February 22, 2019

THE APPALACHIAN Feb. 22, 2019

“The Vagina Monologues” The Women’s Center raises money for local sexual assault victims with annual production.

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NEW COMPUTER POLICY LIMITS STUDENT-FACULTY PRIVACY

SGA ACT MAKES CAMPUS DINING HALLS MORE SMILEY

BASKETBALL RAISES MONEY FOR CANCER TREATMENT

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News

Feb. 22, 2019

Winston-Salem’s Fidelity Bank location. Faculty members who use Fidelity Bank have recently experienced payroll issues and late payments. // Photo courtesy of Matteson Haglund

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370 employees face payroll problems with Fidelity Bank

aculty Senate senators questioned the vice chancellor for business affairs about payroll problems for 370 employees who use Fidelity Bank at the Faculty Senate meeting Feb. 11.

Dale Wheeler, inorganic chemistry professor, explained at the meeting that retirement money taken out of his and his wife’s paychecks was not deposited into his retirement fund.

“The Nov. 30 paycheck had the money deducted so I didn’t receive

Moss Brennan ‫@ ׀‬mosbren ‫ ׀‬News Editor

it in my paycheck, but then it hadn’t ever appeared in the retirement fund and where did it go?” Wheeler said.

Wheeler first contacted Human Resources in early January and said they told him they were aware of it.

Paul Forte, vice chancellor for business affairs, said during the Faculty Senate meeting that the file from Fidelty “had an issue.”

“HR is working with Fidelity to get an analysis for the issue and how that would have affected employees,”

Forte said during the meeting.

Forte also said the money is all there, it was just posted late.

“We intend to put pressure on Fidelity to make it right,” Forte said during the meeting.

Forte also said the 370 employees were not informed of the problem by the time of the Faculty Senate meeting because they were trying to get all the answers.

Forte could not be reached for comment.

The retirement funds for Wheelers’ November and December checks were deposited on Jan. 22 and Jan. 23.

Because the deposit was late, Wheeler said the money is worth 10 percent less than if it was deposited in December, when the stock market was at a relative low.

“That’s my retirement fund, I’m going to need to have that money,” Wheeler said. “I don’t want to be out any of that money. So I’ve been patiently waiting for Human Resources

to just simply give me an answer.”

Michael Shamrell, a public relations representative for Fidelity, said a team is looking into the issue, but could not provide more details.

“I’m not getting answers for this issue, and I was surprised to hear so many people are involved because that’s a big deal,” Wheeler said. “We got to figure out why it happened so it never happens again.”

“No expectation of privacy:” New draft policy alarms faculty senators

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Moss Brennan ‫@ ׀‬mosbren ‫ ׀‬News Editor he chief information officer for App State presented a draft revision of the Acceptable Use of Computing and Electronic Resources Policy, ,to the Faculty Senate in January that contained language some senators said they were worried about.

“No University employee, student or any other user shall have any expectation of privacy in the material or information sent, received or stored using any portion of the University information system infrastructure,” the draft of Policy 901 states.

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That also includes “personal computing devices used to conduct University business.”

The draft policy is a proposed revision that would replace the current policy in its entirety.

The draft policy states that any student found in violation of the proposed policy is subject to the code of student conduct.

A small working group of divisional representatives and Faculty Senate members are reviewing the draft revision and will recommend edits.

Martha McCaughey, professor and director of first-year seminar and common reading program, is one of four Faculty Senate representatives in the working group.

“The thing that raised a bit of alarm was a wording that said, ‘No one using the information infrastructure or equipment provided should expect any privacy in the documents or materials being transmitted,’” McCaughey said.

McCaughey said the working group is determining if the draft policy is overreaching.

“David Hayler is extremely open to all the feedback from faculty and I imagine he would be equally open to feedback from students,” McCaughey said. “No one thought the university was trying to come up with an Orwellian policy.”

David Hayler, App State’s chief information officer, directed interview requests to University Communications.

“I do think the university policy is a problem and I’m hoping that some of it gets kind of toned down,” said Michael Behrent, professor in the

Department of History and faculty senator.

Student Government Association representatives will also help vet the policy, according to the IT Governance page on the Information Technology Services website.

“Students should take an active interest in what the current policy says and anything they would want it to say in the future,” McCaughey said.

“There might be things they find ring an alarm bell for them that aren’t the same that might ring an alarm bell for a faculty member.”

News

Feb. 22, 2019

Smiley Card Act implemented in Roess Dining Hall

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Cameron Stuart ‫@ ׀‬cameronlstuart ‫ ׀‬News Reporter he Student Government Association has added some extra smiles to Roess Dining Hall.

The Smiley Card Act, posed

by Andrew Strahan, a former SGA Senator for the College of Arts and Sciences, was passed in the fall and came into effect in January.

“It’s a pretty simple initiative,” Strahan said. “It’s just pictures of smiley emojis. And if you’re sitting by yourself, or you’re sitting with friends and you want other people to come sit with you, you just grab a card, and you place it on your table for others to see.”

The smiley cards are located next to the trays in Rivers Street Cafe and next to the cash registers in Sanford Commons.

Strahan, a senior political science and economics major, said the idea for the act came from a Japanese restaurant where employees noticed a lot of seniors came in and sat by themselves, and they wanted to help change that.

“A, it was just taking up too much space and B, it was just unnec-

essary because all these seniors were lonely and they needed friends,” Strahan said.

Strahan said as an out-of-state transfer student he understands the loneliness, isolation and social anxiety that comes with not knowing anyone at a unitversity, and he wanted to do something about that.

“App State students are often characterized in the winter as having a lull in attitude—this sense of loneliness,” Strahan said. “So this card is not a perfect fix for that, but I think it is super quick, super easy and super effective.”

Strahan said his act passed easily because of the support from Food Services.

“My vision was that it would take a couple weeks, a couple months even, to pick up and for people to notice that it was happening,” Strahan said.

Stephanie Lee, communications specialist for Food Services, said the dining experience is about more than just eating.

“People focus a lot on food, but

your dining experience is everything,” Lee said. “So, anytime we can make that better for students, it seems like a no-brainer.”

Strahan said cashiers have told him the cards are being used, and SGA has received positive feedback through social media.

While there is no exact data, Lee said she eats in Rivers Street Cafe almost every day and has noticed faculty, staff, students and groups of people sit down with smiley cards.

