The Reporter: Issue 1

EPORTER ISSUE 1

OUR ‘NEW NORMAL’: STETSON’S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY

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08 The Implications of

American Individualism

14 Hockey, Chomsky, & The Dixie Chicks: An Examination of “Cancel Culture”

VOL. CXXVIII

Letters Letter

I’ve tried to write this letter three times now, and everything that comes out of my brain is either too silly or too serious, and I strive every moment of my life to stay firmly suspended in the ether that exists in between those two extremes, so leaning one way or another certainly won’t do.

So instead of trying to invent a clever metaphor or share a piece of advice I myself can’t even follow, I’m going to just lay it all out here. It’s been said a hundred times before, but this current moment is overwhelming. This ‘new normal’ is anything but. Breaking news comes and goes so fast by the time you’ve finished reading an update the situation has changed, and it’s a victory if you get through a day and have only forgotten one or two important-ish things on your to-do list.

Ruby & Hannah

I’m tired. The people around me are tired. All in all, it sounds like the majority of the country (scratch that, the globe) could use a good, long nap.

We walked into producing this magazine knowing that we were fighting against not only barriers of distance, but of an overarching exhaustion that has seemingly taken root in the very foundations of our lives. And even with all that to contend with, our people showed up. They showed up because there are stories that need to be told here. Ideas that need to be explored. Voices that need to be heard and issues that need explanation and recipes that must (must!) be tried.

So welcome (or welcome back) dear readers. Whether you’re consuming this as a physical copy or a digital edition, we hope the stories inside excite you, inspire you to think a little bit about the world around you, or simply give you something to focus on for fifteen minutes that isn’t the fact that life feels like one roller coaster loop after another right now. I hope the things on the pages that follow help you wake up, even a little bit. If instead they put you to sleep, all the better. Take a nap, on us.

Executive Editor, Hannah Zeller

In an attempt to reckon with the 200,000+ deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States, I’d like to offer a moment of silence.

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Editor-In-Chief, Ruby Rosenthal

Cover Model: Rachel Felshaw (‘21) Cover Photos: Jillian Semmel

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Remember when we all thought this whole pandemic thing would be over by now?

Yet here we are again, this time with just a bit more experience in producing a magazine virtually from here, there, and pretty much anywhere you can think of.

Whether it be states away from a bedroom-turned-office or right here on campus from the comfort of our socially distanced, isolated dorm rooms, we’ve done it again. Having put together a whole magazine over FaceTimes, text messages, and computer screens once before, I’d like to think that we did it even better this time.

We had a whole quarantine summer to prep, plan, and think ahead to how we could produce the best product possible with the restrictions that we knew we would undoubtedly face. From our weekly Zoom meetings to a socially distanced, masked up cover photo shoot, putting together this magazine has given us an even deeper understanding and execution of the skill sets we already had when working in person. So while creating this issue together, face to face, in a safe and healthy environment was what we were hoping for, we’ve done the best that we can with what we were given. And if I do say so myself, we’ve created something amazing. In the chaos that is 2020 where we think the year can’t get any crazier, it keeps doing exactly that. But whether you’re reading this from campus or elsewhere, we hope that the hard work that went into this issue gives you some much needed release from the start of a brand new semester and the new normal that we now live in.

- Calista Headrick, Managing Editor

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ditors editor

Ruby Rosenthal

Hannah Zeller

Calista Headrick

Jillian Semmel

Isabel Solorzano

Natalie Bergeron

Rene Campbell

Vivianne Skavlem

Ihsaan Fanusie

Julia Gray

Bella Steiret

editor-in-chief

photo editor

arts & culture editor

social media director

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executive editor

creative director

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r e t r repo

hatternetwork.com sept. 2020

tention for If you had the world’s at u say?

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You are allowed to be human, imperfections, mistakes, and all. We don’t let ourselves be human enough. So I’m giving you the permission to now.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.

Just because a problem doesn’t affect you, doesn’t mean shouldn’t care.

Ruby Rosenthal, Editor-in-Chief Hannah Zeller, Executive Editor Calista Headrick, Managing Editor & Cover Staff Isabel Solorzano, Creative Director Jillian Semmel, Photo Editor Natalie Bergeron, Multimedia Editor Arnaldo Chow, Webmaster Julia Gray, Social Media Editor Rene Campbell, Arts & Culture Editor Vivianne Skavlem, News Editor Ihsaan Fanusie, Sports Editor & Cover Staff Anjana Srivinivasan, Copy Editor Madison Gray, Designer Cassandra Bradley, Designer Zoe Boykin, Designer Bella Steiert, Designer & Web Designer Kevin Vega, Photographer Gabriela Molina, Photographer Maxx Smith, News Writer & Cover Staff Naomi Johnson, News Writer Emily Derrenbacker, Arts & Culture Writer Hannah Russo, Arts & Culture Writer Jay Stearman, Arts & Culture Writer Allie Wilson, Arts & Culture Writer Bijou Aliza, Arts & Culture Writer Ethan Dishman, Sports Writer

Just because you’re right, doesn’t mean the other side is wrong.

It costs nothing to be kind and compassionate to others.

You are making more of an impact than you may think.

contributors

JOINING US

Jenny Fang, Writer Robert Che-Bonilla, Designer Nicole Rosen, Writer

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.

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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.

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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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s t n e nt 08 14 20 28 32 36 42 46 50 54

The Implications of American Individualism

Hockey, Chomsky, & The Dixie Chicks: An Examination of “Cancel Culture”

Our ‘New Normal’: Stetson’s Coronavirus Response and its Impact on Our Community

With Athletic Competitions Postponed, Limited Practices Continued Glass Animals: Get Nostalgic and Reflect on “Dreamland” Ampersand Unprecedented Times: The Prequels Unpacked The Future of Black Students at Stetson The Breakfast Club the reporter

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news opinion

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IMPLICATIONS of AMERICAN INDIVIDUALISM

It started with toilet paper shortages, and then it escalated to the refusal to wear masks. The actions individuals have taken throughout the months of this pandemic have been astonishing to watch.

What does it say about the United States—when so many other countries have successfully slowed the spread of COVID-19— that outbreaks are still happening all across our country?

Story by Emily Derrenbacker Layout & Graphics by Isabel Solorzano

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ack in March, when COVID-19 was flooding the news in the United States, people were willing to stay at home to protect themselves and others. This was when the total number of cases was only at a few thousand.

But by the end of May, the boredom of quarantine set in, and people decided that the need to stay at home was over. Slowly, people began to revert to their regular lives: hanging out with friends, having parties on the beach, and going out to dinner; Universal even reopened in July. This change in attitude suggested the pandemic wasn’t a big deal anymore. This mindset had taken over just as the United States reached 100,000 total deaths.

I’ve heard many people say, “You can’t live in

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But I think part of the problem is we start to look around and see that other people might be acting selfish and we start a run on these things that if I don't get what I need right now, I'm not sure if anyone would help me later, given a kind of every man for themselves aspect of this.”

fear,” in response to my wanting to stay at home rather than attend social gatherings. But what does this even mean? Should I be willing to put my life and the lives of others in danger so that I can have fun for a few hours?

Do a quick Google search and you’ll find that individualism is defined as “the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant” or “a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.”

The United States has a history of fostering a culture of individualism. It has its roots in the Declaration of Independence when the colonists declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The importance of individualism was strengthened when the Bill of Rights promised rights and freedoms to every citizen.

- KYLE DICKEY, PH.D.

during the past months since the pandemic started.

Stetson psychology professor Kyle Dickey, Ph.D. shared his perspective on why people act the way they do during times of crisis—like buying out all of the toilet paper at Publix.

“I think one of the biggest things that matters and what we talk about in social psychology is this idea of a realistic conflict theory. So this realistic conflict theory states that if we are in a group, and we perceive there being a situation where we think resources are scarce, whether or not they’re actually scarce, we tend to become more hostile towards out-groups, and that makes a lot of sense. We want to take care of our kin, we want to make sure we are okay. But one of the issues is that as kind of mentioned, Americans grew up in a hyper-individualized culture. And

So, individualism has been an integral part of the freedoms and rights granted to each individual, but what has it meant for our country during a pandemic?

According to UVA Today, “The U.S. repeatedly ranks as the most individualistic country in the world, and American individualism has been a powerful force driving innovation and economic growth. However, it might also complicate the fight against COVID-19, which urgently requires collective actions – like social distancing or maskwearing – that sacrifice individual preference in service of a collective goal.”

This is quite eye-opening as it suggests that traits that Americans tend to be proud of—like independence and self-reliance—can also be a detriment in certain situations. It begs the question of how the individualist culture that is so ingrained in American society has affected the patterns of human behavior that we’ve seen

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one thing that we do is we tend to see our kin or our groups as mainly us in our families, and very, very kind of small groups,” said Dr. Dickey.

“One thing that we see in other cultures is more consideration of group harmony and being part of a larger collective. So when we think about why we might run out to buy these things, it makes sense that we need to get what we need to survive. But I think part of the problem is we start to look around and see that other people might be acting selfish and we start a run on these things that if I don’t get what I need right now, I’m not sure if anyone would help me later, given a kind of every man for themselves aspect of this. I think that’s a big problem,” he added.

The individualism that we have seen on the level of human behavior has implications when it comes to the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, culture and public opinion can affect whether the government decides to issue a mask mandate. Political science professor Kelly Smith, Ph.D. commented on the issue from a public policy perspective: her area of expertise.

“The U.S. does have a strained individualism, and some scholars would attribute this to the U.S. not having social classes (with the caveat of slavery of course) that existed in other parts of the world years ago. This is where the American dream comes from: the idea that you lift yourself up by your bootstraps and with hard work you can achieve anything by yourself. Americans emphasize the individual over the community, while other countries do the opposite, emphasizing the community over the individual. This culture difference results in different governmental approaches,” said Dr. Smith. This helps to explain how the behavior that Dr. Dickey spoke of influenced the government’s approach to COVID-19 policies.

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This information reflects data available from time of publication.

Then how has this ‘every person for themself ’ mentality directly affected the United States’ COVID-19 response?

