2/17/22 Full Edition

NEWS | 3 New stArt exhibit features student photography

FEATURES | 7

OPINION | 8 Students discuss the issue of censorship

SPORTS | 11

LIFE | 14

Friedman & Gordon

Quynh Vu

Old Gold&Black

VOL. 108, NO. 19

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

FEB. 17, 2022

“Covers the campus like the magnolias”

Wake Forest celebrates Mental Health Week The Student Government initiative focuses on the theme 'Love Yourself' EMILY TORO News Editor Mental Health Week kicked off this Monday with the theme "Love Yourself", embracing the spirit of Valentine’s Day. Led by Wake Forest Student Government, Mental Health Week encompasses a series of large and small events through Feb. 18, which, per Student Body President Ally Swartzberg will “promote a normalization of mental health as a part of our overall health and wellbeing and a destigmatization of mental health concerns with the idea that they are part of who we are."

Sophomore Jackson Buttler, cochair for Campus Life Committee — along with junior Tonia Christou — orchestrated the planning of the week.

Buttler explained the connection between Mental Health Week and Valentine’s Day. “While of course many use Valentine's Day to express their love and affection for those they care about, it’s impossible to love anyone else if you don’t love yourself first,” Buttler said. “Our goal was to exhibit the various ways in which we could help students love themselves, particularly by highlighting the connections between mental and physical health and wellbeing.”

Buttler also explained how offices around campus helped to organize 12 events throughout the week.

Katie Fox / Old Gold & Black

Green, blue, purple and orange flags line Tribble Courtyard in lieu of Mental Health Week, representing the various mental health issues faced by those living in the United States.

“Mental health is a topic that is very significant to both Tonia and me, so we are both incredibly honored to have been given the opportunity to work on this meaningful week,” Buttler said.

“This year, we were able to cultivate a record number of collaborations

with offices across campus, including the athletic department, the CARE Team, CLASS, the Counseling Center, the THRIVE Office, the Wellbeing Center, the Office of the Chaplain, Student Health, the Office of Wellbeing and the LGBTQ Center,"

Buttler said. "With their help, we were able to plan 12 events spanning the entirety of the week.”

Swartzberg continued to describe the motivation behind hosting Mental Health Week events.

See Mental Health, Page 3

Lam museum displays student-curated exhibit The anthropology museum celebrated the exhibit with a lecture on the endurance of Latin American culture MADDIE STOPYRA Contributing Writer

The Timothy S.Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology held a lecture on Feb. 7, entitled “The Endurance of Latin America Through Colonialism”, by Dr. Scotti Norman. The event celebrated the opening of a new studentcurated exhibit titled “Experiences of Colonialism in Latin America”.

“Experiences of Colonialism in Latin America” was spearheaded by Dr. Carla Hernandez. During her time at Wake Forest as a visiting professor, Hernandez oversaw students as they compiled a variety of Latin American

artifacts that represented the effects of colonialism on different cultures and groups. To present the exhibit, Norman, who is a personal friend of Hernandez, was asked to share her related research and connect it to the students’ curations.

Norman is a visiting professor at Wake Forest University who specializes in Latin American studies, specifically the religious traditions of Andean societies. Her current fieldwork focuses on a 16th-century religious practice called Taki Onqoy, a resistance movement of Andean nations against Catholicism and the influences of Spanish colonizers.

Meaning “singing or dancing sickness” in the Quechua language, communities participated in fasting, chanting and intricate dancing that lasted multiple days — all in an effort to solidify their identity as indigenous peoples and to promote their non-cooperation with European colonizers.

Norman’s expertise on this native tradition taught the lecture’s audience how Latin American cultures have been forced to adapt due to European impact. In her talk, she also explored the diversity of Latin American cultures prior to colonization, highlighting preservation of Latin

American traditions through a presentation of the artifacts displayed in the exhibit. These artifacts included figures that ref lected Latin American religion as well as pottery that blended both European and Latin American design. Norman emphasized that these artifacts related to the theme of the perseverance of tradition.

Norman aimed to combat the longstanding discrepancies in the general public’s understanding of these communities by focusing on the history of multiple Latin and South American civilizations and their cultures.

See Lam, Page 4

Old Gold & Black This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board.

In the past few years, the Wake Forest community has dealt with significant challenges, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic, which has interrupted the experiences of students, faculty and staff. During this time, the university has seen the rise of an unprecedented need for mental health resources for its student body.

In response to this need, Wake Forest’s Student Government has organized a Mental Health Week with the theme ‘Love Yourself ’, in an effort to unite the campus through a series of large and small events that destigmatize mental health concerns.

The Old Gold & Black commends Mental Health Week and the improved focus on wellbeing from the university’s administration. The University Counsel-

ing Center (UCC) has dedicated resources towards more efficient care with the introduction of TimelyCare amid a national shortage of labor for mental health professionals. The Office of Wellbeing has partnered with student government in order to create events emphasizing the importance of mental health and the resources the university has made available to improve mental health concerns.

Although there are still important actions to be taken and issues within the existing resource structures to be resolved — including the understaffing of the UCC — hope can be found in a united effort to help each other prioritize mental health.

We encourage students, staff and faculty to take time this week to consider

the state of their own mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of others around campus. We must engage in open conversation with each other about how to love ourselves and those around us. Part of this engagement involves the Healthy Minds Survey. The results of this survey are used to evaluate mental health on campus and adjust the focus of resources and programs at Wake Forest. As of publication, there is currently an 18% participation rate. The UCC requires a 35% rate in order to adequately apply resources.

As we return to daily life — a life that now looks drastically different from the life we once led before the COVID-19 pandemic — we have the chance to renew our efforts to improve the quality and consideration of mental health at Wake

“

We encourage students, staff and faculty to take time this week to consider the state of their own mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of others around campus. We must engage in open conversation with ... to love ourselves and those around us.

Forest. This isn’t a work completed solely by university policy or by financial means — it is also a mission of the student body and its leaders. This week the student leaders of Wake Forest represented the Pro Humanitate spirit in their guidance of open dialogue and in their promotion of mental health concerns. Let’s follow their example and strive to be human.

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Christa Dutton, duttcd20@wfu.edu Emily Toro, toroer20@wfu.edu

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>> OPINION

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News | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | Page 3

Mental Health: The week’s events promote self-love Continued from Page 1

interacting with animals oftentimes has a really positive effect on mental health, and we also know physical activity can do that too, so we combined those two,” Swartzberg said.

She also noted the Mental Health Week panel, held on Feb. 15, that she moderated. The panel consists of three

prominent individuals on campus: former “Hopefully it’s getting better, but there’s Editor-in-Chief of the Old Gold & Black still a lot of work to be done on that.”

Alexandra Karlinchak, Wake Forest As a person in an especially significant Swartzberg continued to detail the football quarterback Sam Hartman and leadership role, Swartzberg often feels that variety of events SG will offer in attempt co-founder of Noveltor Mental Health mental health concerns are overlooked. to adhere to everyone’s mental health Software Roscoe Bell. needs.

“You don’t have to be the student body “The Mental Health Week panel is president to have those moments that are “There’s also goat yoga at some point the biggest event of the week, featuring hard,” she said. “I personally have anxiety in the week because we know that students who have been very vocal about that I go to counseling for, and that’s not the importance of mental health and a thing anyone sees when they see the about their own experiences with mental president. I get up. I give a speech. I put health,” Swartzberg said. “Many of them on a smile. I wear a suit, and I look put are known figures on campus and will together. Just because people don’t see it be able to speak to what it is like to be doesn’t mean it’s not there.” a Wake Forest student who is kind of She continued: “I want people to know thriving at Wake Forest but also has these that it’s normal, and it doesn’t mean you considerations.” can’t achieve what you want to. You also Swartzberg further noted the need to care for yourself in a specific way if importance of the panel and the variety you have a specific mental health concern.” of speakers.

The Student Government Instagram, “For me, the importance of the panel @wake_sg, outlines the various events is highlighting that there are a variety occurring throughout the course of the of students with a variety of different week, including daily challenges for passions who are successful in the pursuit students. They also continue to post of those passions but still struggle with graphics and notes regarding mental these things day to day, and I want health and wellbeing.

Aine Pierre / Old Gold & Black to normalize that for underclassmen Ally Swartzberg moderates mental health panel featuring because it wasn’t as normalized when I Contact Emily Toro at Sam Hartman, Alexandra Karlinchak and Roscoe Bell. was a first-year student,” Swartzberg said. toroer20@wfu.edu

BSA hosts ‘Celebration of Black Arts’ event As a part of Black History Month, the event featured 11 student artists MEG ZENKE Contributing Writer

On Saturday, Feb. 12, the Black Student Alliance hosted their annual Celebration of the Black Arts event in Brendle Recital Hall.

The mission of the Celebration of the Black Arts is to uplift the community of Black students and groups within Winston-Salem and to give them the opportunity to share their unique talents, thoughts and personal expressions.

“My favorite part of [the Celebration of the Black Arts] is that it showcases not only musical expression but every aspect that someone is willing to share,” said Morgan Lyke, Black Student Alliance vice president.

“The Black students on campus can bring so much to the table through their extremely unique identities and

talents, and the CBA truly celebrates them in the height of Black History Month.”

The celebration highlighted 11 students within a variety of artistic disciplines, including singing, dancing, poetry reading and violin playing. Performers included Fifth Son Band (Cameron French, Will Maris, Malachi Woodard and Ata Yilmazemre), Zhané Waye, Gah’ques Ligons, Alex Silverio, Nasra Deria, Jolie Dumay, Jo$e Wop and Jae Scott.

The atmosphere allowed students and faculty to learn more about other cultures and their means of cultural expression. The performances were received with energetic applause and excitement from the audience.

“I personally enjoy seeing others share their craft,” Lyke said. “Talent comes in so many forms, and as a musician, it was always beautiful to

see other musicians play a piece that means something to them.”

Freshman Gah’ques Ligons sang “Need You Bad” by Jazmine Sullivanone, one of his favorite songs to perform.

“I usually don’t sing in front of a crowd, but it means a lot to me to have a platform and to be a part of a platform that represents and showcases Black people and their talents,” Ligons said.

Ligons said he put in extra time and effort into working on his stage presence and making the song fit for him before performing at the event.

“It felt great to perform,” he said. “I haven’t been on a stage in a while, and I loved all the positive energy that I got from the audience.”

He continued: “The event as a whole was a very great experience, and I am glad I was able to share the stage

with talented Black creators at Wake Forest,” Ligons said.

This year, the Black Student Alliance also partnered with the stArt Gallery in Reynolda Village to exhibit visual works of art in addition to the celebration on Feb. 12.

These works are aligned with the theme of “Black Joy: Centering Community and Individual Expression” and will be on display from Feb. 15 to March 3. Attendees of the Celebration of the Black Arts received free tickets to later visit the visual art gallery.

A highlight video of some performances and more information on BSA’s Black History Month programming can be found on their Instagram, @wfu_bsa.

Contact Meg Zenke at zenkmc21@wfu.edu

POLICE BEAT Underage Consumption/Drugs: • • • •

A student in South had consumed alcohol underage at an unknown location. The student was assessed and transported to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. The report was filed at 12:29 a.m. on Feb. 12 A student in Poteat had consumed alcohol underage at an unknown location. The student was assessed and transported to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. The report was filed at 12:34 a.m. on Feb. 12.

A student in Dogwood had consumed alcohol underage at an unknown location. The student was assessed by Student ERTs and refused transport. The report was filed at 2:23 a.m. on Feb. 12.

