THE FIGHT FOR FALL BY NIKOLAI MATHER

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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE Avenue corridors and Monroe Road/Eastover corridors.

“They’re going, ‘Oh no, we don’t want those kind of people walking around our neighborhood,’” Allen said. “I’m like, ‘Those kind of people are already walking around your neighborhood. Those kind of people are your clients. They’re the people that are coming into your retail establishments.’ If it just happened once it wouldn’t be bothering me so much, but I’ve been turned down by five, or six at this point just because they don’t want our kind. You wouldn’t think that you’d be up against that stigma these days.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that needle exchange programs do not increase drug consumption, and participants are more likely to enter drug treatment programs and stop injecting drugs. However, beliefs about enabling drug use still hold many programs back.

Also, people around the country have voiced other issues with the exchanges. Public concerns about discarded used needles were one factor that led to Madison County, Indiana’s syringe exchange program being shut down in 2017 after two years in operation. The program, run by the county health department, had been created in response to a 30% rise in viral hepatitis cases in 2015. A year later, county commissioners there agreed unanimously to reopen a modified version of the program, which is now run by a nonprofit similar to CPS rather than the county.

On average, Queen City Needle Exchange sees a 45% return rate for its syringes.

Locally, getting county support has never been an issue. Experts know the benefits of a syringe exchange program, and they’ve been more than supportive. In other spaces, though, it can be harder to convince people.

“With our public health partners, there’s really never been an issue,” Allen said. “The [Mecklenburg County] health department has been on board from day one; they get it. They see the rising HIV and Hep C rates, they see the overdoses. MEDIC sees the overdose rates and they want to get that down, they’re a huge supporter. There are a lot of people who work in public health and emergency services that have gotten this all along.

“It’s the community, some of the landlords out there,” she continued. “A lot of the elected officials in Mecklenburg County get it, but we still have huge hurdles to go through in some of our more rural counties we serve where the elected officials are not on board with this. And it doesn’t matter that it’s legal, they don’t want to do it.”

Allen said she’s received great feedback since sending the letter out, and is currently in conversation with one landlord who is in the process of buying a property in the Eastway Drive/Central Avenue area so that she can rent it for a few years and buy it when things become more stable.

The group hopes to host a soft re-opening of its Carolinas CARE site in June, though staff members are constantly discussing how they can do that safely, be it through curbside service or by appointment only.

In the meantime, Kestner and Ayers will continue hitting the road each week to provide participants with life-saving services, because they don’t see any alternative.

“You’ve got a national public health crisis, which still looms, and a pandemic on top of that, which is only going to exacerbate these things,” Kestner said. Her passion for the program and its benefits projected through the phone anytime she spoke about the stigma surrounding needle exchanges.

“The hope that we had for community members for the things that they would be receiving from [the wellness center], especially during a time of such disconnection, to see the stigma and discrimination that we experienced was just the most horrific thing. For a person’s arrogance and ideology to be powerful enough to assume what’s best for a community and a person’s needs, it just triggers every nerve in my body.”

For Kestner and her fellow staff members, it’s the difference between life-and-death, and never more so than now. RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM HOPE CHAPEL IS A QCNE SATELLITE SITE. PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

FIGHT FOR THE FALL UNC Charlotte schedule change sparks backlash

BY NIKOLAI MATHER

UNC Charlotte looks to be going forward with a new fall semester schedule despite backlash from its student body.

On May 4, Chancellor Philip Dubois announced that the Fall 2020 semester will begin on Labor Day, Sept. 7, two weeks after the planned start date of Aug. 24. Dubois instated the delay to “allow additional time” between Charlotte and Mecklenburg County’s predicted peaks for coronavirus and the beginning of the semester.

“The health of our students and employees, especially those who may be at higher risk, is our top priority in making this decision,” he stated in the announcement.

The Fall 2020 schedule also omits vacation days for fall break and Thanksgiving Eve, while moving the final exam period back to Dec. 17-23, which many students took issue with.

The backlash was so great that the UNC Charlotte Student Government Association (SGA) released a statement on May 11 addressing these complaints.

“We want to assure you that we hear your questions and concerns and are working diligently to provide answers for you,” the statement read.