Dr. Dickey explained that, “Being individualistic doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have any care for your fellow countrymen. It just means that you tend to be more focused on getting what is good for you, maybe above other people. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But I think what happens here is that with our government, we are currently not having a consistent answer from top to bottom. So we might see some of our institutions saying to wear a mask from a national standpoint, but a local government official might say, no, a state official might say no. And when we run into these issues where we don’t have a strong set of standards from our authority figures and the government, I think people are a lot more likely to pick and choose what they think fits them best.”

There are studies that confirm Dr. Dickey and Dr. Smith’s points. UVA Today found “the same pattern across 83 countries: more individualistic countries are less likely to engage in social distancing and have higher infection growths.”

people protesting mask mandates are good people who do care about the people around them. But at the same time, they are scared of losing their rights as Americans.

This fear is part of what is making them choose to not wear a mask.”

Dr. Smith also suggested that this idea of people picking and choosing what fits them best is due in part to the power state governments hold. “With COVID-19, we have seen some federal response, but the states determining their own responses stems from fear of big government. When a national mask mandate has been discussed, people have argued that it should be up to each individual to decide to wear a mask because we have always had individual freedoms and we should be able to make our own decisions and deal with consequences,” said Dr. Smith.

Some academic articles point to political polarization as one of the causes of contradicting information about COVID-19. According to Jay Van Bavel et al., “One issue with polarization during a pandemic is that it might lead different segments of the population to arrive at different conclusions about the threat in the situation and appropriate actions. Partisans may receive different news because individuals can self-select polarized news sources or partisan ‘echo chambers.’”

I reached out to Stetson students to find out how they feel about the government imposing mask mandates.

“

Shane Norton (‘22) reflected the desire to be able to personally decide to wear a mask that Dr. Smith spoke about, but believes the situation is complicated, saying, “It’s definitely a tough situation. Part of me thinks it shouldn’t be mandated because we should have the freedom to decide what we wear or do. But part of me knows how dumb a lot of people are. Also, let’s say it wasn’t mandated, but just encouraged. Maybe the no-mask protesters would be more likely to wear a mask since it’s by decision. I think it’s important to realize that nine out of 10 of the

When a national mask mandate has been discussed, people have argued that it should be up to each individual to decide to wear a mask because we have always had individual freedoms and we should be able to make our own decisions and deal with consequences.”

- KELLY SMITH, PH.D.

In a time when politics has taken over all aspects of society, opinions on science and masks suggest something about a person’s political affiliation.

Dr. Smith said, “Although there is a strong strain of individualism in the U.S., ideology does play a role.

Conservatives will be more convinced by individualism, while liberals are more willing to sacrifice personal freedoms for government intervention.”

Some students displayed the sentiment of being willing to sacrifice for the common good. Amelia Maulfair (‘22) stated, “Governments exist (in my opinion) to solve issues that require the cooperation of every citizen. Coronavirus is a great example of one of these issues; climate change is another. This pandemic requires a level of mass cooperation that wouldn’t happen without government intervention. Thus, mask mandates and stay-at-home orders are legitimate government actions.”

Daniel Hendrick (‘23) agreed: “The government has the chief responsibility of protecting its citizens’ right to life.

Sometimes it takes sweeping action in order to make sure that right is protected.”

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The COVID-19 pandemic has become politicized and has probably created more polarization in our country than there was before. The pandemic itself is not an inherently political issue, but how the country has responded to it has created a deeper wedge between the two political parties.

I think it’s important to realize that nine out of 10 of the people protesting mask mandates are good people who do care about the people around them. But at the same time, they are scared of losing their rights as Americans. This fear is part of what is making them choose to not wear a mask.”

- SHANE NORTON (‘22)

Dr. Dickey concluded by saying, “If we were sending a message to everyone that we’re doing this for the good of the group, or doing this for the good of our fellow Americans, I think we would see less of an issue. But individuals are choosing to do what benefits them more than what’s benefiting the group. And I think without a strong message from our leadership top to bottom that we are in this together, it’s going to be a continuously uphill fight.”

Some countries have seen a more collective response to COVID-19 and have therefore been more successful. Examples include South Korea and Singapore, countries that are known for emphasizing the community over the individual. This collectivist mindset has led to a high level of social coordination as people were more willing to protect others in response to the pandemic. Masks were mandated and were enforced with large fines as well. New Zealand issued strict lockdowns and focused on unity and social solidarity in its messaging.

Their actions were successful: New Zealand has had only 24 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to The New York Times.

It’s hard to say whether individualism caused the United States’ chaotic response to COVID-19. It was probably due to a multitude of factors that had to do with the government and individual human behavior.

But when looking at the successes of other countries, it’s also hard to say that American culture didn’t play a role. Individualism isn’t a bad thing—without it, our country would not exist as it does today. But it seems as though individualism has gotten in the way of all of us acting on the words, “We’re all in this together.”

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STONE 2021 SUBMIT YOUR poetry prose visual art photography audio the reporter

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opinion

Hockey, Chomsky,

& The Dixie Chicks: an examination of “cancel culture�

Exploring the controversial conversation of cancellation and how social media has become an immovable double-edged sword.

Story by Jay Stearman Layout & Graphics by Isabel Solorzano

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ave Chapelle, in his 2019 special “Sticks & Stones,’’ asked the audience to guess a new impression of his. Mixed with ‘hurs’ and ‘durs’ he began, “If you do anything wrong in your life and I find out about it, I’m gonna try and take everything away from you, and I don’t care what I find out. It could be today, tomorrow, 15, 20 years from now, if I find out, you’re fucking finished.”

The audience, stumped, had no guesses. “That’s you!” he exclaimed, “that’s what the audience sounds like to me.”

Chapelle’s humorous jab at the phenomenon known to many as ‘cancel culture’ does send a clear message on just how disconcerting a celebrity being cancelled can be. His bit then becomes more focused on Kevin Hart’s experience with cancellation: shortly after being picked to host the Oscars in 2018, some years-old tweets of his were dug up and scrutinized as one included a rather distasteful joke about hypothetically fathering a homosexual son.

The backlash that followed forced Hart to relinquish the hosting gig and reflect on the blessings and curses of having such unabridged access to fans on social media.

Opinions—and there are no shortage of them—become hotly divided as the popular sentiments shift and take down household names regardless of any hero-like status they enjoyed prior.

Whether it be presidents, artists, comedians, politicians, or academics, it appears that no one is safe from being cancelled. Loosely defined by Dictionary.com, cancelling a person means to promote or otherwise declare “a massive, informal boycott when someone or something in the public eye offends…or when we’re just over them.” The rise of cancel culture has just as many detractors as it does supporters.

Is it a 21st century way to hold role models and society’s most influential minds accountable for their actions, or is it simply the effects of a mob of overly sensitive and angsty youth bent on restraining freedom of expression under the guise of policing hate speech? Like most every story, there are two sides.

Cancellation manifests in many forms and primarily depends on just how large, united, and upset the mob is.

While often touted as a liberal reaction, or overreaction to opinions or arguments that don’t mesh with their personal beliefs, this perspective is obstinate at best. Perhaps one of the earliest cancelations in popular culture came in 2003 when Natalie Maines, a member of country music group the Dixie Chicks “made a brief comment ahead of a concert in London, voicing her disapproval of the Iraq war and then-President George W. Bush.” She then received such violent backlash in the form of burned CDs from fans and radio stations refusing to play their songs

that their music career was effectively finished.

Appearing on “Ellen” earlier this year, the group stated that cancel culture, like what they experienced 17 years ago, “has only gotten worse.” Maines added that “on one hand, everyone has this forum where they can say whatever they want to say, but on the other hand this platform can move really quickly and ruin people’s lives.”

There’s no doubt that social media platforms like Twitter can explode with fury as tempers rapidly and collectively flare. The debate arises when opinions become divided on whether a certain scandal warrants rebuke, explanation, early retirement, or a full-fledged fall from grace.

Some cases are cut and dry, from Michael Richards’ (Kramer from Seinfeld) shockingly racist rant at a comedy show, to swift the downfalls following the #MeToo movement. Comedians Chris D’Elia and Louis C.K. and producer Harvey Weinstein certainly deserve to have their careers upended and reputation tarnished. There are no shortages of high profile figures with low moral standings

...THE PHENOMENON OF .

CANCELLING IS NOT A PASSING TREND, BUT RATHER A NEW REALITY AS PUBLIC OPINION FINDS ITS ROOTS EVERMORE ONLINE. The debate stirs when the cases are less clearly situated on the human consciousness. After all, “cancellings” are sometimes merely hopeful Twitter hashtags that seek to punish a personality for an unpopular take or an opinion that flows against the grain. Sometimes this can be as harmless as Lady Gaga fans becoming upset that Billie Eilish critiqued the former’s meat dress that she wore at an award ceremony 10 years ago. Here, it is tempting to write-off the culture as a misguided, toxic, and intolerant band of young millennials and zoomers. But as the Dixie Chicks remind us, the phenomenon of cancelling is not a passing trend, but rather a new reality as public opinion finds its roots evermore online.

Take J.K. Rowling’s transphobic musings on Twitter, which not only sparked backlash mainly from progressives, but also brought forward a serious conversation about the experience of transgender people in today’s society. The author quickly fell out of favor with many of her longtime fans, divided feminists, and continues to unapologetically stoke controversy. But at least for me, someone who has no more appreciation for Harry Potter than the next guy, I first learned what a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) was as I

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watched the bitter story unfold through the lens of Twitter.

For many, cancel culture took on a new meaning when some of today’s most prominent authors, educators, and intellectuals issued “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate” in Harper’s magazine this summer. The signatories, including the influential writers and academics Margaret Atwood, Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker (who curiously appears to block anyone on twitter who mentions his connections to Jeffrey Epstein), J.K. Rowling, and Salman Rushdie decried the perceived “intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty” in today’s world. A concise and worthwhile piece, the authors raise valid points about how cancel culture may very well “weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity.” However, their argument isn’t watertight.

