Swing Into Summer: See You Next Fall! — Technician 4/21/22

TECHNICIAN APRIL 21, 2022

VOL . 103 | NO. 1

SWING INTO SUMMER SEE YOU NEXT FALL!

Contents

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WHAT YOU MISSED:

IN THIS ISSUE: page

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The end of a tradition: Friends of the Libraries book sale discontinued

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

NC State held annual eGames Competition On April 18, NC State held its annual eGames competition, which awards $100k to NC State entrepreneurs. The competition is split into two divisions.

One is for students and one is for startup companies that have licensed NC State intellectual property in the past three years.

NEWS

SOURCE: ENTREPRENEURSHIP PAGE page

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There’s no shame in being an older undergraduate student

Second doses of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are now available in the Triangle area. According to the News & Observer, the vaccines are only available to select groups of people including people who are 50 years or older, people who are 12 years or older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and adults 18 and older who received Johnson & Johnson for their first vaccine and booster vaccine.

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Player’s Retreat: alive and well after 71 years and a pandemic

Florida governor proposes a bill targeting Disney World

SOURCE: NPR

NC State’s women’s tennis

13 prepares for tough tests at ACC Championship

Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter Tesla CEO Elon Musk made an offer to buy Twitter and purchase all stocks he doesn’t own for $54.20 per share. The cash offer valued the company at $41.4 billion. Musk, who is the richest person on Earth, said he intends to focus on promoting free speech on the social media platform, and he believes taking the company private is imperative to realize this goal.

Events to keep an eye on for the week of April 21

WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT Thursday, April 21, 7 p.m.

STEWART THEATRE Varying prices If you’re interested in live music this week, head to the Wind Ensemble Concert held at Stewart Theatre this Thursday. Tickets begin at $5 for NC State students to $10 for faculty and $12 for the general public.

GREATER GOOD TEXTILE GROUP CLOTHING SWAP Friday, April 22, 3:30-7 p.m.

CURRITUCK-HATTERAS BALLROOM Free Organized by the Greater Good Textile Group, the Greater Good Textile Group Clothing Swap is a chance for students to practice sustainable textile practices. Participants are able to swap gently used clothing for free or buy new items for only $1 this Friday, starting at 3:30 p.m.

LADIES IN RED CONCERT Saturday, April 23, 7 p.m.

STEWART THEATRE Varying prices Ladies in Red, NC State’s residential all-female a cappella group, is performing this Saturday in Stewart Theatre. Their spring concert, “On the Road Again,” is presented by the Department of Music. Tickets begin at $5 for NC State students to $10 for faculty, staff and seniors and $12 for the general public.

WOLFSTOCK Monday, April 25, All day MILLER FIELDS Free Looking for a break from finals? Check out Wolfstock on Monday for fun activities, food and prizes. The all-day event features performances from local bands with headliners COIN and The Backseat Lovers.

SOURCE: CNN

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SOURCE: THE NEWS & OBSERVER

Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced a bill that proposes dissolving Disney World’s independent special districts, which currently exempts them from nearly all state regulations. Tensions heightened between DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Chapek after Chapek denounced DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

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Second COVID-19 booster shots now available in the Triangle

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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, APRIL 21, 2022

The end of a tradition: Friends of the Libraries book sale discontinued

Christina Grube Correspondent

After 38 years, NC State Friends of the Libraries announced they will no longer hold the Frank B. Armstrong Memorial Book Sale.

Allison Hughes, program coordinator for Friends of the Libraries, said though the sale has been an annual event for decades, the COVID-19 shutdown allowed the non-profit to discuss more effective ways of supporting University Libraries. “[The book sale] takes quite a bit of staff time and quite a bit of storage,” Hughes said. “For those reasons, we decided this would be the last sale that we do and focus our priorities in other areas … still associated with the library.”

Since 1984, Friends of the Libraries has collected donated books throughout the year for the NC State community to buy at their yearly sale for

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a discounted price. After the sale, The Friends donate all unsold books to the local second-hand bookstore, Readers Corner.

Joe White, director of finance and business for University Libraries, said all profits from the Friends’ book sale go into the Library Excellence Endowment fund, a sort of catch-all fund financially supporting the Libraries any way they need. White noted that despite the event’s longevity, annual sales did not heavily contribute to library funding and library operations will not be disrupted by the event’s absence.

“The book sale is an important community event that engaged people and brought them to the University … but it wasn’t a major fundraising initiative of the libraries,” White said. “I view it more as a community engagement event rather than a revenue generating event.”

Hughes said ending the sale has allowed the Friends to shift their focus to programs promoting student success and affordability.

“One of the things that stuck out to me was how a number of students were able to find textbooks for a much lower cost,” Hughes said. “I think textbook affordability is an area the Libraries can focus on to promote student success and affordability.”

Eva Lloyd, student library assistant for Friends of the Libraries and a fourth-year studying industrial design, said she agrees and points to a need for more digitized materials.

“We have very few online resources,” Lloyd said. ”I think a route to increased equity is higher accessibility, which is going to be found through online resources. Just having more copies of essential resources is a big deal, like textbooks that students can rent instead of having to purchase.”

Frank B. Armstrong, the event’s namesake, co-founded the biochemistry department at NC State and taught for 38 years, retiring in 2000.

Armstrong and his wife, Beverly, were strong supporters of the annual book sale, and after his death in 2009, Friends of the Libraries named the sale in his memory.

Jeremy Allen, executive director of development for Friends of the Libraries Executive, expressed that despite the sale’s end, Friends will continue supporting University Libraries.

“We will continue to present other forms of community engagement in line with our strategic priorities: enhancing student success and promoting affordability, providing a platform for core and digital research infrastructure, being a library for all communities and raising the profile of the University,” Allen said.

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Anna Jump selected as spring 2022 commencement speaker

Heidi Reid

Assistant News Editor

CONTRIBUTED BY ANNA JUMP

NC State’s 2022 spring commencement ceremony features a speech from Anna Jump, who is graduating with a degree in leadership in the public sector.

Jump said she decided to write and submit a speech in hopes of inspiring minorities to overcome barriers, such as language, and pursue their passions through education.

“I’ve seen so many extraordinary people,” Jump said. “I think that minorities, especially Hispanics like me, are driven by fear to not pursue their dreams, or think that the language is a big barrier that they cannot overcome and that the system just doesn’t support their dreams. And I did it, so I’m a true believer that there’s so much talent in minorities, that they just don’t take advantage of the opportunity because of the fear. So that was one of the motivations to say to young Hispanics, ‘We can do it, you can do it.’”

Jump was born in Chicago but raised in Guatemala and came back to the U.S. when she was 23 years old. She began to learn English and take college courses while living in Ohio, then moved to North Carolina after her

husband began working at NC State.

“When I got here, I was completely in love with NC State,” Jump said. “I also got a temp position in Advancement Services, so I was just next to the McKimmon Center. And I was seeing all the graduates and I always looked at them. They looked so perfect, so beautiful. So one day, I just decided to go for it and get first my associates, and then see if I could transfer credits here.”

