The Sex Edition — Technician 2/10/22

TECHNICIAN F EB RU ARY 10, 2022

THE SEX EDITION

VOL . 102 | NO. 20

News TECHNICIAN 3 Know your resources: Sexual health, consent key components of 2022 Valentine’s Day TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, it’s important that students know the resources available to them on campus, as well as the events going on around campus that pertain to sexual health and well-being.

Both the GLBT Center and Women’s Center offer services to students, and there are plenty of others around campus.

GLBT Center Open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Monday through Friday in Talley Student Union One of the most important spaces for students to have on hand is the GLBT Center, located on the fifth floor of Talley in room 5230. The GLBT Center offers a space for all students to relax, do homework, check out books and obtain safe-sex supplies.

“One of the awesome things about the GLBT Center is that we have the widest range of safer sex supplies on campus,” said Andy DeRoin, the assistant director of the GLBT Center. “That includes external condoms with latex, external condoms without latex, internal condoms that are never made with latex and gloves, dental dams, which … I don’t know if a lot of people were ever taught about dental dams — I didn’t know about it until college for sure — it’s basically a piece of non-latex material you can use to cover an area, oftentimes for oral stimulation.”

According to DeRoin, the GLBT Center also offers gloves for manual stimulation, which can be used if a partner has a cut on their hand that they don’t wish to get infected. The GLBT Center also offers a wide variety of lubes for students to take, depending on the student’s preference for taste or composition.

Another facet of the GLBT Center is the library where students can check out books on sexual health, identity and relationships.

According to DeRoin, students can come in and check out books during regular business hours of the GLBT Center Monday through Friday of each week.

“We have expanded our library to include a book on almost every single intersection of identity,” DeRoin said. “So there’s something in there basically for everyone, at least around gender and sexuality. And the cool thing about that is that you can have some books that are a little bit more on the ‘how-to’ side of relationships and so we’ve got some really cool things that really talk about healthy lesbian relationships and just healthy sexuality and communication and physical and non-physical relationships.

We’ve got books about how to have romantic relationships that don’t involve sex.”

Student advocate program: Consent in

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daily life Feb. 14, 4 p.m., Talley Student Union This workshop, hosted by the GLBT Center, will focus on daily interactions in and out of sexual situations, as well as interactions that relate to consent. The program will teach students how to define consent and the importance of knowing when consent is given. Students can register for this event on the GLBT Center’s website.

“The whole point is to think about consent outside of sexual relationships,” DeRoin said. “Because that’s most of the narrative that we’re taught. And so what does consent look like in friendships? Or budding romantic relationships? All those things are important to consider. … Folks can just stop in or they can register for it in REPORTER.” Students can contact the GLBT Center at glbtcenter@ncsu.edu and visit its website at https://diversity.ncsu.edu/glbt/, where students can learn more about and register for select events.

Women’s Center Open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Monday through Friday in Talley Student Union The Women’s Center at NC State, located on the fifth floor of Talley in room 5210, is another important space for students to have access to. Every professional member of the Women’s Center is trained to help with crisis management. According to the organization’s website, the Women’s Center can offer support in person or remotely.

The Movement Peer Educators One of the key facets of the Women’s Center is The Movement, a peer educator group that organizes workshops throughout the year, as well as education around consent.

The Movement is open to any students who are interested in applying.

Michelle Burden, a fourth-year studying psychology, is the director of events for The Movement and is helping organize the center’s Valentine’s Day events.

“We’re a club, but you can also have some paid positions in it if you apply,” Burden said. “Our leadership team is all seniors right now, so we’ll all be graduating, so we need some new people to fill in those positions. Basically, you can apply to join and then you have to go through trainings because obviously, it’s very sensitive stuff.

But the trainings are super easy, super fun and after that, you’re done.”

Some of The Movement’s workshops include Consent 101 and Healthy Relationships 101, the latter of which is set for March 3. The Movement also will teach students about Title IX tentatively set for April, and Burden is working on a workshop for survivors of color, set for March 9.

Candy, Condoms and Consent Feb. 14, 10 a.m., Talley Student Union

On Valentine’s Day, The Movement will host Candy, Condoms and Consent, where students can learn about the importance of consent, get free candy and play games.

According to Burden and The Movement’s website, students can also request information about on- or off-campus resources available to survivors.

“Basically we’ll just have some tables set up in the Talley lobby area and people can come up and learn about The Movement,” Burden said. “They can grab some safesex supplies; we’ve got like dental dams, condoms, latex-free condoms, female condoms and lube. We also have candy, and we have a wheel they can spin and they can choose a number off of it, which correlates to a sheet we have, and they can play some consent trivia. It’s just an opportunity for students to learn about consent and get some safe-sex supplies that they can use at their leisure.”

According to Burden, Candy, Condoms and Consent also happens in the fall semester, around Halloween.

Students can visit the Women’s Center’s website at https://diversity.ncsu.edu/womens-center/, where students can learn more about and register for select events.

Other resources The Student Health Center provides a bevy of resources to students outside of routine checkups and doctor appointments. For starters, Student Health offers gynecology services for students in need of routine gynecological care, as well as pregnancy testing, contraceptives and emergency contraception.

Student Health also offers express sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings as part of its primary care services. STI testing at Student Health consists of gonorrhea at all sites of sex and chlamydia, as well as

blood tests for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis.

According to Student Health’s website, patients wanting to get tested must not have any symptoms of an STI, must not have been exposed to anyone with an STI and not be recent survivors of sexual assault (within the last three months).

According to Student Health’s website, students that wish to partake in express screenings can log into the HealthyPack Portal, go to the forms tab and complete the STI Express Questionnaire.

Another important resource for students to learn is the various hotlines available.

For survivors of sexual violence, dating violence, stalking or other gender-based violence, the sexual assault phone line is available 24/7, 365 days a year. You can reach the sexual assault phone line at 919515-4444.

NC State’s Counseling Center can be reached at 919-515-2423 all hours of the day and can offer individual or group sessions to aid survivors. InterAct is located near campus and is a 24-hour support line that can include short-term counseling, support groups and more to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Solace Center, located at InterAct of Wake County on 1012 Oberlin Road, is a specialty site that offers forensic kits for survivors of sexual assault. The Solace Center offers evidence for police to begin their investigation if the survivor so chooses.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 800-656-4673.

NC State offers even more services and facilities for survivors of gender-based violence and sexual assault. More details about the aforementioned services, as well as many others, can be found at https://protectthepack.dasa.ncsu.edu/sexual-assault/.

ADARSH PUVVADI RAMAMOHAN KUMAR/ARCHIVE

Anna Christopher, a second year graduate student studying social work, sits at the GLBT Center in Talley Student Union on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018. The GLBT Center is an active community for GLBT and allied students, staff, faculty and alumni.

News 4 TECHNICIAN So you think you can date? What students have to say about dating on a college campus THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

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Ben Ellis

Senior Sports Writer

Along with challenging schoolwork, applying for jobs and internships, getting involved in extracurricular activities and maintaining an active social life, college students must also navigate dating.

For many, college is the time to find someone you like, spend time together and create a lasting relationship. However, that’s much easier said than done.

To date, or not to date

For a variety of reasons, plenty of college students said they are not dating anyone and are not seeking a relationship.

Sam Vansant, a first-year studying paper science and chemical engineering, is not dating anyone, choosing instead to focus on his schoolwork.

“The major thing is I just want to focus on my major and getting through what I need to get through with classes and things I want to involve myself in,” Vansant said.

“People are always gonna be there, but this opportunity in front of me is not. I want to take advantage of the moment.”

Kendal Quinlan, a fourth-year studying education, is also not currently dating anyone, which is completely fine with her.

