Beat the Blues — Technician 3/31/22

TECHNICIAN MARC H 31, 2022

VOL . 102 | NO. 25

BEAT THE BLUES SERVING UP RAM’S MEAT WITH A SIDE OF DEVILED EGGS See page 12

Contents

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WHAT YOU MISSED:

IN THIS ISSUE: page

04

Cases, testing down as NCSU moves past pandemic

A quick look at the headlines in and outside of NC State

NC State cancels classes for April Fools’ Day Chancellor Randy Woodson announced Feb. 29 that classes will be canceled this Friday in celebration of April Fools’ Day. Woodson said students are free to vandalize various buildings on campus as long as it is “In the spirit of the holiday.” Plagiarism will also be acceptable on any assignments completed on the day.

NEWS page

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NC State needs better housing options for returning students

Ariana DeBose, NC native, wins Oscar for Best Supporting Actress On Sunday night, Ariana DeBose made history when she won an Oscar for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Anita in Steven Speilberg’s “West Side Story.”

DeBose is the first openly queer and Afro-Latina woman to win the award.

SOURCE: THE NEWS & OBSERVER

OPINION

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94th annual Oscars: A slap

08 in the face of film lovers

CULTURE

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Following a joke Chris Rock made about Jada Pinkett Smith’s lack of hair during the Academy Awards, Will Smith walked up on stage and slapped Rock. Smith then went on to win the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in “King Richard.” He issued a statement apologizing for the incident the next day. Ticket sales for Rock’s upcoming tour have skyrocketed following the incident.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Pack women’s tennis preparing for blockbuster rivalry matchups

Taiwanese company creates world’s largest surgical mask Motex Healthcare Corp, a Taiwan-based medical supply company, created a surgical mask measuring 27 feet by 15 feet, breaking the Guinness World Record. It is 50 times larger than a standard face mask.

The company came up with the idea in 2020 to raise awareness of the importance of mask wearing.

Events to keep an eye on for the week of March 31

REACHING OUT AND LIFTING UP Thursday, Mar. 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

TALLEY STUDENT UNION 5210 Free Celebrate Women’s HERStory Month by packing bagged lunches and writing encouraging notes with the Women’s Center.

BOBA CHAT Friday, April 1, 3-4 p.m.

VIRTUAL Free Students that identify as Asian, Pacific Islander and/or South Asian American can join weekly to gain community and healing. Grab a beverage can join as participants work on sustaining their well-being.

SPRING POWWOW 2022 Saturday, April 2, 12-6 p.m.

CARMICHAEL RECREATION CENTER $5 Learn more and celebrate Indegenous culture at the 31st annual Powwow.

Watch drum groups, indigenous dance styles and see native business vendors to engage with the indigenous culture.

STUDENT POETRY READING Monday, April 4, 6-7 p.m.

D.H. HILL JR. LIBRARY, NORTH FORUM Free Celebrate National Poetry Month by listening to student poetry readings, as well as a poetry book collection curated by NC State Libraries own in-house poets.

SOURCE: UNITED INTERNATIONAL PRESS

SPORTS Editor-in-Chief Jaylan Harrington

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

Will Smith slaps Chris Rock during 94th Academy Awards

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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 2022 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022

Raleigh protesters call for climate justice Rachelle Hernandez Correspondent

On March 25, dozens joined the global climate strike in downtown Raleigh to protest for climate justice and hold local leaders and businesses accountable.

The strike was organized by Climate Action North Carolina, a local project by the League of Conservation Voters. The project was created to make environmental values a state priority through grassroots organization.

They are creating a reality for wealthy people and people who are not coming from communities of color and not coming from certain economic backgrounds and leaving us out of the conversation... Leaving us out of that future isn’t working for anyone.

-Mary Black

“For more than 40 years, oil and gas industries knew that the climate crisis has been an impending reality,” said strike organizer and city council candidate Mary Black.

Black said the companies knew the consequences of climate change.

“And what did they do?” Black said.

“Spend the majority of those 40 years not only denying their role in the climate crisis, but the existence of climate change at all.”

The overarching theme of the protest, along with sister protests worldwide, was “People Not Profit,” highlighting corporate and government negligence of climate change and how it affects low-income and minority communities.

One of the organization’s demands was seen on a poster calling for the end of Duke Energy’s monopoly in North Carolina and to “Allow for third party energy companies to provide for consumers,” according to a flier listing its demands.

Along with ending the monopoly, the organization called for: a high priority in alleviating environmental racism, stopping rate hikes from Duke Energy, ensuring affordable housing especially along public transit corridors, increasing restrictions of biomass fuel processing, and increasing protection for tree canopies, nature preserves and watershed areas.

These demands are what prompted protesters to enter the state General Assembly to hand out fliers to legislative offices hoping to speak to leaders and staff.

“Let them know you have demands and you can’t wait for them anymore,” said Hwa Huang, speaker and strike organizer, to demonstrators. “Find out who is going to listen, find out who is actually going to do something about it…And if they don’t, vote them out.”

One group, led by Black, was invited to the office of a senator’s legislative assistant to speak about the lack of affordable housing in the city. According to Black, they were met with rare agreement.

But this was only one part of the protest, as demonstrators walked to buildings sym-

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bolizing the intersecting aspects of climate justice. One stop was the Wake County Justice Center.

Here, artist and community volunteer Shai X read a self-written poem about prison labor and systemic racism and spoke about his own experiences with law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

“You have no say on the community you’re coming back to,” said Shai X on the lack of voting rights for those convicted of felonies. “The right to vote is synonymous with equality. It’s standing equal with your community.”

The topic of voting rights was also brought up when discussing how new developments force minority, typically Black, communities out and replace them with white residents, thus weakening minority voting power.

According to Black, the intersectional aspect of this strike comes from “the fact that we live intersectional lives and intersectional identities.”

“We have to understand that climate justice without racial justice, without housing justice, without women’s rights, isn’t climate justice,” Black said.

With the rise of the progressive political candidates in Raleigh and young people in politics, Black said she hopes the government soon heeds what protesters are saying in regards to building a future for everyone.

“They are creating a reality for wealthy people and people who are not coming from communities of color and not coming from certain economic backgrounds and leaving us out of the conversation,” Black said.

“Leaving us out of that future isn’t working for anyone.”

NCSU declared ‘Best University for Commuters’

Mariana Fabian

Assistant Opinion Editor

On Jan. 31, the website Best Workplaces for Commuters named NC State one of the “Best Universities for Commuters” for offering employees and students exceptional commuter benefits.

The list is comprehensive but includes several programs that NC State and local transit offers which qualify it for this distinction.

Such things like: NC State’s Wolftrails commuter program for employees, employee vanpool programs, ShareTheRideNC program, the GoRaleigh pass for public transit -- which is $5 a year/student and the Wolfline which serves all three campuses and the two park & ride lots -- were all mentioned in regards to the University’s extensive transportation options.

According to Carolyn Caggia, transportation demand manager for Wolftrails, helping out commuters with transportation is a crucial concern for NC State.

“Connecting our commuters to a range of transportation options is very important at NC State,” Caggia said. “Our WolfTrails alternative commuter program serves nearly 700 employees and students who are walking, bicycling, taking the bus, carpooling or vanpooling to campus.”

In NC State’s Transportation Master Plan from 2017, there were demands that the Wolfline should “implement routing and schedule changes to increase efficiency, provide additional on-demand night service from 12-3 a.m. and create a simplified service plan.”

The master plan is detailed and compre-

hensive but the Wolfline has had major changes since then. There are several routes that run as late as 1 a.m and 1:30 a.m, but none that run to 3 a.m. Whether a bus running this late is necessary was a debate in this plan.

The Wolfline faced a large bus driver shortage in November 2021, which heavily affected the routes and transportation options that were accessible to students and employees.

This also affected how late the routes could run.

