The Reporter: Issue I Fall 2021

THE

EPORTER FALL 2021 ISSUE I

24 Diversity, Inclusion, and

Controversy in Marvel-Disney’s Historic “Shang-Chi”

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and Marvel’s Mistake

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Hat Attack

New head coach Brian Young refocuses Hatter football on an aggresive team-oriented mindset.

TAKING A GAMBLE

Undergraduate enrollment on the decline and the price of safety.

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VOL. CXXIX

LETTERS from the editors

We’ve reached that point in the semester where things seem to be spiraling out of control, we’re all stressed beyond belief, and we find ourselves asking if we’re anywhere near the end of the semester. Even amidst all of the craziness, the staff here at The Reporter has been working tirelessly to bring you our first official issue of the semester. It has been so refreshing to get back into things, and we couldn’t be more proud to share it with you all.

These pages are, as always, filled with the hard work and passion of our writers, designers, and everyone in between. We’ve highlighted some exciting changes happening with our sports teams, we’ve explored the ever-evolving diversity within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we’re continuing to dive into how the pandemic is affecting colleges and universities across the nation, along with much more. The next time that I write to you, dear readers, will be at the end of the semester when things will probably seem even more out of control, but until then, good luck on midterms and happy reading!

Executive editor, calista headrick

There’s nothing like fall in Florida — the leaves change ever so slightly, the humidity remains exactly the same, and the mosquitos are back in their rightful homes: far away from us. And at least hurricane season, in theory, is over, which means the next Exciting Weather Thing we have to look forward to is the 50 degree mornings that wax into 92 degree afternoons, consisting of the de-layering of the tank tops which we put under our t-shirts which we put under our sweaters, and trying to wear combat boots but giving up and putting flipflops on again, all while sipping an iced pumpkin spiced latte. Can’t you tell I love fall?

The Reporter staff has probably spent a lot less time thinking about Florida’s idiosyncratic lack of seasons as they’ve been hard at work this semester creating this issue for you. Inside, you’ll learn about Isabella DeRienzo (‘22), a nature photographer featured in last year’s Touchstone, Dani Hendrick (‘23), a bright and involved student leader, and the consistent intertwining of politics and political health. Throughout every piece in this issue, there is heart and there is warmth and in most, there is hope, proving once again that even in these weird, tumultuous times we live in, life continues to be brazenly beautiful.

Editor-In-Chief, Ruby Rosenthal

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Backstage With the world slowly opening back up and Stetson finally reaching 70% vaccination, it felt like we stepped into a whole new world of journalism. For over a year now, no matter how tired all of us were of writing about the pandemic, we felt it was our duty to inform the students about what they needed to know.

Now, instead of providing information and updating you on the pandemic, we could finally reflect on it and leave it behind us. This is what this issue of the magazine is meant to convey. There are pieces about new changes in Stetson sports, interesting takes on our favorite pieces of new (and old) media, and a look back on how politics affected the way we responded to the pandemic.

The first magazine issue of the school year is always more difficult than others because we are all figuring out how to work together again after a few months apart. This year was especially unique because we are all adjusting to our schedules being filled with inperson classes. But like always, we have so many ideas running through our brains for new articles, events, and media we want to write about. We have so many exciting things planned for this year, and we can’t wait for you all to experience it.

Emily Derrenbacker, Managing Editor of The Reporter the reporter

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EDITORS

Calista Headrick

Jillian Semmel

Isabel Solorzano creative director

social media director

A Wilson

Ihsaan Fanusie

Jay Stearman

editor-in-chief

photo editor

arts & culture editor

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Emily Derrenbacker

Ruby Rosenthal

executive editor

sports editor

managing editor

Bella Steiert

news editor

the

r e t r repo

DITORS

’d like u o y e g n a h c a is t a h W to see at Stetson?

I want mozzarella sticks to be brought back in the Commons.

All the food items in the coffee shop should be eligible for a meal swipe.

A new concert hall and more practice rooms.

staff

Ruby Rosenthal, Editor-in-Chief Calista Headrick, Executive Editor Isabel Solorzano, Creative Director Emily Derrenbacker, Managing Editor Vivianne Skavlem, Copy Editor Jillian Semmel, Photo Editor Jay Stearman, News Editor Being able to control A Wilson, Arts & Culture Editor the air conditioning in Ihsaan Fanusie, Sports Editor your dorm. Seriously, Jackie Maze, Multimedia Editor we live in Florida.

Nkosi Watts, Webmaster Bella Steiert, Social Media Director, Designer, and Arts & Culture Writer Cassandra Bradley, Designer Zoe Boykin, Designer Chase Berger, News Writer Carmen Cruz, News Writer – Web Can we please get Julian Navarro, News Writer – Web bigger cups in the Erica Lucio, Arts & Culture Writer CUB? I drink a lot Alexis Diamond, Arts & Culture Writer – Web of water.

Anuket Goins, Arts & Culture Writer – Web Alessandra Rubello, Arts & Culture Writer – Web Luke McClatchy, Sports Writer

JOINING US

When it comes to joining The

Reporter, we’re not picky.

Whether you’re interested in writing an article, designing a page, taking photos or creating some graphics for us, we want to hear what you have to say. The Reporter is an extracurricular, volunteer operation made for students, by students, and we aim to cover the full spectrum of student life here at Stetson. If you’re interested in getting involved or have any questions, comments or concerns, email our editor-in-chief, Ruby Rosenthal, at rrosenthal@stetson.edu or apply on Engage.

CORRECTIONS

As an official media outlet for students on campus, we push ourselves to be constantly improving our standards and correcting our mistakes. We care about accuracy and providing you with the most accurate information we can give. If there are mistakes, let us know by emailing us at hatternetwork@gmail.com.

ABOUT US

The Reporter is the oldest collegiate

publication in the state of Florida.

The magazine is produced six times per year, three a semester. Florida Sun Printing prints 300 copies per issue on 8.5 x 11inch, 80#Gloss Text. Most body text is 11 point Adobe Garamond Pro with 13 point leading set with a combination of regular, italic, and bold.

All pages were designed using Adobe Creative Suite CC software InDesign with photographs and artwork handled in Photoshop and Illustrator. For additional information, please visit hatternetwork.com. Questions and comments can be mailed to 421 N Woodland Blvd., Unit 8416 DeLand, Florida 32723 or emailed to hatternetwork@gmail.com. We plan to forge a media group that meets our own high standards of excellence and integrity through expression in print and online. Ultimately, student media at Stetson University will be a representation of just that: the students. And because we are serving our peers, we will be honest in the stories we tell. Because if we don’t tell them, who will?

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Model: Ethan Ostrom (‘22)

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Taking a Gamble Undergraduate enrollment on the decline and the price of safety.

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The Return of “The Sopranos” HBO’s “The Sopranos” peaks in popularity 20 years later with the release of a new movie to a new generation of fans.

CONTENTS

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Public Havoc and Public Health Why does politics pull us apart when what we need most is to come together?

24

Diversity, Inclusion, and Controversy in Marvel-Disney’s Historic “Shang-Chi” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and Marvel’s Mistake

28

Hat Attack New head coach Brian Young refocuses Hatter football on an aggresive team-oriented mindset.

32 36 40

New Coach, New Culture Shellie Robinson takes over as Stetson University’s softball new head coach.

Ampersand: With Isabella DeRienzo Unpacked: With Dani Hendricks

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taking a

gamble.

As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the delta variant continue to wreak havoc, colleges and universities across the country, including Stetson University, may be facing a crisis more pressing than ever.

In March of 2020, when the United States weathered the initial hit of the coronavirus, more than 1,300 colleges and universities made the decision to completely cancel face-to-face classes or shift to an online format, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Suddenly, when faced with the question of plans for the fall 2020 semester, decisions had to be made in a variety of capacities for colleges and universities across the nation. To what extent would they be returning to normal functions, if at all? At the center of these concerns was the question of what exactly the student body would look like in the future if safety concerns amidst a global pandemic were evident enough to compromise a loss in enrollment.

As enrollment numbers are, of course, tied to finances, institutions had to take a gamble and wager if it was worth the safety risk to revert back to some degree of pre-pandemic norms in order to maintain some sense of financial stability. These questions continue to be of concern and the stakes remain high as we consider what the state of the university will be like going forward.