Jump began her degree as a full-time student while already working a full-time job as well as taking care of her son.

“It was a big challenge,” Jump said. “But in the end, it was worth it. It was possible. So it’s a big, big accomplishment for me to graduate.”

Jump plans to speak about her journey to graduation in hopes of inspiring others, and also plans to take the opportunity to thank her friends, family and mentors for supporting her along the way.

“That strain that hit came from my heart kept pushing me even when everything seemed so odd and not possible,” Jump said.

“My heart was always still pushing me, and I

think that it was because of my friends, family and mentors that put so much trust and faith in me that it kept me going. And I [will] talk about the giants that came before me, and that I’ve seen further because I’ve stood on the shoulders of giants, so I can thank them, but also to let the new generation of graduates know that we are becoming giants for others to see. So it’s our responsibility to pass the baton and keep helping other people to keep their dreams.”

Jump said her greatest advice for current NC State students is to not feel alone and to take advantage of the mentors that are available for students.

“Listen to the people that are really there,” Jump said. “Because I have been in so many situations that I’ve looked around, and I felt completely, completely alone and lost. But that’s just the emotion of the moment. There’s a lot of people that are there for you. So do not feel alone. Do not despair, and listen to your heart. Because the fact that we are here means that we are achievers, and we can do so much more.”

NC State professor, Roland Kays, transforms data into conservation

Melissa Sleater Correspondent

Roland Kays, a research associate professor in the College of Natural Resources and scientist at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, has dedicated years to transforming data into conservation.

In the early 2000s, Kays was tracking the movement of animals on an island in Panama.

Kays, Martin Wikelski and other researchers built an automated telemetry system. According to MOTUS, automated telemetry systems use receivers that record signals from transmitters to track large animals.

“We built another system, which was an automated telemetry system, that let us locate animals, and it was generating a ton of data,” Kays said.

Due to the large amount of data their system was generating, Wikelski and Kays developed the software, Movebank, capable of managing that data. Kays said Movebank was initially just a database where people could upload files.

Then, they added livestreams, and have been expanding ever since.

“We stream in about 3 million data points a day right now into Movebank, so it’s sort of growing rapidly,” Kays said. “Having those livestreams really makes it easier to work with the data, and also opens up the opportunities to see where the animal is right now or where

it was an hour ago and go into the field and do some extra work with that.”

Kays said after the livestreams, the next major progression for Movebank was a grant from NASA. The grant allowed them to link the movement data to NASA’s remote sensing data.

“So stuff like habitat type, weather, so that makes it a lot easier to see where you have your animals moving and sort of plot out the environment that they’re moving through,” Kays said.

Kays said they realized early on Movebank could be a community resource to help other researchers collect and manage data.

“We realized other people might want to use this as well and if we set this up as a community resource we could also help people share data and make comparisons and combine data sets, so that’s how we initially created Movebank,” Kays said.

One community aspect of Movebank is an app called Animal Tracker, which allows researchers to share data. Kays said the app constantly updates with live data, allowing users to track animals on their phones. Movebank’s animal tracking also helps scientists see how animals are responding to human activity and climate change.

Kays said there are two main ways in which he works to engage users emotionally through the Movebank software. The first is through the

Movebank YouTube channel.

“If you look at the Movebank YouTube channel, you can see some of those [visualizations] that show animals moving around the planet that are just kind of cool, beautiful, interesting and engaging,” Kays said.

The other method Kays uses to emotionally engage his audience is through a podcast that he runs called Wild Animals, available on all platforms. On this podcast, he interviews people who have tracked animals and records

stories of individual animals.

Kays said when you track an animal, you learn about it in great detail. The podcast allows him and others to share these details with the public.

“We sort of try to tell those individual stories about particular animals on the podcast,” said Kays. “As animal trackers we get these relationships with these individual animals and to kind of try and share those relationships out broader,” Kays said.

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A chipmunk eats at Gateway Gardens on Sunday, May 17, 2020. Gateway Gardens is located in Greensboro, and is one of the projects of Greensboro Beautiful.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022

Ashley Van Havere

Graduates attend the event alongside friends, families and supporters who they choose to invite. The graduation will be 2 1/2 hours. In order to ensure the privacy of all attendees the graduation will not be live-streamed, and everyone has been asked to provide consent before any pictures are taken with them in it.

During the first 30 minutes, students and family can mingle and eat appetizers before a 15-minute keynote speaker, the director of the LGBTQ+ Center of Durham, J Clapp, takes the stage. Students can nominate themselves or others for awards that will be handed out during the ceremony.

“We have two student awards,” DeRoin said. “One is the leadership award for students who have demonstrated leadership in the ELIZABETH DAVIS/ARCHIVE LGBT community on campus and worked harder in different ways than then an activism award for those who have other students and that it’s important to demonstrated intersectional social justice honor them for this reason. He also said it liberation work.”

Finally, the GLBT Center will recognize is important for these students to be recognized by their correct names and pronouns, a community member associated with NC whereas general commencement might not State who has made a large impact on the community. recognize their correct title.

If you have any questions about upcoming “Lavender Graduation is a way where folks can be honored as their full and true events and ways to get involved with the selves as graduates and celebrate all they’ve GLBT Center you can email the center or accomplished in their time at college,” Ga- visit its NC State website page. rant said.

Lavender Graduation promotes inclusivity for LGBTQ+ students

Correspondent

Lavender Graduation, hosted by the GLBT Center, takes place in Talley Student Union’s Coastal Ballroom on Wednesday, April 20, from 6-8:30 p.m, as a way to commemorate and celebrate graduates who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The GLBT Center’s website defines Lavender Graduation as “an annual ceremony conducted on numerous campuses to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and asexual and aromantic students, and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the university.”

The team for the event includes GLBT Center Assistant Director Rain Garant, GLBT Center Assistant Director Andy DeRoin, Women’s Center Senior Director Lisa LaBarbera-Mascote and Interim Administrative Support Specialist Rachel Broadaway.

Garant is the lead planner for the Lavender Graduation and started working on the planning process in October of last year.

“As the lead planner, I have been the one who has steered the direction of conversations and has brought ideas to the table,” Garant said. “In terms of theme, who our keynote speaker should be, what our room reservation and what the event logistics

look like.”

NC State’s Lavender Graduation ceremony is part of a long tradition which spans the country.

“Lavender Graduations as a whole started in the ‘90s and late 2000s across college campuses,” Garant said. “They were started out in California, as a way to specifically honor the ways that LGBTQ+ graduates have worked harder in different ways than some of their peers.”

Garant said LGBTQ+ students have

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There’s no shame in being an older undergraduate student

Among the bustle of firstyear students rushing to class, lugging plastic storage containers to residence halls and wandering around Talley Student Union looking for free stuff is another group of Elyse new students often forgotten Boldizar in the hype.

