Tiger Times Volume 51 Issue 7

Tiger Times Issue 7 | Volume 51 | March/April | TTONL.org

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Mr. Macklin’s Letter to the Editor

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Balancing the role of counselors

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Examining Covid-19

The Second “Wave” South Korea has successfully combatted the 2019 novel Coronavirus­­–for now.

Despite the ongoing success within Korea, many public health experts warn of a potential second “wave” of the virus which could very well be worse than the first. In a time of many unknowns and questions about the future, it is important that we continue to be vigilant and exercise social distancing.

From the Tiger Times editorial staff to you: stay safe.

Editorial

Getting close with distance learning by

2 VIEWPOINT

Sia Cho & Andy Yoon editors-in-chief

Google Classroom notifications flood inboxes, and Google Meet links are clicked. Student icons appear one by one, voices muted and cameras turned off.

At SIS, such scenes of online learning have replaced physical classes in the forms of “eLearning” and “Virtual Learning.” As the coronavirus outbreak persists, spiralling into a global pandemic, schools in more than 22 countries have likewise begun to implement e-learning throughout their period of closure. Platforms such as GoogleMeet, Discord, and other video conferencing tools have allowed teachers to continue their classes online, resulting in virtual lectures and other instructional exchanges assisted by technology.

For schools like SIS, the transition to virtual classes has been one that is relatively smooth. Since the initial outbreak of the coronavirus, SIS teachers and the administration team have carefully made preparations in the case of school closure. Such advanced planning has greatly facilitated the virtual transfer of learning at our school, bringing reliable dynamic applications of instruction to students in a time of viral tumult.

Nevertheless, virtual learning comes with both benefits and limitations. In a country hit by a novel airborne virus that is infecting individuals at an alarming rate, it is evident that safety should be the priority when considering alternative forms of learning. Other factors that should be noted include efficiency, feasibility, and other elements that are part of a traditional classroom curriculum. The goal would essentially be to mimic the conditions of physical learning in a safe, isolated environment for each student—which e-learning almost perfectly tackles.

Virtual learning eliminates the threat of educational disruption for students, preventing them from falling behind on their studies by allowing instructors to continue with their teaching while remaining safe in their individual homes.

However, while distance learning may present the optimal alternative to physical classes, it does not come without its disadvantages. The biggest challenge, for instance, may be the difficulty of administering assignments to students. Until recently, teachers taught content with the expectation that students would eventually return to school; some issued a single summative assessment within a four week span, and some postponed content that would be better taught in-person. With the recent announcement that virtual learning will continue until May 29, teachers have been forced to take on the difficult task of adjusting their teaching methods, making up for lost time, and engaging their students every class.

Specifically, one aspect of administering assessments has proven particularly troublesome for teachers and students alike: cheating. Now that phones cannot be placed in bags and bags in the front of the classroom, it is more difficult to hold students accountable. For the past few weeks, teachers have come up with various methods of monitoring students’ activity during tests, from angling computer cameras toward students’ hands as they write to requesting that students screenshare. However, loopholes are ever so present, rendering these solutions occasionally ineffective for mischievously creative students. For teachers, this means they are sometimes unable to accurately assess students’ genuine understanding of content; for students, it becomes a race to the bottom, a system that rewards those with test-taking and cheating skills. Simply put, this time of virtual learning has made integrity more important than ever before—and some of us are not meeting standard.

As a means of combating this problem, the obvious remedy is to fulfill our responsibility as high school students, with the maturity to say no to certain vices and earnestly take tests that demonstrate our genuine skill. We should take this opportunity to ask more questions, access online resources that can aid our learning, and voice our concerns with the style of teaching to better the experience for everyone.

More importantly, some teachers are making all of their tests more “skills-based” than they would be if we were physically present at school. In both Pre-calculus and AP Calculus classes, for example, students were expected to craft videos in which they designed their own problem and showed how to solve it. Science teachers are assigning labs to model concepts in real-life scenarios, asking students to verbally explain these phenomena. And students in English classes are creating presentations to teach their peers. Perhaps this time of virtual learning will prove valuable for the SIS community’s existing stride toward skills-based assessments.

Dear Editors, I am writing in response to the EVP regarding course selection. While I certainly appreciate the perspective expressed, there are a few important considerations that I would like to add here for clarity.

The first is the question surrounding distribution requirements and course selection. We are a liberal arts program that emphasizes analytical skills and problem solving across disciplines rather than specialization.

That naturally entails students having to take courses that they are not interested in. Therefore, we have a responsibility to expose you to a range of courses that so that you have a foundation of knowledge and skills to pursue any future path you may desire.

Letter to the editor

As for the choices that students must make, I believe that hard choices are important. It is a school’s responsibility to require students to learn how to make them.

Hard choices tell us what is important to us. That you are expected to make a hard choice is not one of the downsides of our program, it is the point. If none of the options appeal to you, then don’t take one. If you must choose one at the expense of another, remember that you can take the other course at another time before you graduate, so if you go with a history, you can come back to a science later. All of this of course assumes that students are looking at courses as learning opportunities and not a type of honor to be accumulated.

Some are genuinely interested in learning some-

thing or becoming more well-rounded but the more common circumstance is that parents and consultants work together to compel students to accumulate hard courses they care nothing about in order to impress admissions at HYPS. That process is filled with, among other things, misinformation.

Many myths that have been explicitly stated to me and are categorically false. They are based on very narrow perception and a desire to appear to have an unquestionable level of expertise. The data supports this. In 2005 we had 81 seniors sending 827 applications to 173 different schools. In 2019 we had 105 seniors sending 1787 applications to 153 schools. We have more students sending more applications to fewer schools. To look at it another

way, students are applying to similar places not pursuing their own unique paths. The point is, the forces driving conformity among our student population is not the SIS curriculum, it is the intensifying race for prestige. It is the fear that looking different will put you at a competitive disadvantage. We of course will continue to work with students on their individual paths, but being a member of an institution does have aspects that restrict a purely individualistic approach. In the case of SIS, those restrictions are an effort to balance the liberal arts philosophy of education and guarding against the excesses of the broader education culture of our community.

by Mr.

Macklin

Stop letting Iowa choose the president

by Eric

Hwang

Every four years, such as in 2020, America turns its attention to Iowa, the home of the first nominating contest for both major political parties.

This otherwise inconspicuous state kicks off the official nominating process for both the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns.

Due to the fact that Iowa is the first nominating contest, a strong performance at the state’s caucus can inject a campaign with a flood of positive media coverage. This in turn can mobilize both donors and voters for a campaign, propelling a candidate towards a presidential nomination.

The immense impact of Iowa is evident throughout modern political history.

For instance, it was an Iowa caucus victory that propelled President Barack Obama, who was a major underdog at the time, from a longshot candidate to the Democratic nominee. Even this year’s caucus has immensely impacted the 2020 Democratic nominating process. The caucus was, for all practical purposes, a tie between Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, the latter of whom is one of only two remaining major Democratic candidates.

To understand Iowa, it must first be noted that a caucus, like Iowa’s, is not the same as a primary. A primary involves waiting in a line, walking into a hooded booth, marking a ballot, and walking out. A caucus demands multiple stages of voting, appeals, and re-voting, meaning that hosting and reporting results for a caucus is very time consuming.

The Iowa caucus’ complicated nature is a major problem. Considering the immense importance of win-

ning the first official contest in a presidential nomination, it is tempting to believe that Iowa was carefully and deliberately chosen to be the first state to cast their ballots every four years. However, this is not the case. The only reason why Iowa votes first is that its aforementioned complicated caucus system requires it to start early in order to avoid time constraints. This means that immense political power is awarded arbitrarily to Iowa.

Essentially, Iowa is important by the virtue of being first; it is not first by the virtue of being important.

Unfortunately, Iowa is incredibly misrepresentative of America as a whole.

According to US census data, Iowa is 90.7% white compared to 76.5% of total Americans, meaning a disproportionate group of mostly white Americans hold leverage over a crucial political election on behalf of millions of others, including many minority groups.

Thus, when Iowa hosts its crit-

ical caucus every four years, its results are not representative of a holistic America.

Fortunately, the solution to the Iowa caucus is rather simple: change it to a primary.

A primary, which is the more traditionally recognized booth and ballot method of voting, is much less complicated than a caucus. This would allow Iowa to push back their nominating contest and allow a state more representative of the US take its place as the first official contest.

However, replacing Iowa as the first nominating contest poses the question: which state should replace it? For such a crucial election, it seems logical to choose the state that best represents the US demographically. This way, each sector of America can have its voice heard. By this criteria, the best alternative to Iowa is Illinois. According to NPR, Illinois is practically identical to America on a demographic basis. Illinois mirrors US averages in key political categories

such as racial makeup, educational attainment, median household income, median age, and percentage of religious population. In fact, in terms of racial makeup, which many political experts say is the most important demographic in predicting political behavior, Illinois is only 3.9% different from American averages. The next closest state is Connecticut, whose racial demographics are 12.8% different from America as a whole.

