colleague, Caitlyn Mahoney, argues that Trump’s poor performance during the debate will help people realize he is not qualified to be president and vote for Biden. I do agree that Biden won the debate, but not because he was a better orator. With Trump’s constant interruptions, attacks on the debate moderator Chris Wallace and Biden’s family and his refusal to condemn white supremacy, anyone would look presidential next to him.

Many surveys conducted after the debate already showed that not many people were swayed on who to vote for. A survey by CBS showed that 17% of participants found the debate informative, compared to 69% of those that found the debate annoying. Plus, when the recipients were asked to rate each candidate’s qualities before and after the debate, there was little to no change among the participants.

Another survey by NPR reported most undecided voters were still unsure who to vote for. While the general consensus was that Biden did a better job, they were upset that neither candidate clarified their positions on certain policies and issues.

To put it in more perspective, here are some students who watched the debate and remained unchanged on who they will vote for.

Keerthana Prasad, a fourth-year studying electrical engineering and business administration, says her decision on who to vote for didn’t change after watching the debate.

“I always had Biden in my mind, and going through this debate and watching Trump in a way he acted and kind

of attacked [Biden’s] late son and attacked his values just didn’t sit well with me,” Prasad said. “I don’t think that is something you should do as a politician in general and kind of just reinforced that Biden was a better option.”

Dmitri McK inney, a t hird-year study ing chemistr y and politica l science and a volunteer in the Biden campaign, said the debate strengthened his decision to vote for Biden.

“I really do think that the vice president did a very good job of making sure to talk to the American people,” McKinney said. “And not just by talking at the camera, but by showing he is engaging in the conversations that we’re having all across the United States.”

While rhetoric and performance are important in a presidential debate, many people are interested in what policies a candidate will implement.

Biden and Trump are arguing why they are the best person to lead the country, so we need to know what they will do as a leader. But if they can’t do that on a national stage, then the whole debate was pointless.

Most people already know who they are going to vote for in the elections.

An article by NBC, written before the debate, reported that around 90% of people knew who they were going to vote for, and seven out of 10 people said a presidential debate wouldn’t change their mind. Seeing the response from the first debate, it is possible that this information remains relevant.

It makes sense. We are living in very unstable times. With pressing matters such as COVID-19, racial injustice, the economy and the environment, most people are informed enough on these issues to make a stance. We all know what Trump thinks, and we all know what Biden believes.

Are there some people, including Republicans, that will vote for Biden af ter Trump’s poor performance?

Yes; however, they don’t make up the majority of people in this election.

This debate did nothing to convince us and, I would argue, even further solidifies us in our chosen candidates.

TECHNICIAN 7

Opinion TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Effective Suicide Prevention is more than just QPR training Su icide Prevent ion Mont h is over, which means we will no longer see Instagram posts advising people on different ways to reach out to friends if they are in need Skye or messages urging you to take time off for self-care Sarac Staff Columnist or to seek out a therapist.

Fortunately, NC State still offers QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) trainings to educate students, faculty and staff on recognizing the signs of suicide, which includes facilitated dialogue to help students become more comfortable with talking to friends who may be contemplating suicide.

A few months ago, I went to a virtual QPR training for the first time. While I found it especially useful for starting the conversation surrounding suicide, the problem with QPR trainings, and suicide prevention in general, is that it tends to stop at the “refer” part. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 0.9 % of college students attempt sucide each year.

While this may seem like a small number, the lack of resources and education for students who do attempt suicide is shocking.

The problem with suicide prevention messages is that most are directed at

the students who may be considering suicide or have suicidal thoughts but not the 1% who have already attempted.

This is problematic because, oftentimes, students who attempt suicide do not just magically return to a state of mental wellbeing. While some students may transfer or drop out of school following an incomplete attempt, many continue going to school and participating in academic and campus life, but they may still be experiencing suicidal ideation.

There is an analogy which describes the problem with suicide prevention messages: Most target the “upstream” population, which refers to the majority of people who may struggle with mental illness but are unlikely to attempt suicide, while neglecting the “downstream” population, who are most at risk of suicide. Messages like “it gets better” and “you’re not alone” are all important for everyone to hear, but, as I’ve discovered from personal and secondhand experiences, these messages are not very helpful for someone who has already made a plan for ending their life.

Usually, when a student goes to the Counseling Center for a walk-in appointment, the counselor will help them make a safety plan. A safety plan consists of triggers, such as what kinds of things contribute to or increase their suicidal thoughts; coping skills, or things they

can do in the moment to return to a calmer state; as well as steps to take if the crisis becomes too severe. For students who already have a safety plan, it makes sense to practice implementing their safety plan to prevent a future suicide attempt.

