Old Gold&Black “Covers the campus like the magnolias”
VOL 109 , NO. 11
WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6
Looking back, moving forward: One year after the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire ADDISON SCHMIDT & BELLA ORTLEY-GUTHRIE Environment Editors
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ust over a year ago, on the evening of Jan. 31, 2022, Wake Forest students on and around North Campus were met with the sight of a yellowbrown chemical haze. As the plume of smoke moved southward and infiltrated campus, reports that the smoke was from an ammonium nitratefueled fire at the Winston Weaver Co., a fertilizer plant on North Cherry Street, reached students by Wake Alert . In the following days, the fear of an explosion affected thousands and made the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire one of the most notorious oncampus events in recent memory. The fire forced 6,000 Winston-Salem residents, including about 1,000 Wake Forest students and faculty,
to evacuate from the one-mile radius surrounding the plant. In the year since the fire, the event has cemented itself in both Winston-Salem’s and Wake Forest’s history. While the cause of the fire remains undetermined, it has had some obvious effects on the community. In response to the fire, Wake Forest University has pledged a renewed commitment to environmental justice efforts in WinstonSalem. Additionally, the city of Winston-Salem approved $1 million in relief funds for residents financially impacted by the fire, and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist recently announced that it will conduct a study on the long-term health effects of the blaze. See Weaver, Pages 8-9
Dakin Moore / Old Gold & Black
FEBRUARY 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black
“ We must support the WFU Asian community This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Committee
This year’s Lunar New Year celebration, which started on Jan. 21, is a time of refreshment and delight for nearly 1.5 billion people globally. Yet, for many Asian students on campus, this festive time can bring a sense of loneliness and isolation. The recent violence only added to this emotional toll. The tragic mass shootings in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 21 and Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 23 casted a shadow over the local Asian community as they celebrated the Year of the Rabbit, which is supposed to bring longevity, peace and prosperity. Eleven individuals lost their lives in a Monterey Park, while six others were killed in Half Moon Bay. Tragically, most victims in both incidents had Asian heritage. As the Old Gold & Black looks back on a January marred by at least 39 shoot-
ings nationwide, it is more crucial than ever that we come together as a community to support and understand our own Asian community on campus during this time of renewal and celebration. This year, that celebration was touched by tragedy. For a news article this week, the Old Gold & Black spoke to multiple Asian students who were shaken by the shootings last month. Those students committed to celebrating, however, and we applaud them for doing so. The Asian Student Interest Association (ASIA) will also be hosting an event on Feb. 11 to celebrate the Lunar New Year anew. However, many Asian students experience the Lunar New Year far from their homes and cannot celebrate with family. The Old Gold & Black encourages the university community to help lift up those
who might feel homesick during this holiday. This means making an effort to celebrate with those who observe Lunar New Year. For example, the Wake Forest 2022-2023 Religious Days of Observance Calendar recorded Lunar New Year as a holy day observed by many students, staff and faculty members. They deserve a break from the demands of academic life, and these rights — for which we commend the university — should be better publicized to students. This also means taking time to learn about and understand the customs and traditions associated with Lunar New Year. Multiple campus organizations such as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and ASIA are hosting events that honor the traditions of the Lunar New Year. We at the Old Gold & Black urge everyone to
Old Gold&Black
Let us do all we can to support and understand our Asian community — both domestic and international — for students, faculty and staff alike." make an effort to celebrate with those who observe the holiday. The holiday is a time for reunion and sharing, which is much needed in this tumultuous time for our nation. Let us do all we can to support and understand our Asian community — both domestic and international — to build a more inclusive and welcoming campus environment for students, faculty and staff alike.
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News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 2, 2023 | Page 3
We are Wake launches student training program The new mental health-focused initiative aims to educate students about available campus resources CLAIRE O’BRIEN Contributing Writer
We are Wake, a program aimed to direct students to Wake Forest’s mental health resources, began studentled training on Saturday, Jan. 28. We are Wake functions as an intermediate step between wanting and receiving help by providing students with the ability to find assistance for themselves or their peers. The initiative, which was introduced to students at a Jan. 24 kick-off event, was created to strengthen the university’s support system for students experiencing distress. Assistant Vice President of Health and Wellbeing within the Division of Campus Life Dr. Warrenetta Mann described how each member of the Wake Forest community can change the narrative surrounding student mental health. “The We are Wake campaign emphasizes how, when it comes to mental health on campus, we all play a role,” Mann said. Mann, one of the leaders of the new initiative, shared her optimism about the student training. She highlighted how many felt isolated during the
COVID-19 pandemic and that the 90-minute training provides opportunities for connection and community. “Our training is like ‘Care 101’ to get us back in the practice of caring for each other” Mann said. Thus student-led training will provide students with the valuable opportunity to lead each other. “It’s going to be peer-led training,” Mann said. “There are students that are going through that training now to be able to do it with other students.” The program will give students tools that will help them recognize signs of distress and intervene when needed. Students will finish training with extensive knowledge of Wake Forest’s resources, which will allow them to direct their peers toward further assistance. Candice Epps Jackson, associate dean of students for community response and caring outreach, especially valued this part of the initiative. “Students are training other students, and they are getting messages about positive help-seeking behaviors, de-stigmatizing mental health, our support resources on campus and really hearing over and over again that Wake Forest is a caring place,” Jack-
Evan Harris /Old Gold & Black
Attendees learn more about We are Wake and its mission during a kick-off event and resource fair on Jan. 24. son said. In Fall 2023, We are Wake will also launch its next phase: a 24/7 hour phone line that will be managed by a Wake Forest staff member. This phone line will give students easy access to trained staff who can direct them to campus resources. Jackson pointed out that, as a community, Wake Forest must focus on elevating
our consciousness of care. The 24/7 phone line will help the university expand its reach and ability to assist more students. “We have got to reach a lot of community members, and it starts with our students,” Jackson said. Contact Claire O’Brien at obricc22@wfu.edu
Leadership and Character awarded $30 million grant Funds from Lilly Endowment, Inc. will support campus initiatives and a national grant program HOPE ZHU Staff Writer
Lilly Endowment, Inc., the world’s largest private philanthropic foundation, awarded Wake Forest’s Leadership and Character Program $30.7 million to expand campus initiatives and create a national grant program. The Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest offers a variety of creative initiatives, including academic courses, scholarship opportunities, guest speaker forums, discussion groups and retreats. This five-year grant will help the program extend its reach on campus and enhance existing projects. The grant will be co-directed by Dr. Michael Lamb, executive director of Wake Forest’s Program for Leadership and Character, and Kenneth Townsend, director of Leadership and Character in the professional schools. The university plans to allocate $7 million to Wake Forest’s Program for Leadership and Character to grow its reach on campus through curriculum integration,
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scholar programs and seminars. “Our core mission at Wake Forest is to help prepare students to be leaders who serve humanity and embody virtues such as humility, empathy, courage and compassion” Lamb said. “We believe that inducing those virtues can help shape the next generation of leaders.” Alongside these projects, the Program for Leadership and Character plans to implement a pre-orientation program to attract more student interest. “We don’t get many first-years coming through our doors,” said the Director for Programming for Leadership and Character, Ann Phelps. “Hopefully, the pre-orientation would be an opportunity to reach students earlier and attract a more diverse student population.” More than $23 million will fund a highly competitive grant program that will offer other educational institutions the opportunity to create projects focused on character development. These projects include program planning and development, character education initiatives, teacher-scholar research and professional development in character education.
“Our mission is to catalyze a larger public conversation that puts the character at the center of leadership,” Phelps said. “With the exciting prospect, we want to try and nudge the world for human flourishing rather than our own personal gain.” The recent grant will build upon a $3.4 million grant awarded to Leadership and Character in 2019. The three-year grant expanded Wake Forest’s program through new staff members, courses and workshops, guest lectures and research. Additionally, the Kern Family Foundation awarded the program $8.6 million to expand its work in professional schools and pre-professional education. In a Jan. 24 press release, N. Clay Robbins, Lilly Endowment’s Chairman and CEO, shared how the grant will enhance the work on character development that the university has already achieved. “Lilly Endowment’’s founders firmly believed that character formation is essential to the flourishing of individuals, families and the larger society,” Robbins said. “We are living in a moment of deep cultural and political polarization and increasing distrust of leaders and institutions. We are
POLICE BEAT
pleased to add our funding to that of the Kern Family Foundation, John Temple Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, Templeton World Charity Foundation and other foundations and supporters to assist Wake Forest in developing further its character education capacity and strategies. We also are pleased to support its efforts to help foster a national network of colleges and universities with the aim of educating a new generation of morally and ethically grounded leaders to rebuild trust and enhance civic engagements.” As the Program for Leadership and Character grows beyond Wake Forest’s campus, Townsend, the program’s professional school director, expressed how Wake Forest can act as a facilitator and collaborator in promoting leadership and character development nationwide through this grant. “We will need to be intentional about what we do,” Townsend said. “Showing that is not a one-off program, but an ongoing investment that aligns with our Pro Humanitate principle.” Contact Hope Zhu at zhuq21@wfu.edu
Unknown subject(s) removed an unsecured wallet from the locker room in the Pit. The report was filed at 12:07 p.m. on Jan 25. The Winston-Salem Police Department conducted a traffic stop and found marijuana, paraphernalia and open alcohol. The offender was cited but the passenger was not. The report was filed at 7:10 p.m. on Jan. 26. Two unknown subjects chased a victim while throwing rocks. The report was filed at 7:55 p.m. on Jan. 26. An underage subject consumed alcohol at an unknown, off-campus location and became sick. There was no transport. The report was filed at 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 28. A 21-year-old subject consumed alcohol and became sick. There was no transport. The report was filed at 5:02 a.m. on Jan. 28. The Winston-Salem Police Department responded to a call of loud music. There was a band in the backyard that was advised to stop playing. Citations were not issued. The report was filed at 6:11 a.m. on Jan. 28. An individual was found to be in possession of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia. Citations were not issued. The report was filed at 12:13 p.m. on Jan. 29.
Page 4 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black | News
Student Government establishes Judicial Assembly
The assembly will operate as an independent judicial branch that will strengthen Student Government processes MADDIE STOPYRA News Editor
Wake Forest’s Student Government Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to establish the Student Organization Judicial Assembly (SOJA) — an independent judicial branch composed of four associate justices and a single chief justice. Effective immediately under the provisions of Senate Bill 2, SOJA will assume the authority of the former Judiciary Committee. New responsibilities include investigating the impeachment of a Senate or Executive Board member, providing impeachment recommendations to the Senate, attending Senate meetings when legislation is presented and overseeing appeals from the Elections Commission. When asked how SOJA will impact the upcoming spring elections, Chief Justice Alondra Janicek (‘24) explained the new committee’s role in candidate appeals. “In the short term, the only responsibility that we have outlined, in terms of elections, is to handle appeals,” Janicek said. “If a candidate receives an infrac-
tion or there is a decision made by the Elections Commission that the candidate does not like, that candidate can file an appeal. It will be up to SOJA to decide if they will hear that appeal. With the advice of a separate adviser, SOJA will decide what decision will be taken.” The new committee will operate to combat bias in Student Government practices by redistributing power. Speaker of the House Jackson Buttler explained the importance of holding branches accountable. “I think it’s really important that we as a student government have someone holding us accountable,” Buttler said. “And I think this accomplishes that really, really well. It also keeps us more in line with a lot of our peer institutions that have student governments that operate in this way, rather than the system that had originally been in place prior to this legislation passing tonight.” Four of the current Judiciary Committee members, Janicek, junior Aman Khemlani, sophomore Joey Crane and freshman Jeffery Ayako will serve as SOJA justices. Janicek will serve as the chief justice and Khemlani will act as
chief justice pro tempore. An informal application process will establish the remaining fifth member of the committee. “We have to meet as a body to determine all of our processes,” Janicek said. “Regarding our makeup, who gets on SOJA will be different this year because we’re in a transition year. It will be a fully fleshed-out process, and it’s something we need to discuss as a committee.” After Student Government holds formal elections in spring 2024, the five justices will serve from April 2024 to April 2025. Candidates, including former Judiciary Committee members, must reapply for a position each year. While students may serve as an associate justice for multiple terms, they may serve as chief justice only for a single year. As former Judiciary Committee members prepare for their term as SOJA justices, they are tasked with outlining further responsibilities. Janicek explained how, during this transitional period, she and the other justices are open to suggestions from the student body and other members of the Wake
Forest community. “We’re open to whatever at this point,” Janicek said. “We are still in an experimental phase and have a lot of processes to build and a lot of foundations to build. We’re not really sure what the future holds right now.” Student Body President Pilar Agudelo expressed her excitement about the new changes. When asked about the future of SOJA, she explained how the new committee is a stepping stone to important changes in Student Government that will impact the student body. “We might want to consider that over the last 10 years, students’ engagement on campus has definitely changed,” Agudelo said. “This organization needs to match that change. There is definitely consideration about what else could happen in Student Government this year, next year and three years down the road, and that is important to building this organization to be the best body it can to support students.” Aine Pierre contributed reporting to this story Contact Maddie Stopyra at stopmf21@wfu.edu
Asian students reckon with shootings during Lunar New Year
International and Asian American students grapple with mass violence against Asian Americans in California ELI LEADHAM Contributing Writer
On Jan. 23, seven people were shot and killed and one was critically injured in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Just two days before, on Jan. 21, 11 people were killed and nine were critically injured in a shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif. All but one of the victims were Asian Americans. The timing of the attacks coincided with celebration of the Lunar New Year, which began Jan. 22. Celebrations typically continue for two weeks and are typically joyful, this year, however, they are stained by the bloodshed.
