December 7, 2017

ROB LEE BOOK DEAL PAGE 4

FESTIVE FIRST FRIDAY PAGE 8-9

GOODBYE TAYLOR LAMB

PAGE 16-17

DEC.

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2017

Dec. 7, 2017

THE TEAM Sydney Spann @spannooo EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Olivia Wilkes @theappalachian ADVISER

EDITORIAL

BUSINESS

MULTIMEDIA

Reilly Finnegan @reillyfinn CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Jonathan Mauldin @MauldinJonathan GRADUATE ASSISTANT

Maleek Loyd @maleekstuff VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

Halle Keighton @halle_keighton PHOTO EDITOR

Q Russell @Q_M_Russell OPINION EDITOR

Adrienne Fouts @adriennefouts A&E EDITOR

Bradley Workman @Brad_Workman BUSINESS MANAGER

Nora Smith @noraagracee GRAPHICS EDITOR

Jamie Patel @jptalksfooty VIDEO EDITOR

Tyler Hotz @TylerHotz15 IN-DEPTH EDITOR

Ben Sessoms @BenSessoms NEWS EDITOR

Victoria Haynes @victoriahayness MANAGING EDITOR

Braxton Coats @brxcoats22 WEB MANAGER

Jason Huber @_JasonHuber SPORTS EDITOR MARKETING DIRECTOR

T H E COV E R: Senior quarterback Taylor Lamb warming up before the home game against New Mexico State on Saturday, October 7th. Turn to page 16-27 to read the whole story.

CRIME LOG CAMPUS DEC. 3

DEC. 2

1:32 a.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol Frank Hall Closed

1:00 p.m. | Possession of Gun on Educational Property Appalachian Heights Closed

DEC. 3

DEC. 2

11:17 p.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol Belk Hall Closed

4:53 p.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol 480 Rivers Street Closed

DEC. 3

DEC. 2

12:19 a.m. | Damage to Property (Vandalism) Peacock Hall Closed

3:32 p.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol Eggers Hall Closed

DEC. 2

DEC. 2

7:39 p.m. | Medical Mountaineer Hall Undisclosed

3:40 p.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol Rivers Street Closed

DEC. 2 2:05 p.m. | Damage to Property Peacock Parking Lot Further Investigation

NOV. 20 10:41 a.m. | Assault on LEO with Physical Injury Doughton Hall Further Investigation

Hayley Canal

Dec. 7, 2017

The flooding at Walmart in Boone on Oct. 23. The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, recently announced grants from the N.C. Disaster Relief Fund to help damage caused by the flooding.

GOV. COOPER REACTS TO SEVERE WEATHER IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA Anna Dollar│

n Nov. 15, Gov. Roy Cooper signed a letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration that requests that a SBA disaster declaration for Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes counties after being hit with severe weather such as the high winds, tornadoes and floods on Oct. 23.

“The majority of the damage involved residential structures, but we also had around 20 damaged commercial structures,” Taylor Marsh, the Watauga County emergency management coordinator

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said. “There was also significant damage to roads around the county where culverts and storm drains couldn’t handle the water. When the culverts and storm drains backed up, it started running down roads and washing out stream banks.”

According to the Watauga Democrat, the extensive flooding in Boone damaged more than 40 apartment units with more than 2 feet of water.

“A disaster declaration is one of the first procedural steps necessary to provide financial assistance to individuals, families, business owners or even local governments after a di-

@Anna_Carr│News Reporter

saster,” communications officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Emergency Management Julia Jarema said. “In smaller disasters, like the October 23 storms in Watauga, the counties may ask the state for funding help.

In larger disasters like Hurricane Matthew, the state may ask the federal government, i.e. the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for funding assistance.”

Jarema also said how the goal behind these disaster recovery programs is to help people bounce back after disaster strikes.

“The loans provided through the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA can be used to pay for disaster-related damages to homes or businesses,” Jarema said in an email. “Depending on the disaster, amounts could vary, but homeowners often can borrow as much as $200,000 to fix or replace their main home. Homeowners and renters can borrow as much as $40,000 to replace personal property such as clothing, appliances, etc. lost in the disaster. Loan amounts and terms are figured out on a case-bycase basis. Interest rates are

very low. Payment terms as long as 30 years are intended to make the loans affordable.”

Even if homeowners and renters do not want or do not expect a loan, Jarema said that they should still do the SBA application. As for those who may not qualify for a loan, a SBA loan application is necessary in order to receive either a state or FEMA grant.

The Ready NC website has information about how people can plan and prepare for when bad weather strikes, stay informed, recover and rebuild if needed and volunteer to help others that may have been hit.

UNREST IN ETHIOPIA INSPIRES APP STATE STUDENT TO RETURN HOME AND GIVE BACK Jackie Park│

aheder Yohannes, a senior accounting major, and her family are from Ethiopia and came to the United States when she was 10 years old due to political unrest in her home country.

“At this point, the current government back home in Ethiopia is borderline a dictatorship because they have been in power for about 26 years now, which is way too long for any government that I know,” Yohannes said.

Yohannes said that her dad was in the military and after he got out, he started organizing groups and leading movements against the current government.

“There have been a lot of human rights violations un-

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Courtesy

der the current government’s watch.They have silenced a lot of journalists that tried to uncover what the government was doing,” Yohannes said. “If a protest arises, they send military power to shut it down. You don’t hear about a lot of these things here, which is crazy, but many people have lost their lives under the current regime.”

The United States’ government additionally does not allow those here under a refugee visa, like Yohannes and her family, to return to their home country until they have their U.S. citizenship.

Yohannes and her family finally got their citizenship in February, and she plans to return home in December, along with uniforms and school supplies for the children in her

@jackiempark│News Reporter

community.

“It seems wrong to go back empty-handed, considering that for the last 11 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a higher education here,” Yohannes said. “And I just was thinking of something I could do to give back to the community that pretty much raised me and made me who I am today.

I knew I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I thought about how big education was, how big it is in my family and how big it is across the globe.”

According to Yohannes, education is an area in which the children of Ethiopia are not as fortunate as Americans, and many of them drop out of school when they are 7 or 8 years old in order to work and

save money for their families.

“I thought about buying school uniforms and basic school supplies that we take for granted here in the U.S., so I rolled out a site similar to GoFundMe,” Yohannes said.

“As of right now, I have close to $650 raised in donations. I didn’t know where to set the goal at because this is my first time doing anything like this, so I set it at $1,000, and hopefully that gets shattered soon” On Nov. 16, the Black Student Association at App State hosted a fundraiser at Galileo’s for Yohannes’ cause.

“BSA is sponsoring the event in order to give a portion of the proceeds in order for Maheder to use those profits to send back with her to Ethiopia,” Shania Daniel, the BSA’s

current vice president, said via email.

The event BSA hosted was able to raise $230 for Yohannes’ fundraiser.

“As far as the fundraiser goes, the smallest amount helps. Currently, one American dollar equates to 23 birr, the Ethiopian currency, which can definitely make a difference,” Yohannes said.

“This is definitely the beginning of something bigger I want to do,” Yohannes said.

According to Yohannes, there are several human rights problems occurring throughout her home country and throughout the world, and she said she believes that people ought to have conversations with those from these struggling countries.

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Dec. 7, 2017

REV. ROBERT W. LEE RECEIVES BOOK DEAL Aidan Moyer│

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Rob Lee graduated Appalachian State with a degree in religious studies. He recently had his book published, which is titled “Stained-Glass Millennials.”

ppalachian State professor Rob Lee has received a book deal with Penguin Random House with plans to release the book in early 2019.

According to Lee’s publicist, the book, which Lee has given the working title of “A Sin by Any Other Name: A Love Letter to the South,” is a memoir covering his life leading up to his current activism.