An aptly named response to the piece was quickly penned by other, albeit more lower-profile, journalists and intellectuals titled, “A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate” which calls out the elitism and misguided concern over “the free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, [which] is daily becoming more constricted.” Not only does the response address and weaken each argument directly, but it characterizes the whole letter as “a caustic reaction to a diversifying industry.”

We must ask ourselves if we are holding strangers to a different standard than we would our friends, family, and ourselves, simply because celebrities are

more well known. After all, celebrities are the few people important enough for our society to care about and actually respond to. They can certainly influence narratives but can’t control them; the rulebook is ultimately in the hands of the social media users.

I do agree that “it is now all too common to hear calls for swift and severe retribution in response to perceived transgressions of speech and thought” like the original “Letter on Justice and Open Debate” asserts. It only becomes easier to do so when the majority of dialogue is conducted through Twitter and other online platforms. You’re much more likely to scream in all caps behind a tweet than to someone’s face, especially someone you haven’t met before.

In the online sphere, it can be next to impossible to determine the intention of a cancel-ee. Are they proposing a balanced assessment or a knee jerk reaction? Are they a (perhaps self-proclaimed) activist or are they just triggered?

There is a very fine line between holding someone accountable through a distance versus actual harassment. Social media has become the monetization of attention. Whether the responses are positive or negative is not relevant, only that it draws attention and increases engagement. Combine it with the presence of the filter bubble—the phenomenon where social media algorithms end up displaying more extreme and polarizing quips than measured opinions—and the future doesn’t look good for civilized debate online.

Slate’s Lili Loofbourow explained that “online platforms are designed [to] maximize engagement, they promote the most incendiary content and reward outrage, shock and performative disdain.”

That being said, social media cancellations can still be used for good. It can rapidly mobilize, inform, and direct action towards serious issues and valid concerns. Time and again, cancellations in history have exposed revelations about the ethics of people we look up to or companies that affect our daily life. We are all dealing with a new way of engaging and interacting with each other, and privileged people have the most to lose The motive of cancel culture is not novel; the desire to deliver comeuppance and retribution stokes a primal urge of human fairness. We as Americans love to see a good underdog story and

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an ugly fall from grace. The fact of the matter is that cancel culture has become more abrasive as civil discourse has moved online.

In the past, if we didn’t approve of a famous person, one would have to write a letter and mail it to an address you’d have to seriously dig to find. Once delivered, the letter would almost be discarded and effectively erased from history. Nowadays, we can fire off a scathing tweet in a matter of seconds where it will be visible to almost anyone with an internet connection. Forever. The fact that private hate mail has turned into public firestorms, surely to be picked up by media outlets, has certainly influenced more candid responses from the famouses.

Perhaps reasons like these led Chomsky and company to assert that “as writers we need a culture that leaves us room for experimentation, risk taking, and even mistakes.

We need to preserve the possibility of good-faith disagreement without dire professional consequences.”

However, the responsibility of these ‘dire consequences’ shouldn’t fall solely on the general population, but also their platforms under them pulling out. People don’t necessarily get cancelled because lots of people don’t like them; if this were the case then we wouldn’t have primetime political TV shows. People get cancelled when celebrities can’t find work anymore, when their upcoming Netflix special gets pulled, when corporate sponsors refuse to associate with you, and when publishers and magazines decline to touch your work.

The Guardian’s Moira Donegan makes the root of modern cancel culture clear: “[many] believe that public discourse has become less decorous because it has moved to the left. But really, it’s because it has moved online.”

Yes, many users of social media are on the younger side and consequently proportionally more liberal/left/ progressive et al. But the resulting pool of users shouldn’t aim to stifle risk-taking and a willingness to voice an opinion that challenges the (American or Twitter) majority.

Perhaps our collective ire could try to focus less on the Billie Eilish and John Boyega’s of the world and more on the criminals of humanity lurking under the radar who genuinely perpetuate human suffering.

Writing for The Independent in a critique on the “Letter on Open Justice and Debate,” Kuba ShandBaptiste asserts that “calling people out isn’t in and of itself evidence a movement of suffocating intolerance; it’s a necessary means of holding people accountable.”

That being said, it is not healthy for anyone to publicly mob someone on a whim. People shouldn’t be socially ostracized for having an unpopular or marginally controversial opinion. After all, it is entirely possible to hold others accountable (even from a distance) without

harassing them.

I don’t think the intentions behind cancel culture are misguided, only that the manifestation of these intentions need guidance. We, as a society, constantly draw and redraw lines in the sand about what constitutes acceptable behavior. And we do so implicitly, disjointedly, and without a consensus.

We have to ask ourselves what it is we truly gain from cancelling others. If the outpouring of hate isn’t constructive and we aren’t open to eventually forgiving them [one strike, you’re out] then what is the point? If we are more concerned with cancelling individuals than companies or other harmful traditions (for example, bullfighting or grindadràp) then you might conclude that cancel culture is more about personal satisfaction than enacting serious change. Perhaps we gain satisfaction from ending someone’s career and watching their networth fizzle into nothingness because other passé societal habits like catcalling and stereotype-based humor are dying far too slowly than we’d like them to.

Cancel culture’s greatest tragedy isn’t watching distinguished intellectuals and entertainers become the subject of ire, but rather the stifling of opinion and contributions from those who haven’t had the chance in the first place. The real tragedy isn’t taking away something that we once valued and respected highly, but rather the suppression of voices that never got the chance to be heard at all. Let’s not forget who the real victims of expression suppression are: the “More Specific Letter” mentions how black and brown writers have been “barred from writing on certain topics because of our perceived lack of ‘objectivity’ for decades.” After all “[t] he intellectual freedom of cis white intellectuals has never been under threat en masse, especially when compared to how writers from marginalized groups have been treated for generations.”

In a world where journalists are being imprisoned or worse, and marginalized groups are facing retaliation or threats of violence, Twitter users calling attention to insensitive or problematic comments made by intellectuals is far less of a significant threat to free speech.

We need to find the courage to forgive others who have done wrong and recognize the implications of their rhetoric. We need to reliably inform ourselves on just what exactly is going on before we join the #soandsoisoverparty or #cancelblank. It might appear that celebrities and publishers are untouchable, but they are real people. Famouses aren’t entitled to be liked or even respected, but they do deserve to be treated with the same dignity we would impart on our friends, families, and neighbors.

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feature

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‘NEW

OUR

NORMAL’

STETSON'S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY

IN EARLY MARCH, OUR LIVES WERE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IN A LITTLE UNDER A WEEK WHEN THE UNIVERSITY CLOSED IN PREPARATION FOR THE RAPIDLY SPREADING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. NOW, ALMOST TWO MONTHS INTO THE FALL 2020 SEMESTER, WE’RE BEGINNING TO SEE HOW STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF MEMBERS ALIKE ARE HANDLING THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ STETSON’S COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAMS HAVE CREATED. Story by Calista Headrick & Ihsaan Fanusie Layout by Isabel Solorzano Photos by Jillian Semmel

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alking across campus, things may appear a bit differently than they did a few months ago. Masks up and six feet apart, students are adjusting to the “new normal” that we now live in. In the midst of a global pandemic, universities across the nation had to make the tough but essential decision on how they would resume operations this fall and plan accordingly. While some opted to move the fall semester completely online, others made plans to proceed with some degree of in-person learning.

In hopes of continuing to offer Stetson students the core experience of a small, face-to-face learning environment, Stetson decided to open campus on a limited scale with a mix of online, hybrid, and face-to-face classes. This meant planning to resume some sense of normal operations that are necessary for a residential campus. With so much to consider, and such a large degree of planning required for this move back to “normal” campus operations, the decision was bound to bring concerns from students, faculty, and staff alike.

As the semester began, the university’s preparations were put to the test; we’re now starting to see whether or not those preparations have been effective in the eyes of the community.

In anticipation for the start of the fall semester, the university took steps to plan as intensively as possible for a safe return to campus. In an overall sense, the guidelines and protocols that the university set in place and communicated to students indicated a level of dedication to retaining the experience that students come to Stetson for, and it seems students, at least, are responding well to these protocols. In fact, the majority of respondents (61%) in a survey conducted by Hatter Network about the university’s response to COVID-19 either strongly agreed, agreed, or somewhat agreed that it was the right choice to allow students to come back to campus.

“

This sense of security in returning to campus seems to be in large part due to the efforts of the Safer Stetson Task Force that was established to prepare extensively for the obstacles that would come with opening campus for the fall semester. Through this task force, the Safer Stetson webpage was put together as a resource for students and faculty. The website serves as a hub of information pertaining to all of the university’s steps being taken in regards to COVID-19, whether it be the extensive cleaning protocols put into place, guidelines for what to do when faced with health concerns, and any other protocol related to COVID-19. It demonstrates the efforts that the university put into bringing students back to campus in the safest way possible.

THE IDEALISTIC, OR I GUESS THE MISSION DRIVEN ONE, IS THAT’S WHAT WE ARE OFFERING. THAT’S WHAT GETS STUDENTS TO COME IN THE DOOR, PAY TUITION. THAT’S WHAT FACULTY ARE GOOD AT. THE PRAGMATIC ONE IS IF YOU’RE FACE-TO-FACE, MORE STUDENTS WILL HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO COME BACK TO CAMPUS. IT’LL BE A MORE VIBRANT CAMPUS. THERE’LL BE MORE ROOM AND BOARD BEING PAID... WE WON’T HAVE TO FURLOUGH AS MANY PEOPLE...

-ERIC KURLANDER, PH.D. As outlined in depth on the Safer Stetson webpage, one of the core responses that the university has taken to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 successfully is physical distancing measures. Without them, the risk of exposure on campus would be much higher. Meticulous guidelines have been set in the revised code of community standards as well as through Stetson’s guidelines on the tier system that establishes things such as mandates on face coverings, physical distancing requirements across campus, strict expectations on social gatherings, and other extensive preventative measures.

As demonstrated in an email sent to students from Vice President for Campus Life and Student Success, Lua Hancock, on Aug. 17 regarding violations of social gatherings, these guidelines are being taken seriously in the interest of the community’s health and safety.

