Red & Black
The Free
s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r o f w a s h i n g t o n a n d j e f f e r s o n c o l l e g e w j r e da n d b l ac k . c o m W a s h i n g t o n , P e n n s y lva n i a November 1, 2019
WHAT’S IN THIS WEEK’S PAPER... DIVERSITY “Recent political discourse has taken a turn away from policy that can affect people socially and economically, turning to identity politics instead.” -P.6
Women’s Soccer Dominates Tomcats PAGE 18
CULTURE
“Building a medieval society is hard. Building a functioning medieval society in a world plagued with needy peasants, Vikings, dragons, witches, wolves, and you as the leader of the people is surprisingly fun.” -P. 9
OPINIONS The average global temperature is linked directly to atmospheric carbon density. The more carbon there is in the atmosphere, the higher the average global temperature becomes.” -P.13
SPORTS “The Washington & Jefferson College women’s soccer team faced Thiel College on Oct. 23. Midfielder Lexey Finney ‘21 struck first to give the Presidents an early 1-0 lead.” -P.18
WJREDANDBLACK.COM
Courtesy Washjeff
2 Cartoon
Red & Black
1 November 2019
The Night of The Devilish Duo The Artist: Rémy Legrand ‘22 Red&Black Cartoonist
Courtesy Rémy Legrand
I am Rémy Legrand, an International student from France. I am currently a sophomore and I look forward to majoring in Political Science, International Studies, and Spanish. On top of that I am the Parliamentarian of SGA, The Vice President of the International Club and a member of ATO.
1 November 2019
Red & Black
Career Services: Merakey
3 Career Services
Career Services: Merakey Information Table Date: Time: Location:
Friday, November 1 11:00am - 2:00pm G&T’s Lobby
Stop by the information table, where Jared Hladycz & Tiffany Blotzer will presenting eployment opportunities with Merakey. Presented by Career Services.
Red & Black Established 1909 Editor-in-Chief Publication Manager Managing Editor Social Media Chair Campus News Editor Diversity Editor Culture Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Distribution Manager Copy Editor Copy Editor Adviser
Ricky Delprato Marcy Saldivar Brieanna Sutherland Juliana Kaldany Erin Herock Kelsey Julien Lauren Phillips Amanda FitzpatrickReily Oliverio Vinny Oricco Christian Buckley Will Tucker John Santa
4 CAMPUS NEWS
1 november 2019
Red & Black
Ashlynn Faulkner ‘20 Brie Sutherland Red & Black Managing Editor
Ashlynn Faulkner ’20 is a student from Brackenridge, Pa. that is graduating this upcoming spring. She is double majoring in psychology and English at Washington & Jefferson College. During her four years at W&J, she enjoyed the classes American Memoir and Criminal Psychopathology the most. Faulkner’s future plans include going to graduate school and then taking up a career in social work. When Faulkner is not in class, she is involved with one of her extracurricular actives on and off campus. She is a community outreach team leader and works with Habitat for Humanity Washington branch. She also works as an administrative assistant and recruits volunteers as a part of her work for the Outreach team. Faulkner is involved with Greek life as member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Within the sorority, she holds an executive position as the Vice President of Member Development. Faulkner writes for a blog called “Bring Your Own Dog (BYOD)”. She writes articles for the website of a doggie daycare. Faulkner is also a member of the Franklin Literacy Society on campus. Faulkner’s favorite W&J memory was meeting her favorite poet. To elaborate on this experience, Faulkner said, “My favorite college memory was when on of my favorite poets, Emilia Philips, came to read some of her poetry on campus.” Faulkner’s favorite type
of books to read are memoirs. In addition to reading, she also enjoys dancing and watching Criminal Minds. When she needs a break or a caffeine rush, she enjoys going for Dunkin’ runs with her friends. In the light of the season, Faulkner’s favorite kind of movies are horror movies as they “remind [her] of Halloween, and that is [her] favorite holiday.” Faulkner is preparing for her capstone presentation in English and a poster session in health psychology in the upcoming weeks. She is excited to be a graduting senior and is looking forward to what lies ahead in her last spring at W&J.
Red & Black Established 1909 Editor-in-Chief Publication Manager Managing Editor Social Media Chair Campus News Editor Life Editor Culture Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Business Manager Distribution Manager Adviser
Courtesy Ashlynn Faulkner
Faulkner ‘20 works for Habitat for Humanity in Washington.
Kayla Marasia Holly Sauer Hannah Kail Brie Sutherland Brianna Floryshak Brie Sutherland Christian Buckley Sydney Kightlinger Marcy Saldivar Hannah Kail Joe Reedy John Santa
1 november 2019
Red & Black
CAMPUS NEWS 5
Sports Club Spotlight: Equestrian Club Katelyn Walzer Red & Black Contributor
The equestrian club at Washington & Jefferson College is an exciting way to relieve some stress during the week and make new friends. The club has weekly group lessons at the home barn, and students do not need prior experience to join. Fallowfield Stables is a fifteen minute drive away in Charleroi, Pa. Students are able to choose between riding recreationally or joining the competitive show team. As a part of the recreational riding program, students are asked to go to the barn once a week and learn the basics performing several essential functions. These functions include grooming, tacking and simply riding the horse. The club also has a competitive show team at W&J and is part of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), where individuals compete against other colleges riding English Hunter Jumper Style. On weekends the team travels to other schools for horse shows and compete at their barns using their horses. Students must have confidence and skill to compete well on a horse they are unfamiliar with. This makes the experience challenging yet rewarding. Competition is based on a student’s skill level in different divisions and all the divisions make up a larger team. Although it is a team sport, students can also compete individually,
similar to wrestling. There is a total of ten shows spread out between the fall and spring season. If students do well enough in their division they can qualify to move on to regionals, zones, and potentially nationals. At these horse shows each rider, apart from less experienced divisions, competes in two “classes” or sections. The first class is called equitation and the second is over-fences. The equitation class is where students are with all the other riders in their division and are trying to look the best. To win or place high in the class, students have to have “good equitation”, meaning their heels need to be down, hands together, elbows bent, shoulders back, etc. The other class, over-fences, is where a pattern of jumps is given and they have to go through the pattern on their horse making it look as neat and collected as possible while maintaining good equitation. Though the concepts of good equitation are universal, the sport is objective to the judge which always impacts the results in both classes. Our club currently has fourteen recreational and five competitive riders. The club’s next show is November 9 at Stonegate Farms in Athens, Ohio. This will be the last show of the fall season until the spring season picks up again in February. If students are interested in riding on the equestrian team, they should stay updated by reading the Weekly in the beginning of spring semester for dates on spring semester placement rides. Make sure to also follow the club on Instagram to stay updated on their members, competitions, and other events.
