The Appalachian
Oct. 11, 2019
Books and playhouse connect Owner of foggy pine books hosts monthly storytime at the children’s playhouse Page 5
Walking, jogging and cycling to safer sidewalks
In photos: “Peter and the Starcatcher”
Men’s and women’s basketball kick off practice
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News
Oct. 11, 2019
Lunch and learn helps sustainable development students navigate their futures
Cameron Stuart | Reporter
Internships, field experience and credit hours cloud many students’ minds, but the Department of Sustainable Development’s lunch and learn series aims to provide direction for its students. The lunch and learn series includes four one-hour events throughout the fall semester, featuring research from sustainable development students and professors. “It’s a way for faculty, students and the overall community to get to know the work that people are engaged in,” said Aniseh Bro, assistant professor in the sustainable development department. “It’s a great way to reach out to the wider community and get to know a wider variety of people who might be interested in some of these issues that we cover.” Bro said the events are for all
members of the community, not just those in her department. Senior sustainable development major Patrick Ross’s lunch and learn event on Aug. 28 showcased his undergraduate field research in Madagascar. Ross went to Madagascar in fall 2018 to conduct field research and again over the summer, from late May to August, with the Mad Dog Initiative. The Mad Dog Initiative is a group of scientists, veterinarians and volunteers who promote wildlife conservation and health, specifically through care and management of feral dogs, according to its website. “The field research that I do is mostly with trail cameras. We put up an array of 40-plus cameras in a grid about 6 inches above the ground, and they take pictures of everything that
walks in front of them,” Ross said. “They capture what animals are in a forest.” Ross said he hopes students took away that they should chase what they want to do and take opportunities that allow them to do something they’re passionate about. “I’m used to presenting the findings of my research, but (the series) wanted me to tell undergrads how they could get a research opportunity,” Ross said. “It’s different for everyone. My path to my research has been super unique, and I don’t know if everyone is going to be able to follow that.” As a new faculty member this year, Bro said the series is a good opportunity for people to get to know her and learn about her research. Bro said working at App State is her dream job because she loves the
engagement the sustainable development department has, and its drive for social justice and ethical action. “Broadly speaking, I’m interested in understanding how people make decisions, and more specifically, I look at how they make decisions when they’re facing environmental changes associated with climate change,” Bro said. Bro said she has mainly worked internationally, looking at how farmers respond to climate change by using quantitative and experimental methods that analyze what factors cause those responses. Bro has worked in Central America, Eastern Africa and with the Center for Climate and Resilience Research in Chile. To read the full article, visit theappalachianonline.com
Correction The Oct. 4 issue of The Appalachian incorrectly stated the “ROTC program celebrates half a decade of training future Army officers.” It should have read “half a century.”
Women’s Center and UNICEF club hosts sexual and domestic violence awareness march Michael Lillywhite | Reporter On Oct. 8, protesters met in the solarium with a vision to end the prolonged history of domestic and interpersonal violence. Prior to the march, crowds gathered in the Summit Trail Solarium to hear from speakers, spoken word acts and a performance by One Acchord, a co-ed a cappella group. A sign making station and free refreshments were also available. One Acchord chose sang songs that were directly related to the issue. To finish off the event prior to the march itself, the lyrics, “I’m fired up and tired of the way that things have been,” from the popular song “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, resonated throughout the solarium. With the support of the Women’s Center, Yelisa Leiva, president of the App State United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund Club, was inspired to take action against limited education on the issue of domestic abuse through organizing a domestic and interpersonal violence awareness march. “The idea of the event as a whole is to center on three things: empathy, recovery and community,” Leiva said.
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“Sometimes, people’s home life is their biggest attacker,” said Melanie Turner, graduate assistant for the Women’s Center. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 40% of child abuse is reported from home. “While relationship violence is highly talked about and has been for a long time, family and home life and child violence is much less talked about,” Turner said. UNICEF is an international organization that focuses on children’s rights abroad. “The issues of domestic violence affect children everyday, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to help,” Leiva said. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, one in seven children suffer from child abuse every year, which inspired the event’s central focus on children. However, the event brought awareness to interpersonal violence, which is “still relevant and important to highlight,” Leiva said. Turner said the organization of the event was a strenuous task, but working through inclement weather and a tedious set-up.
The event hosted speakers Kyra Patel, adviser of the Red Flag Campaign, Lillian Abernathy, a graduate assistant in the ACT office who has studied child abuse, and OASIS intern Abby Moran. Abernathy explained ways to help notice when a child is being abused. After the march, there was an open house in Plemmons Student Union where the Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center and the Multicultural Center had contact tables set up to share their resources.