“No one really wants anything serious,” Quinlan said. “Everyone’s just having fun, which is fine. I’m having fun too. You never know what anyone wants. I feel like I’d rather have fun with my friends.”

Kylie Young, a fourth-year studying chemical engineering, has dated in college, but is not dating anyone currently. She says that while dating in college is fun, it has become hard to find someone to share a serious relationship with.

“It’s fun because in college you have more free time and you can do whatever you want and you don’t have to hide from your parents like when you’re little and in high school,” Young said. “But I just think college-aged men are pretty immature and emotionally unavailable.”

dating apps.

“I would say it’s just too easy,” Goelz said.

“It’s just an easy way to meet people. Plus, I’m not that down bad, I feel like.”

Not all experiences with the apps are bad, however.

“One was good; I still talk to him,” Young said. “One was … saw him once, never again.”

For others, the idea of using dating apps can be tempting, but hard to follow through with.

“I’ve used it, but I’ve never actually gone through with it,” Quinlan said. “I just look on there and I delete it.”

One way of navigating the college dating scene is through mobile apps, such as Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and others. However, not everyone is a fan of online dating apps.

Caroline St. Clair, a first-year in exploratory studies, is currently in a relationship and used to use Tinder, but her experiences with it were not good.

“It was really bad,” St. Clair said. “You get guys lying about their ages and their heights. I’m 5’4”, and I met this guy who told me he was 5’10”, and I was looking down at him.”

Grant Goelz, a first-year studying paper science engineering, is also currently in a relationship but has never considered using

Students said something that has thrown a massive wrinkle in the dating scene the last two years is COVID-19.

Josh Szep, a first-year studying criminology, said the pandemic has significantly impacted dating.

“The past couple years, there’s been a lot of distance between people, big limits on large gatherings, so you just have less opportunity to meet new people,” Szep said.

Mitchell Swicegood, a first-year studying paper science engineering, also said his dating life has been impacted by COVID-19.

“I was stuck in my house for like two years, so you couldn’t actually go out and meet people,” Swicegood said. “It was kind

The apps

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The pandemic

of like I never really had the chance.”

Young said she thinks because of less in-person interaction, online dating usage may have gone up.

“I downloaded Tinder like March 2020,” Young said. “I remember that’s when everyone was on Tinder because no one knew what to do with themselves. Recently, I don’t know if it’s been affected as much, but definitely at the beginning.”

Love will find a way

While there are obstacles and challenges to overcome when dating in college, especially over the past two years, there are also success stories.

John Stephens, a fourth-year in art studies, and Natalie Williamson, a fourth-year studying communication, just recently began dating. The two met in class and have a unique story of how their relationship came to be.

“I offhandedly made a remark at him because I saw that he had a Charmander on his backpack and said ‘Hey, I like your Charmander keychain,’” Williamson said. “He noticed that I had Animal Crossing stickers on my laptop, and so he said, ‘I like your Animal Crossing stickers,’ and the rest is history.”

Caroline Wolverton, a first-year studying social work, began her relationship as long-distance but now is dating in person.

“We did long distance before, so it’s nice that we’re at the same school,” Wolverton said. “It was hard, but we started dating that way, so it kind of was the normal for us.

But now seeing what it’s like being so close, I don’t want to go back to long distance.”

Pre ston M i l ler g r adu ated f rom UNC-Chapel Hill in 2020, and he has perhaps the best success story of all with his college sweetheart.

“We met our freshman year, and we ended up being in a class together,” Miller said. “We became really good friends, starting dating our junior year and then got married shortly after we graduated.”

Miller said managing a relationship in college was challenging, but through the trials and tribulations, love found a way.

“It was really fun,” Miller said. “It’s hard balancing schoolwork and maintaining other friendships and other responsibilities while also prioritizing time together, but my wife and I had a really close group of friends around us, so that definitely helped. … I think college is a really formative time in your life, so I think dating someone in college — and we were lucky enough to get married — it’s just really fun to have those memories to look back on together.”

News

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COM 498 explores sexual health through communication Heidi Reid Staff Writer

NC State has been offering a section of COM 498, an advanced topics course, on sexual communication since 2011. This class is taught by Kami Kosenko, an associate professor with a doctorate in communication.

“We talk about all the ways in which we talk about sex in various contexts,” Kosenko said. “So within our interpersonal relationships, within educational contexts in the

I would argue that anyone would benefit from learning more about and thinking more about their sexual communication.

-Kami Kosenko

form of sex education, in medical settings, with providers in the workplace and issues of sexual harassment. And we also look at other broader issues like sexual violence and sex in various media forms.”

According to Kosenko, this course was the second sexual communcation course to be offered in the country and is open to anyone.

“I would argue that anyone would benefit from learning more about and thinking more about their sexual communication,” Kosenko said. “The main goal of the class is to make everyone in the course feel as comfortable as possible talking about sex so that they can better protect themselves in their own future sexual interactions.”

Adrienne Piche, a fourth-year studying communication, took COM 498 in 2018.

According to Piche, the class was a safe space to speak her mind and ask questions.

“We went through how to discuss you know sexual history, consent, sexual health and protection,” Piche said. “But it wasn’t like a sex education class per say; I think she just realized that there’s a gap in sexual education for most students.”

Kosenko focused on the links between communication and health during her

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graduate studies and worked a part time job at an AIDS hospice. She later turned her focus on how communication affected sexual and reproductive health.

“That had a pretty profound impact on me and made me want to make more of a difference in my academic work than I had thought was previously possible,” Kosenko said. “I was pleasantly surprised to see that communication had already been demonstrated to have such a significant role

in things like AIDS prevention and HIV prevention. I’ve done a lot of work looking at communication about sex as it’s experienced by individuals with different sort of life and health related experiences.”

Visit technicianonline.com to view the entire article.

NC State’s John Paul Stadler delves into porn studies — it’s much deeper than we think Mariana Fabian

Assistant Opinion Editor

John Paul Stadler, assistant teaching professor of film studies at NC State with a doctorate in literature, researches on sex and gender and their representation within media. As a prominent queer media scholar, Stadler is familiar with porn’s significance to queer scholarship and research.

Stadler said he views pornography as a cultural text and testament to the overall cultural anxiety that lies in the marginal spaces of society.

“Some of my work has dabbled into the realm of porn,” Stadler said. “Specifically, looking at the history of gay porn and its relation to various political crises and interventions.”

Now a billion-dollar industry, Stadler said porn didn’t start out as an enterprise at all — in fact, it took quite a while to gain momentum. Some of the most premature forms of pornography relied on avant-garde and guerrilla independent filmmaking.

“The earliest form of pornography, [in an audiovisual sense], after photography, was the stag film,” Stadler said.

The stag film, or the “smoker,” was generally made for all male, all straight audiences.

According to Stadler and Dictionary.com, it was distributed by men only for secretive showings for male fraternal orders. Time

COURTESY OF JOHN PAUL STADLER

went on and it shifted from less heteronormative representation and desire to more queer desire and representations.

“You’d have a lot of these semi-clandestine videos of men, usually in singlets … sometimes even naked wrestling,” Stadler said. “These films were presented, not as inherently as porn and it would have a built-in culpable deniability, where you could say, ‘Oh, no, this is not homoerotic, just men showing off their physique.”

According to Stadler, porn was also the first kind of media that allowed and celebrated explicit representation of queer desire. In regards to film history, the production code, the Hays Code, was extremely restrictive of any kind of representation of sexual desire. Of course, queerness was never allowed to be represented in mainstream media (unless it took villainous roles) — so it has found its way elsewhere.

“There are arguments to be made that the history of pornography is simultaneous to the history of all cinema,” Stadler said. “…

As new technologies develop, porn has always been at the forefront of new technological development.”