“Right now we’re just in a learning phase,” Lee said. “We’re going to see how it works here and learn the best practices, and then have a conversation about moving forward.”

Strahan said because he will graduate in May, a stipulation in the bill requires the director of student affairs, Jack Watson, to talk about the bill’s with Pam Cline, director of Food Services.

“If it isn’t working, that is Pam Cline’s and Jack’s decision to disband it. But if it is working, then I encourage them to find bigger and better ways that we could utilize it,”

A smiley card brings two students together at lunch in Roess Dining Hall.

Former SGA Senator Andrew Strahan created the smiley cards so that students who don’t want to sit alone during meals can designate that they want someone to dine with them. // Photo by Hayley Canal

Strahan said. “We bought enough for just Roess, however, if it does work out then we want to make sure that Trivette has some and also Cascades.”

Lee said that as long as students and SGA want this program to continue, Food Services is a willing partner.

Strahan said this bill was different for him than his other bills be-

cause there is more tangible proof it is working. He said he believes this is the most important bill he has written.

“I think this speaks to who Appalachian is, that we want to be open to meeting people and making sure that everyone feels welcome on our campus,” Lee said.

University leaders reviewing report for new biodiversity building

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Jackie Park ‫@ ׀‬jackiempark ‫ ׀‬Associate News Editor feasibility study for the first building on App State’s Innovation Campus, the Conservatory for Biodiversity Education and Research, was presented Jan. 30.

Clark Nexsen, the architectural engineering firmt he university hired for the project, presented the report after meetings with “a variety of stakeholders to determine the best mix of gardens, conservatory, labs and meeting space,” according to

the Building Physical Infrastructure website.

University leaders are reviewing the results of the report and will discuss the results with Clark Nexsen in February.

Students and their faculty mentors in the College of Arts and Sciences will use the space for research, scientific exhibits and demonstrations.

The building’s goal is to help Boone and App State “understand

the natural history and economic importance of our region’s biodiversity; gain a heightened appreciation of the research and creative endeavors being conducted at Appalachian,” according to the BPI website.

“We are doing our best to keep everyone updated at once using the website—additionally, the Chancellor is including updates at key junctures in her weekly newsletters to campus,” Megan Hayes, director of University Communications wrote

in an email. “Our goal is to be proactive about the progress of the many construction projects taking place on campus.”

The goal of the Innovation Campus is to “produce a workforce of critical thinkers who are capable of developing economically, environmentally and equitably sound communities,” according to the BPI website.

Ideas for facilities of the campus include the Conservatory for Bio-

diversity Education and Research, greenhouse rooms, workspaces, conference rooms, exhibition space and renewable energy labs.

The Appalachian reached out to University Communications for interviews about this story and was referred to the Building and Physical Infrastructure website.

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News

Feb. 22, 2019

Student veteran center helps veterans transition to college life

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Emily Broyles ‫@ ׀‬em_broyles ‫ ׀‬News Reporter pp State was named a 2019-2020 Military Friendly School for helping student veterans and those on active-duty succeed on and off campus. App State was also one of four schools that received the Gold Distinction Military Friendly rank in the nation in the large public category.

Program director of student veteran services Eric Gormly said military-affiliated students have access to faculty who specialize in military language and needs through tutoring and the Career Development Center.

Military-affiliated students receive resources and contacts mainly through the Major General Edward M. Reeder Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center, which opened on the second floor of Plemmons Student Union in 2016. “(The center) is centrally located on campus, so with that, it is also a single point of contact to where they can come in here and get the resources that they need, not just for the campus, but also for the community,” Gormly said.

With about 300 student veterans on campus, the center serves as a place where students can share the bond and past hardships of serving in the U.S. armed forces.

“This is an area where they can

talk about things that they did in the military and nobody’s going to be like, ‘You can’t talk about that, that’s too disturbing,’” Gormly said. “They all feel comfortable within these walls.”

Gormly said he is sure the community has grown since the center’s opening, with 30 to 35 daily student visits and almost 7,000 total over the past three years.

“It’s almost, in a way, as if they’re coming to a mini military base,” Gormly said.

Gormly said he strongly believes the growth and comradery of the center have contributed to upholding the Military Friendly recognition and Gold Distinction.

“Since the center got here and the Student Veteran Services got here in itself, that’s when we started getting ranked in the top 10,” Gormly said.

In 2019, App State was ranked No. 12 as a military-friendly school by VIQTORY, yet Gormly is positive the center continues to benefit the military ranking and student body of App State.

David Judy, student veteran and vice president of the Student Veteran Association, said he is thankful to have found the center, as he wasn’t sure how to have a desired college experience as an older student with an uncommon

The Major General Edward M. Reeder Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center is located on the second floor of Plemmons Student Union. Student veterans said they have found a home in the center, where they can be authentic. // Photo by Michelle Hausman

background.

“You don’t think about how you’re going to interact, you just assume that you’re going to,” Judy said about his thoughts as a freshman student veteran on campus. “Part of you dreads it, part of you is excited for new opportunities.”

Judy, junior secondary history education major, found his new opportunity by speaking to fellow military-affiliated students, which gave him a community to thrive in.

“Instead of being just another student on campus, we come in here and

we hang out with everybody else who’s dealing with the exact same issues,” Judy said.

Sam Reinier, senior social work major, sees the fellowship student veterans share while working her field placement in the center. Reinier comes from a military family, and although she’s not a veteran herself, she feels embraced in the center.

“It’s definitely a different environment in here,” Reinier said. “You really get that sense of belonging and community, which is super important to

have for anybody, but especially student veterans.”

Reinier said she has noticed the dedication and discipline student veterans have in the center, which contributes to the strong military presence at App State.

“They’re really determined to come here and get their education,” Reinier said. “You see people come in here and they’re like, ‘Yeah I have to write this paper. I’m going to do it in an hour,’ and for the most part, they get it done.”

West Campus construction begins with limited parking and Duck Pond Field closed

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Jackie Park ‫@ ׀‬jackiempark ‫ ׀‬Associate News Editor att Dull, assistant vice chancellor for finance and operations, was interviewed by University Communications Feb. 11 about the changes that will come with construction on campus.

On Feb. 14, residents of West Campus woke up to a large number of parking spaces in Stadium Lot coned off to make room for the new buildings and parking deck.

