February 9, 2017

FEB.

9

2017

ONE MAN’S TRASH...

PAGES 10-11

TRANSPORTATION TO MORAL MARCH PAGE 5

NINTH ANNUAL FIDDLERS CONVENTION PAGES 6-7

OPED: TRUMP IS COMPROMISED PAGE 14

Feb. 9, 2017

THE TEAM Carl Blankenship @carl_r_blank EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITORIAL MULTIMEDIA BUSINESS

Aleah Warner @aleahwarner MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Haynes @victoriahayness CHIEF COPY EDITOR Sammy Hanf @sammyhanf NEWS EDITOR

Jacob Oller @ollerifyouhearme BUSINESS MANAGER Jordan Boles @jorddb MARKETING DIRECTOR

Olivia Wilkes @theappalachian ADVISER

Angelo Errico @angeloerrico821 OPINION EDITOR Lee Sanderlin @lee_sanderlin ENTERPRISE EDITOR

CRIME LOG CAMPUS FEB. 6

FEB. 3

11:30 a.m. | Possible sexual assault Campus Residence Hall Further investigation

1 p.m. | Vandalism Plemmons Student Union Leads exhausted

FEB. 5 1 a.m. | Possession of Marijuana Cone Hall Cleared by arrest

FEB. 4 9:10 p.m. | DWI - Alcohol and/or Drugs Rivers Street Cleared by arrest

FEB. 4 11:45 p.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol Cone Hall Cleared by arrest

FEB. 3 11:30 a.m. | Damage to Property Greenwood Lot Leads exhausted

Halle Keighton @halle_keighton PHOTO EDITOR Maleek Loyd @maleekstuff VIDEO EDITOR Braxton Coats @brxcoats22 WEB MANAGER

Katie Murawski @murawskikm A&E EDITOR Jason Huber @_jasonhuber SPORTS EDITOR

Sydney Spann @spannooo VISUAL MANAGING EDITOR

FEB. 2 11:04 p.m. | Possession of Marijuana White Hall Cleared by arrest

JAN. 28 12 a.m. | Underage Consumption of Alcohol White Hall Information report

JAN. 28 7 p.m. | Drug Violation Equipment/Paraphernalia Appalachian Heights Cleared by arrest

JAN. 27 2:05 a.m. | DWI - Alcohol and/or drugs Stadium Drive Cleared by arrest

SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

App News is a service of the Division of Student Development. 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 FREE LEGAL ADVICE The Student Legal Clinic, in Suite 324 in Plemmons Student Union, offers confidential advice, information, and referrals provided by a licensed attorney.

The attorney can meet with any currently enrolled Appalachian State student and can advise students on any issue that is not directly adverse to the university.

Make an appointment by calling 828-2628284. More information at legalclinic.appstate. edu.

W.H. PLEMMONS MEDALLION NOMINATIONS The W. H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion, named in honor of Dr. William H. Plemmons who served as the second president of the University from 1955-69, 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.

Nominations for this award will be accepted through Feb. 17 by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Development. Nominations can be submitted electronically at https://plemmonsmedallion.appstate.edu/

OUTDOOR JOBS FAIR Do you love being outside? How about spending your entire summer in the great outdoors?

Over 60 camps, conference centers, outfitters, and resorts will be represented from throughout the U.S. at this fair. This is a great opportunity to secure both summer and year round em-

ployment and internships! Spend your summer gaining skills in teaching, counseling, leading, climbing, boating and much, much more. Feb. 15 10 a.m.– 2 p.m. in Grandfather Ballroom, Plemmons Student Union.

APPALACHIAN STORY SLAM A Story Slam is an open mic storytelling competition in which participants are randomly chosen to tell a story that fits the theme in five minutes. Our theme this winter is “Love Hurts.” The Slam will begin at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16, at Crossroads in Plemmons Student Union.

Because names are chosen randomly you might not get to perform. Arrive before 7 p.m. and respond to the call for volunteers.

The Slam will be hosted by Ray Christian, ASU adjunt professor and host of the new history/current affairs podcast What’s Ray Saying?

Ray Christian is also an award-winning storyteller whose stories have been heard live on stages, podcasts, and radio across the country, including the NPR shows The Moth and Snap Judgement, and at the National Storytelling Festival Story Slam in Jonesborough, Tennessee. This event is sponsored by the Creative Writing Program. For info, contact Susan Weinberg: weinbergsc@appstate.edu.

LEADERSHIP COACH Leadership Coaching is an opportunity for you to define your current skills and enhance your leadership ability. You will meet one-on-one with your Leadership Coach on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for one hour. Our coaches are professional staff and graduate students from a variety of backgrounds. They are experienced leaders and are passionate about coaching our next generation of great leaders.

Leadership can take place in the classroom, in campus clubs and organizations, in the community or in the workplace. Any ASU student who is currently in a leadership role or is interested in enhancing their leadership abilities is eligible!

Please complete the AppSync form to express your interest in Leadership Coaching. If you have questions about Leadership Coaching, please contact Dr. Jim Street at streetjl@ appstate.edu.

APPLY TO BE APPALCORPS LEADER Calling all Mountaineers! The last day to apply to be an Appol Corps leader is fast approaching! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to grow as a leader, positively impact the lives of new Mountaineers and make lasting friendships and memories as an Appol Corps leader. Submit your application and reference by Thursday, February 16th and don’t forget to sign up for an interview (in DD Dougherty lobby) by 5 p.m. that day as well! Interviews will be conducted Feb. 20-23 from 4-9 p.m. We are looking for passionate, motivated Mountaineers who want to help welcome new students to our wonderful campus. Sign up and secure your interview time today! http://appstateorientation.wixsite.com/appolcorps

SATURDAY, FEB. 11

Career Boot Camp

Vagina Monologues

“Loving” Screening

4 - 6 p.m.

Whitewater Cafe, PSU

6:30 p.m.

Parkway Ballroom, PSU $12

7 and 9:30 p.m.

I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

“Loving” Screening

The Education Abroad Office is still accepting applications for 2017 Appalachian Faculty-Led programs as well as summer/fall/academic year partner programs. For more information about program options, deadlines, and how to get started please visit the Education Abroad web page at https://international.appstate.edu/ education-abroad.

Welcome to App State’s very first Mental Health Monologues, hosted by Wellness and Prevention Services during Semicolon Week.

We are seeking students to submit original monologues! We are asking students to share their story, an experience they’ve had with a friend or loved one, or a story that brings awareness to mental health through fiction

FRIDAY, FEB. 10

6:30 p.m.

Parkway Ballroom, PSU $12

STUDY ABROAD

MENTAL HEALTH MONOLOGUES

THURSDAY, FEB. 9

Vagina Monologues

literature (think The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath kind of fiction). This is a chance for students to share their creative works while promoting hope and awareness for mental health concerns! Our goal is to reduce the stigma of talking about mental health, and we need your help! If you have students that may be interested in submitting a monologue, please share this opportunity with them. Students must submit their pieces on the Wellness and Prevention Services AppSync page by Feb. 10 at 5 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEB. 12

“House Party (R)” Screening 7 p.m.

Greenbriar Theater $1

7 and 9:30 p.m.

I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

“Loving” Screening

MONDAY, FEB. 13

TUESDAY, FEB. 14

7 and 9:30 p.m.

I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15

THURSDAY, FEB. 16

Guided Meditation

Outdoor Jobs Fair

Appalachian Story Slam

Noon - 1 p.m.

Wellness and Prevention Services

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Grandfather Ballroom, PSU

7 p.m.

Crossroads, PSU

Blacks in Wax

African American Read-in

7 p.m.

Beacon Heights, PSU

11:30 a.m.

Belk Library

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Screening 7 and 9:40 p.m.

I.G. Greer $1 advance, $2 door

Feb. 9, 2017

TOWN OF BOONE ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR PUBLIC WI-FI ANGELA MCCLINTON NEWS REPORTER

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AACP held a press

conference to announce their participation in the Feb. 11 Moral March on Raleigh last Friday.

Todd Carter, president of the Watauga County NAACP, said there will be a free bus for Appalachian students provided.

“Everything that’s happening we’re fighting for their future,” Carter said. “If we don’t prevail the people who are gonna bear the brunt are the students, there will not be free and public education, there will not be healthcare.”