ENROLLMENT ON A NATIONAL SCALE According to Inside Higher Ed, college and university enrollment saw a decline of more than 3% nationwide from the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2020, a number which turns out to approximately 651,774 less students.

Freshman enrollment specifically for postsecondary institutions dropped by an alarming 13.1% in the fall of 2020, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Written by Calista Headrick Photos by Jillian Semmel Layout by Isabel Solorzano

Undergraduate enrollment on the decline and the price of safety.

Numbers in the spring 2021 term became even more concerning as enrollment saw the largest decline in a decade. According to Insider, “College enrollment declined by 3.5%, or 603,000 students, from spring 2020,” which they report was “the largest one-year drop since spring 2011.”

These falling numbers are largely a result of undergraduate enrollment, which according to Forbes, dropped by 4.9% this past spring. Graduate enrollment on the other hand saw an increase by 4.6%, following the increasing graduate enrollment trend that has been present since 2018.

For private institutions specifically this past spring, Forbes reports that private non-profit institutions like Stetson saw enrollment drop by 0.8%.

Not only should we consider the impacts of fewer students enrolling, but we should also consider if the students who were already attending decided to stick around. For this metric, we can look to the nation’s college retention and persistence rates since the pandemic began.

The college persistence rate, which is reported by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) and refers to the percentage of students who return to any institution for their second year, dropped by two percentage points last year, according to Forbes.

This is the largest one-year drop since 2009. The college retention rate, which refers to the percentage of students who return to the same institution, also dropped by 0.7% in the fall of 2020, also the largest decline since 2009, reports Forbes.

But what about private non-profit institutions like Stetson? Forbes also reports that “Private non-profit four-year colleges saw decreases in both their persistence

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and retention rates, with 2 percentage point and 1.3 percentage point year-over-year declines, respectively.”

Although these decreases were for the most part less than originally anticipated, the results could nonetheless be devastating. Regardless of the anticipated impact, what kind of implications do these drops in numbers present for institutions across the country? Will the economic impacts of COVID-19 be detrimental to the future of higher education in the U.S.? Will institutions across the country be able to recover?

STETSON DECLINE After examining these numbers on a national scale, how does Stetson fare in comparison to the rest of the nation?

In terms of total enrollment, Stetson saw a 0.2% increase in enrollment from the fall 2019 to fall 2020 semester. This was largely due to the 20% graduate student enrollment increase, as undergrad enrollment dropped by 1.8% in comparison.

However, the following year, from the fall of 2020 to fall of 2021, total enrollment dropped by 5.7%. This is largely due to the alarming decrease in undergraduate numbers. Even though graduate enrollment increased by approximately 11%, undergraduate enrollment declined by 7.7%. While 3,125 undergraduate students enrolled in fall of 2020, only 2,884 students enrolled by fall of 2021.

These numbers present legitimate concerns when taking the enrollment data from fall of 2019 to fall of 2021 into consideration. The university has seen a startling 9.4% decrease in undergraduate enrollment from the fall of 2019 to the present—although the graduate enrollment did increase by 33.3% from fall of 2019 to fall of 2020, which is surely worth noting.

Although graduate enrollment proves to be promising in the future, undergraduate enrollment has continued to drop by startling numbers. With data like this, how has this been impacting the university financially, and to what extent should we be concerned? Brian Fortman, director of undergraduate admissions at Stetson University, recognizes the impact on a tuition-dependent university that comes as a result.

“Like most private colleges and universities, we're tuition dependent. We rely heavily on our students as they're coming through that process. And, I mean, as an admissions professional, we want to hit our numbers

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every year. We want to hit our enrollments. That's what we do as far as our role with the university, so, it's very important to us,” Fortman said. “I do think that the changes that we're implementing, and hopefully getting high school students back to—I'm going to use that word normalcy—for them I think is important. I think that will be beneficial for us moving forward.”

Combating these struggles is no easy task. But Fortman drew attention to both the challenges existing in the higher education landscape before the pandemic, as well as the interruption to the academic experience that came with COVID-19.

“I think, even before the pandemic there were a lot of challenges...first, you're seeing a decline in the number of high school graduates in most areas of the country, and that was even pre-pandemic...It goes back to the recession, in 2008 and 2009, which impacted birth rates.

And when birth rates are impacted, down the line that impacts the number of students that are graduating from high school,” Fortman said. Throw in a pandemic, and these trends only become magnified.

Fortman also emphasized the shift in the college search process and its impact on undergraduate admissions. According to Fortman, the university had a fairly successful 2020 admissions campaign. More significant problems arose afterwards.

“When it [the pandemic] hit in March of 2020, most students were well into their college search process...so for the majority of the year, those students were still able to visit schools, and we were traveling all fall [of 2019].

So we were able to do a lot of the things that we've done from year to year,” he said. “Now you fast forward to 2021 and you have students who were impacted in their junior year. If you think about the college search process, most students start their visits spring of junior year, over the summer, and then throughout their senior year, and the students just didn't have access.”

Fortman says that last spring, enrollment numbers were looking optimistic up until April 1: “We were ahead on April 1, and so we felt like, up until that point, we were right where we needed to be. And then of course, April wasn't as strong for us and then we lost some students over the summer as well, and that’s what led us to where we ended up,” he said.

Fast forward to this year’s recruitment, and while fortunately more opportunities are opening up for these students, Fortman says that they are still behind in where

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they would typically be in their college search. But with opportunities for more in-person recruitment increasing, Fortman feels that the chance for students to experience all that Stetson has to offer in person, rather than through a screen, will help undergraduate admissions immensely.

“One thing I think it points out is that this is the type of place that the students need to fall in love with.

They have to come for a visit, they have to see it, they have to feel it, they have to smell it, and go through that process. And those opportunities were limited last year. So while they may have still applied, maybe their interest wasn't as high because they weren't able to do

those things earlier in the process,” he said. “Because of the precautions that Stetson had to implement to make sure that our community was safe, students weren't able to see the engagement that we have on campus. And so I do think that, you know, having all of our students back on campus is going to help. I think it creates a stronger atmosphere for our visitors.”

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS As we examine the nuanced nature of this dip in enrollment, various factors have contributed to the decline. One worth significant consideration has been the financial capabilities of students and families during a global crisis such as a pandemic when many have found themselves in a much different situation to be able to attend college.

As many incoming freshmen had to make the decision of whether to invest in an educational setting

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only being offered in a limited capacity, CNBC reports that “one-quarter of last year’s high school graduates delayed their college plans...largely because their parents or guardians were less able to provide financial support.”

Other changes in college plans came as a result of these financial considerations as well. The more affordable option became attending schools closer to home, moving completely online, or choosing a more affordable college or university altogether—all which present financial implications for many institutions, especially ones that aim to attract students from out of state or internationally.

When the average cost of undergraduate tuition and fees plus room and board at four-year private colleges and universities comes out to $50,770 nationally as it did for the 2020-21 school year, we are left to wonder if this has played a major part in the enrollment decline during the past couple of years. Add in the various additional expenses besides tuition and housing, and it simply becomes unaffordable for many students during the economic crisis that the pandemic presents.

Specifically for private universities, according to U.S. News & World Report, “the average tuition and fees at private ranked colleges has climbed by about 1%, according to data for the 2021-2022 school year submitted to U.S. News in an annual survey.”

So, when taking decreasing national enrollment numbers like 3.5% into consideration, what does this mean for the economic stability of colleges and universities? When institutions are forced to deal with drastic changes, suddenly colleges and universities are losing revenue.Without the usual influx of money from room and board as well as fewer tuition payments, the economic impacts loom ever presently and the financial stability of these institutions seems to be more pressing as they face more challenges than ever.

IT ADDS UP The COVID-19 pandemic took institutions across the nation completely by surprise. Suddenly, these institutions had to deal with either completely shutting down with the initial onset of the pandemic or altering their operations entirely. Even when universities like Stetson were able to continue with some degree of normal functionality, it couldn’t come without major changes to normal operations.

In a survey by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), “Three-quarters of 68 institutions that responded to the survey said that COVID19-related spending in the fall exceeded their expectations.”