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Parking spots in Stadium Lot were not resold for spring semester to make sure those with parking permits could still park in the lot. The new parking deck will make up for the loss of spots, Dull said.

“Our parking deck, it’s a 475-space parking deck, it will be finished by August of 2019,” Dull said.

“So for the fall of 2019, we’ll be back up to our parking count for that Stadium Lot area.”

The new parking deck will be located at the site of former Winkler Hall, according to a previous podcast.

Construction has also started on Duck Pond with trees being cleared.

“So, I hope folks enjoyed being on Duck Pond Field last week, and the 60-degree weather, and this week we’ll begin fencing that area off to start construction,” Dull said.

All of these steps prepare the area for construction of the parking deck

and two new buildings, Dull said.

App State also completed the financial close for the project with Choate Construction on Feb. 14. The close is similar to closing on a house, when one party agrees on pricing and the other on details for the project, Dull said.

“That helps kind of put a bow on everything from a financial and legal perspective on the project,” Dull said.

Choate Construction began its

time on-site Feb. 15, Dull said.

“They are in Boone and getting ready for all of the work to begin this week,” Dull said.

Due to multiple interview requests, University Communications records weekly podcasts with Dull about the West Campus construction project to provide to news organizations. The Appalachian has requested interviews with Dull.

News

Feb. 22, 2019

Student Mental Health Ambassadors trained to present on App State mental health alumnus resigns as FEMA administrator Erin O’Neill | @erinnmoneill ‫ ׀‬News Reporter

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Moss Brennan @mosbren ‫ ׀‬News Editor

ederal Emergency Management Administration administrator and App State alumnus Brock Long announced his resignation Feb. 13.

Long graduated from App State in 1997 with a bachelor of science degree and graduated in 1999 with a master’s degree in public administration.

“It has been a great honor to serve our country as FEMA Administrator for the past two years. During my tenure, the Agency worked more than 220 declared disasters,” Long said, according to a FEMA release.

An inspector general report released in September concluded that Long used government vehicles to drive him from his home and work, to and from his family’s residence in North Carolina, and while on vacation.

The vehicle use cost the government an estimated $151,000.

Long was ordered to pay back the money in September.

“While this has been the opportunity of the lifetime, it is time for me to go home to my family—my beautiful wife and two incredible boys,” Long said, according to a FEMA statement.

“As a career emergency management professional, I could not be prouder to have worked alongside the devoted, hardworking men and women of FEMA for the past two years.”

The Alumni Association awarded Long the Distinguished Alumni Award during homecoming week in September.

Peter Gaynor will serve as the acting FEMA administrator.

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Members of Mental Health Ambassadors at a meeting. MHA founder Leslie Martin said is the mission of the club is “centered around educating people about mental health concerns and helping them improve their mental health.” // Photo by Michelle Hausman

tudents interested in educating their peers about different aspects of mental health can now apply to become Mental Health Ambassadors.

The Mental Health Ambassadors are peer educators trained by Counseling Center staff to present on a variety of topics can be invited to present to classes, clubs and other organizations.

“It’s important to us to get out on campus and go to places where students are more regularly to try and make ourselves more approachable and maybe reach people before they even need to come in for counseling,” Mental Health Ambassadors co-coordinator Emily Lazar said.

Associate director and training director for the Counseling and Psychological Services Leslie Martin founded MHA in 2009. MHA consists of mostly undergraduate students who come from different majors and are passionate about decreasing the stigma around mental health.

The mission of the program is centered around educating people about mental health concerns and helping them improve their mental health, Martin said.

Martin explained she was inspired to create MHA when “there was a lot of research coming out about how students would rather hear from and learn from their peers than other adults.”

Mental Health Ambassadors became involved with outreach for the Counseling Center, and began educating their fellow students through presentations and events throughout the school year, such as Fall Festival and Mental Health Check-Up Day. “Students want a space to be able to talk about mental health or get questions answered, and sometimes there can be a stigma around doing that, or they’re not even sure where to go first.

A lot of times it can feel intimidating to go to a counseling center if you’ve never been before,” Lazar said.

Martin said she feels the pre-

sentations also help to build bridges between the Counseling Center and students. The presentations focus on Counseling Center services, stress management, healthy relationships, conflict management and suicide awareness.

“It’s really nice to be a part of a group that wants to inspire so many other people,” MHA president Carson Burleson said.

Burleson, senior religious studies and English major, said the group’s presentations make students more aware of the services available on campus.

“A lot of people aren’t even aware that there’s a counseling center, so it’s always good to get the word out,” Burleson said.

Burleson also emphasized the importance of the presentations and how they can help educate others.

“People who may not be exposed to that information on a regular basis are just showing up for class, and they might learn something about how

to help a friend or help themselves,” Burleson said.

Martin said by training individuals who are passionate about mental health to do some of their outreach presentations, they are able to focus on the people walking through the Counseling Center doors.

“Since we created it, every year we’ve had great groups of students and they’ve really taken on a lot of the requests that we get to do presentations,” Martin said.

Ambassadors themselves also benefit from the program. Martin said the ambassadors often report that MHA was one of the most rewarding experiences they had at App State.

“The ambassadors are doing all this great stuff for us, but I think they’re getting a lot back too,” Martin said.

For students interested in joining MHA, applications are due March 1. Applications can be found on the MHA webpage.

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Arts and Culture

Feb. 22, 2019

Vagina Monologues Mericlaire Williams ‫@ ׀‬TheAppalachian ‫ ׀‬A&C Columnist

raises money to support victims of sexual assault

T Eleanor Wright & Brandon Schwartz Fashion gives Brandon Schwartz and Eleanor Wright room to tell stories about themselves.

Fashion distinguishes senior applied physics major Schwartz and junior cultural anthropology major Wright from the crowd when they add their own twists to basic outfits.

Schwartz and Wright buy clothes and shoes for each other to create a collaborative closet. Even with sharing clothes, Schwartz and Wright find ways to create unique outfits. Schwartz adds his personal touch with hats, trench coats and abstract shirts. Each piece he finds has a story behind it like the Yin Yang beanie he found on the street, which quickly became a staple for all of his outfits.

“I think about where I’m going and what I know people aren’t going to be looking for or wearing,” Schwartz said about choosing his outfits.