Lee said he describes this memoir, which includes his decision as a teenager to take down a Confederate flag from his bedroom, as a memoir on a mission.

“This is a personal story of transformation,” Lee said, which was started by “a strong woman of color.”

Lee said that the book is “an opportunity to talk to white folk

@TheAppalachian│News Reporter

about issues of white supremacy and white privilege,” and that these issues are the “original sin” of America.

Lee, a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, came under fire earlier this year after speaking out against white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

When discussing the backlash from his speech, Lee said that he had recently left his job at a church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and that he has lost friends and colleagues who did not want to be involved in the conflict.

Lee has been teaching with App State’s departments of communication and religious studies for the past semester.

Lee said that the support system from university and its students have been encouraging him to pursue conversations about

white nationalism.

Lee, a graduate of Appalachian with a degree in religious studies, said he has loved coming back and teaching at the university. Lee also earned his master’s in theological studies from Duke University Divinity School earlier this year.

“We need new, fresh blood in this conversation, and we need white people to stand up and say that they can transform as well,” Lee said. “Millennials have a special place in my heart, they’re asking good questions, questions on issues of race, class and LGBTQ rights; questions not only of me, but of the current generation and administration.”

Lee said that he believes these conversations and issues of race must be addressed “for the sake of our nation and for the sake of our future.”

An Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Radio Station of the Year w > ÃÌ Your college Your station Your music 4

Courtesy of Rob Lee

Dec. 7, 2017

NET NEUTRALITY IS IN IMMINENT DANGER OF BEING LOST

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et neutrality is the principle that everyone has the right to equal access to the internet.

This means that no matter where one goes on the internet, the experience should remain unimpeded by influence from internet service providers, or ISPs. Net neutrality was first instituted in February 2015 under the Federal Communications Commission’s Title II of the Communications Act of 1984.

Without net neutrality, ISPs would be allowed to block websites they did not agree with, throttle the upload and download speeds of users for any reason, or even charge more for access to certain types of sites.

Imagine if an ISP chose to block a news site like MSNBC or Fox News just because the ISP did not agree with the site’s political leanings.

Imagine if certain streaming services were slowed in favor of a service that could afford to give the ISP more money.

Imagine if internet sites were carved up into categories, similar to cable packages, where the customer had to pay extra for access to social media, gaming or streaming services.

Without net neutrality, all of these anti-consumer practices, and more, could easily become commonplace.

Net neutrality also gives smaller tech companies the ability to compete on the internet, because they do not have to pay a premium to receive higher speeds that only bigger companies can afford.

The evolving internet landscape has necessitated these protections. Giants like Google and Facebook likely would not have made it if they had started up today without net neutrality protections.

It is clear that net neutrality has become the cornerstone

Nora Smith

Joshua Baldwin is a freshman computer science major from Greensboro, North Carolina. of the open internet.

Unfortunately, Ajit Pai, the current Trump-appointed chairman of the FCC and former Verizon lawyer, has presented a detailed plan to repeal net neutrality.

The FCC is planning on voting to repeal the landmark internet protection on Dec. 14.

The vote is expected to pass 3-2, along party lines.

Pai has made numerous claims defending his decision to gut net neutrality, almost all of which have been demonstrably false or incredibly misleading.

One claim that Pai, along with many ISPs, have often repeated is that net neutrality has hurt ISP investment and growth.

ISPs tell a different story to their investors, who they are legally obligated to tell the truth.

According to the Free Press, a public interest media advocacy group, “not a single publicly traded U.S. ISP ever told its investors (or the SEC) that Title II negatively impacted its own investments specifically.”

Pai himself recently released a so-called “Myth vs.

Fact” sheet regarding many of the arguments in support of net neutrality.

In response to many of the arguments, Pai refers to how “the Obama Administration’s 2015 heavy-handed Title II Internet regulations” hurt businesses and how the drawbacks to losing net neutrality,

like blocking sites and throttling users, are blown out of proportion.

Pai should probably look up the difference between myth and fact.

First, the regulations were put in place to protect consumers from anti-consumer business practices from ISPs. Second, ISPs already have a track record of engaging in these practices before Title II was put in place.

For instance, between 2007 and 2009, AT&T tried to block third-party apps like Skype that allowed customers to make voice calls on the iPhone over wireless data connections.

Another example was in 2014 when Comcast got in a public dispute with Netflix, in which Comcast demanded Netflix pay an arbitrary fee to allow Comcast to continue providing the streaming service to its customers.

Netflix gave into the demands, because if they didn’t, they would not be able to reach all of their customers who got their internet through Comcast.

This also does not take into account the issue in which many United States citizens do not have access to more than one or two ISPs, which creates natural monopolies and forces people to either go along with whatever their ISP says, or not have access to high-speed internet.

Pai also wants consumers to trust that ISPs will not hurt consumers. Even if, by the off-chance, ISPs do not jump at the opportunity to take advantage of the lack of net neutrality, why would it even be necessary to remove it in the first place?

ISPs are not driven by the public good; they are driven by their shareholders and what makes them the most profit.

There is a lot of profit to be made from carving up the internet.

If the public controlled

ISPs, then net neutrality would not be at risk of being lost.

Over the summer, the FCC had an open comment period on Title II which allowed anyone to indicate whether they were for or against net neutrality.

A study, funded by ISPs, of each unique comment found that 1.52 million were in favor of net neutrality while only 23,000 were in favor of repeal.

In a study conducted by Freedman Consulting LLC, it was found that 77 percent of Americans support net neutrality, broken down into 73 percent of Republicans, 80 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Independents.

It is clear that the overwhelming majority of United States citizens support net neutrality, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Pai simply does not care.

It has also become a partisan issue in the government where it shouldn’t be, based on the fact that people from all political parties heavily support net neutrality.

Net neutrality could be saved if enough Republicans in Congress made it clear that there would be political ramifications for the FCC if it is repealed, or Congress could levy its power to overrule regulation from agencies within the government.

Despite efforts to contact representatives to compel them to come out against the repeal of net neutrality, no Republicans in Congress have done so.

It doesn’t help that telecoms lobbyists have spent millions of dollars bribing members of Congress.

For instance, senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, both Republican senators of North Carolina, received $58,500 and $41,220 respectively from telecom lobbyists in the last election cycle.

The FCC will also prohib-

it states from creating their own regulatory laws in order to maintain net neutrality.

It is ironic that the party that claims to the champion of states’ rights only allows the states to do what they want when it’s politically expedient.

All of this begs the question: what can the people do to fight for net neutrality?

There have already been many active efforts opposing the repeal of net neutrality, including the Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality, in which companies as big as Amazon, Google and Netflix joined by spreading awareness of Title II and the protections it provides.

There are also more protests in the works, such as the one on Dec. 7, that will take place at Verizon stores to bring more awareness to the issue.

There will also be a grace period after the vote on Dec. 14 if it is successful, in which lawsuits can be levied against the FCC that will hopefully slow down the entire process.

And, while it has not been very successful, it is important to continue contacting congressional representatives and the FCC to make it clear that the American people will not support the repeal of such a landmark protection.

Only one of the three FCC members planning on voting yes need to change their mind. The vote is rapidly approaching, but there is still time to make a last ditch effort to do so.

It is outrageous that a government that claims to be of the people, by the people and for the people would so blatantly and disrespectfully disregard the will of the people, but it is unfortunately the reality United States citizens currently live in.

Time will tell how the next few weeks play out, and one can only hope that the people can ultimately get their way.

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Dec. 7, 2017

Eric Cunningham waits to play Christmas music and is a senior journalism major from Hickory, North Carolina. You can follow him on Twitter at @DEricCunningham.