SGA encouraged students to continue voicing their concerns and assured them that it would “continue to advocate on behalf of [students].”

On May 12, SGA passed the 2020 Break Act, which formally stated that the Student Senate branch of SGA opposed the new fall semester schedule plans. The text cited the more flexible plans implemented by 16 different universities across the country, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which will resume class as quickly as possible “with no disruptions” to student breaks.

The Senate pointed out that, like Charlotte, Milwaukee will host a major national convention this fall, though it’s still unclear what that will look like at this point.

The Senate also added that Thanksgiving and fall breaks are “essential” to students’ mental health and well-being. “Numerous studies have shown a direct correlation between academic success and adequate time to rest,” it stated.

SGA convened a special meeting with Provost Joan Lorden on May 12 in order to voice their concerns and clarify further information about the proposed fall semester schedule.

During the meeting, UNC Charlotte officials named several factors in the decision-making process, including a “grace period” for faculty to plan hybrid and online classes, the long-term planning for normal spring and summer semesters, and the evasion of the projected coronavirus peak.

In a statement released on May 13, SGA thanked Lorden for the meeting, but reaffirmed their criticism.

“While we respect the decision made that the Fall 2020 schedule will remain, it is the belief of the Student Government Association that students would better benefit from keeping their breaks as we feel these breaks directly contribute to the well-being of our students’ mental and academic health.”

SGA also advocated for online final exams in hopes that they would offer more flexibility for students traveling for the holidays, as well as more transparency in the decision-making process.

Lorden and other UNC Charlotte officials will take it under consideration. As Dubois stated in the May 4 announcement, “We must be responsible about balancing the return to classrooms, offices, and residence halls with the health and safety of Niner Nation and the uncertainty this pandemic poses.”

A survey done by the UNC Charlotte chapter of the American Association of University Professors asked 162 faculty members how they’d like to see classes carried out in fall, with 65.4% of respondents saying they’d prefer online-only, and 25.3% responding hybrid. Less than 10% would like to see a full return to traditional, on-campus learning.

The decision on the UNC Charlotte fall semester schedule will be finalized on May 29.

As for other higher education institutions in the area, Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), students have already begun to trickle back onto campus, as some health career and commercial driver’s license students have resumed face-to-face instruction. Like most institutions around the country, CPCC transitioned to online learning in March.

Queens University of Charlotte President Daniel Lugo released a statement on May 13 stating that the university is “actively planning for students to return to residence halls and in-person learning” in the fall, though how that will look has not yet been announced.

Johnson C. Smith University has not yet announced its plans for the fall semester, though the in-person graduation ceremony scheduled for May 17 was rescheduled to Oct. 28, as part of the stillscheduled homecoming festivities that week. INFO@QCNERVE.COM

CRUISE CONTROL Goodyear steps on the gas with Joyride

BY PAT MORAN

Pg. 10 MAY 20 - JUNE 2, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM AMY HERMAN

From the 1946 R&B tune “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” to the Fast & Furious film franchise of today, the car has become central to American mythology, symbolizing everything from freedom to gridlock. Even with traffic jams eerily absent from Charlotte’s streets, the car is still ubiquitous as oxygen — or at least carbon monoxide belching from tailpipes. So, when the Goodyear Arts collective was looking for a way to shift from virtual programming to safe inperson experiences, they turned to the all-American automobile for their latest event, Joyride.

On the evening of June 6, audience members will cruise through Camp North End’s sprawling warren of streets, encountering dance pieces, poetry readings, live music, theater performances and films projected on warehouse walls — all from the comfort and safety of their cars.

Goodyear Arts co-director Amy Herman says the drive-by art show is a practical means to re-establish the face-toface connection between artist and audience that only live interaction can bring. Any thematic connection between the site-specific performances and installations at the 76-acre campus Goodyear Arts calls home and automotive symbolism is purely coincidental. Even Camp North End’s history as a Ford motor plant never entered the event planners’ minds, she offers.

That said, each of Joyride’s exhibits and performances has been designed to be seen and experienced from behind a windshield — or the window of your choice.