With the move to online and hybrid learning, costs to accommodate these new ways of learning and the ability to carry on safely were also needed. Inside Higher Ed reports that “Technology and related training was the most frequently mentioned additional expense among NAICU respondents... about a quarter of responding institutions said it was their largest pandemic-related expense.” As many institutions adopted their own COVID-19 testing practices, these protocols also did not come without associated costs.

Stetson experienced many of these revenue changes themselves as various efforts were made to the university to allow operations to continue. Jeremy DiGorio, associate vice president for budget and financial planning, emphasized the effect of the surge of direct expenses that came as a result of COVID-19.

“Stetson during this whole time was really trying to prioritize the safety of students in our community, as well as the continued learning of our students. So whatever we needed to spend our money on within that funding and beyond to make that happen was our priority,” DiGorio said.

As he laid out, these direct expenses took many forms.

The university adopted a gateway testing program, put money into purchases for additional PPE, and also took on the task of transforming various locations like the dining hall and residence halls into socially-distant settings.

Additional air purification systems were also updated to higher levels of standards. Increased IT infrastructure was also significant as equipment for virtual and distance learning to accommodate the large shift from Stetson’s typical in-person experience was needed. As the university was also operating with students on campus in the 202021 school year, contracts with local hotels for additional isolation rooms also created an additional expense. These added expenses did not come without a heavy price tag and a significant loss in revenue.

According to DiGorio, “It was about $3.7 million of direct expenses in fiscal year ‘21. We did have some expenses in fiscal year ‘20, because our year ends June 30, and we are still having some in ‘22 for testing, etcetera, but I did want to pull that number kind of as a basis. So we had about over $5 million in lost revenue in fiscal year’ 21 by [having] less students on campus.” Playing a factor in the decrease in revenue has been the university’s decrease in enrollment.

According to DiGorio though, the financial impact was better than originally anticipated.

“So enrollment last year was not as high as it was the prior year, but it was better than expected. And I think that

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a lot of it came from additional scholarships. So the university made a conscious effort to provide a welcome back grant in the fall of 2020, which did have a significant cost in budget, I think it's about $2.3 million. So the additional scholarships that were given last year, as well as the lost auxiliary revenue, like housing and dining, was probably a significant loss of revenue.”

Combine these immense cost increases with an enrollment decline that is eliminating revenue, and we may have a problem that leaves many wondering if there is any chance for recovery.

Fortunately, to offset the unexpected effects of these direct expenses and lost revenue associated with the pandemic, the university received various iterations of federal funding from the government, which DiGorio explained.

“The government essentially had three iterations of federal funding. The first was the CARES Act. What was in the CARES, it was the peer funding or higher education emergency relief funding. And so really, there were three iterations of the peer funding that Stetson received. As a part of all three of those, there's a student portion and an institutional portion, and you have to use your full student portion of that federal funding to be able to use the institutional portion,” said DiGorio.

“The student portion really goes to support the needs of students, which could be immediate financial need, or it could also be for additional scholarships to help offset the cost of tuition, reward, etcetera. So in all three of the federal funding distributions, the student portion was to be used first. And so we work in finance and budget with financial aid to work directly with students to make sure that's being used,” he said.

Overall, according to DiGorio, Stetson received approximately $18 million in federal funds, of which over $8 million went and continue to be distributed directly to students: “Even as of today, financial aid is working on providing additional funds to students through scholarships to help offset this semester,” he said.

Also pointed out by DiGorio was the use of some of this funding to be used to help compensate for lost revenue.

According to DiGorio, “Stetson made the choice to go to single occupancy residence halls last year, and some of that lost revenue that we would typically have had was to be offset by some of this federal support stimulus.” This, in turn, softened the effect of these revenue losses.

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DiGorio drew attention to the impact of the pandemic, but also the federal funding, on the university’s budget: “A large portion of our budget is auxiliary revenue, which is through housing fees, and then dining fees like in the Commons behind us. And so you know, that lost revenue does have an effect on our total budget. So that was smaller last year, but also assisted by U.S. federal funding,” he said.

Although the university’s financial stability has been bolstered by federal relief efforts, DiGorio also focused on the efforts within the university specifically that were made to prepare for the economic impacts.

“So this happened in the summer of 2020. There was a Budget Prioritization Working Group across the university.

And their charge was really, to balance the budget for the fiscal year 2021, looking at reduction in resources. So keeping that safety and health, the provost and the CFO really worked to try and figure out where can we reduce resources,” he said.

“Some of those resources were reduction in travel; there wasn't any travel in 2021. Also reduction in some of the group experiences that we might typically have, because we were trying to be socially distant. But at the same time, the university prioritized the staff and faculty, so they didn't have to lay anybody off, things like that, because other universities did have to do that. Other universities also took pay reductions, Stetson didn't have to do that. And so I think we're really proud of the way we were able to prioritize the community,” said DiGorio.

In DiGorio’s opinion, the university did better than expected financially: “We finished the last fiscal year in the black, which is always the goal of any university, so I think we did better than expected,” he said. ‘In the black’ refers to a business that is profitable and financially solvent.

“We also, towards the end of the academic year as we prepared for ‘22, really asked our staff and faculty to be very judicious when it comes to spending even with the budget that remained. So we really tried to be as frugal as possible to make sure that we could provide the best academic and student experience, but also make sure that we're set up in the long term because we don't anticipate receiving any additional federal funding,” DiGorio said.

WHAT’S IN STORE

universities were very nervous about the long term trajectory of what this would have on the universities. But because of the three iterations of that peer funding, it really allowed us to navigate and mitigate some of those additional expenses and keep us on a good, solid financial path,” he said.

In his opinion, the mitigation efforts that the university has made will be a significant help in the long run.

“I think there's always going to be rising costs that are going to be challenges to us. But I don't think that the pandemic has necessarily derailed us, because of the strategic decisions made by the university,” DiGorio said. “I think the rising cost of the economy, as a result of the pandemic is going to create challenges, but strategic decisions that we've made last year to really make sure that we can reduce the budget and reduce as many expenditures as possible set us up for a solid place in the future.”

In undergraduate admissions, Brian Fortman believes the university is positioned in a positive place now to provide students with the full college experience on campus.

“We have a great academic experience to provide for students now that our students are back on campus and they can fully engage in the other aspects of their college experience as well...The academics is obviously a big part of it, but there's a lot of growth that students go through from that community aspect as well, you know, the relationships with their friends, being involved in leadership opportunities on campus, you know. So being able to have those opportunities back up and running is really exciting. I think it will help as we move forward,” he said.

Given the hand that they’ve been dealt, the changes that the university has had to deal with have come at no small cost. The pandemic is far from over, and consequently, we still have yet to see the full impacts of COVID-19 on the higher education system. Although we now have a more complete idea of where Stetson stands in terms of enrollment and its impacts, many colleges and universities have yet to report their own numbers for the fall 2021 term.

Will enrollment increase in the coming years as things creep back to some sense of normalcy? Or will the rise of new variants create an even more disruptive financial state for colleges and universities? Much is yet to be known, but if the Stetson plays their cards right, enrollment will hopefully be on the rise in the future.

Given this information, what does this mean for the future of the university? According to Jeremy DiGorio, the university is on the right track.

“I think prior to the influx in federal funding last year,

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Why does politics pull us apart when what we need most is to come together?

Written by Emily Derrenbacker and Jay Stearman Layout & Graphics by Zoe Boykin

Lately, it seems like health—something personal for all of us—has become part of a wider debate that is taking place in the political sphere. Before the pandemic, feeling the onset of a cold wasn’t cause for panic in the way that it is now, and the subject of vaccines wasn’t nearly as controversial. It seems hard to believe that health has ever been as partisan as it is now, but there have been several instances when health and politics have intersected in our nation’s history: the AIDS crisis, the abortion debate, and now the COVID-19 pandemic.