The master plan also highly recommended that NC State start utilizing some sort of on-demand service. On-demand service is a service that can be utilized during latenight hours to provide an extra resource for students to get to their homes safely.

According to the master plan, “This service

would consist of low capacity shuttles (i.e. vans, cutaways, or electric cars) that have limited hours of operation within the existing Wolfline transit system area, and primarily operate after the fixed-route service ends for the night.”

The plan highlighted some new things the Wolfline could improve, with Transloc mentioned as something in need of improvement as well. It has been regarded as hard to use in the past and this issue continues to pervade students and employees. The app often has glitches and struggles while tracking the buses accurately.

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Cases, testing down as NCSU moves past pandemic

GRAPHIC BY AVERY SZAKACS

Cameron Rhinehardt Staff Writer

Since the return to campus in January, COVID-19 cases on campus have been decreasing. The University has implemented many new guidelines including a more lenient mask mandate and no more required weekly testing.

Students expressed mixed feelings about the new guidelines that went into effect March 7, showing excitement and anxiety about going maskless in University buildings.

Dr. Julie Casani, the director and medical director of Student Health Services, headed contact tracing in classrooms. She stated that students rarely gave COVID-19 to other students in classrooms, even after testing positive.

“Even with masks off, the likelihood of you getting COVID-19 from classrooms is very low,” Casani said.

Along with a more lenient mask mandate, the University no longer requires unvaccinated students to go through weekly testing.

Casani said these changes come as the state of the pandemic continues to evolve.

“At some point COVID will be endemic, right? It’ll be everywhere and it’ll be all the time,” Casani said. “When you start out in a pandemic, or you start out in a big outbreak,

you’re very nihilistic in your approach; you clamp down, you do the maximum stuff because you really want to try everything to stop it. And so you take, if you will, a bit of liberty and you do that, and then you learn that, first of all, you can’t be like that all the time. … You can’t keep those restrictions on people anymore. They fight them. And they become counterproductive.”

Steven Greene, a public and international affairs professor at NC State who is working on a COVID-19 and public opinion project, said the University has various stakeholders it must satisfy, and that affects its various mandates.

“The reality is that we are a public institution, we’re responsible to a board of governors, we’re responsible to the legislature that does our budget, we’re responsible to the community here,” Greene said. “NC State and the leadership of NC State has to chart a course, through these various obstacles, if you will, or various interests, that all of which may have very different takes or perspectives on what the best approach for dealing with COVID is. … I haven’t agreed with everything, but throughout, they have been flexible and adaptable and changing in response to the changing circumstances of the pandemic.”

Greene said COVID-19 is becoming less of

a high profile political issue with other world events happening.

“It’s just not front and center anymore,” Greene said. “We’ve got Ukraine, a Supreme Court justice and we’ve got really low caseloads. And it’s easy to all agree when we’ve got really low caseloads, and when hospitals aren’t overwhelmed… Let’s just say it’s rho, say we get this rho variant in like June, you know, the guarantee of politics will be back on.”

We have many, many fewer cases in absolute number, which is good news, but also relative to our testing rate.

-Dr. Julie Casani

Casani said the University has been administering less tests this semester, moving from thousands of cases a day to hundreds.

Even with these tests, few students are testing positive.

“We saw a huge explosion of cases in January, as we expected, and now we are almost living the dream where we have much fewer cases,” Casani said. “We have many, many fewer cases in absolute number, which is good news, but also relative to our testing rate.”

Despite the low cases this semester, the University had an increase in cases after returning from spring break, but the University was expecting it, according to Casani. “[Students] did exactly what we wanted them to do; they got tested,” Casani said.

“That was the most responsible thing to do.”

March 24 marked one year of administering vaccines on campus and having oncampus testing sites, according to Casani.

According to NC State’s data tracking dashboard, over 85% of the University is vaccinated.

“I am very proud to have been part of being able to vaccinate people and provide that service on campus,” Casani said. “I think this was huge, we got a lot of support from the administration, and that’s a really important message.”

To see COVID-19 cases and patterns oncampus, students can view information via the University’s online COVID-19 tracker.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022

Student organization We Bleed Red’s lobbying prompts new NCSU Menstrual Equity Initiative Heidi Reid Staff Writer

On Jan. 27, NC State announced the Menstrual Equity Initiative, a one year pilot program providing free menstrual products in select bathrooms on both main and Centennial campuses. The Menstrual Equity Initiative comes after years of advocacy from We Bleed Red, a student-run organization which recently presented to the Faculty Senate on providing free menstrual products.

Mia Connell, an alumni who graduated in 2019, founded We Bleed Red in 2017 to provide free menstrual products for the NC State community and remove some of the stigma around menstruation and periods.

Layla Saliba, a fourth-year majoring in psychology, served as vice president of We Bleed Red as a second-year, and became president in fall 2020.

“It initially started off as a Student Government initiative, known as The Pack Bleeds Red,” Saliba said. “We transitioned to a student organization for greater freedom and f lexibility, and also for greater access to funding opportunities. The Student Government allowed us to place menstrual products in Talley, but that was it. They were seeing pads and tampons as a personal use item; they were seen as a luxury instead of a necessity.”

Connell said the organization changed its name after the University said it couldn’t associate itself with the Wolfpack. The University also refused to provide funding for single use menstrual products when the

Student Government (SG) initiative first began.

“We requested funding for menstrual cups because those aren’t single use,” Connell said. “Then the University, through Student Government, I think promised us about $2,000 or $3,000, and IRC [the Inter-Residence Council] promised us close to $2,000. IRC thankfully realized ahead of time that they wouldn’t be able to give us that money, because both IRC and Student Government run on a reimbursement basis. Student Government did not notify me they would not be able to reimburse us, and we purchased about $2,000 worth of menstrual cups. And were completely left hanging for that bill.”

Connell said, because of issues with the University in supporting We Bleed Red, it separated from SG and became an independent organization. Connell said the organization was “shut out of a lot of spaces,” but was able to implement free menstrual product machines in Talley Student Union.

On Nov. 9. 2021, Saliba and Troi Davis, a graduate student in physiology, presented research We Bleed Red gathered around campus to the Faculty Senate, including Chancellor Randy Woodson and Provost Warwick Arden.

Data from the presentation reflected that of 36 bathrooms surveyed, eight had free menstrual products available. This can affect students’ education, as limited access to these products can lead to students having to miss class, making it an academic issue, Saliba said.

“A lot of welfare programs don’t cover

pads and tampons,” Saliba said. “So if a student is on SNAP, or if they’re on WIC, they can’t use that money to buy menstrual products. So that’s why we focused on it because there was such a need. Our activism was at first just with the club, it just evolved locally, and just wanted to give out diva cups, pads and tampons. But there was such a big demand that we realized we couldn’t do it all by ourselves. It’s just something that we needed help from the University.”

Though it came just two months after We Bleed Red’s presentation to the Faculty Senate, when the initiative was announced, the organization was not mentioned.

“This was the first time we were hearing of any Menstrual Equity Initiative at all,” Saliba said. “As a club, we’ve been lobbying for this for years. … I’m very glad that they’re doing this work, and it’s something that needs to be done, but at the very least we should have been credited or acknowledged.”

In a statement, University spokesperson Mick Kulikowski said NC State leadership recognizes the work of those on campus like We Bleed Red and plans to acknowledge it in the future.

“NC State leadership appreciates the efforts of the members of We Bleed Red along with others across the University who have worked to elevate awareness of this important issue,” Kulikowski said in the statement. “The intent of the Jan. 27, 2022 campus communication was to inform the community about the Menstrual Equity Initiative pilot program and generate interest for survey participation. We Bleed

Red has been purposefully engaged in the University’s efforts to collect data necessary to launch an effective program, and will continue to be engaged and recognized as the initiative is fully implemented.”

According to Connell, the stigma against periods and menstrual products impacted how long it took for the initiative to be established.