Assistant According to NC State Opinion Editor University’s 2021-22 Common Data Set, 4% of NC State undergraduates enrolled in the fall 2021 semester were older than 25. This percentage, made up mostly of individuals who took a few years after graduating high school or after earning their associate degree to work and pursue other interests, may seem small. Still, it makes up approximately 1,060 students on campus. For many, their unique experience as adult students can feel isolating. It’s important

to remember that, despite being a minority on campus, there should be no shame in returning to school.

According to Champlain College, one of the biggest challenges older students face is the fear of not being cut out for college life, specifically the fear of standing out for your age. For many older students, it’s difficult to find people the same age as you to become friends with. This can develop into feelings of isolation and make it difficult to enjoy the experience.

Through orientation, Talley Takeovers and other events hosted by the University last fall semester, I was never at a loss for opportunities to make new friends. But these same opportunities are not as available for older students. There are currently little to no events or groups dedicated for older students to connect and receive support. Instead, these students are left to fend for themselves.

Another major challenge facing older students is having to balance classes with jobs, family and other responsibilities that are likely more common for these students than for someone just out of high school. This can make it tricky to stay on top of schoolwork and earn good grades.

Many older students have either taken a break from school to work or pursue other interests outside of college. Returning to school is an exciting time full of unique experiences that differ from what a typical incoming first-year student would have. Still, older students have to go through similar growing pains while registering for classes, navigating campus and getting more familiar with the University. Doing all this without a support system of people who understand what you are going through makes it a difficult, often lonely, time.

One solution would be for the University to do a better job connecting older students. The

small percentage of these students on campus makes it difficult for them to find others who are in the same boat as they are. But, by hosting designated orientations or offering group advising sessions, there would be more opportunities for adult students to feel less alone.

Through supportive events specifically designed for their unique challenges, older students can be more successful in college. They can focus more on their courses while also enjoying the culture of NC State and finding community.

It’s important that older students remember there is no shame in being a nontraditional student. Whether you are returning to school after taking a break or whether this is your first time on a college campus, it’s admirable that you have taken this step to grow academically. Prioritizing your intellectual development is something to celebrate, no matter your age.

When it comes to friendships, quality beats out quantity With my first year in college almost under my belt, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to succeed at NC State. I learned the value of choosing work over Netflix, the necessity Lauren of self-care and the imporRichards tance of pushing myself Staff Columnist out of my comfort zone.​​ The most profound lesson I’ve learned, however, is the value of a good support system, in whatever shape or size it may come in.

Coming to college, there’s this notion you have to make scores of new friends, and if you’re not doing so, you’re doing it wrong.

When the school year first started, I fell victim to this mindset. I felt guilty; I wasn’t forming new friendships at the same pace as my peers because my social circle didn’t extend beyond a few people.

However, as I went along and my bond with my friends grew stronger, I discovered it wasn’t a big deal if I befriended many new

people or not. I had a solid support system whom I could trust and depend on. While it may not be the size I initially wanted it to be, my circle has been enough to get me through the challenges of college life so far.

There is even scientific evidence to support this idea of quality over quantity. In one study from 2020, researchers found the quality of social interactions was a better predictor of greater social satisfaction and well-being, rather than quantity. Even when age differences between participants were accounted for, this finding still held up.

To determine if you’re surrounded by the right people, it’s important to understand what makes a quality relationship. A healthy friendship is one where the parties involved feel cared for, are open with each other, listen to one another and maintain respect. When a friendship contains all these elements, everyone reaps the benefits — a real friendship has no strings attached.

Furthermore, a friend doesn’t have to come from your immediate environment.

Someone you met through social media is no less a friend than someone you meet in college. It doesn’t matter where you find and build your close relationships, as long as they’re quality relationships, you’re in good shape.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t open yourself up to new connections. College is the prime time to forge relationships, as they can not only benefit you emotionally but also academically and professionally. Furthermore, seeking out new friends can challenge you to break routine, introduce you to different perspectives and it gives you an opportunity to reinvent yourself.

However, if you’re not making friends left and right, don’t blame yourself; the size of your social circle doesn’t determine your worth as a human being. There’s no quota you have to fill when it comes to friendships, so you don’t need to force the process. Besides, there are plenty of opportunities at NC State to meet new people in an organic way.

NC State is home to over 600 student or-

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Pearl Knight, staff cartoonist A third-year studying art and design

ganizations, not to mention a plethora of on-campus jobs and campus-wide events.

With so many options to choose from, there is guaranteed to be a place somewhere for you at NC State. Finding a place that suits your interests is a great way to start cultivating your social network.

If you have trouble making friends due to health concerns, NC State also offers valuable resources that will support you along your college journey. The Counseling Center provides an array of mental health services where you can build people skills, from workshops on healthy relationships to individualized and group therapy.

The pandemic has taken a detrimental toll on our collective well-being, not only physically but also mentally. As social creatures, we need other people to thrive. Without social interaction it’s harder to face all that life has to throw at us. When we nourish our support systems, in whatever form they take, only then can we have a fulfilling time in college and beyond.

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NC State has made progress with sustainability and students can help make even larger impact

The NC State Sustainability Office has made tremendous progress for the environment on campus and off campus for many years. By reporting its progress on improving Emily sustainability and helping Cooney Staff Columnist facilitate sustainability focused events, projects and programs for students and faculty, the office has received more awards and recognition on a national and global level.

However, students should also take action in sustainability to help bring our progress to a higher level as we continue to face countless environmental issues.

Just this past year, NC State was named an Energy Elite school by the American Energy Society and was ranked the nation’s 18th greenest college by the Princeton Review. Plus, the school recently added sustainability as a value for the Wolfpack Powering the Extraordinary 2021-2030 Strategic Plan, showing it is a primary goal of the University in the coming decade to ensure we have a positive environmental impact.

NC State also ranked in multiple categories of the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Report which evaluates the re-

search, stewardship, outreach and teaching contributions of universities toward the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the University’s sustainability tracker, there has been a 37% reduction in campus energy use intensity since 2003, a 64% campus potable water use reduction since 2002, 61% of campus waste has been diverted from landfill,and 17% of NC State Dining purchases are local food.

While all of this progress is exceptional, there is still room to improve and increase the difference we are making as a university — and that is where students should take action to help. With a population of over 37,000 students, we could bridge the gap in our numbers and help make an even larger impact with sustainability at NC State by making a number of simple changes and getting involved on campus.

Lani St. Hill, communications and engagement coordinator for the NC State Sustainability Office, said the task of improving the environment is complex but not impossible if we focus on the ways we can make a difference as individuals.

“My hope is just to let people know that sustainability is so broad and that’s a wonderful thing because that means there are a million ways that everyone can be involved,” St. Hill said.

There are also many sustainability focused clubs at NC State that students can get involved in to make a difference such as the Sustainability Stewards or Zero Waste Wolves.

The Sustainability Office also offers all student organizations or clubs the opportunity to receive a sustainable student organization certification. By simply completing and submitting the online certification on their website and proving the organization has incorporated a sustainability practice, the group can be certified, receive a plaque and be honored at events like the annual celebration of NC State Sustainability.