“Initially I was desensitized,” junior Annie Phan said. “At some point, the hundreds of articles in the papers with similar tragic headlines began to feel normal.” Violence against Asian communities has increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to PBS. And though definitions for mass shootings vary, there have been almost 50 of them in January alone, according to a New York Times report — which leaves Asian American students to grapple with both the grief of losing members of their communities and the communal joy that often surrounds this time of year. The Asian Student Interest Association (ASIA) plans to host an event
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Flowers sit outside of Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, in memory of the shooting victims.
Feb. 11 to celebrate the Lunar New Year anew. “[The event] will give everyone a space to see what we have to offer and create connections with the wider community,” Phan said. “And to make sure that the traditions that we’ve upheld for thousands of years remain strong. Everyone who has lived and everyone who has died will be honored through our celebrations and continuations of their legacies.” In the meantime, Phan, who currently serves as president of ASIA came to realize that she was not desensitized to the shootings — she was simply coping. “I realized that I was not, in fact, desensitized because the next thing I knew, I was lying on my carpet floor for hours just sad and heartbroken,” Phan said. “The thing that slapped me in the face the most was remembering that on Sunday, 11 people had plans — festivals to attend, red envelopes to receive, their favorite cousin to catch up with. They had bánh tét to steam and firecrackers to pop. They made promises of tomorrow to their friends and family, only to have that stripped away from them and [their entire] community.” The Monterey Park shooting was especially unsettling because the city has a current majority Asian American population, according to a New York Times report. “The Monterey Park shooting was horrifying initially,” freshman Alyssa Cheng said. “And it became even more personal when my aunt told me that my grandparents used to frequent Monterey Park — so I have had to distance myself from the news to protect
my mental health.” The Lunar New Year is a special time of the year for many Asian American communities, making the recent shootings that much more difficult to process. “The Lunar New Year is a time to spend with loved ones, to celebrate new beginnings and to bring in the new year with good luck,” junior and Vice President of ASIA Katie Zheng said. Because of the recent violence, however, some students changed their plans. “I [celebrated] Lunar New Year with friends indoors for my safety and others’ safety,” said freshman Owen Jun, an international student from South Korea. “The news about the Monterey Park shooting made me [feel] like I shouldn’t be in any gatherings held outside during holidays.” It is almost impossible not to feel a sense of disdain at the thought of celebrating amidst such tragic events, but students like Phan — who is planning to celebrate “bigger and better” — are not letting anything dampen their joy. For students seeking support, Wake Forest’s student organizations such as ASIA, the Hindu Student Association and the Asian American Identity Group offer resources to connect students. “We hope that our events and also the events of many other groups like the Intercultural Center, Asian American Identity Group and more create this community during Lunar New Year,” Zheng said.
Contact Eli Leadham at leadey22@wfu.edu
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Chase Bagnall-Koger, bagncm21@wfu.edu Isabella Romine, romiie21@wfu.edu
OLD GOLD & BLACK
PAGE 5 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
DEACON PROFILE CC Carvajal SHAILA PRASAD Opinion Editor Sophomore CC Carvajal is from Charlotte, NC, and hopes to become a clinical psychologist. Currently pursuing a major in psychology and a minor in Spanish, she plans to obtain a doctorate after graduation. In her free time, she participates in OLAS (Organization for Latin American Students) and is passionate about the beauty industry. Along with having a great sense of humor and a kind demeanor, Carvajal navigates the world while being unable to see. The below interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Can you describe to me your condition and how long you’ve had it? I have microphthalmia, Latin for “small eye,” which is what it is — my eyes are underdeveloped. Typically, the condition only affects one eye, so it’s uncommon that it does affect both. I’ve had it since birth. I was told I would only have light and shadow perception, but as I grew older, we discovered I could see colors and a few shapes. Many, including myself, struggle to interact respectfully with someone who is blind. What do you wish people would do more often? I appreciate this question because a lot of people don’t consider that. I don’t blame people for anything because it’s not their fault. But given the opportunity to educate someone, I will always take it. I wish people didn’t assume unless I specifically ask for something. When someone offers unnecessary visual feedback, it’s not helpful. I would appreciate only what I ask for because that’s what I know, by now, will be helpful for me. What do you wish people wouldn’t do so often? When someone comes up to me and grabs me, it’s startling. If you have any questions, ask. I can’t speak for everyone because I am only one person in this community, but I will not be bothered by it. I’d rather people ask and know than be ignorant and not know. That’s the only way to break down stereotypes and barriers. How do you use technology to interact with your friends? That’s a good question. Luckily, technology has been a blessing because it has come so far. For example, my phone has a “text-to-speech” engine that is built into Apple devices. It works seamlessly. It’s come to the point where I have apps that will help me take pictures and describe them for me. Some will even describe people, which is kind of funny because sometimes it’s accurate and sometimes it isn’t — at all. What do you use to complete assignments for class?
bother her. I was pretty much a normal kid. When did that experience change? Late elementary school into middle school is when I realized that there was something different. I would go to a special class during the day that others wouldn’t. Other people were able to notice things about the world that I couldn’t. I didn’t know there was this whole other way of viewing the world that I never knew about. Back then, people were typical middle schoolers, trying to figure themselves out. That was when I experienced a lot of exclusion. I don’t blame people for it. It’s a product of not knowing how to interact and a fear of not wanting to offend me. In seventh grade, I found a group of friends who took me in. Through them, I was able to open other people’s expectations of what I should or shouldn’t be able to do. How has Wake Forest as an institution and specifically professors accommodated your disability? I was impressed by how intricate Wake Forest’s CLASS (Center for Learning, Access and Student Access) services are, which houses the disability services department. A priority of mine was having proper accommodations because otherwise, I can’t be the most successful version of myself. I’ve got to give a shout-out to the professors who had open communication and asked what worked best for me. That was meaningful. In high school, Photo Courtesy of CC Carvajal teachers would assume. I understand that it comes from a good place, but I know In high school, I used a MacBook, but I’m not huge on technology. I like to keep it simple. Now I use this what works for me. Professors here were willing to hybrid where the bottom half has a Braille display hear me out. controlled through technology. It raises to indicate Do you know of other people at Wake Forest with a the letters that are supposed to be read. I can do text- disability? Is there any community? to-speech, but when I’m in class, it would be kind of inappropriate for me to have it playing out loud. Unfortunately, that’s an area that is lacking. I know of other students with disabilities, but there aren’t When did you learn Braille? specific events. The disabled community might be too small to be considered a priority. I’ve met a couple of I learned Braille when I was about three. They people in passing, including other service dog users, wanted me to start early so that by the time everyone and it has been nice to be connected with people who else started reading, I had a foundation. It’s interest- understand what I’m going through. ing because they started by exposing me to different textures. Your fingers have to sensitize to it, so they Do you have any lessons you have learned from would start having me match textures to each other, growing up with your disability? like felts and sandpaper. Yes! At first, I would do things to prove myself to What was your experience like during your child- others. I’ve realized, especially here, that by doing hood? things that people don’t expect me to do, I’m breaking the stereotype. I don’t want to be seen as inspiraIn my earlier childhood, I didn’t realize I was dif- tional or someone to idealize because I’m a person in ferent from everyone else, so I would do whatever I the same boat as everyone else trying to get through wanted! I would go to jungle gyms, I would do mon- college. As long as people view me as a regular person key bars, and I didn’t notice or care. My parents let who happens to be blind, rather than someone who is me do whatever I wanted. Growing up, I had that blind being able to do all these things, I’m conveying mentality. I would ride a bicycle around and crash to others that all disabled people are normal people. into cars, and I was like, “Oh! People do that all the time! It’s not me.” I have a little sister, so I would Contact Shaila Prasad at prassp21@wfu.edu
Page 6 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Features
AI threatens the academic status quo
Now that ChatGPT is open and free to the public, universities must reckon with its implications ways remember their purpose in coming to Wake
JAMES LI Contributing Writer
“I can see why educators Forest is to grow intellectually and personally, not to complete homework or projects with a shortcut in order to get a good grade.” might be concerned. A large Artificial Intelligence — and the power it He continued: “In mathematical education, the might hold — has fascinated the public imagvalue never about getting the right answer. It is ination for a long time. But what was once part of that anxiety has to do alwaysisabout the process of inquiry, the struggle confined to fanciful dystopian movies might and the wrestling solving a hard problem.” have just arrived last year. with not knowing exactly what Cho also offeredinsome respite from the “doomsThe Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformday” effects that ChatGPT might have on learning. er, commonly known as ChatGPT, has been ChatGPT is capable of doing “I can see why educators might be concerned,” in the news cycle since it was released by the he said. “A large part of that anxiety has to do with nonprofit OpenAI to the public in November and what it cannot.” not knowing exactly what ChatGPT is capable of 2022. The program is an advanced AI chatdoing and what it cannot.” bot, pulling its information from data availCho noted that past technological advances also -Dr. Samuel Cho able on the Internet through 2021. Currently, made educators wary, but he has adopted an optiit is free for the public to use and many tech insiders have been astounded by its breadth of knowledge. In the academic world, though, it is raising concerns. Wake Forest faculty and staff are starting to take note of the technology, and the school has even hosted a workshop on it on Jan. 23 to discuss the ramifications of this technology on teaching and learning at Wake. This workshop, organized by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching, allowed faculty to “share resources, give [participants] an opportunity to experiment with the tool and discuss its implications for student learning and academic integrity,” according to a blog post written by Betsy Barre, the Executive Director of the Center. The goal of the program was to “turn our attention from what ChatGPT can do for students to thinking about what it might do for their teachers” in terms of course design and making content accessible and engaging to students. Though Barre is clear to specify that Chat GPT is no substitute for human intellect and expertise, she sees its potential for helping educators better connect with their students, according to her blog post. Provost Michele Gillespie attended the workshop and says that Wake Forest faculty will continue to learn about the technology and envision how it will be incorporated into the classroom, if at all. “It is no surprise that ChatGPT is a hot topic among academics across the country right now,” Gillespie said. “At Wake Forest, we are confident that excellent writing, which is one of the hallmarks of a Wake Forest education, is not ChatGPT generated.” She continued: “Meanwhile, faculty and staff in all our schools, with the help of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching, are exploring ChatGPT as a learning tool and discussing when and how students could use ChatGPT ethically.” So, how does ChatGPT work exactly? Essentially, the chatbot was trained on a massive dataset of conversations between humans and previous iterations of ChatGPT. Based on all of this data, the program can hold a conversation like a normal person. I wanted to see what this technology could do so I began by asking for birthday gift ideas, and this is how it responded:
Here are a few cool birthday gift ideas: A subscription box: There are many different types of subscription boxes available, such as beauty boxes, snack boxes or book boxes. An experience: Give the gift of an experience, such as a cooking class, a hot air balloon ride or a spa day. A custom piece of art: Commission a painting, photograph or sculpture that is tailored to the person’s interests. … Keep in mind the person’s interests and pref-
erences when choosing a gift, and try to make it something that they will enjoy and appreciate. Not bad, what about some rom-com recommendations?
Here are some popular romantic comedies that are well-liked by many:
mistic outlook about the chatbot. “Educators have faced similar situations when digital calculators, then graphing calculators became commonplace,” he said. “I look forward to using it as a learning tool that can help students tackle even more complex problems that were impractical to give my students before.” Beyond schoolwork at Wake Forest, this technology could easily be used to help students trying to get into the university. I imagined a hypothetical high school student trying every underhanded way to get into Wake Forest. Suppose they asked the chatbot to answer one of the admissions questions asking about a a book they have read:
“When Harry Met Sally” (1989) “Notting Hill” (1999) “The Apartment” (1960) These are just a few examples, there are many As a high school student interested in majoring more romantic comedies out there, it depends in philosophy and studying medicine, one text on your taste and preference. that has helped me understand the complexity the world is “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Beyond birthday gifts and movie sugges- of Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot. The book explores the tions, ChatGPT is especially useful for as- ethical dilemmas surrounding the use of human sisting with schoolwork. The program can be tissue in medical research, and how it is affected by helpful in sparking ideas for essays, according race and socioeconomic factors. The story of Hento Sehyun Kim, a junior majoring in math- rietta Lacks, a woman whose cells were taken withematical statistics. out her knowledge in 1951 and used for scientific “It helps me generate ideas in 10 seconds,” research, illustrates the complexity of informed Kim said. “That’s just for reference. I think consent, privacy and the intersection of medicine that [using ChatGPT in assignments] is a bit and society. This book has helped me understand plagiarizing.” the importance of considering the ethical implicaAs Kim alluded to, students could easily mis- tions of medical advancements and how it relates use ChatGPT and similar technologies to gain to larger societal issues such as race and class. It an unfair academic advantage. I tested Chat- has further reinforced my interest in studying phiGPT on a few assignments from some of my losophy and medicine, and how the two diciplines past courses. intersect. The final coding project from a computer science class? Neatly written with helpful comments. A three-page paper for my writing seminar describing the Pit using the five senses? Took some coaching, but the result was not bad. A confusing mathematical proof that stumped half of my discrete math class? Elegantly written in seconds. I reached out to Dr. Samuel Cho, who is an associate professor in physics and computer science, for his opinion. “I did wonder how [ChatGPT] would do in some of the assignments and tests I gave,” he said, explaining how he had tested the chatbot on past course materials. “I imagine that ChatGPT would probably pass my course based on those assessments but definitely not ace it.” It might seem like ChatGPT could be the atom bomb of academic dishonesty, since it is open to misuse by anyone who can make a free account with OpenAI. How might an institution like Wake Forest possibly deal with such disruptive technology? I brought this issue to Dr. Miaohua Jiang, a professor of mathematics at Wake Forest who also sits on the Wake Forest Judicial Council. His response dealt more with the sentiment behind such behavior. “Like Chegg and other similar apps, students need to be very cautious when they use these apps in their education,” he said. “Students need to al-
I have never read “the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” nor am I very knowledgeable about philosophy, but I managed to use ChatGPT to write this fairly impressive response. Imagine if the hypothetical student were to gain admission or even win a scholarship by using Chat GPT to write thier admission essays. Imagine if you were a student who wasn’t admitted because of them. The Old Gold & Black reached out to Wake Forest’s Office of Admissions to hear if they had concerns about ChatGPT being used to write admissions essays, but it did not return a request for comment. As the technology matures, university educators and administrators will have to look into both the positive and negative consequences that it may have on our school’s academics. Only time will tell how the technology will embed itself into education. I’ll end with a poem written by ChatGPT:
ChatGPT, a tool to enhance Assists students, a learning chance Helps professors, with their work too But misuse can lead to academic skew Let us use it with care and thought Benefits to education, it has brought Guiding students to success, our aim With ChatGPT, education will claim a new fame.