Courtesy Katelyn Walzer
The Equestrian Club’s home barn is a fifteen minute drive away in Charleroi, Pa.
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DIVERSITY Red & Black
1 november 2019
The Benefits Of Being Exposed To Different Opinions Aaron Iwinski Red & Black Staff
Diversity of opinion is essential. Recent political discourse has taken a turn away from policy that can affect people socially and economically, turning to identity politics instead. Instead of debating the impacts of policy, people accuse their opposition of being morally inferior. In addition to driving division and ignorance, this change is detrimental to the progression of society and damages the capacity to compromise. Political parties have become “echo chambers,” and those with different viewpoints are immediately discredited not based on historical evidence, economic viability or social implications, but rather on the basis that the opposition is inhumane and seeks to do evil. However, a solution to this issue is to listen to
others and have friends with different views than your own. If you can acknowledge that who you are talking to is a human who seeks to do good but through a different path and who is educated and expressing what their life experiences have informed them as truth, then the path to understanding and compromise is more available. Politics and society are experiencing the decline of logos and the rise of ethos. How can you know what the other side’s point is if you do not listen? One of the main purposes of a debate is to identify problems or shortcomings with a political, belief or economic system. Every system has a downside or an issue that must be addressed in order to better society, and differing opinions point out the flaws in each ideology. Addressing and fixing these flaws will work to create a better society, and it is the opposition and challenge provided by differing opinions that lead to enlightenment. When asked about the importance of surrounding
oneself with people who think differently, Cody Yoder ’20 said, “Otherwise you will never know what anyone else thinks besides yourself. If you surround yourself by people who are likeminded, while it is nice, it will create an echo chamber where your opinions cannot be challenged, changed, or your mind expanded.” Similarly, Zach Platto ’20 said, “Yes, it is important.
Courtesy Inside Islam -University of Wisconsin-Madison
Not everyone you interact with will have the same opinion as you.
C ontac t
E ditorial P olicy The Red & Black is the official, registered student-produced newspaper of Washington & Jefferson College. It is published Fridays with the exception of exams and break periods. Editorials are based upon the opinion of the respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper, the
College or its students, faculty, or administration. The Red & Black welcomes all reader contributions, but reserves the right to reject letters of pure promotional nature, as well as letters which do not meet its standard of integrity, accuracy and decency. The Red & Black also reserves the right to edit submissions.
Otherwise, you cannot learn.” Diversity of opinion challenges, informs and enlightens people. True learning is only attainable by addressing the flaws of your own philosophy and understanding that the “enemy” is a friend with a different path to the same goal of a better world Diversity of thought is not only important but essential.
Letters are due on the Monday before publication and may not exceed 600 words. All letters must include the author’s name, campus box and telephone number. Names may be withheld upon request under certain conditions on rare occasions. All letters may be submitted to redandblackstaff@jay. washjeff.edu.
Telephone: FAX: E-mail: Mailing Address:
(724) 223-6049 (724) 503-1049 redandblackstaff@jay. washjeff.edu Red & Black 60 S. Lincoln St. Washington, PA 15301
1 november 2019
Red & Black
7 diversity
How The World Itself Is Changing Around Us
Courtesy The Enviornmental Times
Humans have a greater impact on the enviornment than they realize.
Kiley Miller Red & Black Contributor
It is not a mystery of why the world is changing. Many confounding variables are involved in the growth and change of this world. Scientists have accumulated a great deal of evidence on the issue of climate change. According to the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the measure of climate change depends on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally and the sensitivity of Earth’s
climate to the gas emissions. Humans have impacted and progressed the rate of climate change. Carbon monoxide and dioxide emissions from vehicles, planes, boats, industrial plants, and countless other human-made products have negatively impacted global emissions for a handful of centuries. Most of the heat given off by the sun is absorbed by greenhouse gases and radiated throughout the Earth. Growing seasons are lengthening due to the increase in heat-trapping gases. As these gases continue to increase, more frost-free growing seasons months will be added. Having warmer growing seasons seems beneficial for humans to harvest more crops; however, this reduces the nutrients of the soil as well as influences the ecosystems. Ecosystems are
equilibrated to the seasons— however, when a drastic change occurs like adding an extra month to the agricultural season, this creates a shift in the behaviors of organisms, like pollinators. Pollinators have adapted to the particular climate of when to pollinate versus when to hibernate. Any change to the environment causes enormous shifts in various niches. Organisms who are suited to a specific environment, which includes climate, sources of food, landscape, and many other constituting factors, are at risk of losing their homes and even lives. According to the Earth Science Communication Team Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, which exacerbates heat waves, is expected for much of the western
and central U.S. in summer. In other words, unless we change what we negatively contribute to the climate, the Earth will continue to be affected by gas emissions, resulting in temperature fluctuations. Do you believe it is too late to save the planet? Alondra Martinez ’21 responds with, “It’s not too late to recognize the damage we have done to the Earth. We can save the planet by being less wasteful. We should be more intentional when consuming products, while being more minimal. We should reduce our consumption to needs instead of being selfish to what’s convenient.” When asked the same question, Li’an Williams ’21 says, “I feel like it’s never too late to moderate your ways to become more conscientious but some things are not reversible.”