With the 2020 Iowa caucus in the past, both the Democratic and Republican party have four years to reach a decision on the fate of Iowa. Based on fundamental principles of democratic equality, Illinois should replace Iowa as the first nominating contest of each election cycle. Retire Iowa.

Return power to the hands of the people. Let the 2.7 million people of Chicago decide the political momentum of presidential nominations, not the 200,000 of Des Moines.

Tiger Times

March/April 2020

Tiger Times Staff

Tiger Times Tiger Times exercises the right to report on and editorialize all topics, events or issues, including those unpopular or controversial, insofar as they affect or interest the school, community, nation, and world. We refrain from publishing material that advertises illegal products or services, is obscene, libelous, or invades privacy. We refrain from publishing material that creates a clear and present danger or the immediate material and substantial physical disruption of the school.

Volume 51 Issue 7 March/April Seoul, South Korea TTONL.org a free publication of

Seoul International School

Paper Editors-In-Chief Sia Cho Andy Yoon

Website Managing Editors Kate Lee Christopher Shin

Website Editor-in-Chief Eju Ro

Production Editors Claire Lee Youngjin Park

Paper Managing Editors Chris Lee Brian Ham

Copy Editors Eric Hwang Irene Kim Joanne Yang Jiwon Lee Graphics Editor Lynette Kim

Adviser Ms. Wendy Grant

Video Editor Andie Kim Photo Editor Lauren Kang Social Media/ Marketing Directors Emily Bae Emily Oh Layout Artists Ashley Kim Eddie Hahm Clara Lim

Reporters Alice Lee Joanne Yang Irene Kim Katherine Suk Jenny Seo Sarah Ju Emily Sung Sarah Baek Jennifer You Sunny Lee Sally Lee

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Let yourself be heard. If you have any responses to articles published in the Tiger Times or original contributions, please send them to tigertimes@stu. siskorea.otg

Viewpoint Feature: Recognizing the role of school counselors How can the school encourage students to open up about their personal worries?

Are the roles of counselors balanced out between advice regarding academics and mental health?

Balancing the role of counselors

by Jenny

Seo

When the first season of the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” premiered in 2017, real-life counselors around the world immediately had reservations about the portrayal of Mr. Porter, the counselor at the protagonist’s school. As he fumbled through his role and often failed those who solicited his help regarding mental state issues, the show brought to light today’s counseling culture throughout many schools in the US. Recently, therapy has grown much more normalized, as people often welcome professional therapists into their lives—there simply to lend an ear, even if the patient does not have a specific problem he or she wants to face. As society is evolving every single day, people are still trying to raise awareness on the matter of students’ health and how to get them to be more proactive with school counseling.

The transition into high school is possibly the most formidable process a student undergoes in childhood. For the first time, grades are permanently recorded, and homework workload is profoundly demanding, with heightened expectations from teachers.

There is also increased interaction between students of different grade levels, with freshmen mingling with seniors who often tower a head above them. At an academically competitive school like SIS, guidance is usually needed along the way of this transition. Having both high standardized test scores

and graduates who head off to elite colleges, the pressure SIS students need to handle naturally impacts their stress levels and mental health. This is where school counselors come in; they help students navigate these complexities and provide support with every step.

Despite the explicit suggestion from the school to always knock on the doors of the counselors’ offices for individualized help, students seemingly cling to the notion that they should do so not in the hopes of receiving mental health advice but instead answers to academic questions. Oftentimes, discussing mental health and opening up about one’s personal state can be seen as an act of vulnerability to others in the same social group, or school in this case.

Social stigma surrounding seeking help is pervasive in Korean society, where hard work and endurance are the key values considered to have brought the post-war economy to its current flourishing state. And this extends to another aspect of why students could possibly be doubtful when approaching the counselors: there seems to be a cultural gap between SIS students and the Western faculty members. Students and staff have had different experiences with academic pressure, and stress.

However, it is unfortunate that these burdens, for example, academic stress, thrust upon students’ shoulders are instead perceived as the over-competitive personality of students themselves. Students tend to presume that a cultural gap

exists, which to them makes counseling seem like a less compelling option. Whether this cultural gap truly exists is a question that must be examined by both the school and students.

On the other hand, a common gripe among the student body is, in fact, a question—how are they expected to display their sincerest worries and concerns to a school official if they are unable to detect students’ necessity for simple conversations unrelated to education?

Every once in a while, mandatory grade meetings are held at the auditorium, one of the few opportunities that require students to face school officials. Such assemblies are occasionally managed by the high school counselors, but the main subject of these meetings are often about a BridgeU assignment or a stern heads-up about the challenging future that awaits. Due to these academic presentations, students easily forget that counselors are also able to help with mental and emotional issues as well. Although a firm reminder of reality is sometimes necessary for students who might have lost their way, a generous amount of them also merely long for some sort of optimism and consolation from an adult. This is why many students have voiced their thoughts about how they are hesitant expressing their personal worries; they are simply not comfortable enough with the counselors regarding social concerns to do so.

An interesting detail to mull over is the extent to which the role

of a counselor for college-oriented and academic purposes or social and mental health matters. A fair amount of students have expressed their worries and troubles to their counselor concerning AP course selections and how certain courses could pave the way for their dream schools. However, some were met with disappointment regarding the comments and suggestions they received, as the counselors seemed hesitant to provide specific details for each course, such as level of difficulty, availability and flexibility, AP tests, and more. Though, this is natural, considering the fact that many decisions regarding schedules and teachers have yet to be made. On the other hand, students who requested advice on social and emotional issues said that their counselor tried to hearten them by giving genuine consultation and sentences of comfort and cheer.

In this sense, understanding that both purposes coexist but that one side might be weaker than the other may be important for students to recognize as they approach their counselor.

There are fairly simple steps the school could take to improve the quality and quantity of interactions between students and counselors.

As mentioned above, instead of holding grade meetings that inform students about another college-related assignment, words of support and comfort from an adult could be a small push but significant enough to encourage students to seek additional guidance individually. As of now, SIS has been requir-

ing our two counselors to have short sessions with every student they are responsible for as a way to briefly introduce themselves to each other. However, an important reason students do not reach out to counselors is, again, because they are not familiar enough with the advisers on a personal level to spill any private concerns. Currently, our two counselors are responsible for more than 200 students each. A resolution SIS has touched upon is expanding the number of counselors to five or more for the next school year, as it would be easier for students to adequately develop a tighter personal relationship and connection with their counselors.

In the end, however, it is necessary for students to remind themselves of the importance of high school counselors. They should be one of the best sources of information and mental support for students, capable of boosting student morale, self-esteem, confidence, and more elements that are needed in the real world. Ultimately, if students want help, it is their obligation to seek help themselves instead of the school forcing mandatory check-ups for the sake of their wellbeing. As the need for high school counselors is growing worldwide and teenage therapy is slowly becoming almost normalized as well, students and the school should find ways in which both groups can begin securing a tighter bond with each other and make the best out of a possible friendship that could ensue.

4 NEWS Jeff Bezos pledges to combat climate change

News Briefs

by Sarah

Ju

by Sarah

Club formation and renewal process brings forth new student ideas

Photo by Emily Bae

Club formation and renewal forms were due on Feb. 24, marking the start of the next cycle of possible clubs for the 2020-’21 school year. Many students rushed to fill out their forms and get their signatures in order to create new clubs and renew existing ones.

“With 40+ clubs currently active at SIS, it is important to assess current club activity and allow for students to apply for new clubs to improve the variety on offer,” said Jonathan Ames, activities coordinator.

NHD competition experiences change following Coronavirus outbreak National History Day (NHD) faced some changes due to the cancellation or modification of various events following the Coronavirus outbreak. Students submitted their individual exhibits and performances by Feb. 27 and their group exhibits by March 11.

NHD took place on a virtual platform where students could then show their work without posing a possible threat to their health.

However, this also served as an obstacle for some students whose exhibits were difficult to transfer over to a virtual setting.

“I think that the new virtual setting poses some difficulties to NHD as a whole,” said Sean KIM (10), NHD participant. “Because the interview portion was removed, it is harder to discern whether students really finished their projects or other people did it for them. Students who have actually put in an honest effort believe that this may be disadvantageous in NHD. In addition, many things are cleared up within the interview portion itself, so we believe that the alteration to NHD would be hard for the judges too.”

SIS to resume online schooling The administration announced that online schooling will resume till May 15.