It’s a lot of direction to give to a mobile audience. And as is often the case with directions, there’s always the chance that some won’t follow the rules, Herman adds, laughing. As drivers navigate through the former industrial complex, they might encounter pieces not to their taste, but skipping any presentation simply won’t be an option.

“We’re saying, ‘You’re going to see all of it,’” Herman says. “So, buckle up.”

Herman and Jedrzejewski say it should take a car approximately one hour to complete the circuit. Patrons must stay in their cars and there will be no bathroom breaks, as there are no public restrooms in the complex.

Joyride was conceived as a kind of capstone to Goodyear Art’s spring fundraiser, a perk for supporters. Interested parties must first go to the collective’s website and make a donation.

“On June 1, we will email everyone who has made a donation of $25 or more, and we’ll send a link to register for Joyride,” Jedrzejewski offers.

Attendance to Joyride is optional, of course, and all proceeds support Goodyear Arts and their future work.

So, what’s in store for those who choose to strap in and hit the Goodyear Arts highway?

Performances are designed to take full advantage of the car-bound audience and camp North End’s geography.

Musicians JM Askew and Casey Malone will perform a composition to play from stereos in two cars. One CD with half the music will emanate from the left car, and another CD will be played from the car on the right.

“It’s sort of like that Flaming Lips Zaireeka album,” Askew offers.

Experimental theatre troupe XOXO are creating a series of looped solo performances JOY DAVIS AND ERIC MULLIS PERFORMING ‘LAND OF NOD.’ P H O T O BY LY D I A B I T T E R- B A I R D PHOTO BY AMY HERMAN

that will be scattered throughout the maze-like grounds of the campus.

“It’s sort of ambient action that folks will see as they drive through the experience,” says troupe founder and artistic director Matt Cosper.

Joyride is a practice lap of sorts for XOXO, as it will inform their other new pivot project: LawnCare, set to launch at the end of May.

For LawnCare, the Exxos will bring the show to the audience, setting up in the viewers’ lawn to dance to medieval religious songs, perform a wacked-out puppet show, Jell-O wrestle with their demons, and whatever else they can come up with that fits in with social-distancing guidelines.

According to Cosper, dire times call for creative measures.

“I don’t see the effects of the crisis receding in the near future, and theaters and other performance venues are going to be hard,” he told Queen City Nerve. “It’s going to be important to be agile, imaginative, and to focus on fundamentals.

“I think the question we have to ask is: At its most essential, what is theatre? What do we absolutely need to do in order to serve our audiences? And then we do that,” he continued, before adding, “It’s probably not a great time to be a careerist in this sector, but artists are needed now more than ever.”

For other artists, Joyride offers the opportunity to stretch out and step outside their chosen disciplines.

Sculptor and designer Matthew Steele is putting the finishing touches on an animated film that will phones. The guided tour will provide directions while supplying the audience with information about the pieces that they’re seeing.

“These are works that either have been adapted or created for this specific viewing experience through the car,” Herman says. “Even the shape for the car audience is something that we have to think about. Are the windows meant to be open? Are they meant to be closed?”

Joyride’s genesis stems from conversations between Herman and Susan Jedrzejewski, director of residencies and programs at Goodyear Arts. The two women were lamenting their inability to see, do and experience events in person. All day they felt shackled to their computer screens while they worked at home, only to turn to their TV screens for entertainment at night. They yearned for real-life experiences.

Then they brainstormed with Charlotte musician Dylan Gilbert, and the basic premise of interacting with the arts in cars was born.

“What’s great about Goodyear is that we’re multi-disciplinary and that we present work from movement-based, literary, visual and performance art,” Jedrzejewski offers “This event will include all of those disciplines.”

Goodyear’s innovative approach to presenting art has posed some logistical challenges, chiefly how to move cars throughout the complex, how to space groups of vehicles so they don’t create a traffic jam, and how to time each group’s park-and-stop viewing with each artist’s performance and display.

The audience will be guided along a pre-set course through an audio presentation they can play on their

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ARTS FEATURE be projected onto to large wall. The screening will be accompanied by an original score composed by Ben Geller, principle violist of the Charlotte Symphony.