Contact James Li at liwj21@wfu.edu
Thursday, February 2, 2023 | Page 7
Features | Old Gold & Black
Read ChatGPT’s attempt at an OGB article
AI can generate this 1000-word article in seconds, following most standard journalistic and gramatical rules ChatGPT AI Chatbot
A note from the editor: The following article is written by OpenAI’s new AI Chatbot Program “ChatGPT.” The article itself is fairly well-structured and distributes quotes throughout the article. Of course, there are limitations to the technology. Most obviously, the program generates falsified quotes, which creates ethical concerns. ChatGPT operates on a database that does not extend beyond 2021. For example, it recognizes Nathan O. Hatch as the president of the university, rather than the current president, Dr. Susan Wente. Additionally, Adam Goldstein is the current Dean of Students, not Jonathan Sauls. Despite these errors, it is still apparent that ChatGPT can functionally piece together a sound article. Could AI programs like this be the future of journalism? The answer is still unclear, but we will let you decide. So, without further ado, here is the generated article: Wake Forest University students are in for a treat as the university announces plans to transform the Benson University Center into a state-of-the-art trampoline park. The move, which will take place over the next year, is part of the university’s ongoing commitment to enhance student life and provide a wellrounded college experience. “At Wake Forest University, we are always looking for ways to improve the student experience and provide new and exciting opportunities for our students,” said Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch. “The trampoline park will be a great addition to our campus and will provide a fun and healthy outlet for our students to relieve stress
“We believe that the trampoline park will be a great addition to our campus.” - President Nathan O. Hatch and stay active.” The trampoline park will feature a wide range of activities, including wall-to-wall trampolines, dodgeball courts, basketball hoops, and more. There will also be a designated area for younger children, equipped with smaller trampolines and soft play equipment, ensuring that the park is accessible to all. The decision to transform the Benson University Center into a trampoline park has been met with great enthusiasm from the student body. “I think it’s a fantastic idea,” said senior Rachel Smith. “It’s going to be such a fun and energetic atmosphere for students to let off steam and relieve stress. I can’t wait to try it out!” Wake Forest University will be working with a leading trampoline park company to design and install the equipment, ensuring that the park is of the highest quality and provides a safe and enjoyable experience for all users. The project will also involve renovations to the center to accommodate the new park and provide a comfortable and accessible environment for students, faculty, and staff. “We are dedicated to providing our students with the best possible experience and are working with the best in the industry to create a world-class trampoline park that will be a
highlight of our campus,” said Wake Forest University Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jonathan Sauls. The trampoline park is expected to open next year and will be open to all Wake Forest University students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, there will be opportunities for community members and families to use the park for a fee, allowing the university to share the excitement and energy of the park with the wider community. Wake Forest University is committed to providing a well-rounded college experience that includes opportunities for physical activity and recreation. The trampoline park is just one of the many initiatives the university has undertaken to provide students with a unique and enjoyable college experience. “The trampoline park is going to be a fantastic addition to our campus and will provide a great opportunity for our students to stay active and have fun,” said President Hatch. “We’re confident that it will be a great success and a source of pride for our university.” In addition to the trampoline park, Wake Forest University has also been working on a number of other initiatives to enhance student life, including the construction of new residence halls, the renovation of existing facilities, and the creation of new recreational spaces. The university is dedicated to providing students with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed and is committed to creating a supportive and inclusive community. “Wake Forest University is a special place, and we are committed to providing our students with the best possible college experience,” said President Hatch. “The trampoline park is just one of the many ways we are working to enhance student life and provide a wellrounded college experience.” In conclusion, the transformation of the Benson University Center into a trampoline park is an exciting and innovative step for Wake Forest University. It is a reflection of the university’s commitment to providing its students with unique and engaging opportunities for physical activity and recreation. The park is sure to be a source of joy and excitement for students, faculty, and staff, and the wider community. With its state-of-the-art equipment and welcoming environment, the trampoline park will be a hub of energy and fun on campus. Wake Forest University is eagerly awaiting the opening of this thrilling new addition to its community, and students and families alike are sure to be excited about the prospect of bouncing and playing their way to health and happiness. Disclaimer:
Photo courtesy of DALL-E, an AI system by Open AI
This article was generated by ChatGPT in response to the prompt: “Write a 1000-word news article about Benson University Center at Wake Forest University being transformed into a trampoline park by next year. Include quotes from university officials and students.” All information contained within this article is completely fictional, and any attributed quotes are falsified and not accurate. This article does not represent the journalistic standards held by the Old Gold & Black and is purely for informational purposes This article was generated via ChatGPT by Print Managing Editor Breanna Laws.
This image was created by OpenAI’s image generator DALL-E when Contact Breanna Laws at instructed to make a realistic painting of Wake Forest with trampolines. lawsbn21@wfu.edu
ENVIRO
PAGE 8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 Continued from Page 1. Weaver and the University At the university, the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire opened the eyes of students and administrators to the realities many Winston-Salem residents have long understood about environmental racism and the necessity for environmental justice initiatives in Winston-Salem. In response, Wake Forest announced on Jan. 19, 2023, that the Mellon Foundation awarded the university a $1 million grant to aid in environmental justice efforts on campus and in the community. Dr. Corey D.B. Walker is the Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities, founding director of the Wake Forest African American Studies program, Interim Dean of the Wake Forest School of Divinity and the visionary behind the Mellon Grant. He, along with Director of the Environmental Program Dr. Julie Velásquez Runk, is spearheading environmental justice initiatives at Wake Forest. “What the Weaver fire did was allow us to be very exposed and very sensitive to the precariousness of individual lives in our society,” Walker said. “...in a broader society, we do have to be concerned about the lives and life chances of those who live a much more precarious existence [than ourselves].” Walker explained that the goal of the Mellon Grant is not for the university to serve the community directly, but instead for the university to foster a more humane educational system. “One reason why I wrote the Mellon Grant is to begin to look very systemically at how we begin to educate students and scholars for a new generation while recognizing that the deep inequalities that we have and witness are not just by happenstance,” Walker said. “In many ways, the Weaver fire was not just a disaster that erupted out of nowhere, it was a disaster by design.” When he says “disaster by design,” Walker is referring to Winston-Salem’s history of redlining and zoning along racial and economic lines, as well as the impacts of agribusiness on the fertilizer industry. Each of these factors are realworld examples that point to the necessity of pursuing environmental justice, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” Moving forward, Wake Forest hopes to develop an environmental justice-
OLD GOLD & BLACK Covers the campus like the magnolias
focused curriculum within the environmental studies program. Velásquez Runk was hired in August 2022 specifically to address this goal. Velásquez Runk says her vision for the environment and sustainability program as a new hire is to be both community and justice-oriented, which is based on her belief that the environment and people are inseparable. “You can’t focus on one without the other,” she said. Velásquez Runk’s most recent change to the environmental curriculum was introducing “The Intersectional Environmentalist” by Leah
Weaver:: One year on Weaver
ONMENT Addison Schmidt, schmac21@wfu.edu Bella Ortley-Guthrie, ortlbs21@wfu.
n, the fire’s impact remains
Thoma — a book that focuses on the linking systems of the environment, racism and privilege — as a required textbook for ENV 201: Introduction to Environmental Issues. “In the past, people have been separate from the [study of the] environment…I emphasize this to say that’s not the approach we want in the 21st century,” Velásquez Runk said. Dr. Dean Franco is a professor of literature and director of the Humanities Institute at Wake Forest who specializes in race studies and human rights. He’s the author of “The Border and the Line: Race, Literature, and Los Angeles,” which examines neighborhood segregation in Los Angeles, California. Franco says that the definition of a neighbor is a near one, meaning that how we treat others often correlates to our awareness and proximity to them. “When we’re near each other, we sort of we feel an obligation toward one another,” Franco said. Franco says that environmental disasters, like the Weaver Fertilizer
Plant fire, offer a wakeup call for many neighbors. “The environment and environmental disasters have a way of showing where the borderlines of segregation are, because you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve never seen that neighborhood before,’” he said. “‘But it’s right near me.’ You see where those borderlines are, but the environmental disaster breaches those borderlines really quickly.” He continued: “[Wake Forest has] been political neighbors to the neighborhoods around us for so long. We have gates and fences and ID cards…when you have an environmental disaster, you become an ethical neighbor. That’s when you realize we are all commonly exposed. We’re all similarly near this thing that’s happening. That’s why [the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire] was a wake-up call.” The City of Winston-Salem’s Response In 2022, the city of Winston-Salem set up a $1 million, “first-come-first-serve” fund for those impacted by the fire in response to the fire and evacuations. The city partnered with the Experiment in Self Reliance, Inc. (ESR), a nonprofit organization that “serves the low-moderate income population of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County,” to disperse the funds. The reimbursement fund aimed to cover lost wages, meals, hotel funds and other verifiable expenses only from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4. Those filing for reimbursement were given until June 30 to provide documentation of expenses and request an appointment via ESR. Victoria von Dohlen, the Development and Agency Relations Manager at ESR stated in an email that 800 people applied for assistance and that there are no outstanding applicants. Von Dohlen further said that ESR delegated 656 subsidies, with the households’ median income being $12,784.32. The total amount paid, according to a Sept. 17 Winston-Salem Journal report, was $241,126.12 As of publication, Councilmember Denise D. Adams did not respond to the Old Gold & Black’s request for an interview about the remaining funds. One reason for the lack of applications, Walker suggests, is likely the requirement of receipts to demonstrate eligibility. Those who stayed with friends or family members likely didn’t incur direct costs that could be demonstrated through receipts. Thus, their eligibility to receive funds is limited, despite being directly inconvenienced by the fire. “If I went to stay with my grandmother or a family member in High Point, but I can’t produce a receipt, I still have added costs,” Walker said. In December 2022, the Winston-Salem City Council passed a new zoning ordinance that adds “use specific standards” for fertilizer, chemical, pesticide and explosive manufacturing. According to the city council minutes, the ordinance (Issue 22-0656) issues specific standards for the placement of these facilities. This includes prohibiting the sites from being “located within a public surface water supply watershed as designated by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Public Health Department.” Other requirements include that manufacturing plans have a minimum size of 25 acres and that all facilities must be located a minimum of 400 feet from any exterior property line. After the fire, Winston Weaver Fertilizer Co. began the
PAGE 9 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 process of multi-stage clean up and investigatory procedure. Winston Weaver Fertilizer Co. contracted Montrose Environmental, an environmental services and testing company, to begin an environmental assessment of the Winston Weaver Co. site in May 2022. Its full testing plan was then approved by NC Department of Environmental Control’s Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch later in July. The 71-page document shows the company’s aims to evaluate and test soil samples for potential ground and water run-off contamination. The assessment mentions installing five groundwater-monitoring wells and collecting samples across the property to evaluate levels of volatile organic compounds, ammonia, nitrate, phosphates and metals. The details of the full assessment nitrite, phosphates and metals. The details of the full assessment are expected to be released in February.
Atrium Health Study Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist announced in January that it would launch a study on the health and environmental effects of the fire. The study is headed by Dr. Callie Brown, a Wake Forest Medical School alumna. The study has three components: one in conjunction with the Wake Forest School of Engineering that monitors water, air and soil quality within two miles of the plant, another that examines long-term health effects of the fire on residents and a third that consists of interviews with 40 residents that lived within a two-mile radius of Winston Weaver Co. at the time of the fire. “[We] heard from many community members that there was a desire for the fire not to be forgotten about or swept under the rug,” Brown said in regard to her and her colleagues’ motivation behind conducting the study. Brown emphasized the importance of conducting studies following environmental disasters, particularly in areas that are “systematically disadvantaged,” stating that it is imperative that research like this be done in order to preserve the memory of these events and protect the health of communities. Given the various aspects of the study, the timeline for results varies. Results on water, air and soil testing, as well as the interviews are expected within the next year. The portion of the study that focuses on long-term health effects will follow those patients for five years to study differences in chronic health diseases, such as asthma, lung disease, heart disease and cancer, according to Brown. Interviews with Spanish speakers have all ready concluded, but English speakers living within a two-mile radius of Winston Weaver Co. who are interested in participating in the interview portion of the study are encouraged to contact the study’s community partner, Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods, by calling (336)-602-2475. Further information regarding the study and its various aspects will be presented at a community meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. at the Hanes Hosiery Community Center. Moving forward Today, where the fertilizer plant once stood, there is an empty plot of land. The yellow gates are wide open, but it bears a sign saying “Absolutely No Visitors Beyond This Point.” According to a December 2022 article in the Winston-Salem Journal, Winston Weaver Co. has yet to disclose whether or not they plan to rebuild the Cherry Street plant. The threat of an explosion has long disappeared, but its impact reverberates throughout the larger Winston-Salem community and at Wake Forest. Time will only tell how the fire is remembered in history, but for now, there remains work to be done to address the issues the blaze both caused and exposed.