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Even with these physical distancing measures put in place, there was initially still one big question hanging over the administration’s head: with such significant risks surrounding the reopening of campus, even with mitigation measures put in place, how can we ensure safety in class settings, which are inherently small spaces that, in Stetson’s case at least, have historically been set up to allow

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for more personal interaction between students, their peers, and faculty? Students and professors alike wondered how classes were going to be offered and just how much agency they would have in saying so.

“I think there was a push to be as face-to-face as possible early on from the administration for two reasons: one idealistic, one pragmatic,” Faculty Budget and Finance Committee Chair and Professor of History, Eric Kurlander, Ph.D. said. “The idealistic, or I guess the mission driven one, is that’s what we are offering. That’s what gets students to come in the door, pay tuition. That’s what faculty are good at. The pragmatic one is if you’re face-to-face, more students will have an incentive to come back to campus. It’ll be a more vibrant campus. There’ll be more room and board being paid... We won’t have to furlough as many people...So I think that was a pragmatic reason for incentivizing as much face-toface as possible.”

According to the aforementioned survey results, the majority of respondents were happy that the university decided to continue to offer the “mission driven” experience that Stetson bases itself around.

72% of the survey respondents either strongly agreed, agreed, or somewhat agreed that it was the right choice for the university to make hybrid or face-to-face classes available for the semester, even given the circumstances surrounding the pandemic.

Dr. Kurlander notes, however, that faculty and administration attitudes were subject to change as Florida rapidly became the epicenter of the pandemic. “...As the pandemic got worse, a combination of pressure from faculty, for both, who, you know, understand science and social science pretty well, and for, you know, genuine psychological reasons– they were starting to get scared– the administration agreed to give faculty agency, meaning they could choose their modalities,” Dr. Kurlander said. He also clarified that though initially the plan wasn’t to allow students to have such significant freedoms over choosing the modality of their courses, the conversation surrounding classes eventually led to the decision to handle student scheduling needs on a case-by-case basis, one which led to the “...kind of organic, or ad hoc” solution students encountered when setting up their schedules this fall.

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Much of the unease surrounding a return to inperson classes and residential living was the threat of a spike in positive coronavirus cases on campus, and those worries proved to be not totally unfounded.

The initial spike in the amount of cases was a cause

“

of concern early in the school year. In late August, it was reported that there were 54 confirmed cases of coronavirus on the DeLand campus. This count was at one point higher than FSU’s reported confirmed case number (42) and more than half of University of Central Florida’s (94), despite Stetson having a significantly smaller student population, where only about 2,100 enrolled students are participating in in-person learning this semester according to WESH 2 News Orlando.

While this spike in cases seemed to cause a flurry of panic amongst the student body, faculty and administration members agree that a positive case spike was inevitable at the beginning of this year. According to Alan Green, Ph.D., Chair of Stetson University’s Faculty Senate and Associate Chair and Professor of Economics, “So we actually surveyed faculty over the summer. And a little over half said, ‘we’d like to teach online.’ And so we brought that forward and what the administration decided was that it wasn’t just like, you can do whatever you want. But President Roellke’s directive was, you know, faculty should have agency...So effectively faculty had a lot of choice in the matter, which I think was good.”

Additionally, Dr. Green drew attention to the changes that the university implemented in relation to housing, as well as the university’s isolation and quarantine procedures put in place in an attempt to mitigate any positive cases or any cases of exposure.

“We [professors] definitely got worried with that initial spike,” Dr. Green said. “And it seems like right now, the things that have worked are the single occupancy housing, which I know was a massive disruption for a lot of students.

But it’s kind of allowed for the isolations and quarantines to be more aggressive and that seems to have worked right?

Because there were the initial spikes. Now it seems to be in a much better situation....I think we’re doing better than a lot of places.”

Dr. Kurlander gave his thoughts in relation to this idea as well. “I think the initial spike was almost inevitable, and it was in the same places you see it at FSU, and others. So, fraternities and athletics, they’re in closer proximity. They have parties. They’re their own subculture... A lot of people assumed– I mean... before class started that there were [five] athletes who tested positive. It’s not their fault, because they’re in close proximity, they’re doing all this stuff together. What I wasn’t sure of is how we would mitigate it once that initial– I mean, no one thought that whichever fraternity did it would have a party where no one’s wearing masks, that was just completely irresponsible.

“But we worried that there would be some initial spike, then we were hoping... I can’t speak for everyone, this is my thinking – you know, if people follow protocols, because I’ve been in DeLand the entire time and we haven’t had that bad of a proliferation...

“...AS THE PANDEMIC GOT WORSE, A COMBINATION OF PRESSURE FROM FACULTY, FOR BOTH, WHO, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND SCIENCE AND SOCIAL SCIENCE PRETTY WELL, AND FOR, YOU KNOW, GENUINE PSYCHOLOGICAL REASONS– THEY WERE STARTING TO GET SCARED.”

- ALAN GREEN, PH.D.

“We knew that only about 50% of the students were returning. There were single dorm rooms, right? There were pretty good protocols for social distancing in class, out of class, mask requirements. So I think that the school handled it pretty well. Barring going completely online, I think it ultimately worked,” said Dr. Kurlander.

Aside from the concern over increases in positive cases and the ability of the university to mitigate a case spike effectively, students spent the first part of the semester dealing with the rather rapid changes that occurred to on-campus housing protocol over the summer, changes which, at least initially, didn’t sit well with parts of the student body. Stetson faced a troubling issue early on when it quickly became apparent that the number of students returning to campus was to exceed the school’s capacity with the addition of the new safety/social distancing protocols.

Housing arrangements were disrupted late in the summer due to anticipation of an increase in the spread of COVID-19 upon student arrival. Students who had previously applied to a certain residential space on campus were moved around, with this information being released in late July. Students had only a few weeks to decide whether or not to return to campus after the news was reported that some students would be placed in hotels.

“The pivotal decision was in fact to go to single occupancy in our residential halls, which I know was received with, in some cases, relief, in other cases, disappointment, and other cases, more questions. But I think that that was a really critical decision,” Dr. Roellke said. “I think that’s proven to be a good decision because we did have, not unexpectedly, an early spike in transmission of the virus. And we had the capacity, unlike many of our peers, to isolate, again, albeit imperfectly, but to isolate and care for those that tested positive.”

Initially, these changes were a major cause for concern for many students who count on on-campus residency to

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26 issue 1

Managing Editor Calista Headrick, who is considered part of the “high-risk” population on campus, participates in biweekly COVID testing. This is part of Stetson’s protocal to mitigate the spread of the virus.

attend Stetson. A piece previously published about the housing dilemma on Hatter Network’s website on Aug. 13 noted that students were left scrambling just weeks before the start of the semester to readjust their housing situations, with many questioning how they would address issues of transportation, accessibility to campus resources, and scholarships with residency requirements.

But while these early critiques of the shifted housing protocol were weary of its ability to effectively house students for the semester, and limiting the university’s housing capacity was certainly not ideal for every student, it has proven to be critical in the recovery from the spike of cases that took place. In fact, 85% of respondents to our survey agreed that they have been satisfied with their living conditions, given the circumstances.

So it would seem that despite initial community displeasure with housing conditions, students generally settled into the ‘new normal’ of residential life over time.

strongly agreed, agreed, or somewhat agreed that they were ‘worried’ about a possible rise in cases. In contrast with future worries, students responded that they were not concerned with the current number of cases on campus as has been seen with the recent decline in cases.

This is in part due, arguably, to the most essential aspect of the university’s response in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and what they knew would be an initial spike in cases: the proactive efforts that have gone into providing free testing for students, faculty, and staff, as well as Stetson’s partnership with AdventHealth.

“For me, as the President coming into a new context, a big indicator for me, and I think it was shared by my colleagues was, ‘well, are we going to be able to give our students and our faculty and members of our community access to care should they get infected?” President Roellke said. “So, for instance, we were carefully monitoring hospital bed availability, ICU bed availability, what were our local health officials indicating to us in terms of access to health care? And it was when we, and I’ll take some credit for this, leveraging the partnership with AdventHealth, which very early on I said was critical to Stetson for a number of reasons.”

“

Students, though in agreement with some of the university’s procedures such as opening up campus and establishing safety protocols, were adamant that Stetson’s response could have been more effective. 76% of respondents in the aforementioned HN poll either strongly agreed, agreed, or somewhat agreed that the university could have responded to COVID-19 more effectively. Students expressed concern about possible rises in coronavirus cases in the future. 69% of students surveyed

FOR ME, AS THE PRESIDENT COMING INTO A NEW CONTEXT, A BIG INDICATOR FOR ME, AND I THINK IT WAS SHARED

BY MY COLLEAGUES WAS, WELL, ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR FACULTY AND MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY ACCESS TO CARE SHOULD THEY GET INFECTED?” - PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER ROLLKE, PH.D

Additionally, both PCR diagnostic and rapid antigen testing are offered on campus, and groups who are considered to be at higher risk of exposure are required to receive testing every two weeks as a way to mitigate possible cases on campus due to risk of high exposure.

According to Christina Kulpa, Wellness and Recreation Associate Director and one of the coordinators for testing on campus, it was “collectively decided on who is higher risk or higher contact. So people like RAs or the students who work at the Hollis Center, the mailroom ambassadors… because they come into more contacted people through their job,” she said.

“And so they were identified as high contact student employees.

And then we also have part of the required group is anyone who leaves campus for an academic commitment. So like, our studentteachers are a really big one. There’s some students in the music school who also go off campus for field work. And so those there’s a group of those students as well that are part of the required

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testing group.”

There are still questions to be considered with testing on campus, though it hasn’t arisen from a lack of tests available; in fact, there’s been a surplus of tests and testing capabilities currently exceeding the actual level of testing being conducted. The problem is rooted in the fact that though our survey found a majority have at some point taken advantage of the free testing, students largely have not continuously taken advantage of it.

Although 60% of our survey respondents indicated that they have voluntarily taken advantage of the university’s free testing, it is not mandatory. This begs the question of if students are being tested on enough of a regular basis to provide an accurate representation of the public health of the community.