The Women’s Center and UNICEF organized a march to highlight domestic violence and the effects of it. The march was led by junior Yelisa Leiva holds a sign reading “1 in 4 women experience domestic violence.” Tess Orr
News Harmony Lanes and Able-achian pushes for more disability resources at App State AppHealthCare take steps for safer sidewalks in Boone
Oct. 11, 2019
Hayley Canal | Reporter
As an undergraduate student, Rebecca Long met with university officials to propose establishing a disability cultural center on campus. From those meetings, Long said they recall lacking evidence of community interest in their proposal. But, the rejection of their initial community-building idea wasn’t an end — it became the inspiration behind Long’s new project, Ableachian. Able-achian is a creative project raising awareness around “the barriers to full participation experienced on the App State campus by disabled people, as well as by people who don’t identify as disabled but use university support systems.” Long, who has autism and is now a graduate student and president of the Autistic Students and Allies of the High Country, collaborated with Albert Stabler, an assistant professor of art education, for the project. After drafting a survey with Long at his kitchen table, Stabler, who is severely nearsighted, spoke with the Office of Disability Resources director Maranda Maxey on how they could improve the form. Maxey offered recommendations for more inclusive language and agreed to help spread information about the project. Flyers went up in early September that included a link to the survey. “I realized that we needed some sort of documentation in place,” Long said. “I was drafting a grand proposal for the disability center; it would be nice to have stories to share that aren’t just my own.” The form provides space for people to share their experiences receiving or administering accommodations, navigating campus and adjusting to university life, Long said. Accommodations are changes in educative methods to ensure all students have equal access to learning. Adriana Laws, administrative assistant for the Office of Disability Resources, said accommodations in higher education under the Americans with Disabilities Act differ from K-12 accommodations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Laws
said higher education accommodations are implemented to ensure equal access, while primary and secondary school accommodations focus on providing services and equipment to ensure success. ODR provides 15 accommodation options, including testing accommodations, assistive technology and reasonable attendance adjustments. According to the ODR website, to receive an accommodation, a student must submit “disability documentation or presentation of the functional limitations of a condition which impacts a student’s ability.” After this step, students are required to negotiate their accommodations with each of their professors. Stabler and Long said requests for accommodations are often declined, especially when related to attendance. Long said they’ve had professors disrespect their approved testing accommodations in the past. “I’ve (gotten) to the point where I realized that accommodations only work as well as the people who are in power to enforce those accommodations,” Long said. Stabler and Long said these concerns were frequently noted in the 28 survey responses they’ve received so far as well as concerns over understaffing at the Counseling Center and ODR.
Associate art professor Albert Stabler is collaborating with Rebecca Long for the Ableachian creative project. Stabler came to App State last year and met Long while they were applying to become a graduate assistant for the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies Department. Courtesy of App State
Stabler, who teaches the course Differentiation and Inclusion in the Art Classroom, said he has heard similar accounts from students who have disabilities. Stabler said his severe nearsightedness has been unaccommodated at faculty workshops and meetings before. Beyond questions asking participants to record their experiences, the survey asks, “What actions would you like to see App State take to increase the quality and availability of support systems?” Long and Stabler said they intend to use the survey answers to create artistic responses, such as a zine publication, poster campaigns and performance art. They said they hope the next stage of the project will involve survey takers directly, creating a collective for students, faculty and staff who have disabilities. Their first planning meeting for the project’s continuation is set for Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. in Wey Hall, Room 202. All survey respondents will be emailed individually with updates. “It was a way to start doing the groundwork to think about the ways in which we could bring disabled students together,” Long said. “I would love to see some sort of community created that could extend past my time on this campus.”