Politics and public health have always been intertwined, with advancements in medicine coinciding with political action. As we learned more about the dangers and health risks around us, we turned to our government to pass laws and rules for our own protection. Political action has had both a negative and positive

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impact on health, and there is no better example of that than the AIDS epidemic and the battle over reproductive rights in the form of abortion access and Planned Parenthood funding.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) was first discovered in 1981 when a few cases of a rare lung infection were reported. In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, the fact that symptoms didn’t show up immediately allowed the disease to spread largely unnoticed. When more cases were revealed among gay men specifically, the terms “Gay Men’s Pneumonia” and “gay cancer” first appeared in the news. For years, politicians did little to address the crisis that was happening, and the only money raised to fund research and treatment was raised by activists and those in the LGBTQ community.

It was due to activists in the community, specifically gay men, that there was any attention being given to the crisis at all. It

took four years of protests, marches, and “die-ins’’ on Capitol Hill until September of 1985 for President Ronald Reagan to speak about AIDS for the first time publicly.

It’s safe to say that the LGBTQ community was disproportionately affected by the AIDS epidemic, which is why many politicians deemed it unimportant. We can learn from the AIDS epidemic about the importance of activism and community work, but we can also learn that by doing nothing at all, the government can cause harm to the people it is supposed to protect. Politics affect those who are at the center of a health crisis.

When the number of COVID-19 deaths reached 100,000 in the United States, the announcement covered the entire front page of The New York Times. When 100,000 people had died from AIDS, the story only made the bottom half of page 18. No names were listed and no attention brought to the community this disease devastated.

This comparison makes it explicit that the impact of media attention, supporting legislation, resources, and funding for research is why politics plays an important role in public health.

As with the AIDS epidemic, abortion is another public health issue which seems to hang in the balance based on how willing lawmakers are to address the needs of the people. The divide that the pro or anti-abortion supporters walk is nothing short of an unscalable rift caused by slippery slope arguments rooted deeply in moral and religious beliefs.

The product is a true phenomenon where one side is spurred by religious fervor and

supposed care for precious unborn human lives, and one side aims to liberate women from standards imposed on them by the patriarchy and assert a woman’s right to choose whether or not to proceed with a pregnancy. The irony is not lost when people protesting against the vaccine mandates chant “my body, my choice” are often the same ones who would like to like to see abortion abolished. At heart, our views on health and medicine are shaped by new challenges and attitudes about our morals, our common understandings toward the human body, gender roles, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and reproductive health.

Each of us walk the line between prioritizing our own health and the health of our neighbors. This pandemic has brought into sharp focus how conflicts arise between people with differences in moral perspective, views on individual freedoms, and levels of trust both in our governments and in medical professionals.

These divisions seem so intense to us because of the length and severity of the pandemic, the broad range of policies that states and countries have implemented, and the forces of the media working in opposite directions to divide our opinions.

The “do your own research” motto has, unfortunately, led to the equivocation of established medical findings with countergovernment bloggers and cash-grabbing grandstanders. You know that you can look up information about the vaccine and how it works, but you also know that you won’t understand it any better or discover anything new that scientists haven’t already discovered.

The fact that famous conservative commentators like Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, radio personality Joe Rogan, and even Senator Ron Johnson have pushed for taking medications unproven to treat COVID-19 such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin is the perfect example of how political leaders are fostering distrust of scientists and doctors, and they are putting people at risk. It should be cause for extreme concern that some people do a quick Google search or watch a YouTube video and are suddenly willing to take horse deworming medicine instead of an FDA approved vaccine. (This isn’t a joke: there is a drug called ivermectin that is used to treat infections caused by parasitic worms, and enough people are taking it for COVID-19 that the FDA had to put out a statement saying that there is no evidence that it is an effective treatment).

Politicized health hurts the public, but rampant misinformation is not an excuse for people who remain willfully ignorant. YouTube and other mainstream media outlets have

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expressing hesitancy to get the jab themselves.

The U.S. is hotly divided over the vaccine due to the politics surrounding it. Doubt has been sown into the CDC’s numbers and the effectiveness of both mask wearing and the vaccines themselves.

But if we compare the percentage of those vaccinated among our representatives and the total U.S. population, there is a stark difference.

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As reported by USA Today, 100% of Democrat senators and representatives are vaccinated, 92% of Senate Republicans are vaccinated, and 54% of House Republicans are vaccinated, with nearly half of House Republicans refusing to say publicly whether they are vaccinated or not. Suffice it to say, the vast majority of Congress is vaccinated, yet many on the right seem to be playing on the doubts and suspicions of their base to generate support. This is at odds with the rest of the population.

88% of people registered as democrats are vaccinated, but only 55% of republicans are, according to NBC News. There is a clear difference in who is getting vaccinated.

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added clauses to close down accounts and censor videos which promote medical misinformation, earning the ire of many on the right-wing; however, many still warn of a ‘medical deep state’ headed by Dr. Fauci, the WHO, and corporate elites.

The effect? Thousands of people have chosen to trust parasitic worm medication for cows and horses touted by non-medical professionals rather than receive a proven, free, and readily acceptable vaccine. This baffling distrust of our public health officials and agencies has led to conservative news broadcasters censoring their own hosts while government leaders in Mississippi and Missouri have had to make public statements denouncing the use of these drugs to self-treat against the coronavirus. Trust in scientists has been completely shot, and it’s hard to point the blame anywhere else than the right-wing media machine.

But what does this chaos all stem from? Is it due to an extreme lack of trust in the government? Is it idiocy? Or are people too unwilling to agree with the other party? Maybe it’s all three.

When something like a public health crisis occurs and the ensuing panic starts to set in, those in positions of power jump at the opportunity to take control. Either they aim to defend their people or protect the people. One is a power play and the other is a solemn duty.

Encouragement of the vaccine should be a bipartisan effort, as the Trump administration oversaw its creation, while the Biden Administration oversaw it’s distribution. Despite this, Republican lawmakers who once praised the Trump administration for facilitating the accelerated development of the vaccine are now questioning the vaccine’s effectiveness and

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Mask shaming on one side and vaccine shaming on the other has produced a kind of fiery smugness between anti-mask and anti-vaxxers, or rather, pro-natural immunity on one side and the disgruntled populace of vaccinated who find themselves still having to wear masks months after receiving the vaccine jab on the other. Arguments against the vaccine run the gamut from its emergency authorization status from the FDA, the benefits of a natural immunity, the supposed dangers of getting inoculated, and to just not wanting to conform to mandates (i.e. not letting the government tell me what to do).

The double standard of the anti-mask backlash can be broken down by the tacit laws against public nudity and seatbelt requirements. Within the anti-mask frame, you could hurl obscenities at the federal government and chastise those who mindlessly follow their tyrannical laws, as Big Brother forces you to wear pants in public or a seatbelt in your car. You could say the government has stripped you of your bodily autonomy and is trying to penalize you for what you do in your own car, regardless of how it might be safer for you to follow the rules.

You can sit naked behind the wheel in your garage without a mask and there’s no problem, but the minute you get out at Publix parking lot, suddenly everyone has a problem with you. But what ever happened to leaving each other alone and respecting other people’s decisions? The fact is, this country has never truly been that way. We’ve been trying to police each other’s habits, clothing choices, sexual preferences, and political affiliations for decades.

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os all stem from? Is it due to an of trust in the Is it idiocy? Or are peoling to agree with the other party? ree. But what does this chaos all stem me lack of trust in the government? ling to agree with the other party? his chaos all stem from? Is it due to ernment? Is it idiocy? Or ith the other pares this chaos all lack of trust in people too unwilling We tend, undoubtedly as a result of mainstream media influence, to look to leaders and politicians for guidance about how to talk about, feel about, or even think about certain issues. When former President Trump downplayed COVID-19 over and over again despite the number of deaths increasing exponentially, it automatically created a divide in society over how we should respond to the pandemic. President Trump has often compared himself to President Reagan, as seen in his use of the slogan, “Make America Great Again” which was coined by the Reagan campaign in the 1980s. Ironically, there are comparisons to be made for the two republican presidents, but not in the way President Trump might hope.

They were both presidents during two different public health crises, and as the country’s leader, they witnessed hundreds of thousands of Americans die, while the government dismissed the scientists and doctors whose job it was to protect American lives from disease. In many other countries where government leaders have heeded the advice of scientists, people were able to come together during this crisis to weather the storm. For example, in Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Singapore, and the Netherlands, mask mandates and excellent contact tracing were able to keep community spread at bay. The opposite has occurred in the United States. The back and forth arguments and the inconsistent health policies from state to state have only served to prolong the pandemic.