While wearing formalwear for his physics presentations, Schwartz still finds ways to stand out. His attention to detail helps him add color and character to mundane formalwear. Wright takes the shared clothes and creates “preppy decided to be punk by thrifting” looks. Pins on collars are one way Wright dresses down formal outfits while adding their personal flair.

Wright takes Schwartz’s mindset of taking trendy styles and reconstructing them to stand out. They use their desired silhouette to structure their clothing. Wright transforms their silhouette with seamless collared shirts that elongate their torso and shoulder pads that broaden their shoulders.

Wright and Schwartz disrupt the norm of fashion wherever they go with their two approaches. Both of their styles are expressionistic, and when they get dressed for the day, they pay attention to the small details.

Their shared clothes and contrasting styles show their solidarity in their approach to fashion.

“I can convey some sense of self to you through my fashion without having to divulge something deep,” Schwartz said.

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Camryn Collier ‫@ ׀‬camrynecollier ‫ ׀‬A&C Reporter

ackling genital mutilation in Bosnia, pubic hair, the gift of birth and the experiences of being transgender, “The Vagina Monologues” is produced annually by the Women’s Center. Created in 1995 by Eve Ensler in the hopes of exposing women’s experiences across age, sexuality and race, the episodic play has raised money for women’s right since it started. “(The play) brings global awareness of things that are happening on a daily basis that we don’t really think about, especially stuff that is happening in other countries. It gives you a perspective of what’s occurring around us,” the Women’s Center graduate assistant Hannah Elicker said.

From the money the Women’s Center gets from ticket sales for the play, 10 percent goes to Ensler’s V-Day Campaign, an international campaign which promotes an end to women’s violence. Ninety percent of the funds goes to the local nonprofit organization Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter, or OASIS. In 2018, the Women’s Center said “The Vagina Monologues” raised around $8,000. Outreach Coordinator for OASIS Sara Crouch said the organization, based on influx of how much the monologues raise, usually receives over $4,000 annually.

Offering support to anyone regardless of gender identity, race, sexuality or immigration status, OASIS has services for those who have been or are victims of sexual or domestic assault. OASIS works for Watauga and Avery

counties to provide emergency services, hotlines, shelters, resources and education for those in the community.

“It’s really important that we raise awareness and end the stigmas surrounding domestic abuse so more people can come forward and get the help they need,” Crouch said. “Without the collaboration, raising awareness would be difficult.”

OASIS works based on the “empowerment model,” meaning that instead of forcing its clients to live under the organization’s wings, OASIS gives them the services to help them better themselves. Over the 2017-2018 fiscal year, OASIS provided services for 596 clients, including 274 children, Crouch said.

The Women’s Center is a referral system for students who need resources from OASIS and acts as a community and educational system for those on campus.

At the beginning of each showing of “The Vagina Monologues,” an OASIS representative has thanked the crowd for their support and talked about the organization’s cause.

“Even though we have been in the community for 41 years now, there are still some people—especially new students or people who have never thought about these issues—who don’t know that OASIS exists. It’s important to know that we exist if they ever need us. So it’s really important to have that platform in a space that feels really safe like ‘The Vagina Monologues,’” Crouch said.

(Left) Performer Zoe Pugh throws off her shawl during “My Short Skirt.” (Top) This year’s Vagina Monologues performers line up on stage.

The play is the Women’s Center’s largest event, created to shine a light on issues that women face, and raises money for local charities, such as OASIS. (Bottom) Zoe Pugh and Ruth Ann Marotta laugh alongside their castmates as the first act of the monologues comes to an end. // Photos by Paola Bula

Arts and Culture

Feb. 22, 2019

Mental health play

play transforms mental health stories into fine arts performances Cameron Stuart ‫@ ׀‬cameronlstuart ‫ ׀‬News Reporter

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tudents are sharing their personal stories about mental health with you during Y(Our) Story.

Y(Our) Story will take place on Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Ballroom as part of semicolon week.

Roy Dale Cox and Hannah Magee are in charge of directing, producing and casting.

The play is a collection of anonymous short stories by students and people in the community, which are turned into different art forms, theatre and dance studies double major Magee said. Those different art forms include monologues, dances and art pieces.

Magee said this play is unique because it is straight from the community.

“Y(Our) Story is about giving those who may deal with mental health issues a platform to release, and tell their story,” said Cox, senior theatre and political science major. “It allows those stories to come to the forefront without those individuals having to do it themselves.”

Cox said the play allows people to see others’ stories and sympathize with them.

“Gender and race and sexuality are not even a factor in any of it because these stories are anonymous,” Magee said. “We casted blindly. It doesn’t matter what story is being told because I think everybody can relate to a little piece of everybody’s story.”

Magee said it was difficult to decide which stories would be performed and who would perform them.

“Everybody’s story is important,” Magee said. “It was diffi-

cult determining which ones would fit in within this mold.”

Magee said students should see this play because it will change their perceptions of mental health.

“People all around you, no matter who they are, where they come from, what they look like, they’re going through the same things you are or have the same story that you do,” Magee said.

Magee said people will relate to this play and she hopes they will talk more about mental health.

Magee said college is scary for a lot of people, which is often overlooked.

“I think everybody, in some form or fashion, is dealing with something they don’t want to broadcast. And I think everybody has this front,” Magee said. “This show really shows that it’s OK. There are so many resources out there. There are so many people you can talk to.”

Cox and Magee are working alongside Wellness and Prevention Services for Y(Our) Story with adviser Elisabeth Cavallaro, coordinator for student mental wellness in Wellness and Prevention Services.

“As the adviser, I am here to make sure that the event aligns with the goals that we set at the beginning,” Cavallaro said. “That it does more than just raise awareness, but also helps to spread messages of hope and reliciency.”

Cavallaro said she wants the play to improve rather than harm students.

This is the third year the play has been performed at App State, though it used to be called Mental Health Monologues, Cox

said.

Cavallaro said in its first year, the play consisted of volunteers reading submitted stories on a stage. The next year, Cavallaro said Cox joined the team and brought a theatrical spin to the production.

Cox and Magee revamped the play this year by adding new forms of visual art.

“I am involved in both theater and dance, and I think the most important thing for me is that we can reach as many people as possible,” Magee said. “And I think by having different ways to display these stories shows different ways it can connect to different people.”

Cox said Y(Our) Story is significant to him because mental health issues were often neglected in his home, where his family chose to pray about issues rather than spend money for extra help.