Laurel Ashton, WNC field director for the North Carolina NAACP, said the moral march is being held to foster change on local and national issues ranging from “Trumpism” to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act as well as North Carolina’s republican-dominated General Assembly and HB2.

Amy Adams, North Carolina program manager at Appalachian Voices, said she plans to join the march because of how closely linked environmental and social justice issues are.

“When you find that toxic storage dump, when you find that unsafe drink-

ing water, when you find that when they do find contamination or an issue that the cleanup goes just a little bit slower,” Adams said. “It’s communities of color and the poor [that suffer].”

Carter read a statement on behalf of Jeff Block, whose wife Debbie is confined to their home due to the side effects of radiation treatment. As her full time caregiver, Jeff’s livelihood and health insurance would be threatened by a repeal of the ACA. “We live solely on the social security disability payments that Debbie receives,” Carter read from the statement.

“We expect this to be cut by 20 percent by the new administration. I will be faced with severe choices should this be instituted. Some folks may call this moral, I call it theft from the sick and infirm.”

Carter said it’s especially important for college students to demonstrate due to the unique threat posed to students, especially minorities.

“The safety of marginalized minority students on campuses is at risk,” Carter said. “Right now campuses if they’re not enforcing HB2 are in violation of

Map that shows the Municipal Service District boundary. the law of North Carolina and HB2 is an immoral, unjust law that targets students and particularly minority students.”

Carter said students who wish to RSVP for a free seat can go to the Watauga County NAACP Branch Facebook page. There is another bus for non-students, which costs $40 per

person.

Buses are scheduled to leave from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 5:30 a.m. and will return at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11.

Marchers will begin to gather in front of the Duke Energy performing arts center at 8:30 a.m. and the march will begin at 10 a.m.

FREE SPEECH PROTEST HELD AGAINST UNIVERSITY’S CHALKING POLICY SAMMY HANF NEWS EDITOR

Y

oung Americans

for Liberty invited passersby to chalk on Sanford Mall as a means of protest against changes made to the university’s policy last semester.

The new policy, enacted last September after pro-Trump and anti-immigrant messages were written on campus, stipulates that only registered student organizations can write in chalk to promote specific events.

Nick Williams, co-president of Appalachian State Young Americans for Liberty, said he feels it’s unfair for students to lose their right to freely express themselves due to the actions of a few.

YAL members offered chalk to students and faculty walking across Sanford, encouraging them to write whatever they pleased.

“We’re just coming out here, nonpartisan, we’re allowing people to express themselves, write anything they want as long as it’s not hateful or threatening,” Williams said.

Grant Jeffrey, co-president of Appalachian State YAL, said the larger aim of the event was to change university policy regarding where people can protest without a permit as well as alter the chalking policy to be more similar

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to Ohio University’s.

“Our biggest thing was repeal anything that’s in direct conflict with the First Amendment, we think that the constitution of the United States trumps the Appalachian policy,” Jeffreys said.

JJ Brown, dean of students, said he was happy to see students exercising their First Amendment rights and was interested to see any ideas they had about the chalking policy.

The event was also inadvertently attended by some of Sanford’s itinerant preachers. Jim Thornton said that while some of the chalkings were positive he couldn’t help but wonder about the legal status of some of the cruder ones.

YAL held a similar protest last october and Williams said that the recent graffiti put the chalking policy back on the radar for them.

“I don’t think it’s directly related to this chalking policy but I also think it stands as sort of a symbol of the lack of dialogue on campus and whenever you limit student’s ability to freely express themselves you’re gonna have deviance,” Williams said.

Williams said that having the right to political speech is especially crucial right now, given the controversies sparked by the Trump administration.

While Williams said the event was

Andrew Mullins, a freshman psychology major, chalking at the Appalachian State Young Americans for Liberty Chalking for Free Speech event. The event was held to protest the university’s chalking policy. not against Trump, the president was a popular target.

Andrew Mullins, a freshman psychology major, said he was drawn to the chalked over mall as a litmus test for the campus’s mood and got a few laughs out of some of the anti-Trump messages.

Capt. Johnny Brown, with University Police, said the department had an officer on site for a while to ensure everything remained calm.

“That’s the biggest thing for me is as long as everything is calm and people are being respectful I feel like that’s the

best start and after speaking with that officer it feels like that was the case,” Brown said.

Anderson Clayton, SGA director of external affairs, said she supported the protest because she feels the current policy criminalizes chalking while failing to address the real problem, the hateful messages.

“College campuses, like I said, should be the last place where restrictive free speech policies should be because this is the place and this is the time in our lives where we should be exploring new ideas,” Williams said.

Photo Credits: Sammy Hanf

Feb. 9, 2017

WATAUGA NAACP TO BUS APPALACHIAN STUDENTS TO MORAL MARCH

Todd Carter, president of the Watauga County NAACP, at a press conference announcing the Watauga County NAACP’s participation in the Moral March on Raleigh. The March will take place on Feb. 11.

SAMMY HANF NEWS EDITOR

arlier this month,

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the Boone Town Council submitted a request for proposal for a “Downtown Public Wi-Fi Network,” which would mean free wireless internet service for all in the Municipal Service District, or downtown business area.

Globally, larger cities such as New York City, Hong Kong and Paris all have free public Wi-Fi for citizens and tourists to utilize.

Boone town manager John Ward said the council discussed public Wi-Fi during their February retreat and agreed it would be a valuable service for the town to offer.

“People hanging out in restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses will be able to plan their next activity and even obtain access to downtown events and specials at the local businesses,” Ward said. “We believe that access to information will be just as important as water, sewer and streets and that is why we are exploring this possibility.”

Many downtown business owners feel the service would boost business.

Employees and customers agree that public usage would help increase patronage to local shops.

“We don’t get a lot of people that come in,” said Allison Price, a special education major and employee at King Street Creamery. “Bald Guy Brewery [next door] gets a lot of people that come in and get a coffee, study and use the Wi-Fi but we don’t have Wi-Fi in here and we don’t get any of that traffic.

Especially during finals time, Bald Guy is packed and we don’t have that.”

Katherine Chapman, manager at Bald Guy Brewery, said it’s possible that increased Wi-Fi accessibility in other shops could reduce traffic, but said it isn’t a big worry.

“We have free Wi-Fi here. You get a password and you can access it,”

Photo Credits: Sammy Hanf

Chapman said. “We get a lot of students, a lot of people who study, do their homework, stuff like that. Or tourists traveling looking for directions or what to do in Boone. I’d definitely say it’s an advantage having Wi-Fi. I admittedly don’t know the ins and outs, but I think it would be beneficial to all of downtown to have free Wi-Fi, for sure.”

In the proposal, aspects such as monitoring activity and timed sessions are discussed. This divides the population in that the service being “free” comes at the price of lack of total privacy in browsing.

“Almost every network is monitored at some level to make sure that any illegal activity could be tracked back to a device if at all possible,” Combs said.

“I would think that this is going to be an unencrypted network, much like at a Starbucks, so unless the applications you’re using are encrypting traffic, the traffic would be potentially visible to other users.”

Juan Vazquez, a physics major and campus IT Services staff member, said that monitoring is necessary for public safety, but recommends being cautious when using public networks as they are not completely secure.

The proposal is due on March 27.

The request for proposal can be found on the council’s website, townofboone. net, and covers specific aspects from aesthetics to a coverage map.

Although ASU Information Technology has provided an advisory role on the committee through some of the process, they currently do not plan to provide material support, Combs said.

Ward said that payment for potential installation has not been finalized, but that the town council is currently working with ASU, Watauga Schools, Boone Area Chamber, Caldwell Community College and Watauga County to determine the cost.

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Feb. 9, 2017

FIDDLER’S CONVENTION CELEBRATES APPALACHIAN MUSIC

Musicians perform during the adult banjo competition in the Solarium of Plemmons Student Union.

ADRIENNE FOUTS A&E ASSOCIATE EDITOR

he ninth annual Ap-

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palachian State Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention took place Saturday, featuring traditional Appalachian music competitions, a handmade market and a luthiers’ gathering among other events.

The Fiddler’s Convention is held in Plemmons Student Union from 10 a.m.5 p.m. each year and is organized by the Appalachian Heritage Council, a part of the Appalachian Popular Programming Society. It is the biggest annual event that APPS hosts each year, drawing over 400 people from across North Carolina as well as other states, including Tennessee, Virginia and Florida.