This is where QPR training and other forms of outreach can really be helpful.

We need to support at-risk students in following and using their safety plans, as well as give information to friends, roommates, resident advisers and anyone who might come into contact with these students so that they can be of help the best they can. We need to do more to support students who have already attempted suicide or who have been hospitalized for psychiatric reasons.

In this virtual world, that could mean giving students support on creating an in-depth safety plan that involves friends and family members. It could also mean providing information sessions on means reduction, which has proven to be most effective in preventing suicide among those with acute ideation. It could be helpful to designate QPR training specifically for friends of students who have been hospitalized, as paper support is critical in preventing future attempts.

We also need to do more as a community to remove the stigma around hospitalization. I found it a little strange that

Construction at NC State

Patrick Delaney, a fourth-year studying English

hospitalization was not mentioned at all during the QPR training.

The problem with suicide prevention on campus, and in general, is that targeting the general population takes away time and resources that could be spent addressing the unique needs of the students who are most at risk. Of course, self-care, destigmatizing mental illness and learning to talk to your friends about suicide is important for everyone to know about. However, addressing only the “upstream” population leaves out those who are the most vulnerable and actually furthers the stigma around severe mental illness and psychiatric hospitalization by pushing these issues aside.

While I think everyone should go to a QPR training, this is only the bare minimum. To effectively prevent suicide, we need to understand the difference between passive and active suicidal ideation and how to recognize the signs of both.

For those who do experience suicidal ideation or know someone who does, it is important to know about involuntary commitment versus voluntary commitment, and have a plan for what steps you will need to take if you choose to go to hospital. While suicide prevention messages and QPR training are great, they only address the surface of the problem; helping the most vulnerable requires all of us to do a little bit more.

Arts & Entertainment

8 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

Return of the Pack… apalooza

THE UNIVERSITY LOST NO MONEY AFTER PACKAPALOOZA CANCELLATION

Sally Parker Correspondent

Packapalooza, a popular NC State tradition that began in 2012, was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made the annual festival tradition largely unworkable as an event. But what happens to the vendors and performers that Packapalooza books every year to increase the festival’s profile?

The event usually involves many vendors lining Hillsborough Street to serve a large crowd of students and community members. The day normally culminates in a concert by the Belltower with fireworks.

However, with Gov. Cooper’s COVID-19 restrictions and the community standards put in place by university administration, there was no way for this event to feasibly exist in the same form.

According to Justine Hollingshead, chief of staff and assistant vice chancellor for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs and Packapalooza planning team chairperson, the possibility of disruptions due to COVID-19 were already being considered in January, and as registrations from various vendors started to come in, billing was held off.

“We went into a holding pattern for months, really, because it took us until March to say, ‘Well gosh, we need to shift to online’,” Hollingshead said. “Then, it really looked like it was going to impact the event itself, but we didn’t make the decision, as you know, until late April into early May to officially cancel the event.”

Ultimately, Packapalooza didn’t have to refund any money to various vendors or performers because no money had been collected due to initial caution about the virus.

Hollingshead said the projected budget for the entirety of Packapalooza this year was

SARAH COCHRAN/TECHNICIAN

Emerson Kasopsky holds a violin while Department of Music member Caroline Heathcoat teaches him how to play during Packapalooza on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 on Hillsborough Street. The 2019 Packapalooza event is a continuation of NC State’s annual block-party tradition to ring in the new school year with vendors, artists, live performances, food and giveaways.

$284,000. “[$248,000] is pretty cheap when you consider how many people attend the event,” Hollingshead said.

In planning for a future Packapalooza event, Hollingshead said much of the funding for Packapalooza comes through fundraising and money raised by NC State clubs and alumni.

“We have spread the costs out across campus, with the different colleges, student [organizations], [Inter-Residence Council], Student Government, [University Activities Board], Alumni Association for student ambassadors, are the big student orgs that contribute money to the event,” Hollingshead said.

The NC State alumni often play an important role in events like Packapalooza, which the school holds because they are not only the primary source of funds for many events but the target audience for many university events as well. The expenses that come from alumni and families of NC State students coming to Raleigh makes Packapalooza not just a financial success for the vendors of Packpalooza, but the city of Raleigh as whole. Hollingshead said Packapalooza has a significant impact on the local economy.