A student in Luter had consumed alcohol underage at an unknown location. The student was assessed by Student ERTs and refused transport. The report was filed at 2:36 a.m. on Feb. 12.

Miscellaneous:

• • • •

A student took another student’s electric scooter from the breezeway at Davis and was not going to return it. The victim does not wish to prosecute. The report was filed at 10:46 a.m. on Feb. 8.

A student reported multiple larcenies of clothing between Oct. 2021 to Dec. 2021 in Magnolia. The student was studying abroad and just now decided to report the thefts. The report was filed at 12:52 p.m. on Feb. 10.

WSPD was advised that a student had received a call from an unknown person who was possibly watching her. The report was filed at 6:46 p.m. on Feb. 10.

An unknown student(s) removed an unsecured bike from a rack at Reynolda Hall. The report was filed at 3:10 p.m. on Feb. 13.

Page 4 | Thursday, February 17, 2022

Old Gold & Black | News

Lam: Professor speaks on cultural endurance Continued from Page 1 “It is important to consider this longterm history of Latin American civilizations because the way history is taught in schools often only begins with Aztecs and Inca and ignores the centuries of brilliant communities that preceded them,” Norman said.

Throughout the presentation, Norman referenced significant events in Latin American history, such as the Spanish-Aztec and Spanish-Incan wars.

Through these two historical events, Norman explored popular myths and beliefs regarding Spanish colonization.

“I wanted to emphasize that the process of conquest in Central and South America was not inevitable due to any superiority in European culture,” Norman said.

As the presentation continued, Norman connected her fieldwork to the

themes of the exhibit. She frequently referenced specific artifacts from the collection to demonstrate the rejection of Spanish Catholicism by native peoples along with the merging of European and Latin ideas.

Other objects, such as the Veracruz smiling figures, introduced the concept of gender in Latin American religious traditions, a theme at the forefront of Norman’s work. When asked about the importance of this specific facet of her research, Norman launched into a description of inequality regarding gender in historical studies.

“My current research integrates gender and inequality into colonialism studies,” Norman said. “Specifically, I’m looking at how women helped shape and lead Taki Onqoy, pushing back against the narrative that women were fully disenfranchised by Spanish colonialism. My work explores the

earliest parts of colonialism, so we can see the roots of systemic inequality through the material culture.”

Norman concluded the event with a brief case study on the endurance of indigenous rituals. She examined Taki Onqoy, which was prohibited by the Spanish due to a lack of understanding of the tradition.

After the practice was banned, groups began to practice Taki Onqoy in secret, which Norman compared to the secrecy of an American speakeasy during the prohibition era. Despite the efforts of the Spanish to end the ritual, Taki Onqoy endured. Her focus on this tradition and its persistence in Latin American cultures during the period of colonialism furthered the exhibit’s aim of emphasizing ritual endurance in Latin American culture.

When asked about the importance of the exhibit, Hernandez emphasized the

students’ goal to educate a broad audience on the effects of colonialism.

“The students [who curated the exhibit] wanted the exhibit to reflect the impact of colonialism over time within Latin America as documented through material cultures,” Hernandez said. “They highlighted the understanding of what colonialism is for a broader audience, from children to adults who may not have much knowledge of archeology, the legacies of colonialism and the importance of material culture in revealing important changes within a society.”

“Experiences of Colonialism in Latin America” will be open until July 23. The Lam Museum will hold its next event on Feb. 26, 2022. More information can be found on the museum’s website: lammuseum.wfu.edu.

Contact Maddie Stopyra at stopmf21@wfu.edu

New stArt exhibit features student photography A brand new Wake Forest digital photography class displays their work in local art gallery CHRISTA DUTTON News Editor

The stArt.dt gallery recently opened a new exhibit called “Film Stills”, which features students’ work from a Wake Forest digital photography class.

The stArt.dt gallery is the downtown satellite of the stArt gallery in Reynolda Village and is located on the first and second floors of the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

The exhibit features Wake Forest student artists from Professor John Pickel’s digital photography class Film Stills: Photographs Inspired By Movies.

This experimental special topics course was designed by Pickel and taught for the first time last semester.

Over the course of the semester, students viewed and discussed films that were related to photography, then created digital photographs inspired by the films.

The films selected included: Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”, Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow-up”, Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”, Jocelyn Moorhouse’s “Proof ”, John Water’s “Pecker” and Christopher Nolan’s “Memento”.

Pickel decided to construct this course to add a new facet to his classes and his students’ studies.

“Partly what inspired [the class] was the fact that I’m in my 36th year of teaching photography,” Pickel said.

“I’m trying to keep [my work and teaching] fresh because if I don’t then it is certainly not going to seem exciting and fresh for my students.”

The course was also inspired by Pickel’s personal interest in the intersection between film and photography.

“In my own artwork, I’ve approached the idea of creating images that were inspired by film [so I wanted to] try an experimental course about that,” Pickel said.

According to Pickel, what makes the show unique is that each piece of art is predicated on the student’s

interpretation of another piece of art — the film they chose. Pickel noticed that students focusing on the same film perceived it differently, making the photographs deeply personal.

“It was pleasantly surprising to see how students interpreted the film differently and to see what little scenes attracted them,” Pickel said.

One student artist featured in the gallery was senior Sammy Clark, a communication and studio art double major from Greenwich, CT. Clark has two pieces in the gallery, “Bladerunner Scape 1” and “Bladerunner Scape 2”, each inspired by the film “Bladerunner”. Clark took these two photographs at the top of Rockefeller Center in New York City. “[The top of the Rockefeller Center] has all these glass walls around the balcony,” Clark said. “All the colors from the city reflect off these glass walls, and I wanted to use that because it reflected a lot of the scenes from the movie. I was just inspired by the moment.”

Clark found that her photographs reflect the aesthetic context of “Bladerunner”. “[Blade Runner] is a futuristic film so you see a lot of neon colors and funky outfits, and I think my piece contains a lot of the same imagery and colors,” Clark said.

For Clark, having her pieces in the gallery is a chance to showcase her focus of study.

“Until this year, I was hesitant to show my work in any show because I had never had my work on display like that,” Clark said. “None of my friends are art majors or do any coursework like I do, so it was fun for me to show them the work that I’m doing.”

Pickel encourages all Wake Forest students to go view their fellow students’ work to see what students in different disciplines are working on.

Pickel described the show as “highly provocative” because the artwork incites a curiosity about the film from

which the art was inspired. “All art should be provocative,” Pickel said.

“And that doesn’t mean problematic or offensive, just provocative in the sense that it provokes you to learn.”

Pickel hopes to teach the class again and incorporate it into the course catalog of the Wake Forest art department. “[The class] was highly successful,” Pickel said. “The students were as enthused as I was, and as you can see,

the product turned out to be pretty amazing as well.”

Other student artists featured in the show include Sabrina Bakalis, Zifeng Chen, Emily Clark, Claire Falletta, Suh Kamara, Thomas Rigamonti, Yunqi (Qiqi) Ying and Kehui Zhu. The gallery is free to the public and will be on display until Feb. 19.

Contact Christa Dutton at duttcd20@wfu.edu

Christa Dutton / Old Gold & Black

C lark’s photographs “Bladerunner Scape 1” and “Bladerunner

Scape 2” reflect the aesthetic of the film “Bladerunner”.

FEATURES

Chase Bagnall-Koger, bagncm21@wfu.edu Meredith Prince, prinmc21@wfu.edu Asst: Una Wilson, wilsui20@wfu.edu

OLD GOLD & BLACK

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

PAGE 5 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

DEACON PROFILE

Bea Pearson

Forest and Winston-Salem State could collaborate on or connect on that would shed light on policy change or community awareness of these issues?

SYDNEY PASCERI Contributing Writer

Bea Pearson is a senior from Mount Holly, NJ who is majoring in history and double minoring in American ethnic studies and politics & international affairs. Pearson was one of the recipients of this year’s “MLK Building the Dream Award” who was recognized during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration on Feb. 3. This event was hosted by Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University.

I think that we should do a better job reflecting not just what Wake Forest is now, but what Wake Forest has been.

Winston-Salem State, as an HBCU and as a presence in Winston-Salem has a really rich history. I mean, the reason the award ceremony even got started is because students from Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State were a major reason as to why the lunch counters in Winston-Salem were desegregated during the Civil Rights Movement.

I think we can do a better job of reflecting on our history — I admittedly have not spent enough time at Winston-Salem State during my four years at Wake Forest, but I think from what I have seen, they’ve done a better job of talking about public history.

And I think we should too, even if that does not reflect on the prettiest parts of our history as a school. Understanding what the school has been and how it has impacted people is important.

You received the MLK ‘Building the Dream’ award for being “an advocate for justice and community service.”

What are some accomplishments that you’re proud of within the Wake Forest community or beyond?

First, I want to say how appreciative I am of this award. Everything that I did was made possible through collaborative student efforts. I understand that there are a lot of students who can’t receive an award and who feel their work isn’t seen, but it is. I hope that people understand that I come from a long legacy of people fighting for justice. I’m just really grateful to be able to receive this recognition for all of us, not just for myself.

I have really led with empathy and love in my work at Wake Forest. I think sometimes awards about justice are uncomfortable because justice is an ongoing pursuit. I don’t think people just arrive at justice.

Anyway, I have definitely been working towards justice since my first year at Wake Forest through organizing and protesting. I helped with the President’s commission. I have run some student programming, like the Black Women’s Leadership Retreat. And I really think that I just focus on empathy — that’s where my passion lies. I really tried to keep it as the center point of all my work in the last few years.

What are some ways that students can get involved and continue to make a change on campus and in the community?

Photo courtesy of Bea Pearson

tremist for love in all of my work, and I think that his dedication to achieving justice through sacrifice and relentless work is something I really respect.

Something that’s also really important to me is faith. I think that the level of faith that Dr. King and others have had throughout the history of Black freedom fighting has been very influential.

I obviously can come nowhere near emulating it, but I do my best.

How do the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King influence your leadership on campus?

In what ways do you see a space for growth in the Wake Forest community? In other words, what does our community need to improve upon?

For me, Martin Luther King represents misunderstood radical justice.

As a country, American culture has really kind of distanced ourselves from the passions and the fire of Dr. King.

He has that quote, “so the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.

Will we be extremists for hate or for love?” I definitely try to serve as an ex-

I would like to see some more deeprooted shifts towards equity. We’ve got a lot of new opportunities on campus, like with the African American Studies (AAS) department. Dr. Shea Kidd Brown is our new vice president for Campus Life, and she’s a Black woman. There’s the changing of the name of the building the Religious Studies department is housed in. Wake Forest

is making these moves that portray a message of dedication to equity.

With that being said, I think there’s a lot of policy that is not as visible, but certainly affects the lives of students.

Things that may seem small, like attendance or bigger issues like where investments lie and concerns about the surrounding area in Winston-Salem.

The city is changing, and displacement is continuing. There is a housing crisis in Winston-Salem that I don’t hear people talking about on campus.

Sure, it’s hard to house students, but as the Wake Forest student population increases — meaning the campus must expand — we must consider the already present housing crisis. We need to talk about how we are connected to that crisis, right? Things like that are where I would like for us as a community to direct a lot more of our policy and efforts.

The best things that I did were building out my communities of mentors.

I don’t think students always know the best way to get involved and affect change.

Some of the people who helped me get involved in student organizing and justice or equity efforts were either upperclassmen or certain staff members who had been doing the work of justice. They pulled me in and educated me, comforted me — they were like friends — and in turn, I have tried to do that as well. Often, students don’t realize the power those connections hold, especially because of the four year turnover.