Following the decision to continue school curricula through e-learning systems due to the coronavirus, many students wondered when they would be able to go back to school. The announcement has now cleared up confusion around the matter.

“While I have enjoyed the comfort of my own home due to virtual learning, I really wanted to be able to attend regular school again,” said Jason Park (10). “Even though e-learning is a system that works, I feel as though it is simply much more effective to be at school where we can interact with teachers and peers face-to-face. I feel that online schooling misses a lot of important aspects of school in that respect.”

Baek

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the world’s richest person, announced on Feb. 17 that he would commit $10 billion to fight climate change, which he calls “the biggest threat to our planet.” His pledge comes after years of facing criticism that billionaires are not doing enough charitable work, and after being denounced for Amazon’s poor safety records and environmentally unfriendly business practices.

In September, thousands of his employees signed a letter asking how the company would respond to climate change. The $10 billion pledge, the biggest philanthropic pledge ever, will be given to Bezos Earth Fund to address the climate crisis in a new initiative and to fund scientists, activists, NGOs, or any effort that will help to preserve the natural world.

“After being curiously inactive on major philanthropic initiatives relative to other American billionaires of his stature, it is encouraging to see Bezos make such a momentous pledge,” said James Kowalski, AP US History teacher. “Indeed, I hope that this money stimu-

lates not just greater awareness toward positive action and awareness at the everyday level, but funds research toward new solutions to blunt and even reverse climate change. I would say that there’s such great potential for change in a variety of areas, including politicians’ approach to climate change with their policies that he and other billionaires can make possible if they wanted to.”

Bezos stated that the biggest share of $10 billion is being used to raise the awareness of the urgency, and many experts claim that part of its pledge can purchase emissions-free electric vehicles, build solar farms, or set up research institutions. Responses to his pledge have been quite positive; the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice applauded Bezos’ philanthropy, but also highlighted what Amazon needs to do more for climate change, stating that “one hand cannot give what the other is taking away.” Many climate activists argue that there is not enough political will, but Bezos’ decision may bring to light the status quo’s rather negative political atmosphere to address climate change and to enable the technological

developments to take root.

“Personally, I don’t think donating $10 billion is the best way for Bezos to fight climate change,” said Michelle Chang (11), forensics member. “What he didn’t mention is that Amazon itself is a big threat; it emitted more than 44 million metric tons of carbon in 2018 alone. That’s almost the amount that a small country like Switzerland or Norway emits in a year. What Bezos and Amazon instead could do is quit sponsoring institutes that promote climate change denial, or stop courting oil and gas companies that use its technology to locate new fossil fuel deposits. Even by replacing fuel-guzzling delivery vehicles and copious plastic packaging to environmentally friendly materials, the planet would benefit more.”

Right now, not much has been revealed about his plan, and everything related to the fund is speculation and hope. Bezos’s spokesperson announced in January that there would be upcoming details in the summer, and that with billionaire philanthropy, the donor’s resources can be made the most out of it to effectively

tackle the urgent issue. Along with his announcement, Bezos added that he cannot fight climate change alone, but rather that it will require collective action from big companies, small companies, nationstates, global organizations, and individuals. Many hope that the huge donation will be more than virtue signaling and will promote real environmental-friendly policies and concrete solutions.

“Regardless of a person’s economic net worth, we can have our greatest impact on climate change by changing our behavior,” said Peter Alden, AP Environmental Science teacher. “We need to consume less, become an activist promoting change, and donate to nonprofit organizations that specialize in fighting climate change. With correct individual, social and political approaches, young people will be able to make more informed decisions about how they want to live responsibly, and our current scientists can eventually come up with innovative ideas that reduce atmospheric carbon and help the world we live in.”

migration patterns, to quickly identify and address problems of heat exhaustion during extreme heat waves. With detection of heat from roads, the real-time heat map also provides crucial information on the city’s irrigation system. Such use of drones is amid other projects in Seongnam like a test bed for autonomous cars and an electric bike sharing program where users can rent bikes via a mobile app.

The city also invested in virtual immersion technologies to provide entertainment for the disabled and the elderly, showing its use of innovation to maximize

convenience and safety.

“The benefits of technology like drones exceed their cost because cities can identify problems in infrastructure before they develop and save taxpayers’ money before they worsen,” said James Kowalski, MUN advisor. “However, if these technologies can be used to compromise individual privacy or collect data on their movements, the government should be transparent about their usage, consider compensation for data collected, and provide opportunities for citizens to opt out.”

Seongnam drives tech innovation in Korea

by Joanne Yang

Seongnam, the second largest city in the populous Gyeonggi Province, is home to numerous technological start-ups driving innovation. Pangyo Techno Valley, named after the famous Silicon Valley, has introduced the usage of drones for inspection of pipelines that deliver hot water to buildings and facilities in the region. Under the leadership of Mayor Eun Soo-mi, Seongnam is becoming one of the first cities in Korea to widely implement drone technology for public safety.

“I am not surprised that Seongnam is taking initiative to improve the lives of its residents,” said Leonard Lee (12), MUN co-president. “Seongnam is one of the most desirable places for business because the city helps companies, on the verge of technological breakthroughs, overcome regulations and other technical issues. For example, Seongnam launched its own mobile taxi business with Kakao. This shows that the city is always a pioneer of change.”

Seongnam decided to implement technological changes in response to growing ruptures and weakening of underground pipelines that led to disastrous accidents and casualties in the Gyeonggi Province. According to the Korea Herald, the Korea District Heating Corporation (KDHC) officials previously walked along the main hot water

pipeline with thermal cameras to conduct their inspections.

Such procedure was time consuming and inefficient because the KDHC officials could not physically inspect pipes that were buried under roads or buildings: it took more than two days for them to check 20 percent of the city’s pipes. Now, the drone, hovering approximately 120 meters above the ground, is able to scan formerly inaccessible areas for abnormalities with its sophisticated thermal imaging sensor.

“I believe that the usage of drones will increase the efficiency of inspection and protect residents’ interests,” said Wendy Kang (11), Forensics member.

“Seongnam is setting a good example in terms of creating a safer and more sustainable environment. I think another benefit of the drones is that it can capture images of neighborhoods that are going through many urban developments. For people who want to preserve memories of where they grew up in, they can request the drones to digitally take screenshots of their communities.”

Seongnam has secured a drone flight test site in the city to maximize the benefits of drones for city maintenance. It is also using the technology to create a live heat map of the city: the information from the heat map could be used in combination with other data, including the concentration of infant and elderly populations and internal

Tiger Times

March/April 2020

5

COVID-19 shows exponential growth in South Korea

by Katherine

Suk

The number of COVID-19 confirmed patients had shown exponential growth in South Korea, reaching approximately 8,000 as of March 10. Just within a span of a week from Feb. 24 to March 2, there were about 3,000 additional confirmed patients. On Feb. 19, the first fatal case of COVID-19 in Korea was reported. About two weeks after the first death was reported, the number of reported fatal incidents increased to 18. However, the rate significantly decreased in the past several weeks. On April 19, there were only eight additional confirmed patients, and the number seems to constantly decline. The situation with COVID-19 that seemed to go downhill is getting better day by day.

“The sudden increase in COVID19 confirmed patients was truly terrifying,” said Rachel Hwang (9), member of the Medical Society.

“As it was showing an exponential growth rate, many people were worried that the situation was going to go downhill. However, diverse media from South Korea sent out daily reports on this issue and the government took take tangible actions to resolve it, which made the situation significantly better.”

China had the most reported cases of COVID-19 followed by Italy, then South Korea, yielding a similar trend as China in terms of growth rate as of March 10. On the 23rd day after the virus’ exponential growth, China had 616 confirmed patients and South Korea had 602 confirmed patients with only about 10 patients difference.

Public unrest erupted, as citizens felt that South Korea did not take tangible action until the recent

exponential growth in the number of confirmed patients. On Feb. 23, President Moon Jae-in raised the Threat Alert Level to “Serious” for the first time in a decade, closing all public schools and encouraging the closure of mass meetings. This action gave the citizens a sense of security and relief that the government is attempting to keep their citizens safe, and in fact, took a big part in alleviating the situation.

Now US and Europe have the most reported cases of COVID-19, and South Korea seems to not even be on the list of countries with high reported cases of COVID-19.

“South Korea seemed to be in a similar, or maybe worse trend

compared to China’s COVID-19 outbreak,” said Hannah Kim (10), member of the MUN club. “However, even during this chaotic situation, South Korea took considerate actions that helped prevent further harm, and those actions resulted in a significant decrease in the number of confirmed patients in South Korea.”