“We’re helping the economy and the city of Raleigh, spending over half a million dollars,” Hollingshead said. “So when the University says that it’s an economic driver to help stimulate the economy and to impact

the economy, it’s events like Packapalooza that help to do that. It’s a great way to start the school year for students and help give back to the community.”

Jeff Murison, president and CEO of LiveItUp! Hillsborough Street, expanded on Packapalooza’s impact on the economy as well as other events that the University puts on.

“As the community’s cheerleading organization that we are, LiveItUp! Hillsborough Street, we actively participate in the planning of the special events that happen on the corridor, whether that is Packapalooza, the Red & White Homecoming Weekend Parade, the Krispy Kreme Challenge, other events like that, like the City of Oaks Marathon,” Murison said. “We engage in the planning process for those events to help make sure that they execute well, that they have minimal disruption to the normal flow of business on the street and a maximum amount of engagement with the community and provide as much return on investment as possible.”

Hollingshead said LiveItUp! Hillsborough Street has collected data about how much money and time the average person spends at Packapalooza.

“The average person spends about $11 and stays at the event for three and a half to four hours,” Hollingshead said.

While the University and many businesses have transferred their services online, Hollingshead said she is confident Packapalooza will return.

“We had paid our application fee to the city of Raleigh for the event, and they transferred that over to 2021 for us,” Hollingshead said. “So we have that date on hold, and our application is already submitted.

We’re just waiting for good news.”

TECHNICIAN 9 Arts & Entertainment Who’s Who at Student Media: Agromeck Editor-in-Chief Cameron Motsinger THE RADAR TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

Abbie-Davies Cutting

Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

Meet Cameron Motsinger, a thirdyear studying English, who, since May of this year, has been working in her role as editor-in-chief for NC State’s official yearbook, Agromeck.

Motsinger said, after being involved in the yearbook for three years of high school and holding the position of editorin-chief her junior and senior year, she knew as soon as she got to NC State that she wanted to be involved with Agromeck.

“I joined my freshman year as a designer, and I just worked as a designer and then applied to be design editor at the end of my freshman year,” Motsinger said. “Being design editor last year, I got really close with everyone on staff and applied to be editor-in-chief in January of this year.”

After being hired in February and officially moving into her role in May of this year, Motsinger said the new role has allowed her to oversee far more administrative matters than she did in her role as design editor. She spends a lot more time thinking about bigger picture projects, like recruiting and content generation.

According to Motsinger, she was inspired to apply for editor-in-chief because she felt she had the qualifications

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

to take the lead and leave a lasting impression on NC State through her book, but she also feels an even deeper connection to the yearbook.

“I applied because I’m an English major, I worked as a designer and I felt like I had all the components required in order to be editor-in-chief, with my knowledge of writing and designing,” Motsinger said. “Also, my dad works for Lifetouch photography, which is a school photography company, and I did yearbook in high school, so it is kind of something that is so ingrained in me. I’ve never been without yearbook.”

With COVID-19 creating a less-thantypical school year, Motsinger was left with the unique responsibility of documenting the NC State experience during a pandemic. She said this has been challenging because, in addition to fewer events happening physically on campus, most of the work on the book is being completed remotely. However, despite the challenges, Motsinger said she is hopeful and excited.

“Agromeck is an amazing organization to get involved with because we are a historical document for the University, first and foremost, so I want to portray it like it was,” Motsinger said. “One of my favorite things is the archive room and going through all the old yearbooks and being able to imagine what it was like

to go to NC State in 1960-something or whatever. I want people years from now to be able to look back and remember coronavirus.”

Motsinger said this year, more than ever, she has found it important to step back from her studies and work for a period of time, simply to get away from the screen. When Motsinger isn’t in the office or studying, you may find her in the park, walking with her wiener dog and her sister. In fact you may find her with far more wiener dogs than that, as she organizes a wiener dog meet-up group in her spare time.

“The most interesting, or I guess weird thing, about me is I am crazy about wiener dogs,” Motsinger said. “I have two, and me and my sister run an NC wiener meet-up group, so we have groups in Raleigh and are trying to start one in the [North Carolina] Triad, which is where we are from, and we have one in Charlotte, which is exciting. So, we like to go to parks and have themes, and there will be 20-plus wiener dogs at these events.”

Looking back over her time at Agromeck as well as forward, as her role as editor-in-chief continues, Motsinger is thankful for the opportunity to leave her legacy through Volume 119 of NC State’s Agromeck.