According to a paper published in the American Journal of Public Health, at the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, pornography was used to teach its consumers and actors safe sex practice. From the use of con-

doms to the frequent testing of all porn stars (the PASS system), gay porn was ahead of the game when it came to promoting and instilling safer sex. Though, gay porn also started the fetishization of no condoms with bareback sex — so not a total win-win.

The AIDS crisis was not the only pandemic the porn industry was faced with, as COVID-19 caused detrimental losses for the industry. When faced with a crisis, the porn industry again was at the forefront of change.

According to the New York Times, the models for COVID-19 testing and protocols were actually modeled after the PASS system used for the adult film industry.

Highly adaptable to disaster, pornography has needed to be at ready for anything and everything — including its demand.

Stadler’s most recent paper, “Pornographic Altruism, or, How to Have Porn in a Pandemic” tackles COVID-19 and its effects on the porn industry.

“Pornography has so much baggage to it, and people walk into it with a lot of stereotypes and things you’ve been taught by either parents, religious institutions or educational institutions,” Stadler said. “Instead, come into the conversation with an open mind.”

Opinion

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This Valentine’s Day, celebrate all your loved ones, not just romantic partners Some people truly hate Valentine’s Day, thinking it’s a sorry excuse to get away with not doing extravagant, kind and heartfelt things for your loved ones throughout Riley Sipe the year. Personally, I Correspondent think Valentine’s Day is a cute idea and should still be celebrated, but only while keeping a few things in mind.

At this time of year, store’s shelves are beginning to be stocked with heart-shaped candy, pink and red are in every corner of public spaces, flowers and roses are planted more, and the constant reminder that you must buy something for your significant other by Feb. 14 is hard to escape.

Plenty of people think this holiday shouldn’t be a thing anymore because of this flashy reminder to buy things and the fact that it’s heavily reliant on consumerist capitalism. Yes, the accessories, decorations and dinner plans are all very expensive and can leave people feeling bad if they can’t buy as much as they want for their partner on Valentine’s Day. However, we can get away from this negativity as long as we remember Valentine’s Day is not about physical gift-giving, but about showing affection and

tenderness.

Just spending time with someone you love is enough to celebrate the holiday. Friends, family, coworkers and colleagues may feel obligated to get you something on this holiday, but reminding them tangible things don’t define relationships is another way to try and remove the cynical feelings people have towards Valentine’s Day. If more people agreed on a “no-gift” rule where no one in a friend group or relationship spends money on a gift, Valentine’s Day would be appreciated more. That way no one feels compelled to follow the common “rules” that created this negative image of Valentine’s Day. It would be seen as a day where you can acknowledge and show your love rather than a day to spend money.

Some cheap and fun ways to spend time with loved ones can be an at-home movie night, a walk in the park, watching the sunset or even baking someone’s favorite dessert. Say you wanted to give a gift to a parent or best friend but don’t have the funds. You could send a sweet text with virtual flowers to show you are making an effort and thinking about your loved one.

With the world and our lives moving so fast as college students, not everyone has the time to get presents for their loved ones as often as they may like. Valentine’s Day pres-

ents the opportunity to have a designated day to go all out for the person you love, whether it is platonic or romantic.

This is all fine, but we have to remember just because there is a national holiday dedicated to showing love and affection, doesn’t mean that on other days of the year you can forsake your loved one. Valentine’s Day should not be used as an excuse to never put in the effort needed to show love and appreciation on a daily basis. Many more people would enjoy this holiday and come to appreciate it if they see it as a simple day to remind one of love, rather than the one day a year to show love.

Another important thing to remember is Valentine’s Day is not exclusive to people in romantic relationships. It’s inevitable that single people feel like they can’t celebrate this holiday, but steering away from this with cute spin-offs like “Galentine’s Day” is a sweet way for those who are single to still celebrate love. We can use this day to remind us of love, but also to remind us that other types of love like friendship and family love are just as important as romantic love.

Even as a young kid in elementary school I remember getting Valentine’s Day candy from all of my classmates. We were being taught at a young age to appreciate different

kinds of love, so why don’t we just keep that same mindset?

I’m sure anyone would be happy about receiving a heartfelt message from someone they love this Valentine’s Day. Simple things are meaningful to people — it shows effort that is important in maintaining any type of healthy relationship and what this holiday should be about.

Valentine’s Day has created high expectations for couples to have the “perfect night,” and relationships can be harmed if it isn’t.

But this isn’t even the point of Valentine’s Day. If it is no longer seen as a test of enduring love, then people won’t use it to determine the health of a relationship or as judgment themselves because they aren’t in one.

Just remember, Valentine’s Day isn’t a trial of a relationship, but purely a celebration of love.

Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful holiday to celebrate with loved ones, as long as we know it’s not an excuse to ignore the needs of your partner throughout the rest of the year and it is about celebrating all types of love. We can change our mindset to see it as an excuse for humans to accept and invite love into our lives. Keeping these key things in mind, this holiday can be collectively enjoyed by reminding ourselves that love is tender and worth celebrating.

Loving yourself isn’t easy but you should do it anyway Growing up, I was taught to be modest. For me, this meant not being proud of my achievements, no matter how noteworthy. Thus, whenever I hit a home run in Lauren softball, won a race in Richards Staff Columnist cross country or accomplished anything, instead of celebrating, I pushed all my pride down.

After all, I didn’t deserve any attention because my achievements were not important.

After years of fighting my own mental battles, I’ve realized self-love is not as simple as health and wellness blogs make it out to be. Instead of a linear path, the journey to self-acceptance is more like a forest trail.

Sometimes, the turf is flat and smooth.

Other times, the path is rocky and almost unnavigable, but what’s important is that you keep moving forward.

I realize not everyone experiences mental health the same way, as it depends on genetics, background and cultural experiences, and a myriad of other factors. However, I know many people who find it difficult to appreciate themselves, who harshly criticize themselves when they commit small errors

and who criticize themselves for criticizing themselves.

There is a reason why we are so easily caught up in these self-defeating cycles, and no, it’s not because you are worthless — it’s because our brains were wired to do so. Negativity bias is the tendency to cling onto negative thoughts more readily.

Negativity bias explains why we feel criticism more intensely than praise, and why we are more willing to accept our negative qualities rather than focus on the positives.

Then, there is the misconception that we cannot truly love others without loving ourselves first. While this philosophy makes intuitive sense, it’s not reality. Sure, expressing compassion and affection for others is not exactly a piece of cake, but affording the same treatment to ourselves is often more challenging. Furthermore, it suggests that without self-love, the love we share with others isn’t real love, which is more discouraging than uplifting.

Although not loving oneself does not make you an unloving person, a lack of self-compassion can be very detrimental not only for you but for the people around you. For a long time, I believed self-love was not necessary, that as long as I was generally

OK, everything would turn out fine. However, it wasn’t until I began hurting people close to me that I realized how wrong I was.

The truth is that self-criticism negatively impacts how we interact with others and makes it harder to enjoy ourselves.

Furthermore, research suggests a direct link between increased resilience in the face of failure and high self-compassion. In other words, when we are kind to ourselves rather than judgemental, we become stronger and better people.

Some online articles will have us believe the key to crafting self-compassion lies in meditation or eating nutritious foods.

While these practices are healthy coping mechanisms, they are only surface level solutions. The real battle takes place on the inside, and no amount of bubble baths will help us accept who we are. Fortunately, there are an abundance of viable resources and strategies available to promote selfcompassion.

One method is positive self-talk, or developing an inner monologue that boosts self-esteem. When we engage in negative self-talk, we tend to blow things out of proportion and view ourselves as less competent than we really are. However, when we

draw attention to these voices and actively work to turn them into positive statements, we build confidence and regain control over our lives.