“I think the truth is that a majority of our large donors are highly conservative,” Connell said. “When they see reports of free menstrual products that’s very threatening. It’s threatening to white supremacy dominant culture, it’s threatening to conservative ideals, even though it is in support of access to education and higher education at NC State. This was an initiative that has been proven to not cost very much money to support students to increase access to education.”

Connell said she is grateful to see students continue to press the issue of menstrual equity.

“I’m super excited; it was long overdue,” Connell said. “I cried when [the initiative] happened, just because that’s just something that needs to be a priority in my opinion. Every time NC State calls, I say I won’t donate until they have free menstrual products. And I’ve gotten that call several times now, and I know a few other alumni that do the same.”

More information about We Bleed Red can be found on its Instagram @webleedredncsu.

COURTESY OF LAYLA SALIBA

Opinion

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The United States needs to reckon with its foreign policy on tyranny

In the face of mounting atrocities committed

by Russia in Ukraine, a stark response has come from the West: Vladimir Putin’s actions will not be Justin tolerated. This definitive Welch position from the United Correspondent States and its allies begs a question. Where has this sternness been while dealing with the world’s other sinister tyrants?

This month marks the seven-year anniversary of the Yemen Civil War which has set the stage for one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in the conflict, mainly from a sustained food insecurity that has bordered on famine for almost a decade. A majority of the 30.5 million civilians remain in need of aid, a sentiment the U.N. fears will be overshadowed by the unfolding of events in Ukraine.

The conflict serves as a proxy-war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a rivalry that has been shaping the Middle East for decades.

The Saudi-led coalition has defended the Yemeni government from the Houthi rebels, who they feared would become a satellite of their Iranian backers.

This defense has mainly come in the form of airstrikes, the bulk of which constitute war crimes. Over 7,000 of these air raids have been directed at non-military targets, including weddings, markets, prisons, schools, hospitals and funerals.

Through an extensive and shameful partnership, Saudi Arabia is enabled to sustain these cruel and intentional measures with

billions in arms supplied by the United States. Decades of deals do well in emulating the differences of the facade presented by the “Land of Liberty” and the morally bankrupt reality of defining liberty in the lining of one’s pockets.

The Biden administration has long presented itself with a morally driven ideology.

While campaigning in 2019, then-nominee Biden rightly criticized the humanitarian record of Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman, who is considered the architect of the war in Yemen, harshly. In office, the President’s voice has grown quite faint.

When US intelligence implicated the Crown Prince in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Biden in a predictably spineless fashion reversed his former criticism, citing the importance of the nations’ alliance.

The entire justification of a partnership with Saudi Arabia has been in the economic positives outweighing the negatives of the nation’s human rights record. This speaks to a greater trend in modern American foreign policy, prioritizing profits over freedom. Fear of retaliation from the American electorate who care only for prices at the gas pump has seen U.S. leaders crumbling to the demands of authoritarian regimes, namely Russia, China and Saudi Arabia.

The public’s concern here is well-founded. Macro-economic implications should be considered, but Saudi Arabia’s record on human rights in Yemen and at home are overwhelmingly horrific and evident.

Hesitancy would not be found in dealing with atrocities committed by, say, NaziGermany, regardless of the financial impact,

so why the inaction now?

But in past weeks, the United States has surprisingly shown a willingness to compromise economic interests for the right cause in Ukraine. Hundreds of sanctions have had a devastating effect on the Russian economy and will continue to mount pressure on Putin as the war continues.

This is the correct path, though its delayed implementation has possibly cost lives in Ukraine. The invasion was no genuine surprise, the annexing of Crimea in 2014 up to the buildup of troops on the border this winter made Putin’s intentions clear.

However, all that came were weak warnings from the West which failed to deter what has unfolded before us today.

The U.S. consistently finds itself in a subordinate position too scared to poke a bear for fear of the economic consequences even as an invasion of an autonomous ally loomed.

Nova and Comet - Exposed!

Pearl Knight, staff columnist third-year studying art and design

The U.S. consistently finds itself in a subordinate position too scared to poke a bear for fear of the economic consequences, even as an invasion of an autonomous ally loomed. Complacency in the face of authoritarianism cannot continue to be a brand for foreign policy. The tactical use of economic pressure is a model that needs implementing by the United States on the foremost tyrannical and repressive regimes of the world, not the other way around.

The Saudi government happily watches on as the world turns towards Russia, demonizing them for the same outrages that they have carried out for years. ​​The United States — and specifically the Biden administration — cannot continue to tout itself as the leader of the free world and claim a moral compass while sitting idly to the violation of that world by powers they enable.

This is a very grave situation and I know many NC State students may feel powerless to such distant issues, but there are ways for anyone to have an impact. For a vaster change, being conscious of the issues is vital, as well as sharing accurate information about the same to your peers. More direct effects can be had through financial support. To see more on helping those hurting from the War in Yemen, please use this article from Today as it lists many organizations that are working in Yemen and could use more financial support.

Lastly, I know this can be a difficult time for many of us, especially those who may be directly impacted by this crisis. To those, please take advantage of NC State’s Counseling Center as it can be a great resource for you.

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NC State needs to provide improved housing options for returning students Back in February, I, along with many other returning students, applied to live on campus next year. With off-campus housing seeming to get Elyse increasingly more expenBoldizar sive each year, a big reaStaff Columnist son for my decision was affordability. However, I didn’t anticipate the difficulty of finding on-campus housing and how quickly good options would run out.

According to Katrina Pawvluk, University Housing director of administration and occupancy management, I wasn’t the only one with this problem. A total of 4,262 returning undergraduate and graduate students applied to live on-campus for the 2022-23 academic year, a number that was surprisingly higher than in past years. However, only a little over half of those students were actually accepted and allowed to select rooms.

A big reason for this was the lack of space in apartment-style buildings, the most popular option for returning students looking to live on campus.

“As you get a little bit older, you want a more independent-living environment,” Pawvluk said. “But again, they are the first things to go. Honestly, we were even surprised this year at how quickly the apartments filled up because it happened fast.”

Students who initially wanted to live in on-campus apartments were left to scramble for alternatives. Speaking with a lot of my friends, it was difficult to even find one person whose housing plans turned out exactly the way they wanted. This issue makes it clear that a change needs to be made — NC State needs better housing for returning students. I propose two possible solutions.

First, the University can allocate more space for returning students by modifying the first-year on-campus living requirement.

NC State cites a decades-long study on the benefits of freshmen living on campus. However, with more and more new students accepted each year, returning students are getting pushed to the sidelines when it comes to housing.

Just last year, a record number of 5,030 new students were admitted. Pawvluk said this number is only expected to increase for next year. In turn, housing has to set aside more rooms for new students.

The first-year on-campus living requirement also overlooks affordability as a key factor in deciding where to live. There are plenty of returning students who want to live on campus because it’s the cheapest option for them. On the flip side, some freshmen would benefit more from commuting than paying the high price of housing and a meal plan.

Financial decisions vary from person to person so it should be up to the student to decide what’s best for them. Housing can still prioritize freshmen by holding some spaces for them, but taking away the requirement would mean more room for returning students.

Secondly, NC State should build more on-campus apartments to accommodate the high demand.

Pawvluk noted that some residence halls, particularly Avent Ferry Complex, took longer to get selected, most likely because they were all double occupancy. To try and give students more desirable choices, housing switched some floors to singles, resulting in rooms in those floors being readily selected by students.

While I agree switching more residence halls from doubles to singles would give more

GRAPHIC BY NOAH WEAVER

returning students better options for living on campus while making better use of residence halls, it also means there is less room in each building. A more comprehensive plan would be a combination of switching some residence hall floors to singles while simultaneously building more on-campus apartments available for students.

For even more flexibility, the application could also be updated to allow students to apply for rooms without a predetermined roommate group. Right now, the application only allows students to apply for certain rooms if they have a roommate group that can fill the room. While this helps students who have people they want to live with, it disadvantages students who want to live in certain rooms but just don’t have the right

number of roommates.