Additionally, “The one downside to it is when we have antigen testing, which is open to any and everyone on campus, we mainly see faculty and staff, which is fine, we’re happy to provide that testing,” Kulpa said. “We just wish more students would take advantage of the testing.”

A new policy has allowed for the university to collect IDs along with the testing, so that health services could get a picture of which students were getting tested. What they found is that the testing numbers were accounted for by repeat testing in large part. So, in effect, the same groups of students were continuously getting tested each week. Ideally, according to Kulpa, a greater proportion of the student population would be tested every testing period.

“

WE ARE A SCHOOL THAT HAS PRIDED ITSELF ON CLOSE INTERACTION BETWEEN FACULTY, STUDENTS, STUDENTS WITH EACH OTHER. WE HAVE LONG THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY PRIDED OURSELVES UPON AN EDUCATION THAT IS INTELLECTUALLY INTIMATE.”

- PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER ROLLKE, PH.D

“The same group of people are getting tested over and over again, which again, it’s fine,” Kulpa said. “We’re happy to have that option there. We just wish that a broader group of students would take advantage of it.

Because ultimately, it’s just for the health and safety of everyone.

So although there are in fact students who push to be proactive, both those because they are considered high-contact and those who may do so voluntarily, there

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continues to be room for improvement and the resources are there to be able to do so.

In a time of such significant changes, and ones that will still take time to see results, Stetson made a decision fueled by a desire to bring students back to campus in hopes of retaining the “Stetson experience.” While the execution of any plan made in conditions such as a pandemic is bound to have obstacles, Stetson appears to remain dedicated to keeping the community as safe and as healthy as possible, and it seems students, faculty, and staff alike have, at the very least, noticed these efforts.

The Stetson community was thrust into a tough situation, faced with what initially was discontent and hesitancy on how the university would respond to the inherent risks surrounding returning to on-campus living and learning amidst a pandemic. But what started with expected criticism—and there are of course still things to be critiqued—seems to have turned out better than was at first anticipated.

The fear and uncertainty that the beginning of the semester brought when faced with new and unfamiliar protocols and an increase in positive cases, for the most part, appears to have to some degree subsided in comparison to where we started. This, in part, was due to the university’s ability to address concerns across campus to the best of their ability and to provide students with as many resources as possible. 69% of respondents either strongly agreed, agreed, or somewhat agreed that they feel safe with the protocols that the university has taken.

And as of now, the university is arguably in the most stable state of cases and sense of normalcy since the start of the pandemic. In fact, in comparison to the original spike in cases, they have now declined to five positive cases.

We’re all adjusting to the circumstances given the hand that we’ve been dealt. Nothing is perfect—the university’s response included. But all things considered, we’ve seen the community adapt to these unusual state of affairs. This doesn’t mean that there can’t be an active effort to continue to progress, but for the most part, Stetson has demonstrated its ability to devote themselves to improving on community worries in the interest of retaining the Stetson experience that we’re all eager to fully return to.

“We are not a virtual school, right?” said President Roellke. “We are a school that has prided itself on close interaction between faculty, students, students with each other. We have long throughout our history prided ourselves upon an education that is intellectually intimate.”

WHAT

Source: Survey of Stetson students conducted by Hatter Network Sept. 15-28, 2020.

STUDENTS SAID...

Was it the right choice to allow students to come back to campus?

Are you concerned with the number of cases that have been on campus?

Are you worried about an increase in cases?

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sports

WITH ATHLETIC COMPETITIONS

POSTPONED, LIMITED PRACTICES

CONTINUE

A turbulent 2020 has severely limited the outlook for the upcoming athletic season. Many of Stetson’s athletic programs have had their seasons canceled or indefinitely postponed.

Story by Ihsaan Fanusie Layout & Graphics by Isabel Solorzano

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one of the fall sports (football, cross country, men and women’s soccer, and volleyball) will be entering into competition at any time during the fall semester.

“We hope that we’ll be able to conduct those competitions in the spring if indeed the environment permits us to do so and if the testing improves and it continues to be less and less expensive,” said Director of Athletics Jeff Altier.

For the winter sports (i.e., men and women’s basketball), whether they will be played is still to be determined.

Football, for example, had the fall season canceled. The Pioneer Football League, the conference in which Stetson participates, announced in early August that the entire fall 2020 league schedule had been canceled.

“Recognizing competition is an integral part of the student-athlete’s educational experience,” wrote Cody Bush of PFL Media Relations in a press statement. “The PFL is

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committed to exploring meaningful opportunities and experiences for football student-athletes this academic year, if this can be done reasonably and safely,” he said.

The press statement made no mention of whether the competitions originally scheduled for Fall 2020 would be rescheduled at a later time.

The ASUN conference, which hosts most of Stetson’s other athletic teams, such as beach volleyball, basketball, and tennis, also indefinitely postponed all competitions in mid-August.

Though their seasons might be on hold, Stetson’s athletes are still hard at work honing their skills, as the Athletics Department has worked diligently to continue practicing.

Athletics has established practice routines for each sport in accordance with a tier system issued by the NCAA. This tier system, which is different from the university-wide tier system, consists of the three tiers.

“

So what that means for next year is that we will not be recruiting as many new student athletes as we have this year because our rosters are so large right now, and the NCAA has given everybody in the fall an extra year of eligibility.”

In the 1st tier, there is a maximum of 10 people allowed and there is no shared ball usage. This period lasts for 14 days. If no positive cases are observed, the group moves to tier two.

In tier 2, more people are allowed in the practice, but they must be six feet apart. Shared ball usage is allowed.

“We hand sanitize every water break, every player has their own ball,” said Lynn Bria, head coach of the women’s basketball team, during one of the president’s weekly addresses.

Coach Bria also noted that the WCBA had considered reviving the season at a later date in the fall.

“They are actually looking at moving our season back, possibly to November 25,” she said. She noted that the change was not confirmed, but suggested due to the success of coronavirus testing across schools.

Tier 3 activity is close to normal practice activity. Men’s basketball was one of the first sports to advance into tier 3 after having no positive coronavirus cases in the tier 2 period.

One significant policy the University has implemented is the voluntary “opt-out” option for all student-athletes.

Any student is allowed to refrain from participating in athletics for this year and not be subject to any change in the students’ scholarship. Most students have elected to

- DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS JEFF ALTIER continue to play, although a few, less than one percent of athletes, have opted-out.

The NCAA has also granted a waiver for an additional year of eligibility for all D1 athletes in fall semester sports. Students are generally granted four years of eligibility to participate in athletics, but due to the circumstances surrounding this semester, their timelines will be extended.

But for prospective students, the pandemic has disrupted traditional avenues of getting noticed by college recruiters.

“It has changed dramatically,” said Director Altier.

“During the months of May, June, and July, we’re typically out on the road visiting a lot of teams and evaluating talent. This year, we’ve done none of it.”

Recruitment of athletes has been primarily limited to video evaluation and film study. To corroborate assessments, Director Altier said coaches and recruiters can use their existing networks across the country.

“Our athletic rosters have never been as large as they are right now,” he said. “I think a lot of people wanted to

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go away from home, they wanted to get out of that more restrictive environment and be in the college environment.”

“It ended up swelling our rosters,” Director Altier continued. “So what that means for next year is that we will not be recruiting as many new student athletes as we have this year because our rosters are so large right now, and the NCAA has given everybody in the fall an extra year of eligibility.” Altier’s point makes sense, considering this year, there were a total of 508 student athletes on the roster. On a typical year, the university has around 440.

“I think our [recruiting] numbers will be smaller, but our rosters will pretty much stay the same.”

The pandemic’s disruption of the Fall 2020 season has also had significant economic impacts on Stetson’s athletics program. The loss of revenue from events, ticket revenue, and donor revenues have all negatively impacted the sports department’s bottom line.

“From an overall perspective, we took the largest percentage reduction in our operational budget of anybody on campus,” said Director Altier, (though it’s important to remember that much of this reduction was due to cuts in expenses related to travel for competitions, which were no longer necessary due to the cancelations).

“Even though we’re not playing games during this fall period, we’re still practicing,” Director Altier stated. He also emphasized the diligence of the coaching staff and recognized the extra hours they put in during this time.

“And because I can’t have a football practice with 125 people out on the field and 20 staff, I have to break that up into smaller segments.

And so what’s happened is, our coaching staff and our support staff are actually working longer hours… Those would be things that I think are important that maybe the rest of the community doesn’t see.”

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o h c a n

average

apply on engage

@hatternetwork

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review

GLASS ANIMALS GET NOSTALGIC AND REFLECTIVE ON “DREAMLAND”

Following the 2014 debut album “Zaba” and 2016’s “How To Be a Human Being,” the U.K. Indie pop band Glass Animals are back with their third album, “Dreamland.” The highly anticipated release is the band’s triumphant return after drummer Joe Seaward was in a terrible biking accident in 2018, where he suffered brain damage and had to relearn how to play music.

Story by Bella Steiret Layout & Graphics by Bella Steiret

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lass Animals explores new songwriting territory in this record. Frontman Dave Bayley has expressed that at first, he was afraid to get personal on the band’s tracks. He said in an interview with NME that he thought writing about himself was selfish. However, Bayley exits his comfort zone and goes fully autobiographical for this album, telling stories about relationships, feelings, childhood, family, and friends.

Released in a time where it’s hard to enjoy the present, the themes of the album are very reminiscent of the 90’s. Since Bayley’s childhood is a huge focus point for a lot of the lyrical content, the album is packed with 90’s pop culture nods.

The album opens with the song titled “Dreamland.” It’s a soothing lullaby-sounding track. Bayley sets the scene for what’s to come in the rest of the album with lyrics like “You float in the pool where the soundtrack is canned / You go ask your questions like, ‘What makes a man?’ / Oh, 2020, so its time to change that / So you go make an album and call it Dreamland.” With that final line, the song “Dreamland” then comes to a close and the track “Tangerine” starts and brings tropical sounds mixed with a trap-pop beat and an infectious chorus. With lots of samples, heavy bass, and the repetition of the lyrics “Hands, knees, please, tangerine,” this song is a perfect example of the wonderfully random and eclectic sound this album has.