Positive self-talk can be developed in several ways, from positive affirmations to treating yourself like a friend. One tool that has helped me identify my negative thought patterns is journaling. Journaling not only gives me the opportunity to evaluate my negative thoughts, but it also helps me release them.

Therapy is another great resource for building confidence. The Counseling Center at NC State offers several mental health services, from individual counseling to specialized workshops and programs.

The time for celebrating love is here.

Whether you’re spending the day with your significant other or your favorite pillow, remember to take some time to love and appreciate yourself. You deserve it.

Visit https://counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu/ for information about the Counseling Center

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Who up getting penetrated and/or penetrating?

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX, STIGMAS, STI TESTING AND SEX WORKERS

Mariana Fabian Assistant Opinion Editor

& Caryl Espinoza Jaen Managing Editor

Let’s talk about sex. In 2016, Technician released a sex issue that spanned several topics regarding sex. We’re here to do it again, going further to combat the way sex is perceived, how we talk about sex and talk about people who have sex.

First off, sex and pleasure are normal.

Crazily enough, the topic is still taboo to even mention. According to The Maudern, sex and pleasure are frequently stigmatized together, and a lot of this stems from childhood experiences. From the euphemisms parents use when referring to genitalia, the shame that engaging in pornography holds, the focus on abstinence in sex education

or the derogatory terms used to describe people who have a lot of sex, we are all taught to avoid sex and to guilt those who have it.

One way to start destigmatizing these conversations is admitting that sex and pleasure are parts of discovering different pieces of ourselves. Masturbation is normalized for teenage boys; it’s the punchline in many films, jokes, the list goes on. Too often, though, female pleasure is often left out of the conversation. In fact, Pleasure Better reports that 92.4% of women are able to orgasm from masturbation, and women most often have their first orgasm through masturbation.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a large discrepancy for heterosexual women — as they are the least likely to reach an orgasm during a partnered sexual encounter. 95% of heterosexual men usually or always orgasm during partnered sexual activity compared to just 65% of heterosexual women. As for homosexual and asexual women, they fare much better in pleasure as they orgasm at least a 10-20% higher margin.

If we’re going to treat sex as a normal thing (and it is), then we need to stop trea-

ting diseases like herpes and syphilis as abominations. Destigmatizing sex also means destigmatizing the diseases that might come from it, especially considering that most of them — including HPV and HIV — are both treatable and preventable.

Luckily, Student Health Services offers various STI testing options on campus, including on- and off-site options. It’s as easy as scheduling an appointment — whether through phone call or HealthyPack Portal — and peeing in a cup.

Honestly, the hardest part about the process is getting over the social pressure that sex — and consequently, venereal infections — are embarrassing. But there’s nothing embarrassing about going to the doctor; in fact, getting occasionally tested for STIs is a pretty responsible thing to do.

If getting tested on campus doesn’t sound appealing to you, there’s countless other options in Raleigh and the general Triangle area. In no particular order, these include Wake County Health & Human Services’ Clinic A, the LGBT Center of Raleigh and the Women’s Center of Wake County. Student Health Services’ STI testing website also lists these off-campus testing options

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plus more.

Sex is something most people do, but most people aren’t working when they do it — for sex workers, this is the case. Like other jobs and industries, sex work deserves respect, protection from the law and worker rights.

But unfortunately, it’s still highly stigmatized and criminalized, as it is illegal in almost all 50 states.

At the hands of both the police and their clientele, sex workers are often abused and taken advantage of. Vox and ACLU report that the fight for sex worker rights begins with immediate decriminazilation of these acts. Along with that, sex workers deserve equal access to healthcare and to work without living in fear.

Long story short, destigmatizing sex goes beyond just talking about it. It’s our conversations around pleasure, normalizing STI testing and calling for better working conditions for sex workers. Get tested, be safe and treat your partners with respect — and last but not least, have fun.

Opinion 8 TECHNICIAN All students can benefit from taking a sexual communication class in college THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Sexual education is important for everyone to learn, but especially college-aged students who are navigating relationships as adults rather Emily than as young teenagers Cooney for the first time.

Staff Columnist Sexual education in the United States has been known to be quite lacking in multiple ways. Many young adults learn about the human body around the end of elementary school or in health classes throughout middle or high school.

Some are taught by their parents, through friends or even the internet. However, there is no required or highly encouraged class on sexual communication within the education system.

According to Planned Parenthood, almost every state in the United States has some guidance on how and when sex education should be taught; however, decisions are often left up to individual school districts.

This flawed system leads students with a lack of sexual education more times than not by the time they enter college.

When student lack access to comprehensive sex education, this increases the probability of teen pregnancy or STIs. College students need to understand the important concepts of sex, including contraception,

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proper consent and the emotional implications of sex.

As a communication media and Spanish double major, I chose to take COM 498: Advanced Topics in Communication (Sexual Communication) as an elective this semester, and I’m so glad I did. It is also crucial to note my professor took the time on the first day of class to tell us that it is more than OK to be taking a sexual communication class no matter how small or extensive your sexual experience is because the information is just as useful and important.

In my previous sexual education provided sporadically in elementary, middle and high school, I didn’t learn much except the objective biological facts we we’re required to learn.

This common sexual education experience can make talking or learning about sex difficult for many students as the line of what to ask or share is extremely unclear in these classes or conversations. Furthermore, this often leads to many unanswered questions that can cause issues in relationships later in life.

I can honestly say that COM 498 is already the best sexual education experience I have ever had. The environment is safe, welcoming and fun. All cards are on the table and topics range from healthy or unhealthy behaviors within relationships, dating app

culture, societal expectations of men versus women of all sexual orientations and so much more.

Our first ice breaker activity was saying our name and defining the sex term given to us in whatever words came to mind — technical or slang. My word happened to be orgy, while others ranged from titties to cunnilingus or fellatio; the official terms for oral sex on given to a woman or a man, respectively.

Many students, including myself, did not know a number of terms as there were over 80 presented, but this made the experience even funnier and relaxing. No one was made to feel embarrassed for not knowing something or defining a word in an unsophisticated manner.

In fact, the environment in which we learn is often hilarious as students are free to say and share what they please for the benefit of learning about sex. Our professor recently mentioned a website from the Bronx Zoo that lets you name a live roach after your ex, so I’d say it’s a pretty good time.

Not only has sexual education been lacking in school systems for so long, but also healthy relationship education has never really been integrated into education as much as it should be.

This sexual communication class at NC State has also opened my eyes to learn the

Nova and Comet - Valentine’s Day Edition Pearl Knight, staff columnist third-year studying art and design

exact researched reasons why people act the way they do in relationships, including myself. We learned how when inherently normal behaviors or feelings like jealousy are done excessively is when relationships tend to turn toxic. Learning concepts like this as a young teenager or earlier on in college could have potentially saved me a lot of trouble in relationships or any romantic encounter for that matter.

Toxic relationships can put students through a whirlwind of emotions and issues that can hinder not only their college experience but also their college education overall. So, if we can avoid experiencing toxic relationships as much as possible and learn all of the otherwise taboo information about sex via classes like sexual communication — and hopefully more classes on sex and relationships in the future — we can achieve healthy sexual conversations and relationships.

Sex education has been flawed for long enough. A class like this shouldn’t be tucked away within the requirements of a communication major or a random elective credit for any major, it should be publicized and encouraged to be taken. This is only the beginning of improving all students’ futures, a future they can live where sex exists and is a normal active component of young adult conversations.

TECHNICIAN 9

Culture TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Best romantic movies to watch for Valentine’s Day Caroline Wilbourne Correspondent

Whether you’ve got yourself a special someone or not — as Valentine’s Day approaches, you’ll definitely want to check out these movies to get into the lovey spirit. Here are some of my personal favorite romantic films.