I would encourage students to show up in these spaces where people are already serving and if you want to know more, just ask. If anybody ever has any questions about how to get involved in certain things or just wants to talk in general, just say hello or reach out. I would just really encourage people to reach out and create that network.

The award you earned has connections to Winston-Salem State Uni- Contact Sydney Pasceri at versity. Is there anything that Wake pascs21@wfu.edu

Page 6 | Thursday, February 17, 2022

Old Gold & Black | Features

Energizing the next environmental leaders Wake Forest’s environmental educators teach Winston-Salem middle schoolers about sustainability UNA WILSON Asst.Features Editor

A seventh grader huffs as he pedals the stationary energy-producing bike as fast as he can — but the incandescent bulbs hooked up to the circuit board barely flickered on.

“There’s got to be a better way to light a lightbulb,” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead. His classmates at Southeast Middle School laughed, but senior Julia McElhinny, president of the Environmental Educators group at Wake Forest, smiled slyly as she explained that there actually were more efficient ways to use energy.

The Wake Forest Environmental Educators visit local Winston-Salem middle schools on a weekly basis to give presentations about environmental issues and sustainability solutions to students. The curriculum, titled “Energy Explorers,” is put together by the Piedmont Environmental Alliance (PEA).

It includes topics such as how electricity is produced, the impact of fossil fuels on the environment, climate change and renewable energy.

The curriculum even suggests small steps students could take to lower their carbon footprint, such as unplugging lights when not in use and encouraging their parents to buy LED light bulbs.

At the end of the slideshow presentation, McElhinny asks for a student volunteer to ride the “energy bike,” which is hooked up to three types of lightbulbs: incandescent, fluorescent and LED. The energy generated by pedaling the back wheel of the bike is enough to cause the bulbs to flicker to life.

The level of difficulty, however, var-

ies for each bulb, with LEDs being the easiest to light, fluorescents being the middle ground and incandescents the hardest. The exercise is meant to demonstrate how much energy it takes to power inefficient energy consumers and encourage students to switch to more energy efficient choices.

McElhinny has been volunteering with this group since her freshman year. Almost immediately after arriving at Wake Forest, McElhinny was struck by how isolated the campus was from the rest of WinstonSalem.

“Wake Forest students exist in a bubble — out of all the student organizations on campus, not nearly enough of them are active in the Winston-Salem community,” McElhinny said.

“That’s part of why this program is so important; it bridges the gap between civic engagement and sustainability and the rest of WinstonSalem.”

A larger part of the program’s importance is its impact on local middle school students, especially those who would not have received any sort of education on the environment without this curriculum.

“Environmental education isn’t even mentioned in North Carolina’s learning standards, which is so detrimental to not just these students’ future, but to all of us. How are we supposed to have the next generation of leaders if kids don’t even begin to discuss environmental issues until college?”McElhinny said.

The presence of educational inequity isn’t the only issue McElhinny has noticed while volunteering at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS). Environmental

“ How are we supposed to have the next generation of leaders if kids don’t even begin to discuss environmental issues until college? ” inequity often affects the same communities of students who attend Title I schools in the county.

Receiving environmental education, therefore, is crucial for these students, since they are the most likely to experience the adverse effects of energy production, such as air and water pollution.

“The kids we are educating — those in Title I schools — are likely going to be the ones that are the most impacted by the environmental issues we are talking about,” McElhinny said.

During the threat of the Weaver Fertilizer Company fire the week of Jan. 31, students at North Hills Elementary School weren’t able to go to school from Tuesday to Thursday,

Photo courtesy of Julia McElhinny

Using Powerpoint and an energy-producing bike, senior Julia McElhinny and sophomore Emy Yamamto visit WSFCS seventh grade classrooms to talk about sustainability.

due to the building being within the designated one-mile evacuation zone. To McElhinny, this was a poignant example of why the “Energy Explorers” curriculum is especially important for underprivileged students.

“While it wasn’t a climate-related event, the Weaver fire had disproportionate impacts on families of color,” McElhinny said. “This event mirrored a pattern that we have seen so many times with things like hurricanes and wildfires — and only expect to continue to see in the future that will affect these communities.”

Not everybody agrees with teaching social inequity concepts, however. In the summer of 2020, WSFCS school district struck down McElhinny’s request to add a brief explanation of environmental racism to the presentation. In response, she has tried to approach the issue in more roundabout ways, such as talking about how certain communities, like those in Flint, MI, are often more directly affected by leadcontaminated water than others.

McElhinny acknowledged that although she believes these environmental issues are critical, not all students will be receptive to the curriculum right away.

“It’s really important to be understanding of the fact that some schools just don’t offer field trips to outdoor places, or have gardens, or teach their kids about nature,” McElhinny said. “Some kids might be thinking, my family is struggling financially, why should I care that some animal is going extinct? That’s where I like to direct the conversation towards the idea that sustainability happens in really small ways, like even just being aware of climate change is a huge step for some people.”

For the immediate future, however, McElhinny hopes that Environmental Educators will grow its volunteer base at Wake Forest to include more than just students interested in the environment. Sophomore Emy Yamamoto hopes to take over the program after McElhinny graduates this spring.

“I hope the program grows to people in other organizations on campus that aren’t usually represented in sustainability, such as Organization of Latin American Studies or the Black Student Alliance — people who are just interested in volunteering opportunities and might benefit from learning about the environment as they gain the skills needed to teach it,” McElhinny said.

“All students learn differently, so having unique perspectives within our volunteer base from different groups of Wake Forest students could bring something new to our curriculum and potentially speak to other students that we can’t reach in the same way.”

Contact Una Wilson at wilsui20@wfu.edu

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | Features

Page 7 | Old Gold & Black

Black Student Alliance honors Black History Multicultural organizations collaborate to support Black students on campus J THOMPSON Contributing Writer

In recent years, Wake Forest University has been working toward increasing its diversity; diversity of thought, diversity of opinion and diversity of experience to create an engaging environment for students from different backgrounds.

Yet, Wake Forest University is still lacking in racial diversity — the student body is only 7.8% Black or African American, which some students have described as isolating as they struggle to find a community in college.

“I feel like I don’t have a voice here,” an anonymous freshman said.

During this year’s Black History Month, Wake Forest’s Black Student Association (BSA) and other on-campus multicultural groups have been hard at work creating an inclusive environment for Black students to celebrate our history and community.

These organizations are hosting conversations and speeches with to highlight how the Black community has developed, struggled and overcome hardship. These events allow students a chance to explore the small but significant Black community on campus, creating connections and offering a supportive environment.

The BSA has planned a wide array of events ranging from movie nights and roller skating to presentations on Black history and networking sessions in order to celebrate Black excellence at Wake and set current students up for success.

On Feb. 16, Anneliese Bruner, an acclaimed author and editor and great-granddaughter of a Tulsa Race Massacre Survivor

visited Pugh Auditorium to speak on her contributions to the book “The Nation Must Awake” and the Tulsa Massacre.

The Black Student Association’s Instagram, @wfu_bsa, described the speech as explaining “the importance of fact-based, accurate teaching of history in shaping how a nation defines itself.”

The last event that the BSA will hold this month, in collaboration with the the Association of Wake Forest University Black Alumni and the Office of Personal & Career Development, is a Black Professionals Forum. Here, Black alumni will lead a panel followed by a career networking session.

So far, BSA events have garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews from the public. Alex Silverio, a sophomore at Wake Forest, stated that the BSA’s “Celebrating the Black Arts Event” was both “insightful and exciting.”

“When I was a freshman there was CO-

Others agreed; “I’m in my second year here, and still have never had a Black professor,” an anonymous sophomore said.

Some said being a part of a small community made them feel closer to the other minorities on campus — including the professors.

“They understand what it’s like [being a minority] and work harder than anyone else to see you succeed,” sophomore Alex Silverio said. But others feel that this small community is not being supported. Despite Wake Forest’s commitment to diversity and the organizations celebrating this Black History Month on campus, some students feel there is still room for improvement.

“The BSA and Office of Inclusion are great, but once you leave those spaces you don’t see any more support,” an anonymous freshman said.

The BSA and other organizations on campus are working diligently to create an engaging community that shows the history, culture and success of the Black community with the goal of showing Black students on campus a welcoming community and spaces of support in a primarily white institution.

Contact J Thompson at thomj21@wfu.edu

VID-19,” Silverio said. “It’s nice that this year Black freshman can see they aren’t alone. It’s hard to see it in classes or when you’re in the Pit, but there is a good community here.”

Silverio expressed excitement at the other events that the BSA has planned this month, stating that roller skating will be a fun experience and that he hopes to connect more with the Winston-Salem community through a Martin Luther King Jr. reading event.

He also noted the important role that the BSA fulfills on campus — voicing a sentiment commonly expressed by the university’s Black students.

Photo courtesy of @wfu_bsa on Instagram “At Wake [Forest], it is painfully obvious Zhané Waye, a member of the class of 2023, performs at the you’re a minority,” Silverio said.

2022 Celebration of Black Arts in the Brendle Recital Hall.

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OPINION

PAGE 8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

OLD GOLD & BLACK

Sophie Guymon, guymsm20@wfu.edu Maryam Khanum, khanmg20@wfu.edu

The views expressed in all opinion columns represent those of the article’s author, not the opinions of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board

Deacs Debate

Students discuss the issue of censorship Censorship has generated increasing controversy in a country founded on the idea of free speech SOPHIE GUYMON & CONOR METZGER

Opinion Editor & Staff Columnist

Sophie Guymon: Well, Conor, it appears that the idea of censorship has returned to a central spot in our national discourse as of late. This raises the question of whether censorship is necessary to filter out more dangerous ideas, or if censorship itself is dangerous?

Conor Metzger: I agree with that observation. Censorship has become a sort of “buzzword” within our nation's discourse — any mention of it is sure to draw eyeballs and opinions. This question of necessity is tricky when you consider that it’s usually left up to private entities. Censorship is not a new concept, but its meaning has changed in the digital age, in which opinions are more widely shared and discussed — and this is where the danger lies.

In order to have this discussion, we should recognize both the relevance and irrelevance of history. There have always been multiple opinions within this country — some productive and some dangerous — but only the more verifiable and popular opinions could be spread to a larger audience. However, what we are seeing now is the censorship of these opinions — based on the will of a few — before people can even reach a consensus.

SG: While I agree that censorship can be harmful, I do believe it’s necessary at times.

There’s an important difference between allowing the expression of a variety of opinions and allowing hate speech, bigotry and the spread of misinformation.

Many countries have enacted laws restricting hate speech because of the harm it can inflict on targeted groups — the U.S. is unique in allowing these expressions as a matter of free speech. Hate speech promotes these harmful behaviors, and thus their removal should take precedence over free speech.

CM: Putting it that way makes it hard to argue — since any argument would appear as if it is not considering the needs of those targeted by hate speech. What we need to recognize is the issue with tools of censorship being used by private entities who have their own agenda. They are the ones who are allowed to make subjective judgments on what is considered “hate speech.”

This is dangerous in itself because there is no consensus on when an opinion has reached the “hate speech” threshold. We should look at where the breakdown in making quality judgments is coming from.

As we saw with the Capitol riots, there are many people whose opinions can be swayed without considerable evidence, thus easily falling into a narrative that they do not even recognize as hateful. We’ve seen this

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The utilization of censorship by both liberals and conservatives has proven especially controversial in recent years, prompting discussion over what kind of precedent it sets. throughout history, with a very clear breakdown in racial perspectives that created — and continues to perpetuate — systemic racism.

SG: There’s certainly disagreement over what constitutes hate speech and what doesn’t. Rather than allowing its expression, we need to clarify the boundaries of what constitutes hate speech — and look to the marginalized groups affected by it when doing so.