“It’s been very therapeutic in a way,” Cox said. “I’ve been able to live through those people and those stories. It’s been a form of healing for me.”

The play teaches people to look for warning signs of potential mental health problems in all people and how to get help.

“These people that deal with this, we paint that picture of someone who may not look like us,” Cox said. “And when you see the show you’re going to see people who look like you.”

Cox said this play reaffirms community.

“Not only are students at App dealing with this. On a global scale, this isn’t just at App. This is everywhere,” Cox said. “And together we can all come together, and we can all just be.”

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Arts and Culture

Feb. 22, 2019

Boone Bands meet head to head at

BATTLE OF THE BANDS Georgia Privott ‫@ ׀‬TheAppalachian ‫ ׀‬A&C Reporter

Savannah Nguyen ‫@ ׀‬TheAppalachian ‫ ׀‬Senior A&C Reporter

Appalachian Popular Programming Society presents its annual Battle of the Bands Feb. 21 at Legends.

Four local bands will battle it out in front of a panel of judges. Below are some of the bands competing.

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unkelstilskin has played in Boone since 2014, jamming at house shows, performing at packed festivals and playing at its favorite Boone bars.

Funkelstilskin consists of a five-member set: Joshua “Bizkit” Upchurch on drums; Sergio Grossi, senior psychology major, on keys; Elliot Watson on bass; Landon “LP” Powell on percussion; and Eric Brandt on guitar and vocals.

The band fits into a wide assortment of genres such as funk, blues, jazz, reggae and even a little bit of hip-hop.

“The whole part of Funkel is being extraverted and social,” Brandt said.

Funkstilskin’s music adapts easily for the new set of students every four years. The band shapes its music to fan responses. Boone is a hub for distinct aesthetics and sounds, which many bands thrive on, Upchurch said.

The name, Funkelstilskin, has caused some debate.

“Due to having so many lineup changes we have even thought about changing the name altogether,” Grossi said.

The introduction of new instruments, the members of the band and even Funkel’s fan base has shifted since the beginning.

“Every time I try to change the name people get riled up and tell me I can’t change it,” Brandt said.

Each member has a “why not” attitude when it comes to trying new things, Brandt said. It’s all about dedication and a love for music. Brandt describes the band as having an “open-door policy.”

Brandt began his musical journey early on.

“I wandered into the guitar section and saw what ended up being my first guitar and saw a vision of

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what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Brandt said.

Brandt said he was destined to make music. Poetry and local freestylers inspired him from a young age.

Grossi plays the keyboard for Funkel. The keyboardist credits his musical influence to his brother.

“I was about 6 years old when I heard my brother play ‘Für Elise’ and I was like, ‘I wanna do that,’” Grossi said.

Garcia rekindled his love for piano while hearing other musicians in college play the keyboard. Selftaught in guitar and keys, Garcia also writes lyrics for Funkelstilsin.

“When me and Eric write together it’s one of two things: either one of us is feeling some type of way and we just have to get it out, or I’ll have an entire beat and we just start going for it,” Grossi said.

Upchurch is band’s drummer and is the most classically trained member. He was a percussionist in his high school drumline and continued through college in App State’s band. After a change in plans, Upchurch switched from majoring in music to chemistry and graduated at App State in 2011. Upchurch sees the beauty of Boone as well as the mechanics of music, which has kept him interested in making music for 11 years.

However different each band member is, they “respect each other’s musical liberties,” Upchurch said.

“We understand the music of language so we know how to communicate with each other,” Upchurch said.

A mosh-posh of different abilities and interests creates Funkelstilskin. Its performances are on YouTube and its latest album, “Wild Animals,” is available on Bandcamp. The band hopes Battle of the Bands will kickstart the release of its newest album.

FUNKELSTILSKIN

Photo courtesy of Funkelstilskin

Arts and Culture

Feb. 22, 2019

DEPOT STREET

P Photo courtesy of KJA

KJA

K

JA is the first rap group to compete in the App State’s Battle of the Bands competition. The band began early this year when a group of high school friends became college roommates. Kenneth Mourning, junior finance and banking major; Amari Smith, junior cellular molecular biology major; and Jonathon Brechbiel, junior communications major, will kickstart their musical journey at Battle of the Bands.

Mourning is excited to make KJA’s debut.

“We just tossed the idea up in the air by submitting a couple tracks and here we are,” Mourning said.

Mourning is no stranger to performing. He is a speaker for Boone’s Campus Crusade for Christ and was a member of App State’s a cappella group, Voice Male for one year. Mourning’s band members motivate him.

“Us three together just have so much fun and get hype as possible,” Mourning said.

If any word describes KJA, it is hype. The group’s set during the competition will be full of dancing and enthusiasm, Mourning said.

Hoping to have costume changes and props, KJA plans on impressing its audience.

“One thing about rap is it is very hyperbolic and that’s exactly what we want to give the audience,” Mourning said.

KJA has released music on SoundCloud and plans to perform at future shows. Mourning

said he hopes KJA’s performance at Battle of the Bands will get people interested in its music. Because the band is so unknown, the band members have a sense of excitement not many other bands have.

“That’s the beauty of it. We have such a romanticized view of what this performance will look like,” Mourning said.

Brechbiel, the producer, has a wide range of music taste such as the Avett Brothers and Daft Punk, which is often the inspiration for the beats in the tracks. The beats always come first when the three friends get together and write.

“It’s important to let the beat breathe,” Brechbiel said.

Brechbiel and Mourning have made music together since their senior year of high school in Raleigh. The pair knows each other’s music styles, so it comes naturally, Mourning said.

Smith collaborates with Mourning in vocals. Smith, another Raleigh native, reconnected with Mourning and Brechbiel when he came to college. The band shares an apartment and has turned a spare bedroom into a studio. Having a recording studio in their home has allowed KJA to create 12 songs so far.

After getting an apartment together KJA also got a cat, Tonka, named after the yellow toy truck. During the band’s performance at Battle of the Bands, look for its mascot, a yellow Tonka truck.

erforming along the East Coast from New Orleans to Florida, Depot Street still considers Boone its home base. Dubbing itself “the people’s band” on its Facebook page, the group has locals and tourists from around the country flocking back to Boone for the chance to listen to the band.

“We make people dance. And usually they’re the ones you wouldn’t normally see dancing, but somehow we get them to move,” App State alumnus Lucas Triba said.