The vast differences in response between republican and democrat controlled state governments laid a clear division in the sand. One party was going to adhere to the recommendations of the CDC through mask and social distancing mandates to weather the storm, while the other was going to use the fear and uncertainty to frame themselves as the rebellious freedom-fighting martyrs they so often try to embody.

Neither side of the political spectrum has had

a clean record throughout the pandemic. The entire debate over lockdowns proved that there was no right answer. Democratic governors advocated for shutting down small businesses, and while that may have been better for reducing the spread of

COVID-19, it also hurt small businesses and their workers who had to rely on the income and couldn’t afford to stay closed for an extended period of time. Many Republican governors, on the other hand, have refused to implement mask mandates in schools, even though they have been proven to reduce transmission of the virus.

Watching this pandemic unfold over the past year and a half has been downright depressing for all Americans. For a short time though, most of us thought that the vaccine was the light at the end of the tunnel. But now, it’s the people who are storming into Target and saying that wearing a mask is a violation of their constitutional rights who we’re relying on to get vaccinated to protect all of us. Vaccine mandates are also being called “unconstitutional,” yet students have had to show proof of vaccination for years to attend public schools and universities.

Combined with the fact that vaccination rates have only slowly eked forward since June— even after more long term studies have been conducted and the FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine which has been free and readily available in most part of the country for months— it seems that a sizable portion of the population is simply unwilling to get the vaccine shot despite the progress of epidemiologists and insistence of our public officials and neighbors.

It appears that we have become numb to a massive amount of people dying as if it is inevitable, especially here in the South until death affects us personally. How can we come back from that? How can we see each other as more than numbers or faces behind a screen? One piece of hope we can cling to is the fact that along the political spectrum, there are many people in the middle who aren’t screaming and shouting. But maybe those people are the ones who should be the loudest, and maybe then they can overpower the voices on the fringes and put this whole sorry chapter of our history behind us for good.

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The Return OF “THE SOPRANOS”

Story, Layout & Graphics by Bella Steiert

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hen you look at any article discussing the best television shows of all time, HBO’s “The Sopranos” is almost certain to show up. The television series ran from 1999 - 2007 and won a multitude of awards including 21 primetime Emmys and five Golden Globes.

Regarded by many as one of the best television shows ever, the series has spawned books, video games, and has been the topic of several podcasts.

Premiering Oct. 1, a Sopranos prequel film will be coming to theaters and HBO Max titled, “The Many Saints of Newark.”

Recently, the show has gained a new generation of fans, including myself, who were too young to watch the show when it aired but have recently

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HBO’s “The Sopranos” peaks in popularity 20 years later with the release of a new movie to a new generation of fans.

discovered it on HBO Max. This new fanbase of viewers in their twenties is bringing it back to the limelight by talking and posting about it on social media.

So, what is it about “The Sopranos” that has made it a pop culture constant, spanning two decades with millions of fans worldwide keeping the show relevant? How has it paved the way for other shows such as “Mad Men” or “Breaking Bad?” More specifically, why is an old show about Italian gangsters so appealing to audiences like a 20-year-old woman in college?

Like many, I have heard the title “The Sopranos” used in conversations for years, even

at a young age. The first time I ever remember hearing of the show was surprisingly enough through the PBS Kids show, “Arthur.” In the episode titled “Bleep,” Arthur visits the set of the show “The Altos” which my parents explained to me was a spoof of “The Sopranos.” I really did not know anything else about the show, but that memory stuck with me for years.

Fast forward to the year 2020. I, like many others, was binge-watching a ton of television shows during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. I looked up lists of the most critically acclaimed shows and chose what I found interesting. It was the end of my fall semester, and since I was on winter break, I had decided it was finally time to start “The Sopranos.” When I started my binge-watching journey, I was slightly intimidated by the start of the show because it seemed so dark and violent, and I assumed that would be hard for me to connect to.

After watching the pilot, I was no longer worried, I was super invested, and I had a feeling this could be my new favorite show. The basic premise of the pilot is introducing the mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) who is first seen in a therapy session with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). Tony discusses how he recently started getting panic attacks, and Dr. Melfi figures out what in Tony’s life is causing him this anxiety. The show puts a very different spin on the mob genre, and it is super entertaining to watch.

Throughout the show’s six-season run, we see Tony deal with “the business” with his team he recruited, consisting of friends and family. The mob crew is very entertaining and their plots are as equally interesting as Tony’s. The mob crew includes Tony’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), who is an inspiring film writer; Paulie Walnuts (Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr.), one of the shows most colorful characters who is often cracking jokes and is very self-centered; Silvo Dante (Steven Van Zandt), the owner of the series iconic club The Bada Bing, who is often shown quoting the mafia rules and handles a lot of

the serious business; and lastly Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiro (Vincet Pastore), who is a longtime close friend of Tony’s and a mob enforcer for him. These characters are often engaging in side plots, and the actors give amazing performances. Like I mentioned earlier, I was unsure of how I would feel about the mob stories, but all of these plots were heavily entertaining and they are a huge reason why this rendition of the mob genre is so fun to watch.

Another key part of the series is the Soprano family. Family is everything to Tony, and his family plays a major part in the show. Tony lives with his high school sweetheart Carmela (Edie Falco), a homemaker and the mother of two children: Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), the eldest, is a smart, spoiled, and moody teenager who shows suspicion over her dad’s work, and the younger child is AJ (Robert Iler), who causes trouble and struggles with self-esteem and other issues throughout the series.

Any scenes or episodes that involve Tony interacting with his family are such a delight and some of my favorite parts of the series. One of the show’s most standout and critically acclaimed episodes is the season one episode titled “College,” which revolves around Tony taking his daughter Meadow

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on a tour of colleges. This episode blends the crime aspects of the show and the family aspect perfectly, with action intertwined with a few sweet moments showing a softer side of Tony. The last character that is very noteworthy is Tony’s therapist, Dr. Jenifer Melfi, who is one of my favorite characters on the show. She is a fantastic character who challenges Tony in his therapy sessions while staying calm and professional.

Not only are the characters interesting, deep, and fun to watch, but the show also has overall brilliant writing and storyline. On paper, you wouldn’t think “The Sopranos” would be a show with humor but surprisingly it is. The show knows when to be serious in telling a story and when to be downright ridiculous.

An episode that showcases the series’ clever humor is the season three episode titled “Pine Barrens.” The episode focuses on Christopher and Paulie as they take over collections for Silvo and end up getting lost in the Jersey woods. It’s filled with so many clever jokes (which I quote often), and it has a great rewatch value. There are little witty lines sprinkled into most of the episodes, and it is always fun to have those lighter moments mixed in with some of the show’s heavy tone.

I could go on and on about how well “The Sopranos” does drama and mixes it with clever things such as dream sequences, or how the show mastered the “lovable antihero” plotline which is used heavily in other popular shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men.” But I don’t want to spoil the show for those who haven’t seen it, as it is such a wonderful first-watch experience. The fewer spoilers you know, the more fun you will have.

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HBO Max is about to release a prequel movie for the series titled “The Many Saints of Newark” and it will be streaming on Oct. 1. The film will follow a young Tony Soprano (played by Michale Gandolfini, the son of late Tony Soprano actor, James Gandolfini) as he teams up with his uncle Dickie Molantisanti in training Tony to become a mobster. The trailers for this film look promising and carry the same tone as the series. It also has a star-studded cast including Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano, Jon Bernthal as Tony’s father, Johnny Boy Soprano, Corey Stoll as Junior, Billy Magnussen as Paulie, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Harlod McBrayer. I highly suggest if you have any interest in this film to go and watch the original series first. “The Sopranos” is a masterpiece of a television show and is a must watch for any TV or pop culture fan.

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24 issue 1

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION

& CONTROVERSEY

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ajor conglomerate Disney and its superpower branch, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been dominating the big screen since the 2008 release of “Iron Man.” This kicked off the MCU’s rise in cinema over the past decade and a half, reaching all across America and the world. Over the years, we have seen Marvel Comics turn into mega-franchise films such as the installments of the Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. Also included are the historic all-Black lead cast of “Black Panther,” female-led films of “Captain Marvel” and “Black Widow,” and most recently the all-Asian lead cast of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been and still is predominantly led by white male actors taking on the role of a superhero while people of color have been left to the side, playing the supporting roles. This is notable in almost every MCU film with characters such as Rhodey/War Machine (Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle, “Iron Man”), Falcon (Anthony Mackie, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon, “Spider-Man: Homecoming”).