There is an issue of a lack of representation in the media, across all mediums. Even politics remains dominated by wealthy, white men who — for the most part — have never experienced true oppression.

In order to combat the expression of hate speech, marginalized groups need to be represented in spaces where opinions are being expressed and decisions are being made. In this way, hate speech can be stopped before it’s started — the boundaries of what constitutes hate speech should not be dictated by those who are not targeted by it.

Most of the proponents of radical free speech and expressions of bigotry are people who are not marginalized in any way, shape or form, making any defense of hate speech ring hollow.

CM: We do need to ensure that the opinions of the marginalized are being expressed.

If we look at the opinions that gain traction today, it seems that minority voices are being uplifted.

One recent example is the role of social media in the Arab Spring, where we saw the disenfranchised rise up against the oppressive ruling class. Unfortunately, as of late it seems we are going in the opposite direction, with the powerful using tools of censorship to silence opinions that go against the narrative, without looking at the precedent that sets.

While we see dangerous right-wing views being censored as a net positive, once these tools of censorship are given meaning and

effect, it is increasingly difficult to do away with them. Positions of power — contrary to popular belief — change.

What happens when another Donald Trump figure is voted into office? What happens if this figure takes control of the virtual world through Congress? They would then be able to silence the voices that protest them and possibly go even further. How long would it be before our elections are taken from us — along with the notion of a minority voice?

Censorship is an alluring tool to our leaders, no matter how virtuous they may seem.

Power is seductive, and censorship seems like a great way to gain it.

SG: While there are examples of minority voices being uplifted and dangerous rightwing views being censored, there are also numerous examples of the opposite — one being recent bans on critical race theory across American schools. For every minority voice that is uplifted, there are many more that are silenced or ignored.

In a way, the Capitol riots actually occurred due to a lack of censorship: throughout his presidency and continuing after, Trump made numerous tweets that were blatantly false. Many of his followers took them as gospel. It’s entirely possible that if Twitter had banned Trump’s account sooner, there may have never been a Capitol riot.

Censorship has also been a hot topic in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, as we are constantly learning new information about the virus and how it spreads. There has been a lot of information published and disseminated about COVID-19 that is factually incorrect, sometimes even by the CDC itself.

Enabling the spread of misinformation about a virus that has caused so many deaths and profoundly affected our lives is dangerous. Error is inevitable, but it’s important that we not disseminate information about a disease like COVID-19 that hasn’t been backed with research — and that’s where

problems with forms of media such as the Joe Rogan Experience podcast arise.

CM: I believe that these false theories gain traction because they are censored.

Most false information I have learned about COVID-19 was from media reports on its censorship. The issue is not that these ideas are out there but that people are not used to deciding which information is more factual than others.

Censoring minority theories only upholds those which may be discredited, leaving people with a feeling of mistrust when they are told to “trust the science”. Sometimes science gets it wrong. People need to learn how to make educated decisions for themselves and censorship is not conducive to that.

The same can be said of the Capitol riots.

People were likely listening to Trump in the first place due to deep mistrust of the establishment and an “underdog” mentality.

There’s an argument that you can’t teach people to sift through information — but then what is the point of sharing differing ideas? By this logic, more ideas mean more practice, leading to better decision-making in the long run — but only if we allow decisions to be made by individuals rather than large corporate or governmental entities.

SG: We may not agree exactly on when and how censorship should be utilized, but I think we can agree that decision-making regarding the dissemination and consumption of information should take many perspectives into account, rather than a corporation or large entity that may not be representing minority voices. I appreciate that we were able to discuss a controversial topic in a well-reasoned, thought-provoking way.

CM: I agree, thank you for having this conversation with me.

Contact Sophie Guymon at guymsm20@wfu.edu & Conor Metzger at metzcr19@wfu.edu

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | Page 9

Opinion | Old Gold & Black

Mental Health

“

TimelyCare service is inaccessible New virtual care service is confusing and poorly thought out Isabella Mason Staff Columnist masoif20@wfu.edu

During a recent crisis, I decided to utilize the university’s new TimelyCare service, which is advertised as “24/7 virtual care, from anywhere”, on the WFU University Counseling Center (UCC) website. I was promptly disappointed by the lack of accessibility and ineffectiveness of the service.

The UCC has had a long-standing struggle with its availability of resources for students struggling with mental health issues. In some sort of front for a solution, the UCC has partnered with TimelyCare.

TimelyCare’s purpose is to “expand and enhance mental health support to Wake Forest students.” In my eyes, it achieves this at the bare-minimum level.

When I researched TimelyCare before using it, I found the website dif-

ficult to navigate and couldn’t easily figure out how to use the web app — it is a very unintuitive model for students who are accustomed to using their laptops.

Because I was given no instruction on how to access the app from a laptop and presented with a phone-centric model on the website, I assumed the phone app was the only option.

I downloaded the app and was met with questions about my medical history. I pressed ‘skip’ — after all, I was in the middle of a mental health crisis — and learned, after attempting to contact a clinician, that I needed to enter my full medical history in order to access services.

This feels — for a lack of a better term — ridiculous. Since when do providers need to know whether or not my maternal grandparents suffer from heart issues in order to treat my mental health issues? I had to put in a full history of medication, including dose and frequency, to reach the most basic level of crisis support. Medical history is important when treating clients, but it is not a priority when lives are at stake.

In order to truly help struggling students, there should be more university-specific resources such as adequate counseling staff."

The TimelyCare app requires you to jump through hoops, and if you somehow jump through all these hoops in spite of your frustration and worsening mental health, you will finally get access to providers. You have three options: TalkNow, which is advertised as “Mental Health/Emotional Support”, and two ‘scheduled’ options — “Counseling” and “Health Coaching.”

I imagine the majority of users utilize TalkNow, which is designed for immediate access to mental health resources. When you select TalkNow, you are asked to designate which areas of mental health you are struggling with, and then you are required to choose between a phone or video chat with a provider.

Let me just say that there should absolutely be a ‘chat’ option on any confidential mental health service, especially in a college setting. Many people have roommates and don’t feel

comfortable speaking on the phone with a provider in the settings that are available to them. Moreover, speaking on the phone is anxiety-inducing for many in a crisis situation, including myself. I ended up not utilizing TimelyCare at all as a result of the lack of chat options available.

The app also logs you out after periods of inactivity, requiring you to go through the Wake Forest doubleauthentication process, which is especially annoying on a phone. Little details like this should not be overlooked when the mental health of students is on the line.

TimelyCare is a sad excuse for a mental health resource for Wake Forest students. Time and time again, the university has failed students by being unable to provide them access to things that are supposed to help them with their mental health issues.

TimelyCare is partnered with the university — it’s not even a university-specific resource. In order to truly help struggling students, there should be more university-specific resources, such as adequate counseling staff and access to unlimited appointments.

Critical Race Theory

“

Critical Race Theory needs to be taught in schools The censorship of Critical Race Theory in states such as Virginia and Tennessee sets a dangerous precedent Abby Bermeo

Staff Columnist bermag20@wfu.edu

As the Washington Post poetically states, "democracy dies in darkness". In recent months, books on racism and the Holocaust have been banned across a number of American public schools in North Carolina's neighboring states of Virginia and Tennessee.

Coursework surrounding America’s history of slavery has also been banned across many school districts following former President Donald Trump’s ban of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in September 2020. This constant banning of race-related educational content suggests the impending potentiality of widespread censorship.

Traditionally, right-leaning party platforms — which were founded on the ideas of minimal government interference — have tended to take a more libertarian approach to censorship. These recent actions are a stark contrast from the party’s traditional beliefs, initiating steps towards a highly-controlled, highly-censored and highly-regulated political system.

Critical race theory — an education theory originally founded in the

1970s — is the subject of debate that has caused this series of restrictions on education and literacy materials. The concept is intended to teach American history through the lens of racism and to highlight some of the darker truths of our past in a way that enhances overall social awareness.

Today, critical race theory has been hijacked by groups with extreme views on a racial hierarchy. These right-wing groups encouraged Donald Trump to ban CRT from federal procedures. Once banned, the lines between those supporting and opposing CRT were drawn.

On one side is Project 1619 and on the other is Project 1776 — the former is in support of CRT, while the latter is not.

The 1619 Project is named in recognition of the year that slaves were first introduced into the United States. Project 1776 was coined by Donald Trump, following his banning of CRT. The years 1619 and 1776 both shifted the trajectory of American history and each has very different — yet important — implications. These two years in which these sides have been pitted against each other in a battle for educational persistence are only perpetuating the gridlock and hyperpluralism we are witnessing in our society today.

Instead of division, a singular American history can exist and should be taught: a history that involves both 1619

Democracy and freedom can only persist through education ... [failing] to ... present students with [racial] realities is a step further into the darkness." and 1776, which are equally important in defining our country.

Parents who oppose teaching about racism in schools have expressed that they feel it is a form of opinionated or indoctrinated teaching. These parents — the same parents whose representatives have chosen to ban books and restrict education — adhere to more conservative ideologies and feel that teaching history through a racial lens is a way of gaining control over education.

I would agree with them that opinions are not to be taught in schools; I believe that allowing teachers in public schools to preach their opinions could allow the spread of bigotry and sets a bad precedent for teaching that is not based on facts.

With that being said, the refusal to accept racism is not a valid opinion. The use of race by slaveowners to inflict hierarchy is a fact of history — the same way Hitler used antisemitism to gain control over a nation is a fact of history.

These movements are exclusively driven by race, making these teachings about history not opinions but purely factual. Teaching about racism is not

opinionated teaching nor indoctrination because it is true.

It is difficult to express the importance of teaching about racism because of the fact that it is simply American history.

Nothing about this teaching is meant to inspire guilt, it is meant to empower individuals who have the capability to stop the perpetuation of racism. Control and censorship are not only out of character for the extreme right, but are dangerous to the American people regardless of party or ideology.

This educational theory has been around since the 1970s. We are only seeing uproar because of recent leadership that has encouraged bigotry and aggressive partisanship. If a student chooses to disregard or ignore the realities of the American past then that is a choice they are making — it is not the responsibility of their school to hide these facts from them.

Both the right and the left are able to find common ground in the American values of democracy and freedom. Today, even as we come to accept the darkness of racism in the American past and present, democracy and freedom can only persist through education.

To fail to even present students with these realities is a step further into the darkness — and a step away from the all-important American freedom we have preached about since 1776.

Page 10 | Thursday, February 17, 2022

Old Gold & Black | Opinion

Mental Health

Cheslie Kryst's death highlights broader issues “ Communities of color are often overlooked and discouraged from seeking help

Natasha Heisenberg Contributing Columnist heisng20@wfu.edu

On Sunday, Jan. 30, Wake Forest alumna and former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst passed away. Only three months away from turning 31, Kryst’s death was an unimaginable tragedy that rippled through the country.

The most concerning aspect of Kryst’s death, however, was not her age when it occurred but the circumstances that led to it. As the nation began to grieve for an inspiring figure who was lost too soon, a magnifying lens was placed over the silent yet pervasive illness that cost Kryst her life: depression.

At age 30, Kryst had achieved success in an impressively wide array of fields. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina, Kryst went on to earn both a Master’s of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor degree from Wake Forest University.

Kryst began working as an attorney in Charlotte, pursuing civil litigation and social justice advocacy, including pro bono work.

Two years later, Kryst entered and won the 2019 Miss USA pageant. Following this accomplishment, she served as a correspondent for the TV program “Extra” while living in Manhattan and making guest appearances on a variety of other shows.