Cristian McLaughlin plays Christmas music early and is a junior public relations major from Roxboro, NC. You can follow him on Twitter at @_CAMcLaughlin.

PLAY CHRISTMAS MUSIC EARLY

hen it comes to the question of when it is okay to play Christmas music, many people have strongly held beliefs about when it is appropriate to start singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Silent Night.”

The most common consensus is that the day after Thanksgiving is when it is socially acceptable to begin playing those holly-jolly tunes.

However, if you want to start listening to some Christmas songs earlier, say perhaps on Nov. 1, I think you should be able to do just that.

One argument against playing Christmas music in early November is that Thanksgiving deserves its own time to be appreciated and that by playing

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Christmas music before Thanksgiving, somehow, Thanksgiving is being robbed its chance to shine as a holiday.

I would argue, though, that Thanksgiving and Christmas go hand in hand. They, along with New Year’s Day, are all a part of what we call the holiday season.

While we may default to calling it Christmas music, the music we listen to this time of year is really music for the holiday season.

Playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving doesn’t make me think less of Thanksgiving.

Rather, it reminds me how much I enjoy the entire holiday season, Thanksgiving included.

Another argument against playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving is that by playing it so early, the music will become annoying before Christ-

mas even arrives.

To that, I say the point of my argument is not that Christmas music should be blasted around the clock from Nov. 1 to New Year’s Day. Rather, I simply believe that if someone would like to listen to Christmas music on their laptop, play it in their office or personal space, as long as they don’t have the volume set really high, they should be able to do so without being chastised for it.

Also, it is all about personal preference. I could listen to Christmas music for eight weeks straight and still be happy to listen to it some more, but there is one important caveat there, I still have to be in the mood for it.

This is where the foundation of my argument lies. The reason I enjoy listening to Christ-

mas music on Nov. 1, or sometimes even earlier, is because, for me, it just feels like that time of year; it feels like the holiday season.

The weather becomes cool and crisp. If you are in school, the semester is nearing its end.

Family and friends that you haven’t seen in what feels like forever are coming to town. There is just this general feeling of cheer and goodwill in the air.

That is why I am in the mood for Christmas music come the beginning of November, because it just feels right. It is also why I sometimes listen to it in mid-July, to stir up those happy holiday feelings.

I realize that not everyone has the same view as me and that’s okay. My goal is not to force everyone to listen to Christmas music in October or earlier.

I only want others to see that Christmas music is not exclusive to the month of December.

Instead, it accompanies the holiday season, and when that season begins, it is different for everybody. When that occurs, then, it is the right time to play Christmas music.

For some it is the day after Thanksgiving, for others it might be the first day that the temperature falls below 40 degrees.

All I ask is that if your holiday season timeline is shorter than other people’s, that is absolutely fine, but just recognize that for myself and others like me, we enjoy celebrating the holiday season by reveling in its music a bit longer.

So please don’t scold or ostracize us for it, even if we are still humming “Carol of the Bells” come Jan. 2.

EARLY CHRISTMAS MUSIC: THE GRINCH THAT RUINS CHRISTMAS

ou and I have both heard of it: an ever-present and growing threat waiting to destroy all we know and hold dear for their own personal benefit.

I am talking, of course, about people who play Christmas music before Christmas.

For years, Christmas has been forced further and further out from its natural date, Dec. 25.

After all, why celebrate the one day of Christmas when you can celebrate 12 days, or an entire month or an entire three months?

Of course, this “Christmas creep” quickly grew old and now has gone from starting celebrating in November to October. You can now buy anything “Christmas-y” before Halloween has even begun.

Not only has this cheapened

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the greatness of Halloween and Thanksgiving--which are two holidays that work just fine with a week-long celebration--it has also made Christmas practically unbearable at a commercial level.

An example is a new NFL commercial called “Christmas Dinner,” which features a brave Raiders fan going to his significant other’s Christmas dinner in a Raiders shirt.

At first, the commercial was almost kind of funny. However, the commercial started running in early November, and it will surely run all the way into Christmas and maybe even after.

Instead of watching a NFL advertisement about, say, Thanksgiving (a holiday associated strongly with football) for a short amount of time until the holiday is done, I have to watch this Christmas ad for nearly a

full sixth of the year.

Of course, this example pales in comparison to the real enemy: early Christmas music.

Christmas music, on its own, is wonderful. It is a nice break from the typical pop playing year-round and, for just a short time, adds a bit of class and diversity to music.

This is a novelty in the truest sense of the word, and playing a novelty for more than a week or two is insanely idiotic.

There are only so many times you can hear “Jingle Bells” before it gets irritating.

Like many novelties, Christmas music isn’t healthy in large doses. According to clinical psychologist Linda Blair, Christmas music can be directly harmful for retail workers who are forced to listen to it constantly for over a month at a time.

This is due to the mere exposure effect, which music psychologist Victoria Williamson explained means that the more you hear Christmas music, the more irritating it gets.

Of course, mainstream society isn’t content to drone us into compliance simply before the Christmas season. The second step of their plan for a yearlong Christmas is playing music after Christmas has ended. They only seem to play it for less than a week after Dec. 25 for now, but I do not trust them to not expand it further and further out.

As responsible citizens of our republic, it is our duty to say “no more” to this madness. It is time to break the chains of the “Christmas creep” that binds us.

The new standard should be simple: Christmas music can be played in public no earlier than

two weeks before Christmas, and no later than two days afterwards. Individuals will retain their right to listen as soon as possible, of course, but will no longer be able to ruin Christmas for the rest of us.

A reasonable compromise would be that seasonal songs that don’t mention Christmas directly or indirectly will be permitted to be played in limited numbers starting Dec. 5, the traditional European holiday of Krampusnacht, the Feast of St. Nicholas. These songs shall make up no more than 5 percent of the music played during this probationary period.

These rules may seem harsh, and some Christmas addicts might be outraged that their fix won’t be as readily available, but it’s a small price to pay to save Christmas.

Dec. 7, 2017

SENIOR GOODBYE: ADRIENNE FOUTS he first time I joined The Appalachian, I was a shy freshman, unsure of myself and what I wanted to do with my life. I wandered into the newspaper’s interest meeting just a few weeks after I arrived at App because I knew that I liked to write. At first, I was drawn to copy editing simply because I was introverted and liked the idea that I wouldn’t have to go out and interview anyone. Joining the copy editing desk didn’t work out, however, so later in the semester I went over to Arts and Entertainment. I only wrote one or two articles for the desk before the semester ended, and then with an 18-hour class load and other commitments waiting for me in the

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spring, I figured I would be too busy for the newspaper and decided to leave.

At that point, I had decided to major in public relations.

My sophomore year, however, I had to take a couple of journalism classes for my major, and almost immediately, I fell in love with journalism. I learned how to write in AP Style, how to format news stories and write features and how to fact-check. And I was pretty good at it. My professors encouraged me to double major, and The Appalachian’s A&E editor, Katie Murawski, convinced me to rejoin the newspaper the second half of my sophomore year.

This time, I was hooked. I wrote features on everything from Banff Mountain Film Festival to a professor who

Courtesy of Adrienne Fouts

calls himself the “Fall Color Guy.” My favorite topic to write about was music; I loved exploring the local music scene, interviewing bands and going to concerts.

Even more, I loved the stories that explored an aspect of campus or the community that was lesser-known. Being on the newspaper made me realize how many interesting stories there are in the world, even in the most unexpected places.

The Appalachian made me more confident not only in my writing and reporting ability, but also in myself. It helped me come out of my shell; I became less nervous each time I interviewed someone, and I gained confidence in my leadership abilities. This semester, I moved

from being a reporter to being the A&E editor, and although it was challenging to switch from writing full-time to managing a desk of over a dozen reporters, it has been such an enjoyable and valuable experience.