“Love, Simon”

“Love, Simon” is about a 17-year-old who’s coming to terms with his homosexuality. He hasn’t told anyone, and the thought of doing so terrifies him, but Simon falls for a mysterious anonymous classmate, Blue, after they open up to each other online about the struggles that come with being gay. As Simon tries to discover who Blue is, he discovers himself in the process and takes on life with a new approach. It’s the perfect LGBTQ+ romcom if you want to see a vibrant cast of characters approach this topic in a funny, endearing way.

“Sixteen Candles”

This movie is an ‘80s classic. Samantha, a newly turned 16-year-old, feels unseen by her family — they forget her birthday in lieu of her older sister’s wedding. Meanwhile, Samantha has fallen for Jake, a senior at her high school. While she’s always trying to get his attention, a nerd named Ted is pining after her. I think this movie is super funny and cute. It’s perfect if you want a good laugh for Valentine’s Day.

“Your Name”

Calling all anime lovers — “Your Name” is definitely one of the best of the best. It’s about Taki and Mitsuha, two high school students who develop a powerful, magi-

cal connection after discovering they’ve switched bodies. Things become more complicated when the two meet up, and they’re forced to save Mitsuha’s small country town from disaster. The timeline is somewhat confusing, but the cinematography is beautiful and it’s a super compelling story. I definitely recommend this movie, even if you’re not into anime.

“500 Days of Summer”

Unlike the other movies on this list, “500 Days of Summer” doesn’t begin happily. Tom, a greeting card writer and a hopeless romantic, is completely thrown off track when his girlfriend Summer dumps him. Throughout the movie, Tom reflects upon the 500 days he spent with Summer to try and figure out what went wrong. His friends and family help him cope with the breakup, but he’s stuck on getting her back. This film gives a super realistic look at how devastating love and relationships can be.

I highly recommend it for the single or even heartbroken ones this Valentine’s Day.

“Always Be My Maybe”

This has to be one of my favorite romantic comedies, hands down. “Always Be My Maybe” delves into the love story of

Sasha and Marcus, childhood sweethearts that eventually lost touch as adults. Fifteen years into their adult lives, they reconnect in San Francisco. Although Sasha and Marcus grow closer, they live in completely different worlds, so it’s unclear if they’ll work things out at all. This movie is not only romantic, but super entertaining — plus, the best song of the movie is “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey.

“10 Things I Hate About You”

“10 Things I Hate About You” is another classic rom-com that I adore. It follows the story of Kat, a girl who doesn’t often attract the attention of guys. Her little sister Bianca is the complete opposite, but her parents won’t let her date unless Kat gets a boyfriend, so Bianca attempts to set Kat up with the new guy in school,

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Patrick. Trouble is, Patrick has a hard time getting Kat to let her guard down for him — which makes for a riveting movie.

“Clueless”

“Clueless” revolves around Cher, a rich, popular queen bee who doesn’t have time for boys — instead, she spends her time helping others with their love lives. She pairs two teachers together and gives Tai, the new girl, a complete makeover and takes her under her wing. However, Cher’s plan soon backfires, and Tai becomes more popular than her. Meanwhile, her ex-step-brother Josh waltzes back into Cher’s life and she falls for him, hard.

Culture

10 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

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Film Favorites: Technician film fans on what should make the 94th Oscars 2021 was a pretty big year for me — I started working at a movie theater and became a film studies major. Naturally, I started going back Mariana to theaters to watch Fabian as much as I could (safely of course).

Assistant Opinion Editor Thankfully, 2021 was huge for new releases, despite the raging pandemic.

I wasn’t able to see all of these in person, but I highly recommend checking these out if you can.

Ticket prices vary but luckily, most college students get discounted tickets — I know Regal Crossroads, AMC theaters and The Chelsea offer these options. If you’re unsure, it never hurts to ask.

Even if you’re not a movie person (which I highly recommend you become one), it’s always nice to branch out of your comfort zone.

Best Picture “Annette” “CODA” “Drive My Car” “Dune” “Licorice Pizza” “The Lost Daughter” “The Power of the Dog” “tick, tick…Boom!”

“Titane” “West Side Story”

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza” Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car” Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story” Denis Villeneuve, “Dune”

Best Original Screenplay

“Being the Ricardos” “King Richard” “Licorice Pizza” “Parallel Mothers” “Titane”

Best Supporting Actress

Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog” Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard” Marlee Matlin, “CODA” Ruth Negga, “Passing” Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog” Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard” Rebecca Ferguson, “Dune” Ruth Negga, “Passing”

Best Actor

Nicolas Cage, “Pig” Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog” Andrew Garfield, “tick, tick…Boom!”

Will Smith, “King Richard” Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Nicolas Cage, “Pig” Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog” Adam Driver, “Annette” Oscar Isaac, “The Card Counter” Simon Rex, “Red Rocket”

Best Actress

Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter” Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers” Alana Haim, “Licorice Pizza” Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos” Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”

Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers” Alana Haim, “Licorice Pizza” Agathe Rousselle, “Titane” Kristen Stewart, “Spencer” Rachel Zegler, “West Side Story”

Best Supporting Actor

Bradley Cooper, “Licorice Pizza” Mike Faist, “West Side Story” Troy Kotsur, “CODA” Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog” Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”

Bradley Cooper, “Licorice Pizza” Troy Kotsur, “CODA” Woody Norman, “C’mon C’mon” Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog” Jeffrey Wright, “The French Dispatch”

Since I started going to the movies after over a year in May, I’ve gone to about 50 screenings of new films, reissued classics and those new films for a second or third time. I feel privi- Allie leged to go to the the- Remhof aters and practice all Copy Desk the safety precautions Chief I ought to, and I’m incredibly thankful I get to be in that position.

However, there’s endless reasons to not return to the movies, so watch responsibly. Of my picks, only four of 17 are currently unavailable via video on demand, meaning for about the cost of a movie ticket or two, you can experience these at home.

Although I’m just about the biggest proponent of the true theatrical experience, I’m an even bigger one for personal safety. No matter the venue, 2021 was a fantastic year for film and checking out any of these films is more than worth it.

Best Picture “Annette” “C’mon C’mon” “CODA” “Drive My Car” “Dune” “The French Dispatch” “Licorice Pizza” “The Power of the Dog” “Titane” “West Side Story”

Best Director Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza” Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car” Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story” Denis Villeneuve, “Dune”

Best Original Screenplay

“Annette” “C’mon C’mon” “Licorice Pizza” “Parallel Mothers” “Titane”

TECHNICIAN 11 Culture How to have a perfect Valentine’s date for one TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

as an excuse to pay it forward and make someone else’s day better. The Random Acts of Kindness foundation has suggestions of simple things you can do to improve the world we live in.

Chloe Allen Video Editor

Valentine’s Day is a holiday society has a love/hate relationship with. On one hand, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate your significant other, friends and family and remind them that you love them. It’s also a day that many people look forward to because of receiving sweet, meaningful gifts from the people they care about.

However, for those who are single, asexual, aromantic or are separated from their loved ones, the holiday can be more of a challenge. That doesn’t have to be the case, though — there are plenty of fun ways to celebrate that aren’t centered on romantic relationships or being with loved ones. For those of you who have significant others, a lot of these can make good dates, too.

Grab a heart-shaped pizza, your favorite dessert and watch a movie

Sometimes, the best way to celebrate and take care of yourself is to treat yourself to a night in where all you have to do is eat some good food, watch a movie and sit on the couch in your pajamas. If this sounds like a fun way to spend your Valentine’s Day, Papa Johns and Pizza Hut usually offer heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day and Aldi has sold take-home heart-shaped pizzas in the past as well. If you need movie recommendations, check out Technician’s recent article on the picks for the 94th Oscars.