To ease the application process, a certain number of hall and suite-style rooms could be held for those applying with a full group and then the rest could be open to people of varying group size who don’t mind randomized roommates. That way, students who weren’t able to find a solid group can still get into suite and apartment-style rooms if they want.

Long story short, NC State needs to do better in prioritizing returning students in the housing process. By modifying the first-year on-campus living requirement and building more apartments, NC State can allow more students to enjoy the benefits of on-campus housing.

$16M for video games and a truck is an irresponsible waste

Recently, NC State has received over $12 million as a grant to build an esports facility and $4 million for a mobile arena. This decision has faced backBenjamin lash from the student Guadarrama body as shown in comCorrespondent ments on the original article. To place into context, with $16 million one could buy a 6 bedroom mansion, in the most expensive ZIP code in the US, in cash and still have $2 million left over.

These $16 million could have gone to the student population in forms such as scholarships, fellowships and provide programs to help students understand and navigate

the predatory system of student loans. With $16 million NC State can provide up to 146 merit and need-based, full-ride scholarships to students currently enrolled or to those who wish to join the Wolfpack community.

Part of this grant includes $4 million for a mobile arena. Marc Hoit, vice chancellor for information technology, has described the mobile arena as “essentially a truck” in a previous statement. A truck that will have the ability to play video games anywhere, at a reasonable cost of $4 million.

This money could have been differently spent by investing in clubs that help students expand their knowledge and understanding in academic subject areas. If you visit the Get Involved at NC State page and filter by “Academic and Pre-professional,” there are over 275 organizations on campus

that dedicate themselves to helping students in any given field. The fields covered are diverse and vast, from aerial robotics and accounting to textile engineering and zoology.

Of course, this money comes from the state government, which decided to invest in teenagers playing video games instead of more pressing issues such as drug abuse and homelessness. According to the Blanchard Institute, death by overdose rose 38% in NC between 2018 and 2020, an issue the state of North Carolina could have invested money in to prevent. Homelessness in Mecklenburg County rose 55% between 2020-2021. These are pressing issues of the state yet were not important enough to warrant more funding when compared to a college video game team.

The state could have also invested in the

public school system, notably in the field of physical education. North Carolina has seen a rising rate of youth obesity since the 1970s, this sets the child for a life of increased health risk. In 2018, North Carolina received $8.2 million to combat obesity, yet the state threw twice that amount of money into video games and a truck.

When presented with $16 million dollars, the state overlooked the opioid crisis, the homeless, obesity, education, student organizations, mental health, health care for those of lesser means, job security programs and more programs that would have furthered public health and safety. Yet, it decided to invest in a video game arena and a $4 million dollar truck (hopefully) with PS5s.

Culture 8 TECHNICIAN 94th annual Oscars: A slap in the face of film lovers THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022

Allie Remhof Copy Desk Chief

The 94th annual Oscars were held on Sunday, March 27, 2022. This year’s Academy Awards promised to be a show where “Movie Lovers Unite,” which also happened to be the cheesy theme for the show. Although it’s hard to measure if they achieved this in the way they hoped, parts of this show will be remembered forever.

Let’s talk about the obvious. After Chris Rock delivered a hurtful joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, Will Smith jumped up on stage, slapped Rock and yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f---ing mouth!”

Mere minutes after the slap, Smith said art imitates life as he accepted his award for best actor in “King Richard” as Venus and Serena Williams’ father who was a “fierce defender of his family.”

I’m not here to fan the flames of the countless debates about the slap online, but what I can say is this moment will go down in Oscars history, for better or worse. Smith’s acceptance speech is an all-time memorable moment for me, in both the content and context, and it’s the most exciting moment

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from the show in years.

Highlights of the evening included the speeches from winners. Troy Kotsur and “CODA” made history with their wins.

Kotsur is the first deaf man to win an Oscar — the second deaf person ever, behind his “CODA” co-star Marlee Matlin — and “CODA” was the first Sundance film to win best picture. Apple TV+ also made history as the first streaming service to nab a Best Picture win, beating out Netflix’s efforts with films like “The Irishman,” “Mank” and “The Power of the Dog.” Raleigh native Ariana DeBose became the first queer woman of color acting winner, and Jane Campion became the third woman to win Best Director. Each delivered powerful speeches highlighting the importance of their win and made the night feel magical, even if their wins were somewhat predictable.

Some presenter bits were also really nice to see. The non-film affiliated presenters like Shaun White, Kelly Slater and Tony Hawk felt strange. But seeing people like last year’s Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor winners Youn Yuh-jung and Anthony

The Oscars have plenty of enjoyable moments, but it’s not a real Academy Awards until you feel embarrassed to call it Hollywood’s biggest night.

Hopkins, the latter of whom was unable to attend the ceremony last year to accept his award, were wonderful moments. Youn took the opportunity to sign Kotsur’s name for his win and Hopkins was able to cool the temperature of the room post-slap, both well-appreciated.

Clips of all the acting nominees were also back this year, something I was delighted by. Although I’m proud to say I saw all the performances before they were nominated, clips give those who haven’t seen a performer yet a good idea of what their role or execution was like.

The Oscars have plenty of enjoyable moments, but it’s not a real Academy Awards until you feel embarrassed to call it Hollywood’s biggest night.

The decision to have three hosts didn’t feel strange at its inception, although the academy’s choices — Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall and Amy Schumer — did.

Each host had their own bits throughout the evening, including jokes about the handsomest men at the show from Hall, Schumer doing stand-up and Sykes at the Academy Museum. Although entertaining

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and not the worst part of the show, the hosts didn’t appear enough to make the whole thing pay off, probably due to the show running longer than planned.

In perhaps the most tasteless moment of all, the in memoriam segment was underscored by far-toohappy performances of “I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan and “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum. This gave the segment a celebratory vibe, which I found unwelcome and borderline uncomfortable.

Stopping on a couple names like Sidney Poitier, Betty White and Ivan Reitman to honor them individually was sweet, but still felt off alongside the rest of the segment.

One of the hot topics in the weeks before the broadcast was the decision to present eight awards before the ceremony and intercut them into the show to save time and make the show shorter. This was, in short, futile. This ended up being the longest Oscars since 2018, and in all of those shows between then and now, every category has been presented live.

In this broadcast, awards were presented in the Dolby Theatre in the hour before the show began, and speeches were recorded

and edited into the live broadcast to appear live. The problem is anyone who wanted to know these categories before the ceremony was able to look them up before the show from anyone who was in the theater at that hour.

Cutting them in felt very unnatural at home.

T he producers also cut speeches short. Aneil Karia

spoke first when he and Riz A hmed spoke for their win for their short film “The Long Goodbye,” but was reportedly cut from the actual broadcast. The Oscars showed a real disdain for the craftspeople behind film without a flashy name, or even with, as best

score was also announced before the show in which Hans Zimmer won his first Oscar.

The height of vitriol for film was truly shown during the Oscars Cheer Moment and Fan Favorite. These categories were overtaken by stans of all shapes and sizes, including

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Johnny Depp fans for “Minamata,” Marvel stans for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Camila Cabello zealots for “Cinderella” and the final boss of them all, Zack Snyder enthusiasts for “Army of the Dead” and a nod to the scene “The Flash Enters Speed

Force,” whatever that means.

There was never any doubt the stans would take this category over, it was just a matter of how silly the competition got — and it got really silly. This was obviously an attempt to get more viewers, but that didn’t mean they were worthwhile viewers.

I can’t imagine a Depp devotee keeping the TV on after hearing the word “Minamata” or paying much attention before that. And moreover, these categories also took more away from the films actually nominated by the academy; these were 100% Twitter-generated winners.

More than ever, the Oscars felt cheap. Not in its production design, not in its winners, but the way they treat film lovers and filmmakers. I felt embarrassed to be excited for the Oscars when all the producers wanted to do was cower from their impressive film slate and pander to the masses instead.