Throughout this time, Kryst’s acclaim grew as her mental health worsened. Kryst's role as a public figure, while bringing her praise, also exposed her to harsh criticism.

In her writing, Kryst described the effect that negative comments — such as those regarding her appearance and age — had on her mental health, detailing the difficulties that came with her achievements. She described the hollow feeling that possessed her between periods of positive reinforcement as the “unquenchable thirst of insecurity” and expressed her loneliness and longing for assurance of self-worth.

Kryst’s story tragically underscores the growing epidemic of mental health issues in the United States, particularly those that impact women of color. According to the Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 10% of Black women feel as though “everything is an effort,” whereas only six percent of white women share the same sentiment.

Black Women’s Health Imperative, an organization dedicated to the mental health of women of color, reports that feelings of sad-

There is no threshold of suffering for which pursuing ... help is not warranted. Each and every mental health condition and ... symptom [deserves] attention." ness, hopelessness and worthlessness have a stronger presence in Black women than in white women. Furthermore, unique conditions exist that can exacerbate the mental health of BIPOC women, namely exposure to racial trauma and challenges involving racism and sexism in all areas of life.

Less than a year ago, as Kryst prepared to enter her thirty-first year of life, she reflected on her triumphs and failures in an essay she shared with the world. Kryst proclaimed that she was continuing to search for “joy and purpose”, an optimistic statement that stood in stark contrast to the other contents of the essay, including a line that declared that her dreams only led to emptiness.

Reflecting on this essay, the signs indicating Kryst’s precarious mental state are apparent. Sadly, these beacons of warning often materialize once the time to intervene has passed, and Kryst’s case was no different.

The impact that Kryst’s story has across the country is an inspiring instance of devastation bringing individuals from all walks of life together. Nevertheless, those in need of help should not wait until an event such as

this occurs to begin the conversation regarding mental health and seek out the resources they require.

Destigmatizing mental health and creating an environment in which it becomes a less onerous discussion — specifically in communities of color — is a necessary step in the effort to combat this ever-prevalent issue. Those struggling should also be reminded that there is no threshold of suffering for which pursuing professional help is not warranted.

Each and every mental health condition and subsequent symptom is deserving of attention, and individuals in need should not wait until they reach “rock-bottom” to justify extending a hand for help.

On the morning of her death, Kryst posted a photo along with a caption that read “may this day bring you rest and peace”.

Beyond the lives she touched, represented and inspired, Kryst’s legacy lives on in those continuing to advocate for more comprehensive mental health services and the hope that prevails in even the darkest of times.

Those in need of help are encouraged to seek professional attention. This can be found through the SAMHSA Treatment Referral Hotline (877-726-4727) and the Wake Forest University Counseling Center (336.758.5273).

Social Media

“

Katie Fox

Photography Editor foxkg19@wfu.edu

Growing up, you probably never thought you would become anything like your parents. Believe me, I was on the same page. They seemingly didn’t understand anything about my adolescent life and how it differed from theirs.

My dad set screen time limits on my phone in an attempt to help me better manage my time, while my mom begged me to go on walks with her in hopes that they would improve my “attitude”. They lamented weekends lost to sleeping in, reasoning that waking up earlier and regulating my sleep schedule would improve my wellbeing. I was never convinced.

But I thought I was happy. After downloading TikTok in April 2019 to make a video of me riding a horse to the “Old Town Road” remix, virality sadly escaped me — and so did my remaining attention span. I loved scrolling through videos of my peers commiserating about adolescence, influencers sharing their photo hacks, daily routines and lifestyle tips, music recommendations, Adam Coil appearances … the list goes on and on because TikTok is forever.

My freshman year of college, my schedule was pretty booked: wake up, go to

class, go back to bed, watch every Instagram story, scroll to the end of my Twitter timeline and watch TikToks until my roommate turned the lights off.

Some might call this depression, but I just called it “chillaxin”. My parents encouraged me to go to the gym, and I started seeing a nutritionist and a wellbeing coach, but I still spent every other waking hour glued to my phone. We all know that isn’t healthy, but I couldn’t stop myself.

After a depressing freshman year ended with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, my addiction grew worse. Fear of missing out melted my mind until I got “lost in the sauce”, and was eventually elevated to the status of what many would call “chronically online”.

Sophomore year’s virtual classes further enabled my phone use, and although I picked up some cool habits from quarantine, I was in desperate need of touching some grass. Therapy helped some, but my parents harping on the detriments of social media only prevented me from recognizing the problem.

A lot of the TikToks on my feed nowadays are self-help hacks for improving your wellbeing. As it turns out, I’m much more inclined to listen to strangers on the Internet than my nagging father.

When TikTokers romanticized getting up early to shower at sunrise, I called it self-care. When they told me not to use food as a reward or conditionally eat based on my productivity, I developed a

Whatever it is, enjoy your youth and any opportunity you may have to spend less time watching other people live their lives and start living yours." better relationship with food. And when tutorials for breaking your phone addiction started showing up, I confronted the biggest source of my problems, and I did the unthinkable: I set my own screen time limits.

I haven’t told my parents about this revelation because I’m embarrassed to admit that they were right all along. While I can still ignore my app limits, implementing downtime and acknowledging how long I spend on my phone has reduced my daily averages and improved my productivity in recent weeks. I may not be as up-todate on Kanye West’s antics as I could be, but I’m no longer starting every day with a dopamine high, only to feel deflated and burnt out as soon as I sit down for class minutes later.

Tricking myself into using my phone less has forced me to spend my time more creatively, and the replacement activities I’ve found are significantly better for my mental health.

Many internet users are coming to similar conclusions as we begin our third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, the trend of romanticizing your life doesn’t work very well if you waste daylight on screens and spend the evenings

wallowing in the guilt of wasting the day.

A commitment to improving your wellbeing turns into a case of faking it until you make it.

For others, disillusionment with the damage of early internet use has grown as therapists try to unpack our toxic relationships with social media and the psychological explanations behind it. The way I think about the world around me and my place in it is shaped by my experiences growing up on the Internet, and while those experiences were valuable, stepping away from that world has only been good for me.

My reluctance to side with my parents in the battle we’ve fought for my entire adolescent life prevented me from any attempt to see their point of view.

If you find yourself in the same situation, I encourage you to dip your toes into the waters of humility and consider whether living online is actually bringing you joy. Virtual forums are essential to providing safe spaces for everyone to find community these days, and friendships are heavily facilitated by opportunities in the digital world.

But we’re in college! Sit on the quad, go to Cookout, steal flowers from the front of Wait Chapel or take one minute to stare directly into the next solar eclipse.

Whatever it is, enjoy your youth and any opportunity you may have to spend less time watching other people live their lives and start living yours.

SPORTS

Christina DeNovio, denoca20@wfu.edu Essex Thayer, thayse20@wfu.edu

Follow us on Twitter @wfuogbsports OLD GOLD & BLACK

PAGE 11 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

Photo Courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

MBB defeats NC State, loses to Miami The loss drops Wake Forest to a 10-seed in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology CHRISTIAN ODJAKJIAN Staff Writer

The action is heating up for the Wake Forest Men’s Basketball team (20-6, 10-5).

After taking care of a reeling North Carolina State (10-16, 3-12) team on the road last Wednesday, Wake Forest came up short against Miami (18-7,10-4) on Saturday.

NC State has been struggling as of late and has lost four in a row as they entered this contest. The Wolfpack came out aggressively and kept the game tight for most of the way. With five minutes remaining, Wake Forest held onto a small 53-51 lead. Then, the beast awakened.

The Demon Deacons closed the game on an electrifying 16-0 run to secure a 69-51 victory. The Wolfpack's offense came to a screeching halt, and Wake Forest was in quite a rhythm themselves on that end of the floor.

“We won by making stops, and we did it by hitting timely shots,” Wake Forest Head Coach Steve Forbes said after the game.

The run was initiated by senior guard Daivien Williamson, who drilled a corner three, followed by a tough finish at the rim on a fast break. Soon after, graduate guard Alondes Williams took over the game, setting up his teammates on three consecutive possessions.

One of these assists was quite the highlight: a no-look, lefthanded, underhanded swing pass that took incredible

strength and creativity. "Man-Man" delivered the ball from the left wing to the right corner, into the hands of graduate forward Khadim Sy who knocked down a triple.

On the run, the Deacons were finally able to contain NC State sophomore guard Dereon Seabron, who scored 22 points in the game and 17 in the second half. His teammates didn’t help him much at all, scoring a combined six points in the entire second half.

Williams finished the game with 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Junior forward Jake LaRavia put together a stat line of six points, seven boards and eight assists. Senior forward Isaiah Mucius added 13, as did Sy. After back-to-back road wins, Wake Forest returned to the Joel Coliseum to host a Miami team that beat them six weeks ago in Florida.

The Hurricanes were able to overcome a double-digit, second-half deficit, coming out on top 76-72.

“I thought Miami came in here and played harder than us and wanted to win more than we did,” Forbes said. “And that ultimately is on me, not getting my guys ready to play in a game like this.”

Turnovers were a huge problem for Wake Forest and served as the engine that fueled Miami’s comeback effort. Miami gave it away seven times, compared to a lofty 17 for Wake Forest. The Hurricanes were able to score 19 points off of those turnovers, while the Deacons couldn’t generate any takeaways.

“An Achilles heel we have been talking about for a while now is turnovers; it’s a problem,” Forbes said. “Those 10 secondhalf turnovers killed our offense”.

Williams carried the team late and put up an impressive stat line, but the turnover cloud continues to loom over him.

Williams scored 25 on an efficient 9-15 shooting, but seven turnovers from him is damaging. Miami aggressively hedged and trapped him once he crossed half court with the ball, which led to multiple giveaways.

“We made a concerted effort during the offseason to practice scrambling, getting our guys to pressure the ball, trap the ball, rotate, and hustle,” Miami Head Coach Jim Larranaga said. “Because we lack size. They are so much bigger than us. They are taller than us and outweigh us at almost every position.”

Wake Forest does have a significant size advantage over Miami, who likes to play with four guards most of the time. The quickness of the smaller Hurricanes allowed them to force turnovers and space the floor, and Wake was not able to fully capitalize on the size mismatches and consistently take and convert on easy looks close to the basket.

Wake Forest was clicking offensively in the first half, as six players made at least two field goals and the team hit seven three-pointers. The Demon Deacons led by seven at the break, but that lead could’ve easily been doubled. Miami’s offense was stagnant, and Wake Forest continuously missed easy shots.

Miami came out and played a much stronger, more connected and more urgent second half in order to secure a very important road win for them.

LaRavia was only able to play 22 minutes because of foul trouble, picking up his fifth and final foul with just over four minutes to play.

Miami’s fantastic guard duo showed up big time on Saturday. Both of them connected on 8-14 field goal attempts, junior guard Isaiah Wong scored 20 and graduate guard Kameron McGusty had 22. Down the stretch, they scored the last nine points of the game for their team, none bigger than Wong’s tough jumper off the glass with 11 seconds left to play, making it a two-possession game.

This was game number one of an upcoming difficult stretch. After taking on Duke in Cameron Indoor, Wake Forest hosts second-place Notre Dame before traveling to play an underperforming but gritty Clemson team.

Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has dropped Wake Forest to a 10 seed in his latest March Madness prediction, but this season is far from over and Coach Forbes made that clear after the loss.

"We haven't accomplished anything yet,” Forbes said. “We haven't made the NCAA Tournament yet. We don't know our ACC tournament seed yet. Everything is left to be earned.”