Contact writers at schmac21@wfu.edu & ortlbs21@wfu.edu
Page 10 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Environment
Where does our waste go on campus?
A deeper look into Wake Forest’s trash, compost and recycling systems on campus
REAGAN SMITH Contributing Writer
When you throw away your cup at Camino or recycle cardboard in the mailroom, do you think about where that trash ends up next? The journey doesn’t end when you walk away. So what happens to trash at Wake Forest, and just how much does our campus produce? Wake Forest Waste Reduction Specialist Sophie Wimberly provides some insight into how our trash gets from campus to the landfill. First, the trash is picked up by custodians, then consolidated to be picked up by the Waste Reduction and Recycling Team before heading to the trash compactor. The company Waste Management takes the trash to a Hanes Mill Road Landfill. “However, this does not apply to Camino [Bakery] because we have a front-of-house compost collection program,” Wimberly said. Front-of-house means that it is on the consumer Photo courtesy of Evan Harris-The Old Gold & Black end. Trash produced at Camino Bakery ends up Compostable waste collected on campus at the Pit, North Campus Dining, Zick’s and Camino at Gallins Family Farm, a company based out of Mocksville, N.C., that takes food waste and turns Bakery is sent to Gallins Family Farms in Mocksville, NC to be processed and turned into compost. it into compost for other areas of North Carolina. Miller is also monitoring the green labs program Front-of-house composting and organic collection can reuse the items. Deacs Donate accepts items like clothing, shoes, and the glove recycling program downtown. She also occurs at Zick’s, but the Waste Reduction and Recycling Team hopes to expand to more loca- small furniture pieces, jewelry and small appli- states that the program has “been really successances. Students can place these in the blue roll-off ful, and the labs downtown collected around 30 tions soon. Back-of-house collection, which happens on bins that can be found in first floor lobbies or by pounds [of glove waste] per lab last semester.” There is also currently a program in Salem Hall, the venue’s end, occurs at most dining locations front entrances at the end of the spring semester. Larger donations like tables and couchand Miller said she is trying to expand around campus, including the Pit, all North Camthis to the biology labs and Wakerpus dining options and also at Zick’s in addition to es can be placed near large-item yard Space. front-of-house collection. North Campus Apart- signs for pick up. According to Wimberly, Deacs The campus Surplus Propments have their own residence hall collection erty Program collects propsystem, and Facilities and Campus Services (FCS) Donate has collected more than erty from departments no provides compost collection services at events and 90 tons of Goodwill Donations in the past five years, relonger needing those items in staff lounges by request. and takes them to an offRecycling — split between paper, cardboard and ceiving 7,000 pounds campus warehouse where bottles or cans — is separate from waste disposal in the last year alone. For electronic other departments can and set up as a “multi-stream system as opposed to waste, Wake Forest’s use items to refurbish a single stream,” according to Wimberly. recycling their offices. The proCardboard, specifically, is compacted and given E-waste gram is led by Alan to the companies Waste Management and Sono- program allows comWinkler, the manager co. Companies like these “recycle these items by munity members to Wake Forest’s Waste selling them to vendors who use them for various give unwanted or broken electronics to & Recycling departproducts,” Wimberly said. ment. For items like bottles, cans and paper, custodians Facilities and CamWinkler said that the sort these into receptacles to be picked up by a pus Services at specigoal of the program is to waste team. They are then separated into roll-off fied drop-off locations “repurpose and reuse as containers for pickup by Waste Management to be on campus or through much furniture, supplies and delivered to a material recycling/recovery facility scheduled pick-ups. Reusequipment as possible in order (MRF). Finally, the waste is sold to vendors, who able items are also donated to again use it for new products. For example, glass Goodwill and other technology to extend its useful life and keep waste that ends up at the Winston-Salem MRF is is given to companies to deconstruct tons of material out of the landfills.” purchased by Strategic Materials, a company that and reuse the parts. He added that items are donated to local Wake Forest’s textile recycling program takes charities if they are not in a condition to be used turns it into new bottles. Wake Forest also recycles yard waste, motor oil, clothing and fabric textiles to Green Zone, a com- by the university. tires, shredded paper, CD waste, metal, wood pany that recycles and repurposes them into new The program has been in place since 2011. and books, all through various collection systems. items to be distributed throughout the commu- Thus far, the Surplus Property Program has redisCheck out Facilities and Campus Services’ recy- nity. Kickstarted by Wimberly herself, the pilot tributed more than 17,000 items to the communiprogram was implemented in November of 2020, ty and more than 8,000 items to the Wake Forest cling page to learn more. Wimberly reports that Wake Forest generates be- and it has been a huge success. Green bins labeled departments, saving the university upwards of $3 tween 3 and 4 million pounds of trash per year “Textile Recovery Pilot” can be found in eight dif- million and diverting more than 864 tons of mateon average, with 3,294,860 pounds produced in ferent drop-off locations on campus, including the rial from landfills. 2020. This number is the average for a school our Benson Mailroom, Polo Residence Hall and Luter Wake Forest’s Office of Waste Reduction and size, but there’s always room for improvement. Residence Hall. Recycling is an incredible resource for the comThere are various programs designed to reduce Lily Miller, the Waste Reduction and Diversion munity, and they work closely with the Office of and redirect waste away from landfills. Deacs Do- Intern at the Office of Sustainability, discussed her Sustainability to consistently update and improve nate is a student donation program that collects work on expanding the textile diversion program. Wake Forest’s waste reduction and recycling initiaand manages waste produced at the end of the aca- Miller stated that plans are in place for new bins tives. demic year, when students move out of residence to be put in the following residence halls: South, halls. They partner with Goodwill to divert donat- Collins, Babcock, Johnson, Polo, Magnolia and Contact Reagan Smith at able items away from landfills and to people who Dogwood, as well as Benson University Center. smitrr22@wfu.edu
OPINION OLD GOLD & BLACK
Sophie Guymon, guymsm20@wfu.edu Shaila Prasad, prassp21@wfu.edu
Asst: Lauren Carpenter, carple21@wfu.edu
PAGE 11 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
The views expressed in all opinion columns represent those of the article’s author, not the opinions of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board
We could use less of Harry and Meghan The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s publicity tour is getting old IAN STEFFENSEN Sports Editor
enjoyed as a work of fiction. Heck, the book was entirely ghost-written as Harry couldn’t even bother to do it himself. Harry and Meghan have never tried to truly live a life of their own, independent of the institution. All they have ever wanted was to live a fairy-tale life and have the spotlight on themselves, no matter the cost. They need their titles to stay relevant, and the self-absorbed pair will continue to profit off their image as long as they can, even if it means airing out their family’s dirty laundry. Some say Meghan may be the one behind the dramatics, pulling the strings, steering Harry on this path and even playing a part in his book deal. A particularly funny passage in “Spare” that Meghan threw in was that Prince William was initially scared to meet her, as he was a fan of her show “Suits.” I like “Suits” as much as the next guy and find it entertaining, but it’s not a popular show, and Meghan doesn’t even play the main character. Another memorable passage from the book is the physical confrontation between William and Harry, where William insults Meghan by calling her “difficult” (I don’t disagree) and then grabs his brother and throws him to the ground. Despite their attempts to clear their names, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are nothing but hypocrites. Today, their nation and the whole world see Harry for what he truly is — an angry, privileged prince, constantly blaming other people for his actions and failing to take any accountability. These personal revelations undermine him, his family and even his country. Queen Elizabeth II is likely rolling in her grave as the foundations of the institution she built are starting to crumble. Sure, the power is in Harry and Meghan’s hands as they control how much attention they receive, but how long can we support this simple cash grab? They’re never leaving the spotlight, and we need to stop giving them attention they don’t deserve. Constantly playing the victim is getting old — Meghan’s been out of acting for a while, and it’s time for her to find a new starring role. I leave you with this, a message to Harry and Meghan: “[if ] you want to get out of the hole, first you have to put down the shovel.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are once again shining the spotlight on themselves, most recently with Prince Harry’s new book, “Spare,” which has been a hot topic in the media. You may think that after weeks of intense coverage promoting and uncovering the secrets of the British Royal Family in Harry’s book that the media would take a break, but they continue to shine a bright spotlight on Harry and his “perfect” wife Meghan. After the so-called “Megxit” saga of 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the decision to step back from the royal family and become financially independent. In those early months, the couple expressed their desire to lead a normal life and escape public scrutiny from the tabloids. Nothing says stepping back from the spotlight like creating your o w n exclusive Spotify podcast, signing a deal with Netflix to produce a documentary, participating in numerous television interviews and now writing a book. I have many problems with “Spare.” It’s convenient that it was unknowingly leaked a week before its release. The tabloids that “attacked” Meghan routinely ate up their drama quickly, and it became a fight over who could be the first to leak the stories. The book itself is nothing but a blatant attempt to vindicate Harry and undermine his family. The royal family is outdated, and they are likely not transparent about their innermost relationships involving Harry and Meghan. However, the couple’s continuous framing of themselves in a positive light for all the world to see is downright annoying. To put it simply, Harry and Meghan just won’t go away. They claim they want to distance themselves from the royal institution but still go about using their royal titles. In a “60 Minutes” interview, when Anderson Cooper asked Harry about this, he replied “and what difference would that make?” Maybe the difference is that it wouldn’t let the couple continue to cash in on the royal family’s name like the leeches they are. “Spare” is full of lies and should be Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Contact Ian Steffenson at stefip21@wfu.edu
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” sold $1.4 million copies on release day.
Photo courtesy of The New York Post
This infamous “Megxit” cartoon gained traction by ridiculing the couple’s “new life”.
Page 12 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Opinion
Post-COVID loneliness is pervasive As we transition back to normalcy, it is vital that we turn to our community and focus on connection NERIAH OLIVER Contributing Columnist
When COVID-19 restrictions were lifted during my senior year of high school, I thought, as many others did, that the isolation and loneliness I had experienced during the height of the pandemic would recede, and I would automatically reassemble a group of friends just from being around other people. I was sorely disappointed when this was not the case, in no small part due to the fact that I had entirely forgotten how to socialize in a crowded environment like school. The idea that COVID loneliness would disappear as soon as I was around other people was untrue and could have been harmful, particularly in a college setting like at Wake Forest, where everyone has to adjust to a new environment while finding friends. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that improving my social skills was neglected while at home during COVID-19. In my year and a half of remote school, I only regularly talked to three people outside of my family, aside from occasional texts to vague acquaintances while I was in a Zoom class with them. Even then, the only people I would text during classes were people I knew before the pandemic. Online classes provided no avenue for connecting with new people. I had family members who lived alone and worked remote-
ly who said they spoke to other people maybe once a week. The isolation that I and many others experienced during this time was not only difficult to experience in the moment, but it also caused an atrophying of social skills. I spent so long away from other people my age that I nearly forgot how to interact with them. Harvard University’s Making Caring Common Project survey showed that 61% of young people feel lonely frequently or all of the time, and there was a significant increase in loneliness after the start of the pandemic. Many people, myself included, lost friends and the ability to socialize in one fell swoop during COVID. Being surrounded by people again was a harsh wake up call. The social skills necessary to rebuild friendships had degenerated for many during isolation, and regaining those skills was no easy task. There was no class to take on how to talk to people again, so I just had to muddle through socializing. Oftentimes, it left me feeling just as isolated as during quarantine because it appeared that everyone around me seemed to fall right back into the social rhythms of pre-pandemic life. Loneliness can be a serious struggle. Acting as though being back around people has automatically fixed loneliness can be very harmful to the people still struggling.
Photo courtesy of the University of Cambridge
Starting college after the isolation of the pandemic has been an exceptional challenge, as well. An already stressful year of acclimating to dorm life, new classes and a campus full of unfamiliar people is made much more difficult by the fact that our social lives have been through the wringer in the past couple of years.