Events to keep an eye on for the week of October 8th

ANGELA SAINI: THE LEGACY OF SCIENTIFIC RACISM Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT Free

Independent British science journalist Angela Saini will be discussing her new book, “Superior: The Return of Race Science.” The book focuses on the history and lingering effects of racist pseudoscience.

UNIDAS CONTRA (UNITED AGAINST) HIV/AIDS Monday, Oct. 12, 6 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT Free

Pi Chi, a predominantly Latinx sorority, the GLBT Center and the Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina are partnering for a night to spread information about the awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

MY JOURNEY: A VIRTUAL EXPRESSIVE ARTS WORKSHOP FOR SURVIVORS Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT Free

The Counseling Center and Women’s Center are partnering for this Domestic Violence Awareness Month program. This event is open to survivors of interpersonal violence and will focus on therapeutic expressive arts.

MUSIC DECADES TRIVIA NIGHT Tuesday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT Free

University Activities Board is hosting an event to test your knowledge of music throughout the decades. Participants may compete with a team they already know, a random team or by themself. You must register at least three hours in advance.

COURTESY OF CAMERON MOTSINGER

Sports

10 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

NC State football travels for major test against solid Virginia squad Rachel Bilenki

Senior Sports Writer

After last Saturday’s underdog win against Pittsburgh, NC State currently sits 2-1 in the ACC. While Saturday’s performance gave Wolfpack fans hope for football again after the tough Virginia Tech loss, the Pack’s up-and-down performances will leave this matchup close. In its third straight away game, the Pack will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia to face the Cavaliers at noon this Saturday.

NC State football (2-1, 2-1 ACC) has already played three games this season, with nail-biting wins against Wake Forest and Pitt. However, the devastating loss to Virginia Tech leaves Wolfpack nation questioning the football team’s consistency. The two wins came when the Pack’s quarterbacks were able to perform. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary’s stellar performance against Pitt grabbed the Pack a last-minute upset win. With four scoring throws, Leary proved himself as No. 1 on the depth chart, but can he do it again?

Virginia will be heading into this matchup standing 1-1, with a win over Duke and dropping a loss to Clemson. As the reigning champions of the ACC Coastal Division, the Cavaliers are a veteran team, with a majority of their starters being upperclassmen and graduates. Their seniority and experience shines through in their offensive line,

with Virginia only giving up an average of two sacks per game.

“They are very sound,” head coach Dave Doeren said in his weekly press conference Monday. “They are big. They remind you of a Big Ten team when you look at how big they are. They’re strong.”

Although the Cavaliers fell to No.1 Clemson last Saturday, their respectable performance displays true talent and ability to grab a win against the Wolfpack. Accumulating 417 yards against Clemson’s defense, the Virginia offense has become the first ACC team to total 400-plus yards on Clemson since NC State in 2017.

Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong poses a threat to NC State’s developing defense. Passing an impressive 270 yards as well as three touchdowns at Clemson, Armstrong has been the only to do so since 2000.

Armstrong is currently averaging 337.5 offensive yards per game, which ranks him as No.1 in the ACC and No. 8 in the nation.

“Offensively, like with every offense, things are going to be by the QB,” Doeren said. “When he’s playing well, they’re playing well.”

NC State has the opportunity to continue to improve and beat the odds against them.

Senior receiver Emeka Emezie, the hero of the victory over Pitt, tallied seven catches and two touchdowns last game, totaling 101 yards. With such a strong performance,

Austin Dunlow A&E Editor Record: 26-14 Rank: T-3

Rachael Davis Editor-in-Chief Record: 31-9 Rank: 1

Will Thornhill Sports Writer Record: 24-16 Rank: 9

NC State at Virginia

Virginia

Virginia

NC State

NC State

Louisville at Georgia Tech

Louisville

Louisville

Louisville

Florida

Florida

No. 22 Texas vs.

Oklahoma

Texas

No. 19 Virginia Tech at No. 8 UNC

NICK FAULKNER/TECHNICIAN

Sophomore wide receiver Emeka Emezie celebrates after scoring the first Wolfpack touchdown. Emezie had five receptions for 90 yards during the 35-21 win over Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Carter-Finley Stadium.

Emezie will be a go-to receiver for Leary heading to Virginia.

Even with a strong performance against Pitt, the defensive line may have a hard time against this Virginia offense. With Armstrong only being sacked four times total, three against Clemson, predict very few sacks and a struggle for the Wolfpack defense.