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Red & Black
1 november 2019
How The World Itself Is Changing Around Us
Courtesy Kiley Miller
Courtesy Kiley Miller
Students should be less wasteful with trash around campus and in the world.
Kiley Miller Red & Black Contributor
It is not a mystery of why the world is changing. Many confounding variables are involved in the growth and change of this world.Scientists have accumulated a great deal of evidence on the issue of climate change. According to the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the measure of climate change depends on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally and the sensitivity of Earth’s climate to the gas emissions. Humans have impacted and progressed the rate
of climate change. Carbon monoxide and dioxide emissions from vehicles, planes, boats, industrial plants, and countless other human-made products have negatively impacted global emissions for a handful of centuries. Most of the heat given off by the sun is absorbed by greenhouse gases and radiated throughout the Earth. Growing seasons are lengthening due to the increase in heat-trapping gases. As these gases continue to increase, more frost-free growing seasons months will be added. Having warmer growing seasons seems beneficial for humans to harvest more crops; however, this reduces the nutrients of the soil as well as influences the ecosystems. Ecosystems are equilibrated to the seasons— however, when a drastic change occurs like add-
ing an extra month to the agricultural season, this creates a shift in the behaviors of organisms, like pollinators. Pollinators have adapted to the particular climate of when to pollinate versus when to hibernate. Any change to the environment causes enormous shifts in various niches. Organisms who are suited to a specific environment, which includes climate, sources of food, landscape, and many other constituting factors, are at risk of losing their homes and even lives. According to the Earth Science Communication Team Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, which exacerbates heat waves, is expected for much of the western and central U.S. in summer.
In other words, unless we change what we negatively contribute to the climate, the Earth will continue to be affected by gas emissions, resulting in temperature fluctuations. Do you believe it is too late to save the planet? Alondra Martinez ’21 responds with, “It’s not too late to recognize the damage we have done to the Earth. We can save the planet by being less wasteful. We should be more intentional when consuming products, while being more minimal. We should reduce our consumption to needs instead of being selfish to what’s convenient.” When asked the same question, Li’an Williams ’21 says, “I feel like it’s never too late to moderate your ways to become more conscientious but some things are not reversible.”
1 November 2019
culture Red & Black
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Video Game Review: “Kingdoms and Castles” Aaron Iwinski Red & Black Staff
Building a society is hard. Building a medieval society is hard. Building a functioning medieval society in a world plagued with needy peasants, Vikings, dragons, witches, wolves, and you as the leader of the people is surprisingly fun. “Kingdoms and Castles” is a city-building and resource-management game where you assume the role of the aspiring king of a small kingdom. You start off with only your castle and 10 subjects. Through careful resource management, city planning and construction, your town grows so you can sustain more people. First, the Viking raids begin. They drive away visitors, steal money, and burn down the town. Then, the dragons come, burning and destroying every bit of town that you have not defended by an army. The wolf dens will kill your unguarded villagers as you attempt to expand. All of this occurs while you argue with your villagers over amenities. Some of the dialogue included in the game looks like: “My lord, the people are displeased an want a tavern to unwind in. My lord, the peo-
Courtesy Aaron Iwinski
A screenshot of gameplay from the video game “Kingdoms and Castles.”
ple are bored and want a church or a library. My lord, the people are filthy and need a bathhouse and a Noria and aqueducts. My lord, the tavern is overcrowded. My lord, the people are scared of the Viking raids. My lord, the library was burned down and the
people are quite unhappy.” Despite the simple graphics and simple grid-based building system the game utilizes, there are many problems the game will throw at you as you grow. The game is casual and designed for people who are looking for a relatively
calming game to help them unwind. The game is only $10, and it is worth buying. It is a good five to 10 hours of enjoyment and a good way to have a chuckle at the peasants demanding a bathhouse as they are carried off by Viking raiders.
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1 November 2019
Student Theatre Company’s “Night of Fright” Lauren Phillips Red & Black Staff
Halloween is always a great holiday for putting a spooky spin on activities and events around campus. Luckily, that is exactly what W&J’s Student Theatre Company has done this year! For the second year, students have solely produced an event by the name of “Night of Fright.” The premise is to bring together students with a passion for theater and to produce a montage of scary scenes from assorted plays and poems, many of which are also written by students. The scenes range from a chilling read-
ing of “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe to a comedic scene featuring the hilarious background of a serial killer among other various short works. Spanning about an hour, the show took place on October 29th, where the audience gathered to experience the madness and hilarity that ensued. Despite a wide range of pieces performed by the students, they are all connected by having different scary tones and dark themes that made it perfect for the fall season. One unique component to this production was the staging. Three quarter thrust stages are quite uncommon, allowing audience members to be placed around three sides of the actors and see much more of the action taking place. Following the spooky theme, this decision left actors to engage the audi-
ence with their enthralling poems and short readings. In addition to the staging, the show features the students utilizing scripts to aid in their performance. While this is certainly helpful, it adds an additional challenge for the actors and makes the emotion conveyed throughout the show feel well-received. “Student run theater at the college is in short supply, and opportunities like Night of Fright are great ways for students to work with fellow peers and learn more about theater. This year, we tried a thrust style staging, meaning actors had audience members on three sides of the stage. As directors, Rachel Doty and I felt that we wanted to give the actors the experience of this style of staging,” says Nathan Walter ’22. “This was my first time directing a show and
having Rachel there was a great learning experience, given she has a different theatre background than myself. I felt at the end, both the actors and directors put on a fantastic show that was a great experience for everyone. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Like Nathan, many students took advantage of the opportunity to work together to create the show in less than a month. By involving students and captivating the college community on the 29th of October, Night of Fright appears to be another successful production by the Student Theatre Company after taking place for the very first time just last year. Be sure to look out for their other events to enjoy student led theatre experiences that showcase the talent that these students at W&J have.