Organizations of any kind can receive the certification, it doesn’t have to be an environmental group. Currently, 69 campus

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workplaces, over 350 campus events and nine student organizations have achieved sustainability certification, but if more students take action to become certified we could increase our progress in sustainability even more.

We also need to remember small commitments like driving less to reduce air pollution, taking the Wolfline more, using exclusively reusable cups and shopping bags, can really make a world of difference.

All students should care about the environment as it will affect all of our futures.

We should all take advantage of the multitude of ways to help through NC State’s programs for sustainability.

Furthermore, with such a large student population, the impact of all of us getting involved in sustainability on campus and just practicing more environmentally friendly acts, can help us become an even bigger leader in sustainability as a university.

Kiara Bush, staff cartoonist A third-year in design studies and statistics

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h D t a r y a E r il 22, 2022 p A , y a d i r F

How green is your "go"? Use sustainable transportation like bicycling, riding the bus, and carpooling!

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Letter from the editor: Guess it’s time to say goodbye Jaylan Harrington Vol. 102 Editor-in-Chief I’m not good at emotions, so bear with me, but after four years and an incredible experience in student journalism, I have a lot of people to thank.

Thank you Andrew, Alec, Camden, Minh, Kaydee, Adi and Alicia for really being the first people to show me that this place was so much more than just the jobs it houses. You all taught me so much and welcomed me into Technician and Student Media, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. Thank you to Kailee and Shri for taking me on my first assignments. Thank you to Linda Hampton-Keith for forcing me to ask my first-ever interview question — and for not making me ask a second.

Thank you to Nick, Tristan and Emma for being the first friends I made at NC State. Thank you to Nick and Austin for being amazing roommates, and to Austin in particular for dealing with the nights we had all the sports guys over. Thanks to Tristan and Caryl for being the most driven and brilliant people I have ever met. I could not have had two better managing editors, and I’m proud to call you colleagues and friends.

Thank you to Jonathan Carter, whose near-mythical status gave me my first impression of what an EIC should be, and for Dan Gilliam and Rachael Davis for continuing to raise that bar. Dan asking me to be his video editor and Rachael asking me to be her multimedia managing editor are why I am where I am today.

Thank you to everyone I’ve worked with at Technician, because at some point or another I know I’ve annoyed you all, whether it was by arguing that a puck was a ball or by providing one of the many quotes which went on to live in infamy on the quote wall.

Thank you to Vol. 100 for being the most fun editorial board I’ve ever been on. Thank you to Vol. 101 for how we kept each other sane during the pandemic.

And thank you to Vol. 102 for being everything I could ask for in a crew, with a special shoutout to Avery Davis, Mollie Mitchell, Ann Salman, Allie Remhof and Chloe Allen for being one-woman shows for all or most of the year. Thank you all for the trust you put in me as you worked with me.

Everything that I received from those who came before me, I tried to pour into you. I hope that carries on, and I hope you all build upon what we started.

I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done this year in adapting to changing conditions in the pandemic,

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returning to our full, typical production schedule for the first time in over a year.

Thank you to the North Carolina College Media Association for giving us 13 awards during its past conference, tied for most in our category and second most for us in the past five years.

Thank you to everyone who supports us, whether that’s donating to the Technician Century Fund, retweeting an article or even leaving an angry Facebook comment. Because of you, we know we’re making a difference, though I will add for the angry commenters that kindness costs you nothing.

Thank you to all the professional staff I’ve worked with in my time at Student Media. At Technician that includes Ellen Meder, Ray Black III and Patrick Neal, but that extends also to my time on the football beat working alongside guys like Cory Smith, Jonas Pope, Brett Friedlander and, brief ly, Joe Giglio. The kind words, the welcoming faces, inviting me into conversations as an equal, thank you guys for that. It meant the world.

And thank you to SIDs like Annabelle Myers and Brian Reinhardt who were invaluable resources for me and cannot receive enough praise for the great jobs they do.

In my time at Technician, I’ve probably forgotten more amazing moments than I ever expected to experience

when I came here. The media hospitality events, the parties, the sad boy hour sessions on the f loor of Witherspoon Student Center, the simultaneously disastrous and momentous Technician 100 Gala weekend, the inane office arguments, the early morning production night breakdowns, the flag football tournaments, covering nearly every home football game for the past three years — these were the moments I lived for. The moments that got me through the tough times. The moments that made college feel worth it.

We write, design, shoot photos and videos while juggling a full load of classes, other jobs and whatever else we may be going through at the time — and until our pay goes up in the summer, we’re doing so for very little compensation — and we create lifelong relationships at the same time. This place drains you, but it gives you so much in return.

Technician offers a place to try, fail and try again. It’s a place for growth.

It’s a place for challenging yourself. I’d encourage anyone and everyone who comes through NC State to take a stab at writing, photo, video, design, copy editing, whatever suits their fancy. You may just find you love it. I would’ve never gone to the theater had I not covered “Cabaret” for Technician. I would’ve never discovered how incredible a sport wrestling is had I not covered one of the top teams in the country for Technician. Working here

means interacting with every part of NC State, and it’s a promise to embrace the campus community in all its diversity.

Whether it’s covering protests, diving into behind the scenes issues, writing editorials or traveling throughout the country to follow our sports programs, the people who come through Technician’s doors — everyone, from the correspondents to the editors — are empowered to create content which rivals any and all of our peers. Everyone doesn’t see how valuable our work can be, but that’s OK. Some do, and that’s enough. Either way, one thing will always be true: No one will cover NC State better than us.

I assumed that leaving Technician would leave me hollow, but I don’t feel that way at all. After four years in student journalism, I’ve given this place everything I had to give, and it did the same for me. Moving on just feels right.

I leave with absolutely no regrets.

Shilpa Giri, Wade Bowman, Sam Overton and the crew of Vol. 103 have my utmost confidence, and I’m excited to watch them thrive in Technician’s first fully normal year since Vol. 99.

My advice: Make this place yours. Push yourself, you’re more capable than you think. And if you ever need me, I’m around. My phone’s just on DND. Jaylan

Culture

10 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022

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Player’s Retreat: alive and well after 71 years and a pandemic Caleb Jolley Staff Writer

Player’s Retreat restaurant and bar has long been a staple of NC State, attracting generations of people to a place where all are welcome. After closing for 16 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the establishment has since reopened, experiencing success with both business and safety.

Founded in 1951, Player’s Retreat is one of the longest standing restaurants and bars in Raleigh. Located near campus at the intersection of Hillsborough Street and Oberlin Road, it’s always been a part of student life and likewise, NC State has always been part of Player’s Retreat.

“We’ve got a tie to NC State from day one,” said Gus Gusler, owner of Player’s Retreat and former NC State student body president. “The original name, some people don’t realize … did not relate to sports. It was basically related to the actors at the Thompson Theater, ‘The Players.’”

Mickey Hanula, original co-owner along with her husband Bernie, especially enjoyed theater performances and wanted to pay tribute and create a space for those performing at NC State. Since then, the term ‘‘player’’ has taken a new meaning, as the bar provides a retreat for anyone and everyone.