Get outside

Weather allowing, getting some fresh air and vitamin D while connecting with nature can be a great way to boost your mood and refresh your mind. There’s tons of activities you could do outdoors; you could hike, take a walk through a garden, or have a picnic. Some great spots to visit are J. C. Raulston Arboretum, Lake Johnson park, William B. Umstead State Park and Dorothea Dix Park.

Have a game night

If you have nothing to do on Valentine’s Day, grab a board game to whisk your boredom away. Board games are a great way to have some fun while socializing with friends, family or other members of your community. There are also a ton of fun card games and video games.

If you’re all alone, no sweat — there are card and video games that work just fine with one person. Unfortunately, the NC State library isn’t lending out board games right now due to COVID-19 concerns, but you can grab a variety of video game equipment. You can also find a deck of cards for cheap at a local dollar store and do an internet search for different games that can accommodate one player or multiple players.

Support a local charity

What better way to celebrate a holiday based on love than by showing love to others? There are several organizations

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Chocolate pretzel buttons make for a quick Valentine’s Day treat. With the balance of sweet and salty, these snacks make for a perfect last-minute gift.

in the triangle that support people who deserve to be shown love on Valentine’s Day. Some of the organizations you could support include the LGBT Center of Raleigh, the Raleigh Women’s Center, Food Not Bombs and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

Grab a festive treat

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, or if you just want to treat yourself, grab a festive dessert. Insomnia Cookies and Krispy Kreme are both offering Valentine’s themed treats and deals and The Cupcake Shoppe on Glenwood Avenue has cupcakes that look absolutely delicious.

Cuddle some kittens

Nothing boosts serotonin like cute animals, and there are plenty of places in the Triangle where you can cuddle them. You can visit kittens at Cause for Paws, a thrift store/animal shelter, while you shop to support a good cause. Purr Cup Cafe and Cat Tales Cat Cafe are two great cafes to grab a bite to eat and hang out with some cats. The best part is, all of these locations offer kitten adoption — If you meet a cat that you just can’t live without, you have the chance to adopt them and become their friend fur-ever.

Be your own valentine

Many people think of Valentine’s Day as a day where you express love for a significant other, but it can — and should — also be a day where you show love to yourself. Write a letter to yourself and discuss the qualities you like in yourself and the things you appreciate in life. Or, take some time to do some self-care, whatever that may look like for you. Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile and buy yourself flowers and chocolate. Why shouldn’t you be your own valentine? You’re deserving of the holiday, whether you’re in a relationship or not.

Go ice skating

Ice skating is one of those classic date activities, but it doesn’t have to be romantic. Grab some friends, or just yourself, and head to an ice skating rink to test out your skills. With the Winter Olympics underway, it’s the perfect time to unleash your inner figure skater. Some ice rinks close to campus are Polar Ice House of Cary and Polar IcePlex in Raleigh.

Perform random acts of kindness

Have you ever had someone do something nice for you that made your day better, even if it was just something small?

Well, now you can use Valentine’s Day

Be impulsive, do something you’ve always wanted to do but were never brave enough to do

Life is too short to spend it regretting the things we didn’t do. If there’s a tattoo or piercing you’ve always wanted to get, use Valentine’s Day as motivation to get it.

If you’ve been thinking about dyeing your hair, do it. If there’s someone in your life who you’ve been wanting to spend more time with, reach out to them. If you’re interested in someone in your class, say “hi” and ask them out.

Whatever you do, just try to do something that makes you smile and say, “I can’t believe I just did that!” Triple Moon Tattoo and Phoenix Tattoo offer tattoos and Hillsborough St Tattoo and Body Piercing and Conspiracy Ink offer both tattoos and body piercings. Sam and Bill’s Hair Designs offers hair coloring. If you want more temporary alternatives, stores like Inkbox sell quality and realistic temporary tattoos, you can find fake piercings for cheap on Amazon, and companies like Lime Crime and Overtone make good semi-permanent hair dye and coloring conditioners.

So if you’re single or alone this Valentine’s Day, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate. Valentine’s isn’t just about candy valentines and flowers anymore — it’s about showing love toward yourself and the people you care about.

Sports 12 TECHNICIAN Wrestling takeaways: Bullard back on track, toughest conference dual stretch incoming THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Jaylan Harrington Editor-in-Chief

Now halfway through its conference season, the No. 4 NC State wrestling team has a key stretch in front of it. Before some pivotal ranked matches to close its season, let’s look at what we’ve learned from the Wolfpack (10-1, 3-0 ACC) so far.

Tyrie Houghton taking over at heavyweight

In a surprise, No. 26 junior Tyrie Houghton is now NC State’s starter at 285. Houghton, who has leapt over junior Deonte Wilson and redshirt freshman Owen Trephan on the depth chart, took the mat for the Wolfpack its past six duals and he’s up to a 3-3 record in those appearances. All three losses came to ranked wrestlers, and last week he topped a ranked Quinn Miller 4-2.

“Winning is what we’re looking for,” said head coach Pat Popolizio after the Virginia dual. “We’ve got three really good heavyweights and it’s tough decision to make, but right now Tyrie’s going out there and winning so it’s hard to make any moves.”

Kai Orine settling in

133-pound redshirt freshman No. 14 Kai Orine is now 12-1 in duals this season, including an impressive performance against then-No. 22 Brian Courtney. Courtney seemed to have Orine’s number going into the third, but the redshirt freshman exploded in the final period to best the veteran. That showing displayed a lot of heart from Orine and further solidified his starting role.

“Discipline, focus — everything that we’ve

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been working on as a person, he’s starting to show,” Popolizio said. “His weight’s in check, his diet’s good. His conditioning is there. He’s building confidence and can be dangerous.”

Thomas Bullard

At 165, No. 22 graduate Thomas Bullard had a tough late November and December, going 1-3 with losses to three ranked wrestlers and an unranked win by decision. After suffering an injury during the Southern Scuffle, Bullard had three weeks to recover and that time off did him well.

The veteran’s been on a tear now that he’s back, recording a couple technical falls and a victory over Virginia’s then-No. 17 Justin McCoy. He’s wrestling well at a great time because Pitt’s No. 16 Jake Wentzel awaits in this week’s dual.

Home advantage huge for Wolfpack

Last week’s Virginia dual marked NC State’s first return to Reynolds Coliseum in the new year, and it drew a huge response even for an unranked opponent. The raucous environment clearly aided the wrestlers, who played to the crowd, and the coaching staff, whose animated actions goaded them to get even louder. At a pivotal moment, No. 16 Isaac Trumble’s overtime takedown of No. 17 Jay Aiello, the roar of the crowd was nearly deafening. Even after the dual ended and bonus bouts were underway, a small contingent stayed to cheer them on, and with home duals against ranked teams in No. 21 UNC and No. 7 Virginia Tech coming, that home advantage is huge.

“This is, to me, one of the best venues — we were just talking about it, [the crowd

COURTESY OF NICK FAULKNER

Graduate Thomas Bullard, No. 21 in the 165 weight class, waves to the fans after his 4-1 decision over No. 17 Justin McCoy during the 32-2 win over Virginia on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 in Reynolds Coliseum.

for] those extra matches after is what our fan base used to be,” Popolizio said. “For a team that wasn’t ranked in the top whatever, this many people showing up I think speaks volumes of where we’re going with the sport of wrestling here in Raleigh and at NC State.”

Toughest stretch of the year coming Though Pitt has dropped out of the top 25, the No. 26 Panthers, UNC and Virginia Tech always provide NC State with its closest duals of the year. While having back to back bouts against No. 10 Missouri and

then-No. 1 Iowa proved the team’s mettle early on, the hardware and pride implications in taking on NC State’s ACC rivals makes them much more important. With the ACC and NCAA Championships on the horizon, the team is rounding into form at every weight.