Adult competitions in guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, string band and dance were held in the Solarium throughout the day. Performers play a chosen songusually traditional Appalachian folk and bluegrass songs such as “Cumberland Gap” on the Solarium stage in front of the audience and a table of judges.

The winners for all competitions were announced at the end of the day.

Upstairs in the Linville Falls room, youth competitions in guitar, fiddle, banjo and dance took place, as well as a competition for best original folk song open to anyone. The youth competitions are for children ages 16 and under.

However, youth can also compete in the adult competitions if they want to, and if they won first place in a youth competition the previous year, they have to compete in the adult competition, Mallory Vannoy, chairperson of the Appalachian Heritage Council and senior hospitality and tourism management major, said.

The atmosphere of the convention

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was casual, lighthearted and fun, with impromptu jam sessions popping up throughout the student union and onlookers allowed to wander in and out of competitions and events throughout the day.

“There’s definitely a solid returning group of people that come each year,” Paige Spell, member of the Appalachian Heritage Council and junior mathematics major, said. “But there’s also a bunch of new people who have never been to something like this before.”

Beside the competitions, the convention also features a handmade market in the international hallway of the student union. People from across North Carolina, as well as students at App State, reserved tables to sell their homemade goods and crafts during the convention, from handmade soap and jewelry to woodwork and barbecue sauce.

Elizabeth Nolen and Erica Baker, both senior communication sciences and disorders majors, were selling potted succulents, embroidery and artwork at their table in the handmade market.

They said that the crafts were a hobby of theirs, and that it was their second year with a table at the Fiddler’s Convention.

Another table featured soap and lotion made from goats’ milk from Dancing Goat Farms, owned by Jerry Letterman and Vicki Church in Bakersville, North Carolina. They said that they make all of their products by hand, at the farm with their 20 goats.

Upstairs in the Blue Ridge Ballroom was the luthiers’ gathering, where luthiers, or instrument makers, set up tables to display their handcrafted banjos,

The Handmade Market in the international hallway of the student union, where homemade goods and crafts were sold throughout the convention. fiddles, guitars and more.

“As you can see, most people don’t come here to sell things,” said Everrette “Buddy” Snotherly, a luthier from Todd, North Carolina. “We just enjoy talking to people, meeting the public, because most people don’t know what goes into making instruments.”

This was Snotherly’s third year at the Fiddler’s Convention. He had been working with wood since he was four years old, he said, but he started making guitars about five years ago because his grandson was into music and playing guitar. Snotherly ordered a guitar-making kit to get started.

Photo Credit: Adrienne Fouts

Feb. 9, 2017

(Left) Musicians perform for judges and an audience in the Solarium during the adult fiddle competition. (Top Right) Renowned guitar maker Wayne Henderson jamming with a young guitarist at the luthiers’ gathering. (Bottom Right) Acoustic guitars handcrafted by Everrette “Buddy” Snotherly, from Todd, North Carolina.

Rebuilt fiddles by Donald “Bud” Hinson on display during the luthiers’ gathering.

“It was probably the crappiest guitar in the world,” he said. “But I was hooked, and I started doing it seriously.”

Now, Snotherly is working on his 25th guitar, which will be sent to a client in Dallas after it is finished. Snotherly said he had been working with the client for weeks about designs to engrave on the guitar. While he sells some of his guitars, Snotherly donates others; so far he has donated three handcrafted guitars

Photo Credit: Adrienne Fouts

to App State’s classical guitar program, which are loaned to students who don’t have their own guitars.

Snotherly said he makes only three or four guitars a year, but that “Wayne over there can do the woodwork in a week,” referring to Wayne Henderson, a renowned guitar maker based in Grayson County, Virginia, who has made instruments for the likes of Doc Watson, Gillian Welch and Eric Clapton.

The Appalachian Heritage Council had been preparing for the Fiddler’s Convention since fall semester, Spell said, and preparation includes a lot of promotion, networking and referring to previous years for guidance. The council was divided into committees in charge of different aspects of the convention, such as reaching out to the media, recruiting luthiers and getting in touch with potential judges.

“A lot of people in the area are very invested in Appalachian culture,” said Lyndee Weaver, member of the Appalachian Heritage Council and junior global studies major. “We have the Appalachian Studies program here, where people can learn about the culture and even how to play the banjo or guitar, so it’s surrounding us at all times. I think that helps draw people to the convention.”

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Join.

The Appalachian student newspaper is looking for writers, photographers, videographers, illustrators, cartoonists, designers, sales representatives and more! Join a desk to gain real world experience and get published. We have software, equipment and press passes we want you to use! No experience needed.

Email managing@TheAppalachianOnline.com

Feb. 9, 2017

“Phyllis Kugler, Eat Your Heart Out” cast and crew. Opening night for the production is Feb. 9.

“PHYLLIS KUGLER, EAT YOUR HEART OUT” SHELBY FRIDAY A&E REPORTER

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or the past few weeks,

Appalachian State’s Women’s Inclusive Theater Troupe has been rehearsing for their latest play.

Written, directed and performed by Appalachian State students, W.I.T.T. is set to open “Phyllis Kugler, Eat Your Heart Out” on Feb. 9-11.

The play is set in the 1950s and centers on six diverse female boxers.

Student director and senior theater performance major TJ Lewis said these women are trying to score opportunities in the Manhattan area, but conflicting forces such as illegal immigration, prominent sexism and racism provide constant hoops for the women to jump through.

These women use boxing as a means of escaping the outside world and to overcome the forces telling them they are not good enough, Lewis said.

“It’s set in the 1950s, of course the play attacks segregation issues: [such as]gender, race,” senior theater performance major Kenny Petroski said. “It really talks about women; powerful women wanting to belong and people trying to hinder that. Those things still happen today.”

Petroski’s character, Frank, owns the boxing gym in which the women practice. Petroski said Frank sees himself as

Photo Credit: Rachael Graham

a guardian of sorts over these women.

“We’re similar, Frank and I, because we’re both nurturing, down-to-earth people who can also be hard asses,” Petroski said. “We’re different in our qualities of life. Frank can be naïve. He lives day to day. He’s a bit of a simpleton.”

Senior English major Leia Gearhart plays the Russian illegal immigrant in question, Nadezhda. She has been in W.I.T.T for only one semester, but has seen every performance they have put on.

Throughout the play, American immigration authorities are trying to track Nadezhda down and deport her. Sophomore English major Logan Frazier plays the antagonist, Raymond, who routinely checks in at Frank’s boxing gym to threaten and scare Nadezhda.

“Everybody hates Raymond,” Frazier said.

Sophomore social work major Koria Johnson plays self-proclaimed feisty boxer, Beverly, who is loyal to her friends and always stands up for what is right.

“This play definitely deals with physical and emotional girl power,” Johnson said. “Very feminist.”

Johnson’s character repeatedly comes close to trouble while standing up for her friends. Being black and a

woman, Beverly is constantly on her toes.

“It’s always a bad time to be an immigrant [in America],” Johnson said as Beverly.

Virginia Riggsbee, a sophomore theatre major, has been a part of W.I.T.T for two years. Riggsbee describes her character, Melinda, as incredibly complex. She is the “typical girly girl,” enjoying makeup and jewelry but also displaying incredible strength and toughness.

“She is very passionate about makeup,” Riggsbee said. “She has a whole monologue about how great makeup is.

We both love makeup, but she thinks appearances are the most important part about a person and I don’t. She does see the good in people’s hearts, but she really cares about what’s outside.”

The character’s complexity is part of what makes the character great, Riggsbee said.

Junior history education major Anna Allman plays a wheelchair-bound girl named Patsy. Allman has done theater since high school and though she is not studying it professionally, it is something she wants to stay close to.

“It’s something I get a lot of enjoyment and fulfillment out of,” Allman said. “I think it’s important to have a

professional and recreational life.”

Junior theater major Breanne Hollis plays Joan Matthews, a loving and gutsy female boxer also training at Frank’s gym.

Hollis said while she admires her character, she and Joan are not similar at all.

“We’re incredibly different, down to absolutely everything,” Hollis said.

The fight scenes for the production had to be precisely choreographed. Senior theater major Tyler Pope specializes in fight choreography and considers himself quite the “boxing dramaturge.”

Jaraad Samad, a senior creative writing major, is the assistant director for the play. He is in his second year with W.I.T.T. and although this is his first time assist directing, he said he would love to do it again.