“We get a lot of students, especially on game day,” Gusler said. “But we [also] have a lot of politicians, lawyers, doctors, professional people, plumbers, electricians. … You can go in and see the governor sitting with his wife in one booth and then two plumbers with dirt all over their pants sitting at the other booth drinking a $2 PBR. It’s awesome, it puts a smile on my face when I get to see that.”

This diverse environment is something that has always been a special part of the Player’s Retreat and will remain for the foreseeable future. “[Player’s Retreat] in the ‘50s was very inclusive,” Gusler said. “That was one place in Raleigh where you could go in there, and there would be gay couples, interracial couples, Black couples, white couples all hanging out, having a drink and eating with each other. … The Player’s Retreat has been that way for the entire 71 years it’s been owned. … It’s certainly not going to try and change under our watch.”

Speaking of change, the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly disrupted everything, at least for a period of time. Player’s Retreat was no exception, with the restaurant temporarily closing in March 2020 for the safety of its employees and customers.

“In all the conversations with the team, I told them that we’re not going to reopen until [my wife] and I feel safe,” Gusler said.

BOZ KALOYANOV/ARCHIVE

Raleigh mayoral candidate Mary-Ann Baldwin speaks at her watch party at Player’s Retreat, on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Baldwin’s opponent Charles Francis, who received the second-highest vote total in the race, will call for a run-off election between himself and Baldwin.

“Basically once we both got fully vaccinated, then we started planning on coming back. … We had a lot of discussions, did a lot of research and talked with our team and our managers, especially doctors and state health officials [and] decided that after 16 months, we were going to reopen.”

Player’s Retreat reopened in June 2021 with some controversial policy changes.

“We decided we weren’t going to hire anyone back that wasn’t fully vaccinated,” Gusler said. “We let everybody know that and some people didn’t want to come back, they didn’t want to get vaccinated, some people did. … Probably the biggest decision we made was that we were not going to allow unvaccinated people in the building.”

This diverse environment is something that has always been a special part of the Player’s Retreat and will remain for the foreseeable future.

Once announced on WRAL News, the decision received considerable backlash on Facebook but the restaurant continued with its plans.

To prepare for reopening, Player’s Retreat began handing out “PR I am Vaxxed” buttons to individuals who came by the restaurant with vaccine cards to pre-register in order to speed up the check-in and seating process. Additionally, the restaurant underwent some renovations including retrofitting AC units and removing the front wall of their pool room to allow open air seating and bathroom access for unvaccinated customers, separate from the indoor dining area.

“We opened on June 23,” Gusler said.

“We really didn’t have any, maybe one or two, but very few people tested positive [for COVID-19] from June 23 until Christmas.

It was just not a problem. For our staff, no one was having to go home and quarantine and word spread about that.”

Gusler reported an increase in cases around Christmas and New Year’s however, but positive cases have remained low overall, helping propel the restaurant back to success.

“We started getting calls from people looking to come to work with us from some really nice restaurants who were making really good money but were having to sit home [because of COVID-19],” Gusler said.

“So we went from only being open five days a week, and being short hours, pretty quickly, we got where we were fully staffed.”

Today, Player’s Retreat continues its full operations.

“We’re working seven days a week, lunch and dinner, just like it was before the pandemic,” Gusler said. “We’re fully staffed, we’ve got a great team. … We’re back doing pre-COVID numbers.”

With recently lifted restrictions and mandates, masks at Player’s Retreat are now optional but encouraged. However, unvaccinated people still will not be served inside.

To gauge customer comfortability with this issue, the restaurant sent out a survey to its guests asking how they would feel if unvaccinated people were let back in the building. According to Gusler, 23% said they would be fine with it, 52% said they don’t care either way and 25% said they weren’t comfortable sitting with unvaccinated people at all.

“I was trying to lay [down] a decision, ‘Do I let the unvaccinated people in now?’”

Gusler said. “Most of them aren’t going to come back anyhow, but I’m taking the chance of running away that 25% that has been supporting us. So it was a pretty easy decision to make to continue to not allow them inside.”

Wherever you stand on vaccines, COVID-19 or any other issue for that matter, it is hopeful to see an old NC State favorite up and running again after the pandemic.

Life as we know it is coming back, and players of all backgrounds can once again gather, whether inside or outside, at Player’s Retreat.

TECHNICIAN 11

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022

Summer 2022 film preview: Solve your summer break movie slump Allie Remhof Copy Desk Chief

From more Marvel blockbusters to Sundance sweethearts, this summer is jam packed with exciting new releases. However, it can be hard to figure out what exactly you want to see based on what you already like.

I’ve curated a list of 2020s films to guide you through this summer’s hottest new movies.

If you liked “CODA,” try “Cha Cha Real Smooth.”

From hot new director Cooper Raiff, this film is a heartwarming Sundance favorite, much like best picture “CODA.” This film follows a bar mitzvah host (Raiff) and his unlikely friendship with a young woman, played by Dakota Johnson, and her daughter. This film has been getting pretty good reviews after the festival and was even picked up by Apple TV+, the same distributor as “CODA.” “Cha Cha Real Smooth” releases June 17.

If you liked “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” try “Elvis.”

Baz Luhrmann is back! Much like “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” this film has a stunning lead impressionist in Austin Butler as Elvis Presley himself. This film is all about Elvis’ rise to fame in the 1960s and

his relationship with his manager played

by Tom Hanks. With Luhrmann’s undeniably eclectic style found in “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet,” this film will be hard to disappoint. Also, this is the film that gave Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson COVID-19, if a story of hectic filming endears a movie to you.

“Elvis” releases June 24.

If you liked “The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” try “Marcel The Shell With Shoes On.”

First of all, if the thought of a little shell with shoes walking around a big house doesn’t already make your heart melt, I don’t know if I can sell this film to you.

Much like the 2021 comedy “The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” “Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” is an animated adventure movie about the importance of family. The director, Dean Fleischer-Camp has been making Marcel shorts since 2010 and was picked up

by A24 to make a feature-length film. I have high hopes for this film and its sweet and silly world, and I hope you do too.

“Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” releases June 24.

If you liked “The Lost Daughter,” try “Where the Crawdads Sing.”

Set in North Carolina, this Reese With-

erspoon-produced film stars Daisy EdgarJones. Much like “The Lost Daughter,” this is an adaptation of the intense book by the same name written by Delia Owens. “Where the Crawdads Sing” is the story of relationships, murder and the South. This is sure to be a big film due to the book’s success, and should be the perfect thriller for the summer.

GRAPHIC BY RAFAEL ZINGLE

“Where the Crawdads Sing” releases July 15.

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Eric Serritella’s ‘Trompe l’Oeil Ceramics’ art exhibition relays meaningful message Olivia Winston Staff Writer

COURTESY OF ERIC SERITELLA

From April 14 to Dec. 3, the Gregg Museum of Art & Design will be displaying “Trompe l’Oeil Ceramics,” an exhibition featuring ceramic sculptures by artist Eric Serritella.