Thank you so much to Olivia and all of the editorial board this semester; you’ve been wonderful people to work with, and I’ll miss you a bunch.

Thank you to Katie Murawski for being an awesome editor and friend when I rejoined The Appalachian, and for always supporting me and believing in me.

Thank you to my amazing A&E desk. You’ve made this crazy semester a lot easier and a lot more fun, and I know you’ll all keep on kill-

ing it. Thanks especially to Ashley for all your help; you’ll be a fantastic editor!

Deciding to pursue journalism and join The Appalachian was the best decision I made in college. Because of the newspaper, I’ve gotten to have fun, crazy experiences like covering my favorite music festival and running around Washington, D.C. over inauguration weekend.

More importantly, The Appalachian gave me a purpose, helped me to grow as a person and gave me a solid foundation of journalism experience that I could not have gotten only from my classes. I can’t wait for what my future holds, and I know that this newspaper will continue to be influential to so many students.

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Dec. 7, 2017

PHOTO ESSAY

The Jones House as it celebrates the holiday season with a Christmas tree lighting.

The piano in the living room at the Jones House.

A wreath hanging in the window at the Jones House near a big Christmas bear decoration.

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The Christmas tree in the front yard after being lit in front of the Jones House.

Lindsay Vaughn

Dec. 7, 2017

Festive First Friday

ing Street was transformed into a winter wonderland on Friday night for the annual Festive First Friday event, hosting activities from a Christmas tree lighting to special art and ceramics exhibits.

Local businesses, nonprofits and Appalachian State University organizations all participated, providing opportunities for everyone to celebrate the Christmas season.

For families with younger children, there was a presentation of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at Watauga County Public Library, photos with Santa at Mast General Store and a chance to write letters to Santa with Mrs. Claus at the post office.

For adults, there was a choc-

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olate and wine tasting at Wine to Water, a local nonprofit; a variety of pottery and jewelry exhibits all across King Street; and wine tasting and open art galleries at the Turchin Center.

A variety of businesses such as Footsloggers and Mast General Store also served holiday treats such as cookies, s’mores and hot apple cider for everyone.

“It’s straight out of a Hallmark movie,” Kayla Bounce, an attendee of Festive First Friday, said. She said she had enjoyed exploring the events that night with her friends.

The most popular event of the night was the Christmas tree lighting at the Jones House. The tree lighting has been a tradition for over 20 years and always attracts a large crowd, including the

mayor and many of the town’s board members.

Pilar Fotta, cultural resources director for the town of Boone, said she loves being a part of the event.

“The thing that I love most is being a part of tradition here,” Fotta said. “It’s wonderful to see so many people gather to celebrate our town and our traditions.”

With a mix of families and students, the lawn of the Jones House was packed and the atmosphere was joyful, with free hot chocolate and light refreshments. After the tree lighting, students from the Split Rail Records label performed inside the Jones House, and galleries were opened for browsing.

“It’s extremely cute and community oriented,” Hunter Midkiff, a sophomore interna-

tional business student, said.

Her friend Esnarda Torres, a sophomore marketing major, said it was refreshing to see the local community of Boone and not just students from the university.

At the end of the day, having a place to celebrate traditions and make memories is something that Fotta said she values most.

“I am proud to be able to provide families with traditions they know, and having something to look forward to, making the Jones House a place they want to gather,” Fotta said. “I love it here and want people to love it too.”

STORY BY:

Macon Atkinson @atkinson_macon A&E Reporter

The Christmas tree rings in the holiday season in the Jones House.

Lindsay Vaughn

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Dec. 7, 2017

One of the all-female a cappella groups, Ear Candy, posing at the end of their performance during Acappellageddon.

EAR CANDY’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION E Ashley Goodman│

very Thursday and Sunday night, you can find the 22 women of the a cappella group Ear Candy huddled into circles, listening to their parts and singing them back to one another.

Ear Candy, one of Appalachian State’s all-female a cappella groups, learns its musical repertoire entirely aurally. There is no sheet music, so people from all backgrounds can learn at the same pace. Instead, members split up into groups based on voice parts, such as soprano and alto, and listen to their parts over and over, singing to themselves and one another until the music clicks.

The women of Ear Candy are rehearsing for their 10th anniversary concert, titled “And I Know A Place With You.” President and se-

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nior electronic media broadcasting major Jillian Sykes describes the concert as Ear Candy’s 10th birthday party.

Their performance is intended to celebrate the history of the group, the group’s success and their friendship thus far. The current members have invited Ear Candy’s alumnae from as far back as the group’s initial creation in 2007. The alumnae can attend Ear Candy’s concert for free and are invited to an afterparty at 10 High Country Lanes.

Sykes said she is excited about the opportunity to connect with alumnae Ear Candy members.

“When our alumnae come back and I get to meet them, it’s so refreshing because Ear Candy still holds the same values and morals, and the same passion for music and each other, that we did 10 years ago,

@TheAppalachian│Associate A&E Editor

from the beginning until now,” Sykes said.

What solidifies their connection, Sykes said, is the group’s alumnae song, “Love, Where Is Your Fire?” by Brooke Fraser. The song is the first piece new members learn upon joining Ear Candy and is performed at every concert. They always invite alumnae in the audience to perform the song onstage, but Sykes expects a much larger alumnae turnout at this special celebration show.

This concert’s title, “And I Know A Place With You,” comes from a line of the group’s alumnae song. The song, Sykes said, captures the support and unending connection Ear Candy seeks to provide to its members.

“Ear Candy is our home; it’s our place,” Sykes said. “It’s within each other. We formed

this place, and we all know it, and we all feel it.”

Secretary and junior interdisciplinary studies major Michelle Taylor is also excited to invite the alumnae back on stage for the song.

“Although we’ve probably changed a good amount, we all know that song,” Taylor said.

“It’s going to be such a cool feeling to sing with people I don’t know, but still feel connected to.”

While the anniversary concert will reminisce about Ear Candy’s past, the celebration is also about the present and Ear Candy’s future.

Taylor said that Ear Candy has become like a family. Taylor said coming to App was a difficult transition, and she said that she considered transferring or dropping out on multiple occasions. Her connections in Ear Candy

kept her here.

“I genuinely don’t know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t in Ear Candy,” Taylor said.

“I wouldn’t have the friends I have now, and I don’t know if I’d be in the place I am now with my comfortability in college.”

The women of Ear Candy put in long hours rehearsing and practicing to get their music just right, but they also make time for opportunities to have fun and support each other. At least once a semester Ear Candy has a special bonding rehearsal to maintain morale and develop deeper connections within the group.

This year, Taylor said, the women rented out 3rd Place and had a sleepover-style event, complete with a pillow fort and snacks.

This semester, the group will be saying goodbye to

Christian Bocchino

Dec. 7, 2017

Ear Candy kicks off the performances at Acappellageddon on Nov. 11. The group is an all-female a cappella group at Appalachian State. two singers, senior electronic broadcasting major Paula Mandarino and senior English secondary education major Tierney Shipley. To these women, this concert is a bittersweet farewell to their time with Ear Candy.

Mandarino has been with Ear Candy for seven semesters. She was once the vice president, but this year she works as a choreographer, designing moves and placements for shows like Acappellageddon. Her time with Ear Candy, she said, has given her valuable skills to take into her career in television and film.

“I love performing; I love creating content, and this just felt to me like something where that all comes together,” Mandarino said. “Being able to perform here has increased my confidence as a

Christian Bocchino

performer so much.”

Ear Candy has also given her hands-on experience with audio recording. Ear Candy recently recorded an EP, and Mandarino and her father played important roles in putting the album together.