The play includes people of different colors, nationalities and circumstances. Though the play is set in the 1950s, actors, writers and directors alike all agree it has a thoroughly modern, familiar feel to it.

“Phyllis Kugler, Eat Your Heart Out” was written by Appalachian State alumnus Bridget Mundy and runs Feb. 9-11. Doors open at 7 p.m. and curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. in the I.G. Greer studio theater. Admission is $5 for students and faculty and $6 for others.

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Feb. 9, 2017

These pieces were created by E. Earl with steel and plaster. The art work is hanging up in Nth Gallery and was included in the New River Art Exhibit on Feb. 3.

FIRST FRIDAY ART CRAWL OF 2017 KICKED OFF AT TURCHIN ASHLEY GOODMAN A&E REPORTER

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s a part of Boone’s

first Friday Art Crawl of the year, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts took the opportunity to celebrate four new exhibitions recently unveiled in their galleries.

The four new exhibitions included a sculpture composed of trash cleaned from the New River, organized by Appalachian State professor Tom Hansell and his graduate students, rural photography by Ken Abbott, and a collection titled “Studio Practices: Penland 9” by nine studio coordinators with the Penland School of Crafts, including handmade quilts by coordinator Susan Sharpe.

“Collective Vigilance: Speaking for the New River” features an expansive sculpture created from trash collected while cleaning the New River, a 320-mile long river stretching from the heart of the Southern Appalachians to Virginia, where it eventually joins the Kanawha and Ohio rivers to feed into the Gulf of Mexico.

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One of the oldest rivers in the world and by far the oldest in the United States, the New River is a valuable source of water for much of the Appalachia, Hansell said.

The river’s value incited the founding of New River Conservancy and its subsequent projects to restore and protect the river.

Partnering with NRC to create this art exhibit, Hansell gathered a team of graduate students, whom he taught in his seminar “Sustainability and the Arts in Appalachia.” Together, students and volunteers collected thousands of pounds of trash from the New River, some of which would be used to create this piece.

The seminar students rummaged through their findings, looking for anything important or interesting to include in the sculpture. At the Turchin Center, these unique pieces of litter were placed to represent the flow of a river, winding along the floor of the gallery room before trailing up a back wall. The sculpture included a dented doll’s head,

a refrigerator door, a tire and a miscellany of washed-out shoes.

Though the 91-foot long river of litter was composed of a confounding amount of trash, it was only a fraction of the amount of garbage collected during the multiple river clean-up operations, Hansell said.

“On one level it was fun to get outside and to work with other people to improve the environment, but on another level, it’s a little depressing to see how much junk is actually in the river,” Hansell said. “You’re finding things that are incredibly visually interesting and fascinating, but you’re also wondering what damage that’s doing to the environment or why someone would think to throw it in the river in the first place.”

The decision to repurpose the litter collected from the river was made in an attempt to start conversation about sustainability. Hansell said that the project was designed to help people think about their connection to the river, hopefully encouraging them to think before littering and honoring those who make the

decision to protect and maintain it.

Although Hansell felt as though art for art’s sake may not be able to raise awareness, he said that “when art can be done in a way that supports these movements, amplifies their voices and expresses their issues and concerns, that’s where art can help to support sustainability.”

Abbott also found a connection to nature, and to rural life, in his photo series “Useful Work: Photographs of Hickory Nut Gap Farm.” The series was composed of scenes and landscapes of daily life at Hickory Nut Gap Farm, just outside of Asheville.

Abbott found the farm while chaperoning on a field trip of his daughter’s and immediately fell in love. Abbott spent the next five years photographing life on the farm, capturing a “sense of intactness and continuity with its past that was rare and notable,” Abbott said in his artist’s statement.

Abbott often takes the time to relate his photographs to the lives of Jim and Elizabeth McClure’s, previous owners

Photo Credit: Lindsay A. Vaughn

Feb. 9, 2017

This piece was created by E Earl with steel and plaster. The art work is hanging up in Nth Gallery and was included in the New River Art Exhibit on Feb. 3. of the farm who made their home there in 1916. The captions accompanying the photos framed along the gallery’s walls included details about the McClure’s lives and history, like Elizabeth’s experiences watching Monet paint hay bales from her classroom in Giverny, France.

Artist and Penland studio coordinator Amanda Thatch found a niche similarly focused in natural living. Thatch, though she explores a number of physical mediums, especially favors the use of textiles and natural dyes.

She discovered weaving during the

Photo Credit: Lindsay A. Vaughn

course of her study at Penland School of Crafts in Bakersville, taking a comprehensive two-year study called the Core Program. Now, Thatch is creating weavings that incorporate elements of language, decorated with repetitive words, phrases and punctuation.

Thatch came into textiles after meeting teacher Catharine Ellis, who became her mentor. Her experience with book art has also influenced her, as her recent works have begun to play with and incorporate language into her weavings.

Thatch also prides herself in using primarily natural dyes. The pieces

presented in the exhibition utilized natural dyes that included weld, indigo and madder. Using natural dyes has led Thatch to learn how to grow some of her own dyes and mix ingredients and reactants to make the colors she needs.

She also uses a floor loom, which adds another element of weaving’s roots to Thatch’s work. Many of the looms at the Penland school have been used since the 1960s.

“There’s something very satisfying about knowing that I have touched and handled every inch of the thread that’s going into these processes,” Thatch

said. “And being able to use my whole body while I’m weaving, my feet and arms, both of my hands, there’s something about that full body experience that I really enjoy.”

Thatch is one of nine studio coordinators at the Penland School of Crafts whose works have been featured in the “Studio Practices: Penland 9” exhibit.

The studio coordinators collaborated with one another and the Turchin Center to create a gallery that would complement each of the coordinators’ works, though the mediums differed greatly.

Alongside Thatch’s textiles were sculptures of metal, wood and glass, as well as paintings and prints.

Another exhibit, Susan Sharpe’s “A Thousand Steps, A Thousand Stitches: Figurative Quilts,” also utilizes textiles as a primary media. Sharpe has spent decades designing and sewing narrative quilts, and organized this exhibition with the Turchin Center to celebrate her retirement.

“I just love fabric. My mother made all of the clothes that my seven sisters and I wore,” Sharpe said. “I learned to sew my own clothes by the time I was 12.”

After an education in sculpture and drawing at Appalachian State, and classes in weaving and design at the Penland School, Sharpe came into quilting, which would eventually develop into the abstract quilts she sews today, which feature landscapes and characters that capture abstract and wild narratives.

She exhibited her first semi-abstract quilt, “Self Portrait as a Robot,” with the Turchin Center at its opening when it put on a quilt show. After the exhibition, Sharpe created another quilt depicting a robot. From there the robot series was created, along with other series such as one entitled the “Leopard Sisters.”

“It just turned into this process of discovery, responding to things in my environment and finding ideas to play around with and have fun with,” Sharpe said.

The “Leopard Sisters,” a series of quilts featuring two sisters bearing cattails and tiger stripes, is one of her more extensive series and started simply with a dress she found at a thrift shop, whose striped pattern incited the creation of her part cat, part girl sisters.

“As soon as I saw the sisters with the animal features, I realized that anyone could relate to them in a different way than if they were just strictly human,” Sharpe said. “They’re something no one’s seen before so people accept them. If they were something people had seen, but weren’t what people thought they ought to be, they may have not been accepted in the same way.”

Sharpe plans to continue quilting and intends to expand upon the “Leopard Sisters” quilt series. She is currently planning a quilt in which the Leopard Sisters skate to church, sharing a pair of skates and linking arm and arm.

All four of these exhibits will be available for public viewing in the coming months, and two new exhibits, the 14th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition and “Pieces of the Puzzle,” an exhibition of Turchin’s educational outreach program, will be unveiled on March 3.

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Feb. 9, 2017

(Left) Senior Alex Tanner was the winner of the John Foster West Scholarship. (Right) Marie Kittle was the winner of the Marian Coe Scholarship.

JOHN FOSTER WEST AND MARIAN COE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED ASHLEY GOODMAN A&E REPORTER

T

he 2016-17 winners

of the John Foster West and Marian Coe creative writing scholarships were announced by Appalachian State’s English department on Jan 18.

The John Foster West Scholarship was named in honor of the founder of creative writing at Appalachian and is awarded annually to an App State student for submissions of poetry. This year, the scholarship winner was Alex Tanner, a senior psychology major.