But at the end of the day, unexpected moments are what make the Oscars. No staged bits, no gratifying the mob and definitely no cut categories make the Oscars worth talking about. The winners, their speeches, the nominees and everyone involved are the most important part of the evening. Let’s slap some sense into the Academy next year and make it about the people.

Notice of Unclaimed Property

In accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15-12, the North Carolina State University Police Department hereby gives notice regarding unclaimed property currently in its possession, including items in the following categories: Cell phones Computers Electronic Accessories Cameras

Keys Tools Wallets/Purses/Bags Personal Documents

Camping Equipment Bicycles Money Clothing

Any person who may have or claim any interest in any of these items must call the NC State Police Department at (919) 515-8106 or submit an inquiry via email to crimeprevention@ncsu.edu no later than May 1, 2022, which is 30 days from the date of publication of this notice. These items will be disposed of in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15-12 after that date.

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Artist residency crosses disciplines to inspire all students Jameson Wolf Staff Writer

On a Wednesday evening in January, Sabrina Hurtado pulled extra tables through the glass doors of D.H. Hill’s packed Fishbowl Forum to accommodate an overwhelming turnout to local artist Clarence Heyward’s talk, the third event in Heyward’s weeklong residency at NC State.

Students from all disciplines, along with several faculty and staff members, squeezed in eagerly to hear about Heyward’s journey to becoming a career artist.

Heyward, a painter and collage artist, regularly explores concepts of social identity in his work, specifically in regards to being Black in America. Hurtado, a third-year studying visual arts and arts entrepreneurship, planned the entire residency and said Heyward was a natural choice for the role.

“When we talk about people’s experiences with racial backgrounds, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religions, etc., they enrich our knowledge of other people, the world and how you look at things exponentially,” Hurtado said. “Since in the art world and in media we mostly see white artists in the spotlight, I really wanted to give students an example of ‘Hey, this is a BIPOC artist that deserves a lot of attention and has experiences and points of view that you might not have heard of before.’”

After only a few years of seriously pursuing art as a career, Heyward’s paintings and collages have already earned notable success and recognition both in the Triangle area and nationally. A selection of his work is currently on exhibit at the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh.

Though Heyward was interested in art from the time he was young — attending a specialized art high school and later majoring in arts education — he strayed from art after graduating from college. He spent over a decade as a truck driver before deciding, with the help of his wife, that it was time to return to art.

“I was questioning my impact on the world and how I will be remembered,” Heyward said.

“I asked, ‘Was I making the best of the times ahead?’ And the answer was pretty much no.

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I wasn’t making the impact I wanted. I didn’t feel like I was making the best of my time.”

Heyward said while the transition was hard at times, he now feels fulfilled in a way that he didn’t before.

“I’m telling stories about like the Black experience in America,” Heyward said. “Hopefully, people can relate to that. I’m letting some people in on things that they may not be aware of or they may not necessarily see. I’m leaving a legacy for my family and my children. I’m happy doing what I do now.”

One of Hurtado’s primary goals for the residency was to host events that were accessible and appealing to all students, no matter their interests or disciplines.

“It’s very much a cultural thing that the arts are exclusive,” Hurtado said. “A lot of people say, ‘No, I’m not an artist’ or ‘I’m not good at it. I’m not creative enough.’ I wanted to make it look like ‘Hey, we’re just like you, and you don’t have to be an artist to make art.’ There isn’t this exclusive title.”

Especially at a STEM-oriented school like NC State, there tends to be stark boundaries between disciplines that can limit the kinds of interactions people have. Hurtado sought through the residency to soften these boundaries, planning events that would allow students to relate to Heyward as a person rather than revere him as an artist.

To that end, Hurtado was intentional about holding only one direct art-making event and focusing other events around learning about Heyward’s life and practices more generally.

In addition to the collage-making session, they had an entrepreneurship Q&A where Heyward answered questions about what went into making a living as an artist, a podcast recording session with the African American Cultural Center where Heyward considered hidden racism in society and an artist talk, where he discussed his non-linear path to realizing his passion.

To close out the week, Heyward painted a mural of a black fist with an American flag at the Free Expression Tunnel, which remained there through the opening of Black History Month.

Behind the scenes at University Theatre: Director Mia Self Noah Buck

Correspondent

Mia Self, an assistant director with the University Theater Program and a specialist in acting and directing, is the director for “The SpongeBob Musical,” which opens at Titmus Theater in Raleigh on March 31.

Regarding her entrance into theater, Self described the neighborhood productions she hosted in garages as a child, attempting to mimic the sketches she saw on TV.

Additionally, she had an influential teacher in second grade who encouraged her to act in classic Shakespeare pieces.

“One classmate called me a big faker because I would open my eyes and watch the rest of the show when I was supposed to play dead,” Self said. “It’s a human response to watch and have a vision of how a story unfolds.”

As director, Self looks for the kernel of the story buried underneath the songs, set pieces and action — the emotional core an audience isn’t necessarily aware

of that drives a production. She cited “The Spongebob Musical” as an example.

“SpongeBob has a real desire for human connection and to be seen as a valuable member of society,” Self said. “Sounds heavy, but it’s something we can all emotionally connect to.”

As a director, Self has conversations with every department, from costumes to scenic design. During production meetings, different department heads will bring ideas and material for Self to choose from.

“I’m more of a wayfinder than a dictator,” Self said. “They’re bringing all of their amazing creativity, and I’m just trying to channel it for the story.”

Research is another important component of Self ’s work, and it varies depending on the production. For “SpongeBob,” her prep work included watching YouTube videos, reading articles and rereading the script time and time again.

“I watched ‘My Octopus Teacher’ and looked at old PBS clips with marine explorer Jacques Cousteau,” Self said. “I

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NC State self-defense programs provide information for staying safe in a big city Elyse Boldizar Correspondent

NC State’s location in the heart of Raleigh provides plenty of exciting opportunities for students. However, living in a big city comes with its drawbacks. With higher levels of crime in cities than in suburban areas according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, members of the NC State community must take the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe.

Real World Safety is a new program by the NC State Crime Prevention unit that teaches situational awareness, threat assessment and basic combative skills so the Wolfpack has the knowledge it needs to stay safe.

The program was brought to the University

by Crime Prevention Officer Murray Gibson and is scheduled to fully begin this fall. Unlike other safety courses offered at NC State, Real World Safety focuses on prevention strategies to reduce the risk of threatening situations.

“We didn’t have anything that was really geared towards situational awareness of a brain,” Gibson said. “This actually gives us sort of a plan of things to look for.”

The program is taught over two days and covers four main areas of instruction, including physiological responses to stressful situations, threat assessment, social conditioning and basic combative strategies. Gibson said the social conditioning portion of the program is especially interesting.

“We’re taught certain societal rules that we follow, and unfortunately some of these things that we’re taught can work against us if we’re faced with a predatory threat,” Gibson said. “In the program, we talked about how, if you feel like you’re being threatened or you just have that funny feeling in your stomach, it’s okay to be rude to another person. A per-

son’s safety is much more important than hurt feelings.”

Gibson also emphasized the importance of being aware of your surroundings as a strategy to staying safe, something that is also highlighted in the course.

“I think one of the things that I see as a big problem on campus is that we’re not nearly aware enough of our surroundings,” Gibson said. “Now that I’m in the role of sort of an educator in terms of safety, I wanted to develop a program like that.”

Different from the Real World Safety program, R.A.D. teaches higherlevel combative strategies including defense stances, striking, blocks, kicks and other ways to use the body as a weapon against dangerous situations.

While the program does not start till next fall, those interested are encouraged to email crimeprevention@ncsu.edu for updates on session dates. In the meantime, students are encouraged to attend one of the Police

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Department’s Rape Aggression Defensive (R.A.D.) program sessions which is an intensive three-day course on self-defense for women.