For people who are still struggling with making friends and socializing, starting college can be an ostracizing and disheartening experience because the pressure to go out and find new friends is intense. In reality, many of us are feeling lost or lonely, both because of the novelty of college and residual effects of the pandemic. It is important for us to give ourselves and others the grace to struggle. We have lived through some incredibly difficult years, and it is only natural to need some time to recover from them. Loneliness can be unbelievably challenging, and it can often feel as though someone is the only person experiencing it. However, many people are still lonely after the pandemic, and it is important to acknowledge it. We are all struggling, and it is normal to feel lonely sometimes. During times of change like this, we need to remember that there is a community around us that we can turn to for support. We are not alone, although we may feel that way. We need to make a more conscious effort to connect with others not only for ourselves but for the people around us who may be facing the same issues of loneliness and isolation as we are. Contact Neriah Oliver at olivns22@wfu.edu
Florida's education standards are steeped in hypocrisy DeSantis' ban on AP African American Studies displays a clear agenda DILLON CLARK
Contributing Columnist If there is one thing we can all agree on after the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that education plays a bigger role than ever on the person we are and who we will become. After the pandemic forced us into awkward breakout rooms and silent virtual classrooms, students turned to social media as a means of social discourse. Such social discourse, however, took a wild and political turn in the summer of 2020. Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain, a wave of support surged on social media to raise awareness of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. On June 2, 2020, a day that would become known as “Blackout Tuesday,” more than 28 million Instagram users posted a black square to show solidarity and support for the ongoing struggle for justice. During this movement, I, like many others, took the time to educate myself about privilege and systemic racial injustice. Through school, social media and the news, I learned different perspectives about how the study of history has had an impact on modern issues of injustice or influenced our conception of different cultures. Did I come to hate myself after learning that I, as a white male, am privileged? No. Did I believe that I was inherently a bad person for being privileged? No. This is because education does not mean indoctrination. Not everyone agrees with that statement. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has been a vocal critic of teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT), a set of principles that describe the inherent racial bias in Western social and legal institutions, as well as in schools. DeSantis has gone so far as to call CRT “state-sanctioned racism.” On Jan. 12, DeSantis blocked a proposed AP African American studies course class in Florida. The course, which is currently being offered as a pilot in 60 schools in the 2022-2023 school year, covers topics from the medieval kingdoms of West Africa to the struggles and successes of modern
movements. In a rejection letter, DeSantis and state officials declared that the course violated state law and “significantly lacked educational value” due to its controversial political agenda. The presence of controversy, however, has never been a reason to prohibit the teaching of something. If the state were to outlaw or censor the teaching of every controversial topic, important concepts such as Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, the Civil War, the Holocaust and slavery would be left out. The DeSantis administration does not have a problem with teaching controversial issues; it has an issue with teaching perspec tives that challenge the narrative of the United States as a land of free and equal oppority. I t has an issue with teaching that the United States wasn’t always great for everyone. It has an issue with teaching the truth.
The Florida social studies “Sunshine Standards” of 2021 instruct educators to teach students from grades K-12 about civics, government and American society. In this educational guide, one lesson in first grade is dedicated to teaching U.S. patriotism. Among other things, it teaches students how to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and how to properly display and take down an American flag. For many, the Pledge of Allegiance and the American flag are controversial. The Pledge of Allegiance includes the words “one nation, under God,” implying that the United States is affiliated with a religion and God, which it is not. The American flag has been a source of controversy for decades. In a controversial decision in Texas v. Johnson (1989), the Supreme Court held that the burning of the American flag, which has been used for symbolic purposes in protests, is protected by the First Amendment. Both of these issues are controversial and rooted in political agendas. Yet they are both taught. In Florida, DeSantis has defended the memorialization of the Confederate Army in statues, plaques and buildings. In 2021, DeSantis signed the Combatting Public Disorder Act, which made it a felony t o
damage any of the 54 remaining Confederate statues. The bill labeled the Confederate statues as “historical property.” In the eyes of DeSantis and Florida’s government, a statue or plaque of a Confederate soldier offers more educational value for people learning history than a course about African American Studies written by the certified educators of the College Board. Do not let DeSantis fool you. AP African American Studies is not being blocked because of its controversy or political agenda. It is being blocked because it challenges the idea that the United States has always been the land of freedom and opportunity, the idea that our social and legal institutions are equal and without flaw and the idea that our country has always provided the unalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” to all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, race or gender. History says otherwise, but one needs to learn history to know that. Contact Dillon Clark at clardj22@wfu.edu
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump stands alongside the students he is representing in a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis over Florida's ban of AP African American studies.
Opinion | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 2, 2023 | Page 13
The enormous potential of ChatGPT The AI chatbot can be an effective tool if you feed it the right information and questions HOPE ZHU Staff Columnist
It was not until two of my professors mentioned ChatGPT — a sophisticated, 3-month-old chatbot based on a large language model that was launched by the company OpenAI — on the first day of classes this semester that I realized that the new artificial intelligence (AI) language model is now a “thing” that has begun to shake higher education. My journalism professor expressed his concerns. After acknowledging the mildly amused atmosphere in the classroom when we discussed how students might use it to cheat, he concluded in a half-joking tone, “Please don’t use it in our homework.” On the other hand, my sociology professor did not seem disturbed at all. She showed us a screenshot of ChatGPT failing to make a joke about Auguste Comte and said lightheartedly, “If ChatGPT cannot even make a joke about Comte, there is nothing to worry about.” I am not a fan of futurism, science fiction and machine learning, but ChatGPT is the second AI that makes me wonder how smart these machines are getting. However, I am on the side of my sociology professor. The fear campaign around students using AI to complete assignments and exams seems unconvincing. Let’s begin with the stunning but spooky AI Art that was popular a while ago. While it can generate images of various styles and subjects that have ever been known in the history of human creativity, it also makes ridiculous mistakes that instantly uncheck the “verify if you are human” box. I have seen in- stances where the AI misidentified body parts, humans and animals. These eerie images reaffirm my belief that some
Photo courtesy of Forbes
unexplainable “human” aspects of ourselves eliminate the possibility of machines completely replacing mankind — at least for now. But, please forgive me, professor, when I, again, mess up on half of my AP style check quiz in editing class. I typed my wrong answers into the chat box of ChatGPT and asked it to identify the errors in style, punctuation and word usage in the exercise out of mere curiosity. To my surprise, ChatGPT did well on most of these questions. In a few seconds, ChatGPT not only identified the mistakes as the assignment requested but also told me why the sentence was wrong and gave me more example sentences. Compared to looking for answers in a search engine, which demands a tiresome closer look at a list of results to find the most relevant one, ChatGPT is accurate, responsive and patient, especially when I press it for more details. Just as OpenAI, the team that launched ChatGPT, suggests, ChatGPT can “answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests. ” However, as soon as I took a deep look at the result ChatGPT generates, issues emerged. For example, it confuses subtle nuances that are specific to a certain field of study. In my case, for comma usage in journalism, it appears that ChatGPT does not have better knowledge of the subject than me. Like a novice journalist who hasn’t studied editing techniques system-
atically, it randomly throws commas in the sentence. In many other cases, ChatGPT commits factual errors such as the name of the author, mathematical calculations and even common sense.
“The norm of language is closely associated with a shared culture, history and the beliefs of its speakers, but for tens of thousands of newcomers in this ‘land of opportunity,’ the concept of ‘naturalness’ is meaningless.”
AI-written essays don’t sound natural is troubling to me. What is “natural” English, and who defines it? The norm of language is closely associated with a shared culture, history and the beliefs of its speakers, but for tens of thousands of newcomers in this “land of opportunity,” the concept of “naturalness” is meaningless. Language is a tool that makes people understand one another. The emergence of ChatGPT, to some extent, erases the monopoly native speakers have on “naturalness” since it prioritizes the actual message underlying the language, which can level the playing field for second-language learners. With that being said, I may not perfectly distinguish between text written by AI and by humans, but I can distinguish between a good essay and a bad essay. That is what makes the difference. The weakness of ChatGPT is what makes it a potential learning tool. As Hick pointed out, the essay generated by ChatGPT is confident and thorough, but the details can also be thoroughly wrong. This means, to create a fine-tuned, factually correct essay using ChatGPT, one has to craft their questions precisely, fact-check the output deliberately and make necessary transitions and connections between
In addition, though it might appear to be lacking on some general questions, don’t let that trip you up. As more detailed information feeds into the system, ChatGPT can get exceptionally specific, such as writing a job description, calendar optimization a n d
research assistance. It can give seemingly reasonable but impractical suggestions at first, but if one properly phrases the questions, the output can be mind-blowing. Understandably, educators frown upon it. A philosophy professor at Furman University, Darren Hick, caught his student using ChatGPT to write an essay that looks like, “a human with a good sense of grammar and an understanding of how essays should be structured.” In a panic, dozens of public schools in Seattle and New York banned the use of ChatGPT and programming platforms such as Stack Overflow. Regarding the use of ChatGPT in language learning and other educational purposes, I feel empowered, rather than concerned by the AI. As a second-language learner in English, the very idea that
each paragraph. Isn’t such a process also an alternative way of learning by using a capable tool, which, by all means, is more practical given our contemporary world? If one can train AI to write a well-versed, logical essay with the breath of humans, then there is solid proof of the learning ability. In short, if there is a way to make sure everyone gets a taste of ChatGPT, it is to ban it. Circumventing AI tools will not bring forth progress in education, which has to adapt constantly to suit the evolving world. The rise of the internet and search engines brought a similar conundrum to educators decades before. Now, these tools were incorporated into the everyday learning process. Bear in mind that the eye-opening output of ChatGPT is still built on thousands of years of human knowledge and creativity — if we want to tame it, institutions must acknowledge its benefit and employ it as an assistance and accessory to various means of acquiring knowledge. Contact Hope Zhu at zhug21@wfu.edu
Screenshot of ChatGPT
ChatGPT can initially employ incorrect comma usage, although when informed of its mistakes, it not only apologized but fixed them immediately.
Old Gold & Black | Sports
Page 14 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Evan Harris /Old Gold & Black
Jewel Spear leads the offense up the court during the 68-57 win versus Louisville. Spear dropped a new career high during the game, as she caught fire for 34 points and four makes from deep.
Deacon Sportlight: Jewel Spear
Women’s basketball star Jewel Spear answers questions from Photography Editor Evan Harris Evan Harris Photography Editor
Junior Jewel Spear of the Wake Forest Women’s basketball team is a member of the 2022 All-ACC First Team, the ACC’s 2021-22 leading scorer and a gold medalist in the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup. She currently averages 15.9 points per game and is a key leader in Head Coach Megan Gebbia’s system this season. I was able to sit down with Spear last week to talk basketball — and play basketball as well. How did you get into basketball? I got into basketball through my family. I have two brothers. My older brother is currently playing at Robert Morris University, and my younger brother is a freshman playing at the same high school that I attended. I’ve been around the game for a while watching them both play. Both my parents played basketball as well, and my mom also played volleyball. We’re a very athletic family, and that’s really how I got into the sport. Did you play or follow any other sports growing up? How do you think that has influenced you as an athlete? I played softball for around five to six years. It interfered with basketball, so I ended up having to choose. My mom got me into competitive
swimming and really wanted me to be a swimmer, which helped with my conditioning and allowed for my body to take a break joint-wise. It improved my fitness and lung capacity, too. I also ran track growing up. I did long jump, triple jump, the four by four relay and the 400 meter, which was my favorite race.
ference and leave a legacy. Wake Forest has great academics as well, which puts me around great people. Were you a big college basketball fan when you’re growing up?
Yes, I was a really big college basketball fan. Everyone would always ask me, “do you have a dream school? Did you have a dream school?” I I got recruited by Wake Forest, but I was actu- really didn’t have a dream school, but I always ally unfamiliar with the university, until my fam- grew up as a Tar Heels fan on the men’s basketily in Greensboro who introduced me to Wake ball side. My family rooted for them because of Forest. When I went on my visit, they came along Roy Williams. I find it really funny that I now go with my immediate family to show me around. to Wake Forest, and UNC is a rival now. How did you first hear about Wake Forest?
Touch on your recruitment process — what motivated you to come to play basketball for Wake Forest? I wouldn’t say I was heavily recruited when I first started getting looked at. In my class’ ESPN Top 100 rankings, I was either 86 or 88, which was low in my eyes. I really believed that could have been higher. I also wasn’t actually listed until the last rankings. So I grew up with a chip on my shoulder, just knowing from the work that I put in that I could be really good. [I also knew] that I would have to go to a program that maybe wasn’t established yet but trying to make a legacy, and I’d have to put my foot into a program and make a difference. So I can’t wait to make a dif-
How has the adjustment been with new Head Coach Megan Gebbia? It’s definitely been different, especially coming from Coach Jen [Hoover], who was a great coach that I respect very much and wish nothing but the best. With her system though, the ball was in my hands the majority of the time — almost every play. With Coach Meg [Gebbia], it’s a different system. We utilize a lot of motion, and different people are touching the ball. We constantly make different reads, so ball might not stay in my hands at all times, which keeps the defense on their toes. Other teams can’t really scout me as much as they did last year because they never know what I’m going to do, and where the ball
Thursday, February 2, 2023 | Page 15
Sports | Old Gold & Black is going to move. I think the system is different, and it’s been an adjustment; we’re still learning as a team and as individuals. I think it’s coming along, and we’re able to see the growth. Can you tell me about the most memorable basketball game that you’ve ever played in? So there’s actually two. It used to be our game at Chapel Hill my freshman year at the ACC tournament. I think I had 27-something points, maybe six threes. My immediate family was there — my mom, dad, my younger brother and my cousins. That win against UNC was needed for us to make the NCAA tournament that year, which was very memorable. This year, though, our away game against Minnesota is up there. I hit a stepback at the buzzer to win the game. It was insane. I shot it, thought I got fouled, and it still went in. I was like, “what just happened,” and doing that on the road is just even more exciting because the home fans were just silent. In 2021 you won gold at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball Championship, playing alongside the likes of Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Azzi Fudd of UConn, some of the biggest names in college basketball right now. So talk to me about how your role on that team was different from your role here at Wake Forest. Yeah, I mean, I really enjoyed playing with USA basketball. You have talents like you said, Caitlin [Clark], Azzi [Fudd], Te-Hina Paopao from Oregon and various others I can name, like Sanaya Fagan from South Carolina, Payton Verhulst who is now Oklahoma, Sonia Citron who’s at Notre Dame and Diamond Johnson at NC State. You have all of these top-tier names in the class that you get to play and share your talents with, so instead of me having to score 20 points, maybe I only need to score six points because there’s other people that can score. I believe my role on
that team was more defense and shotmaking, so like a three-and-D player. Knowing that Caitlin’s gonna get hers and other people are gonna get theirs allowed me to just play my role and have fun while not having to stress as much because you have so many great players around you. You only have to do so much. It was definitely a great experience and a lot of fun. I really appreciated meeting different people and players within the conference, as well as outside the conference. I still keep in touch with my teammates today. In the world of basketball and sports, there’s no denying that there’s disparities in representation between men and women’s athletics. A lot of people rally around the argument that more people go to men’s events. What do you have to say about this difference? And how do you address people that hold those views because a lot of the time they miss the forest for the trees? Yeah, I feel like people’s views are valid. I think women’s sports are growing. The WNBA can be an example. I think when games are put on TV, people will watch, but when games are not on TV or not represented then it’s harder to watch and harder to get views. Even though we might not get as much attention as the men’s team, respectfully, I think basketball is basketball at the end of the day. We’re a community here at Wake Forest, and we all have the same goal of just trying to embody that community mindset and work toward a common goal. We’re all coming together to win, and we’re all coming together to have fun. I think as we continue to win and as we continue to build this program, more fans will come.