The Marian Coe Scholarship was named in memory of esteemed fiction writer Marian Coe and is awarded annually as well, recognizing students’ works in prose. This year’s winner was junior English major Madelyn Kittle.

The two scholarship winners were announced with commendations from English chair Carl Eby and commentary by Vivian Shipley, the final judge for both scholarships. Shipley is the Connecticut State University distinguished professor and has been esteemed with numerous awards, including being nominated for the Pulitzer prize.

John Foster West competition winner Tanner has been writing spoken word and poetry since high school, and was formerly the president of App’s Spoken Word Club. Their journey has since, however, moved them away from spoken word and more into written poetry.

After periods of restlessness, Tanner left the “effusive nature” of their works as a spoken word writer in favor of modern and “less acceptable” poetry before finally settling into writing poems which they now feel “weren’t as much of a puzzle but were still satisfying and enjoyable.”

Although Tanner’s poetic style has changed, their writing has become and remained secondhand for them.

“If it were just a hobby or something I was doing for myself, I would drop it immediately,” Tanner said. “But it doesn’t feel like a choice really, there isn’t much of a ‘why’ really, it just is an

Photo Credit: Ashely Goodman

established fact at this point.”

Since beginning writing, Tanner has used writing workshops and reading circles to develop some of their closest friendships on campus and to develop their own voice and perspective. They hope to carry their experiences with writing into human rights work and freelance journalism, though they are sure that poetry will carry on somewhere throughout their future.

Tanner said writing “forces you to exercise your understanding in places where you’re weak.”

“It helps me to grow in that sense,” Tanner said. “Finding things I do empathize with well enough to not have to push it and things I don’t understand and being able to dive into those places in a comfortable, secluded space.”

The writer work shopped their submissions for the John Foster West scholarships in a creative writing class, led by professor Joseph Bathanti, which they actually shared with the two runner ups for the award, Sarah Jeter and Austin Berry, both seniors majoring in English at Appalachian. Among other students, the three winners work shopped their poetry together before submitting for the scholarship.

Tanner was surprised to know that three students from their class had all won the award, but was happy to see some “concrete affirmation of the fact that we had been doing something together.”

Tanner attributed some of the success of their submissions as well as their growth as a writer to the opportunity to workshop in such settings.

“If you’re writing and read what you’ve written, you see all of the resonance that has within your own head,” Tanner said. “So it’s very easy to not pick up on the fact that you haven’t actually written some part of that. If you’ve written something of your own and see all the places where it connects that haven’t necessarily been written down, then you haven’t written a poem yet.”

Tanner said they felt workshopping

poetry with other people allows for broader insight and uncovers areas that deserve to be divulged into further.

Their poems are described by judge Vivian Shipley as “compelling because they are so physical and involve all of the senses” in her final commentary, released with the winners’ public announcement.

“Tanner manages to achieve an impressive sense of the solitude of the speaker and, yet, a sense of yearning to connect in an emotionally intimate way is present in every line,” Shipley wrote.

“Tanner’s poems cannot be sailed out into the night. They will return to you again and again like a boomerang.”

Kittle felt her recognition with the scholarship symbolized acceptance upon transferring to Appalachian.

“I’m 27 and a transfer student. Last semester was my first semester here at App,” Kittle said. “So it really felt like validation because I was out of school for a really long time and then I finally got myself back into school, so I’ve been working towards this for a really long time, this goal of being a published author eventually.”

Kittle has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Growing up, Kittle didn’t have a television. She relied on her mother’s weekly library trips to stock up on new books and magazines, which led her to American Girl magazine and the many writing contests it held.

“I would always try to write for those but I’d never end up submitting,” she said.

In fact, she only completed her submission in a writing class at Caldwell Community College, where she was asked to write a short story of one or two pages. Kittle went well beyond the requirements.

“There had been a period in my life where I had just let everything go downhill,” Kittle said. “It was a period in my life where I didn’t really care about anything, where I didn’t care

about anything that was of worth. So when I finally got myself back into college, I had that assignment where I took something that I had started writing in high school and completed it. It [ended up being] about 16 pages long.”

She has continued to overachieve, not stopping her writing since.

The short story Kittle submitted for the scholarship, “Chasing Ghosts,” is a now 45 page novella about the drug overdose of Kittle’s cousin.

“It’s about struggling: the struggle of who you are when you’re addicted, when you have addictions, and the struggle to survive and to stay alive,” Kittle said. “It’s about learning to accept people for who they are and what they do.”

Much of Kittle’s writing is at least semi-nonfictional, as Kittle said she often uses her writing to process things that happen in her actual life. Writing about her cousin’s death, and her uncle’s within the same story, helped Kittle to grieve the loss of her loved ones and turn her pain into a positive message to future readers.

“In showing why a character gives in to the need for a needle that stings, for the high that bring a vision of a dead grandmother or father, she accepts humanity as it is and at times find reason to embrace and celebrate moments of communion,” Shipley wrote about “Chasing Ghosts.”

Only 25 pages at the time she submitted it, Kittle has continued working on the piece since winning the award, now at 45 pages and turning into a novella.

Kittle wants to continue the piece both to find catharsis after her cousin’s death and to help others cope with addiction and loss through her experiences.

“The best thing about being a writer is having your work draw an emotional response from another human being,” Kittle said. “Whether its laughter or tears, having the ability to create an emotional response in someone else, it really is so rewarding.”

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Feb. 9, 2017

THE MARK POWELL STORY SHELBY FRIDAY A&E REPORTER

ark Powell is an

M

English professor only in his second semester at Appalachian State, and his students already feel as though they have grown as individuals and writers by taking his classes.

Since his writing career began, Powell has had five novels, one novella, multiple fiction and nonfiction stories published and is in the process of writing his sixth novel.

App State’s English department chair Carl Eby remembered the time Powell came and gave a teaching demonstration in front of the board.

“I was really impressed,” Eby said.

“Not just by how he talked about teaching creative writing, but at the ways in which he got his students to read literature with a writerly eye.”

After eight years teaching at Stetson University in central Florida, Powell began his career with Appalachian in August 2016 after moving to Boone with his wife and children.

“My wife and I grew up in the southern Appalachian Mountains and we wanted to move back to that region and raise our children here,” Powell said.

“This just looked like a great job and a great place to be.”

Powell said nothing made him decide to be a writer, he was always compelled to be one. It was the only thing he could ever see himself doing.

Powell has a number of favorite books, but one book came to mind that sparked his love of writing. “Suttree” by Cormac McCarthy was the first book that Powell read that blew him away.

“It was so powerful,” Powell said. “I would love to be able to do something like that.”

Powell said he draws much of the inspiration for his novels from his real life experiences.

“I think all writers do,” Powell said.

“All writers, whether they admit it or not; it’s the world they experience filtered through. It may not be consciously the world in which you live, but certainly it seeps into it. Writing is a response, a way to make sense of your life.”

Powell’s teaching style has been described as unique, exceptional and inclusive of all students in the class.

Junior creative writing major Claire Brown took creative writing prose with Powell in fall 2016. Brown said the way he had his classroom arranged with the desks in a circle helped her enjoy her experience as his student.

“It made him feel like less of a superior and more of a peer,” Brown said. “It was very comforting.”

Brown said students past and present alike felt welcomed and heard under Powell’s guidance. She said he is a passionate teacher dedicated to helping his students succeed.

Brown said she felt very out of her

Photo Courtesy

Mark Powell at the Booksellers Expo in Minneapolis where he represented his publisher Tyrus/Simon and Schuster. comfort zone going into a prose class, but said all criticism given by Powell was solely constructive.

She said she never felt torn down without being built up in some other way. She thought he was a great professor especially for people who don’t consider themselves fiction writers.

“I never felt like I had anything good enough to say to be a fiction writer,” Brown said. “But I learned from my experience in his class that writing prose is just another way of self expression.”

Freshman biology major Shannon Donnelly has only just started her class with Powell and can already tell he is a hardworking, dedicated teacher.

“We just started analyzing each other’s stories, but he gives excellent feedback and is very nice,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly highly recommends him to all incoming students, English majors and other.

Brown said she felt more fulfilled and confident in her writing after leaving his classroom and that by giving each stu-

dent the chance to speak his or her mind Powell makes the classroom a much less threatening environment.

Powell’s fifth published novel is titled “Echolocation” and hits bookstores on June 2.