Serritella is on the Orange County Artists Guild Studio Tour in Chapel Hill, but his main gallery is in New York. He shows and sells his unique pieces all over the world.

“The type of art that I make is considered representational art,” Serritella said. “I describe it as ‘trompe l’oeil,’ trick of the eye or fool of the eye, taking one medium — clay — and making it look like something else, which is wood. Some call it hyperrealism because, in some ways, it’s more detailed than nature.”

Roger Manley, director and curator at the Gregg Museum,

said he hopes people will come to the exhibition to have a new experience.

“It’s an opportunity to be amazed,” Manley said. “The ceramics mimic trees and wood so accurately that we are going to have to be careful that people don’t reach over and try to make sure it’s not wood. … Everything looks like it grew naturally, but it was all the result of very careful construction.”

Serritella said inspiration for his work stems from when he studied Yixing teapots during his artist residencies in Taiwan.

“They’re these little teapots, and in the 1600s, they carved them to look like pumpkins and gourds and tree trunks to integrate nature into the tea ceremony,” Serritella said. “So this is like a 400-year-later interpretation of the tiny teapot. I was very inspired by those because I just fell in love with them when I was there.”

Serritella grew up in central New York and is inspired by the different places of nature and types of trees.

“I grew up in the woods,” Serritella said.

“I’ve spent my entire life in nature and around nature. I’m not doing a botanical

study, I’m trying to channel the voice and the spirit and the energy of trees, so I take a lot of artistic license with the design.”

Serritella uses all different types of clay techniques, including wheel throwing and slab building.

“I consider my artwork the story of my subconscious as told by my hands,” Serritella said. “I rarely sit and think ‘Oh, I’m going to make a stream there.’ It’s more expressing the voices, or the songs of what I’ve seen in nature my whole life and just letting them come out. Sometimes a cloud pattern shows up when I didn’t intend to make a cloud pattern.”

The process consists of designing the piece and then carving the details as the clay dries. After the piece is fired in a kiln once, Serritella adds color in layers, using ceramic stains and oxides. Then, the piece is fired a second time to set the color.

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Record Store Day 2022: What are the best spots in the Triangle?

Tristan Tucker Contributor

Calling all vinyl lovers — Record Store Day 2022 is upon us, coming on Saturday, April 23. Record Store Day is an annual tradition where tons of new records are released and record stores across the country offer a wide range of celebratory practices, from live music to beers to price reductions, Record Store Day has it all.

This year, over 300 new pressings will be released for the first time, including Kali Uchis’ “Sin Miedo,” Future’s “DS2,” Childish Gambino’s “Kauai” and Taylor Swift’s “The Lakes.” With so many places to get records in Raleigh, let’s break down a few of my favorites.

Nice Price Books and Records - 3106 Hillsborough St.

Nice Price is my favorite record store in Raleigh and perhaps the one that has drained my bank account the most. I first went with Vol. 102 editors Jaylan Harrington, Caryl Espinoza Jaen and Avery Davis, along with Managing Editor Sam Overton, and that experience spurred me to keep going back.

The store itself has good hours and friendly staff members, and the shelves are stocked with comic books, CDs, novels and of course, a fantastic selection of records.

I’m a hip-hop fan at heart, and Nice Price’s selection is one of the best in the Triangle.

But it doesn’t just stop there, featuring a wide range of genres and both new and used records.

For college students, Nice Price’s location couldn’t be better. Located right on Hillsborough Street, there are several bubble tea, smoothie and coffee locations within walking distance, making for a nice spring outing. It’s also within walking distance of Reader’s Corner, a fantastic used books location that has some vinyl of its own.

Lastly, my favorite feature of Nice Price that other record stores don’t offer is a rewards system. If you get 10 stamps, you can get $10 off a record. Alternatively, you can trade in eight stamps for a T-shirt.

Schoolkids Records - 2237 Avent Ferry Road

Located on Avent Ferry Road, Schoolkids Records has the honor of being the first record store I ever went to, sparking my addiction. Schoolkids has a good selection of new and used records, with its most prominent selection being its rock records. Schoolkids also has CDs and movies available for purchase and it’s a great place to get some vinyl upkeep supplies.

My favorite feature of Schoolkids is its blind bags. Each blind bag is $5 and features a mystery selection of used records.

COLEEN KINEN-FERGUSON/ARCHIVE

Nice Price Books and Records hosted a mixtape exchange Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015 as part of the worldwide event Cassette Store Day.

While you may not know every record, and there are some oddities here and there, it’s a fantastic way to develop your collection and discover new artists on a budget.

Sorry State Records - 317 W Morgan St.

One of my recent finds, Sorry State doesn’t have the best location but has one of the coolest stores in the Triangle. While its records are pricey, I was able to quickly locate some limited hip-hop pressings immediately, and the store even has a rare section that features several limited releases and exclusives, if you can afford it.

Something that stood out to me about Sorry State was its friendly owner who helped me locate a record I saw on the website (Future’s “EVOL,” for those of you who are wondering) and gave me some recommendations.

Hunky Dory - 111 Seaboard Ave, Suite 116 or 718 9th St. Durham, NC 27705

If you’re a fan of beer and good music, Hunky Dory is the place for you. With two locations, it’s hard to miss Hunky Dory if you’re on the prowl to add to your collection. Even though it has several classic records, Hunky Dory’s best feature is the friendly staff and how tirelessly they work to help you find what you are looking for.

If you become a regular in the store, the owners become even more accommodating and will occasionally hand out some free gear.

Barnes & Noble - 436 Daniels St. or 8030 Renaissance Parkway Suite 855, Durham, NC 27713

Barnes & Noble is a chain that isn’t participating in Record Store Day, but I felt that I should shout out a couple of locations that have helped me build my collection. The Village District’s store opened last fall and has tons of newer pressings. Yes, the records are full price and they can get expensive, but the Village District location usually has tons of Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and The Beatles records available.

My favorite Barnes & Noble is a bit further away, coming in the Streets of Southpoint outlet mall in Durham. The Southpoint mall features a two-story Barnes & Noble that has the biggest chain selection I have ever seen. The mall also has an Urban Outfitters that has a few records and a popping food court.

Cheshire Cat Antique Gallery - 2050 Clark Ave.

This is another store that isn’t participating in Record Store Day but I felt I had to mention it because it features the largest vinyl collection I have seen in Raleigh.

Cheshire Cat is like the Walmart of antique stores, offering everything you can imagine.

From a vast array of comic books to Smurfs action figures, Cheshire Cat has it all.

The records in Cheshire Cat aren’t always the best quality, but there are about five different setups within the store that could be their own stand-alone shops. I was able to get some classic Steve Miller Band and Rolling Stones hits for a combined $19. It isn’t just old rock either, there are some classic hip-hop tracks, audiobooks, sports vinyls and even language tutor tracks.

I highly recommend Cheshire Cat to anyone that wants an affordable way to get tons of vinyls while supporting a local business in the process.

Of course, these aren’t all the record stores in the Triangle, just some of my favorites.