Rebecca Long posing at a disability rights congressional lobbying day organized by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Long created Able-achian to bring awareness to the experiences of people who are disabled or utilize university support systems at App State. Courtesy of Rebecca Long
Emily Broyles | Associate News Editor As sidewalks are only in a few areas throughout Boone, bikers and pedestrians sometimes feel unsafe when walking on regular roads. Through walk audits and advocacy, Harmony Lanes and AppHealthCare are ensuring safe and sustainable transportation in Boone. Walk audits usually consist of small groups of people who document areas for growth and improvement on certain routes. “Safe, comfortable, inclusive and widely networked sidewalks and greenways benefit our community’s overall health and economy at so many levels,” Jon Wells, a lab technician at App State and Harmony Lanes board member, wrote in an email. “Commuters, tourists, exercisers, shoppers, young, old, fit, disabled will all benefit from living in a walkable community.” Harmony Lanes is a nonprofit set on improving multimodal transportation in the Boone community. Harmony Lanes and AppHealthCare recently hosted walk audits around the Town of Boone on pedestrian and cycle safety near roads. The Boone Transportation Committee voted in favor of the walk audits. The walk audits were conducted on routes within town limits. Data recorded from the walk audits, including notes and photos from surveyors, “will help celebrate the successes in infrastructure that the Town of Boone has been a part of the past few years” and “highlight areas that may need improvements,” said Mckenzie Hellman, health promotion program manager at AppHealthCare. “The walk audits completed Oct. 2 will hopefully be the first step in
helping inform leadership and community members areas for growth and improvements,” Hellman wrote in an email. Hellman wrote that pedestrian and cycle safety is a systemic public health issue, and public health departments and agencies should care about walkability, as it advocates for health equity and access. The walk audits focused on resident health benefits, but also highlight one of App State’s initiatives: sustainability. “A walkable town opens up opportunities for students to exercise, explore, shop, socialize without the need of a car or public transportation,” Wells wrote. “ASU looks at sustainability as an ‘educational imperative,’ and there’s nothing more sustainable than walking, or biking, everywhere students need to go on campus and around town.” Studying abroad from Japan, Takahiro Omor is interested in city planning and sustainability. The second-year graduate student majoring in Appalachian Studies participated in the audit and said multimodal transportation is important for elementary and college students alike, along with residents who may want to bike or walk in town. “I love biking and think (in) Boone, or maybe USA in general, it’s hard to bike and walk because there’s not much transportation (similar to) Tokyo,” Omori said. “I think it’s good to have multimodal transportation toward sustainability and also your health.”
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A&C
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
Movie Review In the Tall Grass Ebony Foster | Reporter Green is a color that can evoke calmness and remind people of nature’s tranquility, unlike Vincenzo Natali’s “In the Tall Grass,” released on Netflix Oct. 4. Endless shots of greenery raise anxiety rooted in fear of feeling lost. Disorienting camera angles and varying tracking shots offer no aid to viewers, causing them to feel as lost as the victims in the film. Nothing stays in place in the grass except for one thing: the dead. “In the Tall Grass” stars Patrick Wilson from “The Conjuring,” who trades his heroic husband role for a more sinister one. The movie is an adaptation of the book under the same title written by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. The story begins with siblings Becky and Cal, played by Laysla De Oliveira and Avery Whitted, who are heading to San Diego when they pull over and hear a boy pleading for help while his mother tells him to stop. Deciding to check on the child, Becky and Cal enter a tall, grassy field, only to end up trapped at the mercy of the grass in a physics-bending time loop, and they’re not alone. Another family is also stuck inside in a shifting nightmare making them face repressed truths. While the film is beautifully shot, the dialogue paints the backstory. However, true to King’s writing style, none of the character’s backstories are simply explained. There are vague hints toward why the families are stuck in a fatal loop, which could be multiple timeliness, since every version is slightly different from the previous. The only clear explanation is given by Wilson’s character, Ross Humboldt, a psychotic patriarch who can’t be trusted. It is not King’s most terrifying work, nor is it the scariest adaptation. However, it is far from the worst, as we have King’s “Maximum Overdrive” and “The Langoliers” to claim that title. If one enjoys a story with a resolution that contradicts its novel counterpart with no drastic need for clear backstories and can keep up with converging timeliness, this film might be worth watching. In the end, both viewers and characters are bound by the same initial question: Do you step into the tall grass?