It wasn’t until the 2018 release of “Black Panther” (Chadwick Boseman) when we finally saw an all-Black leading cast as the heroic and innovative protagonists and antagonists.

The movie opened the door more for people of color, leading a path of diversity and inclusion in the MCU and holding the film industry accountable in representing the world of today.

In 2019, Phase Four of the MCU was announced, and the stories and casts have been the most diverse in MCU history. The latest film release of Phase Four, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has made a monumental and historic mark in the entertainment industry as the first superhero film with an Asian-led cast. Shang-Chi is about Shaun (Shang-Chi), the heir of his immortal father’s Ten Rings organization, who ran away to San Fransisco to build a life of his own, leaving behind his little sister, Xialing.

After a decade passes, Shang-Chi’s father, Xu Wenwu, hears the voice of his deceased wife, Ying Li, and sends his men to search for his children to help him save her. What begins as a forced family reunion turns into a reignited revolt against Xu

in Marvel-Disney’s historic “Shang-Chi” film Written by Erica Lucio Layout by Isabel Solorzano Photos by Jillan Semmel

Wenwu by his children, leaving Shang-Chi and Xialing to find their maternal relatives, the people of Ta Lo, to warn and defend them against the war their father is bringing to their family’s ancestral, sacred land.

The day after the first theatrical release of Shang-Chi, I hopped in my car and drove 25 minutes away from campus to see the film at the Hollywood Theatre. Throughout the course of watching Shang-Chi on the big screen, I was deeply in awe. The vibrancy of the cinematography, costume designs, discussion of family matters, and stellar acting performances were nuanced and sublime. Since it was Labor Day weekend, there were about 12 people in the theatre I was in. When the main credits started rolling, half of the audience walked out and missed the post-credit scene. Once the scene ended, the rest of the audience, except for one guy, left.

This was a mistake—everyone who is a true Marvel fan knows that Marvel tends to add multiple post-credit scenes after the production company logos and thank yous, so I stayed until the end. Sure enough, there was another post-credit scene that was empowering and badass, showing the fall of patriarchy and the rise of the matriarchy. If you decide to go see “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” make sure to stay until the theatre lights come back on.

While Shang-Chi is a historic moment in cinema, its recognition, press tour, and marketing have been overlooked and downgraded. As a Marvel fan and lover of films, I keep up with release dates, casting of films/series, directors, and much.

When I would go and make the rounds on my social media accounts, I hardly saw any significant marketing of Shang-Chi. With films such as “Black Widow” or the Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” and “WandaVision”, I would see ads pop up on social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram, but it was rare that I would see something for Shang-Chi. I thought it could have been my algorithm, but I see Marvel and Disney posts frequently. I went to the internet and sure enough, other people were noticing the same thing.

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The marketing of Shang-Chi has been subpar, and given that it is the first MCU superhero film with an Asian-led cast, one may assume it is related to negative racial connotations. On Aug. 12, 2021, Chief Executive Officer of Disney, Bob Chapek, recently made a striking comment during an earnings call, reporting financial outcomes on Disney’s third quarter for the 2021 fiscal year. During the earnings call, Chapek discussed the theatrical release of Shang-Chi and the post-45 days until the film’s Disney+ release, calling it an “interesting experiment.”

Many fans across the world, including myself, were taken aback and thought Chapek’s comment was demeaning. Even the lead actor of Shang-Chi, Simu Liu, took to social media to respond to Chapek’s comment. Liu stated, “We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f*** up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.” The connotation of Chapek’s “experiment” comment made it seem as if Shang-Chi was just a test to see how well their first Asian-led cast would do during a global pandemic, on labor day weekend, and being a theatrical to Disney+ release.

To get insight and perspective, I met with Stetson’s Asian Pacific American Coalition executive members, Anh Nguyen ‘22 (President of APAC), Francis Alexa Morales-Diaz ‘22 (Director of Communications), Claire Sigl ‘23 (Director of Events), and Michael Nguyen ‘23 (Director of Marketing and PR) to discuss some of the controversies and expectations of Shang-Chi. Compared to Shang-Chi’s counterparts such as “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and “Black Widow,” MCU fans have noticed a lack of marketing, and whether it is intentional or not is unknown.

“When I found out it came out, I didn’t even realize it’d come out until like, I was actually surprised. I thought it was going to come out much later,” APAC’s Sigl said.

Sigl thought the lack of marketing for Shang-Chi could be attributed to Disney prioritizing its marketing on “all the things that are available on Disney+.” She began to acknowledge the attention of Shang-Chi but instead, she diverted from her starting statement, sighed, and stated, “it’s just kind of disappointing, at least I can say.”

Contrary to Sigl, APAC’s Director of Communications, MoralesDiaz, saw “a whole bunch of marketing that they were doing” but prior to Shang-Chi’s Sept. 3 theatrical release, “There wasn’t really a lot of marketing.” She mentioned that “The confusion with the release date” stems from the multiple release date changes and that Shang-Chi was said to have been “A series, not a movie… all of a sudden, about two months ago, they said it was coming out in September and it was going to be a movie.”

Morales-Diaz also shared with us that in an article she had read, it discussed that “In China, they did a lot more advertising than here.”

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Putting things into perspective and giving pointers for Disney, she believes “The U.S. kind of lacked in the marketing, advertising department with Shang-Chi. They could have done a whole bunch more to promote the movie and to really get the name and the word out there.”

At the center of the controversies surrounding Shang-Chi was Chapek’s “interesting experiment” comment about the release structure of the new film. “Just that statement, kind of makes me feel like movies featuring Asian superheroes aren’t pushed more or they don’t really think it’s such a big deal… I think it’s a poor phrasing of words and kind of makes it seem like Asian representation and these big blockbuster superhero movies are not worth it to these companies. Maybe he just didn’t mean it that way, but at the same time, that’s what it kind of implies,” Sigl stated when asked how Chapek’s poor choice of wording made some of the APAC executive board members feel.

Although Chapek’s comment is met with negative criticism, “when he meant experiment, he meant the release format of the movie because previously “Black Widow” was released and it was released on Disney+ and movie theaters,” commented Michael Nguyen.

“The terminology kind of feels like they mostly care about their own self-interests, but because they really only care more about money than actually like giving out this masterpiece with a bunch of Asian-led actors. That’s how I see it,” he added.

“It’s very disheartening because we’re all here assuming what you would have thought what did that word experiment mean?

But, thinking back, this isn’t the first time they experiment, to use his words, with an Asian film because they also had “Mulan” this year when he was also CEO of Disney. But it’s also just very heart wrenching because I want to work for a company like that. Just to hear the CEO say things like that when I’m also Asian is kind of a double-edged sword. In a way, I just wish that he would have thought about his words a little clearer and understood how much value and culture there is in this movie compared to the other movies that they’re also releasing. If we go into “Black Panther,” there’s a whole bunch of culture there, if you go into “Beauty and the Beast,” there’s a whole regimen that’s behind that. So yeah, it’s just very, very heart wrenching,” Morales-Diaz added.

Since “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” was released during Labor Day weekend, which is known to be the weakest week for cinemas across the country, and the fact that Disney was trying out a new release format (theatrical then Disney+ release), I wondered if Disney should have done something different so it wouldn’t seem as if they’re trying new things on a movie with such grand significance.

Anh Nguyen, President of APAC, commented, “I think they have all the resources and in a way, they know what to do and they know when to release it. Maybe it’s a marketing strategy, I am not sure, maybe it’s just to say, I’m gonna catch up with this train about releasing more diversity… I’m just going to do whatever to bring it out but I don’t really care how much it’s gonna bring to me.”

Nguyen also mentioned that for a film, “Taking more diversity and different culture tests on it, I don’t think that they understand it, or maybe they just, you know, stay at the headquarters and think about what they want to do with the rest of the world, but they don’t really go out and experiment that to see why it is important for certain people or why is it important to release this. They just want to do it just to do it.”