“Pushing ourselves beyond the scope of our traditional work, we are both taking this opportunity to try something new,” Steele offers.

Eric Mullis will revisit a piece he began developing before the onslaught of COVID-19. With his fiancé Joy Davis he will perform a duet from his evening-length dance theatre piece “The Land of Nod,” which also features original music. He’s utilizing a follow-spot that will cast the dancers’ giant shadows on a brick wall as they perform.

“The work has been interrupted, and Joyride presents a unique opportunity to rethink the duet,” Mullis says.

Amy Bagwell and de’Angelo Dia will each bring distinct approaches to poetry readings. Bagwell promises to read what she calls “some frighteningly recent poems,” possibly through a megaphone.

“I like to push myself and surprise people,” she says. “Nobody expects me to be surprising. That’s my only superpower.”

Dia will explore the metaphor of life as a pandemic before the advent of COVID-19.

“The murder of Ahmaud Arbery is just one of many tragic situations to highlight this ongoing pandemic of being Black in America,” he offers. Renee Cloud will be contributing text pieces drawn from her Shiny Language Project, which was funded through the Knight Foundation’s Celebrate Charlotte Arts Grant. The presentation includes handembroidered 16-inch sequined letters that will spell out comments collected from the internet, Cloud explains. Amy Bagwell’s husband Brent plays saxophone alongside drummer Seth Nanaa as part of experimental jazz duo Ghost Trees. Brent says he’s grateful for the opportunity to play in front of a live audience again. The band is eager to work on their new music, an album’s worth of new and unrecorded material that the duo will adapt to fit the needs of Joyride. Even with the restrictions of time and distance, Brent Bagwell feels the event will be far superior — for both musicians and audiences — to streaming concerts offered on social media. “Jazz has always been best live and inperson, so it’s particularly ill-suited to laggy streams and 2D images,” he maintains. “Here we are trying to figure out how to have a live event again and I couldn’t be more excited about Ghost Trees being able to pitch in.”

It is this aspect — bridging the gap from virtual events to live ones — that has many of Joyride’s participants enthused.

Fellow musician Askew asserts that the physical space occupied by artwork is crucial to the arts experience.

Steele also welcomes the opportunity to bring his work out of the virtual sphere and into real space.

“During this time, there are limited opportunities for artists to present their work beyond the screen,” Steele offers. Joyride not only changes the way artists think about presenting their work, it’s also challenging organizations to bring art to the community in a new and novel way, he adds.

Mullis also praises the event for giving people a safe alternative to laptop-mediated art. Joyride will maintain a physical distance between audience and performer, but everyone will be in the same place, he maintains.

“That is necessary right now,” Mullis says.

While Amy Bagwell appreciates efforts to share art through the internet, she also finds virtual events lacking. Citing the definition of virtual as “almost or nearly as described,” she believes Joyride is needed to break the present mold.

“It’s a great trailblazer in terms of how to provide literature and art and performance for audiences without sacrificing safety, quality, or immediacy,” she says.

Herman also focuses on Joyride’s trailblazing aspect. Taking part in virtual events is all well and good, she maintains, but it is not experiencing life.

“We’re in this for the long haul,” she continues.

Herman is convinced that the type of events that Goodyear hosted in the past, shows attracting audiences of 50 people or more, are not coming back anytime soon. At the same time, people desperately need to feel meaning and connection.

“We can’t wait until there’s a vaccine to have audiences again,” Herman says. “So, [we’re] pioneering what an art show looks like at this time.”

Goodyear Arts has always done things its own way, Jedrzejewski maintains. “We’re pushing ourselves to think differently about how we can still engage the community for rich arts experiences.”

Joyride can also offer hope for a way forward in a world transformed beyond anyone’s expectations, she continues.

Events like Joyride can imbue both the audience and artist with a renewed sense of wonder, adventure and community, Cosper believes.

“We have experienced worse,” Dia asserts. “The arts have always been an outlet for our pain, processing, and celebration. COVID can’t stop creativity.” PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM SUSAN JEDRZEJEWSKI XOXO AT CAMP NORTH END P H O T O BY LY D I A B I T T E R- B A I R D PHOTO BY JAYME JOHNSON