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Oct. 11, 2019
Turchin Center offers space for creative journaling
Visual journaling takes place on Tuesday evenings in the Turchin Center and offers a space for students to collage, scrapbook and express themselves however they desire. The open studio is facilitated by Martha McCaughey, a sociology professor. Georgia Privott
Georgia Privott | Reporter Every Tuesday, people flow into the Turchin Center classroom where wine corks, bubble wrap, dictionaries and magazines are spread on a table. With their heads full of ideas, students gather random materials together to construct a masterpiece of tangible emotion in what they call a visual journal. A visual journal is part scrapbook, diary and photo album, and no drawing experience is needed to make one. Martha McCaughey, a sociology professor and visual journaler, said she uses her visual journal to express complicated feelings. “When I (visually) journal, I feel like I’m transforming how I feel about a situation. Anyone can use a visual journal and move beyond their personal pain into art and insight. It can express whatever mood you’re in and help you process what you’re feeling,” McCaughey said. McCaughey is the facilitator for the Turchin Center’s weekly visual journaling open studio and provides supplies as well as writing and drawing prompts. “It seemed like there were all these people hungry to do this. It’s like the difference between going to a yoga class where everyone’s doing yoga, and you’re more motivated to do it, than if you just did it on your own, like with a YouTube video,” McCaughey said. The group setting is used to share ideas and creative techniques, like drawing with a non-dominant hand or never lifting the pen. McCaughey said not being able to draw shouldn’t be a barrier, and using unconventional techniques removes the need for perfectionism. Drawing outside the lines is expected in visual journaling, whether it’s spraying water all over the paper and painting with fingers or gluing together torn dictionary
pages, it’s a way to release stress and built-up angst, McCaughey said. “A lot of my stuff recently has been feelings, like I’ll put writing in and a picture next to it to bring more stuff out, like what I’m actually thinking about,” said Emma Fox, a freshman sustainable development major. Fox, Emma Drummond and Joanne Ferhadi come to the open studio every week to work on their journals. Drummond, a freshman social work major, started her visual journal in high school, which contains 15 to 25page prose pieces. Her ideas are based on what materials are provided in each session. “Sometimes, I have things in mind. But, most of the time, it just depends on what materials (McCaughey) has out,” Drummond said. McCaughey said having notes with doodles or bright colors on them are more interesting to look back on and review. “You could use visual journaling to connect what you’re learning across different classes, what you’re learning outside of your formal classes. Like, you went to see a film or a lecturer, and you might write it down. That’s a huge part of learning,” McCaughey said. McCaughey suggested being open to creativity and letting go of the idea that art must be pretty. “It’s an eclectic mix of your own personal expression. You don’t have to be a trained artist to harness the power of creative expression,” McCaughey said. The Visual Journaling open studio is free to students and is every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Turchin Center second floor classroom.
A&C
Oct. 11, 2019
Local children’s museum incorporates “S.T.E.A.M.” with playtime
The Children's Playhouse offers many programs for children, such as music, art and science-based activities while parents can socialize with complimentary tea and coffee. Foggy Pine Books hosts Story Time at the Children's Playhouse once a month. Becca Bridges
Laura Boaggio | Reporter The yelling and bustling of children is an unlikely sound for a college town, except for East King Street on occasional Wednesday mornings. The sounds come from the Children’s Playhouse at 400 Tracy Circle, a colorful building where kids line up for the monthly storytime hosted by
Foggy Pine Books. Mary Ruthless, owner of Foggy Pine Books, read “Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party” by Erin Barker to six wide-eyed children in a tucked-away room of the playhouse on Oct. 2. After reading, Ruthless led children in making their own tea party
plates out of craft materials, resembling the plates each monster had in the book. Ruthless said children at the playhouse enjoy coloring and hot gluing as well as making anything wearable or edible. “We made cakes one time, and they lost their minds,” Ruthless said. If a holiday takes place during the month, Ruthless tries to incorporate its theme into the book selection, such as Valentine’s Day in February or Halloween in October. Program director Kara Flowers said she plans for three to 20 children each storytime. The turnout is affected by weather conditions and the time of year. Playhouse founder and executive director Kathy Parham approached Ruthless with the idea for Playhouse Storytime, Ruthless said. “Kathy’s been a really big supporter of the bookstore since the beginning,” Ruthless said. The Children’s Playhouse is a nonprofit children’s museum and developmental playspace, Flowers said. “Parents bring their children here, and they stay with their kids, and they’re responsible for their kids while they’re here,” Flowers said. “But, we have a lot of different areas that parents can go, and toys and activities that
change and rotate.” Flowers said the museum provides parents with toys and educational items they might not have for their children, while also allowing families to socialize. “It’s a great place for parents to come and just find community with other parents,” Flowers said. There are over 300 current member families, and at least as many visiting families, said operations manager Claire Parnell. Ruthless said a local author will visit playhouse story time next month, reading from a picture book she wrote and illustrated. The visiting author gives a unique experience to the children because it shows there is a human behind the book, which young kids may not have thought about. “I think the more you’re exposed to that, the more you realize it’s a possibility for something you can do in your life,” Ruthless said. Flowers said Ruthless does an excellent job of engaging with community members and authors from all over the state, bringing unique books into the space. Foggy Pine Books has several author events throughout the year as well as an open mic story slam once
a month. Ruthless said the bookstore tries to collaborate with nonprofits in the area, like the playhouse. The playhouse also provides scholarships for parents, which Ruthless received when she was a new mother. “We came here all the time, and it was a great way to meet other parents and also for him to be socialized,” Ruthless said. Playhouse facilities include a ball pit, an art room and a climbing wall. “You can really age with your kids here, and really change what you’re doing with them,” Flowers said. Along with Foggy Pine, the playhouse has several other monthly visitors from the community. Toddler music sessions are at 10:15 a.m. before storytime, and Doctor Mike, a physics professor at App State, does a mad science lab. “We’re a S.T.E.A.M-based museum, so we do science, technology, engineering, art and math,” Flowers said. Flowers said there are children’s museums around the state and country, and their playhouse is just one example.