As a senior, Mandarino chose a senior song to perform at their anniversary concert. Mandarino arranged her song, Daniel Caesar’s “Japanese Denim,” by herself, the first time she has independently arranged a piece. Since then, Mandarino has spent the last few weeks teaching the song to her peers, awaiting the night they will perform her song together at her last concert.

Mandarino chose the song for its jazzy tone, which comfortably complements her voice and the underlying message she found in the lyrics.

“It just makes me think

about changes in life and how those things are okay,” Mandarino said. “You’ll lose some things, but you’ll win some things.”

Shipley, the other senior leaving Ear Candy this semester, is in her fifth semester with the group. Unlike Mandarino, Shipley is not graduating, but she is leaving to begin student teaching in Raleigh.

Shipley transferred to App State from a community college, where she said it was much harder to find the music outlet she found with Ear Candy.

Luckily, she found Ear Candy soon after coming to App, and they readily welcomed her into the group.

“For the first year that I was in Ear Candy, I was still like, ‘How am I even here?’ because all the girls here are amazing,” Shipley said.

Over the course of her

first year in Ear Candy, Shipley said the group’s members helped her grow from the shy girl who began at Ear Candy to the outspoken woman she feels she is today.

“It has been such an honor to be in this group that having spent three years in it is amazing to me,” Shipley said.

“It’s just exciting that I ever got to be in it.”

Like Mandarino, Shipley said she feels that Ear Candy has imbued her with skills that will help her as she begins her career of teaching. To teach, she said, you have to be confident as a leader, and her time with Ear Candy has helped her confidence blossom through performing.

For her senior song, Shipley chose Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire.” The song, she said, shows off her nerdier interests and has a deeper meaning

without becoming too sad.

To Shipley, the song is significant because she originally auditioned for Ear Candy with an Ed Sheeran song.

Shipley said she feels that beginning and ending her Ear Candy career with an Ed Sheeran song brings her time with the group full circle.

Plus, Shipley said the line, “I hope that you remember me,” moves her every time.

For their final concert, the women will sing a repertoire that will include the two seniors’ goodbye songs, everything the group has performed this semester and their Acappellageddon setlist, which won them best all-female group and best soloist earlier this semester.

Ear Candy’s final concert will be held at the Harvest House Church on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for general admission.

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Dec. 7, 2017

Appalachian State Cycling’s mountain bike racers pose for a photo at Virginia Tech’s race weekend this fall.

CYCLING IN THE HIGH COUNTRY Patrick McCabe│

R

oughly 66 million Americans ride a bicycle in a given year, according to Nielsen Holdings PLC ratings. Despite its ubiquity, cycling as a means of transportation or recreation remains a niche.

A group promoting and advocating for cycling interests in the High Country is the nonprofit Boone Area Cyclists.

Clinton Marsh serves as their president as well as assistant director of orientation at Appalachian State.

“Anytime a new road goes in somewhere and they’re going to widen that road, we always say ‘Hey, while you’re widening that road, what about putting in a bike lane?’” Marsh said.

Senior sociology major Annie Pharr is the president of the Appalachian State Cycling club team. In addition, she is a board member of BAC. “They wanted me to be on the board so that the school team could have a voice in the greater cycling community,” Pharr said. “It’s been really rewarding because you can see how the school team’s efforts can fit into larger Boone community and how it can work with them.”

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In college racing, mountain biking takes place in the fall while road cycling starts in the spring.

“We just finished a pretty successful mountain bike season, and we were conference champions in the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference,” Pharr said. “We sent seven people to nationals in Missoula, Montana, where we got second for overall Division 1 club teams in the nation.”

Known for its quality road cycling, the High Country is growing into a reputable mountain bike destination as well.

Down Highway 421 lies Rocky Knob Park, a dedicated mountain bike park that is owned by the Town of Boone and maintained by BAC. “Before Rocky Knob was started, there was no legal spot to ride mountain bikes, so everyone that was on the cycling team had to kind of keep it on the down-low when they were riding anywhere in Boone itself,” Pharr said. “No one would share rides or bring other people out and expand the community.”

Merwin Davis is the head mechanic at Magic Cycles in Boone. Davis is a professional racer who grew up with BMX and mountain biking. For Da-

@patm_cc│A&E Reporter

vis, cycling relieves stress.

“It’s a time to just kind of sit back and be able to think about life or anything that’s going on and have that alone time,” Davis said.

Cycling is an enjoyable form of exercise for many; it is low impact and possible for people across generations. Marsh lauded the many options for recreational cycling in areas surrounding Boone.

“There is some incredible riding out there,” Marsh said.

“You won’t see cars for hours, it’s beautiful, it’s wonderful, but you got to know these things, so having that connection [with] BAC can help open those doors for you.”

Benjamin Scarboro is one of the founding volunteers of the Boone Community Bicycle Collective. BCBC is a nonprofit that operates as a tool share, helping to rehabilitate bicycles.

He has been living in Boone for 17 years and initially took up regularly riding his bike when his car broke down.

“Of course it breaks down while I’m trying to go to work, and so I just jump on a bike and pedal up, and I get there sweaty and nasty,” Scarboro said. “I just kept doing that, and I would get to work less sweaty every

day and feeling better every day, and I just never got the car fixed because I didn’t need to.”

As you move farther away from downtown Boone, however, roads sometimes become more cumbersome for cyclists because of the cultural stigma against road cycling.

“Once you get onto the back roads, you either have people that don’t care because you’re out in the middle of nowhere and it’s farmland and you’re not clogging the road, or you have people that’ll get really mad at you because you’re holding up traffic, and they don’t understand; they don’t appreciate cycling,” Pharr said.

Both the Town of Boone and Appalachian State have received Bronze designations from the League of American Bicyclists. The national group noted areas for improvement in infrastructure, among other things. High traffic roads in Boone don’t uniformly offer bike lanes.

Even roads with consistent bike lanes can present problems for riders. Marsh noted the common use of the bike lanes on Rivers Street as de facto school bus parking, obstructing riders.

Still, Marsh is pleased with the town’s direction and contin-

ues to push for reasonable protections for cyclists. Scarboro and Davis praised the town for its work to become more bicycle friendly.

Issues of diversity and inclusion still challenge the activity, with fewer minorities and women involved.

“I wish there was more [diversity], that’s something I would definitely like to see,” Marsh said.

Efforts are underway locally to include more women riders especially.

“I think half of our board members are female now, which I’m super excited about, and next year we’re gonna have our first female president and vice president, so that’s really nice,” Marsh said.

“There are a lot of women, especially in the Boone area, that are slayers when it comes to the trail and they have no holdbacks. They want to be able to do everything the men are, and they’re 100 percent capable of it,” Davis said.

As a member of BAC, Pharr helps to organize the Cowbelle Classic, an annual women’s ride that seeks to bring women together to meet and ride in a challenging, but non-competitive environment.

Courtesy

Dec. 7, 2017

Annie Pharr navigates a trail during James Madison University’s race weekend.

“That’s been really beneficial for those women that haven’t felt comfortable riding alone on the roads or don’t really know where to start or just are looking for other women to ride with,” Pharr said.

Cost is a major consideration that precludes college students from becoming involved with racing.

“You don’t need any experience to join [Appalachian State Cycling], but you do need a bike

Courtesy

and that is the number one thing that deters people because to get a good bike, it’s going to be a few hundred dollars at least, and $1,000 for a good, entry-level bike that you’re going to want to take to races,” Pharr said.

But for commuting or utility riding, using a bike instead of a car can be a way to save money.

“When I was in college, I commuted to class all four years [on a bike], and it saves a huge penny,” Davis said.

Getting onto the road for the first time can feel dangerous, Scarboro said.

“There’s going to be that fear, but I think this is a really safe place, especially as an incubator for new cyclists because there are a lot of different terrains you get to ride on, a lot of different situations,” Scarboro said.