Contact Christian Odjakjian at odjact18@wfu.edu

Page 12 | Thursday, February 17, 2022

Old Gold & Black | Sports

WBB ends nine-game losing streak ESSEX THAYER Sports Editor

Following a 78-87 loss at Clemson on Feb. 10 that extended the Wake Forest women’s basketball team’s losing streak to nine, the Demon Deacons ended the streak with a 68-53 victory at home three days later against Virginia.

“It feels great to get back to our winning ways,” said Head Coach Jen Hoover.

“It is never easy to win in this league, and

I am proud of the way the team played today.”

As per usual, Wake Forest was led by sophomore guard Jewel Spear, who scored 17 points. Junior forward Olivia Summiel and junior forward Niyah Becker added 14 and 11 points respectively.

Following a bucket from senior forward Christina Morra, two scores from Summiel allowed the Demon Deacons to open the game with an early 6-2 lead. The offense on the inside allowed Wake For-

Photo courtesy Wake Forest Athletics

The Demon Deacons celebrate breaking their nine-game losing streak while in their pink “Play4Kay” jerseys. They face off next against N.C. State.

est to then attack from behind the threepoint line. Their next two made shots came from behind that line, opening the Deacons’ lead to six.

By the end of the quarter, Wake Forest had extended their lead to nine. The Demon Deacons shot well in the quarter (67%), while Spear went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field. Wake Forest also held a 10-7 rebounding advantage.

In the second quarter, the Demon Deacons got a boost off the bench from junior guard Alexandria Scruggs, who hit two shots to give Wake Forest a 2719 lead with five minutes remaining in the half.

Minutes later, Summiel hit doubledigits, reaching at least 10 points for the fourth time in the last six games. At the 2:51 mark, Spear hit another jumper to maintain a comfortable eight-point advantage for the Deacons. That lead continued to the end of the half, as Wake Forest entered the locker room with a seven-point lead.

“I am proud of how we continue to have double-figure scorers step up,” Hoover said after the game. “It makes us a lot harder to defend when multiple players are scoring the basketball. We did a fantastic job sharing the ball. We will use this as momentum heading into this week and continue to try and build on this.”

At the beginning of the third quarter, Virginia began to cut into the slim Wake Forest lead. Two consecutive baskets brought the Cavaliers within three points. Three minutes later, Virginia took their first lead of the game until a twopointer by Morra evened the game. Then, on the following possession, Morra put Wake Forest back in the lead. The Demon Deacons took that three-point lead into the fourth quarter.

After handling the pressure from Virginia in the third quarter, Wake Forest dominated for the remainder of the game.

Scores from Summiel, Scruggs and Spear gave the Demon Deacons their largest lead of the game. From there, Wake Forest iced away the rest of the clock from the free-throw line, allowing them to secure the victory.

The victory sends Wake Forest over the .500 mark at 13-12 overall, while moving their ACC record to 3-11, good for No. 12 in the conference. While the victory ends the nine-game losing streak for the Demon Deacons, it came against the last ranked team in the ACC. Virginia has not won a single game in conference.

Wake Forest faces a far tougher opponent on Thursday when they travel to one of the best teams in the nation, No. 5 NC State.

Contact Essex Thayer at thayse20@wfu.edu

Baseball looks to shock the nation ESSEX THAYER Sports Editor

In 2021, there were hopes that Wake Forest baseball would return to the mountaintop of college baseball — a return to Omaha for the College World Series. It was supposed to be “their year,” in response to the turmoil of a lost season in 2020.

Unfortunately for Wake Forest, the season never lived up to the hype. The Deacons finished with a 20-27 overall record while going 10-22 in the ACC, good for second to last in the conference.

But now, a new season is upon Wake Forest, and the hope is reignited for a run in the ACC and a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.

A return to the College World Series in Omaha would be the Demon Deacons’ first since 1955, when they brought home their only national title.

With every new season comes projections. There is ample talent coming back to the Demon Deacons, but much of it is young talent. With that in mind, Wake Forest was picked to finish sixth of seven in its division of the ACC. Redshirt sophomore Eric Adler explained that the team relishes being the underdog.

“What’s really impressive about this team is [that] we don’t talk about rankings,” Adler said. “Last year, [we were] supposed to be No. 17, all this and all that.

And we just weren’t. Personally, I’m glad we aren’t ranked and seen as a team that can only go up from last year. I think that we have the skills to get the job done.”

Overall, 20 players return to the Demon Deacons for another season, with that number being evenly split between pitchers and field players. Wake Forest is bolstered by two returning starting pitchers — sophomore Rhett Lowder and redshirt sophomore Reed Mascolo. Lowder went 4-2 in 2021 with a 6.12 ERA. Despite winning one less game (3-2), Mascolo had a significantly better ERA (4.37). Potentially beating out Mascolo to start though, according to Head Coach Tom Walter, could be sophomore Teddy McGraw, who threw a 4.42 ERA in 18.1 relief innings in 2021.

Returning to the Wake Forest pitching staff are eight pitchers who did not start last year. That group is headlined by Adler, who, as the team’s closer, threw a 2.00 ERA with 24 strikeouts. Adler has been recognized as a preseason third-team AllAmerican by Baseball America.

Other notable relief pitchers on the staff include sophomore Camden Minacci (5.13 ERA in 26.1 innings), redshirt junior Brennan Oxford (5.40 ERA in 25 innings) and sophomore Crawford Wade (9.94 ERA in 17 innings). Seth Keener, a sophomore who struggled with a 9.93 ERA last season, has been tabbed by Walter as the likely midweek starter.

Four starting field players return to the Demon Deacons, fueling a need to fill half of the field with those who were previous bench players. Sophomore Brock Wilkin brings the biggest bat in Wake Forest’s lineup, hitting 17 home runs and batting in 44 runs last season. Redshirt junior shortstop Michael Turconi returns with the best batting average on the team

(.292). Sophomore Lucas Costello is back in center field following a five home run, 31 RBI and .279 batting average campaign in 2021. Lastly, redshirt sophomore Pierce Bennett returns as a utility player after hitting one home run last year.

Likely returning players to start in the field this year include redshirt junior catcher Brandon Tinsman, who hit four home runs and 12 RBIs in 2021. Redshirt sophomore Adam Cecere, who also hit four home runs last season, tallied 15 RBIs. Along with the returning players, there is much excitement surrounding the newest members of the team — the freshmen.

Highlighting the newest class is pitcher Josh Hartle, the No. 25 recruit in the country and the No. 2 player from North Carolina. As the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, Hartle was also ranked the 34th-best prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Hartle’s personality masks the fact that he is one of the best prospects in all of baseball.

“He’s a great pitcher, everybody knows that,” Adler said. “He’s the kind of guy that, if you didn’t know he was Josh Hartle, you would talk to him, and you would have no idea how good he is. He’s the most down-to-earth guy. He really wants the best for his team, he works his butt off every day just like us.”

Other notable freshmen include infielder Danny Corona, from the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN, who chose Wake Forest over powerhouses like Vanderbilt, Stanford and Tennessee. As the No. 161 recruit in the nation, he was selected in the 16th

Round by the Pittsburgh Pirates but chose not to sign. Walter has tabbed him to start at second base. Troy McGirt was rated the No. 1 first baseman in North Carolina, and could be the answer to replace the drafted Seymour. Gio Cueto, the No. 8 catcher from Florida, has a chance to secure some playing time at catcher. Lastly, Tommy Hawke, the No. 16 recruit from North Carolina, attended the same school as Hartle, where they both won a state championship.

One last freshman’s skill has caught the eye of Wilkin — Nick Kurtz.

“That guy is unreal,” Wilkin said. “His exit velocities are 104 plus [miles per hour].

He’s honestly one of the best hitters. He’s probably one of our better first basemen as well. He’s one of the best freshmen in that class for sure.”

With the talent on the roster from newcomers to returners, there is much to be excited about for the 2022 Demon Deacons.

They are underrated with a chip on their shoulder and have everything to prove.

“Our potential is limitless,” said Lowder.

“We said that in past years, like last year, we had a really good staff. We’ve all had the stuff. We’ve always had the stuff. [But] we never quite knew how to utilize it on game day. I think a lot more practice on that this year is going to be big-time.”

The Demon Deacons will have a chance to realize their limitless potential when their season begins at home against Lafayette on Feb. 18.

Contact Essex Thayer at thayse20@wfu.edu

Sports | Old Gold & Black CHRISTINA DENOVIO Sports Editor

Junior midfielder Nat Friedman and sophomore defender Lee Ann Gordon have both been selected to 2022 USA Field Hockey National Teams. They received this honor after a four-day selection camp at Queens University of Charlotte. Friedman was one of eight selections to the 2022 USA Field Hockey Development team, while Gordon was named to the 2022 U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team.

Both Demon Deacons have impressive resumés in both their high school and college careers. Last summer, the pair also played for Team USA. Friedman was named a member of the USA Field Hockey Women’s Junior Pan American Championship (JPAC) Training Squad and the U-22 Women’s National Team, which competed against Chile. Gordon was added to the USA Field Hockey U-21 Development Selection Camp Roster.

Friedman and Gordon look forward to representing both their university and their country, marking a strong start to the 2022 calendar year.

Christina DeNovio: How did you get into field hockey? Did you play other sports growing up?

Nat Friedman: Actually, my mom played field hockey at William & Mary. I started playing at a pretty young age, maybe first grade. I also played other sports. I played soccer, lacrosse and track and field, but field hockey was always the main sport that I focused on because I felt the most dominant in that area, I’ve stuck with it ever since.

Lee Ann Gordon: Field hockey was actually the last sport I started playing. My grade school got a team when I was in fifth grade, so I started playing then.

Before that, I played volleyball, basketball, softball and a little bit of soccer. I tried everything. I always knew that I loved sports growing up. When I started playing field hockey, I loved it.

CD: You both had very successful high school careers. What made you decide to come to Wake Forest?

NF: I started looking at Wake Forest in early high school. I came to do a camp here and fell in love with the campus, fell in love with the coaching. Obviously, academics are unbeatable here. And I think I knew as soon as I toured that this was where I was gonna go. And all the other schools that I visited just didn’t compare to here. I knew it was the perfect fit.

LAG: It was a similar experience for me. I’m from Louisville, and a lot of the top players go to that school. So, I really thought that I wanted to go there to be honest. But, I kept my options open and looked at a lot of different schools. I visited Wake Forest, and I immediately loved it from my first visit. I got in the car with my mom, and I told her “this is where I want to go,” and that was that.

CD: Can you explain what led you to the national team?

NF: The program for younger players

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | Page 13

Friedman & Gordon Deacon “Sportlight

to get to the national team is called “Futures.” It’s kind of like an Olympic pipeline — they take and you get selected at various levels up to the top.

During my experience, I would make it a decent way through, but I would always end up getting to the last camp and getting cut for the national team.

This is the first time I’ve actually ever been named to a national team, so that was pretty big for me.

I’m really excited about it. And so I guess it just shows that being in college and getting experience and great coaching really has developed my game to the point where I’m able to make a national team now.

LAG: I was a part of the junior national teams when I was in high school. I had the really cool experience of traveling to Germany with the U-18 national team, which was really awesome. Field hockey in Louisville was just getting off the ground as I was growing up.

Our age group kind of paved the way for field hockey in that area. It was really awesome to have that experience and get to play at that level. I was on the teams throughout high school, and then was reselected once I got here. As Nat said, the coaching staff and having the top playing experience around us have enabled us to stay at that level and continue to be selected.

Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

CD: What kind of feelings did you experience dur- After competing in every game this past ing that process and when you found out that you fall, Friedman looks ahead to the spring. had been chosen to represent your country at the other colleges as well as different coaches. The field highest level? hockey community is pretty small, and it’s really cool NF: The camp was definitely difficult. It was a long to be able to have that support system around you. four days, and the competition there was just really intense too. I felt really well-prepared going into the CD: What are you most looking forward to for the camp. As Lee Ann said, the coaching staff does a really Wake Forest Spring 2022 season? good job of making sure that we keep our level up. It was really fulfilling to find out that we got selected. NF: We have a pretty young team. We’re losing a lot As I said before, that was my first time actually be- of our older players, so I think it’s been really interesting named to a legit team. I was named to the Junior ing seeing a lot of people step up into new positions at World Cup team earlier this year and you’re supposed practice and really kind of getting into their own, esto go back in December, but that ended up getting pecially the freshman class. Everyone is kind of compostponed because of COVID-19. So I’m still look- ing out into their own style. I’m really excited to see ing for that selection coming out — they’re reevaluat- how we do in these scrimmages and get some people ing teams for April. I’m hoping to make that one. in new positions that haven’t been in before the game.

LAG: As Nat said, the coaching staff really prepared us to perform at this camp. Our strength and conditioning coaches have been working with us on fitness, and that’s a big part in the USA performance — they really want their athletes to be fit. And that has been a big factor in our performance as well at the camp.

I felt like Nat and I both performed well, and it was really awesome to have the experience of getting selected. I’m looking forward to what’s to come with the training.

LAG: I agree with Nat. We’re losing several seniors, and we have some injuries on the team right now as well. I think it’s just really cool to see different people stepping up. Everyone’s working really hard right now. We just had a good week of practice and I’m just looking forward to the progress that we’re going to make throughout the spring.

CD: What are you most looking forward to as a member of the national team?

NF: All the girls are basically my best friends. I think it’s just really fun every day to come out and to be able to play with your best group of girl friends. I think that just gives me motivation to come out every day, even though it may be hard sometimes. I love having all my friends around me all the time.

NF: I think I’m just looking forward to being able to grow my game even more. There’s a different kind of intensity of play going from high school to college and then from college to the international level because everything is just that much quicker. I think being able to get this experience at the international level will just be beneficial, even in college, because we’ll be able to use new skills and bring them back to the team and just grow our overall game.

LAG: I think there are a lot of different concepts that you learn about from playing different countries.

We’ll do drills that mimic other international playing styles. I think you learn a lot by playing with other people. I think that these drills will really help us grow our game and bring success back to Wake Forest. I also really look forward to the relationships that we build at the camps and getting to know players from

CD: What are your favorite parts of being on the team at Wake Forest?

LAG: We kind of joke about how we all come from different parts of the world. It’s so crazy how none of us would know each other if it weren’t for our sport.

And now we’re here and we’re all so close. Although we had no idea who each other was right before we came, we’re all best friends now. So I think that that would be one of my favorite parts of playing field hockey as well.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.

Contact Christina DeNovio at denoca20@wfu.edu

PAGE 14 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

LIFE OLD GOLD & BLACK

Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu Josie Scratchard, scraja20@wfu.edu

Art piece captures intimacy and energy Klimt's "The Kiss" inspired new art styles by referencing older works ABBY KOMISKE Staff Writer

Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” — an oil painting on canvas with gold leaf, platinum and silver accents — depicts a man and woman in a world of gold.

The couple is frozen in place, kneeling in a meadow of blue, yellow and green flowers with a scattering of scarlet. The man wears a cloak covered in intricate, rectangular patterns of black, white and gold, and he is crowned with vines. The woman wears a dress of floral circles with bright shades of red, green, blue and gold; she has flowers in her hair and gold chains wrapping her feet. Their bodies are brighter than the background as if the light of their embrace brightens their surroundings. He cradles the woman's face, kissing her cheek with his head turned away from the viewer. The woman's face is upturned, her eyes are closed as her arms surround him, centralizing her expression.

Painted in the early twentieth century, the work fully illustrates Klimt’s bold and luminescent golden period of creating. “The Kiss” is considered his most famous work, but other notable pieces are “Portrait of Adele

Klimt's "The Kiss" is a painting from the early 20th century.

Bloch-Bauer”, “Beethoven Frieze” or another shiny, intricate geometric piece wrapping of figures in metallic flakes that could either be attributed to Klimt or an outgrowth of the ornamental Art Nouveau style. His creativity, expression and energy — which lies in

the contrast between life and radiance — has inspired generations of artists by taking work from the past and creating new messages of love and eroticism using such a highly decorative style.

Though not well received by religious and popular culture at the time, “The Kiss” is particularly reminiscent of the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. This structure was constructed during the reign of Emperor Justinian I and holds many well-preserved Byzantine mosaics from hundreds of years ago.

For reference, Byzantine art — primarily in the 6th century — utilized gold mosaics and natural light within churches to explore the glory of God and transform the worshiper.

Thus, while Klimt’s work is not religious, his reference to divinity, beauty and splendor is apparent.

I love this piece. It is one of my all-time favorites, and yet I am still confused by it. And I’ll admit, I’m not the most-well versed artconnoisseur. I can recognize the big names and even bigger styles, but I love art museums, student galleries and online platforms because there are so many ideas that people express about love, life and more — all with varying degrees of popularity. Furthermore, communication can be so wide-ranging. You

can look at Klimt’s piece and compare it to other pieces exemplifying the embrace of lovers in such contrasting expressions. Constantin Brancusi’s “The Kiss”, a limestone statue in the pure, cubic form of a couple morphed together, is one such work.

An interesting aspect about art is that you can look at a painting — even knowing that someone like Klimt’s inspiration comes from Egyptian, Byzantine and Minoan influences — and recognize other elements that add to its interest. For instance, the Art Nouveau attributes that were popular in 1900s Vienna and the impact of Japanese prints, illuminated manuscripts and the modernist style can be recognized in Klimt’s pieces I can see the gentle intimacy of two people alone in the world, the quietness of comfort, the conception of simultaneous delight, rapture and the weight of such a relationship. However, some also see abandonment or possible resignation in the woman’s face — which is possible with her unusual expression — but with her hand on his, I think it’s more about privacy. And, there are so many interpretations beyond this that merit consideration.

Contact Abby Komiske at

Student shares the memories of her experience in France SOFIA BAZANT Staff Writer

Three years ago today, I was a junior in high school living as a study abroad student in France. It was one of the most enriching experiences of my life.

It all began on Friday, Sept. 5, 2018, when I arrived in Paris for my study abroad orientation. I ate dinner in a hostel cafeteria with 300 other exchange students waiting to depart to our new French homes the following morning. Students from around the world sat dispersed among tables, connecting through broken French and bits of other languages. The air was palpable with nervous excitement as we all imagined the adventures that waited for us just around the corner.

Soon enough I was touring Le CateauCambrésis, a modest countryside town in Northeastern France, home to the Matisse museum.

My host parents welcomed me to the quiet center of their traditional red-brick village, while my two and three-year-old host sisters spoke excitedly over one another. My bedroom window overlooked an abandoned bed-and-breakfast with chipped pearl shutters, among the closely-packed buildings that evoked a city. Little did I know, these people would become my second family and the house my second home.

My year abroad exposed me to a level of independence I had never experienced — my host parents encouraged me to be proactive and responsible on my own accord.

On my first day of school — less than 48 hours after my arrival in France — I walked up the stairs by the iron gates of my school with no instructions other than to go to the front desk. After about four words, the woman at the desk exclaimed that I was “l’américaine” and sent me off with a classmate. I embraced this independence every day by exploring my town on my own and working hard in my classes.

I completely immersed myself completely in the language and culture. Everyone

seemed to want to help me improve my French — during my first week, the baker at the local boulangerie said “une” with a smile when I ordered “un baguette”; my host family sparked intellectual conversations that would broaden my knowledge and language skills; we discussed our days at dinner and conversed about topics ranging from politics to pop culture.

I carefully documented all memories and relationships from the year through photos and routine journal entries that I still possess.

Sofia Bazant poses for a picture in a city square in Paris, France as a foreign exchange student while still in high school.

They are filled with photos of each vibrant sunset, from my house on the hill to photos of croissants I got for less than a euro during my 15-minute school breaks and everything in between. My photos were a way of slowing down and appreciating the little things in life.

My classmates became my best friends.

I spent every class period with the same twenty students who shared a specialization for the baccalaureat, a French college entrance exam. At the end of the year, my friends made me a scrapbook of photos with goodbye notes that I keep in my room as a reminder of the beautiful relationships and memories that I’ll always cherish.

I also created my own elaborate photo album for my host family as a goodbye gift.

Inside, I glued hundreds of photos from our activities, such as cooking new recipes together, playing board games in the house and traveling around France.

Reflecting on this time brings me unparalleled joy because I am unbelievably thankful for the experiences and relationships that brought me such an excitingly tumultuous year of memories.

While I would need far more than a few short paragraphs to describe all that I gained in my time abroad, I feel that no amount of words could truly do justice to all that gained that year.

I hope that I will soon return to the people that made my junior year so wonderful and to the country that made it all happen.

Life | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | Page 15

Exploring the musical career of MGMT Follow psychedelic pop group MGMT's journey in the music industry MARYAM KHANUM Opinion Editor Most people recognize the band MGMT from three iconic singles: “Kids”, “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel". While each of these songs was undoubtedly unique in their era and played a major role in creating the brand of psychedelic indie pop we are so familiar with today, these songs were never what MGMT set out to create. And yet, they still struck gold with the release of the initial album. “Oracular Spectacular” is MGMT’s highest-grossing album of all time, selling 17,000 copies per week at its peak and two million in total. However, it almost represented gentrification of the individualistic, absurdist music that brought the band together in the first place.

MGMT’s story is about two college students — Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden — both studying at Wesleyan University. They connected over a mutual love for absurdist music and a mutual disdain for what they saw as the pop industry machine. Their band’s original name, “The Management”, was a nod towards their contempt for the way the pop music industry was run and the people behind the machine.

In fact, their first two songs “Kids” and “Time

to Pretend” were written as a satire on modern pop and were performed at college parties around campus as a joke alongside a 45-minute long cover of the Ghostbusters theme song. However, the traction these songs gained around campus encouraged the pair to release their first ever EP, “Time To Pretend”. MGMT was never intended to be a lasting arrangement and definitely would not have been if its EP hadn’t been picked up by Columbia Records, with whom the boys recorded “Oracular Spectacular”.

The rest was history. “Oracular Spectacular” became a massive success, with the three singles as its highest-grossing crown jewels. They were reimagined to contain even more of a pop-music feel for the studio debut. For example, the tempo in “Time To Pretend” was raised to match ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”. MGMT began to represent the kind of sound Andrew and Ben had made fun of and lost the feel of the psychedelic music they set out to create. The three singles heavily overshadowed the rest of their album, including tracks that were more representative of their true neopsychedelic style. The duo is now associated with parodies, and they had almost become the subject of this initial caricature.

Disillusioned with their own image, Andrew and Ben headed back into the studio to create a new anthology that would exhibit their true style.

They made their second studio album, “Congratulations”, and traveled further in this direction with their third studio album, “MGMT”, released in 2013. Each of these featured a display of the more psychedelic, dark-synth pop style Andrew and Ben had always wanted to pursue.

Critics described it as “weird” and “awkward”, and it didn’t come anywhere near the success “Oracular Spectacular” had.

Despite the underwhelming reception received by these two albums, I personally loved the new direction the duo decided to take. The group combined a number of musical elements that just barely work with one another in order to create a sound that somehow works. However, the lack of success these albums saw was disheartening, and MGMT went on a hiatus for almost four years following the release.