In photos: “Peter and the Starcatcher”
"Peter and the Starcatcher" ran at the Valborg Theatre Oct. 2-Oct. 6. The production was directed by Teresa Lee and originally written by Rick Elice based on the novel of the same name. The play serves as a prequel to "Peter Pan" and how the story's characters got to Neverland. Lee's adaption included contemporary references across its two-act runtime. Tess Orr
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Sports
Oct. 11, 2019
Guard Justin Forrest gets a layup during the Mountaineers victory last season over Louisiana on January 31. Forrest said that for this season the team is “coming in and expecting to win right away.” Lynette Files
Under new coaching staff, men’s basketball looks to compete right away Dan Davidson | Sports Reporter After suffering eight-straight losing seasons, App State Athletics made a change to the coaching position, in hopes of spurring on new success into the men’s basketball program. First-year head coach Dustin Kerns has proven he can help turn around a program. He comes off a triumphant second year at Presbyterian College, where he led his team to 20 wins. Before last season, Presbyterian had never won 15 games in a season. The Mountaineers have not made an appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2000, but hope to turn the page on decades of little success. “We want to win the Sun Belt Championship. We’re coming in and expecting to win right away,” junior guard Justin Forrest said. “Coach Kerns always pushes that we’re not in a rebuilding mode; we’re coming in to win right away. We want teams to know that we’re not afraid.” Last year, Forrest was the second-leading scorer for the Mountaineers with a career-high 16.2 points per game, and led the team in steals with 37. He will carry more of the scoring load this year after star guard Ronshad Shabazz’s graduation, who averaged 18.3 points per game last season. Forrest said he worked on his game during the offseason, but emphasized his desire to take on more of a leadership role this season. “We’ve got a lot of young guys, so I want to be a leader on and off the court so my teammates can learn from me as I learn from them,” Forrest said. The Mountaineers also return seniors Isaac Johnson and Hunter Seacat, junior Michael Bib-
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Guard Ashley Polacek advances on a North Texas defender in during the WBI Championship last season. The women's basketball team is about to start its next season now and plans to keep this momentum going. Lynette Files
Women’s basketball not stopping with last year’s WBI Championship Silas Albright | Sports Editor
by, and sophomores Adrian Delph, James Lewis Jr. and Breki Gylfason. Johnson posted 8.6 rebounds per game during his junior campaign, good for second in the Sun Belt. He averaged 10 points per game on a career-high 51.2% shooting. Johnson said he is not focused on his own success heading into the season. Instead, he is focused on doing what he can to help his teammates. “It’s a special year because it’s my senior year. I’m trying to bring everything I can to the team,” Johnson said. “If the young guys need any help or advice, I’m there for them.” Several newcomers join the Black and Gold this season. Freshmen Donovan Gregory, Kendall Lewis, J.C. Tharrington, R.J. Wilson, Andrew Muse and Bryant Greene all begin their college basketball careers this year. Junior Jamie Baker also joins the program after beginning his career at Presbyterian with Kerns. The transition to college basketball can be difficult for freshmen, but Gregory says he’s enjoyed the challenge. “It’s tough, but it’s good stuff. We’re getting better every day, and at the pace we’re practicing, I think the games will be a lot easier than the practices,” Gregory said. As the season draws near, more and more optimism continues to grow among the teammates. “I think this is going to be a really good team. The bond we have off the court is what makes us special, so I think this could be a really exciting year for us,” Gregory said. App State starts its season with an away game against the Michigan Wolverines Nov. 5.