BCBC offers free helmets to those who want them. Unlike other municipalities in North Carolina, Boone requires all cy-

clists to wear helmets.

“I have friends that wouldn’t be here right now anymore if they weren’t wearing a helmet, so it’s definitely a matter of life or death,” Pharr said.

“I think the more drivers that are aware of cyclists and how they act and react on a bicycle, the better,” Marsh said.

“I think it gives you a better respect for being able to travel by car and the ease of doing things like that.”

Scan the QR code to watch the video of the 2016 Cowbelle Classic in Valle Crucis.

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Dec. 7, 2017

FRESHMAN STATON BRINGS STABILITY TO THE KICKER POSITION

Appalachian State kicker Chandler Staton getting ready for the opening kick-off against Louisiana. Appalachian State defeated Louisiana 63-14 to win the Sunbelt Championship.

Silas Albright│ ince taking over App State’s starting kicker position late in the Coastal Carolina game on Oct. 21, redshirt freshman Chandler Staton has already had a strong season.

For starters, he hasn’t missed a kick of any kind. He has made all six field goal attempts and all 27 extra point attempts, accounting for 45 points in total. Staton has nailed three field goals from 40 yards or deeper, including a 53-yarder at home against rival Georgia Southern as the first half ended. It gave the Mountaineers a 7-point advantage and some important momentum that helped allow them to come out of the locker room and put the game away in the second half. It was good for the sixth longest field goal in Appalachian’s history and is the longest since 2007.

“I’m real happy with everything he has done. He’s stepped in and done a great job and has played well,” special teams coach Stu Holt said.

After redshirt sophomore Michael Rubino missed three of his four field goals in the Coastal Carolina game, and with the Mountaineers in control, the coaching staff decided to give Staton a shot at an

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extra point late in the game.

“My nerves weren’t what I expected them to be. I came in, I was really excited, but as soon as I got on the field I was good to go,” Staton said.

“Nerves never really got to me before [in high school], and I was kind of halfway expecting them to get to me a little bit in my first college game, but they never phased me. It just went straight back to the high school feel.”

Staton split the uprights on the first kick of his college career and was named the starter the next week at UMass.

Although the Mountaineers would ultimately drop that game against the Minutemen in a double-overtime contest, Staton helped keep App State in the game. He hit both a 40-yarder and a key 30-yarder late in the fourth quarter that gave App State the lead before UMass was able to march down the field and hit a game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime.

In a pivotal game to keep App State’s Sun Belt championship hopes alive at Georgia State, Staton came through again near the end of the first half; he knocked a 42-yarder home that gave his team a 10-7 lead that they took into halftime. When the Mountaineers got the ball back in the

@SilasAlbright│Sports Reporter

third quarter, a quick touchdown gave them a two possession lead and put them in the driver’s seat for the rest of the game.

The kicking game is a vital part to any football team’s success, yet the fans and media often take field goals and extra points for granted.

To kick a football that hard and far, with that little time, as 11 defensive players are breathing down your neck, is more difficult than a lot of people assume. Although there are many different aspects that make up a game and lead to either a win or a loss, having a reliable kicker has proven to be a critical part of football success time and time again. And the Mountaineers appear to have found that guy in Staton.

“It’s very important. The kicking game matters particularly in close games, as we’ve seen in both ways. We’ve seen it help us win games and unfortunately contribute to us coming out on the short end of the stick at times. The kicker position is one that we value, there’s no doubt,” Holt said. “Any time we get across the 50 yard line, we’re thinking we’ll have a chance to at least get three if we can move the ball down into field goal range, and we certainly have

confidence in Chandler being able to get the job done.”

Although Staton’s first kick of his college career came this year, it is his second year in the program. He attributes his redshirt season last year as a key component to his success this year.

“I learned a lot last year.

I think that really just coming in and understanding how the program works, lifts, the schedule. Just getting accustomed to everything played a big role for me,” Staton said.

Staton’s roommate and best friend sophomore Rylee Critcher is a backup punter for the Mountaineers and is also the holder for field goals and extra points.

“I think our chemistry is probably the biggest part of my success honestly,” Staton said. “In high school I had a good two years, but it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, I don’t think, because I didn’t have a good holder and we weren’t really close. I’m good friends with Rylee, and it’s a lot different. He is my roommate, so he wants my success just as much as I do and it really works out.”

Critcher, who is the younger brother of former App State punter Bentlee Critcher, also realizes how important his relationship is

to Staton on field success.

“We definitely have a lot of chemistry. We’ve lived together since last fall, so we’re always together. We’re always here,” Rylee Critcher said. “We’re always throwing the ball around or working after or before practice.

We’ve been working out a lot even since last year when my brother was here holding for Mike [Rubino].”

Staton has had a great deal of success and with that comes popularity. Through it all, Staton has found a way to stay level-headed and knows there is still work ahead of him.

“I just go back to the basics: how I was raised. It’s always big to have your name out there and for people to know you, but you want them to know you for the right things,” Staton said. “I never let myself get big-headed because I know it could all come crashing down soon, you never know.”

Staton seems to have it all figured it out when it comes to kicking, but that is not the only thing he’s good at.

“He’s a really good kicker and a really good roommate, so I enjoy him as my roommate, and I enjoy seeing him out on the field,” Critcher said.

Lindsay Vaughn

Dec. 7, 2017

JOHNSON’S WORK ETHIC LEADS MOUNTAINEERS

App State junior forward Tyrell Johnson defending a Warren Wilson player on Nov. 7.

Zack Antrum│ ince arriving on the scene two years ago, junior forward Tyrell Johnson has made quite a bit of noise for the Appalachian State men’s basketball team.

His versatility, rebounding ability and soft shooting touch are all reasons why he was brought in by head coach Jim Fox, and are also a big part of why he is on the court so much today.

After a very successful high school career, where he received all-state honors in 2015, the Atlanta native hit the ground running his freshman year. He worked his way into the starting lineup very early in the season, in which he averaged around four points and four rebounds a game. Scoring in double figures on multiple occasions, Johnson showed that he could hold his own against the tougher competition that college basketball can bring.

After an exciting freshman campaign, Johnson’s determination to improve in his role on the team drastically increased.

While most of his classmates were at home enjoying their

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Lindsay Vaughn

summer, Johnson knew that there was no time to waste if he wanted to get better.

During the gap between his freshman and sophomore year, he gained over 30 pounds in order to increase his already dominant presence in the post.

He knew he would have to carry a bigger load, and as a result, he improved statistically in almost every category, especially in scoring, in which he almost doubled his average.

Bulking up his frame also made Johnson even more of a threat defensively, as his lanky 6-foot-8-inch build combined with his length and athleticism gives him the ability to guard any position on the floor. He led the team in blocked shots that season with 33.

Entering his junior year, there was quite a buzz around the Holmes Convocation Center about how Johnson would perform this year. There was also talk about Fox potentially playing a bigger lineup, which would result in Johnson playing as a wing player, rather than in the post like he had in the past.

Many big men may struggle to adjust to a position

@zantrum│Intern Sports Reporter where they may have to play on the perimeter and handle the ball more, but Johnson said he adapted to this change very easily and has embraced the opportunity.

“I watched a lot of film with the coaches to see how I would fit best on the perimeter, and just in the gym to work on my jump shot and ball handling ability,” Johnson said.

Flourishing in his new role, Johnson has become one of the first names on any of his opponent’s scouting report. He started all nine competitions this season and is currently averaging 9 points and four rebounds a game and has posted double figures in four games this season, including a career high 20 points in a 95-57 win against Bridgewater College. Johnson is also shooting 80 percent from the free-throw line, which is almost 20 percent higher than in his previous season.