Not only is South Korea taking action to resolve this situation with COVID-19, but other countries have also reacted to the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea. Many countries are banning travel to and from South Korea in order to prevent the virus from entering their country. For example, Israel

and Turkmenistan have completely banned the entry of South Koreans. US and Taiwan are taking gradual steps as their public health authorities raised their travel advisory for South Korea to “alert.” It is difficult to conclude when the situation with COVID-19 in South Korea is going to end, but it is able to be seen that the entire world is taking tangible actions to resolve this issue and to prevent further spreading of the virus.

“Regarding the foreign countries banning Korean entrance, I see it as too late at this point,” said Eugene Lee, science teacher. “Perhaps an earlier decision would have been more appropriate but that would

be controversial for many reasons.

Any action would be perceived to reflect that individual’s values whether it be personal freedom, commerce, tourism, relationship with other countries or the general health of the population. In the status quo, it would be a silly thing to do but I’d imagine facilities have to be set up to quarantine travelers that do have high temperatures and perhaps that is not possible due to various logistical reasons.

However, it is also undeniable that nations are coming together in order to resolve this crisis in the most efficient manner.”

Unmasking the truth truth in numbers

by Brian

Ham

As COVID-19 sweeps through the streets of South Korea, shutting down schools, public venues, and locking up teenagers in self-quarantine, its impacts are also being felt on intangible levels. Not only has the virus infected the media, dominating headlines of major newspapers all across the globe, but with the sudden spread of the disease in Korea, panic is also taking over the economy. Stock markets have been plummeting, and form this turmoil has emerged a new form of currency: masks.

The Korean government is limiting stores to sell only two masks to each person, causing citizens to line up for pharmacies as if they are buying tickets for a K-pop concert. The prices of masks are also skyrocketing on the online market. On Jan. 28th, masks cost a mere 380 won each; two weeks later, the prices increased 13-fold and are still on the rise. One box of 50 masks is now 85,000 won, or roughly

$80, on G-Market, while the highly coveted KF94 masks which filter out 94 percent of particulate matter go for roughly $30 per 10 masks. By Feb. 23, many popular brands of masks had completely sold out on the online market.

With this craze over masks also comes corruption. One unfortunate citizen spent over 150,000 won on 100 masks in a panic, only for the seller to simply disappear after taking the money through KakaoPay. The reason why that person tried to buy it through this insecure method was because masks were sold out everywhere else. To combat those trying to profit off of the coronavirus, Japan has passed a new law that results in fines up to $9,665 if one is caught reselling masks at a markup price. In Tennessee, Matt and Noah Covlin, two brothers hoping to capitalize on the pandemic by purchasing 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer on a 1,300-meter road trip received a cease and desist letter from their state’s Attorney Gen-

eral, as they were reselling them for prices up to $70. Even at such absurd prices, the bottles of hand sanitizer sold out almost immediately before they were pulled from the market by Amazon. Fortunately, the Colvins were forced to donate their remaining supply to charity.

What unique power do masks hold that is causing this frenzy to buy them? Unfortunately, people are not even close to being safe even if they manage to procure the sought-after masks. The stereotypical surgical masks will be of no use, and KF94 masks cannot filter out small particles emitted by coughs and sneezes.

In fact, experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that healthy people do not wear facemasks at all, especially without proper training on how to use one. As Alex Azar, Health and Human Services Secretary, says, “if [the mask] is not fitted right, you’re going to fumble with it… you’re going to be touching your face, which is the no.

1 way you’re going to get a disease.”

However, masks serve a crucial function for people who have already contracted the disease, as they are effective in preventing the range of coughs and sneezes. In this sense, it becomes even more important that healthy people do not hoard large quantities of masks so that more needy citizens and healthcare providers can purchase them at affordable costs. The rest of us can settle for a simple yet effective practice to fight off the virus—wash our hands.

Using hand sanitizer helps but is not nearly as useful as the hand washing, because microorganisms killed by sanitizer remain on the surface of your skin, while rinsing with water removes the bacteria that has been pried apart by soap. Practicing social distancing by avoiding large crowds is also a crucial precautionary measure that limits the spread of the virus.

Buying toilet paper, on the other hand… that is a whole other issue.

CORONA

C V

AVIRUS

VID-19 Expansive coronavirus outbreak fuels global economic crisis

Balancing people and politics in midst of pandemic

by Jiwon Lee

by Christopher Shin

First appearing in Wuhan province, the coronavirus quickly embarked on its terror-fueling march through China, infecting tens of thousands of people. Within a month of its outbreak, the virus crossed borders into neighboring countries, such as South Korea, Thailand, and Japan. Aside from the sheer number of infectees and the disease’s concerningly high contagiousness, the coronavirus has also left a lasting impact in another field: the economy.

As one of the leading manufacturers in the production of common consumer products, China’s interruptions in exports and imports due to the coronavirus has left wide-ranging impacts on the global economy. Notably, major household brands such as Apple and Nintendo have expressed their concerns over the shutdown of factories in countries such as mainland China, and have pulled back on consumption rates as a result. Hon Hai Precision Industry, one of the main producers of Apple phone parts, was reportedly forced to shut down most of its factories in mainland China due to the coronavirus threat, resulting in a temporary shortage in Apple phones prior to the recent reopening of the factories.

Other international brands relying on affluent markets in China for large amounts of profit have also been affected negatively, with Nike and Adidas facing sharp decreases in sale rates as multiple stores across the country were closed down by the government in an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. With most of the country under lockdown, the pandemic has also affected air travel; Chinese airlines have been forced to ground planes and cancel flights in the midst of an increasing number of travel bans. Estimated to amount to a loss of approximately $12.8 billion in revenue, the disturbance in air travel has not only inconvenienced travelers but has also resulted in substantial gaps in earnings for commercial airlines.

Addressing these severe financial declines for businesses reliant on China for producing or buying its goods, the New York Times remarked that should the coronavirus situation continue beyond March, cuts in sales would likely be compromised through a reduction in workforce numbers.

However, it is not merely the employees of affected companies who are facing a crisis; the lengthy period of shortage in goods has resulted in a dire situation in the consumer front as well. In particular, consumer demands for commodities such as masks and hand sanitizer have increased exponentially, causing a supply-demand mismatch.

This overdemand of certain products, particularly masks, have resulted in a fluctuation in prices—in the United Kingdom, for instance, mask prices have jumped to ten to 20 times their original value. This mask shortage has been an imminent crisis in South Korea as well, especially with the failure of the government to put an end to

illegal bulk purchasing and smuggling of masks into China during the onset of the coronavirus outbreak.

Even with this extra supply of masks from South Korea, however, China experienced a more severe shortage of goods than other countries, which was further aggravated by its trade war with the United State since late 2019. This international crisis left China’s economy growing at the slowest rate in the past 30 years, and the coronavirus outbreak has been the last straw to break the figurative camel’s back.

Unfortunately, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on economic activity is not only apparent in China, but is also a growing global threat. In the last week of February, the global economy experienced the greatest weekly decline in stocks since the 2008 financial crisis, resulting in concerned voices urging President Trump to implement methods for preventing further damage to the domestic and global economy. Tentative proposals to modify fiscal policies, such as introducing a temporary elimination of payroll taxes, have been made by the Trump administration; conflicts with Democrats who critiqued this suggestion as an underhand method of appeasing Trump’s followers, however, have made it unlikely that such legislations would be passed.

Both sides of this economic debate have seemed rather reluctant to finalize the implementation of economic policies to resuscitate the global stock market, possibly due to the unpredictable long-term impacts of the current economic depression—a wise choice, considering the detrimental fouryear recession that followed the conclusion of the 2008 financial crisis.

During previous coronavirus pandemic outbreaks, such as with SARS and MERS, much of the immediate economic losses was quickly recovered following the mitigation of the severity of the crisis; with the current novel coronavirus, however, fear that the economic development will deviate from this historical trend of recovery has become a likely reality. Because the novel coronavirus has shown an unprecedented level of contagiousness, if appropriate measures are not quickly implemented to properly quarantine and treat infected individuals, the virus is likely to spread to a large population and thereby result in a longer-lasting economic impact than in previous coronavirus cases.

The worst far from over, the global economy is in need of suitable policies to put an end to the harsh declines in finances worldwide. The current situation is no time for a power struggle for economic dominance to be happening in Congress; with major financial institutions and banks downgrading their forecasts and the US GDP on the brink of a significant reduction, wise thinking and quick actions are the best methods to combat current and future economic impacts of the coronavirus.

On Jan. 16, approximately six weeks after the viral outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, the Chinese city’s Baibuting district was well on its way in making preparations for its annual banquet feast. In an attempt to break the world record for most dishes served at once, over 40,000 families gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event, during which they set up a total of 13,986 dishes across 10 different locations. Although media outlets from across the nation came to capture the smiles and joyous festivities, the banquets soon became emblematic of China’s mishandling of the coronavirus. Cases of coronavirus spiked following the event, and critics came to question how and why the Chinese government could have been careless enough to allow such an enormous crowd to form in the presence of an extremely infectious disease. However, such outcomes were likely not the result of carelessness, but political motivations.