Movie Review: Mel Brooks’ Comedy, “Spaceballs” Aaron Iwinski Red & Black Staff
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness Princess Vespa, daughter of King Roland going right past the altar, heading down the ramp and out the door!” “Spaceballs,” the 1987 comedy directed by Mel Brooks, remains one of the funniest comedies to date and is one of the most enduring parodies of the science fiction genre. Mel Brooks is an American filmmaker who is quite popular for his comedic movies and television shows. “Spaceballs” is certainly one of Brooks’
most well known films, and Brooks even stars in the film himself as well as serving as a writer for the film. It’s fair to say that Brooks is talented in many of film domains. There are several plot lines at work, the first of which involves Lone Starr and his dog companion Barf in their flying Winnebago owing a lot of money to Pizza the Hutt. Meanwhile, planet Spaceball has exhausted all of its air supply, leaving citizens reliant on the canned air Perri-Air. In his desperation, President Skroob of planet Spaceball has ordered Dark Helmet to capture Princess Vespa of the planet Druidia and hold her hostage. In Lone Starr’s quest to get money to pay off his debt to Pizza, he manages
to pick up Princess Vespa and discover the magical power of the Shwartz, and he is trained by the wisest sage of the Schwartz, Yogurt. Most of the crew aboard Spaceball 1, the spaceship, have the surname of Asshole. Vespa’s robot companion Dot Matrix has a “virgin alarm.” The movie parodies many of the tropes that sci-fi relies on, though it falls a bit heavily on mocking Star Wars. Instead of the Death Star, Mega-Maid and her vacuum cleaner are built to suck all the air out of Planet Druidia. Darth Helmet is portrayed as a powerful but stereotypical nerd and the antagonist of the movie, although his role as antagonist does not lessen his comedic role. Critic Charles Webb
praised the movie and its parody of Star Wars. “The Star Wars spoof arrived four years after Jedi was on screens and there was a lull in all things Star Wars. Contrast that with today where any given week can bring news of a new game/toy/TV/novel/comic announcement,” said Webb. Critic Gene Siskel also admits that the humor of the film makes it an enjoyable viewing experience. “It`s a close call on recommending this movie, but ‘Spaceballs’’ does have some big laughs that are not to be missed,” said Siskel. “Spaceballs” is a good hour-and-ahalf laugh, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of science fiction so you can appreciate how silly the genre can be.
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This Week’s Story Corner: ‘My Dog Charlie’ Aaron Iwinski Red & Black Staff
My family has a habit of acquiring dogs. Standard poodles to be specific, since my sister has allergies, and poodles are hypoallergenic. They have hair instead of fur, so while they need to get their hair cut like humans, they don’t shed and are cleaner around the house. Anyway, my family likes to rescue poodles. We take in dogs that were abused, neglected or hurt, and rehabilitate them to being healthy. One of the most difficult cases was our dog Charlie. We received a call from a pet shelter and were told they had a dog they were told to put down. One of the Amish puppy mills had been using him to breed other dogs because he had a rare hair color. However, he had stopped breeding. They took him to the animal shelter, had him neutered, and asked them to put him down. The shelter called my father and asked us to take the dog away before they came back to verify that he was killed. We asked the shelter why they were having him put down. “Their religious views place dogs like . . . a carrot or a potato. It’s a thing that grows and makes them money. Do you cry when you cut into a potato? It’s the same to them.” We piled in the truck the next day and started driving. We showed up at the park near the animal shelter. We introduced ourselves and slowly introduced our other dogs to make sure
Courtesy Pixabay
Poodles are a popular dog breed that serve as great companions.
that everyone would get along. Charlie would back off and hide behind whatever he could when our other dogs got close, but he would slowly approach them after a while. One of the first things we noticed was that he was quite gross. He looked like his hair had never been cut a day
in his life and he was smelly. He also never barked or made any noise in the whole three hours we spent getting to know him. He was very gentle, but also quite scared. He moved away when people came near him if they were looking at him, and he was usually trying to hide from
other people if he could. It was sad, so we took him.We brought him home and cleaned him up and set up an appointment with our veterinarian to do a general health checkup. Continue story on page 12...