Yeah, I actually think NIL is a great thing. I think it’s great to be able to monetize the value of your name. I think it’s cool that you can hold camps back at home. Like say, I go back home, I can hold camps at my high school. I think it’s cool that you can make your own merch, too. I got the saying “Fear The Spear” from Kelly Gramlich who works at ACC Network, and everybody says that when they see me now. With NIL, I can make shirts and benefit from that financially. I think that’s really cool because it’s growing the game and the fan support, so I really think it’s a great idea. I think women are doing a great job in that aspect. The idea of NIL kind of gets lost when people just associate it with men’s football and basketball. There are really good examples such as the ones I have mentioned — Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers, who I’m close with right now just through USA women’s basketball. So it’s cool to see how people can use their platform as well with NIL. What are your future plans after Wake Forest? My future plans are to play professionally. I want to get drafted in the WNBA in the States, but whether or not that happens, I’d like to at least play pro professionally and see what happens from there. But definitely playing pro in the WNBA is the plan. The recent incidents concerning Brittney Griner have shed a light on the fact that many WNBA stars have to go abroad to supplement a substantial income. What do you make of that and how do you think it might impact your career path?
I think the WNBA is growing like I said, money-wise, but I think most athletes in the WNBA do understand that there is more money and bigger contracts overseas. There’s been a recent implementation of NIL into With the Brittney Griner situation, I think it shed some collegiate sports. Have you seen any impacts on light on who might go overseas. Not everyone will go women’s basketball or any kind of reverberations overseas now, not only because going abroad is hard from that addition? due to things like being away from your family, the time difference and stuff like that, but also the situation itself was really bad. I think it opened people’s eyes to what can happen abroad and reflected the differences between basketball in the United States compared to other countries. So with myself, honestly, I’m thinking I want to play pro in the WNBA. That’s my ultimate goal, and then from there, I’ll just have to see how things play out. I don’t think I have a set answer to whether or not I would play somewhere else, but playing pro is playing pro. I think it’s a great opportunity to meet other people, see other people’s cultures and be able to learn about that aspect within basketball. Both sides have their positives. And lastly, we’ve got a quickfire round of questions. They’re all kind of silly. All right, here we go. Your favorite type of donut? Just glazed. Favorite ice cream flavor? Birthday cake. Favorite recording artist? Rod Wave. Favorite cartoon? Spongebob. Favorite WNBA player? Kelsey Plum. Favorite thing about Texas? Barbecue.
Evan Harris /Old Gold & Black
Jewel Spear flashes a smile for the camera. Last season, Spear was voted to the All-ACC First Team and was the conference’s leading scorer.
And finally, the last question, my favorite question. Does pineapple belong on pizza? No. Contact Evan Harris at harres22@wfu.edu
Page 16 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Sports
March Madness: Can the Deacons still make the big dance? The Demon Deacons have plenty of high-stake games left to prove their tournament worth AARON NATALINE Sports Editor
With four straight losses in the past two weeks, it is difficult to imagine the Demon Deacons (14-9, 6-6) competing in the NCAA Tournament this year. Backto-back defeats against Big Four rivals hurt, and so did missing the opportunity to sweep the Blue Devils (16-6, 7-4) in the regular season right in front of the Cameron Crazies. Wake Forest fell 75-73 to Duke in Durham, and on top of making this the fourth loss in that many games, this markes the third-straight loss by two points. The Demon Deacons fought valiantly, refusing to let the game get away from them despite shooting woes (35.7 FG%, 29.0 3PT%) and double digit deficits. In as racous
finish. A 25-win Wake Forest team was denied selection by the committee last year, and this year’s squad can at best cash out the regular season at 22 wins. However, the 2021-2022 team earned just one Quadrant 1 victory, while this team has two with plenty of chances for more left this season. Find my optimism foolish? Everyone was perplexed when the 17-14 Michigan Wolverines were granted an atlarge bid to the NCAA Tournament last year. The committee, instead of seeing a team with a .548 win percentage, saw a team from an (overrated) Big Ten conference with five Quadrant 1 wins. Aside from the chance to face off against top-ranked teams in the ACC tournament, the Demon Deacons will have two chances of earning Quadrant 1 wins this season if they can beat NC State (17-5, 7-4) and No. 23 Miami (17-5, 8-4) on the road. If the North Carolina Tar
still be considered a Quadrant 1 win for the matchup on Feb. 18 in Coral Gables, Fla. The reality is that this is likely the most challenging game left in the regular season for the Demon Deacons. However, Wake Forest barely trails Miami in all the statistics in which the latter exceeds. Whereas the Hurricanes are third in the conference in scoring (77.7 ppg) and first in shooting efficiency (47.8 FG%), the Demon Deacons are fourth (77.4 ppg) and third (46.8%), respectively. The loss against NC State this past Saturday still stings, but for this dose of optimism, I am simply going to say it’s difficult to beat a team twice. This cliché applies particularly well to the Wolfpack’s one-dimensional game plan during the second half of Saturday’s game. NC State’s D.J. Burns was responsible for 31 of the team’s 77 points versus Wake Forest. Whether or not the Demon Deacons secure the victory in Raleigh on Feb. 22, head coach Steve
Evan Harris /Old Gold & Black
of an environment as Cameron Indoor Stadium, Wake Forest displayed a resilience they will need to embrace in the final stretch of regular season games to keep March Madness hopes from being extinguished. The loss also marked a missed oppurtunity to secure a Quadrant 1 win. However, the advantage of playing in a well-balanced conference like the ACC is that such opportunities keep coming, and that is why I dare to hope that Wake Forest can still earn a bid to play in the NCAA Tournament this year. As per the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings, Quadrant 1 wins are earned when a team beats a top-30 team at home, a top-50 team at a neutral site or a top-75 team on the road. When it comes to NCAA tournament selection, the committee lends significant favor to teams with a favorable number of Quadrant 1 victories. Quadrant 1 wins are, surprisingly, part of the statistic favoring Wake Forest this year. The Demon Deacon faithful may be skeptical of their team’s chances of playing in March Madness during this four-game skid, especially given the context of last year’s
Heels (15-6, 7-3) can crawl their way to a top-30 spot in the NCAA’s NET Rankings from their current position at 33, Wake Forest can also claim a Quadrant 1 win on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at home. Envisioning the Demon Deacons earning redemption for the 88-79 road loss against the Tar Heels over winter break is more than realistic. During that last matchup, in which North Carolina’s Armando Bacot dropped 21 points and snagged nine rebounds, the lead switched 20 times. Containing the top rebounder in the ACC is no easy feat, but if Wake Forest can reduce the damage from the inside and force Bacot to take the ball from further out, North Carolina can be toppled. Furthermore, a self-inflicted wound for Wake Forest during the Jan. 4 contest was the 15 turnovers they committed. The team has become more cautious with the ball as of late with six-straight games having notched under 10 turnovers. The Miami Hurricanes have been sitting in the AP Top 25 since mid-December. Wake Forest received a vote to be included in the poll two weeks ago. One could say these achievements are incomparable — all I know is that there is a great chance that a win over Miami will
Forbes will not let his team suffer one man’s hook shot for another 40 minutes. This could mean showing Burns different one-on-one matchups or chancing more double-teams, but whatever the adjustment may be, it could be the key to a Quadrant 1 win. Most scenarios short of going undefeated for the rest of the year only place Wake Forest right around the bubble for consideration of a bid to March Madness. Earning two more Quadrant 1 wins and a near-perfect record in the remaining regular season games not mentioned would set the Demon Deacons up nicely before the ACC Tournament in Greensboro. While a conference championship trophy and an automatic bid would be sweet, one or two wins could very well earn them the respect to compete in the big dance. The situation would mirror last year’s, with hopes of better results. In the meantime, Wake Forest next takes on Notre Dame (10-12, 2-9) in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. Contact Aaron Nataline at nataae21@wfu.edu
PAGE 17 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
LIFE OLD GOLD & BLACK
Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu James Watson, watsjc22@wfu.edu
'Andor' offers a new hope for Star Wars universe Disney strikes back with new, engaging content
DEV CHOJAR Contributing Writer
I've been a fan of Star Wars since I was a little kid, but most of Disney's releases since acquiring the brand have challenged my willingness to watch something solely because of the Star Wars label. “Star Wars: Andor” has restored a lot of the excitement I have always had for the franchise. I found a lot to like about the sequel trilogy. To avoid spoilers, there is a great scene in the eighth movie that ties the entire saga together, reflecting on the dogmatic nature of the Jedi and how it led to the collapse of two Jedi orders. I certainly never left the theater thinking I had just watched a masterpiece, but I did think the sequel trilogy was both visually stunning and occasionally well-written. The movies didn't destroy my faith in the brand, as they did for a lot of other fans. I had more issues with the Disney+ shows, especially “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” I thought Ewan McGregor gave a great lead performance, but, other than the reappearance of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a rematch with Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader, I did not think the show had much to offer. “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” despite Disney’s backing, felt cheap. In a universe known for beautiful scenery, the aforementioned rematch instead takes place on a generic rock planet. This feels like a perfect metaphor for the rest of the show. And the
more I felt like the content was phoned in, the less excited I felt about the entire “Star Wars” universe. No longer would "it's Star Wars'' be enough to get me in the door. For most of the fanbase, saying “it's Star Wars” would have never worked for a show about a secondary character who doesn't even make it to the end of his spinoff movie. Cassian Andor is not nearly as much of a household name as Boba Fett or Kenobi, so he could never have generated the same amount of hype. Nobody asked for a show entirely about Andor, and I'm confident that few people would have cared about one. Now, I’m halfway through my second watch of “Star Wars: Andor,” and I think I have finally figured out why I like it so much. I wasn't sure that I would at first, as even the show’s lead producer is admittedly not a fan of Star Wars. With no lightsabers, only brief mentions of the franchise's most prominent characters and a story that is darker and more grounded than anything that Disney has tried recently, Andor uses Star Wars as more of a backdrop to build a strong show that could have existed without the brand. “Star Wars: Andor” makes it clear that it intends to do something different from the start, as it shows our apparent hero of the rebellion murdering a police officer while he begs for his life. From this
moment, the show depicts Andor being effectively forced into rebel activity — a heist, a prison sequence and the eventual ignition of the rebellion. These multi-episode arcs track closely to a central narrative of provoking the Empire into accelerating its push toward tyranny, resulting in opposition from the people. The early agents of the rebellion want to make the galaxy uncomfortable enough to resist, and they're willing to "use the tools of their enemy" to make that happen. To topple the Empire, the earliest fighters for liberty had to sacrifice their decency, their families and even the innocent people around them. The result is a powerful, thought-provoking discussion about the cost of resistance and why people have to be pushed so far to fight. “Star Wars: Andor” answers a question I have had since seeing the original trilogy. While the Empire did blow up a planet in “Star Wars: A New Hope,” I had wondered why the rebellion was already underway before that and how the Empire had been oppressing regular citizens of the galaxy to that point. In “Star Wars: Andor,” the clear start of the rebellion demonstrates that the Empire never intended to deliver the peace and order it promised. Beyond the writing, the acting and visuals in “Star Wars: Andor” are both stellar. Among other breakout and well-known actors, Andy Serkis, Stellan Skarsgård
and Fiona Shaw each delivered powerful monologues and speeches, which I regard as the best performances in all 45 years of Star Wars media. While some fans have criticized the show for not "feeling” like Star Wars, its visuals are as beautiful as the franchise’s effects have always been. The designers opted for a more realistic feel, such as the widely criticized guns that look a bit too much like Earth-made AK-47s, and I think it works well. In a realistic show about revolution, it makes sense to reference the weapons used by real revolutionaries. I do think that the title of this series was a mistake. A show about the birth of a revolution and the necessary sacrifices made by heroes and the common man alike is about much more than Andor, and the show's title should have reflected that. Andor is a powerful character with a lot to explore, but meaningful things happen around him and among the supporting characters, too, which I think is a breath of fresh air for Disney’s Star Wars. The producers of “Star Wars: Andor” served both the show and the Star Wars universe well by focusing on making good television independent of the brand name, and the show is the best piece of Star Wars content since the 1980s. If that's the result of the show feeling less like Star Wars, I think it's well worth it. Contact Dev Chojar at chojdm20@wfu.edu
'The Last Wish' resurrects the Shrek universe
Dreamworks offers an emotional, action-packed experience for viewers of all ages ALLY WERSTLER Staff Writer