While China’s decisions to greenlight the hosting of the Baibuting banquets along with several other public Chinese New Year’s Celebrations may have come as a surprise to many, when considering how the nation has historically prioritized its economic growth and political stability, it becomes much easier to see the rationale behind the government’s actions. For example, had the Chinese government sounded alarms across the nation and warned citizens about the dangers of the coronavirus, hysteria would have likely swept across the nation and foreign businesses would have been hesitant to invest in China. However, by downplaying the issue and temporarily allowing the country to operate as usual, locals were less likely to panic and foreign investors were less likely to be scared away.

This certainly came at the cost of public health, but historical patterns have shown how China has willingly sacrificed its citizens’ well-being for the sake of protecting its government from blame and dissent.

As demonstrated in the 2002 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak that erupted in the southern province of Guangdong, the Chinese government is no stranger to public health coverups.

During the epidemic, government officials made concerted efforts to not only conceal, but also deny existence of the disease within the nation. For example, newspapers were strictly prohibited from covering the illness and were only permitted to publish articles that would calm the public by heavily understating the severity of the issue. Consequently, there was widespread unawareness of SARS even among top medical officials, and as cases multiplied across China, an unprepared healthcare system failed to provide an adequate response that could contain the disease. The costs of China’s coverup were massive, in terms of both human life and its global reputation.

18 years removed from the SARS out-

break, China has learned a few lessons from its mistakes, and it has shown evidence of taking a more proactive approach to containing the coronavirus and preventing future cases. For example, on Jan. 23, China began locking down the province of Hubei to prevent the spread of disease. However, such actions do not clean China’s hands of this pandemic. Despite the fact that government officials were alerted about the coronavirus in December 2019, it continued many of its aforementioned public New Years celebrations, and employed censorship tactics to quell fears and criticism surrounding the virus. For example, when a Chinese doctor reported one of the first cases of the coronavirus to the government, he was lambasted for “spreading rumors” and was forced to write a self-criticism letter that outlined how his warnings had a “negative impact.” Due to such an initially dismissive stance on the coronavirus and a delayed response nearly two months after the disease’s discovery, Chinese citizens were able to transmit the disease across the nation and eventually the whole globe.

Much like the Chinese government, the Trump administration has also made attempts to deny and dismiss the global pandemic. Even with scientific evidence and medical reports cementing the disease’s significance in reality, right-wing news organizations, the Trump administration, and the President himself have all voiced multiple versions of the narrative that the liberal media is simply brewing a conspiracy that politically weaponizes the coronavirus in order to drag down Donald Trump. Another battle in the longstanding war on truth, the dismissal of the coronavirus has entered the foray alongside decades of denials of climate change. It is true that the Democrats are criticizing Trump for his reaction to the coronavirus, but it is their Constitutional right to do so, and it does not necessarily warrant the political paranoia exhibited by his administration.

Soothing the public’s fears, restoring investor’s confidence in the stock market, and maintaining popularity ratings in the midst of a global pandemic is by no means an easy task, and many politicians are being forced down a tightrope with the burden of balancing political pressure and global health. Leaders around the world are being tasked with some of the most difficult tasks in recent memory, and mistakes are bound to happen and have already happened. But denying the fact that half of the burden exists will not lighten the load and will only prove to be a grave misstep.

Source photos credits to WIRED, Business Insider, Sky News, and Bangkok Post Layout by Eddie Hahm

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8 LIFESTYLE Ajae Rappers featured on "Do You Know Hip Hop"

M

by Sarah

Ju

net’s “Do You Know Hip Hop,” first broadcasted on Feb. 28, is a new show evoking late 1990s and early 2000s nostalgia through the reunion of rappers of the time. The show focuses on these celebrities’ lives after their moments of fame while also putting on occasional performances. The show includes rappers all considered legends of the past, now dubbed ajae rappers, ajae being a Korean word referring to an older man. The reality show portrays their daily lives as an ajae no longer in the spotlight. With these familiar faces on the big screen, many held great feelings of anticipation for the show.

“I thought ‘Do You Know Hip Hop’ was really interesting,” said Hugh Kang (11), a viewer of the show. “It was very different from other rap shows I’ve seen in the past, as this was more of a reality show than simply putting on stages. It is compelling how the show portrays the lives of these rappers and makes them seem not so different from the audience themselves.”

Mnet, a famous broadcasting service, is also commonly known for its other rap programs that have been extremely popular, such as “Show Me the Money” and “High School Rapper,” which boast approval ratings of 91 percent and 96 percent, respectively. Thus, with the debut of a new show, audience expectations were high. However, “Do You Know Hip Hop” is not doing as well as the shows Mnet has been known for in the past, which may be attributed to the fact that it diverges from Mnet’s typical trendy, K-pop image. Many Mnet fans are teenagers, meaning most of the watchers are probably not very familiar with the rappers of previous decades.

“I usually really enjoy Mnet’s shows,” said Isabella Kim (10), a fan of “Show Me the Money.” “I think the new show ‘Do You Know Hip Hop’ definitely is a different style to the programs that they usually broadcast. I think its appeal is found in disinclined to watch this program, as it’s not something I can relate to. However, I do agree that this show is entertaining for those who were fans of these rappers years ago.”

Although this new show is quite different from what Mnet has been doing in the past, it makes sense that they are trying to diversify their audience and also bring light to the legends of previous years. While the show is still not as popular as their other ones, it still has the potential to take off in the future due to the nostalgia-inducing celebrities and music featured on the show as well as the portrayal of old-time celebrities living a normal, everyday life.

“Rap in its current form is always evolving, and there is always a nostalgic view of 90s hip hop, as it is when rap and hip hop really grew into its current form,” said Jonathan Ames, lover of rap music. “I am sure modern artists look to the time period as influential, and there is a huge market to open Mnet to the 30-50-year-old audience, like myself, who love hip hop, so from a marketing perspective, it is smart. You might have some younger fans turn away, but Mnet needs to get the current stars promoting artists from the 90s, and the younger generations will appreciate what classic hip hop offers.

BTS releases “Map of the Soul: 7”

O

by Alice

Lee

n Feb. 21, BTS released their fourth studio album “Map of the Soul: 7,” which quickly gained popularity worldwide and set new records. In addition to the lead single “ON,” the 20-song album features various unit and solo tracks, a remix of “ON” featuring Australian singer Sia, and five songs from their previous album, “Map of the Soul: Persona.” According to Hanteo charts, the album sold 2,653,050 copies on its first day of sales, the band’s all-time fastest record. The entire album also claimed the Top 20 on iTunes, with “ON” ranking first.

“BTS is a group that has great musicality on their own,” said Mr. Ganus, HS band director.

“BTS is unique in that they are the first group to have reached out to the mainstream US and made a lasting global impact.

My wife and I recently watched them on US shows like the Late Late Show with James Corden and the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where mainstream artists tend to appear. I think YouTube has also added to BTS’s popularity because it is one of the main sources of entertainment nowadays for young people.”

BTS surprised their fans once again with their high-quality music and performance.

The new album showcases the band’s versatility across a variety of genres, from ballad to rap. For instance, “ON” and “Black Swan” transcend traditional genres of music by blending hip-hop vibes with melodic vocals, creating interesting dynamics that highlight the unique strengths of each member. Meanwhile, in “‘ON’ Kinetic Manifesto Film: Come Prima,” BTS executes a powerful choreography characterized by sharp

and synchronized moves that complement the song’s heavy bass instrumental.

“Having supported them since 2015, I think that BTS is changing a lot in terms of their musical style,” said Jessica Ahn (11). “They seem to be leaning toward American pop to appeal to an international audience while trying to maintain their Korean roots. I was also impressed by their performance for this comeback because of its unique vibes that blend multiple genres. I believe their experimentation with various genres and styles is giving BTS a whole new identity that is distinct from other K-pop bands.”

As BTS members have put into words, “Map of the Soul: 7” is a tribute to their artistic career. Throughout their journey from seven ambitious teenagers to internationally recognized musicians, BTS has experienced both the highs and lows

of their career. For instance, in the song “Black Swan,” which draws inspiration from the movie of same title featuring Natalie Portman, BTS discusses their fear of losing their artistic impulse. Meanwhile, in his solo “Interlude: Shadow,” BTS member Suga reflects on his conflicting personal and public identities. The intimate lyrics in this album reveal BTS’s struggles as artists and their undying passion for music.

“Ever since their debut, BTS has addressed societal issues to personal struggles that resonate with many people worldwide,” said Lyme Cho (12). “They also have a unique storyline that melds well with their lyrics and musical career. Through ‘Map of the Soul: 7,’ I think BTS is trying to convey that dedication and hard work always pay off in some form or another.”