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Story Corner: ‘My Dog Charlie’ (Continued) Aaron Iwinski Red & Black Staff
His hair was long, his nails untrimmed, and he was smelly. Even after trimming him down for an hour and rinsing him three times, there was still new dirt to get washed off. The real problems arose when we tried to take him on a walk. Outside of the front door we have a short stone path to the driveway and a yard. He walked onto the stones, but when we walked onto the grass, he just sat down on the stones and refused to step on the grass. We called the animal shelter and asked them if they knew why Charlie didn’t like grass. We got an image of Charlie’s cell. It was a concrete floored cell with a drain in the middle. It was about three feet by five feet, and this was where he slept, ate, got hosed off, and was forced to breed. Charlie had never been on grass. When we asked about why he wouldn’t bark, the shelter suggested that he may have been “debarked.” Debarking is a process that is used by puppy mills to reduce sound. One of the most common methods is to slide a pipe down the dog’s throat and use a knife to cut their vocal cords. With the dog unable to bark, a larger number can be fit into a small area. My parents were devastated that Charlie had his voice taken from him, and they spent most of the day just petting Charlie on the day that news was received. When new people would come to visit, he would sit at the bottom of the stairs going down, so he could listen,
but also so he could be away from new people. If you threw a ball or a stick at him, he wouldn’t chase it, and he wouldn’t dare to step on the grass. All he had ever known were hard surfaces. He wouldn’t even rest on the dog beds around the house. Charlie was like that for a few months. But he slowly began to warm up to us. One of the biggest steps for him was when he finally stepped onto grass. My father was walking Charlie and I decided to come along. He dropped Charlie’s leash and sat in the grass, beckoning him to come. Charlie sat there for a moment and didn’t move a bit. Though after a little bit, he put one paw on the grass and
pulled it back, then he put it back and pulled it back. It was like a child testing the temperature of the water, and after he spent a minute putting each paw in the grass, he slowly trotted up to us and lied down in the grass. It was emotional. Even half a year after getting him, Charlie had still never made a sound. In the few times he got excited though, he would jump up and down and spin in little circles while his tail wagged, but he never did bark. We think it’s because he was still mentally in that small cell, where all his expression was limited to a small space. As happy as we are to see he’s happy, it still a little sad deep down. One day my father was doing work, and Charlie
slept under the desk my dad worked at. He placed a dog bed there for Charlie since he liked being near my dad. In his sleep, Charlie was moving his paws, until suddenly, he let out a little bark. My father was crying. He was so happy that Charlie could bark, and so were the rest of us. It’s been a long time since then. Charlie is still a quiet boy. He still jumps in little circles to show his excitement. He likes to sleep on the beds, though he loves getting pets and rubs more than anything else. Above all, he’s a very good dog, and to me, proof that things can get better no matter how bad the circumstances. Patience and love can change anything, from the most downtrodden dog to the mightiest man.
Courtesy Flickr
Poodles are a popular dog breed that serve as great companions.
1 November 2019
opinions Red & Black
Opinions 13
Twenty Million Trees Before 2020 Thomas Nicewicz Red & Black Contributor
Global warming’s effects have already started. The average global temperature is linked directly to atmospheric carbon density. The more carbon there is in the atmosphere, the higher the average global temperature becomes. Atmospheric carbon density naturally cycles between approximately 200 and 300 parts per million (ppm). That means for one million molecules of air, only about 200 to 300 are supposed to be molecules of carbon.
However, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the density has increased at a phenomenal rate. Today it is over 415 ppm. We, as a species, need to do our best to take care of our environment and suck out as much as of this excess carbon as we can from the atmosphere, returning carbon levels to the healthy dynamic equilibrium between around 200 and 300 ppm. Fortunately for us, biological carbon vacuum machines exist. You probably know them as trees. Contrary to popular belief, trees gain mass from carbon molecules present in the atmosphere, as opposed to the soil. They stock this carbon in their trunks and branches, effectively removing it from the atmosphere. The environmentally conscious YouTuber Mr. Beast recently hit the 20 million subscribers mark, and he is celebrating big. He teamed up with countless other YouTubers, such as
Mark Rober, Derek Muller from Veritasium, and Destin Sandlin from SmarterEveryDay, to launch the #teamtrees movement which aims to plant 20 million trees before 2020. Striking a deal with the Arbor Day Foundation, they agreed to plant one tree for every donated dollar; 1 dollar = 1 tree. You can donate at teamtrees. org. Understandably, this may not be feasible for a typical college student. Luckily, spreading the word is free of cost. Roper explains the project in more detail in his video “Using Drones to Plant 20,000,000 Trees.” Organizations, such as DroneSeed, are already planting trees with drones. Certain drones aerially scan the terrain. From this collected data, sophisticated algorithms determine optimal spots where to plant the seeds; then large autonomous drones drop seeds on these spots. This process spreads
C ontac t
E ditorial P olicy The Red & Black is the official, registered student-produced newspaper of Washington & Jefferson College. It is published Fridays with the exception of exams and break periods. Editorials are based upon the opinion of the respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper, the
College or its students, faculty, or administration. The Red & Black welcomes all reader contributions, but reserves the right to reject letters of pure promotional nature, as well as letters which do not meet its standard of integrity, accuracy and decency. The Red & Black also reserves the right to edit submissions.
seeds “6x times faster than a human tree-planter,” according to DroneSeed. Planting seeds, however, is only half of the battle. We must also do our best to conserve the trees that we still have. Unfortunately, with the massive forest fires currently roaring in California and the Amazon, we have much global forestry to recover. Next time you go to the store, consider setting aside a dollar or two for the #teamtrees movement. When asked about the team trees movement, Niko Roshetko 21’ said he would “consider helping the cause because it is important to save the planet, and one dollar is about the price of a candy bar.” If not, you can always tell others about it. By doing so, we can save our planet. Together we can let our political representatives understand that our generation truly cares about the environment, that we want humanity to remain on Earth for the long run.
Letters are due on the Monday before publication and may not exceed 600 words. All letters must include the author’s name, campus box and telephone number. Names may be withheld upon request under certain conditions on rare occasions. All letters may be submitted to redandblackstaff@jay. washjeff.edu.