Different from the Real World Safety program, R.A.D. teaches higher-level combative strategies including defense stances, striking, blocks, kicks and other ways to use the body as a weapon against dangerous situations.

While it was put on hold due to COVID-19, sessions have returned and are tentatively scheduled for each month at the NC State Police Department. The next sessions will be held April 11, 13 and 15 from 6-8 p.m.

Sgt. Carl D’Agostino, community engagement supervisor for crime prevention and R.A.D. instructor said the program highlights the idea.

“If you minimize the opportunity, you

can minimize the risk to yourself,” said D’Agostino.

No matter which program students choose, both options provide valuable information and are open to anyone affiliated with NC State.

“It’s not just about keeping safe here at NC State, but it’s about staying safe throughout your life,” Gibson said. “This is something that is kind of foundational in terms of safety, and I also believe that no matter what training you’ve had, getting more training is always valuable.”

Those interested in either program should contact the Crime Prevention office at crimeprevention@ncsu.edu for session dates. For other safety-related concerns or questions, see the NC State Police Department website.

even looked into Japanese puppet theater to inform the cartoon movements we’re replicating in ‘Spongebob.’”

Self spoke about the challenges directors face when choosing which elements of a production stay and go. She mentioned advice from Russian director and “founder of realism,” Konstantin Stanislavski.

“We throw out about 90% of what we bring to the table,” Self said. “We bring all these ideas and elements but we’re ultimately trying to find the 10% that really serves the story.”

One of the most important aspects of directing is working with actors. Self acted professionally in graduate school and spent three years as a touring theater actor. During that time, she fell in love with teaching.

“I loved the community aspect of working with actors,” Self said. “It’s up to the director to create an environment where people can fail boldly and bring their bravest selves to a performance.”

According to Self, the best moments of her job occur when an actor successfully translates rehearsal work into a performance that resonates.

“It’s that moment where the audience holds their breath,” Self said. “Or they have that moment of recognition and spontaneously burst into laughter or applause. It’s theater at its most beautiful.”

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Thompson Hall, located on central campus, houses the Titmus Theater and the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre for NC State. Photo above taken of Thompson Hall on Oct. 25, 2019.

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Pack women’s tennis preparing for blockbuster rivalry matchups Ethan Bakogiannis Staff Writer

The red-hot No. 2 NC State women’s tennis team has been rolling through its competition all season long. After taking down ACC opponents down one by one, the squad has carved out a program best 19-1 record as well as an undefeated 7-0 conference record.

After staying steady at the No. 2 spot in the rankings for weeks, yet another program best for NC State, the Pack looks ahead to a season defining weekend that presents two of the most challenging matches for the team all season long. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s a chance to take the number one spot in the nation in the biggest match of the season, where the Pack will take on No. 1 UNC-Chapel Hill.

With matches against cross town rivals and tennis powerhouses in No. 10 Duke and the best team in the nation, No. 1 UNC, the Pack will have more than enough competition to face on this critical weekend. However, the opportunity to take its 10th and 11th ranked wins of the season is an enticing one, especially when UNC has given the Pack its only loss in its nearly unblemished season.

The Pack is set to take on Duke at home on Friday, April 1, and while the Blue Devils present a challenging ACC matchup to start the weekend, this team is adept at taking down top-10 ranked teams. With nine ranked wins on the season, three of which have come against top-10 programs, the Pack has certainly shown it can take down

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Graduate Jaeda Daniel backhands the ball during the tennis team’s match against Florida State University at Dail Outdoor Tennis Center on Friday, March 4, 2022. The Wolfpack beat the Seminoles 6-1.

opponents of Duke’s caliber.

However, this is no excuse to slack off, even though the Blue Devils are on a two game losing streak, Duke still boasts an 11-3 overall record and 6-2 conference record.

Bringing the Wolfpack’s trademarked dominance in the doubles round as well as continuing its impressive singles play will be key to taking down the Blue Devils as well as any other ranked conference opponents for the rest of the season.

The Pack’s core singles lineup has been as strong as ever, with every position, one through six, playing an integral part in each win NC State has earned this season. But for this weekend, everyone will have to play at their best level possible to take down not only Duke, but No.1 ranked UNC Tar Heels.

While beating top-10 ranked teams like Duke is nothing the Pack hasn’t accomplished before, its match against UNC on Sunday, April 3, is a whole different animal.

Handing the Wolfpack its only loss of the season during the semifinal round of the ITA National Indoor Championships, the Tar Heels were able to take down the Pack 4-1 in Madison, Wisconsin. However, this time the Pack will be at home and hungry for revenge against its rivals.

Currently, the Heels boast the only undefeated record in women’s college tennis and while the Pack hope to change this, it won’t be easily done. Bringing a strong showing in the doubles round will be the first step to potentially evening the series at 1-1. The only time NC State has not won the preliminary doubles point was in its first faceoff with UNC, claiming an early 1-0 lead will be crucial to victory.

Just like the Wolfpack, the Tar Heels have a formidable singles lineup, but since their first matchup, the Pack has added three ranked wins to its record and its singles lineup has not let up yet. Strong performances from all six will be needed to take down the Heels, and the Pack will be as determined as ever to take down its rivals and the only competition left in its way in the national rankings.

With a new program high ranking and undefeated ACC record on the line, NC State will need to step up in two of the squad’s biggest matches all season, but it’s nothing this team hasn’t done before and they will certainly take the rivalry weekend challenge head on.

COLUMN: Pack men’s basketball caught in dire straits Wade Bowman

Assistant Sports Editor

This week proved nightmarish for head coach Kevin Keatts, just when Wolfpack fans thought things couldn’t get any worse for the 21-loss NC State men’s basketball team.

With the transfer portal playing spoiler to much of the hope for the team to rebound from its abysmal 2021-22 performance, the announcement of guard combo freshman Terquavion Smith and redshirt sophomore Dereon Seabron testing the waters in the NBA draft comes as a defeating blow.

Smith and Seabron served as NC State’s first pair of 15-plus point-per-game scorers since the days of Tom Gugliotta and Kevin Thomspon way back in the 1991-92 season.

The dynamic of such an effective one-two punch may not have translated into wins during the 2021-22 season, but it certainly provided hope for what the two could accomplish with a fully healthy roster behind them.

Both of NC State’s premier guards reached exceptional highs in their individual games despite playing under the banner of the worst team in the ACC this season, so it’s not surprising they would consider moving

on. If both of them are successful in achieving their hoop dreams, however, it leaves Keatts and company in dire straits.

How did Keatts and his staff even get in this position? Well, to put it mildly, playing for a team that finished 11-21, and 4-16 in ACC play while isolating a lot of its core isn’t exactly a desirable situation. Frustrations with performance, both on an individual scale and as a team have already seen four members of the Pack into the transfer portal.

The first to make the decision that their basketball career lies elsewhere was sophomore forward Jaylon Gibson. For anyone who dedicated a sliver of time to watching Wolfpack men’s basketball this season, this one comes as no surprise. For the larger part of the year, Gibson looked out of his league, failing regularly to keep pace with the Power Five style of basketball.

Not to be an advanced stats nerd, but Gibson’s minus-1.3 box plus/minus from 2021-22 is bad, signifying that the majority of the time he takes the court, he’s doing more harm than good for a Wolfpack team that hurt itself enough in other facets of its

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Head coach Kevin Keatts questions mistakes by the Wolfpack offense during the game versus the Boston College Eagles on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022 in PNC Arena. The Wolfpack lost to the Eagles 69-61.

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Pack women’s basketball ends magical season with loss to UConn in Elite Eight Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The NC State women’s basketball team fell to the University of Connecticut Huskies 91-87 in double overtime in the Elite Eight on Monday, March 28 inside Total Mortgage Arena.

The loss brings an end to a magical season for the Wolfpack (32-4, 17-1 ACC) in one of college basketball’s best games of the year. Both teams left it all out on the court, battling back and forth in a game that featured high scorers, great shots and a buzzer-beating 3 courtesy of junior wing Jakia Brown-Turner.