Heading into the game as an underdog,

Rachel Bilenki Senior Sports Writer Record: 25-15 Rank: T-5

Tristan Tucker Asst. Sports Editor Record: 27-13 Rank: 2

Virginia

Virginia

Virginia

NC State

Virginia

Virginia

Louisville

Louisville

Louisville

Louisville

Louisville

Louisville

Louisville

Florida

Florida

Florida

Florida

Florida

Florida

Florida

Florida

Texas

Oklahoma

Texas

Texas

Oklahoma

Texas

Texas

Oklahoma

Texas

UNC

UNC

Virginia Tech

UNC

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

UNC

UNC

Virginia Tech

Duke at Syracuse

Syracuse

Duke

Duke

Duke

Syracuse

Syracuse

Duke

Syracuse

Syracuse

Duke

No. 14 Tennessee at No. 3 Georgia

Georgia

Georgia

Georgia

Tennessee

Georgia

Georgia

Georgia

Georgia

Georgia

Georgia

Pittsburgh at Boston College

Pittsburgh

Boston College

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Boston College

Pittsburgh

Boston College

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Kansas State at TCU

Kansas State

TCU

Kansas State

Kansas State

TCU

Kansas State

TCU

TCU

TCU

TCU

No. 7 Miami at No. 1 Clemson

Clemson

Clemson

Clemson

Tennessee

Clemson

Clemson

Clemson

Clemson

Clemson

Clemson

No. 4 Florida at No. 21 Texas A&M

Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen Alicia Thomas Opinion Editor Managing Editor Record: 25-15 Record: 26-14 Rank: T-5 Rank: T-3

the Wolfpack will have to show up and perform if it wants to walk away with another road win. With a threatening offense and lots of depth, Virginia will without a doubt give this NC State team a hard time. But even with an upset last week, it may not be enough to break Virginia’s nine-game winning streak at home.

Prediction: Virginia 41 - NC State 34

Nicholas Schnittker Camden Speight Asst. Sports Editor Sports Editor Record: 25-15 Record: 25-15 Rank: T-5 Rank: T-5

Jaylan Harrington Multimedia Managing Editor Record: 23-17 Rank: 10

Sports

TECHNICIAN 11

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Wolfpack Wager: Pack covers 9.5 among three ACC matchups Camden Speight Sports Editor

After two weeks of 1-2 Wolfpack Wager records, it’s time to get back on track with a winning week. NC State has all the momentum and looks to upset Virginia this weekend, as does Georgia Tech, but Louisville might be too much to handle, and in one of the top ACC games of the year, Clemson and Miami will surely slow down their scoring in South Carolina.

NC State at Virginia (-9.5) (Total: 60.5) I certainly don’t want to attempt to ride the NC State football wagon just yet, considering I don’t fully trust the offense to continue to perform like it did against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, but 10 points seems too high.

Clemson’s Travis Etienne ran for 73 yards and added another 114 in the air against Virginia last week. As correspondent Kevin Sebastian said in his NC State offense preview, sophomore Zonovan Knight and junior Ricky Person Jr. are not Etienne, but they should be effective enough to put up numbers against the Cavaliers.

All NC State needs to do is to be effective on the ground, and it should open up the field enough for redshirt sophomore Devin Leary to do his thing and have a similar game to his 336-yard, four-touchdown performance last Saturday against the Panthers.

On the other side of the ball, Virginia has dual-threat quarterback Brennan

Armstrong, the team’s second-leading rusher, who threw for 270 and 269 yards in two games. The Pack will struggle a little bit to contain him in the pocket, but he shouldn’t throw it by the secondary too often. Just as important for the Wolfpack, Armstrong has thrown two interceptions in each of his first two games.

This should be a close game to the end, and NC State has a lot of momentum after a huge win last week — if you believe in that sort of thing.

Pick: NC State +9.5 Louisville (-4) at Georgia Tech (Total: 64) After a hot start from Georgia Tech, or at least however hot you want to call a three-point win over Florida State to start the season, the Yellow Jackets have fallen in back-to-back weeks to UCF and Syracuse. The UCF loss is understandable, but losing 37-20 to an Orange team that looked miserable against UNC and Pittsburgh, tells me this team can’t consistently compete this year.

Louisville, on the other hand, is also 1-2, with a season-opening win vs. Western Kentucky and consecutive losses to Miami and Pitt. The Cardinals kept both of those losses close against two of the more difficult ACC opponents, so they should be out for blood this weekend.