Stetson’s Asian Pacific American Coalition has yet to see “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Naturally, my final question to them was what they hoped and expected to see in Shang-Chi—stereotypes or refinement of stereotypes.

Morales-Diaz told us, “I know that stereotypes is really hard to just avoid in some way because no matter how hard we try to like do the research and really go for some of the history, there’s still gonna be some type of stereotype. I do hope that there is a refinement like you were saying, and I hope that the culture and maybe some of the history of martial arts is shown in the movie because that’s a very big part of our culture, and also, maybe just other things you find in the culture that are very enriching. I just hope they do a good job with that.”

As for Nguyen, she hopes “They are not going to, I would say, exploiting the culture to kind of push everything into one movie and say, ‘Oh this is the culture’… you should have done it beautifully in a way that people see and they appreciate it rather than you’ve just mushed everything in one movie for two hours. I expect to have more, you bring what you know, rather than you just try to put it in to make it more kosher, I guess.”

In light of seeing “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” learning about the controversies that have surrounded the film, and speaking with the Asian Pacific American Coalition, I think that films such as Shang-Chi are changing the future of the film industry and should be revered and celebrated for their artistry and representation of the Asian community. In the context of Simu Liu’s comment on social media, Shang-Chi is a “ceiling-breaker.” Although I may not have worked on any aspect of the film, I think the goal, to any MCU fan and anyone who understands what’s like to be from an underrepresented community as I do, is clear: to bring a Marvel comic to life and represent the East Asian community and their culture in a positive and heroic light, redefining Asian roles and creating a new path of diversity and inclusion for the future artists of the film industry.

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28 issue 1

Hat attack New Head Coach Brian Young Refocuses Hatter Football on an Aggressive, Team-oriented Mindset Written by Ihsaan Fanusie Layout by Isabel Solorzano Photos by Jillain Semmel

Stetson University’s football team at home game at Spec Martin Stadium on Oct. 2.

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B

rian Young, former Hatters defensive coordinator from 2013-2019, rejoined Stetson football as head coach over the summer. After a one season-stint with Georgia Southern University in 2020, Young returned to the program to fill the position of the departing Roger Hughes.

Hughes, who currently serves as president of Doane University in Nebraska, served as Stetson’s head football coach from the team’s revival in 2013 until the end of last season.

As his successor, Young stressed the importance of helping football players develop as men: “Our main goal here is to make sure our kids are having a great experience,” he said.

“We’re gonna also…give them an opportunity to be successful on the field, off the field, as well as in the community…We want to be winners in all aspects of what we feel is important here.”

“I’m very passionate about what I do, I see [coaching] as a calling,” he continued. “It’s an opportunity for me to teach young men some of the values I’ve learned being an athlete. And as a coach, I think we are not only coaches but mentors and leaders. I try to make sure that we are examples of that daily.”

“Our culture [is that] we want to compete in everything,” Young said. “And then every task and every opportunity we have to attack any obstacles or any things that happen throughout the day.”

The aggressive mindset the team subscribes to under Young can be summed up in one phrase: “Hat attack!”

The phrase has become something of a mantra for the Stetson football team.

It embodies the attack-first, belligerent, competitive spirit Young has cultivated within the team.

This aggressive mentality certainly was an effective tactic in Stetson’s first couple of games.

To begin the season, Stetson cruised past two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) opponents in spectacular fashion. The NAIA is an athletic association separate from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), within which Stetson participates, and hosts smaller universities that produce fewer professional prospects.

For Young, unselfishness and leadership are the most important qualities he aims to instill within his players: “These are things that help, not only in football, but in the workplace.”

Discipline and focus are also crucial values Young hopes to instill in the lives of the studentathletes.

In the home opener, Stetson blew Warner University of Lake Wales, FL out of the water with a final score of 54-14. A strong 4-touchdown performance from QB John Seter (graduate) and a 100-yard day from running back/receiver Jalen Leary (redshirt sophomore) set the tone for a successful season. Such a decidedly one-sided contest was followed by an equally impressive effort in the next game.

Stetson beat Ave Maria University 49-16 and rolled to a 2-0 start.

While they might not be able to tackle a competing salesman or punt your malfunctioning computer in the post-college world, former student athletes can take the general values learned from sports into their careers. The competitive spirit of football, Young said, can extend beyond sports and apply to many facets of life.

The running game was especially potent in the first few games. “You probably want to talk about what’s in front of the running game, that’s our offensive line,” Young said. “They’ve done a tremendous up front creating holes for guys like Jalen Leary and those guys that are playing in the backfield, so I think you’ve got to give the offensive line credit.”

30 issue 1

in a feel

n all aspects of what we eel is important here.

Young praised Jalen Leary, who rushed for a season-high 190 yards and scored twice in the second game against Warner University, as well as the aforementioned Seter who had two efficient passing performances in the first two games.

Overall, Young emphasized that football is a team game, and the collective contributions from the team were responsible for the early season victories.

“Defensively, you’ve got Fermon Reid (DE-senior) and guys like Dwight Lawrence (DB-redshirt junior), Ethan Hull (LB-redshirt sophomore), at linebacker. We talk about doing things as a collective group and a collective unit, not one person is bigger than the unit. Our guys are focused on the team aspect more so than the individual,” he said.

Yet Coach Young stressed the importance of not letting a single game change the philosophy of the football club. In an interview with The Reporter shortly after Stetson’s second win, Young noted that the team’s philosophy had not changed.

“We just have to refocus on what our philosophy is… Our defensive coaches do a tremendous job of understanding what our philosophy is.”

The Hatters were humbled quite drastically soon after in their first away game of the season.

Stetson football was shut out 63-0 by Princeton University in the last game of September.

Consistency is key, Young emphasized.

Carrying an attack-first mindset into all games, regardless of the opponent, he noted, should be a priority.

“The message doesn’t change whether we’re playing smaller schools, larger schools, or schools of our caliber,” Young said. “It is the same. We have an opportunity to go out and win the ball game when we go out and do the things that we believe in philosophically, and that is to attack in all three phases.”

Overall, Young was optimistic for the trajectory of the program. A promising offensive line has fueled a ground game that has shown flashes of brilliance, while the defense has come up big for stops in each of the two initial games.

“I think we’ve got an exciting brand of football that we’re getting off the ground,” Young said.

“We love [for] people to come out and see us. I think we’ve got an exciting opportunity here to get our program headed in the right direction and build on where it was.”

Stetson football’s ninth season since the reinstatement is currently well underway. Visit https://gohatters.com/sports/football/ to view the Hatter’s schedule, recent statistics, and up-todate record.

32 issue 1

NEW COACH, NEW CULTURE

Shellie Robinson takes over as Stetson University softball’s new head coach.

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ith the hire of Shellie Robinson as the new head softball coach for Stetson University, players are already speaking up about how the new culture is instilling a fresh sense of confidence in the program distinct from previous years.

Coach Shellie Robinson is now Stetson softball’s seventh head coach, after serving as assistant coach for the team for the past two years.

“Coach Robinson has utmost confidence in us,” said catcher Nikki Steiniger ’23.

“It’s a better environment all around,” said catcher Jordyn Stanfill ’24. “The coaches are much more hands-on and invested in the team and making sure we are as close as we can.”

The theme of the year for the softball team is being tightly knit together as one.

“Our whole theme this year is being like a family, meaning we are involved in all things at all times regarding the team, and by doing that, we have done events within the community to get tighter as a team and make a difference for people,” said Steiniger.

Stetson university softball team.

Story by Luke McClatchy Photos by Stetson Athletics Layout by Isabel Solorzano

“We’ve also gone to other teams’ sports games to show our support, so not only are we able to watch other Stetson athletes compete, we are also all being together in the same place and cheering for a common goal outside of Softball.”

While the day-to-day schedule has not changed much for the players, the program has more impact and meaning versus previous years.

“At the moment we only have one assistant coach, but at this point our head coach is more involved rather than letting the assistant coaches run practice for her, so Coach Robinson is there for almost all individual practice and meetings,” said Steiniger.

Players also believe that individual exercises this season are more beneficial than previous years.