When the final buzzer sounded last season and confetti poured onto the floor of Holmes Convocation Center, the App State women’s basketball team was soaking in its Women’s Basketball Invitational Championship victory. Six months later, the Mountaineers have shifted from celebration to preparation for the upcoming season. App State is back at work, with hopes of claiming a bigger, better payoff at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season. “I think that experience made our team hungry for so many reasons,” head coach Angel Elderkin said. “Now, they understand postseason and what it is, and they got a taste of it. I definitely believe this team wants more.” The Mountaineers return four of five starters from last year’s squad, including senior center Bayley Plummer, redshirt senior point guard Ashley Polacek, junior forward Lainey Gosnell and junior guard Pre Stanley. “When I look at our team, obviously, last year we had a senior in Madi Story, and this year, it’s like we have a leadership council in terms of how much experience we have returning,” Elderkin said. “We have different players that step up in different moments.” Plummer has proven herself as a reliable force for the Mountaineers, starting every game the past two seasons. Last year, she set the program single-season rebounding record by hauling in 463. She’s currently third on the all-time App State rebounding list with 990. Plummer’s 12.9 rebounds per game were first in the Sun Belt and sixth in the nation last season. Aside from her production on the court,
Plummer is part of the “leadership council” Elderkin talked about. “(She) just knows what we want as coaches and is able to echo what we want and kind of hold her own on the court,” Elderkin said. The team went 12-19 Plummer’s freshman year and 8-23 her sophomore year, before finishing last season at 22-14. “It was definitely great to finally see some kind of success after a couple rough years there, so it was good to finally turn it around,” Plummer said. “Obviously, the WBI was something good, but we want to strive for more, something better.” Polacek is another experienced starter returning for the Mountaineers. The Ottawa, Canada native spent two seasons at UCF before transferring to App State in 2017. She sat out her first year due to NCAA eligibility rules and played her first season for the Mountaineers last year. She started all 36 games and led the team in assists with 4.4 per game, which tied for second in the Sun Belt. “Last year, I watched a lot of film with coach Cristina (Centeno). Even my first year when I transferred and wasn’t able to play, I still watched film from the girls playing while I wasn’t there, so I got used to (the system),” Polacek said. “Now that I’ve done it, this year is definitely more consistent, now that I’ve been exposed to it on film and on the court.” To read the full article, visit theappalachianonline.com.
Sports
Oct. 11, 2019
explained: AP Top 25 ranking system Silas Albright | Sports Editor Each week, the Associated Press releases a Top 25 ranking of the best teams in college football. A group of 62 sportswriters and members of the media from across the country vote on the rankings. Whichever team has the most votes is ranked No. 1, and the rest of the teams are ranked in order of votes. Media members use criteria such as the teams overall record and strength of schedule to cast their votes. There are always several teams that receive votes, but not enough to put them in the Top 25. App State has been one of these teams each week so far in 2019. The poll is released every Sunday at 2 p.m., and the
Mountaineers have gradually gained votes each week. On Oct. 6, the Mountaineers received 61 votes, putting them in 28th place unofficially, just three slots short of the official Top 25. App State has only been ranked once, coming in at No. 25 for one week last season. The Mountaineers were 5-1 with an overtime loss at No. 10 Penn State when they got ranked, but lost their next game at Georgia Southern and didn’t make it back into the Top 25 for the rest of the season. This year, as of Oct. 8, App State is 4-0 with a win over Power 5 opponent UNC.
My last
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More than athletes Brooks Maynard | Columnist
App state Ap top 25 votes 100
2018 season 2019 season
95 90
App State received 79 points good for no. 25 in the country
85 80 75
* 2019 stats are as of oct. 8
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“A winning standard” is a phrase frequently thrown around App State Athletics. This past week, the men’s soccer team showed that standard goes beyond the field, as it was recognized by the United Soccer Coaches for academic excellence. To receive the award, all players must have a 3.0 GPA or greater, and it’s the third time the program has received the recognition since head coach Jason O’Keefe arrived in 2016. It’s a cliche, but it’s true: Most athletes will “go pro” in something other than sports. Take football, for example. There are over 250 Division I college football teams, and some have over 100 players. But, there are only 32 NFL teams that roster only 53 active players during the regular season. Those odds aren’t great for becoming an NFL star. Sometimes, athletes have a stigma that they’re meathead jocks who are given passes all the way down the line just because they play sports. And, in some cases, that’s true. But, in most cases, athletes are working just as hard in the classroom as the average student. Athletes often struggle to maintain good grades with a limited amount of time to spend on homework. And, the ones who don’t, certainly should be, because the numbers show they’ll probably be joining the workforce. Men’s soccer and other programs’ commitment to academic excellence should be commended just as highly as their success on the field. Those wins are just as difficult to come by and more important to achieve.