“First of all, just couldn’t be prouder of our players,” said head coach Wes Moore.

“Come in, tough environment, great team, and went toe to toe with [UConn]. That’s the way they’ve been for the whole season. As great of players as they are, they’re even better people, and it’s just been such an honor to be around them and to work with them.”

Senior center Elissa Cunane, graduate forward Kayla Jones, and graduate guards Kai Crutchfield and Raina Perez all finished their Wolfpack careers by pouring their hearts on the court, as the program-defining players finished the game with a combined 45 points, 25 rebounds and 15 assists.

“I love my teammates, I especially love the seniors,” Brown-Turner said. “I’ve been playing with them for a while. They play hard. They help us, they help me. They’ve been helping me since I was a freshman.

They just taught me a lot. I learned a lot from them.”

Entering the game, NC State knew what it was getting with a No. 2-seeded UConn (295, 16-1 Big East) team playing in what was essentially a home game and a star-studded roster featuring players like Paige Bueckers, Christyn Williams and Azzi Fudd. Still, the Wolfpack battled back after falling behind by as much as 10 to take the game into not one, but two overtimes.

Brown-Turner was the hero of the game for the Wolfpack, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer down three in the first overtime, leaving 0.8 seconds left on the clock and sending the game to another overtime period. Brown-Turner finished the game with 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal in one of her best games in a Wolfpack uniform.

“Well, I just tuned the crowd out and just played hard for my team, did everything I could to get stops, rebounds and score, just anything to help the team,” Brown-Turner said. “I really didn’t hear the crowd. Like when I’m on the court, I get zoned out.”

The game got out to a rough start for the Pack, with the team missing several layups, committing seven turnovers and hesitating on open shots. Further, NC State committed

HALLIE WALKER/TECHNICIAN

Junior wing Jakia Brown-Turner drives the ball around the block in the Elite Eight game against Connecticut on Monday, March 28, 2022 inside Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Brown-Turner led in scoring with 20 points for the Wolfpack. NC State lost 91-87 to Connecticut in double overtime.

four travels in the game. The box score made things seem closer than it felt, due in part to the play of junior forward Jada Boyd and NC State’s efforts at the free-throw line. NC State made all of its first nine attempts from the charity stripe and Boyd, who finished the game with 14 points, had six points in the second to pace the Pack.

Toward the end of the first half, NC State’s graduating class was on full display. Cunane got animated after a foul call, erupting for a block and quick score inside, looking unstoppable in the process, to end the second quarter. Crutchfield played all 40 minutes on Saturday and then played all 20 first-half minutes, helping hold Bueckers to just four points in the first half.

Despite a strong showing from Williams in the first half, Crutchfield’s defense on Bueckers stood out. However, that didn’t last, as Bueckers erupted in the second half to carry the Huskies to victory, scoring 23 points in the second half and overtime periods.

With Bueckers failing to miss a shot in the second half, the Wolfpack could’ve easily fallen behind and failed to make it a close game. Instead, sophomore guard Diamond Johnson hit a massive 3-pointer to nearly even the game out heading into the fourth.

Johnson later extended the Pack’s lead with another huge 3-pointer and a massive gametying layup later in the quarter.

“Like I said, I said great players but also great people,” Moore said. “We do have a great team. I think character and those things matter, and tonight that character almost got us over the hump because a lot of teams in this environment down 10 would have packed it in. They just don’t — their heart doesn’t do that.”

Dorka Juhász went down with a gruesome injury in the first half, and UConn’s bigs Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa both were in foul trouble late in the second half, leading to some easy buckets inside for Cunane, who hit the last shot of regulation.

Nelson-Ododa was fouled with 26 seconds left but missed both free throws, setting up a potential game-winner for NC State. Instead, the Wolfpack missed the shot and the game went into its first overtime.

Bueckers began her nuclear streak in overtime, scoring 10 points in the first overtime period but the Pack kept answering the call.

Crutchfield was fouled on a 3-point attempt toward the end of first overtime period, but missed one of her three shots from the charity stripe, seemingly setting up a UConn win.

However, Brown-Turner buckled down and hit the biggest shot of her NC State career, sending the game to another overtime period and extending the high-octane matchup.

Despite NC State’s best efforts, Christyn Williams scored a flurry of points in the

second overtime period, slightly getting the better of the Pack and ending its magical season.

“Yeah, I mean, this journey has been incredible, and this team has done so much and accomplished so much,” Cunane said.

“Although this is hurtful right now, I am proud of all that we’ve done this season, and even to be playing in this game. I couldn’t be more proud of the team.”

The loss sets NC State up for a new era of basketball after having Cunane, Crutchfield, Jones and Perez for several winning seasons, NCAA Tournaments and, of course, backto-back-to-back ACC titles. The Pack’s graduating class’s mark on the program is unmistakable and unforgettable, giving a bittersweet ending to their Wolfpack careers.

“Yeah, what a legacy they have now,” Moore said. “Again, another step would have made it a better legacy. But definitely got all the effort and heart that you could ask for out of them. But yeah, I can’t say enough about that group and what they’ve done, not only hanging banners in Reynolds Coliseum but also just the lives they’ve touched and the people that just have really bought into our program and all. I don’t know, we’re losing four great players, so I’m probably fixing to get dumb in a hurry. But for a few years there, they’ve made us look pretty good.”

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Graduating class for Pack women’s basketball leaves lasting mark on program and Raleigh Tristan Tucker Managing Editor

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Despite a gutwrenching Elite Eight loss to the No. 2-seeded Connecticut Huskies, there’s no doubt that the Wolfpack’s graduating class of senior center Elissa Cunane, graduate forward Kayla Jones, and graduate guards Kai Crutchfield and Raina Perez leaves behind a legacy which will be hard for any other graduating class to match.

That quad of players leaves behind three ACC Tournament titles, one ACC regularseason title, huge performances and clutch shot after clutch shot.

Cunane came to the Wolfpack in the 201819 season, immediately making an impact as a freshman and joining the starting lineup before the end of the year. Cunane is the two-time reigning ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and she exits the program with career averages of nearly 15 points and

HALLIE WALKER/TECHNICIAN

Graduate guard Raina Perez shoots the ball over the block in the Elite 8 game against Connecticut on Monday, March 28, 2022 inside Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Perez contributed four rebounds for the Wolfpack. NC State lost 91-87 to Connecticut in double overtime.

game last season.

The three-star recruit coming continued from page 12 out of high school will undoubtedly find more success in something like a mid-major conference, but Wolfpack fans should not be too distraught to see him go; it’s what’s best for both parties. The more recent news of sophomore guard Cam Hayes deciding to move on from NC State definitely leaves a worse taste in the mouth, however.

A season ago it wouldn’t have been crazy to think that Hayes could be the future of men’s basketball at NC State, along with Shakeel Moore, but that’s a whole different story. However, as quickly as he rose to near stardom, his game saw a significant dropoff in his sophomore season. At that same time, a struggling Wolfpack offense found refuge in the offensive play of Seabron and Smith, leaving Hayes in an uncomfortable position where quality of play and playing time moved parallel.

Such situations often cause added pressure to an already stressful job of representing a fanbase with astronomically high expectations, and Hayes’ decision to leave in combination with the potential departure of Smith

MBB

and Seabron make for a nightmare situation in the backcourt.

Redshirt senior guard Thomas Allen was the third member of the Pack to call it quits, entering the transfer portal as a fifth-year.

This loss at face value isn’t nearly as detrimental as Hayes opting out, but with the situation Keatts currently finds himself in, even losing deep rotation guys is a serious concern.

Finally, in a not-so-shocking turn of events, redshirt junior Manny Bates has also decided to double down on his thoughts from last offseason, becoming the fourth member of the Pack’s 2021-22 squad to reportedly enter the transfer portal. This news comes as a far more significant blow than the first pair of transfers, with Bates seemingly serving as the one missing piece to the Pack’s success last year.