Ron Rash, New York Time’s bestselling author of “Above the Waterfall” wrote, “[‘Echolocation’ is] a beautifully written, disturbing portrait of Americans searching for meaning in a violent, fragmented world. What a marvelous novel this is.”

13

CLAWING THE PANTHERS FEB.11 | SATURDAY | 3:30 PM | HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER

BY COLT JENSEN

Game Notes: After a rough start to conference play that included six consecutive conference losses, the Mountaineers will

look to rebound and use their home court advantage to get back on track, and start a run for a place in the conference tournament.

History: This is the second meeting this season between the Mountaineers and Georgia State Panthers. Earlier this season the Panthers gained their fifth Sun Belt conference win by defeating the Mountaineers 83-72 in Atlanta. Last season, the Mountaineers and Panthers split the conference series 1-1 with each team winning their home game. All time, Georgia State leads the series 4-3.

GET SHABAZZ GOING: In all of Appalachian State’s wins or most competitive losses, Ronshad Shabazz, the Sun Belt’s third leading scorer, has scored at least 15 points. Shabazz’s scoring has been up and down lately. He recently had a game where he scored 33 and then scored only six the next game, but when he’s going, Shabazz can be a headache for any opposing coach. Teams are starting to take notice, and to double team Shabazz. If Shabazz, who plays lots of minutes for the Mountaineers, can continue to be a steady focal point of Mountaineers offense throughout the game the Apps will have a much improved chance of winning this conference match at home versus the Panthers.

MOUNTAINEER REBOUNDING:

The Mountaineers have rebounded well this season, and appear to have a slight size advantage over Georgia State. If the Mountaineers can use their size to crash the offensive class and create second chance opportunities, this could help Appalachian overcome their near worst in conference shooting percentage, and level the field as they play the best shooting team in the conference in Georgia State. The Mountaineers will also need to keep Georgia State off the offensive glass to avoid giving their high percentage offensive more shots. In short, the Mountaineers must crash the offensive glass to create second chance scoring opportunities and secure defensive rebounds to avoid damaging second chance points to better their chances against the Panthers.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE:

Despite ranking second in the conference in assists per game, Mountaineers have lost the turnover battle in five of their last six losses. The Mountaineers have been giving up lots of points off turnover, so they need to minimize turnovers.

On Saturday the turnover battle will be more key than ever because the Mountaineers will be without starting freshman point guard Kelvin Robinson who has been suspended. Appalachian has struggled without Robinson who has also been out for the last six games because of an injury. If freshman Patrick Good, junior Jake Babic, who is starting in Robinson’s place, and all Mountaineers can keep the turnovers to a minimum, and share the ball efficiently, things should roll Appalachian’s way Saturday.

GEORGIA

6-16, 1-10 Sun Belt

STATE 16-8, 9-2 Sun Belt

POINTS PER GAME

74.6 76.4

GAME’S KEY PLAYER

#10

REBOUNDS PER GAME

37.6

34.8

TURNOVERS PER GAME

13.6 15.6

42.9%

7.9 POINTS PER GAME

PATRICK

GOOD 3-POINT SHOOTER

DOWNING THE EAGLES FEB. 9 | THURSDAY | 7 PM | HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER

BY COLT JENSEN

Game Notes: App State women’s basketball finished the 2015-16 season with a 10-20 record and clinched a Sun Belt conference tournament spot.

History: The Mountaineers played the Eagles only a few weeks ago on Jan. 21, with Georgia Southern eking out a 53-50 win that started a difficult stretch of games for the mountaineers, who went 1-3 in their next four games.

FREE THROW SHOOTING:

The Mountaineers are a team that can get to the free throw line a lot during the course of a game, and they have had games where their team free throw percentage was in the upper 80s. However, in many of the Mountaineers conference losses they have struggled both to get to the line, and to convert free throw shots. If Appalachian gets to the line often, and is able to convert on those chances it is likely the Mountaineers will be in a good position.

REBOUNDING:

MADI STORY:

Appalachian currently ranks second in the Sun Belt in rebounding, and is facing a team, in Georgia Southern, that ranks near the bottom of the conference in rebounds allowed. If the Mountaineers, with the help of senior center Ashley Bassett-Smith and freshman Bayley Plummer, can secure lots of boards then the Mountaineers will be able to control the pace of the game, and add to their second chance opportunities on offense.

Look for the rebounding battle to play a large role for the Mountaineers.

After a slow start to her senior season, Madi Story has upped her scoring and rebounding, and become a valuable asset to the Mountaineers. She has registered several double-doubles in the last few games, and is living up to her preseason all-conference status. If Story can continue her recent success against Georgia Southern this should take pressure off teammates Bria Carter, Q Murray and Joi Jones and allow the Mountaineers to lead a balanced scoring attack that could lead them to victory.

GEORGIA

SOUTHERN 9-13, 4-7 Sun Belt

10-12, 6-5 Sun Belt

POINTS PER GAME

62.7

61.8

OPPONENTS PPG

66.2

62.2

FIELD GOAL %

.372

.370

GAME’S KEY PLAYER

JOI

#10 JONES 13.6

POINTS PER GAME

4.9 REBOUNDS PER GAME

Feb. 9, 2017

App State’s Randall Diabe takes the Moc’s Clay Dent to the mat to prevent an escape.

FRESHMAN PHENOMS FIND THEIR HOME JOHN ROBERTSON SPORTS REPORTER

J

ust west of St. Louis,

Missouri, 684 miles away from Boone, sits Holt High School, home to App State freshmen wrestlers Colby Smith and Gavin Londoff.

The two men from Missouri have emerged on the scene this season quicker than most freshmen competing in Division 1. The two have combined for 32 wins on the season and started nearly every match for the No. 16 ranked Mountaineers.

Smith and Londoff first met at a junior wrestling club in Missouri, the one Smith’s dad was the head coach.

Smith, Londoff and a few other friends began getting really close with each other through wrestling together.

“Our families are really close,” Smith said. “We’ve been like brothers since seventh or eighth grade.”

Had it not been for the Smith family, Londoff explains that he probably wouldn’t be the nearly wrestler that he is today.

“Colby’s dad was the coach at the pee wee club where I first started,” Londoff said. “I usually wrestled Colby a lot. He’s probably the main reason I’m where I am today. Because he’s always been good and I was just starting out and he just kept pushing me.”

Londoff and Smith became dynamic

16

wrestlers and went on to excel on the mat as they went through high school.

Smith tallied a 193-11 high school record on his way to earning three 4A state championships and Missouri’s most valuable wrestler in 2016.

Londoff managed to earn all-American honors during his junior and senior season.

Head coach John Mark Bentley first discovered the two when he went on a recruiting trip to a super 32 tournament looking for a 149-157 pound wrestler.

“We saw Gavin wrestle and really liked what we saw,” Bentley said. “As we were looking into him we found out that he had a teammate who was also at the tournament. Both of them placed.”

Receiving looks from a couple other schools, Londoff took interest in Appalachian State. Shortly after Bentley showed interest, he and Smith came on a visit to Boone.

“I was looking at a couple different schools but they convinced me to take a visit here and I immediately fell in love with it,” Londoff said.

Despite the attention from App State, Smith was showing interest in Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix, Arizona.

“We talked to Colby’s dad for a brief moment but at that point Colby had already taken a visit to Grand Can-

yon University,” Bentley said. “We got a commitment from Gavin and brought both of them out for visits. After their visit, we signed Gavin, but Colby committed to GCU.” Around March of last year, Grand Canyon dropped their wrestling program due to financial losses. After hearing the news, Bentley instantly extended his invitation back out to Smith.

“After he got a release we immediately reached out to him,” Bentley said.

“We kind of got him on a rebound but having that connection with both of them is kind of how it all went down.”

Smith has posted a dominant 22-7 record during his freshman season on the mat, leading the team in the win column while climbing up the rankings to No. 21 in the nation in the 133 pound division.

Londoff is wrestling at the 157-pound weight class, facing some of the nation’s toughest wrestlers. He showcased his talents when No. 16 nationally ranked Joey Moon of North Carolina visited Varsity Gym. Londoff earned the 5-2 decision over the ranked senior in perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the season.

“These guys have been huge for us and they have played integral parts in our dual meet wins,” Bentley said. “As true freshmen, to be able to step into a

Division 1 line up, especially as tough as our schedule is and be competitive.

I think that is a testament to the kind of young men they are.”