Other Raleigh stores participating in Record Store Day 2022 include Record Krate, Audiostar, Sound Off Records & Hi-Fi and The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop.

A full list of Record Store Day 2022 releases can be found on https://recordstoreday. com/SpecialReleases

Sports

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022

Ethan Bakogiannis

two ranked pairs that include No. 3-ranked graduate student Jaeda Daniel and senior Nell Miller and the No. 22-ranked sophomore duo of Amelia Rajecki and Abigail Rencheli. While not ranked, the third doubles pair of freshman Priska Nugroho and sophomore Sophie Abrams play just as important of a role as the first two pairs, all contributing to the excellent doubles showings that routinely put NC State up 1-0 in its matches.

While doubles play is the Pack’s strongest asset, its singles lineup is no pushover either. The top half of its lineup boasts three nationally ranked players, all of whom have solidified themselves at the one, two and three positions. No. 11 Daniel leads the Wolfpack on court one and is followed by No. 40 Abigail Rencheli in the number two slot. At three is freshANNA HANSEN/TECHNICIAN man sensation Priska Nugroho, who will Graduate student Jaeda Daniel reaches for the ball during the match against Notre Dame on enter the tournament on a seven match Saturday, April 16, 2022 at Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium. The Wolfpack won 7-0. win streak that she’ll obviously look to extend.

The second half of the Pack’s lineup has April 21, the next challenge awaiting the of the tournament and present a chance for seen recent changes, however. Three players, victor is to beat Virginia to advance any the Pack to get revenge on the Heels.

If NC State was to beat its rivals UNC, the Rajecki, Miller and Abrams will round out further. The Cavaliers, which handed NC State its fourth and final loss of the season, team will either face Duke or Miami, both the bottom half in some order, but all three represents the first real hurdle for the Pack of which have had successful runs through have shown to deliver in singles throughout in the tournament. In the loss, the Wolfpack the ACC. While the Pack lost to Duke 4-3 at the season, no matter which court they play won the doubles round, but only secured the beginning of April, it did manage to beat on.

If NC State can continue to claim doubles two singles matches to conclude its 4-3 de- the Hurricanes 4-3 in early March. While feat in Charlottesville, Virginia. In order to both would provide tough opposition for points as well as perform in singles, it defeat Virginia, the Pack will have to conti- a potential finals matchup, the Pack won’t has the ability to make a deep run in the nue its dominant doubles play and find ways get there unless the squad plays up to its championship. However, failing to finish matches strong and put up solid singles maximum potential. to capture more singles victories.

NC State has consistently and effortlessly performances across the board against Carrying on its top-notch doubles play and winning more singles courts is the key; delivered some of the best doubles play in ACC teams have led to its four losses in the not only to beating Virginia, but the nation’s the nation all season long. The Pack has now regular season. If the Wolfpack can finish best team in UNC, which awaits the Pack in won the doubles point in all but one of its matches against the same teams it has taken the potential quarterfinal round if NC State matches in the entire season, which is lar- losses to, NC State will emerge victorious can down the Cavaliers. UNC already holds gely due to its excellent doubles lineup and against the best of the rest in the ACC. NC State is set to face either Clemson or two victories over the Wolfpack in a pair of nationally ranked duos that excel at controltense, highly anticipated matches. If the two ling the court, communicating and ending Virginia Tech on Thursday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m. in Rome, Georgia. were to square off again, the rivalry mat- points quickly.

The Pack finished the regular season with chup would be one of the biggest matches

NC State women’s tennis prepares for tough tests at ACC Championship

Assistant Sports Editor

The NC State women’s tennis team finally finished its regular season, and while the team has achieved program highs while successfully cultivated a winning culture, a new challenge awaits the Pack at the ACC Championship.

The 2022 ACC Championship competition in Rome, Georgia will provide a litmus test for the Wolfpack, a chance to carry on its superb regular season play into the postseason. With the draw for the tournament released, the Pack now knows its potential path to success in the ACC Championship competition. While ranked losses late in the season have placed the Pack just outside the top four ACC teams, the squad is nevertheless prepared to face whatever challenges come its way head on.

Over the course of its historic season, NC State has held a spot in the top three nationally ranked teams since Feb. 23, just a month into its season at the time. Holding steady at ranks two and three for the rest of the season, the Pack dominated opponent after opponent, only falling to the occasional ranked conference foe.

Ending the season at 22-4 overall and 10-3 in conference play, late-season losses against UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and Virginia have taken the Wolfpack out of the top four seeds in the tournament draw. This means that the Pack missed out on the double bye granted to UNC, Duke, Miami and Virginia.

The Pack is now slated to face off with either Clemson or Virginia Tech, two of the lowest seeds in the tournament. The women’s squad downed both teams easily, each by a score of 6-1, while on the road no less. This was par for the course for the Pack this season as the Tigers and Hokies were two of the many victims of NC State’s tear through the ACC. Once the Pack plays Clemson or Virginia Tech in the second round on Thursday,

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14 TECHNICIAN THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022

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What the newest recruits to NC State basketball bring to their programs

Tristan Tucker Contributor

Following the conclusion of their respective seasons, both the NC State men’s and women’s basketball teams were quick to jump into the transfer portal frenzy and made sure to add talent right away. Let’s take a look at some of the prospects the two programs were able to bring in.

Jack Clark, forward, men’s basketball

The men’s basketball team has brought in several players for visits and has interest in several others, finally getting the first domino to fall in former La Salle forward Jack Clark. Clark is a 6-foot-8 forward who, according to Pack Pride’s Cory Smith, is looking to model his game after redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron.

Clark has two years of eligibility remaining and is coming off a year in which he averaged 12 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Hearing that Clark is modeling his game after Seabron is great news, as it gives the Pack someone that can handle the ball and defend well.

While Clark may not start, he gives NC State a great boost anywhere he plays and also offers size where the Wolfpack now desperately needs it after four-star center Shawn Phillips decommitted from the program.

Also according to the article by Smith, Clark and Wolfpack target Landers Nol-

SARAH COCHRAN/TECHNICIAN

Head coach Wes Moore calls out to his team during the quarterfinal game of the Women’s ACC Tournament versus the Florida State Seminoles on Friday, March 4, 2022 in the Greensboro Coliseum. The Wolfpack beat the Seminoles 84-54.

ley II visited campus together and became close. If the Pack can snag both Nolley and Clark, the three spot in the rotation will be sound.

Other known Wolfpack targets include Jarkel Joiner and Luis Rodriguez from Ole Miss. Other potential options could include Michael Durr from Indiana and Jalen Reed from Florida, as well as less realistic options like Kenneth Lofton Jr. from Louisiana Tech, Devin Askew from Texas and Efton Reid from LSU.

Mimi Collins, forward, women’s basketball

With Elissa Cunane, Kayla Jones, Raina Perez, Kai Crutchfield, Genesis Bryant and Kendal Moore all leaving the program, head coach Wes Moore has more ammo to play with than in recent years. Moore was quick to seize his opportunity, landing Mimi Collins early on. Collins is an exciting addition that will provide depth to the four and five spots as someone that can absorb some of the minutes that Jones leaves behind.