Against Pitt, Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham threw three interceptions and was sacked seven times by a Pitt defense that had 17 sacks through the first

GRAPHIC BY JOE LINGO

three games. Georgia Tech averages two sacks per game but certainly won’t put as much pressure on Cunningham as the Panthers did. Limit the turnovers, and Louisville wins it easily.

Pick: Louisville -4 Miami at Clemson (-14) (Total: 63.5) This should be an interesting game, with Clemson getting its first big test of the season against Miami, the second-best team it has on the schedule behind Notre Dame. It’s no surprise the Tigers are 3-0, out-scoring their opponents 127-36, but Miami is having a similar 3-0 season, outscoring opponents 130-58.

This game might be a little closer than 14 points, but I think that will better serve the total points scored in this game. The Hurricanes are averaging 43.3 points, just above Clemson’s 42.3 average, but both offenses will surely trip a couple times against better defenses.

The last two times these two teams faced each other, Clemson has dominated: 38-3 in 2017 and 58-0 in 2015. If nothing else, at least recent history is on the side of the under, even with what is probably a better Miami offense.

Pick: Under 63.5 Last week, I went 1-2 by hitting the over in the NC State-Pitt game, but Navy and Virginia Tech failed to cover the spread.

Wolfpack Wager 2020 Record: 2-4 Will Thornhill: 1-2 Camden Speight: 1-2

Disclaimer: Gambling is a form of entertainment and can become addictive. If you think you have developed a problem, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700.

Pack men’s soccer still seeks first win in Duke rematch Bryan Pyrtle Correspondent

The NC State men’s soccer team is still looking for its first win of the season in its home opener, Friday at 8 p.m. against Duke.

The Wolfpack (0-2, 0-2 ACC) already had a previous matchup with the Blue Devils (1-2, 1-1 ACC) this season, which saw Duke score the winning goal in the second half of extra time. It will also be looking to bounce back from its previous match, a 4-1 loss at No. 1 Wake Forest Oct. 3.

Given that NC State has been outscored 5-1 so far this season, the Pack will look to improve on the goal-scoring front. The lone NC State goal scored this season was a rebound scored by junior defender Alex Bautista off a penalty kick taken by redshirt sophomore midfielder AJ Seals against Wake Forest.

This lack of scoring matches the lack of shooting quality. NC State only mustered one shot on goal out of nine shots taken in its previous match against Duke.

A few names are in the conversation as to whose play will boost the Pack’s offensive production. Freshman forward Pau Palacin produced the only shot on goal against Duke last time, but Seals and freshman midfielder Tal Segev have also been key parts of the attack in this young season.

Nick Pariano scored the game-winner for Duke in the previous matchup, but six different Duke players took shots in that match, so their goals could come from practically anyone on the pitch.

Pariano’s goal to beat the Wolfpack was also the only shot on goal by the Blue Devils, so Duke also had a somewhat sporadic attack in that match. The Wolfpack’s goalkeeper, redshirt junior Leon Krapf, will be looking to stifle the Duke attack altogether and prevent another close loss.

The matchup, which looks to be pretty even, will take place Friday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. No fans will be allowed at Dail Soccer Field, but the game will be available on the ACC Network. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for live updates during the game.

JESSE CHILDS/TECHNICIAN

Sophomore goalkeeper Leon Krapf kicks the ball downfield against James Madison University on Tuesday, Oct. 2 2018 at Dail Soccer Field. The game went into overtime and ended in a draw 0-0. Krapf had 4 saves.

12 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

Sports TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

Classified

TECHNICIAN 13

To place a classified ad, call 919.515.2411 or visit technicianonline.com/classifieds

HELP WANTED Sales and marketing team members NC State Student Media has paid and volunteer positions available for full-time NC State Students. The positions available are advertising sales, graphic design, social media developers and influencers, on-campus ambassadors, writers, djs, and other similar positions.

- NC State Student Media includes the following media outlets: - Agromeck - yearbook - Nubian Message - biweekly newspaper and website serving NC States Black students - Technician - weekly newspaper and daily online reporting on news, sports, arts and entertainment and commentary of interest to the NC State community - WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 - student-run, non-commercial radio broadcasting indie rock, hip-hop, metal and electronic music - Windhover - annual literary, visual and musical arts publication representing students, faculty, staff and alumni To get involved or learn more, fill out the form at https://studentmedia.dasa.ncsu.edu/jointheteam/ You can also leave a message at 919-515-2411.

We look forward to meeting you and having you join our team, which normally includes about 300 students. There is a place for everyone.

Answers to Last Issue’s Sudoku