While his on-court performances are very impressive, Johnson’s dedication and work ethic are also just as crucial to the team’s success. With only one freshman on the roster, the Mountaineers have devel-

oped into a very mature squad, where leadership can be found from top to bottom.

“I think that’s just with growth. Watching film with the coaches and seeing what I’m doing wrong and adjusting to it has helped me become a more mature player,” Johnson said. “I think I do well talking on the court, but I definitely need to get better talking off the court.”

He is currently fifth on the team in minutes played, and while he is an excellent player, part of the reason why Fox keeps him on the court is because of the person he is.

“Tyrell has shown tremendous commitment to getting better. He works tirelessly in the weight room and tirelessly in the gym,” Fox said. “Tyrell is a guy that everyone on the team likes. He really has the respect from his teammates because of how much time and work he has put in.”

Fox is not the only person who has noticed his impact to the team, with teammates also acknowledging how important his presence is. After a big win against South Florida, where Johnson posted 13

points and had three offensive rebounds, his teammates freshman guard Justin Forrest and junior guard Ronshad Shabazz also had some kind words to say about him.

“He gets things like offensive rebounds and putbacks, and that deflates a team” Shabazz said. “He’s finishing plays like that, and that deflates the other team.”

After a rough season in which App State finished with a less-than-stellar 9-21 record, they appear to be on a track for major improvement this year.

Several of their wins have come over well-known opponents such as Davidson College, who were Atlantic 10 Conference Champions and made an NCAA tournament appearance in 2015. Johnson’s strong play is part of the reason why the Mountaineers are on track to improve on last year’s record very early in the season.

“Tyrell is just an aggressive player, no matter if he’s scoring or playing on defense, and it’s just fun playing with him,” Forrest said. “We know what he can do, and he’s just now showing everybody else what he can do.”

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Dec. 7, 2017

A CAREER TO REMEMBER

App State quarterback Taylor Lamb looking on as his teammates battle New Mexico State on Homecoming on Oct. 7.

Jason Huber│

L

ittle did anybody know in 2014 that the App State football program would make the most successful transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision in college football history.

Winning three straight national championships from 2005-2007, the Mountaineers made the division switch in the 2014 season.

In the three seasons App State has been bowl-eligible, the Mountaineers have gone three for three in bowl eligibility. They finished with a winning record every year and won double digit games in 2015 and 2016. They also won both of their bowl appearances and won two Sun Belt Conference championships.

At the center of it all, has been senior quarterback Taylor Lamb, who has created a legacy that will be remem-

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bered at Appalachian State.

The Mountaineers opened up their first game as a FBS team against none other than the Michigan Wolverines, and a hidden gem was found early in the fourth quarter with the Mountaineers trailing 49-14.

One quarter remained in the game, and a redshirt freshman quarterback from Calhoun, Georgia, named Taylor Lamb replaced App State starter Kameron Bryant as the signal caller.

It was third down and eight yards, and Lamb’s first pass was a 13-yard completion to Tacoi Sumler for the first down. From there, Lamb led the Mountaineers on a 19-play touchdown drive, completing five of his nine passes.

Two weeks later, Lamb was named the starting quarterback against Southern Miss in what would be the first of 49 straight starts.

Fast-forward three years, and that redshirt freshman is

@_JasonHuber│Sports Editor

the all-time leading Mountaineer in touchdown passes, the all-time Sun Belt leader in touchdowns and holds the second most total offense in App State history and the second most wins ever by an App State quarterback.

“Coming to App State, at first you were trying to get your body better as a freshman, get better throwing the football and get acclimated to the college game,” Lamb said.

“Once you do that, you try to fight for a starting position.

Then it’s the process to win the job and stay in that job.”

Since App State’s 1-5 start in 2014, the Mountaineers have put together a stellar 34-9 record, the fifth best in the FBS over that time period.

Lamb has started 49 straight games and played in 50, the most of all active FBS players.

“It speaks a lot about our culture and our program,” Lamb said. “This place is built on winning. When we

were losing my redshirt freshman year, we were 1-5. We didn’t want to be there. Then we finished 7-5 and we knew what we could do and what we were capable of.”

Lamb came from a football family. His father, Bobby Lamb, played quarterback and coached Furman and is now the head coach at Mercer University in Georgia. His grandfather, Ray Lamb, played quarterback at Tennessee Wesleyan and was a high school liaison for University of Georgia football. And his uncle, Hal Lamb, was his high school coach at Calhoun High School.

Even with such a prestigous pedigree, Lamb’s path wasn’t easy. Rated as a three-star prospect after leading Calhoun High School to two AA state titles, Lamb wasn’t recruited by big Power Five schools, and had to prove he was capable of playing for a smaller Division 1 college.

After committing to App

State in 2013, Lamb redshirted his first year, which he said helped him prepare for playing time and the transition from the FCS to the FBS. “The past three years it’s been crazy because I am getting recruited and get told that I can help lead us to the first bowl games ever, and first FBS Conference championships, and it’s cool now because we have done that,” Lamb said.

When “The Great One” Armanti Edwards graduated in 2009, the Mountaineers were looking for their next star quarterback. After becoming the first freshman since Edwards to become the primary quarterback, Lamb broke Edwards’ freshman season passing yards record (2,381) and touchdown passes (17).

That was just the beginning for Lamb’s App State career. During his sophomore year, Lamb set a single-season school record with 31 touch-

Lindsay Vaughn

Dec. 7, 2017

Senior quarterback Taylor Lamb running the ball to the end zone to score a touchdown during the game against New Mexico State on Oct. 7. Taylor is graduating and played his last home game at App State Dec. 2. down passes, breaking another Edwards record. He finished the season ranked third in the Sun Belt in passing yards and was named an honorable mention all-Sun Belt.

To cap it off, Lamb helped lead the Mountaineers to an 11-2 record and their first bowl victory in their first eligible season.

“We had hoped that he would be this good,” head coach Scott Satterfield said.

“Going back to his first drive against Michigan with a 96yard drive in 19 plays and a touchdown, that’s kind of been his journey. It’s been a long journey, and he has scored a lot of TDs throughout and broken a lot of records and hopefully he breaks more. He will go out a winner.”

A year later in his junior season, Lamb helped the Mountaineers win their first Sun Belt Conference title, their second straight bowl victory, another double digit win

Hayley Canal

season. He proved his worth on the ground as well, rushing for 505 yards.

Lamb quickly became a household name at App State.

His mom, Allyson Lamb, also became a fan favorite as a team photographer.

With all of this, Lamb still had doubters. While he has never had any more than nine interceptions in a season and has the most wins in the FBS just behind Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Baker Mayfield, many fans still believed he was overrated.

Having a quiet demeanor on the field, a lot of the attention went to former running back Marcus Cox or the defensive side of the ball. Lamb would often and deservingly give credit of his success to the offensive line.

“Every time Taylor gets a chance, he gives us credit,” senior offensive lineman and Lamb’s roommate, Colby Gos-

sett said. “We get to see what he is doing on the field, and we help him. We are breaking records of our own and that reflects to the way Taylor plays, and I appreciate the credit Taylor gives us.”

This past season, Lamb made his senior year one to remember. On Oct. 21 against Coastal Carolina, Lamb threw an 83-yard touchdown pass, officially breaking Edwards’ all-time record of 76 yards. A few weeks later, Lamb broke the Sun Belt all-time record of 81 yards.

On senior day against Louisiana, Lamb threw for four touchdowns, finishing his final regular season first in the Sun Belt in pass efficiency, second in touchdown passes and a 4:1 TD interception ratio.

Being a part of a memorable 19-player senior class, Lamb is one of the only few players to have spent all five years with Satterfield and has gone through every year of the

FBS transition.