The two standout freshman are playing a huge role in the record-breaking season that the Mountaineers are in the midst of. The Black and Gold are 12-2 as a team and 6-0 in conference.

They have managed to take down three “Power 5” opponents and two nationally ranked schools.

The bond being shared by the undefeated Mountaineers is playing a huge part of their success. With the variety of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors on the team, their chemistry is impressive.

Smith and Londoff have been two pieces to the puzzle all season, fitting in better than they imagined. They have grown closer with each other since they have been in college, found a home in Boone and family amongst the team.

“We were close in high school but since we’ve got to college, it’s been a whole new level,” Londoff said. “The bond on the team is incredible and I consider these guys my brothers. I don’t think there is another team like this on any other campus and I consider this my home as much as I do my home back in Missouri.”

Photo Credit: Chris Deverell

Feb. 9, 2017

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

Sophomore pitcher Colin Schmid winds up for the pitch during the home game against the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

TAYLOR STORY SPORTS REPORTER

I

n all sports, every play-

er has one role they specialize in. Years of training can be spent on honing a player’s skills so that they can be the best at that respected position.

App State baseball’s Colin Schmid, a sophomore from New Bern, North Carolina, is already looking to make his mark in his time spent at App State.

After being a part of one of the youngest pitching staffs in the country last year, in which 52 of the 54 games were started by freshmen, Schmid was atop the team in key categories including first in strikeouts, second in ERA, first in games started and second in innings pitched.

“He stopped being a freshman for his last eight or nine starts last season,” assistant and pitching coach Justin Aspegren said. “He didn't pitch like a freshman, so now we’re trying to roll with that he’s used to the work loads.”

Going along with an impressive resume for a freshman pitcher, Schmid was also in the top five on the team in eight key batting statistics. He posted a .285 batting average, good for third on the team, a .401 slugging percentage and 39 hits.

“I’m probably better as a pitcher,” Schmid said. “But I still hit and do all the other things other guys do too, but I try to be the best I can at both.”

This attitude is something that sets Schmid apart from other collegiate baseball players: a good work ethic that allows him to play two roles and play them well.

“You have to have a superior work ethic,” Aspegren said. “He started on opening day in the three hole in the lineup and then he was pitching the Sunday game against

Old Dominion.”

Collegiate baseball requires a lot more training in throughout the week, and some of the smallest things have to be worked on to keep up a strong, consistent level of baseball.

“The amount of work that’s required to be a collegiate starter and then to do it over 54 games as opposed to being a two-way guy in high school and playing 30,” Aspegren said. “There’s a substantial amount of work that these guys have never done.”

Something that is different from last season is an almost entirely new coaching staff headlined by head coach Kermit Smith. With Smith not seeing Schmid play last year, his usage might vary this season.

“He’s very gifted on the mound and that’s something we have to balance,” Smith said. “He has ability and adds some depth in the left-handed spot in the lineup and that’s something we're going to look to utilize as much as we can but we have to be careful, especially early on in the season, not to overdo what he’s doing.”

To try and combat that potential fatigue that might set in over the course of a season, the coaches decided to give Schmid a position change while he is not pitching.

“We moved him to first base to try and eliminate some of that wear and tear,” Smith said. “He will have the ability to be a designated hitter for us or pinch hit, but like I said, we don’t have many left-handed options at the plate so that’s going to give us the ability to utilize him a little bit.”

Now with a full year starting under his belt, Schmid looks to bolster the Mountaineers rotation and batting order. Schmid’s newfound experience and ability looks to lead App State forward into a great season.

File Photo and Graphics Credit: Nora Smith

17

Feb. 9, 2017

FROM PROJECT TO PLAYMAKER

Freshman forward Isaac Johnson prepares to shoot free throws during the game against UTA. TYLER HOTZ SPORTS REPORTER

G

etting on a nickname

basis can be a sign of growing closer to another person, especially if that person is your head coach. Freshman forward Isaac Johnson has had nicknames in the past, but none have been so short, yet meant so much to his basketball career.

“Instead of saying Isaac, it’s ‘Ike’ because it makes it quicker,” head coach Jim Fox said. “It’s a New York thing I guess.”

Coming in at 6 foot 9 inches tall and 212 pounds, the freshman has been an athletic force all throughout his life. In middle school, Johnson began attending Providence Day School in Charlotte, which is known for its athletics.

Beginning his high school career, Johnson excelled as a track athlete. Dominating in the 200 meter dash, 110 and 300 meter hurdles and the high jump, he helped lead his team to four straight NCISAA 3A state titles.

During his senior year Johnson individually brought home first place at the state championships in the 110 meter hurdles and high jump. He also finished second in the 300 meter hurdles and sixth in the 200 meters.

Picking up accolades along the way was nothing new for Johnson’s immediate family. All had been involved in track and field, and Johnson’s mom even coached her son in the high jump.

Johnson’s father, Ronnie Johnson, also played football for the Chicago Bears.

Though continuing to impress on the track, Johnson was holding out hope for his true love: basketball. Picking up the game later than most, the athletic forward began making his presence known on the basketball court.

Averaging 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds his senior year, schools began to court Johnson. It also did not hurt that the Chargers finished 30-3, placing 16th in the nation with a lopsided state championship victory.

From that state championship team, three players, including Johnson, played college basketball this season. While

18

exposure for all three of the basketball stars was high, Johnson’s decision was weighing his love for basketball against his sheer talent in track.

“I chose basketball because I began to fall in love with it over the years, and I have been doing track all my life since I was a little boy,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to try to get away from track, I wanted to play basketball.”

Deciding that basketball was going to be his road to college, Johnson became a target for what player he could become later in his college career. Trying to boost the athleticism in his front court positions, Fox saw a golden opportunity.

From Fox’s days at Davidson, the now head coach surprisingly did not recruit much in the Charlotte area. That all changed, however, when Fox stumbled upon Stephen Curry while at Davidson and citing like we all know now that he “turned out to be pretty good.”

After hearing about Johnson, Fox decided to return to Charlotte to watch Johnson in person. Johnson did not disappoint, prompting Fox to eventually give Johnson a scholarship offer. “[With] Providence Day being in Charlotte, I was able to get down there and watch him,” Fox said. “The biggest thing is that a guy with potential is based on how hard does he work and how much does he want it, because if you have potential and don’t want it, then you’re never going to realize it.”

With the scholarship offer on the table, Johnson made an official visit within one week of national signing day, ultimately committing to the Mountaineer program before leaving campus.

“I sold him on one, we’re going to kick his butt and make him better, and two, we sold him on the fact that we could use his versatility,” Fox said. “I just thought Ike was a great all-around athlete who wanted to play basketball and was committed to getting better.”

Johnson would also join forward Zach Cottrell, guard Patrick Good and guard Kelvin Robinson to round out the freshmen signed to this past year’s recruiting class. Robinson also had offers

for another sport, declining a football scholarship from Arkansas to play basketball in Boone.

“I had high expectations for him coming in like I do for every freshman class,” junior forward Griffin Kinney said. “This is a system where they can play, and a lot of them knew that from the beginning.”

Finishing up high school, Johnson soon began to prepare for the start of his college basketball journey. Traveling with his App State teammates to Europe before the season, Johnson got some exposure to the rough style of basketball unique to college basketball played in the United States.

Kicking off this season, Johnson got to see some familiar faces, both in the crowd and on the court. Following an early season defeat at the hands of Davidson, the Mountaineers traveled to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers, where Johnson had one of his former high school teammates waiting for him on the court.

Grant Williams and Josh Howard both were close friends of Johnson’s who moved onto the next level. Williams signed with Tennessee and Howard signed with Brown.

“It was fun and weird because I have been playing with him for four years on the same team, and now [I was] playing against him,” Johnson said. “To go to his house, and play against Tennessee, was real fun and a great experience too.”

After the Tennessee game, the freshman forward still was not seeing much of the court, averaging under 16 minutes per game. Returning to his hometown, he finally saw the breakthrough that he and his coaches were looking for, totaling a then season high of 24 minutes.

Scoring 12 points and bringing down 10 rebounds, Johnson notched the first double-double of career against the 49ers. Though ultimately falling to Charlotte, Johnson showed off not only for his family in the crowd, but also his coaches on the bench.

“It meant a lot to me because that was the beginning of when I knew what

I could do for this team and help us succeed this year,” Johnson said. “I have to keep that in my mind to show people what I can do and show the coaches that I need to be on the court to help the team.”