Steps to follow during Corona outbreak

by Clara

Lim

COVID-19, a contagious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, broke out in December 2019. After being identified in Wuhan, China, it started spreading not only to other regions in China, but also to foreign countries. Having around 30 confirmed cases, South Korea seemed to be in comparatively mild condition until late February. However, the virus suddenly began spreading at a rapid rate due to super spreaders, or infected patients who traveled with symptoms. Researchers have reported that clinical trials for treatments and vaccines have just begun, and that it will take between six to 19 months to create a working vaccine.

“I did not realize that COVID19 was a huge issue until it started spreading,” said Ariel Ahn (10). “Although it was a new virus, I thought that it would not cause a big problem in society because the symptoms seemed mild compared to other contagious corona diseases, such as MERS or SARS. This virus is so disastrous because its initial symptoms are not that serious.

Since the symptoms are nearly identical to a simple cold or flu, people move around a lot without realizing that they are infected. In response to this situation, the government forced all public schools to shut down or delay their first day of the semester.”

COVID-19 was previously thought to only be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.

However, after successfully mutating into an airborne virus, its contagiousness has increased exponentially. Since COVID-19 can spread when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes, staying clean is an absolute necessity. You should wash your hands regularly and take a shower when you get home.

When you are outside, avoid big crowds where many people are in one spot. Moreover, wearing masks and applying hand sanitizer help you avoid the virus.

“I try to stay home instead of going outside these days,” said Mr.Ganus. “When I must go outside, I always wear a mask to avoid the virus. As the government and the health ministry recommended, I wear fine dust masks such as KF-94 because they are more effective than the regular ones. Moreover, eating healthy is crucial in order to protect yourself from the virus, so I

try to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits to get vitamin C. Taking multivitamin pills also helps strengthen your immunity.”

Once you have symptoms, early action is significant in order to prevent further infections amongst people. The longer you are outside, the more contact you make with others, meaning that there is greater potential for the virus to spread. When you have a sore throat, runny nose, or a fever, you should stay in an isolated area. While in self-quarantine, call for medical assistance, because infectees are known to

have contaminated more people on the way to a nearby hospital.

Moreover, there is a high possibility that even if you go to a local medical clinic and run some tests, they may be unable to decide whether COVID-19 is present in your body or not.

This is because the facility to conduct a proper examination is only present in general hospitals.

In government announcements, officials have explicitly asked that you call for an ambulance and medical professionals without leaving your house.

Tiger Times

March/April 2020

‘Itaewon Class’ coming to the rise

by Sunny

Lee

Just in time before the start of a new school season, after a refreshing start of a new decade, a TV show to fulfill people’s ambitions and dreams appeared. The drama, “Itaewon Class,” garnered much attention even before it was released, primarily because of the show’s highly popular actors. Park Seo-joon, Kim Da-mi, Kwon Nara, and Kim Dong-hee—who play Park Sae-royi, Jo Yi-Seo, Oh Soo-A, and, Jang Geun-Soo respectively—are all highly talented, famous Korean actors loved by people internationally. The drama is based off of a Daum Webtoon, and the author of the webtoon directly contributed to the production of the show. With the original webtoon having a large following, fans were excited to see the fictional characters come to life with the touch of their favorite actors.

“I think the rising trend of webtoons being recreated into TV shows is great,” said Yubin Han(10), a fan of Itaewon Class. “While I was a fan of the webtoon characters, I never could relate to them because they were nothing more than imaginary characters drawn with a pen and a pencil. However, watching the characters become a real-life character and visiting the scenes that were revived with more details helped me empathize more.

The actors’ acting skills also played a major role in saturating the scenes with emotion.”

The story kicks off with Park Saeroyi, a fiercely independent and sometimes introverted individual, moving schools. Sae-royi quickly discovers that the son of his father’s CEO, Jang Geun-won, is in his class.

On the first day of school, Sae-royi hits Geun-won when the teacher ignores Geun-won bullying a classmate, he is expelled under the discretion of Geun-won’s father, and Sae-royi’s father is forced to retire.

Despite this, Sae-royi’s father tells his son that he is proud of the man he has grown up to be. After a few weeks, Sae-royi’s father was killed in

a hit-and-run. Although the police close the case after concluding that it was done by a 50-year-old man, Sae-royi knows the real offender is Geun-won. Sae-royi beats Geunwon for a second time, resulting in three years of jail time. After three years, he is released from prison and his time for revenge begins.

“The storyline is not unique because there have been a lot of TV shows that serve revenge as their main theme,” said Hannah Kim (10), a viewer of Itaewon Class. “However, the incorporation of characters that portray minority groups is what makes this TV show different from previous revenge stories. Not only does Saero-yi fight his way to achieve his goal of becoming the best restaurant in Korea, but also

he influences his associates with his righteous actions and trusting attitude. These elements make the TV show more wholesome and enjoyable.”

“Itaewon Class” has incorporated discriminated minority groups in Korea, such as Female to Male transgenders, colored people, and also criminals. Stereotypes regarding these respective groups are broken down by the show’s humanizing portrayal of each demographic.

The audience subconsciously embrace the show’s hidden meaning, which is the fact that those people are merely different, not odd or strange. Not only that, the show implies the bleak status quo of how the Korean legislation, which should be the one thing that

maintains equality, is more lenient on the side of the wealthy and rigid to the poor. As the story progresses, the obstacles for non-rich business owners are highlighted. The story also addresses themes regarding the immorality and irresponsibility of underage drinking. While it’s enjoyable to watch how different elements of contemporary issues are melted into the plotline, the storyline, characters, and themes are not the only parts that are gathering attention. The soundtrack of the TV show is unconventionally refreshing to many citizens as it motivates the audience to “not give up, endure the pain, solidify their beliefs, and keep going,” just as the lyrics of a song in the soundtrack “Start.”

“Although I try to stay aware of

the current issues in this world, it’s hard to deeply sympathize with the harm that issues such as the economic gap between the rich and poor and underage drinking has on the social aspects of a nation and individuals,” said Bin Chiang(9), a viewer of Itaewon Class. “However, when a source of entertainment can also reflect on social issues, I think it has a bigger impact on the younger generation who do not learn those issues through other platforms such as the news media. I think this TV show is great in terms of providing enjoyment for the eyes and ears and including a more profound meaning beyond merely being an entertainment source.”

Racist imagery in fashion show sparks controversy

T

by Irene

Kim

he fashion industry is once again caught up in controversy regarding racist imagery. During the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) recent fashion show event held in New York City, Junkai Huang, a recent graduate of FIT, was criticized for portraying racist imagery in his first fashion show collection. The controversy was brought up as Huang made models wear accessories that consisted of big “monkey ears,” and oversized lips. This caught the attention of the public as one of the black models, Amy LeFevre, refused to wear the accessories, claiming that they were blatantly racist. Huang’s usage of such accessories was accused of over exaggerating and mocking characteristics of African Americans. As a

result, public outrage and criticism was quickly spread in defense of the African American model.

“It is unfortunate that the fashion industry is again troubled with racist controversies,” Jessica Ahn (11) said. “I saw the pictures released of the runway in an article as well, and the accessories were very odd and seemed unnecessarily exaggerating the stereotypes of African American appearances. Although fashion is an area where people can freely express their creativity, I feel like Huang stepped over the limit and took it too far with the excessively oversized lips and monkey ear accessories that some people can understandably take as being offensive.”

As runway pictures of models wearing Huang’s accessories were disseminated in news articles and social media, many viewers argued

that the large accessories made the audience uncomfortable. Along with pictures and videos from the fashion show, the black model who refused to wear the accessories also told the New York Post that she could not control her emotions after she saw them. Unlike LeFevre, models who were not black wore the costume during the runway show.

Despite continuing accusations, Huang denied that the accessories were meant to be racist. However, he assured that he would try to be more aware of cultural differences considering his short time living in the United States. Although Huang did deny the controversy, the continued criticism and large scale of the problem concerning racist imagery in the fashion industry led to the two FIT administrators, Jonathan Kyle Farmer and Mary Davis, being suspended from their

positions.

“I feel like the repeating problem is that the fashion industry is not sensitive enough with racist imageries,” Angela Kim (10) said. “I know that the popular luxury brand Gucci was criticized for making a blackface sweater in one of their collections. Their apology was very similar to the apology that the FIT gave where they said that they did not mean to offend anyone or had any racist implications in their collection. Even though they denied accusations of portraying racist imageries, I think that this further highlights how the fashion industry has to be more careful with what they design and consider sensitive areas among ethnicities.”