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” the newest film to come from Dreamworks Animation, is directed by newcomer Joel Crawford and follows the title character who is on the last of his legendary nine lives. Refusing to accept death, Puss pursues a quest with new and old friends to find the legendary wishing star. A close second to my favorite Dreamworks film, “Shrek 2,” this sequel is not only entertaining but also packed with mature themes and beautiful animation that allows audience members to fall back in love with the unique Shrek universe. Because I was not a fan of the 2011 film “Puss in Boots,” I was incredibly surprised to see the rave reviews of its 2022 sequel, as it currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% and an IMDb of 7.8/10. After seeing the film twice, I can safely say that this is not a fluke, and such praise can be attributed to every person involved in the creation of this masterpiece. The prioritization of good storytelling is demonstrated in every line, frame and vocal performance, showing how children's mov-
ies do not need to be dumbed down. They can be thoughtful pieces that are filled with witty jokes and meaningful themes that tug at one’s heartstrings and still be made for kids. The star-studded cast features Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, Salma Hayek as Kitty Soft Paws, Harvey Gu i l l e n as the dog,
sive aspects of this film is its focus on mental health, as Puss suffers anxiety attacks throughout the storyline. It shows children and parents alike that such occurrences need to be treated with patience and care. My fav o r i t e c h a r a c t e r, an unnamed dog with ambitions of being a therapy animal, Florence exemplifies the imPugh as portance of showing vulGoldi, nerability and provides Olivia Colethe audience with an man as Mama Bear, optimistic figure in a dire situSamson Kayo as Baby ation. Did I mention that this Bear, Ray Winstone as is a children’s movie? Goldi Papa Bear, Da’Vine Joy and her crime family of bears Randolph as Mama Luna are also featured, where the Photo courtesy of CNN former comes to terms with and Wagner Moura as Death. Each and every one of what family truly means, as these actors does a fantastic job of mak- we must treasure the ones who love us ing words on a page become exciting unconditionally, bear or not. Lastly, a dialogue that entices the viewer from character that I will keep a secret in start to finish. an effort to avoid spoilers, is mostly “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” cen- utilized for comedic purposes, thus is ters around our perception of death, exempt from the themes previously healthy friendships and unique familial mentioned. Upon first viewing I was relationships. One of the most impres- annoyed that this certain character did
not have a moral arc, however, after a rewatch I have come to appreciate this choice, as his hilarious scenes perfectly demonstrate his evil ambitions. Also working to turn this seemingly simple story into an exciting journey is the gorgeous animation that essentially pops off the screen with a vibrant color scheme and a “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”-esque style. Contributing to the film’s fairytale aesthetic are the individual fantastical brushstrokes that are seen on each character and their surrounding landscapes. Lastly, this form of animation, along with the bold score, allows for the action sequences to become incredibly exciting and engaging. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” demonstrates the importance of putting effort into children’s movies, as such themes and artistry will stick with audience members, young and old, for years to come. In all honesty, I cannot find any flaws with this film — it really is that good. If the rumors are true, and we are indeed getting a fifth Shrek installment, the perfect film that is “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” has convinced me to be the first one in line for a ticket. Film Score: 10/10 Contact Ally Werstler at wersaj21@wfu.edu
Page 18 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Life
Conceptualizing indie sleaze The niche, New York social scene has made a comeback among anxious zoomers JAMES WATSON Life Editor
The flash from a low-megapixel, compact digital camera parts the room. The cramped, lower Manhattan apartment is abuzz with hipsters and undergraduate students socializing to the tune of the newest The Strokes album, “Room On Fire.” (You bought a CD of it over at Other Music on the way to the party.) It has been two years since the planes hit the World Trade Center, but the feeling of pervasive emergency never stopped. The economy is busted, kids from your hometown are in Iraq and the government is probably spying on you. What is left for us to do but go to that new club in Williamsburg (rumor has it James Murphy is on deck tonight) and dance the night away? Despite the many niche idiosyncrasies described in the above scene, this post-yuppie party atmosphere can be captured with one all-encompassing phrase: indie sleaze. Born from a blossoming post-9/11 New York City music scene, the aesthetic is often discussed in tandem with the early 2000s “hipster” ideal: beards, gentrification, espresso, Brooklyn, the band Animal Collective, etc. I would suggest true indie sleaze lasted from 2001 to around 2011. Or, to conceptualize musically, from The Strokes to Vampire Weekend. Little formal scholarship has analyzed this culture, but I suspect it's because it’s hard to
materialize. Indie sleaze is impressionism for a certain time and, importantly, place. It’s not as simple as how we often label things in terms of decades. Something just doesn't look “indie sleaze” the way an outfit or object will look quintessentially “’80s” or “’90s.” When, where, who, the music, the visuals and the mood all are factors that create identifiable indie sleaze. When? As established, from the early aughts to around 2011. Where? Largely this culture came from New York. Starting in lower Manhattan, it would later move into Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where it became ubiquitous. Who? (This part is important.) The millennial generation are the ones most responsible for creating and perpetuating this aesthetic. Arguably, real-world trauma paired with financial instability drove them to alter their social world into something that became loose, apathetic and alternative — a sort of direct response to the buttoned-up yuppie young people of those who inhabited lower Manhattan before them. The sound of indie sleaze could not be more crucial. It’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Electroclash, Jack White, LCD Soundsystem, the Moldy Peaches. It’s loud, driving and buzzy. Look to Lizzy Goodman’s excellent chronicle of the New York rock revival “Meet Me in The Bathroom” for a more robust examination of the music of this world.
This amalgam of culture is thoroughly So Generation Z has created their very defined by Instagram accounts like @in- own indie sleaze scene, but why? My suspicion as a fellow “Gen Z-er” diesleaze which aestheticize this anxious period through mood-board Instagram is that, like the millennials of 2001, they are also unsettled by national tragedy and posts and playlists for parties. But the decade ended, Mike Bloomberg state violence. So turning back to this came to New York City and things began free-spirited, semi-analog world is a natuto change. The town became sanitized, ral reactionary response to the informapolished. The aura of post-punk had been tion age. The revitalization of this aesthetic is crushed by billowing condominiums and renovated brownstones. Like the New fascinating because while some cultural York of the ’60s — of Andy Warhol, Bob relics from different decades have made Dylan and Allen Ginsberg — it was long material comebacks, think vinyl records,we haven't seen an era attempted to be so gone, lost to time. However, in 2022, indie sleaze began authentically emulated this much outside to creep back into the Generation Z cul- of a novelty context. In 2008, a digital tural consciousness. In October of that camera wasn't a rebellious artifact, but year, The New York Times devoted an now seeing one at a party draws many eaentire article to covering a simple house ger glances. One might argue that there's a much party hosted by the trendy human interest larger Fukuyama-esque cultural question blog “Perfectly Imperfect.” The newsletter, self-described as a “taste of someone at play here. As The Strokes said, “Is This else's taste,” features prominent and in- It?”, will Generation Z just ping-pong teresting people who frequent the current between different niche aesthetics until they grow up? Is contemporary culture New York young-people party scene. Stars from “Euphoria,” musicians and just a push-and-pull between eras of the writers detail what they’ve been up to and past? Maybe, but I think the answer is a things they like in these curt, stylish news- lot more innocent. Generation Z is clingletters. The “Perfectly imperfect” scene is ing to a world more familiar as this world beginning to look more and more like the becomes more unsettled and scary. Or indie sleaze days of yore. They even have even more simply, it might just be that, to their own electroclash outfit “The Dare,” many, doom-scrolling TikTok is no way whose viral single “Girls” is virtually in- to live. distinguishable from the early work of in- Contact James Watson at fluential indie dance label DFA Records. watsjc22@wfu.edu
'The Last of Us' delivers for longtime fans and newcomers alike The live-action adaptation of the post-apoclyptic universe exceeds expectations
ISABELLA ROMINE Features Editor When I purchased a PlayStation 3 long ago in the distant year of 2016, I made my first nonPokemon or Mario video game purchase — a preowned copy of “The Last of Us.” Or, at least, I attempted to. My best friend and I gathered at the back of the GameStop and counted my cash and coins down to the nickels in my wallet — only to be foiled during the moment of purchase when the attendant asked if I was over 17 years old. I did still get the game — but only after a walk of shame, a two-day long wait and a parent in tow when I returned. Cue one of the most formative narrative experiences of my life.
“The Last of Us” is one of my top three games of all time, next to the likes of “Mass Effect 2” and “Red Dead Redemption.” To date, the sequel “The Last of Us II” is the only game I have ever preordered — a tall order for a cheap gamer like me, who would rather hold off playing something for two years rather than buy at full retail price. I was delighted — but cautious — when the HBO Show was announced. After all, video games tend to have a terrible track record when adapted — especially to live-action. Still, I couldn’t stand to wait, so I ponied up the steep $15 HBO subscription fee to tune in. At the time of my writing this, only the first three episodes have been released. Nevertheless, proceed with caution, because spoilers lie ahead for both the show and the games. All take place in post-apocalyptic America 20 years after the outbreak of the cordyceps fungal infection, which essentially renders its victims hyper-violent zombies — but with a few twists. In the show, protagonist Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), a grizzled smuggler working out of fascist, postapocalyptic Boston, is tasked with taking teenager Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) across the country to a research facility. Though the show opens to a frankly uninspiring five minutes, things get rolling as soon as our real characters are introduced. Sharp fans of the games will recognize scenes and dialogue lifted directly from the games — which are cleverly woven in rather than ham-fisted, as is often the case with adaptations. Watching the chaos of the outbreak from the backseat of a truck brought me back to my first playthrough, and Pedro Pascal’s reaction as Joel to an early tragedy is every bit as visceral in live action as game director Neil Druckmann portrayed. Photos courtesy of eBay and ABC
The dialogue is delightful, especially the jokes. Perhaps I just have a particular sense of humor, but characters rarely made a snarky comment that fell flat. At times the exposition could feel a bit heavy, but that’s probably a consequence of my familiarity with the games rather than an issue for the average viewer. Best of all, this format allows for the lore and characters to be deepened in new and exciting ways. We see the world through more than just Joel’s perspective, switching between characters across space and time, which enables the episodes to focus more on showing than telling. Combined with the excellent acting from all parties involved, it is incredibly hard not to get attached to the characters — even when I knew it was ill-advised. Since television is basically nothing more than an extended cutscene, there are ample opportunities for cinematography. So far, the directors are taking advantage. Cue grim faces wandering in the dirty, dilapidated streets of the quarantine zone — scenes that are then juxtaposed with the verdant, bombed-out husk of Boston as nature reclaims what man has abandoned. Ethereal shots abound — tables are still neatly set in restaurants, but their champagne glasses are filled to the brim with moss. Something pounds ominous notes on a piano in a hotel-lobby-turned-swamp. A moment later, the camera pans to a frog hopping on the keys as baby ducks paddle in the background. The peace is beautiful yet haunting and palpably fragile, matching the tone of the games perfectly. Even when the games’lore is altered, it has been to a positive effect. The infected in the show adhere more strongly to the Rule of Cool — which says that audiences will often suspend disbelief if something looks cool — but feel more dangerous as a result. Unrestrained by coding constraints, they freely hurl themselves over tables and charge through furniture. Instead of producing contagious spore clouds, they have exploratory tendrils that can extend out of their mouth — a change that produced one of the most viscerally disturbing
scenes I’ve ever seen. Further upping the stakes, a network of underground fungal tendrils means that one wrong step could alert dozens of infected people miles away to a character’s position. Episode three had the sharpest divergences from the canon (spoilers ahead): Nick Offerman’s don’t-tread-on-me doomsday prepper Bill dies offscreen before Joel and Ellie arrive. But in exchange, the audience watches a sublime 20-year compilation of his life and heartfelt romance with fellow survivor Frank (Murray Bartlet), which might make the episode my favorite one so far. Bill lives out a post-apocalyptic fantasy I imagine many of us share. He raids Home Depot for supplies, builds an electrified fence around his town, keeps electricity and hot water and, perhaps most importantly, steals a lifetime supply of wine from an abandoned local store. Still, his real joy in life doesn’t arrive until Frank shows up several years into the outbreak. The effect is like that of the first five minutes of the Pixar movie “Up” spread over 45 minutes. While I do wish that Bill and Ellie had a chance to bicker onscreen — their dialogue was some of the best in “The Last of Us” — and that we could have seen the epic infected fight that happens in this portion of the game, I happily accept the changes and new stories being told. In fact, there hasn’t yet been a significant character that I didn’t want to spend more time with. This show recognizes that Joel and Ellie may be the beating heart of the story, but that doesn’t mean that they are the only ones with compelling stories to tell. “The Last of Us” is about deeply flawed and morally suspect people, the worst of humanity and a world that probably can’t be saved — but it’s also a human story about the interludes of joy people find between the violence and the horror. As long as the show adheres to these guiding principles, I will happily be a passenger wherever Joel and Ellie’s journey takes us.