Telephone: FAX: E-mail: Mailing Address:
(724) 223-6049 (724) 503-1049 redandblackstaff@jay. washjeff.edu Red & Black 60 S. Lincoln St. Washington, PA 15301
14 Opinions
Red & Black
1 November 2019
California Wildfires Burn Across State Dylan Bertovich Red & Black Staff
California is on fire, adding to years of fire damage throughout the state. California, consisting of many different ecological areas, has had to deal with disastrous fires. Last year’s Paradise Fire destroyed thousands of acres and killed many people and animals. This year’s fires are on track to do more damage than any of the previous fires. In an effort to combat this, the state has issued
evacuations and shut off power. When asked about these fires, Amanda Fitzpatrick ‘21 said, “I think that this is an early sign of climate change and should force the country to action.” The environment is becoming warmer and weather patterns are changing; these facts are indisputable. Some states, like Pennsylvania, will experience more rain and cooler days while others will become warmer. California and other western states should respond to this change with more anti-climate-change activities. When asked about the situation in California, Sydney Fischer ’21 said, “I feel really bad for the people in California. They are going without
power and having their lives disrupted.” Washington Post recently wrote about the dangers of power outages and evacuations. Many people often need access to power to get the alerts. Without power, they are left to die in the fires. The situation left a woman trapped as the fires approached, and she could not lift her automatic garage door and access her car. This fix is not easy, as most forms of communication need wi-fi and cannot exist without power. Another characteristic that seems to be causing a massive issue in California is that the area has been extensively developed recently. The develop-
ments have been spreading across the hills, which have been prone to burning for years. Development in these areas causes people to be placed in danger zones, as they are far away from the city. This also leads to an increase in pollution. If people moved out of the natural fire zones, the fires would not have to be unnaturally fought. Combatting fires places firefighters in danger, and the environment is also endangered by the fire retardants. In the end, as the fires continue to cause destruction and California continues to rebuild, people should think of a likely future where fires are extremely common.
How To Deal With Stress in College Aaron Iwinski Red & Black Staff
How do you deal with stress in college? The most important thing to do regarding stress is to know what your cause of stress is, as at any moment you can have a problem with different things, and each source of stress has a different solution. For example, how a person may cope with stress stemming from a relationship issue is different from how to cope with the stress of examination or how to cope with the existential dread of mortality. If you can identify
the cause of your stress, you can more effectively combat it. Each person is different in terms of how they cope. In my case, I usually play video games or go to Olin and play on my accordion, though I do not recommend this for everyone. I do have some general suggestions for everyone. It helps to surround yourself with friends. Misery loves company, and sometimes having someone to talk to and try to work things out can be useful. Annoying your friendly neighborhood captive roommate is also a possibility. A lot of relationships and problems can be addressed by listening, and there is always a sympathetic ear somewhere on campus, even if it is in the health services department. Keep in mind, they are here for your health, and there is nothing wrong with utilizing their services. Another
tip is to keep busy with work. I find that if I am down, distracting myself from whatever makes me sad and turning this into academic progress can be a very effective tool to avoid procrastinating on my homework and to start feeling better. Granted, fun distractions like club events, video games, going skateboarding at the local park and avoiding the authorities as they tell you it is a no skate zone, writing a book, eating a book and reading a book can all can be fun ways to de-stress. Do things you think are fun. When asked what helps him destress, Cody Yoder ‘20 said, “Video games. Music. Sleeping.” Often the simplest solutions can be the best. In the case of my roommate, he enjoys playing video games until the wee hours of the morning, listening to loud music and sleeping when he
finally passes out from the exhaustion of listening to me complain about him playing music and games too loud. Do not forget that sleeping can be a great stress reducer if you need an extra hour to kill the headache you got from staying up late. Setting up small goals and rewarding yourself is something Zach Platto ‘20 recommends. “Make sure you set time aside for yourself and do things you like. Reward yourself,” said Platto. In the end, work is most satisfying when we have a goal or a reward lined up for us after we complete our tasks, and setting up rewards is a powerful way to find motivation and relaxation. Everyone copes with stress differently, and finding the proper way to get a kick out of the strenuous college lifestyle is a matter of individual experimentation.
1 November 2019
Red & Black
15 Opinions
Trump Rally ‘Energizes’ Pittsburgh
Courtesy Jake Livingston
Moment captured during the rally both inside and outside of the convention center.
Jake Livingston Red & Black Contributor
On Oct. 23, 2019, four days before the one-year anniversary of Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, President Donald Trump visited Pittsburgh and spoke at The Shale Coalition Conference. The event shut down major roads downtown while protesters, supporters and vendors occupied the streets surrounding the event. After a late arrival, the president took the stage at 3:50 p.m. on the second floor of The David L. Lawrence Convention Center while about four thousand attendees eagerly observed. He began by thanking key members within the local energy industry and went on to speak pridefully about how he has fulfilled every one of his prom-
ises since he last spoke at the same conference in 2016. President Trump talked about what his administration has done to improve the economy and often had to stop and pause for cheering and applause. While speaking about energy resources, President Trump said, “I promised that as president I’d unleash American energy like never before, because our natural resources do not belong to the government, they belong to the people of this country.” He gave supporting statistics on permitting, infrastructure and oil production that were easy for the audience to understand. He discussed future plans and spoke to the cleanliness of American water and air. President Trump then went on to back his decision to pull out of The Paris Climate Accord, and he hit the people in the audience with his famous one-liner from June of 2017: “My job is to represent the people of Pittsburgh, not the people of Paris.” The crowd erupted with cheers. Pres-
ident Trump then switched gears and began to campaign for the upcoming presidential election. He warned the crowd of what the “Do-Nothing Democrats” would do to the energy industry and spoke negatively about their potential impact on the economy. At one point, protestors interrupted his speech, and President Trump warned the protestors of who they were “dealing with.” He then jokingly told them to “go home to mom.” President Trump concluded his speech by complementing the hardworking people of the Midwest and assuring them of his loyalty. He promised to prioritize our country and keep America great. In total, the speech lasted just over an hour and concluded shortly before 5 p.m. President Donald Trump’s speech was inspiring and effective. He rallied the blue-collar crowd around the hope for a better life and used the progress his administration has made as support. He had a commanding presence and spoke genuinely. When challenged
by protestors, he provided comedic relief and quickly redirected the energy of the room in a positive manor. Whether you like the president or not, it is hard to deny that he has successfully rejuvenated the energy industry in America and the Pittsburgh area. America’s energy independence has created thousands of jobs and has saved the country astronomical amounts of money. While President Trump uses this to bolster his campaign, it is hard to deny the effects of climate change. I do believe that America should continue to power itself with domestic resources, but we also need to look for alternative sources of energy in preparation for the future. I have faith in President Trump to continue to grow our economy, but I would urge him to consider his stance on climate change. America should invest in our brightest minds to find a market-based solution to the problem. I believe President Trump will have four more years to explore the idea.