A range of music lovers flock to the band’s music.

“People who like our music listen to anything from jazz and disco to the Clash and U2,” said Cassidy Nooner, senior music therapy major.

The current troupe has performed together for the past year, but its energy on and offstage parallels brothers and sisters. Depot Street’s camaraderie is represented by each individual’s diverse contributions. For example, there is no “official” lead singer. Not one member is committed to an instrument, whether it ranges from keys to fiddle or bass to flute. Even song writing does not fall on the shoulders of just one or two members.

“It’s hard to pin down their sound. They’re smooth, they’re gritty, they make you want to groove and thrash simultaneously,” sophomore exercise science major Kate Davis said. “When you look around the room there is not one person just sitting idly and it’s because they really make you feel like you’re a part of their family.”

Member John Camacho, who is pursuing his master’s in classic piano training at App State, said the group has an improvisational tone. The constant addition of new sounds and instruments to the band’s repertoire reiterates its structured chaos.

“We’re still in the beginning stages of finding our sound, but that makes it really exciting,” Camacho said.

The company of music enthusiasts was assembled piece by piece. Original band members, Triba and Camacho met in the Plemmons Student Union at Crossroads.

“When Lucas and I met it was at one of Crossroads’ open mic nights. I was performing and he kept clapping for me so I stayed after to watch him play,” Camacho said. “I asked him to play on a recording and we hit it off right off the bat like kindred spirits.”

Photo courtesy of Depot Street

9

Arts and Culture

Feb. 22, 2019

PEOPLE OF

BOONE

App State club provides “ nerds” a community to discuss pop culture passions

Landree Person @theappalachian ‫ ׀‬A&C columnist

Mack Foley ‫@ ׀‬TheAppalachian ‫ ׀‬A&C Reporter

Nerd Network members voting on T-shirt designs for the club’s event, NerdCon. // Photo by Michelle Hausman

F

or nerds around campus, there is a wide range of organizations to get involved with. From anime to Quidditch, App State is far from lacking in special-interest clubs, but some students have tastes that don’t fall within a pre-existing organization. For those people, there is Nerd Network.

“The main goal of the club is to get a bunch of people who have nerdy interests or hobbies that don’t necessarily fit into one of the categories that there is already a club for on campus and put them in a situation where they can make friends with other folks who have nerdy interests,” said Ben Abbott, president of Nerd Network.

Abbott, junior computer science major, got involved with the club right when he got to App State.

“I was an out-of-state coming to Appalachian State, and I knew absolutely nobody when I came to campus,” Abbott said. “The reason why I made the friends that I did here is because I found the club and I really liked it.”

Madison Howell, senior English major and vice president of Nerd Network, got involved with the organization while looking for clubs at Club Expo her freshman year.

“I showed up and I knew nobody, but it was a really cool hangout space,” Howell said. “People were really friendly and there were so many varying interests and things people wanted to talk about.”

Nerd Network’s meeting format is part of what makes them unique.

It’s never just business through and through. It begins with icebreakers and short games to help folks open up a bit and share a bit about their interests. Then, the club addresses any housekeeping for events its planning. After that, members spend the rest of the time playing board games.

In the fall, Nerd Network hosts an annual cake buffet, where stu-

10

dents compete to bake and decorate the best nerdy cakes and desserts.

“Last semester, one of the officers baked a cake to look like a dragon egg from the Netflix show ‘The Dragon Prince’ that was actually shingled,” Howell said.

The event usually revolves around a secret ingredient the club chooses, in an “Iron Chef” twist. Students bring creative solutions to their desserts to accommodate.

Outside of the cake buffet, the organization holds humans versus zombies events in Belk Library and sprinkles game nights throughout the semester. The club’s biggest draw, however, is NerdCon, a convention Nerd Network leads that takes over Plemmons Student Union for a day in late spring. The 2019 event is on March 30.

“We have tons of panels, discussions and events pertaining to all areas of nerd-dom,” Abbott said. “Usually, the panelists that we have are part of the club and have something that they want to talk about and give information on, or we have some guests who come in and have specific topics that they want to volunteer to talk about.”

NerdCon lets Nerd Network collaborate with other campus organizations to cover as much ground as possible. There’s an area set aside for artists to sell nerdy art and merchandise.

The Video Game Ensemble plays and the Quidditch team holds a scrimmage, while the gaming club and the anime club set up game and screening rooms. The club also works with The Pagan Society, Japanese Culture Club, the fencing club, the Women’s Center, the Multicultural Center and the LGBT Center to bring events and panels to NerdCon, which normally sees around 250 attendees.

Going forward, the club is looking to interact with other groups on campus outside of big events more frequently, Caitlin Hallee, senior electronic media broadcasting major, said.

“I would like to see it become more partnered with other nerd groups,” said Hallee, the social chair for Nerd Network.

“We could definitely do more co-op events with them. We could help sponsor an anime night with the anime club or help with some kind of gaming night.”

Club members have no shortage of plans they want to attempt, but a semi-frequent turnover in leadership makes it difficult to get much to stick. In the meantime, it’s focused on being a home for scattered nerds across App State.

Steven Howard “I’ve been driving for AppalCart for 11 years now. I chose the Blue Route because it’s the one that drives all of the students. Even though it’s not what I wanted to do originally, there’s way more pros than cons.

The longer I stay here, the more I like it and the more I like my job and the people. I’m not a big part of it, but yeah, I think an important part. I have to get you guys to class. I don’t want to focus on the negative because, you know, that’s the bad side of it, but we’re just a little understaffed and we’re overcrowded. It seems like as the enrollment increases, which is good for ASU, it just seems like we can’t keep up. You guys grow way faster than we do. It’s kind of a good problem to have. We just need more manpower. That’s the only part I can’t stand is when I have to go past people and I’m just so embarrassed. It’s OK. We’re trying to handle it. I just feel bad that you guys have to go through it with us.

You guys put up with stuff you shouldn’t have to put up with. I was just driving up this hill last week thinking, ‘Man, this is such a great job. I really do love this job and what I get to do every day.’ It’s a simple life for sure, but maybe that’s why I like it.”

App News

Feb. 22, 2019

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Friday, feb.22

Saturday, feb. 23

Sunday, feb. 24

Monday, feb. 25

App State Baseball vs. Manhattan Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium 2-5 p.m.