“Our conditioning still will get better and we’re not at where we want to be yet with peaking, so that’s another part of it, but we just got to show up [and] compete hard,” Popolizio said. “[The] next three duals is going to be a challenge for us.”

TECHNICIAN 13 Sports Kylee Alons wraps up stellar four years as key figure on Wolfpack women’s swim team TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

JESSE CHILDS/ARCHIVE

Sam Overton Culture Editor

Freshman Kylee Alons competes in the women’s 100-yard Butterfly during NC State’s meet with rival UNC-Chapel Hill on Jan. 19, 2019 at the Casey Aquatic Center. Alons finished first in the event with a final time of 53.63 and nine points. Both Wolfpack teams were undefeated with a final women’s score of 193-101, and men’s final score of 197-97.

The improvement NC State’s swim and dive team has seen over the last decade or so cannot be overstated. Ever since head coach Braden Holloway took over in 2011, the Wolfpack has dominated ACC championships — 70 individual champions, 43 relay champions and eight combined team wins is nothing to sneeze at.

Through the last half of Holloway’s tenure at NC State, senior Kylee Alons has seen the bulk of the team’s rise from an unranked program to one of the top swimming schools in the country. Hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, Alons has managed to balance her rigorous schoolwork and the unforgiving schedule of a top-tier Division I swimmer.

“I think that’s what caught my eye about NC State; I was pleased at how good they were at engineering, even though I didn’t know what I was wanting to do,” Alons said.

“I was really pleased with the coaches and the team, and I just felt like it was a driven team. … I felt like it was a team that I was gonna be able to help improve.”

Alons started at NC State in fall 2018, well after the beginning of Holloway’s tenure and fresh off the women’s first ACC championship since 1980. Her freshman year, the women’s team finished seventh at NCAAs — tying its best placement to date.

“Coming in, I was really excited to continue to build off of that,” Alons said.

“That was a pretty good scoring, that was

a pretty good placing for us. I think it tied our highest ever.”

It was only a matter of time before the women’s team pulled in more top-tier swimmers. Now-junior Katharine Berkoff joined the team Alons’ sophomore year, giving the Wolfpack an incredible backstroke leg for their already solid medley relay — which, in turn, would produce an NCAA championship just two years later.

“Since my freshman year, even before my freshman year, I think that everyone knew that there was something special going on at NC State,” Alons said. “You could tell just by the way people talked and the way that we set our goals.”

Completing an engineering degree at NC State is tough enough, but Alons has managed to do it all while waking up at the crack of dawn on weekdays to practice.

Between 20 hours in the pool per week, a full course load and the need to sleep whenever possible, it’s incredible Alons has time to even think.

That being said, the team’s hard work usually pays off in the end. Even though the women’s team has faced some tough competition over the past few weeks, Alons said she appreciates a tighter race.

“I feel like everyone races better when you aren’t winning by a landslide,” Alons said.

“I think that those teams definitely keep us humble and keep us, you know, willing to fight.”

That isn’t to say Alons doesn’t experience pre-race nerves. Being a member of one of the best swimming programs in the country can be intimidating, to say the least.

“I do get nervous, obviously, right before my races and before the relays,” Alons said.

“But I think that going into those meets, I’m usually pretty excited because I know that a challenge is pretty good. It definitely pushes you more than if you just go into a meet expecting to win.”

Behind all the glitz and glamor of a top program like NC State’s, Alons has seen her fair share of challenges— some personal, some team-wide. For one, it’s not easy to leave Carmichael in the winter after a rigorous two-hour swim practice to immediately get hit with what feels like temperatures in the negatives.

“Every year is always a roller coaster of you [breaking] your body down a lot,” Alons said. “You have to mentally stay positive and try to encourage your teammates and keep your teammates up when sometimes you’re feeling discouraged or you’re feeling really tired.”

Alons is planning to take advantage of a fifth year with the Wolfpack, thanks to the NCAA’s decision to give all winter athletes in NCAA Division I sports an additional year of eligibility. Beyond obtaining her master’s, Alons isn’t quite sure of her plans.

“I think when I came to college, I never really saw myself swimming past

college,” Alons said. “It’s definitely a decision I don’t want to make too prematurely, so I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t know if I’ll really think about it until the end of next year, but I’ll probably just keep my options open.”

Alons, a 20-time All-American, five-time ACC champion and two-time NCAA champion, has had her share of incredible swims.

However, she said her favorite to date was the record-shattering 400-yard medley relay that earned the women’s team its first relay title at NCAAs last spring.

“It was one of [my] fastest relay splits ever,” Alons said. “I went way faster than I’ve ever gone. It was so exhilarating. …

Even before I jumped in the water, I was just smiling because I felt like it was going to be a special relay.”

The Wolfpack women can’t promise another NCAA title in March. However, with Alons at the helm, it seems extremely likely. Her leadership and talent will be sorely missed after her fifth year with NC State, but Holloway and the rest of the team has been incredibly lucky to have her for these past four years.

“As I’ve looked back on my past four years, I think the team has gotten closer,” Alons said. “We’ve been able to be better at motivating each other. We’re better at bringing in freshmen and helping them to transition and become a part of our culture.”

Sports 14 TECHNICIAN Pack Pro and big-play machine: Germaine Pratt gearing up for his first Super Bowl THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

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Wade Bowman

Assistant Sports Editor

It’s no secret that this year’s Cincinnati Bengals are one of the greatest stories in recent football history, rebounding from a 4-11-1 record a season ago to playing for a Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 13.

While the team’s success certainly doesn’t fall on anyone’s shoulders individually, it’s inarguable that without starting linebacker Germaine Pratt, the Bengals would be worse for wear.

Pratt has been an essential cog in Cincinnati’s resurgent defensive machine, serving as the team’s primary run stopper and consistently clogging up the middle. In the midst of such a successful year for the Bengals defense, Pratt has quietly had the best regular season of his career, tallying up career highs with one interception, two forced fumbles and 91 combined tackles.

His success didn’t stop in the regular season either, with Pratt continuing to impress as the playoff race inches towards its finish line.

Likely the biggest moment of Pratt’s season, and arguably of his professional career, was the game-securing red-zone interception against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals held a seven-point lead with mere seconds remaining on the clock, but Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had his team in a great position to tie it up as time was expiring. A desperate attempt at finding the endzone went horribly wrong for Carr and company, as Pratt stepped up in front of the quarterback’s intended target to make a play that will live on in the heads of Bengals fans for a long time.

Clip int vs Raiders

Pratt is more accustomed to making game-deciding plays than most would give him credit for, having recorded multiple crucial turnovers throughout his playing career. The 72nd overall pick in 2019 has made quite the impression during his professional days, but to get here, Pratt has had to prove himself time and time again.

In his four years at NC State, Pratt solidified himself as a big-time player for the Pack while totaling 235 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, four interceptions and three forced

NICK FAULKNER/ARCHIVE

Graduate linebacker Germaine Pratt calls out a play. Pratt had a sack and eight tackles during the 41-7 loss to Clemson at Clemson Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018.

fumbles. As a member of the talent-loaded 2017 Wolfpack squad, Pratt really found his groove. With 69 total tackles and two game-deciding interceptions, one of which he delivered all the way to the house, Pratt had made his mark on NC State football history.

Clip int vs Louisville

With a few of the big names surrounding him on that 2017 roster leaving after the season, Pratt had the opportunity to step up as the leader of the 2018 squad, and step up he did. The 2018 season was Pratt’s best year in a red-and-white uniform, posting collegiate career highs with 104 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six sacks and two forced fumbles. His total tackles mark were good enough for the fourth-highest in the ACC and his two forced fumbles landed him inside the top 10 for the stat within the conference.