16 opinions
Red & Black
1 November 2019
How Should W&J Combat Hate Speech?
Courtesy allAfrica.com
Hate speech can be an extremely damaging act in both large and small institutions.
Brendan Troesch Red & Black Staff
From 1939 to 1945, the entire world fought in a war against a racist, evil megalomaniac whose leadership allowed people to show their true colors. Laypeople, whether they ultimately agreed with the viewpoints or not, helped this kind of vitriol to spread until it became out of control. The United States supposedly entered into the war to help combat these atrocities, and yet, not even one
hundred years later, it is in our country, although not exclusively— that the wicked Nazis we swore to defeat are now reemerging under the guise of the political right. This kind of hate has again, unfortunately, becoming normalized. One recent and egregious act of revenge and white-supremacy-fueled domestic terrorism happened in Charlottesville, VA, on August 12, 2017, where a Dodge Challenger was driven into a group of peaceful protestors, killing one. This horrific event took place at a rally opposing the Unite the Right. The perpetrator was a known neo-Nazi and white supremacist, but the organizer of the Unite the Right rally Jason Kessler’s behavior was
equally appalling. In a tweet, he shifted the blame onto Heather Heyer, the lady who was murdered. Kessler said, “Heather Heyer was a fat, disgusting Communist. Communists have killed 94 million. Looks like it was payback time.” Despite his surprising condemnation from fellow white supremacists, most of the nation heard nothing about this tweet as it was deleted by Kessler the next day. This kind of open hate has unfortunately been creeping its way onto college campuses. Amanda Fitzpatrick ’21 was in the history class where the swastika was found carved into the desk. “I can’t believe something like this actually happened,” said Fitzpatrick.
“Even though it was just a symbol carved into an old wooden desk, the fact that a student had the audacity to do this is unbelievable,” she continued. April Bonifate ’23 added, “People who are hateful towards others need to find a new hobby, in my opinion. Go play video games or knit or something.” At such a volatile epoch in world history, any form of communication like this should be seen as an act of aggression. Everyone who is in some postsecondary education knows very well what kind of speech and actions are appropriate. I believe that those who deliberately spread hate, especially ethnically charged, should receive punishment.
1 November 2019
Red & Black
Opinions 17
‘Chile Has Now Woken Up’: The Protest Against Injustice Matías Rojas Red & Black Contributor
On October 6th, a transportation fare increase in metro tickets was announced. It was already one of the most expensive fares in South America, and now it was even worse for those who earn the minimum wage in Chile around 424 USD a month. The costs of transportation represent 20% of this. However, people also have to eat, pay for electricity and privatized water services, pay for housing and children’s education and pray that none of your relatives have a severe disease to treat in the precarious public health services, in which most individuals wait for months—even years, to have a particular operation or treatment. Without considering being old and having a privatized system of pensions, some retired teachers earn about 270 USD to survive monthly. This announcement was the reason many high school students started to jump over metro turnstiles to avoid paying these fares; Many people began to climb over metro turnstiles as a way of protesting. Little by little, with the decision of closing metro stations, high school students, and now university students and workers started to tear down the metro barriers so that they can use the metro services —some of them paying, others joining the protests and avoiding to pay. The Chilean police, Carabineros, started to become highly violent with protesters, hitting, threatening, and even making illegal detentions with those who were not in the protests. Since most Chileans use the metro
in the capital, Santiago, most of them could see this violence and started protecting the protesters. A Large number of Chileans agreed with the protests. Facing this situation, the government of Sebastián Piñera abruptly decided to declare “A State of Emergency” backed by the Constitution, restricting liberties of transit and assembly. For the very first time since the Chilean dictatorship, the military was again on the streets, and it was not for an environmental disaster. The main reason was to “come back to normalcy” through repression and more violence, and even curfews. The elders were suddenly living “a new dictatorship” once again. Little by little, other cities began to protest against this new dictatorship; the movement against police/military violence and for social justice was now nationwide. Also, the government’s announcements were not helping in the situation so much: “We are at war against a powerful enemy” was one of the most controversial phrases used that even caught international attention. Violation of Human Rights has also taken place. About 20 people have died because of police and military violence. There are several reports of people who have been shot by the police. The citizens are not allowed to carry guns, but some of them even have been shot in their eyes. About 50 people have partially lost their eyesight. People have also reported being stripped by the police, including underaged. Some women and at least one man have also reported being sexually abused. However, the media have not said much about it since there focus is on the criminalization of protesters. Piñera then decided to decline the increase for transportation fares, but the unrest was now nationwide, and for
many other reasons: “It is not for 30 pesos (USD 0,041), it is for 30 years”, can be read in some of the posters. Why 30 years? Mainly because since returning to democracy, the country with one of the best economies in South America has been going through a series of political corruption, companies’ collusion, and social inequality that has awakened Chilean people. On October 25th, the biggest protest in Chilean history took place. More than 1.2 million people, only in the capital, attended to the protest claiming for structural changes in the Constitution and the Constitutional Accusation towards Sebastián Piñera and the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Andrés Chadwick (Piñera’s cousin), for being responsible of violation of Human Rights and disrupting the rule of law. Even though Piñera has announced a “Social Agenda” (including a little increase in the minimum wage and pensions, stabilize costs for essential services, reducing the price of medicines, more taxes to those who earn over 10,976 USD and lowering wages for politicians who make about 11,000 USD monthly, the unrest remains. Most of these policies were already being discussed in Congress; people claimed that there needs to be a struc-
tural change to the Constitution. They have realized that the neoliberal system implanted by Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship (ordered by Richard Nixon in 1973), is making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Chile has woken up not only from this inequality but also from the whole structure that these social issues derived from. People are claiming for substantial changes in the laws, the political system, and the economic system that maintains social inequality. The Chilean people are firmly united as never seen in Chilean history, singing, “The people united will never be defeated.” It is time for others to say and yell “ENOUGH!” as Chile did. It is time to reflect and take action towards our social problems, thinking about the future we want to create collectively. We should all go beyond having “rights” and not being afraid of dreaming because our dreams will shape our existence. However, I am not talking about individual dreams, but rather collective ones. Most people are still wondering, “why Chile is going through this social movement?” but in the last years, I (as a Chilean) had been wondering: “why not?”. Most of them still think that having a good economy is all, but it has been proved that it is not. “Chile has woken up.”