This is not the first time the fashion industry got involved in a scandal due to racist imagery. In 2018, the luxury brand Dolce and

9

Gabanna cancelled their Shanghai fashion show due to accusations they received regarding their ad campaign. The brand was criticized for over exaggeration of the stereotypes of the Chinese and their food culture. During the same year, the famous fashion brand Prada also apologized for portraying a blackface character with large, red lips, along with big, round eyes in their collection. Prada was chastised by the public for being careless and utilizing a sensitive part to the black community. Such racist imageries in the fashion industry is fueling the demand for respect for all ethnicities since the industry also has a long history of underrepresentation of ethnic minorities.

With this similar recent incident in the FIT, it is crucial for the industry to be more sensitive to cultural and racial insensitivities.

10 SPORTS New American football league emerges

by Irene

Kim

The XFL, a new professional football league, was launched this year and started off with their first games on Feb. 8. The XFL previously existed from 2001 for a single season before shutting down due to low crowd attendance and lack of attention. The football league was revived this year by WWE CEO Vince McMahon after he announced in 2018 that he would bring back the XFL with an emphasis on shortening game times to less than three hours and incorporating more football as a whole. This was intended to amend past flaws with the league that led to poor attendance. The XFL will also incorporate a slightly modified ruleset compared to the original XFL and other past spring and winter leagues.

“I think that XFL is marketing much better than their first go round,” said Jeffrey McEvoy-Hein, pre-calculus and AP Calculus AB teacher. “I know that it came out around 15 years ago and failed miserably because it tried to challenge the NFL. However, I think they now learned a lesson that it is not possible for them to bypass the major league and smartly marketed themselves as a developmental league so that it can give the pro athletes a chance to better pursue their dreams later at the major league. Also, since the XFL made it so that they are not in the same season as the NFL, there is no competition between the two leagues.”

The new XFL in 2020 decided to include a total of eight professional football teams that were separated into two divisions.

The west division includes Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston, and Dallas; the east division consists of New York, St. Louis, Washington, and Tampa Bay. XFL football teams are scheduled to play 10 games in total, five home and five away games. After the conclusion of divisional games, the top scoring two teams from each division will be eligible to play against each other in a league-wide championship game that will take place on April 26.

“I believe that the renewed XFL would do much better this time,” said Riley Kim (11), American football fan. “Since this is a minor league, I think that it is reasonable for the XFL to shorten the game time because if they cannot be as entertaining as the NFL, it would be better for them to shorten games in order to have more attendance from the crowd and watchers.

As an American football fan, I am considering watching the games since I am curious of what teams would make it to the league championship game.”

Compared to the famous professional American football league, the NFL, the XFL has altered some of American football’s essential rules. In order to achieve a shortened play time, the XFL will only have 25 seconds between the plays compared to 40 seconds in the NFL. In the case of a tie game, each team gets five chances to score points to determine the winner of the game.

Moreover, after a touchdown, teams will not be allowed to have extra points, and will instead be forced to run an extra offensive play for either one, two, or three points.

“I think there are good ideas regarding changes to the rules,” Junho Huh (11) said.

“Also, soccer and hockey, for instance, have always had a minor league system where players who are not good enough can have a chance to get to the top level. However, football did not have one like that to directly give such players a chance. As a result, I think that the XFL would benefit these players and some changes to the rules will also help the football league to perform better.”

Spring sports face unexpected turns due to COVID-19

by Emily

Sung

With the official finalization of spring sport rosters, athletes have settled into their respective teams with whom they will spend the next few months.

While the long break from school and the consequential gap in training poses a significant blow to the teams, athletes are trusted to keep themselves in shape for games and competitions to come in the future.

Soccer This year’s soccer tryouts were more selective than last year, resulting in more cuts than previous years. Alejandro Diaz-Andrade and Hana Jeon were introduced as new coaches to the boys soccer team this year, helping train the athletes and hone their skills in soccer. Unfortunately, soccer was the only spring sport that got to experience an actual game before the coronavirus interruption this season. The game, which was played on Feb. 19 against Cheongna Dalton School, resulted in the girls winning 5:0 and showcasing consistently strong teamwork, but the boys faced a tough defeat by losing 2:1. Because all other games were cancelled due to the current situation in Korea, the soccer teams were unable to play against any other opponent. Moreover, with AISA and KAIAC tournaments possibly cancelled, the soccer team hopes there will be ample opportunities to showcase their skills as a team later this year.

“I was feeling confident about the upcoming season, we have many returning starters and have added new seniors and new freshmen to our team,” said

James Tyvand, boys soccer team coach. “If and when we do get a chance to play, we will feature a ball control offense combined with high intensity pressure in the midfield and on defense. At this point a best case scenario appears to be that we will return to games after Spring Break, play a very condensed season, and then play in both AISA and KAIAC tournaments.”

Swimming The swim team was also introduced to a new coach, Elizabeth Stowell, this year.

The team consisted of much younger members than ever before, with only one senior and eight freshmen. However, due to the cancellation of the meets at SIS and YISS, along with the Midseason conference, both the swimmers and coaches do not know the future of the spring season. After returning to

school, the team will continue attending practices despite the slim chance of meets this season.

“The team was very welcoming and nice, making it very easy for me to get comfortable with new people especially since it was my first year,” said Yuzine Yi (9), varsity swimmer. “I was very disappointed when the first home meet got cancelled, but as more and more competitions are getting cancelled, I don’t think I would be surprised if the whole season is cancelled right now. I am still very worried about the entire season.”

Badminton The varsity badminton team lineup was finalized on Feb. 7, with skilled and experienced players from various grade levels, as well as a new coach, Dorothy Banas. Despite this being her first year at SIS,

Coach Banas is already a coach for three varsity teams. As the sport was officially recognized as a varsity sport this year, the team was especially excited for the season to start. However, the continuous cancellations of games came as a disappointment to the members, leaving tournaments and possibly the entire season at the risk of being cancelled as well.

“The team is more enthusiastic now that badminton became an official varsity sport this year,” said Christine Yi (10), varsity badminton player. “I was also looking forward to this season for the same reason, so I hope we can get back to school shortly. Because I was looking forward to playing matches for this season, I was saddened that we did not have as many opportunities to practice and prepare for these tournaments.”

New NFL CBA proposes schedule and playoff changes

by Eric

Hwang

The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is up for renewal during the 2020 off-season. The CBA, a joint labor contract between the NFL Player’s Association and the league, has important implications for the future of the NFL. The NFL CBA determines rules for the number of games players are allowed to play, contracts, suspension appeals, and much more. With players currently voting on the new contract, a simple majority of the 6,000 players will adopt the proposed CBA. If a satisfactory agreement is not reached before the 2020’21 season, a player’s strike may ensue, which may shorten or completely eliminate the entire season.

“For me personally, as a fan, my worst nightmare is a player’s strike, not whether the new agreement makes a longer or shorter regular season,” said Steven Chung (11), NFL fan. “I don’t really care if the season is longer or shorter, but I’m extremely worried that I might not be able to watch my favorite team for a full season this fall.

I hope the NFL and players will do whatever it takes to avoid any delays for this season.”

The currently proposed CBA which players are voting on would introduce several radical modifications to the NFL season.

For example, the CBA would allow the league to enact a one game reduction to the preseason and an one game extension to the regular season, making each three and 17 games respectively.

Although this clause would not take into effect immediately, the NFL would have the option to transition to this modified schedule in the coming years.

The proposed CBA would also expand the NFL playoffs, which have traditionally included 12 teams, to a total of 14 teams. In these new playoffs, the number of teams receiving a first round bye would decrease from four to two.

“As an avid Seahawks fan, I think that an expanded playoff would benefit our team,” said Jacob Lim (11), avid NFL fan.

“However, I don’t believe that it is good for the league. The nature of having only 16 regular-season games to determine seeding causes each game to

have value. The competitive nature of each game brings a playoff-like atmosphere without having the playoffs actually expanded themselves. The playoffs themselves are exclusive to only the best teams despite the high probability of an upset. In order to keep the ‘best teams’ on top, an expanded bracket would not make sense. Rather, the NFL should look to change the determining factor with which teams make the playoffs.”

The CBA would also include benefits for the players themselves, although less radical than the schedule changes.

Notably, the CBA would increase player revenue share by 1~1.5% of total league revenue, essentially giving players a greater share of league profits through contracts. The CBA would also increase the value of rookie and minimum veteran contracts.

Other terms include increases to pensions, mandated improvements to away team locker rooms, and more. However, many players have publicly denounced the new CBA. The primary point of contention for dissenting players has been the extended regular season. An

increase to the regular season, even by one game, would bolster league revenue and in turn the value of player contracts, but it would simultaneously increase player workload, fatigue, and risk of injury. As a result, stars like Aaron Rogers of the Green Bay Packers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks have opposed the CBA. “While we hear about the guys with massive contracts, those are stars who are highly visible,” said Timothy Munro, physical education teacher.