Contact Isabella Romine at romiie21@wfu.edu
Life | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 2, 2023| Page 19
Gen Z has a solipsism problem ADAM COIL Life Editor
On the other side of this coin is the increasing strength of virtual technology, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence. Video game graphics are convincing. Virtual reality and entertainment “When a solipsist dies, after all, everything goes simulations are impressive to a scary degree. Speaking with him” — David Foster Wallace on the dissociation he felt after being shot, Andy Warhol said, “People sometimes say that the way things “Solipsism is true even if it’s not” — slowtree89 happen in movies is unreal, but actually it’s the way on Reddit things happen in life that’s unreal. The movies make emotions look so strong and real, whereas when things From John Smith to John Updike, Americans have really do happen to you, it’s like watching television.” always had a unique aptitude for seeing themselves That was decades ago — way before the iPhone, as the center of the universe. The Cartesian phelet alone the Metaverse. Is this not exacerbated tonomenon resonates particularly well in the naday? With reality television, artificial intelligence, tion of Manifest Destiny because America has social media, corporate entertainment and virtual always upheld and idealized the image of the reality all working relentlessly to blur the line rugged individual over the image of the between reality and fiction, the escape from thriving, interdependent community. reality becomes so rewarding that one loses Today, however, this idea of the rugall concern for that reality. ged individual is being intensified The dissolution of this boundary beinto something much more sinister tween the real and the unreal has manifested itself in Generation and malignant — solipsism. Z in the form of “main charThe subreddit r/solipsism has more acter syndrome.” Spotify than 20,000 members, placing it in has a playlist titled “my life is a the top 5% of the largest communities movie” that has more than 2 million likes. A simple on Reddit. I don’t need to explain to YouTube search reveals dozens of videos about how you the irony of 20,000 people getone goes about romanticizing their life to feel like a ting together to discuss how they are main character, each racking up hundreds of thouall the only sentient beings who exist, sands of views. This idea that the purpose of life is but all joking aside, there is a lot to learn from these folks. After all, it Photo courtesy of The Washington Postto maximize aesthetic pleasure is Epicurus’s benign precursor to solipsism. The ugly side of it, makes sense that a solipsist would though, is that it intrinsically leads us to dehunaturally be a fairly open book. manize and misrecognize those around us. To identify One user wrote, “You guys in this subreddit are just yourself as the main character is to identify everyone a string of letters on the screen of my MacBook.” This else as subsequent and less important than yourself. seemed to be a common sentiment shared by the memThis phenomenon plays out most overtly in all of bers, as alienation brought about by a dependence on the outlandish examples of clout-chasing witnessed the Internet for human interaction seems to be a serious risk factor here. Internet relationships remedy loneliness in the same way that salt water quenches thirst — the immediate gratification only makes the problem more intense in the long run. In other words, the Internet user is only made more acutely aware of their isolation when they’re forced to confront the real world. The performativity of internet culture certainly doesn’t help. While it may appear as if social media has become more honest and vulnerable, it is all ultimately a performance in which one attempts to maximize their social capital. It’s easy to see how this creates Photo courtesy of patiasfantasyworld on Instagram an impoverished view of other people, especially for somebody who isn’t “in the know” about social media over the years. People like Lil Tay, Woah Vicky and Supreme Patty might be standout examples here — culture. Think about how repetitive and homogeneous inter- individuals who needed to find themself in the limenet vernacular has become — you see the same words light so desperately that they would go to masochisand phrases regurgitated over and over again. It’s un- tic lengths to convert their own embarrassment into doubtedly flimsy, but spend a few minutes in a TikTok social media followers. There are so many instances comment section, and you’ll start to see the appeal of of individuals committing heinous crimes, revealing deeply personal information or acting in a manner simulation theory. that forever blights their name that one must wonder, how could somebody find all of the strife worth it for such insignificant amounts of attention? The only explanation I can muster is that these people — the so-called microinfluencers of our generation — see fame as not only the pinnacle of existence but as something preordained and granted to them. When one has the arrogance of a religious zealot but no God to believe in, I suppose they have no choice but to become their own. The truly entertaining paradox here is that it is precisely the existence of the “Other” — the fans who watch and acknowledge the influencer — that engenders the feeling of solipsism within the celebrity. Without the views and likes, the influencer is forced to confront the fact that they might be just like everyone else. The really pernicious aspect of solipsism is that it makes us a more lucrative society than ever before, even if it only contaminates us in subtle, dispersed ways. Nothing makes the metaphorical eyes of a giant corporation light up quicker than a consumer who has Photo courtesy of whiskeyperson on Instagram no greater purpose than gratifying their own desires.
Photo courtesy of YouTube
Postmodernism’s indefatigable desire to delegitimize and destabilize everything only makes things worse. I invoke postmodernism here as a convenient but necessary catch-all. You can see it in how no one really believes in politicians anymore and have given up trying to do so. Or in how irony is the primary form of communication. It’s in how Americans take more drugs and engage in less religious or spiritual activity each year. It’s in all of the ways corporations have gotten really talented at disguising the fact they only want our money, and it almost certainly has something to do with Tucker Carlson’s obsession with the sexuality of M&M’s. Whether you want to call it a postmodernist or posttruth society or something else entirely, it seems difficult to deny that the world we live in today is one where young people are struggling to find something worthwhile to invest themselves in — outside of their own personal well-being, of course. The only way to prevent or combat solipsism is to find something that feels good and worthwhile and let yourself believe in it. Whether you want to commit yourself to following God, protecting the Earth, contributing to political activism, making art, volunteering or simply being a good family member, we all
Photo courtesy of KnowYourMeme
need to remind ourselves that there are more important things out there than ourselves. And we’re lucky that that is the case. Finally, just in case there are any solipsists out there, I’d like to finish with a message I have stolen from Kurt Vonnegut: “Again: you have insulted me, and I am a good citizen, and I am very real.” Contact Adam Coil at coilat21@wfu.edu
Page 20 | Thursday, February 2, 2023
Old Gold & Black | Life
Lil Yachty redefines his artistic vision ‘Let’s Start Here’ draws inspiration from ‘Kid A’ and ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’
TABITHA CAHAN Contributing Writer As a music aficionado, keeping up with Pitchfork is practically my religion. What I was not expecting on my Pitchfork feed, however, was a promotion announcing Lil Yachty’s psychedelic rock album. Now this piqued my interest. Lil Yachty, or Lil Boat, as his fans refer to him, is an Atlanta-based rapper whose discography is, quite frankly, forgettable. His trademark of over- autotuned vocals are outshone by rap powerhouse Travis Scott, and his instrumentals have rarely been described as inventive. With the exception of his TikTok-famous hit “Poland,” I couldn’t name a single one of his songs. Though Lil Yachty is categorized as a rapper, with his musical career being launched within the hip-hop genre, his fifth studio album, “Let’s Start Here,” is decidedly not rap. Best defined as a psychedelic rock album, “Let’s Start Here” is unrecognizable in comparison to Lil Yachty’s previous hits such as “Poland” or “One Night.” Taking this leap to enter a new genre that is relatively underused in terms of mainstream music feels a lot more risky. Like Radiohead’s electronic album “Kid A,” this genre experimentation really paid off. Could this be Lil Yachty’s “Kid A”? To Radiohead fans everywhere, let me explain. No, I am not likening Lil Yachty’s previous discography to Radiohead — that would be preposterous. Radiohead is many things, and forgettable is not one of them. What I am more interested in is Radiohead and Lil Yachty’s refusal to be defined. I believe that “Let’s Start Here” is Lil Yachty’s rebellion against the confines of rap. Radiohead, pre-“Kid A,” was defined as a
90s Britpop band, likened to that of U2, Oasis, Blur, etc. “Kid A,” however, blew that definition completely out of the water. It was a dystopian electronic album, filled with soundscapes and entirely different instrumentation. As Pitchfork writer Brent DiCrescenzo aptly described it, “‘Kid A’ makes rock and roll childish.” The album was decidedly not rock and roll. It was one of the most shocking turns in their discography. “Let’s Start Here,” executively produced by SadPony, was released on Jan. 27, 2023. Contributors and features include MGMT’s Benjamin Goldwasser, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Jacob Portrait, Alex G, Mac DeMarco, Wimberly, Justin Raisen, Teezo Touchdown, Daniel Caesar, Fousheé, Diana Gordon, Magdalena Bay, Justine Skye and Nick Hakim. This lineup is completely unexpected but exciting nonetheless. In this psychedelic rock odyssey, Lil Yachty’s inspiration of Pink Floyd definitely shines through. Many songs on the album also sound similar to Tame Impala or even Childish Gambino’s “Awaken, My Love!” In this equally shocking left turn, Lil Yachty is redefining the creative limits of his music. The opener “the BLACK seminole.” beautifully exemplifies his Pink Floyd inspiration. This song feels like a direct homage to “Dark Side of the Moon.” Pieces of the song seem to be drawn from “Breathe (In The Air),” “The Great Gig in the Sky” and even earlier works like “Pigs (Three Different Ones).” Best described as a cosmic rock expedition, the track is a seven-minute journey into the world he has created. The instrumentals are transcendent — complete with a guitar solo, of course. Similar to “Everything In Its Right Place” from “Kid A,” it sets the stage for the songs to follow. The third track on the album, “running out of time,” is sung in part by Justine Skye and feels poppy and bright.
The bassline is upbeat and funky, complementing the guitar riffs and swirling synths. Lil Yachty sings romantically, inviting the listener to stay up all night with him. I mean, if this is the soundtrack, I’m game. “THE zone~” also features Justine Skye, but it feels much more like the psychedelic powerhouse Tame Impala than the previous. Between the instrumentation and the hyperbolic lyrics “I’m so far gone,” this one truly feels like an acid trip. On a more lighthearted track, Diana Gordon is the main singer on “drive ME crazy!”, and it’s pure bliss. The instrumental is more minimalist in the beginning, honing in on Gordon’s voice. Towards the end of the track there is a synth breakdown that cuts the song into half time, and we hear Lil Yachty rapping for the first and only time in the album. The string ending ties up the song neatly in a little bow. In another track that sounds straight off of a Tame Impala record, “sHouLd i B?” transitions perfectly into “The Alchemist.” The punchy drums and modulated synth make for two absolutely effervescent tracks. The breakdown in “The Alchemist” is accented nicely by Fousheé hitting her highest register. The final track “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” sounds eerily reminiscent of Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song.” “Pyramid Song” was originally intended as a track for “Kid A” before it was on “Amnesiac,” an album composed mostly of the b-sides of “Kid A.” The first line of “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” sung by Daniel Caesar, “Staring in the mirror, and what do I see / A three-eyed man staring back at me” has a flow comparable to Radiohead’s “I jumped in the river and what did I see? / Black eyed angels swam with me.” It is equally sparse in terms of instrumentation, until it reaches a crescendo about two and a half minutes into the song (almost the same time stamp as “Pyramid Song,” might I add). The crescendo transports the listener to the same pocket of the universe with a deep, synth-fueled surge. This feels more sinister than the Radiohead track — the anti-chorus is peppered with evil laughs rather than Thom Yorke’s signature croon. This track is Lil Yachty reaching his full potential. It is ethereal and otherworldly. The cacophony of the anti-chorus reaches new heights, and it’s exciting to hear. Whether my argument resonates with you or not, it is always exciting to see artists take risks. One cannot deny how ambitious of a move this is, especially given the constraints of being a trap artist. In the same vein as Radiohead, throughout his rise to fame, Lil Yachty has been mainstream. “Let’s Start Here” and “Kid A” show that an artist can completely change their trajectory. In an age with increasing amounts of cash-grab, radio-friendly drivel, albums like this give me faith in the future of music.
Contact Tabitha Cahan at cahata21@wfu.edu
Stop calling boygenius a girl group The indie rock trio is still defying everyone’s expectations MELINA TRAIFOROS Staff Writer
When Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker formed boygenius in 2018, they laughed in the face of the rock artist stereotype: four men huddled in a garage putting their genius to the tune of an electric guitar. Now, they are doing it again. The indie rock group dropped a trio of songs last week and announced their debut LP, titled “the record,” scheduled for release March 31. Boygenius is queer and feminist — all three women identify as LGBTQ. Sound City has a no-boysallowed policy during recording and female instrumentalists and sound engineers dominate production. There is something distinctly “girl power” about it, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nicknaming her and her three girlfriends in Congress “The Squad.” The band’s very name ironically subverts a culture of male glorification. As Bridgers put it in a Vogue interview: “Men are taught to be entitled to space and that their ideas should be heard because they’re great ideas and women are taught the opposite.” Hearing queer, feminine struggles expressed in a genre previously reserved for men is a leap forward. Instead of dismissed as the wailing of an emotional woman,
our feelings receive the same respect as when Dacus sings, “I can’t hide from you like I classic rock’s existential lamenting. hide from myself.” “$20” features this rageful feminine These artists strive to put their names next to screaming that echoes classic rock those like Bridgers’ idol Paul McCartney. Yet, screaming solos, yet the intoif I open my Spotify app and scroll to boynation is melancholy instead genius’ related artists, the list is exclusively of irate. Boygenius’ recording women. This is not inherently degrading — studio feels like a metaphysifemale artists are putting out some of the cal safe space for new voices best new music — but it also implies that to be profound. So, why is “women’s music” is separate from “music.” “girl group” an ill-fitting Why does the register of a singer’s voice sudtitle for this group of girls? denly alter the authority of his or her words? Being women is the least When I was twelve and in the backseat of interesting thing about my dad’s car, he played “Sympathy For The them. Devil” by The Rolling Stones and said, “MeRock is basically defined as lina, listen to the words.” It was the first rock music with a strong beat. Boysong I ever heard and my pigtails or the fact genius’ beats lay in places like that I wore a dress did not make me underthe steady lifeline of Dacus’ stand the lyrics less or fall in love more. voice over “True Blue’s” Boygenius’ angelic harmonies and emoelectric guitar. But a tional core should earn at least a listen by strong beat is more than fans of classic bands, free from the arbitrary, technical music gendered box in which we have placed them. vocabulary — it I look forward to enjoying “the record” not is an emotional beat, as a feminist anthem album, but a musical too. Rock is seachievement in its own right. Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone rious and exploratory and hits you Contact Melina Traiforos at in the gut when you least expect it. I can’t breathe traimg21@wfu.edu