Courtesy Matías Rojas
Pictured above is one example of demonstrations happening in Chile.
18 Sports
sports Red & Black
1 November 2019
Women’s Soccer Dominates Tomcats Patrick Brunner Red & Black Staff
The Washington & Jefferson College women’s soccer team faced Thiel College on Oct. 23. Midfielder Lexey Finney ‘21 struck first to give the Presidents an early 1-0 lead. Shortly after, the dynamic duo of midfielders Chandler Marteeny ‘20 and Marcy Saldivar ‘21 scored a goal. A corner kick from Marteeny set up Saldivar’s first goal of the contest. Marteeny and Saldivar continued to perform well going into the second half. Marteeny once again found Saldivar early in the second half to put the Presidents up 3-0. Marteeny and Saldivar combined for yet another score later in the game to put the final nail in the coffin. Saldivar finished the game with three goals, each goal coming off an assist from Marteeny. Goalkeepers Beth Boyles ‘20, Shayla Watkins ‘22 and Gabriella Lloyd ‘23 all contributed to a dominant shutout. Saldivar, who tore the Tomcats’ defense apart, spoke humbly about the win. “I’m glad we were finally able to
Courtesy Gopresidents.com
Marcy Saldivar ‘21 earned PAC Defensive Player of the Week with her hat trick against Theil College.
piece together our offense and score some goals. All the hard work and hours we’ve put into the season is paying off,” said Saldivar. “Specifically, I’m excited we’re finishing on corners. It was a goal we set at the beginning of the season and we’ve come a long way with them.” Marteeny, who also played a major role in the team’s win, said, “I think
the fact that we started our offensive output a little over a minute into the game set us up for success. We weren’t scrambling to put something in the back of the net, but instead just adding to our lead. It was a great collaborative win and we got to see better combination play throughout,” said Marteeny. Finney, who got the Presidents on a roll early, added that confidence is cru-
cial to the team’s success. “In my opinion, our recent success has come from our new confidence in ourselves and in each other. We’re starting to finish the ball more often and within the first half of the game,” said Finney. The Presidents will face off against Grove City College for their final home game of the regular season on Nov. 2 for the Presidents’ Senior Day game.
1 November 2019
19 sports
Red & Black
Football Suffers Loss Student Athlete Spotlight Patrick Brunner Red & Black Staff
The Washington & Jefferson men’s football team faced off against Westminster College on Sat-urday, October 26th. The President’s fought hard all game but ultimately fell to the Titans by a final score of 28-21. The Presidents started the game off slow, unable to crack the scoreboard in the first half. The Presidents outscored the Titans 21-7 in the second half, tying the game at 21-21 with just a few minutes left in the fourth- quarter. However, a late fourth-quarter touchdown by the Titans would put the game away. Quarterback Jacob Adams ‘20 threw for a school rec-ord-breaking
499 yards— Adams threw 16 passes to wide receiver Payton Skalos ‘21— Skalos finished with 220 receiving yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Josh Burns ‘21 had seven catches for a total of 119 receiving yards. When asked about the game, wide receiver Patrick Moeller said, “We had a rough first half, but in the second half, we did not quit and fought hard. We ended up a little short, but we showed we would not back down.” Linebacker Mitch Dezort ‘21 added, “We came out flat in the first half, but we came out strong in the second half and didn’t give up. I feel like that shows a lot about our character, but sometimes you come up short. I look forward to playing them again next year.” The Presidents now sit at 4-3 in the PAC with two regular-season games remaining. Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 9th, when the Presidents will face off against Saint Vincent College. You’re not going to want to miss this. Be loud; Be Proud.
Courtesy Reilly Oliverio
Samuel Lex ‘20
Lacrosse Player Psychology Major Attended Butler Highschool
“It’s been a fantastic time being on the men’s lacrosse team with a great group of guys. I wouldn’t trade my experiences with them for the world.” Courtesy Gopresidents.com
Payton Skalos ‘21 was a brightspot for the Presidents with 220 yards and 1 touchdown.
20 sports
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1 november 2019
Last Week’s Scores Oct. 26:
Women’s Tennis PAC Championship: PAC Champions Men’s Water Polo vs MIT: 8-17 L Men’s Water Polo vs Penn State Behrend: 8-13 L Feild Hockey at St. John Fisher College: 0-4 L Football vs Westminster College: 21-28 L Women’s Vollyball at St. Vincent College: 2-3 L Men’s Soccer at Geneva College: 4-1 W
Oct. 27
Men’s Water Polo vs Austin College: 7-16 L
Courtesy Go Presidents.com
Next Week’s Games Nov. 2:
Men and Women’s Cross Country at PAC Championships Feild Hockey vs Hartwick College: 1:00pm Vollyball at Waynesburg Universtiy: 1:00pm Men’s Soccer vs Grove City College: 1:00pm Swim at Westminister College: 1:00pm Women’s Soccer at Grove City: 3:00pm
Nov. 3:
Wrestling at Lycoming College Invitational
Nov. 6: Men and Women’s Soccer PAC Semifinals Courtesy Go Presidents.com