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
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Opinion
Oct. 11, 2019
Want to be heard? Send letters-to-the-editor to editor@theappalachianonline.com
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California is breaking the myth of amateurism Tommy Mozier | Opinion Editor California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a measure that will break college sports and destroy the concept of amateur competition. Or, that’s what the NCAA would mislead you to believe. The law, signed Sept. 30, will allow student-athletes in California to make money from endorsements — trading in their athletic fame for money by promoting products and companies. The measure does not require the NCAA to pay the players. “Every single student in the university can market their name, image and likeness; they can go and get a YouTube channel, and they can monetize that,” Newsom told The New York Times. “The only group that can’t are athletes. Why is that?” The measure does not go into effect until 2023, giving adequate time for the NCAA to fight. It already weakly called the measure “unconstitutional” without elaboration the day Newsom signed the bill. California has given the NCAA a deadline to fix its broken system of exploitation. Instead of forcing the association to pay the players, California is allowing players to essentially pay themselves. Less than 2% of college athletes turn professional, meaning college is the only time most could profit from their athletic success. However, a 2011 report by the National Collegiate Player Association found that 86% of student-athletes live below the poverty line. The NCAA brings in nearly $1 billion each year, the majority from television deals and advertisements. That’s a lot of money to watch “amateurs” play. Newsom and California legislators are finally forcing the NCAA’s hand. The law will give California schools an unfair advantage in recruiting, and if the law is confined to the state, the NCAA will have no choice but to ban those schools from competing. California could then create its own league and sap up elite players. That would break college sports. But, there’s a simple fix: Every state adopts California’s plan. Furthermore, it needs to happen in one broad stroke. Luckily, we have a government institution that can do just that. Should the NCAA sue California before 2023, which it certainly will, and the case makes it through appeals to the Supreme Court, the court could rule the NCAA cannot ban players from monetizing themselves, allowing every state to adopt the same measure. The NCAA will still rake in billions; no school will have an unfair recruiting advantage; and college sports will endure. But, athletes won’t be living in poverty anymore, and the myth of amateurism can finally be broken.
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Putting people into Equations
Why Economists are Always Wrong Caleb Garbuio | Opinion Writer Three economists go deer hunting. They travel all day until they find a deer standing in the middle of the woods. The first shoots wide right, the second shoots wide left and the third exclaims, “I think we finally have it!” Economics, by definition, attempts to predict how human behavior is shaped by scarce resources. To achieve these objectives, economists use complicated mathematical models to predict economic outcomes. This concludes that economic forecasts are flawed because their model’s methodologies do not account for human individuality and use math to predict future outcomes. This results in faulty forecasts because math relies on deductive reasoning: Making a conclusion dependent on their premises. Prakash Loungani of the International Monetary Fund concluded economists failed to predict 148 out of 150 recessions. According to the Financial Times, the IMF accurately predicted five economic contractions occurring during October over the past 27 years. However, the IMF’s predictions were off and failed to forecast 81% of recessions that occurred. Forecasting failure is not quarantined to the IMF. Even Nobel Prize-winning economists are not error-proof. For example, in 1998, Paul Krugman predicted the internet would have no greater impact than the fax machine. This prediction did come true, and the internet revolutionized the way information was dispersed. Economists often rely on mathematical methodologies to represent human affairs, which according to former Nobel Prize winning economist F.A. Hayek yields faulty results. In a letter to who many consider the
father of modern economics, John Maynard Keynes, Hayek explained economic forecasting dehumanizes people because they are portrayed as numerical equations instead of individuals. This position is supported by recent developments in behavioral economics. New research suggests people are not rational, rendering a large chunk of mathematical models obsolete. For example, according to Duke behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the Law of Demand, which states that price decreases when more units are purchased, is not absolute because of a concept known as arbitrary coherence. Once we have the initial price of an item fixed in our mind, it impacts future economic decisions. This contradicts centuries-old economic wisdom suggesting people are able to factor in individual prices and operate according to new information to make decisions. While forecasting is a useful tool, it will not accurately predict future events unless economists change their methods. While some economists have boasted impressive forecasting records, many more have failed to predict future downturns because of people’s irrationality. To paraphrase Keynes, the future is uncertain, and people have frail outlooks, causing markets to become unpredictable and suggesting the economy is not a machine, but a collective entity. Therefore, unless economists take individual people into account, their calculations will not accurately reflect human behavior.