After “Tangerine,” the vibe of the record gets a little steamy with the song “Hot Sugar,” where Bayley tells the story of being in a relationship when you think you’re in love with somebody, but really you just like their cool persona. “Hot Sugar” has a very rhythm and blues style, which is reminiscent of the Band’s first album. The 90’s nostalgia influences are strong on “Space Ghost Coast to Coast,” who’s name is a nod to the Adult Swim show that aired in the mid90’s. The song, although named after a cartoon, deals with the heavy subject matter of school shootings.

Bayley said in an interview with Flood Magazine that “Space Ghost” was inspired by his childhood friend who were caught attempting to plan a school shooting. The song also has several nods to 90’s pop culture, mentioning Nintendo 007, Pokemon, Dunkaroos, “Ahh! Real Monsters,” and Capri Suns. The song gives a very interesting take to childhood in the 90’s, while telling a dark personal story.

“Tokyo Drifting” is the lead single for “Dreamland” and is a standout track on the record. The song features rapper Denzel Curry and is the first Glass Animals song where Bayley raps. The song features a heavy beat and bass line, quirky rap lines, an excellent verse from Curry, and is one of the band’s most unique songs.

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“Melon and the Coconut” kicks off the side B of the record and is about a conversation between a melon and a coconut. Bayley said in an interview that he likes using fruit as characters and that he thinks someone’s favorite fruit says a lot about them. The fruit is a huge staple in the imagery for the band. For example, one of their most iconic lyrics is from their 2016 song “Pork Soda’’ with the line “pineapples are in my head.” The fruit is used on posters and merch for the band and is a common theme in their songs. Other standout points on this album include the bombastic “Your Love (deja vu),” the slow burn heartbreakingly beautiful track “It’s All So Incredibly Loud,” and “Domestic Bliss.”

The must listen to track on the album is “Heat Waves,” a melancholic but energetic song about staying strong through vulnerable moments and embracing the feeling of vulnerability. In an Instagram post, Bayley said the following about the song’s meaning: “It’s about realising you can’t make everyone happy. and realising it’s ok to be defeated by something. we are often expected to ‘be strong’ and to swallow our sadness. failing to do that is seen as weakness.” Bayley’s relatable lyrics mixed in with the excellent instrumentals makes “Heat Waves” one of the finest songs the band has recorded.

The only downside to this album is the four “Home Movies” tracks. They are just small audio clips from Bayley’s childhood home movies that are used as interludes for the album. The clips are cute, but when you listen to the album many times, they tend to feel out of place.

“Dreamland” might be the band’s most ambitious project yet and is executed brilliantly. With consistent themes of nostalgia, love, and reflection, as well as a mixture of upbeat and emotional slower songs, the album has an excellent flow to it and an even better replay value. The album is just as fantastic as the band’s previous work. Glass Animals are only getting better, and the band’s potential is endless.

RATING: 4.5/5 The must listen to track on the album is “Heat Waves:” melancholy but energetic song about staying strong through vulnerable moments and embracing the feeling of vulnerability.

36 issue 1

GLASS ANIMALS PLAYLIST Here’s a playlist of Glass Animals songs that are a great introduction to the band, if you haven’t heard of them until now.

If you are a fan, this playlist is still a great listen. It has my favorite tracks off Dreamland, and the band’s biggest songs, and tracks from their other two records.

1. HEAT WAVES 2. TANGERINE 3. GOOEY 4. THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE 5. TOKYO DRIFITING 6. SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST 7. IT’S ALL SO INCREDIBILY LOUD 8. YOUTH 9. SEASON 2 EPISODE 3 10. PORK SODA 11. CANE SUGA 12. POOLS 13. WALLA WALLA 14. BLACK MAMBO 15. HAZEY

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touchstone

38 issue 1

&

AMPERSAND Over the summer, Touchstone put out a call for submissions for The Social Justice Initiative. Here are two pieces written

by Stetson students along with a commentary and a Q&A Story by Rene Campbell with authors, Markala Roland and Joseph Williams. & Vivianne Skavlem

Design by Madison Gray & Isabel Solorzano

What is your perspective on “Self-Aggrandizing Color Blindness”?

“‘I don’t see color’ assumes a more literal connotation to emphasize the impact it has in a world where BIPOC communities are overlooked until they are trending.

In attempting to start a dialogue, the statement often meant with well-intentions promotes the opposite. If anything, it speaks to the power an individual of the white majority believes they possess in dismissing the realities of minorities in favor of promoting their own lack of biases. When I hear ‘I don’t see color,’ I am literally hearing ‘I don’t want to recognize this sect of your identity nor the issues you face while being Black because it makes me uncomfortable.’”

Why did you write this poem? What inspired you?

“It was the collective action occurring around me to bring about resolutions to the larger pandemic of racism and inequity that grounded me. The influx of information, protests, Instagram posts, tweets, Tiktoks, and even the conversations I had with others are what inspired me to write this poem. I wrote this in response to the many people referring to the fact that they didn’t see color in conversations centered on the fact that individuals were being murdered because of the color of their skin. It seemed quite an odd thing for them to say, especially when expressing my grievances. In that feeling of dismissiveness, “Self-aggrandizing Color Blindness” came about.”

What does your poem mean to you?

&

“This poem seeks to juxtapose the ‘I don’t see color’ statement with the current colorful world around us. It emphasizes the absence of experiences and individuals when things are only perceived in black and white and what beauty lies in celebrating our differences.”

What was the writing process like?

“The writing process for this was more of an emotional gradient ranging from anger, to questioning, to clarity. I experienced a sense of calmness when I wrote this piece. With the overwhelming amount of information being pumped through my social media timelines regarding racial injustice and police brutality, writing became a source of comfort and reflection. However, putting waves of tumultuous emotions into comprehensible words was no easy task.”

Markala Roland (‘21) Author of Self-aggrandizing Color Blindness

What do you hope readers get from your poem?

“I would hope readers of this poem to understand that we must open our hearts to love one another, be willing to sacrifice our comfort in having difficult conversations, and to actively listen to the experiences of others. And that one’s skin color should not be a source of division but something that is valued and invokes unity among us.”

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Self-aggrandizing Color Blindness Poem by Markala Roland

A rainbow devoid of its spectrum of wonder Vivacious reds glowing like embers, citrusy oranges, and earthy greens A preschooler’s finger painting reduced to platonic smudges Warm, dreamy yellows, chilly blues, and fantastical purples A sea of people, all alike, nothing remarkably different in the sight Of the beholder who says: I don’t see color How utterly boring it would all be if you were the same as me Shame on you – for a person who is literally color blind knows something is amiss yet does not know exactly what he is missing lest he be told So, I’m telling you who choose to be socially, culturally, and intellectually sightless The same is said of those who indulge in the ignorance of wishing everyone to be uniform

Cease from imposing your lack of flavorful vision, forcefully limiting your own experiential palette Without color there is no beauty, no imagination, nor any uniqueness There would be no me – there is no you A detonation of color is what gives this seemingly dismal life its meaning, its roads of endless possibilities, the strength to persevere And all the colors combined give way to a deep, dark black within it many shades Like the luscious browns of my skin refined by the sun’s ultraviolet rays To see all these hues, one would be amazed Who are you to diminish the experiences of others because they are not your own Or to wish for someone to refute who they are because it makes you uncomfortable to acknowledge them as such What a disservice it is to be told that someone does not see you for who you are You miss every color when you only see black and white

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See color, see me – because without mutual acknowledgement we are nothing worth remembering

Alexie

Poem by Joseph Williams

“Before Columbus came, eagle feathers�

Were already here.

Before Columbus came, 1492 Was already here.

Before Columbus came, Hospitals Were already here.

Before Columbus came, Universities Were already here.

Before Columbus came, Your and my ancestor evolved out of Africa.

Before Columbus came, We Were already here.

Before Columbus came, We Did not do our history.

Before Columbus came, We Did not learn what we already knew.

Somewhere, it is there.

When you stop and you look.

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42 issue 1

&

AMPERSAND What is your perspective on “Alexie”?

“To me, my poem means truth. It means freedom of expression.

It means change. It means information. I heard a powerful quote that read ‘knowledge is not power, education is not power, information is power.’ I want to spread information through as many creative outlets as possible. This poem means to me that I am doing my part, one step at a time, in awakening minds, and putting out the need for information that is not filtered through press.”

Why did you write this poem? What inspired you?

“I like my writing, words, and creative projects to come ‘through me,’ meaning that I like to set a clear intention before reading. I will pause all thought and inner dialogue to breathe, think about what is on my heart at the time, and let the universe flow through me to do the rest. I follow my passion when writing and try my best to keep it as authentic as possible by excluding the thought of, ‘what would someone think about this?’ Afterwards, I may go back over my work to ensure that the message is conveyed in an extremely concise manner and that it flows and will connect to the reader spiritually and/or emotionally. I often love to put myself in the shoes of the reader to see how I would feel if I was not the writer.”

What do you hope readers get from your poem?

Joseph Williams (‘21) Author of Alexie

“I hope readers expand their mind, information, and awareness of themselves and the world around them. I hope my poem inspires people to do something, to act, to do something preferably great. I hope readers connect with themselves primarily.

There are a lot of things I wish to share that can help you on your journey, but I may only share them personally, and merely through my writing, but meditate, love yourself a lot more, and realize the power within that you have been duped since birth to believe that you don’t have. You are truly magical (there’s a reason they say that *wink).”

&

KNOWLEDGE IS NOT POWER, EDUCATION IS NOT POWER, INFORMATION IS POWER.” - JOSEPH WILLIAMS (‘21)

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news feature

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UNPRECEDENTED TIMES: the prequels

Story by Vivianne Skavlem Layout by Isabel Solorzano Art by Zoe Boykin

This isn’t the first time it’s felt like the world was ending. Take a look at how previous iterations of The Reporter have covered history’s “unprecedented times.”