“Rosters are full of ‘minimum-wage’ players who only earn $510,000 a year. That may seem like a lot of money, but those guys do not have guaranteed contracts, and the average career of NFL players is only three or four years. So with the likelihood of a serious injury threatening their career and possible disabilities that arise from the punishing nature of the game, those are the players who will most relish the opportunity to play and earn more.

It’s the stars already making big coin that will probably provide the most negative response.”

Tiger Times

March/April 2020

11

NBA All-Star Weekend’s new changes bring smashing success

by Sarah

Baek

The All-Star Weekend is a weekend festival that consists of various basketball events, and performances. After the implementation of a new draft format for the All-Star Game in 2018, the event has become even more popular. The year’s format of making every quarter count was recently changed to honor Kobe Bryant. At the beginning of each quarter, the score was reset, and the team that “won” the quarter received $100,000 for their designated charity. Finally, in the fourth quarter, each team’s cumulative score was compiled. The remainder was played to a point which was determined by adding 24 points, in honor of Bryant’s jersey number, to the higher team’s cumulative score. The first team to reach this target score won the game with $200,000 for donations. Besides the Game, the Slam Dunk Contest was considered incredibly entertaining, even as one of the best dunk contests.

“The changes for sure enhanced the entertainment level,” said Maeve Gerhard (10), junior varsity girls basketball player.

“My favorite parts were when Aaron Gordon dunked over Tacko Fall, and when All-Star players played lock-down defense which they rarely do during the regular season.

As a passionate fan, I am glad that the NBA is making an effort to provide more fun and engaging moments. Additionally, it was an excellent choice to revive this year’s game with this format as it brought a new level of competitiveness to breathe fresh life for a thrilling end.”

In honor of Bryant and his daughter Gianna, Team Giannis wore the number 24, which Bryant wore to win two championships, and Team Lebron wore the number 2, Gianna’s jersey number. The game is usually a casual affair with minimal competition or defense; both teams would score above 150 points to show players’ athletic abilities with dunks, three points shots, and flashy passes. This year, however, the rules made the fourth quarter incredibly

competitive, with some analysts even likening it to a Finals Game.

“During the regular season, we only see these players against each other,” said Nathan Kim (10), Los Angeles Lakers fan.

“But during the Game, we see fresh matchups, or duo plays for incredible basketball performances. It was special this year because Kobe was the center of it all. As a fan of him, it was the right, and honorable thing to make such decisions. I hope that wherever Kobe is, he will be happy by seeing and talented players playing in remembrance of him and being grateful for his impact. I definitely hope they will continue this game format for the competitive atmosphere without being tied to their regular teams.”

Several players, including LeBron James, tweeted that both teams played with Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” for an intense finish. It is not common to see an entire crowd standing to watch two teams go back to back and forth on next-basket-takes-allpossessions. The defensive intensity was quite well-defined with Giannis Antetoukoumbo’s two blocks against James, and with both teams needing one and two points to the target score of 157, Anthony Davis was fouled; after missing the first, he scored his second to end the midseason showcase. Kawhi Leonard took home the All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award with 30 points. During his post-award speech, Leonard dedicated the trophy to Bryant, his late mentor.

“I wasn’t a big fan of scoring each quarter, but I liked how they put a point total and added the target score, which was well-thought out and put into execution,” said Morgan Miller, girls junior varsity basketball coach. “Adding a target score really changed the game. It seems to me that they are trying to find new commercial markets, and as the NBA has been quite marketable, the changes brought this year was a good way of reviving their entertainment level.”

FIGHTING COVID-19

12

SMALL TALK

#MeToo

Joanne Yang word of the month

#MeToo. Trending on social media platforms such as Twitter, the #MeToo is a viral hashtag representative of the Me Too movement, a sweeping phenomenon that supports survivors of sexual abuse and seeks justice for victims who have yet to receive compensation. Founded in 2006 by civil rights activist Tarana Burke, who first used the term “me too” to raise awareness of sexual assault among women of color, the movement reached its climax in 2017 following the widespread sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood director Harvey Weinstein. Though the #MeToo movement inspires wronged women to speak up for justice, more initiative is necessary to address the nuances of sexual discrimination.

On Feb. 24, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of sex crimes against Miriam Haleyi, a television production assistant, and Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress. According to the New

York Times, the influential figure now faces up to 29 years in prison, marking a historic moment for the #MeToo movement. Four other women testified against him at the trial, and their stories were used as evidence to establish a pattern of criminal behavior. Alongside Weinstein’s victims, feminist groups celebrated the verdict as a triumph for women rights, as it conveyed the potent social message that even those of high social status will be held legally responsible for their actions. However, not all are convinced that the verdict is a turning point for women rights: more than 30 of his accusers settled their suits for a total of $25 million, meaning that he won’t have to formally apologize to other victims for his wrongdoings.

The pursuit of justice and equality under the Me Too movement is not exclusive to the United States. In South Korea, prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun also drove the battle against sexual abuse

when she spoke against perpetrator Ahn Tae-geun, a senior prosecutor at her law firm, for his innappropriate sexual conduct. Her actions diminished the otherwise strong backlash against Korean women in sharing their experiences of sexual abuse by prominent men, and drove the trend of men apologizing for their actions or resigning from their positions due to criminal charges. Despite Seo’s efforts, however, the movement has not shown significant progress as it did with Weinstein’s trial. According to the Asia Times, Ahn could not be charged with sexual abuse because the statute of limitations has expired: even though he was indicted for abuse of power, the Supreme Court recently overturned Ahn’s conviction on appeal. The high profile court case is to be tried again, forcing Seo to encounter her abuser and retell the traumatic moments of her past on live television. South Korean feminist

groups responded with criticism and anger on the continued misogyny and the government’s inadequate recognition of women rights.

The Me Too movement’s success varies by country and its already ingrained perceptions toward women.

Despite the movement’s growing presence, sexual assault cases continue to be difficult to prosecute due to the complex dynamics between abusers and victims: there is often a lack of concrete evidence to prove the engagement was non-consensual, and members of a jury may still be reluctant to convict individuals if they question the honesty of the victim. Nonetheless, the #MeToo signifies an increase in public consciousness and the willingness of women to fight in unity against unjustifiable behavior.

... A l l F I T

nt we

o o h l c s

ONLINE?

BY CHRISTOPHER SHIN

With the COVID19 outbreak quickly spreading across South Korea and the rest of the world, SIS has taken precautions to prevent the spread of the disease by cancelling all classes on campus starting from Feb. 25.

Since then, students have been continuing their education via online classes hosted on Google Hangouts. The program was initially met with mixed reactions, but after a few days to experiment with their lesson plans, most teachers have successfully transitioned their coursework to a digital settling.

However, considering that the school may remain closed due to an extended period of time due to the steadily rising cases of Coronavirus, questions arise whether e-learning can be a sustainable long-term solution.

What if all schools went online?

The concept of digital learning is certainly not a new one, and it has been used by a variety of educational institutions for several years, ranging from elementary school lessons designed for homeschooled students to online courses offered at the university level.With the proliferation of technology in the 21st century, it is also becoming increasingly common. Coming with advantages including reduced commuting times, eco-friendliness, and the ability to learn from the comfort of one’s own home, e-learning has burst onto the education scene. In fact, in South Korea, many students attend online preparatory academies and receive tutoring through the Internet in order to supplement their schooling. However, its growth in popularity and usage has mostly been capped off

at just that: a supplement to education in a traditional classroom setting.

Despite the increased convenience of e-learning, the overwhelming majority of students around the world attend schools located at physical campuses rather than the Internet, and this is not without reason. A traditional classroom often includes more peer-to-peer connections and interactive learning than the video-conferencing platforms used today. Dialogue and any form of group work is often difficult in a digital conference room that projects even the slightest whisper. If all schools went online, they would have to find more effective platforms that can facilitate and provide opportunities for cooperative experiences that will develop life skills students can carry with them beyond their education. Another serious consideration is also making sure that students remain on task during their lessons. Without direct supervision, it can be oftentimes difficult to monitor students’ productivity and use of class time.

While digital learning certainly holds promise as a means to continue education in times of crisis, it does not yet appear to be an optimal platform that is ready to take on education in the classroom. With limited collaborative options and restricted interactions with instructors, online video-conferencing platforms simply lack the tools necessary to give students the best education possible. However, with new advances and innovations in the field of e-learning to fix such issues, desks in neat rows lined up in front of a whiteboard might become an archaic polaroid of the past.

Smooth and spongy as ripe nectarines, rouge pink tulips sway in a gentle spring breeze.

photo of the

month

Photo by Emily Oh

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