“What he has been able to do in his five years is incredible,” Satterfield said. “A lot of those guys came in when I started, and for them to make that transition, to be a part of this team, to be a part of one of the most successful transitions, they’ll be missed in this program.”

Winning their second straight conference championship and having the opportunity to win one more bowl game against Toledo in the Dollar General Bowl on Dec. 23 caused Lamb not to realize that it was his final regular season game at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

“It’s extremely special to do it with this group of guys,” Lamb said. “You never think this would happen. You know you always kept your head down and worked hard, but you don’t know the results will come, and they sure came.

It’s a good way to go out for

the offense and a great game to end my career at The Rock.”

Still having one more game to go, Lamb currently has 90 touchdowns, a 34-13 record, 9,413 passing yards, 1,876 rushing yards, 11,289 yards of total offense and a career that will cement his legacy at App State.

“With guys in our history like Armanti (Edwards) and Richie Williams, he (Lamb) will be right there,” Satterfield said.

Whether he continues to play after college or fulfill one of his dreams in coaching like his father, Lamb helped usher App State football into a new era that will be remembered forever.

“It’s wild. It probably won’t hit me for a long time.

I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Lamb said. “This program is special to me. These guys are special to me. It’s funny how it’s grown from freshman to senior year, and now we are here and have rings on the way. It’s been a good time.”

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GAME DAY BOWL GAME│SATURDAY, DEC. 23│7:00 P.M. ET│LADD PEEBLES STADIUM│MOBILE, ALABAMA

APP ALACHIAN APPALACHIAN

SSTATE TATE

8-4, 7-1 SUN BELT

vs

TOLEDO 11-2, 7-1 MAC APP STATE PLAYER TO WATCH

POINTS PER GAME

33.42

UNIVERSITY OF

39.2

#11

TAYLOR

LAMB

OPPONENT POINTS PER GAME

21.92

25.6

RUSHING YARDS PER GAME

215

SIX INTERCEPTIONS THIS SEASON

217.17

PASSING YARDS PER GAME

218

RUSHING YARDS ALLOWED

147.3 166.4

153.90

27

PASSING RATING

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS

SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

App News is a service of the Division of Student Affairs. Email wilkeso@appstate.edu 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.

WHAT TO DO NEEDED! POLITICAL CARTOONISTS The Appalachian student newspaper is looking for students interested in getting their political cartoons and illustrations published.

Use your illustration talents to express your opinions and commentary on current events.

Email adviser@theappalachianonline.com for questions or interest.

DESIGN THE APPALACHIAN Want to design this paper? Email adviser@ theappalachianonline.com to express interest!

ADVERTISE IN THE APPALACHIAN Advertise your buisnesses and services to the student population of Appalachian State University while also supporting the student staff of The Appalachian! Visit http://theappalachianonline.com/advertise-with-us/ or email buisness@theappalachianonline.com with inquiries.

PLEMMONS MEDALLION NOMINATIONS

for this award. Nominations are accepted until Feb. 9, 2018 online at https://plemmonsmedallion.appstate.edu

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Join us as we continue building the 5th home on our neighborhood, GreenWood, for the Love family. You can choose to volunteer from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. to 4 p.m, or 9 a.m. to 4 p.m each Wednesday. All you need to bring is a water bottle, your lunch and a willingness to learn while helping others! We will provide the tools, materials and instructions!

Be sure to wear old clothes and old closed-toe shoes. Please call us to schedule your time today! This will take place Wednesdays at the Habitat for Humanity - Watauga County/ReStore, 1200 Archie Carroll Road, Boone, North Carolina 28607.

MENTAL HEALTH MONOLOGUE SUBMISSIONS

The W. H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion, named in honor of Dr. William H. Plemmons who served as the second president of the University from 1955 to 1969, was established by an action of the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees in 1996.The award was created to recognize the time, energy, skills and commitment of students, faculty, student development educators and staff who exceed their peers in providing leadership that enriches the quality of student life and advances the education of students.

Students and university employees are invited to nominate a student or university employee for this award.

Nominations are currently being accepted

Submit your monologue at https://orgsync. com/125469/chapter. This event will help to open up conversations about mental health on campus, reduce stigma surrounding mental health and most importantly provide a source of hope and community for those dealing with mental health issues.

Your monologue should be about half a page, single-spaced. It should have an ultimate message of hope and resiliency.

The Mental Health Monologues event will be held during Wellness and Prevention Services’ Semi-Colon Week. The event will be held on April 18 at 8 p.m.

Monologues must be submitted by Feb. 5 at 8 a.m. Please make sure your monologue follows the safe messaging guidelines for suicide prevention, available by clicking here.

THURSDAY, DEC. 7

Please note that if your monologue is selected for the event, it will be performed by a student actor. Your anonymity will be maintained unless you choose to confer with the actor performing your piece.

INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP Register on Sustained Dialogue’s AppSync portal for an inclusive workshop Feb. 2-4.

Participants who attend training Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday afternoon leave certified to moderate Sustained Dialogue Circles, one time dialogue events, as well as many other types of conversations! These skills are transferrable to club and organization leadership, communicating with advisors and supervisors and even navigating job interviews!

15 MINDFUL MINUTES Students are welcome to join Still Point’s “15 Mindful Minutes” each Thursday at 3 p.m. in 155 Tater Hill Room, PSU. Skilled meditation leaders within the Appalachian Community will engage you -- literally for 15 minutes -- in mindful practices such as breath work, mind-body integration, guided visualizations, walking meditation and silence.

Look for us on AppSync or visit stillpoint. appstate.edu.

CLIMATE STORIES COLLABORATIVE

Join us and experience student reflections on climate change in a variety of creative media— painting, sculpture, theatrical performance, videography, photography, design, narrative non-fiction and more—at the College’s HOW Space venue downtown. HOW Space is dedicated to advancing creative and collaborative student and faculty projects that engage the local community.

The event will take place Dec. 7 from 5-8 p.m. at the HOW Space. All are welcome.

Light refreshments provided.

CONDOM FASHION SHOW REGISTRATION Wellness and Prevention Services and Appalachian Popular Programming Society Presents our second annual Project Condom Fashion Show!

Sponsored by Global Protection and ONE Condoms, Project Condom is a merge between art and fashion and the promotion of safer sex for college-aged students. Based on the tv show Project Runway, teams of students will have to opportunity to create and showcase garments made entirely of condoms!

This year’s theme is “The Great Outdoors!”

The show will be held on March 21 at 7 p.m. in Parkway Ballroom. If your club/organization is interested in participating in this year’s show, please complete the registration form on AppSync by Jan. 31.

The Climate Stories Collaborative invites campus and community to a showcase of creative works produced by students enrolled in classes across the College of Fine and Applied Arts. This end-of-semester event will feature visual and performance pieces expressing climate stories—stories of those who are already affected by and/or taking action to address climate change.

CHEROKEE NATION FLAG DEDICATION

FRIDAY, DEC. 8

SATURDAY, DEC. 9

SUNDAY, DEC. 10

TUESDAY, DEC. 12

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13

THURSDAY, DEC. 14

The university community is invited to attend a benchmark historical event for Appalachian as we place the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation flag in its permanent home in the Plemmons Student Union, Dec. 6 at 11:30 a.m.

Stress Free Zone 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Solarium, PSU free

15 Mindful Minutes 3 p.m.

Tater Hill Room, PSU free

Climate Stories Collaborative 5 - 8 p.m.

HOW Space free

MONDAY, DEC. 11 Black Minds Matter

Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity

7:20 - 9:30 p.m.

RCOE 124B/C free

9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Habitat for Humanity - Watauga County/ ReStore 1200 Archie Carroll Road, Boone, NC 28607

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289 Ambling Way, Boone, NC 28607

(828)263-0100

www.universityhighlands.com