A

t this point, we’ve heard the words over and over again: we’re living in “unprecedented times.” Well, we have been in this specific ‘unprecedented time’ for 6 months now with no clear end in sight. Many of us are probably feeling worn out and hopeless in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, let alone the protests, wildfires, and upcoming election. While hopefully this is a once in a lifetime experience, it’s not completely “unprecedented.” This is not the first time it’s felt like the world was ending: from the first world war, to a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, to a sometimes forgotten pandemic, we’ve already had to persevere through trying times.

Since the foundation of Stetson University in 1883, the university has operated through other moments of national and global crises, all of which has been documented in one way or another by student media staff of generations past. While the current iteration of The Reporter has been given a modern face lift, the publication itself has been around for over 130 years, and the university has kept a pretty comprehensive archive of past publications. These archives can be used to take a look at previous “unprecedented times,” and how past students, faculty, and staff dealt with moments of global crisis.

Take, for example, World War I, which was a bloody global conflict. The promotion of discourse on campus, as reported by The Stetson Weekly Collegiate, about the events of the First World War are shockingly similar to those conversations happening in our community now about the protests across the nation over racial injustices. Similarly, following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, The Reporter followed the Stetson community as it dealt with tragedy, the loss of innocent lives, and the narratives told by governments both nationally and internationally sought to address what was perceived to be a rising threat to national safety.

Though wildly different circumstances, the conversations surrounding the federal response to COVID has its similarities to conversations that happened in the aftermath of 9/11, particularly in regard to public health and safety, such as the changing of safety practices in public places, or the overhaul to TSA and air transportation regulations. And while the 1918 Spanish Flu, arguably the closest comparison to the current pandemic, doesn’t have records in Stetson’s student media because The Stetson Weekly Collegiate, precursor to The Reporter, was not in print during the

course of that pandemic, we can see how the Stetson community reacted to the most recent pandemic it faced,the 2009 swine flu.

THE WAR TO END ALL WARS The Stetson Weekly Collegiate reported the various campus responses to World War I, from professors’ lectures, opinion perspectives, and letters to the editor.

Five months after the start of World War I, The Stetson Weekly Collegiate reported on how the Stetson population was reacting to the new global affair. Then Stetson University President Lincoln Hulley, Ph.D. presented a series of lectures on the perspectives of both Germany and the Allies. Dr. Hulley’s rhetoric showed his sympathy was with the Germans and Austrians. He did not look favorably upon England or France and brought up the irony in the public’s admonition of German militarism, the same people who praised what he called English “navy-ism.”

In this same edition, a letter to the editor was written in regards to Dr. Hulley’s lectures. A student writer voiced his dissenting opinion that “Germany or at least German diplomacy is responsible [for the war].” This student signed off as “One Who Wishes To Know.”

“Vespers,” the column response, went on to quote Dr. Hulley while saying that “[his] heart is with England, but [his] calm judgement tells [him] that Germany is right and England is wrong.” The columnist, who mentioned that Dr. Hulley went as far back as the Medieval times to provide a historical context and cite the various slights of the other countries, established the basis of Hulley’s known grudge against England.

This discourse might seem distant to us today, but it’s not all that different from the current efforts from professors and students today who have coordinated virtual discussions surrounding the country’s recent acts of racism and social injustice.

NEVER FORGET On the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, The Reporter published a special issue to honor and remember the victims. The opinion section included a political debate with the managing editor writing the opinion that “terrorists should not be treated as acts of war” while a guest columnist took the opinion that “retaliation against terrorism is just.”

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The news section also sought out perspectives of international students, as in the year following the attack, the approval rate for student visas decreased by 80%. One poignant quote from student Rene Alberti was, “There were so many foreigners in the WTC[World Trade Center]… Sometimes it seems as if the U.S. forgets they aren’t the only victims. It wasn’t just an attack on America… it was an attack on the World Trade Center, not U.S. Trade Center. So many people overlook the ‘world.’ What many people don’t think about is that Americans were mourned [for] all over the world.”

The sports section wrote about how baseball saved the nation during such a trying time. Baseball, quintessentially known as ‘America’s sport’, saw teams stepping up to bat six days after the twin tower fell. These games continued in spite of what happened. Sports Section Editor Hamish WiIlman wrote: “I think baseball came back at exactly the right time, when the American people needed something to lean on, something distinctly American.”

Echoing the lectures of World War I, Stetson held discussions on world violence. The Religious Studies Department put together a lecture series titled “Peace, Violence, and Religion.”

These lectures eventually inspired eight essays included in Beyond Violence: Religious Dialogue as an Instrument of Peace, co-edited by Donald Musser, Ph.D. and D. Dixon Sutherland, Ph.D., both professors of Stetson’s Religious Studies department.

Almost 20 years later, 9/11 is still in our modern zeitgeist.

Though the circumstances are vastly different, the conversations surrounding September 11 and the current pandemic are in many ways similar. We are still faced with mass death in America, specifically the role the government plays in the response to these tragedies, and just like two decades ago, we’re having conversations surrounding how a nation recovers from tragedy.

H1N1, THE SWINE FLU, THE SLIME FLU Unfortunately, as previously stated, The Reporter was not in print during the 1918 Spanish Flu, so the closest Stetson has come to our current unprecedented time (that has actually been reported on) happened not so long ago. , the world dealt with H1N1, commonly known as the Swine Flu. Like COVID-19, it was classified as a pandemic and the fear mongering of

1883 Stetson University was founded

46 issue 1

WWI ended, The Reporter stopped printing

mainstream media around the virus sent the public into a tizzy.

Additionally, according to the CDC, it is estimated that 151,700-575,400 people worldwide died from H1N1 during the first year. However, it seems that Stetson at the very least was not all that concerned with it.

The Reporter went so far as to publish an article titled “H1N1, Zombie Outbreak Tips For Novices.” In this article, the advice offered is not all that different from the advice being offered in 2020. The “First, if you are sick, stay home. Isolate yourself from your roommates and others while you are sick.” That same general advice has been circulated by Stetson’s Safer Campus Task Force and in weekly emails. Another article, with a more serious tone, said that “anywhere from four to eight students a day reported to various health care organizations in DeLand and Student Health Services during a period from mid August until early September.”

Comparing H1N1 to COVID-19, chemistry professor William “Tandy” Grubbs, Ph.D. stated, “I don’t recall us worrying nearly as much about it as we are now with COVID-19. There were certainly no masks, and I don’t recall any extra cleaning efforts or social distancing measures (such as online teaching) put in place.

There were certainly a number of deaths reported in the news each day. But that pandemic just didn’t seem to be as bad is the present one, and it seemed to fade away more quickly and be less problematic.”

THESE ARE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES (BUY A TOYOTA) And now, here we are. Some students are living on campus, some in hotel rooms, and some at home. Masks are present wherever you go. Things may seem bleak right now, and they probably will for a while longer.

Life won’t truly return to normal until there is a safe, effective, and widely available vaccine. But students, faculty, and staff alike are doing their best to cope with this current new normal, and are not sitting by idly. No, instead people are mobilizing and protesting racial injustice. People are registering to vote and signing petitions. People are wearing masks to protect themselves and others. One day we will return to precedented times—a world where this new normal of COVID-19 will seem like a thing of the past.

Stetson presents lecture series “Peace, Violence, and Religion”

H1N1 is classified as a pandemic

2003 2020 1922 2002 2009 1918 The Reporter began printing again

“Peace Violence, and Religion” lecture series ends

COVID-19 effectively puts the world on lockdown

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UNPACKED

profile

48 issue 1

“Well, I haven’t worn shoes during a class this semester, that’s kind of a benefit.”

-Dr. Hevia

Right: Dr. Hevia poses outside of Presser Hall. Underneath: A sheet from Dr. Hevia’s Music Theory I class: seventh chords in both major and minor keys.

Shown from Finale, a software used for music notation.

Visiting Professor of Music, Lonnie Hevia, Ph.D never taught on Zoom or Microsoft Teams before the pandemic hit. Thrust into a new world in March, Dr. Hevia “unpacks” his new teaching situation.

Story by Ruby Rosenthal Photos by Jillian Semmel Layout by Ruby Rosenthal

What kinds of things did you have to learn for the first time — if anything — to teach your classes online? Was that difficult?

their name, who they are, where they’re from, all of that from the very beginning.

And the FSEM it’s expected for that, and I took time to do that. And then as for the class, since most of the class is discussion, I often feel like it’s a radio show, like I’m the host of the radio show and okay, caller number, you know, whatever. What do you have to say about this topic? So they make their comments. Yes, it works online because it is a discussion based format. My lecture classes are more difficult because I need to prepare a bunch of stuff to accompany the lecture.”

“Yeah, it was very difficult. At the end of the spring, I continued to go to school and teach out of my classroom— because I couldn’t imagine not. And so I had the computer on, and my students were all there, but I still had the board behind me. And as a teacher of music theory, I really rely on the board so that I can draw things, so that I can write music and illustrate things. So I’d say that moving into this semester, one of the biggest things I had to learn was how to take everything I do on the board and do it on my computer. And I feel like I’ve kind of figured it out. For the most part, it’s working. I have a music notation software program on which I can write music, so it’s kind of like writing on the board. It’s a little more cumbersome, but it’s okay.

“The other thing that I really had to learn, or just like, rethink, is how to interact with students. If I interact with students online, the way that I interact with them in the classroom, it slows down the class considerably. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t interact with my students in this new format half as much as I did in the classroom.

And that I think is a really, a real problem—a real drawback from this.”

Do you miss it?

“Yeah. Very, very much. I mean, on the one hand, I find that I can lecture for 50 minutes in an orchestration class and really enjoy it simply because I enjoyed talking about the subject. But at the same time, I also like my students usually having a conversation with them, or at least, you know, posing. I think that’s the way that I teach as a teacher in the classroom: I do lecture, but I don’t know how to say I am. I lecture partly by asking questions. I mean, I want students to contribute as we go along. I want to see what they’ve retained what I’ve said before, I want to see if maybe they know something before I say it. Right. Yeah, I do miss that quite a bit.”