Sustain Game - Men’s Basketball Holmes Convocation Center 2-4 p.m.

Appalachian Symphony Orchestra Schaefer Center 2-4 p.m.

Bike App! Rivers Street Skywalk 1-4:30 p.m.

“Widows” I.G. Greer 7 & 9:30 p.m.

“Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl Valborg Theatre 7-9 p.m.

Tunnel of Oppression Plemmons Student Union 7-9 p.m.

“The Goonies” Greenbriar Theatre 7-9 p.m.

“Widows” I.G. Greer 7 & 9:30 p.m.

“Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl Valborg Theatre 7-9 p.m.

“Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl Valborg Theatre 7-9 p.m.

Tuesday, feb. 26

Wednesday, feb. 27

Thursday, feb. 28

Friday, mar. 1

New Supervisor, eh?

JET Building 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Mental Health Check-Up Day Plemmons Student Union 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

REI Spring Forum Plemmons Student Union

“Dazed and Confused” Greenbriar Theatre 7-9 p.m.

Swipe Right on Yourself: Focusing on the Core Relationship in Your Life Plemmons Student Union 12-1 p.m.

Constitution Workshop Plemmons Student Union 5-7 p.m.

Bike App! Rivers Street Skywalk 1-4:30 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble II Rosen Concert Hall 8-9:30 p.m.

“Dazed and Confused” Greenbriar Theatre 7-9 p.m.

Global Film Series: “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” Greenbriar Theatre 6:30-8:30 p.m

11

Sports

Feb. 22, 2019

The women’s basketball team wore special edition black and pink uniforms and shoes, as well as pink bracelets and headbands, for the Play4Kay game. // Photos by Lynette Files

Basketball programs raise awareness with Coach vs. Cancer, Play4Kay

A

long with many other programs across the country, the App State men’s and women’s basketball teams are taking strides to stand up against cancer.

The men’s team participated in the annual Coaches vs. Cancer event, while the women’s team participated in the Play4Kay Free Throw Challenge and also hosted UT-Arlington for Play4Kay Day. Coaches vs. Cancer is an organization that partners with several groups such as the National Association of Basketball Coaches to raise money and awareness for those affected by the disease and for treatment research.

This year, Coaches vs. Cancer teamed up with Shoe Carnival and Lacey’s Legacy, an organization dedicated to fighting cancer in children.

Men’s basketball head coach Jim Fox and the rest of the coaching staff joined hundreds of coaches across the country in wearing sneakers instead of traditional dress shoes during games.

Fox also joined four coaches in the region in spending a day as a Subway sandwich artist with the proceeds of his time at the restaurant going toward cancer research.

“It’s a great opportunity for our program. It’s something, as coaches in the NABC, we’ve done for many years,” Fox said. “It’s raised a lot of money for a very important cause and I think it does make difference.”

During the women’s basketball team’s pink game against UT-Arlington, the team had various fundraising events and partnered with the High Country Breast Cancer

12

Zack Antrum ‫@ ׀‬zantrum17 ‫ ׀‬Sports Reporter Foundation to honor several local cancer survivors at halftime.

“It’s just a honor to play, not only for the team and the school, but just especially the pink out game,” senior guard Madi Story said.

For women’s basketball head coach Angel Elderkin, cancer hits close to home. Elderkin was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2016 and underwent surgery and other treatments to regain her health.

Despite this diagnosis, she continued to coach her team. She said she actually found it therapeutic to be around the sport that she loves.

Elderkin gained support from the surrounding community and other areas that heard about her story. This included UNC women’s basketball head coach Sylvia Hatchell, who also survived cancer.

“Even before I was diagnosed with cancer, it was always a point of emphasis that we do a good job with our pink game and that we get the community involved,” Elderkin said. “This past one we’ve done more and more with our community with the High Country Breast Cancer association.”

Elderkin reached remission and returned to coaching.

Now, she said she can be a role model for those in similar situations to her’s.

“There’s a lot more things that people are fighting for,” Elderkin said. “Some days we get so consumed with basketball, but hopefully the lessons they learn on and off the court help them in later down the road in life.”

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Sports

Feb. 22, 2019

(Left) Sophomore outfielder Kendall McGowan will anchor the Mountaineers’ offense this season after starting 43 out of 46 games in 2018. (Right) Sophomore pitcher Will Sprinkle will be the ace of the staff this year after going 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA in five starts i the 2018 season. // Photos courtesy of App State Athletics

Sophomores McCrown, Sprinkle bolster baseball roster

D

Franklin Bogle ‫@ ׀‬TheAppalachian ‫ ׀‬Sports Reporter

uring Kendall McGowan and Will Sprinkle’s freshman seasons in 2018, the baseball team posted a record of 18-36. The team was relatively young, with three freshmen batting in the prominent two to four spots in the lineup. The team also sent many underclassmen pitchers to the mound, giving them the best experience an athlete can get.

This year, young players like outfielder McGowan and pitcher Sprinkle, look forward to using their experience to better the team.

“I don’t see them as underclassmen. I see them as older guys now,” head coach Kermit Smith said.

“They’ve been around. They understand the daily grind and what it takes to win.”

In the 2019 season, Sprinkle will take over the coveted ace spot in the pitching rotation. In 2018, he went 2-1 in five starts and posted an ERA of 2.96.

“I have worked on the preparation. I have been going off of last year, learning what works and what doesn’t,” Sprinkle said. “If I have worked on one thing over anything else it has been my body, getting it used to this schedule.”

Sprinkle was the starting pitcher in the team’s biggest win last year, an 11-7 victory against the then-No. 16 ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

“That win was huge to end the season for us.

It helps us bring confidence into this season,” Smith said.

McGowan enters his second season after starting 43 games as a true freshman. The Forest City product hit .229 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 2018. In 2019, he will hit in the third spot, where historically the best hitters on the team start.

“I feel like that experience last year helped get me used to the (college) games’ pace. It was faster

last year than I was used to, but I feel like it has slowed down,” McGowan said.

Despite playing in 48 of the team’s games, minor injuries constantly nagged McGowan, but he said he is now 100 percent healthy. He also played in the collegiate Coastal Plain Summer League for his hometown’s Forest City Owls, something he said helped him prepare for this season.