After their hiatus, they began to work on their most recent album, “Little Dark Age” (LDA), in the spring of 2016. This was unlike anything they’d made before — its creation over the course of 2016 and 2017 coincided with major political

Students discuss recent events in music A combination of events in the music industry leave much to be analyzed ADAM COIL & BRODY LEO Life Editor & Contributing Writer

A lot has happened this week in the music world, so we thought it might be a good idea to take a pause and reflect on everything that transpired.

Kanye's social media presence Brody: Kanye West’s long period of social media silence after his failed presidential campaign showed that there truly was something missing from my life. I turned on Instagram post notifications for West, at most, exciting an occasional Sunday Service or a cryptic album promotion.

Now, I get more notifications from Kanye’s Instagram than anyone else, though that might just be a testament to how dry my phone is.

Regardless of this fact, any new post from West never fails to liven up my day. Whether he’s posting a poorly cropped picture of Pete Davidson (a.k.a "Skete"), putting a teenager’s hate comment on blast or talking about “God’s plan” to reunite him with Kim Kardashian, there is something new to enjoy every day. In all seriousness, though, I hope he does figure out his breakup with Kardashian. Right now, this feels like the world’s largest divorce, and all of us are just the kids stuck in the middle trying to figure it all out.

Adam: While I understand that West’s social media antics can be amusing, the situation of Kanye is, at best, a matter of ignorance and, at worst, deliberate abuse of power. West is easily one of the most influential artists of this generation — with a ginormous following — which means that it is his responsibility to evaluate the repercussions of his actions. Of course, spontaneity is something that has helped to propel West’s career, but now he needs to realize just how bad this could get.

Like Kardashian said in a text that West later reposted (and then deleted) to his Instagram,

someone could get seriously hurt from all of this. The situation feels somewhat reminiscent of the January 6th capitol insurrection — larger-than-life figures weaponizing their base to attack an entity they feel has wronged them. As someone who has been something of a pioneer in the discourse surrounding mental health, it feels exceptionally irresponsible for West to act this way. The message he’s sending to his impressionable base is that being belligerent and erratic is okay so long as you use your mental health struggles as an excuse. Or so long as you're famous.

Black Country, New Road's sophomore LP

more skeptical here. I did give it a fair listen, though, and I completely understand the hype.

Black Country, New Road has an amazing ability to borrow effective elements of mainstream alternative rock while also offering a fair deal of unique experimentation. The group’s melodies are catchy and colorful but far from shallow.

Beneath each infectious dominant chord progression, there are intricate sublayers of acoustic strings, horns and percussion. Because of this, it’s both an enjoyable first listen and a project to which you just want to keep coming back.

Super Bowl halftime show

Brody: A stage shared by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Adam: Mary J. Blige, Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick There is a lot to love about Black Country, freaking Lamar?! Seriously, for someone who New Road’s recent album, “Ants From Up grew up on those artists, there was nothing There”. As someone who wasn’t really into their debut LP, “For the first time”, I must admit more for which I could ask. First of all, I absothat I was initially apathetic to this release until lutely loved the setlist — seamlessly mixed by the consistent praise from various influencers Dre — which jumped from East Coast to West in the music community pushed me to listen Coast, old school to new school.

Of course, I’m disappointed that Lamar closer and reevaluate. Something that has really didn’t get more airtime and that he didn't finish grown on me after a third and fourth listen is his performance by announcing a new album how much Isaac Wood brings to the project — there is no one more starved for new Lamar with his vocals. His voice is dynamic, poignant than me.

But honestly, after this long without and easy to empathize with — you can espeseeing Lamar, I can’t be too upset. I loved that he cially feel the strain of his voice in the chorus started his performance off with the “m.A.A.d. of “Chaos Space Marine” when he sings, “So city” intro, and the impressive camera work on I’m leaving this body / And I’m never coming “Alright” made the performance look more like home again, yeah.” Black Country, New Road’s a music video than a halftime show. lyrical talent is on full display on tracks such as I really was hoping that West would come “Basketball Shoes” and “Concorde”, where the out of the stands and deliver some sort of 2009 sporadic, passionate verses remind me of Will VMAs type stunt, but alas.

Toledo and Alex G. “Ants From Up There” is Adam: perplexing and impressive because it allows itI have two questions: what was Eminem doself to be loose and upbeat while simultaneous- ing there? That was a mood killer, to be honest. ly capturing the anxiety and despair of failing Aso, why didn’t Anderson .Paak get in on the relationships and the instability of becoming an action? I will admit he did look pretty cool on adult. the drums, though.

Brody: Adam will eat up anything that has a high Contact Adam Coil and Brody Leo at score from Anthony Fantano, so I was a little coilat21@wfu.edu and leomb21@wfu.edu

shifts, including the election of former President Donald Trump which inspired the album. LDA not only represented MGMT's attempts to marry their authentic, unconventional sound with the kaleidoscopic pop motif that made them so popular — it also symbolized their return to centering performance art in their craft. It has something for everyone, with tracks like “Me and Michael” that appeal to the audience expecting more of an 80s dance-pop vibe or songs like “Days That Got Away” geared towards the audience with a preference for absurdism.

LDA was hugely successful. It peaked at #35 on Billboard 200 and passed 100 million streams on Spotify. Many critics saw it as a return to the same style as “Oracular Spectacular”, others saw it as dramatically different from anything MGMT had released before. Having just passed its four-year anniversary, it is still unclear as to whether LDA really was the band's final album.

However, as an album, it represents the growth experienced by MGMT as artists and their struggle to find their niche in the music industry.

Contact Maryam Khanum at khanmg20@wfu.edu

THE HOT LIST "TOP 10 ACC TEAMS THAT I HATE"

BY ESSEX THAYER

1.

Duke

2.

Clemson

3.

Notre Dame

4.

North Carolina

5.

NC State

6.

Florida State

7.

Pitt

8.

Louisville

9.

Miami

10.

Virginia Tech

Page 16 | Thursday, February 17, 2022

Old Gold & Black | Life

QUYNH VU LIFE THROUGH THE LENS As a visual artist and person of color, I often joke about the stereotype that is BIPOC artists who only create heavily politicized art that depicts an angry, anti-West attitude. That stereotype depicts ours as the kind of radical, ultra-leftist art that criminalizes whiteness and victimizes the BIPOC identity by hitting on certain themes such as imperialism, westernization, colonization and more.

I believe that I can safely say that many artists of color face the fear of being categorized as this kind of artist. Unfortunately, BIPOC artists are given the involuntary responsibility of representation. To exist as an artist of color in a Western-centric art world, there is an implicit obligation to create politicized work about identity in order to be legitimized and noticed.

Our work, no matter what it is, often becomes diminished to a representation of our identity that is superficially interpreted based on white experiences and white logic. Our attempts to present ourselves as complex individuals are thus prohibited by this reductive logic.

The 2008 book “White Logic, White Methods: Racism and Methodology” is a collection of essays that address white logic — specifically in the fields of social science. The essays elaborate on how social scientists’ adherence to white common-sense influences how certain data and issues are studied, framed and analyzed. As a result, the research presented comes from a restricted understanding of the true complexities of racial matters. The book calls for a total overhaul of current social research practices and more of an effort towards a more multicultural approach.

Though this book speaks for practices within social sciences only, it is heavily applicable to the art world as well. Art history is organized from a Western-centric perspective. Total self-expression through abstract painting was invented in the United States by Jackson Pollock. Black artists are ambassadors for the Civil Rights Movement. Aboriginal artists physically manifest the height of spirituality onto the canvas. Whiteness has always been the dominant culture and art will continue to be interpreted by its limited perspective.

The New York-based artist, Jayson Musson, addresses this issue in a satirical comedic video he filmed entitled “How To Be a Successful Black Artist”. In this nearly 9-minute-long video, he embodies his fictional persona, Hennessy Youngman and gives his Black audience a list of actions they could take in order to be successful in the art world. In the video, he lists things such

Photo courtesy of Quynh Vu

Quynh Vu, “Portrait of Childhood Friend Who I Don’t Talk to Anymore” (2022)

as building and maintaining an angry exterior by watching violent footage of racist acts, exotifying/othering yourself, inventing pseudo-scholarly terms such as “post-Black” and relying on slavery for content.

If I want to escape this fear of categorization so badly, then why do I keep focusing on diasporic content? There is a reason why so many artists continue to create work that consequently lands them in this category. Being a person of color in the West is too complex not to talk about. It is a kind of existence that naturally produces confusing and exhausting questions about

Photo courtesy of Quynh Vu

identity. It is not a means of dwelling on the negatives of the It felt almost redundant to write about my work as if my work past but an attempt to understand how and why my identity is is something that I make primarily for myself. Maybe this is just largely shaped by the consequences of both historical and con- an elaborate journal entry full of organized venting. However, I am considering the possibility that it may serve as a statement temporary globalism.

I often say that this is the type of content that “white people defending my work for white people or even for the editor himeat up.” Their exposure to this type of work is a means for them self.

Truthfully, every artist’s work pertains to their identity. As peoto soothe their white guilt and prove their wokeness. It’s the ple, everything we do is a symbol of our identity. How we choose kind of work that sells.

I usually feel guilty when I create a work that is not political. to dress, eat, walk and wipe our butt. But as people of color, our It feels almost shameful when I create a piece where the goal is bodies are already so politicized that everything we create and do solely to explore mark-making or the nature of a particular me- automatically has preconceived meanings shaped by white logic. dium. If I cannot justify a work using politics and theory, then So, we must stop relying on these white perceptions to be the it is not worth creating or displaying. At the same time, I feel default of how our art and ourselves will be received.

For my upcoming solo show in the spring of 2022, I will foproud when a work has nothing to do with politics of identity, saying to myself, “Hey, I can be like white people too.” Ironi- cus on the two largest components of my childhood, which are cally, creating unpolitical work about nothing at all feels like dry-cleaning and Catholicism. I spent nearly every day of my a rebellion against dominant white culture. Simultaneously, I childhood alongside my parents in their dry-cleaning business. again feel guilty when creating work that does tackle these is- The only day that I wasn’t there was on Sundays when the busisues of identity. It results in feeling like a sell-out and that my ness closed, and we went as a family to attend mass at the nearby work is too predictable. It creates a crisis of self-fetishization and Roman Catholic church. Through my work, I will attempt to sacralize dry cleaning objects and address the invisibility of blueself-exploitation.

All of these feelings are a result of letting white opinions de- collared labor. termine validity. Our identities as BIPOC in the West are complex, but it is a matter of trying to convince white people of that.

I was asked by one of the Life editors in an email to write an article about my work. In the email, the first article for “Life Through the Lens” was linked. Admittedly, I was disappointed to discover that this particular article dealt with the frustrations of being a person of color in a predominately white environment. This topic was consistently reflected upon throughout other articles for the column. I felt that the opportunity to write this article was yet another way that I have been viewed as an angry representative of the Asian American identity.

While writing this article, I was confused about who I was writing for. I am not much of a writer; hence why I make images. So, I attempted to answer my question by understanding who I make art for. The large majority of my work does critically investigate the Vietnamese-American diaspora by reckoning with transnationalism, the residual effects of French imperialism, and the general existence of Asian-Americans in the West.

Investigating these topics helps to provide insight into my diaPhoto courtesy of Quynh Vu sporic experiences. It works as an attempt to form a concrete Quynh Vu, “Laugh Now Cry Later” (2021) idea of who Quynh Vu is. My work is specific to my individual self only. If I am representing a particular group of people, then Contact Quynh Vu at vuqt18@wfu.edu or visit https://quynh.art that is an unintentional side effect.