The craziest part of Pratt’s football

journey has to be that he wasn’t always a linebacker, which is hard to consider when it’s the position that got him into the league.

Pratt spent two years with the Pack lining up at safety, where he did see some success, but it was clear that pass coverage wasn’t his strongest attribute. Coming into the league as a relatively inexperienced linebacker, even Pratt knew there was still a lot of work left to be done.

“I’m still learning the position from coach, and I think I’m going to keep on improving my game,” said Pratt in a post-draft interview in 2019. “One year as a starter [at NC State], and I had a great season. I think I’m still going to be on the rise and be ready to improve myself at the next level.”

Improving at the next level is exactly what he’s done, seeing statistical improvements across the board in every year that he’s been in the league. Pratt’s keen eye for the field and desire to compete at the highest level

have managed to keep him in a prime position to benefit this Bengals defense, which has seen statistical improvements itself over the course of Pratt’s time there.

Pratt and his fellow teammate, Pack Pro and college roommate B.J. Hill are now faced with the single most important game of their football careers. Putting themselves in a position to compete for a Super Bowl is already a massive achievement that certainly won’t be diminished no matter what the result of Sunday’s game is, but to hoist the Lombardi Trophy is a feeling like no other in the sport.

The Pack Pro has come a long way from Raleigh to get to this point, and it’ll take even more to elevate him over a talent-loaded Los Angeles Rams squad that was built to take home this year’s championship. But if there’s one thing Pratt has shown us before, he’s not going to shy away from the pressure.

Sports

TECHNICIAN 15

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Stifling defense leads No. 5 Pack women’s basketball to rout of Georgia Tech in Play4Kay game Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

It seemed like the No. 11 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets had everything that could make life tough for the No. 5 NC State women’s basketball team: height, star power and physical interior defense. Senior center Elissa Cunane finished with just six points on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor. On paper, the game should’ve been close.

And yet, the Wolfpack (21-3, 12-1 ACC) ran the Yellow Jackets (18-5, 9-3 ACC) out of the gym in a 59-48 blowout inside Reynolds Coliseum on Monday, Feb. 7 in the team’s 17th annual Play4Kay Game. The Pack got spectacular performances from just about every player on the roster, holding Georgia Tech to just 35.1% from the floor and a whopping 17.6% from deep.

“We knew Georgia Tech was a very physical team,” said sophomore guard Diamond Johnson. “They’re strong. They’re a good team. We knew we had to be physical as well. We needed to hold our ground and slow the post down. They’ve got some good posts, good guards. We knew defense was going to be a key to this game. They’ve got good height and size and are one of the best defending teams in the ACC. We knew it was going to come down to defense. We just locked in on everything, scouted everything.”

The final score doesn’t do justice to just how much NC State dominated Georgia Tech in every regard. Before garbage time, NC State held a 59-38 lead, Georgia Tech was shooting 7% from deep and the Pack was outscoring the Yellow Jackets 28-0 in bench points.

It’s always a good night when NC State is able to hold a team to single-digit points in a quarter. Tonight, the Pack did it twice. The Wolfpack has held opponents to single digits in 18 quarters, 19% of the entire season.

After going down 10-2 early, the Wolfpack turned on the switch and proceeded to outscore the Yellow Jackets 57-18 before garbage time.

Johnson and graduate guard Raina Perez were a huge reason for the Pack’s success, with Johnson coming up with 12 points, six rebounds and a beautiful assist to junior forward Jada Boyd. It was a strong return to form for Johnson, who didn’t even need to attempt a 3 to lead the Pack in scoring.

“We sat down and talked,” said head coach Wes Moore. “I went back and watched all of her shots at Notre Dame, and there was a bunch of them, and I explained to her that we have to get inside-out touches. I broke down and watched every one of those shots, and a lot of them were just short. ‘If you’ll just get it there, the aim is good. You’ve just got to make sure you get it there and give it a chance.’ I thought for the most part she

did a good job of that tonight.”

Johnson was also surprisingly effective on the boards. At 5-foot-5, Johnson finished second on the team in rebounds and led the team in offensive boards. On one particular play, Cunane took a 3 from the corner and Johnson got the board and the second-chance points.

“I take very much pride in it,” Johnson said. “I’m a smaller guard, so I can’t just score the ball inside. I’ve got to try to do other things. I try not to be one-dimensional. Rebounding is a big part of having heart and being physical. That’s the type of player I am, so if I get an opportunity and see the ball, I’m going to get it.”

Perez, meanwhile, finished with 11 points and three fantastic steals, getting out in transition and making great reads. The highlight of the night for Perez came on a crossover that made her defender stumble backward, allowing Perez to hit the wideopen jumper.

“She’s so good,” said Georgia Tech head coach Nell Fortner. “That Perez, she’s so good. And she’s so underrated, it seems like. She’s fantastic. She’s hard to guard.

She’s shifty, crafty with the ball in her hand, getting around screens or just hesitation dribbles. She can kill you from behind the 3 and then get to the hole. She’s crafty, really hard to defend. And obviously, she had a good night tonight.”

EMILY PEEDIN/TECHNICIAN

Sophomore guard Diamond Johnson prepares to make a pass during the annual Play4Kay game against Georgia Tech on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022 in Reynolds Coliseum. Johnson led the team in overall points, scoring 12 throughout the game. The Wolfpack beat the Yellow Jackets 59-48.

The Pack got great boosts from Boyd, who helped spark the team’s second and third-quarter runs, and junior center Camille Hobby, who played most of the fourth quarter. The two bigs combined for 16 points to help pick up some of the interior slack, doing so against a dominant Yellow Jacket frontcourt spearheaded by Lorela Cubaj and Nerea Hermosa.

At first, it seemed like the Pack was going to have a hard game on its hands, with Georgia Tech getting out to a quick 10-2 lead behind four points apiece from Cubaj and Eylia Love. However, it was graduate forward Kayla Jones, alongside Perez, who paced the Pack in the first quarter. Jones finished with all seven of her points coming in the first, joining Perez in hitting clutch 3s to bring the Wolfpack back into the game.

It was the second quarter where the Pack’s fortunes turned. Boyd got two quick layups to start the quarter and the Pack didn’t look back. Boyd combined with Johnson to score 12 points in the quarter and allowed NC State to get out to an eight-point lead heading into an emotional halftime sequence featuring a standing ovation for breast cancer survivors.

NC State’s third quarter featured inspired, stifling defense, as the Pack didn’t allow Georgia Tech to score until just over five minutes left in the quarter. After scoring 10 points in the first 4:03 of game time, Georgia Tech only mustered 12 points across the ensuing 20:47 of play. Graduate guard Kai Crutchfield capped off the Pack’s ridiculous run with a buzzer-beating 3 to send the Wolfpack into the fourth with a 20-point lead.

However, the most important aspect of the game came in-between game action: the Kay Yow Fund’s halftime ceremony. Former players, coaches and breast cancer survivors all came together to honor the acclaimed Wolfpack coach’s legacy and current Georgia Tech associate head coach Tasha Butts, who is currently battling breast cancer. The fund managed to raise $324,087.75 for the hard-fought cause.

“I was fortunate from ‘93 to ‘95 to be here with Kay Yow as an assistant coach,” Moore said. “She battled cancer for about 20 years off and on. Pretty amazing, just her perseverance and attitude. … It’s special wherever you go and you stop and think and reflect. It’s a whole other level here. You’re looking at Kay Yow Court. You’re looking up at her banner up in the rafters. Heck, you look across there and see Jim Valvano Arena. The two biggest advocates for fighting cancer are from NC State. You think of the millions and billions of dollars that they’ve raised for cancer research, helping people through the tough times like this to battle this stuff.”

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