Overall, Smith said he believes the team isn’t looking to 2018’s record as motivation for 2019, instead the team is taking on the grind of baseball one day at a time. When the team begins to do the right things without thought, those important wins will happen. Smith is a young coach with a lot of young talent, including his two sensational sophomores, and the ceiling is very high for this team.

13

Opinion

Feb. 22, 2019

National Emergency Q Russell ‫@ ׀‬Q_M_Russell ‫ ׀‬Opinion Editor

O

n Feb. 15, President Donald Trump revealed in a speech that he would declare a national emergency to combat the “invasion of drugs and criminals coming into our country” from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump’s plan is to appropriate around $7 billion to build his farcical monument to racism and idiocy. This is in addition to $1.38 billion that Congress already authorized for fencing.

This amount is much higher than the $5.7 billion he threw a tantrum over by shutting down the government for 35 days.

“I could’ve done the wall over a longer period of time. I didn’t need to do this,” Trump said. “I just want to get it done faster, that’s all.”

Trump plans to gather this $7 billion by pulling $3.6 billion from military construction projects, $2.5 billion from counternarcotics programs and $600 million from a Treasury Department asset forfeiture fund.

Let that sink in. Trump’s brilliant plan to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. is defunding various counternarcotics programs, an idea that seems counterintuitive.

The use of 12th-century military technology to combat undocumented immigration, which is at its lowest point in 10 years, seems perfectly rational especially when The Center for Migration Studies found in 2014 that two-thirds of all undocumented immigrants in the U.S. were overstayers who came over legally.

For Trump to declare a national emergency at the border, the amount of undocumented immigration must be directly proportional to increased crime rates. Why else would he call it an “invasion of drugs and criminals?”

But, that’s not actually the case.

A 2017 study examined all of the im-

14

migration-crime related research from 1994-2014 and found there was a “null or nonsignificant association” between immigration and crime.

In 2017 the Department of Homeland Security reported that arrests for illegal border crossings were down 25 percent from 2016 and were at a 46-year low.

What a national emergency indeed that Kentucky Sen. and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell so handily announced it the same day a long-term spending bill was announced to keep the government open.

This bill did not include money for the wall.

The timing is also rather suspect.

Trump has talked about building this wall since his campaign. For two years he held a Republican majority in Congress and yet could not build the wall.

If the situation was so dire, he should’ve declared a national emergency some time in the last two years.

His timing seems suspect especially now that the nation is in the second month of Democrats controlling the House, something that effectively blocks Republican legislation until at least 2020.

We should not tolerate the Trump administration’s blatant disrespect for the rule of law and complete disregard for the will of Congress in any way.

It’s acts like this that shake the foundation of the U.S. government and make a clear and pressing point for impeaching Trump.

It’s obscene and shameful that the country has gotten to this point and that our duly sworn representatives haven’t attempted to remove him from power yet.

As ridiculous as the wall is, it’s a representation of how much damage Trump is willing to do to the U.S. to get his way.

WILLIAM BARR

C

Q Russell । @Q_M_Russell । Opinion Editor

ongress voted on Feb. 15 to appoint William Barr as the attorney general of the U.S., replacing Jeff Sessions, who stepped down in November.

This won’t be Barr’s first rodeo; he served as deputy attorney general from 1990-1991 and as attorney general from 19911993 under former President George H. W. Bush.

The most memorable part of Barr’s time in the Justice Department was his input on and support for Bush’s pardoning of six government officials who took part in the Iran-Contra affair.

The Iran-Contra affair was a political scandal that occurred during the second term of former President Ronald Reagan. The administration facilitated the clandestine sale of arms to Iran, which was under an arms embargo, to fund the Contras, a terrorist group in Nicaragua that sought to overthrow the government. At first this was done legally, but Congress prohibited further sales under the Boland Agreement. In spite of this, the Reagan administration continued the operation until 1987, although it is unclear whether Reagan himself was aware of the ongoing operations.

Discovery of the affair led to investigations by Congress and by the three-person, Reagan-appointed Tower Commission. Fourteen administration officials were indicted, which resulted in 11 convictions and six pardons by Bush.

“I went over and told the president I thought he should not only pardon Caspar Weinberger, but while he was at it, he should pardon about five others,” Barr told historians from the University of Virginia’s Miller Center in 2001.

The men Barr helped pardon subverted the will of Congress and attempted to wage a proxy war against the lawful Nicaraguan government to stem the flow of communism.

Barr, the attorney general of the U.S., used his power to ensure that criminals investigated for abusing public trust and subverting the rule of law would get away with their crimes.

This is worrying now considering Barr is responsible for the ongoing affairs of the Mueller investigation. He didn’t have to recuse himself from it as Sessions did before him.

It seems like a strong coincidence that he was chosen now, especially after the high profile arrests of people such as Roger Stone and Paul Manafort.

With Republicans holding a majority in the Senate, there wasn’t much anyone could have done to prevent his appointment. That said, people should be wary of Barr because he might end up orchestrating another miscarriage of justice.

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Feb. 22, 2019

BLACK OUT

BY NEIL AGNEW

Across

Down

1. Genre for Orson Welles and Billy Wilder ... or what each starred answer is, in a way?

7. It may come before Jose 8. Quill go-with 9. Belt for kimono 12. Smarts 13. What saved dogs are called 15. Devoured 16. Postings at RDU 17. Pro ice rink sport assn.

18. Start of a magical phrase in “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” 21. Mass follower?

23. Food thickener 26. Indigent 27. Feel remorse about 28. Andrews sportscaster 29. “That’s so funny” 32. Amos, Amas, ____ (I love, you love, he, she, it loves) 33. English noble above viscount 34. Federal ID 35. Trumpet, for example

1. Hill singer?

2. Useful govt. data, in the field 3. Imitate* 4.Direction opposite SSW 5. Gives the green light 6. Retreat, as in troops or assest prices 7. Insouciantly flaunt* 10. Pulchritude* 11. Global satellite in low orbit: Abbr.

14. Suffuse, as an odor in rituals 19. Cougar* 20. Chemical suffix 21. Singer-songwriter Reznor 22. Standards 23. Zones 24. Filthy microbes 25. Bee-related 30. Battery option 31. Longer than minutes, in short

2/15 ANSWER KEY

T H E C OV E R :

Zoe Pugh and Ruth Ann Marotta laugh alongside their castmates as the first act of the monologues comes to an end. // Photo

by Paola Bula

15

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