So how do you teach an FSEM online differently?

“Actually no, that I think that the FSEM of all of my classes was the easiest to transfer to an online format. Because on the very first day, I spent time with every single person individually. I mean, I went through everybody in the class and had them introduce themselves and talk about themselves and I asked them questions. And so I really got to know everybody: their face,

How have you been responding to cheating?

“I don’t interact with my students in this new format half as much as I did in the classroom. And I think that is really, a real problem”

-Dr. Hevia

“Over the summer, I learned about something called the Respondus LockDown Browser. It’s a browser you set up a test so that it has to be taken through this one particular browser, and the browser locks down your computer so that you cannot use your computer for anything except taking the test. And there is a monitor; you need a webcam. So it will film you taking the entire test. Now from a teacher, when I first learned about this, I said exactly what you said, Big Brother, I can’t go for that. But the thing is, I saw as a teacher, you don’t see the films. After the test is taken, you get a list of the student names and there’s a little like green to red sort of spectrum shown and the spectrum shows how much the computer thinks the state has been cheating. And the computer comes to this decision by keeping track of the students face. You know, computers have great facial recognition. So computers watch a person’s face all while they’re taking the test.”

Have there been any benefits to teaching online or doing any of this at all for you?

“Well, I haven’t worn shoes once during a class this semester; that’s kind of a benefit.

And I have found that there are benefits to being home. I think that I have eaten better this semester than I have in any semester because my kitchen is right there. And so two seconds after a class, I can go fix myself a good lunch. It works great. I’m personally, so just kind of outside of teaching, I’m a very solitary individual anyway. And so I have taken to seclusion easily. That has not been a problem for me at all. But what is the problem is I’m also not a huge fan of technology. And so my work life has become all about technology. I’m sitting in front of a computer all the time and it’s not great.”

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opinion

FUTURE B S S the

for

lack

tudents at

The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked a tsunami of protests across our nation. It has highlighted the racial practices interwoven in our society that people of color encounter daily.

Story by Bijou Aliza Layout & Graphics by Isabel Solorzano

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tetson

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his movement’s yearning to call out the perpetrators of state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism has become a global initiative to challenge systemic racism in society. The movement has brought attention to a great deal of prejudice and discriminatory situations towards black and brown peoples around the nation.

Now, institutions are being challenged to acknowledge and abolish systemic policies and procedures that oppress, devalue, and marginalize black and brown people.

On June 23, Stetson administrators, faculty, and students joined a webinar called “Let’s Talk About Racism” in an effort to facilitate a healthy conversation about racism on campus.

Unfortunately, their efforts were interrupted by an anonymous participant who posted a traumatic video of a person being lynched.* It took the university ten days to release a response to its faculty members and students.

When our community finally received a response from our sitting Vice President for Campus Life and Student Success, Lua Hancock, it was via email. This acknowledgment expressed to the community that this incident was “against the fundamental core of our mission and values.” Hancock made sure to reassure Stetson’s community by informing us “...that Stetson immediately launched an investigation with public safety and Information Technology (IT).”

Hancock’s response was necessary. However, the length of time it took to be produced stirred anger, leaving students feeling incredibly uncared for by their own institution.

“I saw the published version of it later. And that’s what also upset me because I had no idea about the incident and thought that was just it.

They tried to address it as something light to keep it moving. But you have no idea the severity of what occurred based on that video. They were like ‘Oh, we were just hacked. Let’s keep going’” stated Irene Laws (‘21), a sociology major.

Laws’ statement nods to her concern regarding Stetson’s lateness in a reply. Laws was not entirely

impressed by the initial response delivered to our community. She additionally stated, “And once that initial email was sent out, of course, it was nowhere near what people wanted, it didn’t clearly address their [shortcomings], but also [didn’t address] what really happened.”

Laws discussed her thoughts on Stetson as an institution, “who flaunt[s] their values and their mission statements,” and she thought they would have been more proactive with the incident. Stetson’s time to present a response to the community was itself a kind of response for some students. Black students particularly were left feeling fearful, anxious, and unsafe as the fall semester approached.

This unfortunate incident was a harsh reminder to the plight of racism that many Black students experience in Stetson’s community. Stetson’s immediate response is significant to the faculty members and students; the action they take reveals the real intentions and perspectives on diversity and inclusivity as it serves as an indication of Stetson’s much needed improvement on addressing racism across campus.

In an effort to gain more knowledge regarding this incident, I reached out to Lua Hancock for a statement regarding the update on this investigation.

“Every few weeks I ask IT to reach out again to the FBI for any updates on the zoom bombing incident,” said Hancock. She also clarified that “...the latest statement from the FBI is that they have been continuing their investigation, and they feel we were targeted/attacked by a party outside of Stetson.” So, with an incident so severe such as this one, it is necessary for our administrators to continue aiming for an explanation for this occurrence.

Chelsey Paul (‘22), a communication and media studies major, also touched on the incident as well as her experience at Stetson so far. Paul talked about witnessing “a large majority of non-black students saying racial slurs.” She then stated how “the Zoom-bombing situation made things a whole lot worse.”

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BLACK STUDENTS PARTICULARLY WERE LE FEELING FEARFUL, ANXIOUS, AND UNSAF FALL SEMESTER APPROACHED. BLACK STU PARTICULARLY WERE LEFT FEELING FEARF ANXIOUS, AND UNSAFE AS THE FALL SEME APPROACHED. BLACK STUDENTS PARTICU LEFT FEELING FEARFUL, ANXIOUS, AND UN THE FALL SEMESTER APPROACHED. BLACK PARTICULARLY WERE LEFT FEELING FEARF ANXIOUS, AND UNSAFE AS THE FALL SEME APPROACHED.BLACK STUDENTS PARTICUL LEFT FEELING FEARFUL, ANXIOUS, AND UN THE FALL SEMESTER APPROACHED. Paul’s comment draws attention to the necessary changes that the university has to work toward regarding racism on our campus, and our campus is not alone in this fight. Hancock made this clear when she discussed a series she attended that emphasized open communication regarding race and racism: “I was so grateful to attend the first two parts of a series called “Race in the 21st Century.” It is a weekly, one-hour discussion hosted by Sociologist Dr. Sharmaine Jackson,” said Hancock. She continued by stating that, “in these session[s] students shared their experiences with activism and interacting with counter-protesters and shared their experiences and thoughts about being Black and the American Dream.”

These measures that Stetson implements are compelling in creating a safe environment for marginalized groups, like Black and brown peoples.

These efforts are the first steps to facilitating healthy conversations of systemic racism in America. Hancock additionally mentioned an event to create a safe space

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for students to discuss race relations on campus. “The Office of Diversity and Inclusion will lead screenings and discussions of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Original series ‘When They See Us’,” said Hancock. These screenings started on Wednesday, Sept. 9. It is inspiring to see institutions like Stetson taking steps in educating themselves and others about the systemic racism Black people face every day.

So, even though there is still a long way to go in the fight against racism, with these first steps Stetson can continue to establish and maintain diversity and inclusivity within the institution and the community. It is important that as a community, we work together to both recognize the need for diversity and inclusion based conversations, as well as to act upon this call. If we work together, we can create a safer campus for Black students as well as other marginalized groups. Through this, we can then cultivate a positive and proactive environment for the future of Black students at Stetson, one where they can feel included, represented, and respected.

EFT FE AS THE UDENTS FUL, ESTER ULARLY WERE NSAFE AS K STUDENTS FUL, ESTER LARLY WERE NSAFE AS

foodie

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THE BREAK FAST CLUB the reporter

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shakshuka

what is it?

In Hebrew, Shakshuka means something synonymous to how we feel during these apocalyptic times: all mixed up.

It’s a Israeli dish brought over by African Jews, but every website I’ve been on tells me it’s now a “staple” in Israel. How do I know about it?

I’m Turkish-American, my mom’s from Izmir — a bustling, New York City-esque metropolis on the west coast of Turkey — and my dad’s from St. Louis — which is known for two things: the Cardinals baseball team and the St. Louis Arch.

So, in my multicultural(ish) house, we call this dish tomato eggs.

We eat it for breakfast when we’re feeling fancy on a Sunday morning, or dinner on a weeknight when we’re feeling lazy.

prep 1. Mince the garlic, grate the tomato, keeping the rind.

SHAKSHUKA IN

VOLUSIA COUNTY: Pasha Middle East Cafe Daytona Beach J Grill Ormond Beach

2. Set them aside for now.

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Oliv Epicurean Grill Daytona Beach

ingredients 1 egg Âź of a tomato 1-2 cloves of garlic

A good handful of

feta cheese

A splash of olive oil

About a teaspoon

of tomato paste

A pinch of salt

A dash of pepper

Some cayenne pepper

instructions 1. Turn the stove on to high and drizzle some olive oil into a frying pan as it heats up.

2. Throw the garlic, grated tomato, and tomato paste into the pan after you feel it’s ready. Fry the garlic with the tomato mix so it retains its flavor throughout the dish. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

3. Turn the stove down and crack the egg on top of the tomato and garlic mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

4. Cover the pan with a lid and remove it when the egg looks ever so slightly runny. Sprinkle some feta cheese on top.

Top left: Traditionally drizzled on top of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, or all of the above, a Turkish breakfast is never complete without a good serving of olive oil. Top right & left middle: The shakshuka begins to takes shape as the tomato mixture and the egg are seasoned with salt. Bottom right: The shakshuka is plated next to a kumru sandwich: a panini with cheese and tomatoes.

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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

58 issue 1

&

1. Pretty Girl - Clairo 2. I Want To Break Free - Queen 3. SUMMER - BROCKHAMPTON 4. baseball - Hippo Campus 5. Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean 6. Got Her Own - Syd 7. Love Me - The 1975 8. Lemon Boy - Cavetown 9. I Am Her - Shea Diamond 10. Lights Up - Harry Styles Playlist by natalie bergeron Art by Isabel Solorzano Listen to the full playlist on spotify

@hatternetwork the reporter

59

@hatternetwork

60 issue 1