“I also feel like we’re getting more out of individual practices than last year. They are only thirty minutes and in previous years they really felt like getting it done to get it done, but this year they feel like they have more meaning and purpose and I feel personally I’m getting a lot more out of

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them,” said third baseman/outfielder Ashlyn Prewitt ’24. “The individuals are a lot more structured. Last year it was more just hitting the whole time, but now the plans really feel more individualized and have more purpose.”

The new sense of confidence and positivity is a recurring theme throughout the team as well: “We feel 100% more confident going into this season than last year,” said Prewitt.

“It’s more of the fact that our coach is more hands-on and involved. Coach Robinson truly believes in us,” said Steiniger. “We know she’s going to put the hardest working players out on the field for game day, and that she actually sees things for what they are. Our coach last year, he was much more hands-off, so he didn’t see every aspect of the players and practice as a whole the way Coach Robinson does. She’s much more aware and involved,” said Steiniger.

While still early into the year and practices, the players are waiting and seeing if all the extra preparation is paying off.

“I don’t know right now if anything could be handled differently, at least not off the top of my head,” said Stanfill. “We’ll see later on when we’re together practicing every day together, we’ll see.”

The team is being as productive as they can in their approved timeline.

“Right now, by NCAA regulation, we are only allotted eight hours a week we each can practice with the team, but after a certain amount of time we can go to twenty hours for a period of time before the season starts,” said Steiniger.

Despite the culture change and new staff, Stetson softball still appreciates the previous staff and their contributions.

“We still have a great amount of respect for our old coach, and we think he did a great job with what he had. We appreciate all the opportunities he gave us,” said Steiniger.

“He built this program from the ground up and we have and always will have tremendous respect for him,” said Stanfill.

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Shellie Robinson, new head coach of Stetson softball team.

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R Isabella DeRienzo ‘22 artist of “Strike at Sunrise”

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I sat down for a Q&A with Isabella DeRienzo ‘22, communication and media studies major, to discuss her photography piece “Strike at Sunrise” which was selected for Written by Vivianne Skavlem publication in Touchstone 2021.

Layout by Bella Steiert

How long have you been doing photography?

My mom started doing it [photography] when I was like 10.

And then through that, I was like, ‘Mom, I want to do what you’re doing.’ And she was like, ‘let me put up your camera.’

So I guess, about 10. Or whenever I got my little hands on a camera.

What got you started in photography? What inspired you to go about it?

I guess, my mom. We spend a lot of time in nature and just outside, and how can you not take pictures of outside?

What’s your favorite thing to photograph?

I really, really like flowers. I don’t know what it is. I like flowers and I like bugs. I’m starting to get into bugs, which is kind of weird. But it’s just, it’s always been flowers and just the textures on plants. But I’m always taking pictures of sunrises, too. It’s just wherever I am. Just what’s around me.

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Where and when did you get “Strike at Sunrise,” which is the piece that you submitted for Touchstone that we’re here talking about?

I think it was over the fall of 2020. I took a gap semester. So I went back home to Ormond and my family lives right on the beach. Every morning, I’d go and I’d drink tea on the beach and watch the sunrise.

And if it’s a really good one, I take pictures of it. But I wouldn’t sit there and do it every day because it kind of takes away from enjoying it. You know, you make a habit of it. But it was really cool.

I think it was October. We get a lot of storms way off in the distance in the mornings. And there was heat lightning, or it could have been like actual lightning, but I couldn’t hear it. But you just see flashes of it and it’s just this brilliant sunrise and I was like, woah, so I took a video and later on I went through and I screenshotted it. I took it on an iPhone... So I got so lucky. Especially just being in Ormond, stuff like that happens all the time. It’s just like this little, little gem that no one knows about.

Were you specifically there to get that shot? Or was it more like spur of the moment?

Yeah, definitely spur of the moment and just chillin’ drinking tea.

Do you have a process for going out and taking photos?

I’ve just always taken pictures of nature. I guess it’s a part of who I am and how I express myself. I think nature makes me very calm and I have an eye for things that calm me down. I’ll find certain things where I’m like, “Wait, I think if I get this, I can show this to my mom or my family,” and they’re gonna love it and see how I felt in that moment. So, I guess, trying to capture things that I think will make other people calm and enjoy nature as much as I do. I guess that counts as a process.

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Do you see yourself doing anything with photography, professionally, in your future? Or is that more something that you want to save as a hobby?

I think when I was younger, I told myself, “I’m going to be a Nat Geo photographer. I’m going to do this.

I’m going to do that.” And actually, one summer I met a Nat Geo photographer randomly; crazy weird experience. I think Simon Newton, but I was asking him about it. I showed him my pictures, and we’re talking and he told me [about] the commitment and just how competitive it is, and how it’s kind of cutthroat sometimes... I just don’t want it to turn into this big job that I’m stressing about. Because when I’m stressed taking pictures, I don’t capture what I want to capture; not to the full extent that I want.

“Strike at Sunrise” by Isabella DeRienzo ‘22

What do you want people who see your photos to take away from it or feel?

I guess, specifically for this one, just to get people to slow down. Because if I was rushing that morning, or I’m in a weird mood, and I just sat there or didn’t even go to the beach, I would have completely missed that.

And just slowing down and picking up little details everybody’s rushing, and connotations with a beach— like the stereotypical tourist, tanning, sports— which are awesome in their own way. But there’s so much more to the beach than just that. When you see the ocean, you have no idea how much stuff is in there.

I see dolphins all the time. Sharks, stingrays, mantas.

It’s insane. People just have this very small mindset.

It’s kind of closed as to what the potential there is. So I guess by capturing these little moments, people get to realize if this is there, [and] if you just slow down, it happens often. You just gotta be open to it, and pick out the little things.

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Story by A Wilson Layout by Isabel Solorzano

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Q&A WITH organizations, such as Stetson University DANI HENDRICKS ‘23 campus Religious and Spiritual Life (RSL), Our Kind of Stetson, 1. Fidget activities

One pocket in Dani’s bag is almost exclusively for fidgets. These are any toy or activity that serves as a distraction or occupies someone’s nervous energy. She has an impressive collection, including thinking putty, a U.S. Army hand gripper, and a colorful Pop-it. “There’s also Kali my kalimba,” a metallic thumb piano. “I’ve played her at Uncouth, she’s a sweetheart.” Her newest addition, which is more distraction than fidget toy, is a book of crossword puzzles. She even bought a whole pack of pencils for it, can you guess how many were in her bag from these pictures?

2. Food and beverages

“I have this just in case.” It’s always important to stay hydrated and fed, even if your memory gets away from you. In Dani’s case, she keeps Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels in good supply and a whole package of cosmic brownies on hand. “I eat, on average, one box of little Debbie’s a day. That’s how I stay so big and strong.” She also has a few cans of Canada Dry on hand every day.

“Usually I have four, but I already had two today. I only have four per day.”

3. Laptop

Like most students, Dani has decked out her laptop with stickers that express her interests and to support her fellow Hatters. Almost all of her stickers are from

and Hatterthon. She even has an Alpha Chi Omega sticker in support of our Greek life. “One of our many Greek organizations on campus, they’re the only ones to give me a free sticker,” Dani joked.

4. Proof of involvement around campus

Dani Hendrick is easily the most involved student I know, so it was no surprise to uncover the countless handouts and merch from different organizations of the university. A few notable trinkets are the multiple Our Kind of Stetson pins (she had six in total) and MSC stickers. “These are the MSC (Multicultural Student Council) theme stickers for the year, ‘Speak Truth to Power.’ I always have these in my bag… so I can give more out.” Some other tokens she had came from PACT, The Well Team, Varsity, and Hatter Productions.

5. Student Government memorabilia

My favorite item from Dani’s bag was the gavel she was given for her work in the SGA last year. She also has the name tag from her “historical time as Vice President of the Student Government Association.”

6. The Reporter’s Orientation Issue

Dani is always on the lookout for the latest copy of The Reporter, to support our very own Hatter Network.

“You can get your very own copy of The Reporter from the one and only Hatter Network, you know, the vibe.”

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WHAT

are you listening to?

Stream Stetson’s best (and only) radio station live on hatternetwork.com Or download Radio.Co to tune in

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@hatternetwork

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