Since his game against Charlotte, Johnson has seen an increase in minutes, ultimately leading to an uptick in his production. At this point in the season, Johnson leads the team in both rebounds and steals, including nine games where he has led the team in rebounds.

In conference play, Johnson averages over 21 minutes per game. While only playing around a half per game, coaches want Johnson to help his team in another area: leadership.

With the App State roster consisting of only three upperclassmen, coaches have implored younger players to take a more vocal role.

“As a freshman, I have to get out of my comfort zone because [sometimes] I just sit there and say I am going to let my upperclassmen leaders do more of the talking,” Johnson said. “As a freshman who plays, I need to show that I can do more than just play.”

So far on the season, three App State freshman have played over 20 minutes per game in conference play, including Good and Robinson falling inside the top five in average minutes played per game in Sun Belt play.

Struggling to get a foot in the door, this year’s App State team has fallen to 1-9 in conference. Though this year’s team has struggled, many of its young players have made their presence known.

For one freshman, playing college basketball was a dream that came true.

Getting closer to his teammates and head coach, “Ike” Johnson will continue to develop into the player Fox bet on less than a year ago.

“He will be a force for four years here, and he could end up leaving Appalachian with 1000 career points,” Kinney said. “He’s going to have to take the reins on the team early once some of these upperclassmen are gone, and it’s his team [if] he wants it to be.”

Photo Credit: Halle Keighton

Feb. 9, 2017

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS COMPROMISED

I

t’s no surprise that

President Donald Trump has proven to be quite the controversial president.

From those he chooses to advise him, to the questionable executive orders he has signed, Trump tends to incite fierce debate.

And for good reason. Trump holds many worrying beliefs, however, one of the most troublesome issues with him is not his beliefs but his foreign ties and financial debts.

Trump has still not divested himself of his business holdings (an impeachable offense, but that isn’t relevant).

The problem with this, according to Mother Jones, is that many of Trump’s properties are heavily mortgaged.

Not only this, but in total, Trump owes a combined total of $713 million through 16 loans to various national and international financial institutions.

The biggest of these, a massive $364 million debt, is owed to the Deutsche Bank, a German-based bank.

This does not include the three partnerships that Trump is a part of that, according to the New York Times, owe a combined total of $2 billion.

Suffice to say, Trump owes a lot of debt to a lot of people, but that’s only one side to his worrying ties.

The other side are his foreign ties, specifically to Russia and its Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Despite Trump saying in a tweet that he has “NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA,” and that he has “NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTH-

Q Russell is sophomore journalism major from Charlotte, North Carolina ING,” this is known to be false.

According to Politico, Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., has been recorded as saying that Russian business makes up a significant portion of Trump’s business dealings.

Additionally, according to the Washington Post, Trump agreed to hold the 2013 Miss Universe contest in Russia. After the contest, Trump is recorded as mingling with many of the Russian elites with Trump saying that “almost all of the oligarchs were in the room.”

And then there’s the Steele Papers, an extensive dossier compiled together by, as the New York Times states, a respected former British spy named Christopher Steele.

This paper, a collection of information gathered on President Trump by Steele, detail two different Russian operations with two very different goals.

The first of these is to gather “kompromat,” or compromising information on Trump, and the other is through de-

veloping business relations with him.

The former operation is certainly more known to the public than the latter, with the former surrounding the alleged dossier pinning Trump with prostitutes in Moscow that caused a clamor several weeks ago.

It is the latter operation that does not seem to garner as much of the public eye, primarily as it doesn’t seem as outrageous.

This operation centered around the Russian state oil company Rosneft, one of the largest of its kind in Russia.

In an article from Business Insider, it is said that the CEO of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, offered Trump and his team a 19 percent stake in the company in exchange for lifting the oil sanctions on Russia.

This deal was put on the table in mid-October when it was assumed that Trump would not win the presidency, but on Dec. 7, the company signed a deal to sell 19.5 percent of the company’s shares.

Now this could seem like a coincidence, maybe after the deal was called off, but another buyer came forth immediately and went through the long process to handle the deal by the Dec. 7 sale date.

But consider that there doesn’t seem to be any way to track down who actually owns the 19.5 percent of Rosneft.

Reuters did a comprehensive check of the financials behind the deal and found that the deal could be traced back through several shell companies and offshore accounts.

As circumstantial as this may be, this move coincides with an article from the Independent detailing Trump’s decision to loosen sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama in 2015, in response to Russian hacking.

And then there’s the phone call, on Jan. 28, the White House issued a press release detailing an hour long conversation between the president and Putin.

The release states that they talked about various issues, however no specifics of the call have been released as of the writing of this article.

With all of that said, it is very clear that Trump has been compromised and does not have the best interests of the public in mind.

Whether it be his immense debts or his ties to Russia, Trump cannot be trusted in his capacity as president.

When deciding between big financial institutions and the people, he’ll have the enormity of his debts held over him, swaying his decisions and clouding his judgment.

Should it be true that he is now the owner of the 19.5 percent share of Rosneft, it can be said that Putin has effectively bought the President of the United States.

Trump is compromised, his interests and his presidency have been bought and sold at the expense of the people.

He may be a servant, but he is no public servant, he is a dog at the beck and call of his masters, and it is the American people who will suffer.

COPING WITH A LOVED ONE’S ADDICTION

D

rug Addiction has

been on the rise for several years now and according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse it doesn’t appear to be stabilizing – much less lowering – anytime soon.

I have witnessed the mental and physical effects of drug abuse first hand, and, as I would imagine, many reading this can say the same.

Being close to a drug addict is like walking a bridge that can break beneath your feet at any given time.

It’s the push-pull effect. One minute they couldn’t be any happier to be surrounded by your presence, and the next they don’t want you anywhere near them.

Their actions and patterns of behavior are unpredictable.

Not only do they destroy themselves, but they can, and most likely will, be destructive toward you.

I grew close to a recovering heroin addict who relapsed with opioid pills, specifically Oxytocin and Hydrocodone.

His sober persona made him seem like one of the sweeter, more charismatic men I had encountered.

He was well-rounded appearing ambitious, charming, intelligent, active, kind and caring.

Cassidy Chambers is sophomore political science major from Hendersonville, North Carolina Opposite of that, his addict personality proved him to be callous, lazy, manipulative and highly insensitive.

Someone who uses can have some very consequential effects on the ones they are closest too.

One of the bigger effects they can have on you is they begin to consume your whole life. You may start to find yourself waking up nervous every morning just to hear that they made it through the night.

It’s not even that your sole worry is if they overdosed.

You worry that they had an accident, got into a nasty fight with someone, a car accident or even tangled themselves up in a legal matter that would change everything.

The worries start off small then the snowball effect happens, until all you can think about is if they’re okay, or being honest with you.

Being close to a drug addict is watching them go lifeless in a matter of minutes.

It’s losing the valuable social component to the relationship you had with that person.

In the middle of a conversation, you look over and find that they’ve nodded off and even if you nudge them they won’t wake up.

It’s understanding that without a doubt they are going to lash out at you, often.

They become unstable in their emotions and start to pick at the little things about you that just drive them berserk.

It’s common to take their harsh criticism to heart, and to start obsessing over what it is you’re doing that’s wrong.

I suggest not taking this path. Rather, take what they say with a grain of salt, and move on.

Drug addicts tend to be volatile and unstable people whose opinion of you may shift dramatically by the next time you see them.

The biggest struggle of being close to someone who suffers from a drug addiction is learning how to handle the

inevitable lies and deception that will come with it.

According to Psychcentral, an addict will do everything in their power to preserve the addiction and lying is a way of doing just that.

At some point, an addict will be aware of the pain he/she has caused on another, thus they begin to avoid reality.

By creating alternate logical “truths,” they’ve provided themselves with a defense mechanism to help oppress their guilt.

If you’re in a situation dealing with a drug addict, whether it be a relative, significant other or close friend, my strongest piece of advice to you is to take care of yourself and always put yourself first.

You could bend over backwards trying to help them, and unless they want help they’ll never accept yours.

Instead, it’ll push them farther from you.

Though it can be nearly impossible to break from someone who’s struggling, sometimes it is what’s best, even if it’s just temporary.

Don’t dwell on the sober version of that person you miss so dearly, instead accept who they are now and that they aren’t willing to change at this time – and remember, it’s not your fault.

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