It’s been clear for some time that Bates has quickly fallen out of love with the program he originally committed to in 2017. The fourstar recruit from the 2018 recruiting class was quickly rising to stardom as a premier shot blocker in his freshman season, but struggles with his health and Father Time creeping in on his college playing days have seemed to put Bates in now-or-never mode.

There’s no question Bates could see plenty

eight rebounds per game.

“What she’s done throughout her career here, [is] four straight Sweet 16s, three straight ACC championships, OK,” said head coach Wes Moore during a press conference on Sunday, March 27. “Before we won the ACC championship, it had been 30 years. I’m talking about the tournament.

Before we won the regular-season championship this year, it had been 32 years, which I hate to even bring those numbers up.”

As impressive as Cunane’s on-court antics are, her presence off the court will be equally missed in Raleigh, according to Moore.

“But just in every way, she’s been — you wouldn’t believe some of the stuff,” Moore said. “She’ll go see a kid play high school or bitty league or something, just show up just to make them feel good. She’s been very active in our Pack United on campus. Just every phase, she’s such a great person. That’s what makes everybody follow her, because they know her heart is in the right place.”

Cunane will always be synonymous with the Wolfpack’s first-ever three-peat in program history and is bound to have a successful career in the WNBA. “I’m just excited to have that next step available, and I’m just going to bring everything I can,” Cunane said. “NC State has made me into a great player, a great person, and instilled hard work into me. So I’m just going to carry that through basketball and just through the rest of my life.”

Crutchfield and Jones came to NC State

in the 2017-18 season, both slowly evolving into leaders and heroes in Moore’s locker room and ultimately coming back together for the 2021-22 season, utilizing their extra years of availability.

Crutchfield earned the moniker “Clutchfield” for her heroics in late-game situations, especially across the last two seasons. In Saturday’s game, Crutchfield hit several big shots to help guide the Pack to its secondever Elite Eight. Today, Crutchfield went out with 12 points.

“Yeah, I mean, you have Kai, who came in here as a little freshman,” Cunane said.

“She’s been there for five years. She didn’t play much coming in freshman year. She battled for her spot. I couldn’t be prouder of how she performed her senior year and graduate year, I guess you could call it. So I think her transition and the way she stuck with this program means a lot.”

Jones was equally important for the Wolfpack and got out to a quick start in today’s game, picking up six points and four rebounds in the first quarter and finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and a big layup late in the game’s first overtime period to give NC State a lead.

Jones is the heart of the Wolfpack’s versatility, and though the Pack fell short of achieving its third goal as laid out by Jones earlier this year, she had a front seat to a third straight ACC title, regular-season title and an Elite Eight appearance, successfully avenging last season’s Sweet 16 loss.

of growth in his game and success if he chose to stick around in Raleigh. However, the pressures of making the NBA after a 21loss season and a significant shoulder injury have deservedly caused Bates to realize his collegiate basketball career will end in a

finds himself in now is an awful one. With Smith and Seabron potentially leaving the college game, Bates set on transferring and senior forward Jericole Hellems not shedding any clarity on whether or not he’ll use his additional year of eligibility, the promising core of Wolfpack men’s basketball that was expected to reach new heights this season is all but diminished.

If the transfer portal can play villain to NC State’s hopes of a massive turnaround in 2022-23, it can also play savior. With Bates and Gibson out, and sophomore forward Ebenezer Dowouna not proving to be a true fit in the starting lineup, Keatts will undoubtedly need to reel in some talent in the same way that he’s seeing it go.

Unfortunately, with the recent news of five-star prospect Robert Dillingham decommitting, morale in the recruiting department has hit a considerable low. For now, the program is caught at a standstill, suffering the consequences of losing 21 games in a single season for the first time in program history.

Success in bringing in transfers will make or break the Pack’s upcoming year, and the pressures on Keatts to make it happen are at an all-time high despite the program being at its lowest during his tenure.

The promising core of Wolfpack men’s basketball that was expected to reach new heights this season is all but diminished.

different place than it started.

As much good as Keatts has managed to do in his short time with the program, inheriting the culmination of all of Mark Gottfried’s wrongdoings, the situation he

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“KJ stayed for five years,” Cunane said.

“She didn’t play a lot coming in freshman year, and [Jones and Crutchfield] both just battled and fought through adversity, and they stayed with this program to end up here and to take us to two ACCs and take us to the Elite Eight.”

While Perez was only with the Wolfpack for two seasons, her mark on the program is equally unmistakable. Perez got one of the

biggest steals in Wolfpack history against Notre Dame on Saturday, icing the game with a layup and sending the Pack to the Elite Eight. Perez is also responsible for her famous game-winner which gave NC State its second straight ACC title.

On Monday, Perez went out how she came in: a selfless teammate that looked to set up her teammates, as she finished with 10 assists.

“Raina coming in for just two years, she didn’t know what she was getting when she came for just one year and then got her graduate year too,” Cunane said. “The impact she had on this program was exceptional. She took us to new heights. I think every single person leaving this team has contributed a lot to it.”

Though the future of the Wolfpack program is sure to be solid, the legacy of Cu-

nane, Jones, Crutchfield and Perez cannot be overstated.

“I want you to realize … what all these players have done for this program and the legacy they’re leaving,” Moore said Sunday.

“I couldn’t be prouder, couldn’t be happier for them, to see where they’ve come from in the last four years. It’s pretty amazing.

They’ve put this program on the map.”

NATALIE FOLSOM/AGROMECK

The NC State gymnastics team holds up its Wolfpack “wolfies” while freshman Brooke Smead goes to perform a front handspring on the floor at the Pink Meet against Temple on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.

Breaking down NC State gymnastics’ NCAA regional Kat Peters Staff Writer

The second round of the NCAA gymnastics championship is on Thursday, March 31 in Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. The Pack gymnastics squad welcomes No. 6 LSU, No. 11 Missouri and Iowa to determine who will compete in the regional final on Saturday, April 2.

The Pack posted a final score of 195.625 and finished fourth overall in the EAGL Championships this year. Junior Emily Shepard became the first individual champion from NC State since 2019 and the first Pack gymnast to earn two individual titles at the EAGL Championships since 2014.

Shepard came first on beam and in the all-around. Freshman Lauren Rutherford,

junior Alexis Ortega, senior Meredith Robinson and graduate student Nicole Webb all earned EAGL All-Tournament honors along with Shepard.

No. 6 Louisiana State University LSU bounced around the top 10s in the NCAA rankings this season, finishing the regular season as one of the top teams in the SEC and earning the No. 2 seed in the SEC Championship.

The Tigers finished fifth overall, which was unexpected considering how well this squad was competing up until this point.

The team put up an impressive 49.550 on beam, which was the highest score at an SEC meet in the school’s history, in addition to two gymnasts matching their career highs in the same event.

No. 11 Missouri Missouri is coming off a fourth place finish with a program-high conference championship score at the SEC Championship. A relatively young team, Missouri’s top performers at the championship were two freshmen and one sophomore.

Missouri consistently scored in the 196 to 197 range all season, with their season average all-around score being 197.031.

Junior Sienna Schrieber competed in all meets this season as an all-around gymnast, consistently scoring around 39.433.

Iowa Iowa placed third overall in the Big Ten Championship and had one title for the team in the floor event by senior Lauren Guerin. The squad had their season-high

finish in the championship, with an allaround score of 196.950. Iowa consistently scored between 196.200 and 196.800 this season, which puts them a little higher than the Pack’s scores this season.

Should NC State perform to get at least second amongst these teams, the Pack and one other team will go on to compete against the top two teams in the second group of the regional out of the following teams: Michigan, UCLA, Maryland, UNCChapel Hill and Towson.

UNC and Towson will compete to determine the fourth team in that second group on March 30. The two groups will then compete individually on March 31, with the top two teams of each group competing against each other on April 2.