Last season, Collins averaged 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game but saw her role diminish as the year went on. However, in the year before, Collins averaged 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.9% from distance.

Filling Jones’ role is crucial, as she was someone who came in and defended several positions and added shooting versatility to NC State, a skill set that allowed her to be drafted in the 2022 WNBA Draft. Collins has the tools to do all of that, and she has NCAA Tournament experience, coming from two talented programs in Maryland and Tennessee.

On Tuesday, April 19, Collins’ transfer was made official by the women’s basketball Twitter page.

River Baldwin, center, women’s basketball

Moore made sure to keep the good times rolling by landing River Baldwin, a 6-foot5, former five-star center who averaged six points and 4.6 rebounds per game last year at Florida State. Baldwin offers depth at the five behind junior Camille Hobby and freshman Sophie Hart.

Watching the team last season, the skill set Cunane had vastly differed from that of Hobby. With her height, Baldwin is able to offer a more physical toolset than Hobby and can look to emulate Cunane’s game, providing competition for another former five-star prospect in Hart.

Other notes

As mentioned, Shawn Phillips decom-

mitted from NC State, leaving the men’s team with just one center on the roster in sophomore Ebenezer Dowuona and just one 2022 recruit in L.J. Thomas. With Phillips gone, head coach Kevin Keatts and his staff need to turn their attention to the transfer portal for more help down low to avoid what happened with the 2021-22 roster.

One transfer option the Pack is pursuing is Dusan Mahorcic. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for Utah last season, Mahorcic has drawn interest from several mid-major and high-profile programs. According to Dushawn London at Pack Pride, NC State is one of the teams on Mahorcic’s radar as he already has a visit scheduled.

As for the women’s team, another River may join the squad in Saniya Rivers. In high school, Rivers averaged 24.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 4.5 steals, 4.5 assists and 2.9 blocks per game in a season before committing to South Carolina.

Rivers didn’t play much in her freshman season at South Carolina but could step into a role early on with NC State, which was one of the finalists for her commitment. Outside of being previously recruited by NC State, Rivers’ step-sister is Nanna Rivers, a former captain of NC State’s women’s team.

Sports

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NC State men’s tennis looks to carry momentum into ACC Championship Ethan Bakogiannis Assistant Sports Editor

The red-hot NC State men’s tennis team is gearing up for its next step in the 2022 season as the squad prepares to compete in the ACC Championship starting Wednesday, April 20, in Rome, Georgia.

Finishing the regular season at 17-8 overall, the Wolfpack landed at an even .500 in conference play at 6-6. While the Pack struggled against its tough ACC competition in the middle of the season, NC State has recently put on multiple stellar performances against conference opponents. This resurgence earned the Wolfpack a return to the top 25 after falling out of the rankings in March.

Starting Sunday, April 3 with a victory against Notre Dame, the Pack won four in a row, all against conference opponents.

The last of those victories saw perhaps NC State’s best tennis all season against Duke, not just beating, but dominating the Blue Devils 4-0 in the first leg of its two rivalry

weekend matches. Despite the Pack’s close 4-3 loss to UNC-Chapel Hill just a couple days after, NC State is still playing its best tennis heading into the postseason.

The Wolfpack’s late-season surge in singles and doubles play has earned it the No. 6 spot in the tournament. While NC State will have to barrel through the multiple ACC heavyweights in the later rounds, the Pack’s current form proves promising for a potential tournament run.

The Pack’s first match includes a faceoff with 11th-seeded Virginia Tech, which the Pack have already beaten this season. On March 27, the Pack traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia and quickly downed the Hokies 4-1, winning the doubles point and three straight-set singles matches. This will once again be NC State’s formula for success, winning the all-important doubles round, but also three more singles matches in order to clinch as fast as possible.

While this may prove successful against teams like Virginia Tech, NC State will

have to fight tooth and nail for its singles matches in the subsequent rounds. Waiting for the Pack on Friday, April 22 will be the Tar Heels, where the cross-town rivals could have a highly-anticipated rematch after the pair’s intense matchup to close out the regular season. The Heels managed to beat the Pack 4-3 in that one, but both sides were deadlocked in the season finale. NC State got the better of the Heels earlier in the season, however, winning 4-3 in Chapel Hill. Long and competitive points were a mainstay throughout both matches and will no doubt be any different in a potential third matchup.

If the Pack can claw past UNC, there won’t be any shortage of ACC powerhouses in the semifinal and final rounds. With second-seeded Wake Forest being a potential matchup for NC State in the semifinal, the other side of the bracket features top-seeded Virginia as well as Louisville and Duke.

While the Wolfpack beat Duke handily this year, Wake Forest, Miami and Louis-

EMILY PEEDIN/TECHNICIAN

Senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque watches the ball and prepares to swing in his singles match against UNC-Chapel Hill player Brian Cernoch on Sunday, April 17, 2022 at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. Izquierdo Luque lost his singles match 2-1. The Wolfpack lost 4-3.

ville combined to give NC State three of its six conference losses in the regular season.

However, if the Pack can manage to string together wins in the first two matches of the tournament, there is no reason this squad couldn’t make a deep run for the conference championship.

NC State’s improved form in recent weeks is due to a consistent streak of high-level play. On the doubles side, the Pack has won the early round in five of its last six matches and will look to keep that going in the ACC Championship. With two of its doubles pairings ironed out and nationally ranked, NC State poses a threat to anyone contesting the doubles point. The No. 58 pair of junior Martins Rocens and freshman Fons Van Sambeek play court one and are followed by the No. 38 duo of junior Robin Catry and sophomore Luca Staeheli on court two.

While head coach Kyle Spencer is likely to play these two pairs, the third court is up in the air. That being said, it is likely that redshirt freshman Braden Shick will be paired with a team veteran for the third court, following the formula from recent weeks.

For singles, senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque has been reintroduced to the lineup after battling injuries for multiple weeks of the season. Izquierdo Luque is set to lead the Pack at the first spot in singles, while Rocens will likely follow him at number two. While the rest of the Pack’s lineup has been flexible in the past, four of the younger players in the Pack’s roster — Catry, Staeheli, Van Sambeek and freshman Damien Salvestre — have all been stalwarts of the Wolfpack’s singles lineup. Salvestre, Staeheli, Van Sambeek and Shick, have been instrumental to the Pack’s success all season long. If NC State’s young core can deliver like it has recently, the Wolfpack’s chances of success in the tournament rise significantly.

Winning the doubles point and using a young roster of talented singles players will be key to knocking down opponents in the ACC Championship. While the competition is steep, NC State is sure to do everything in its power to capitalize on the momentum from the end of the regular season. With potential matches against rivals, as well as conference glory on the line, the Pack will look to prove what it can do against the many tennis powerhouses that make up the ACC. NC State is set to face Virginia Tech on Thursday, April 21, at 12:30 p.m. in Rome, Georgia to kick off its run in the 2022 ACC Championship.

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