Opinion
Oct. 11, 2019
Regulate e-cigarettes like cigarettes Keith Rudd | Opinion Writer
Rumors of banning flavored vape juices circulated the last few years, but in recent months, more states and cities have imposed their own bans. In addition, the Trump administration announced it would ban most flavored e-cigarettes Sept. 11. Yet, a lot of this blame is misplaced. The media reported 1,000 illnesses related to vaping, but many of the illnesses can be blamed on fake THC vapes. While the traditional e-cigarette most commonly associated with traditional cigarettes contains only nicotine, there has been a recent wave of counterfeit THC vapes putting a number of people in the hospital. A recent analysis of 578 patients suffering from lung injuries related to vaping found that 78% of the patients used THC vaporizers, compared to 17% who used only nicotine. It’s common to see students vaping on campus. Teen smoking rates have fallen over 25% in the last 25 years, but vaping has quickly filled the gap left by traditional cigarettes. Every time a young person vapes, the question of whether they’re using e-cigarettes to stop smoking cigarettes or for recreational purposes lingers. If they are vaping recreationally, would they have started if there were not enticing flavors? Eightyone percent of youth e-cigarette users cited the fruity flavors as a main draw for their use, according to the Food and Drug Administration. I remember when my parents stopped smoking. Every day after dinner, they would hunker down with their nicotine gum and blast through three episodes of the TV show “24,” using Kiefer Sutherland fighting terrorists to keep them from going outside to smoke. While their will and the nicotine gum worked; for some, it does not. Using e-cigarettes is an invaluable tool for some to quit smoking; for many, it’s the only way to stop. E-cigarettes are hailed by many as a safer alternative to smoking — one of the many arguments being e-cigarettes contain less harmful chemicals than traditionGraphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
al cigarettes. In 2009, Congress passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The act gave the FDA the power to regulate the manufacturing, distributing and advertising of all tobacco products. Among other measures, the FDA banned the sale of all traditional cigarette flavors except for tobacco and menthol. Since the act passed, there has not been a total ban on cigarettes. People who want to smoke them still smoke them. The same ban on traditional cigarette flavors needs to be done with e-cigarettes. By eliminating the allure of fun flavors, the appeal is taken away from those who started using e-cigarettes for fun, not to quit smoking. But, it still leaves an option for adults who want to stop smoking. This has already been implemented,
to some degree. In November, Juul Labs Inc., one of the most popular e-cigarette brands, announced it would stop selling flavored pods in stores and suspend social media advertisements. There is no denying the positives of vaping; it helps those who smoke traditional cigarettes switch to a less harmful alternative and, ultimately, quit. The issue is that regulators and companies need to treat e-cigarettes more like the products they emulate and hold them to the same standards. That means, hold companies to the same flavor standards and uphold the same restrictions on advertising and manufacturing of e-cigarettes, because regulations cannot ruin e-cigarettes for people using them to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.
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Et Cetera
Oct. 11, 2019
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1 Painter --- Veronese 6 Gambling token 10 Fake 12 Stash 14 Least worried 15 Open sore 16 Zits 17 Spanish discoverer of Yucatan 19 Leading 21 Possess 22 Coverts rotary motion into linear motion 23 Type of metal or gas 25 Langley grp. 26 Lake Superior fish 28 Relating to birth 31 Flatbread 32 Garbage 34 Type of lamp 35 Personal attention 36 Agreements 40 Egocentric 42 Get lost! 43 Blazing 44 Green 47 Shorter type of month 48 Toast 49 Rents out 50 Pens
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Oct. 11, 2019
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What to do Submit Announcements App News is a service of the Division of Student Affairs. Email editor@theappalachianonline.com for submissions with subject line: APP NEWS PAGE. Submissions should not exceed 100 words and must include the event title, date/time, location and cost, and a contact email, phone and/or URL. Announcements will be edited as needed and will run as space allows. Preference is given for events that are free or have a nominal cost.
speaker Visits to Celebrate Women’s Suffrage
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Dr. Celeste Montoya will visit App State on Thursday, Oct. 17 to give her talk as part of the University Forum Lecture Series, “Appalachian Celebrates the 19th Amendment, 125 Years of Women’s Suffrage.” Montoya’s talk is called “From Seneca to Shelby: Intersectionality and Women’s Voting Rights,” and will discuss how women and people who are marginalized “mobilize to enact change.” Montoya’s talk will take place at 7 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons, Room 114.
If you have experience with WordPress or running a website, apply to be web manager for The Appalachian. Experience in content management and coding is preferred, but not required. Interested? Contact brennanmp@appstate.edu for more details and an application.
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Friday, Oct. 11
Saturday, Oct.12
Sunday, Oct.13
Monday, Oct. 14
Volunteer With the Children’s Playhouse 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Children’s Playhouse 400 Tracy Circle
Fall Break
Fall Break
Fall Break
Men’s Soccer vs. Howard University 7-9 p.m. Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex
Tuesday, Oct. 15 Fall Break
Wednesday, Oct. 16
Thursday, Oct. 17
“Gearing Up for 2020: New Directions in Immigration Policies or Similar Promises?” Talk by Dr. Felicia Arriaga Noon -1 p.m. Anne Belk Hall Room 327
“From Seneca to Shelby: Intersectionality and Women’s Voting Rights” Talk by Dr. Celeste Montoya 7-9 p.m. Belk Library and Information Commons Room 114
“In Pursuit of Justice: How Criminal Justice Reform Freed Greg Taylor” Film Showing 7-9 p.m. I.G. Greer Auditorium
Movies by Movers Student Films 8:30-10 p.m. Valborg Theatre
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