The Appalachian
November 6, 2020
North Carolina Candidates GOP
Donald Trump* Joe Biden
DEM
Jo Jorgensen
LIB
Votes
Percentage
2,732,084
50.1%
2,655,383
48.7%
47,215
0.9%
An estimated 94% of votes have been counted as of Thursday night. *Incumbent
LEAD / WON Biden
Trump
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
No vote
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
Here’s what happening in the North Carolina election
Moss Brennan | Political Editor
Millions of people in the United States exercised their Constitutional right and cast their ballots for local, state and federal officials Tuesday. As of tHURSDAY evening, there are still questions as to who will be the next president and when results will be finalized in North Carolina. Here’s what’s happening. Turnout and results Nearly 5.5 million people cast their ballots in the 2020 election in North Carolina. Of those, 4.5 million were cast during early voting or via absentee ballot, which is why Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden led early in the night. Democrats outpaced Republicans by about 300,000 votes during early voting. North Carolina is al-
lowed to count all early voting and absentee ballots before election night. After polls closed, the North Carolina State Board reported those numbers. Soon after, county boards of elections reported votes cast on Election Day, which narrowed the gap and eventually put President Donald Trump in the lead. The indication — based on that narrowing of Biden’s lead — is that Republicans turned out on Election Day slightly more than Democrats. But while 100% of the precincts are reporting, results could still change — especially for the races that have small margins between candidates. About 116,200 absentee ballots remain uncounted in North Caroli-
na as of Wednesday evening according to the state board, but that does not account for voters who decided to vote on Election Day instead. Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of NCSBE, said the county boards of elections have until Nov. 12 to count any remaining eligible ballots that arrive at county board offices. “North Carolina stopped counting votes on election night because there were no more votes to count at that time,” Bell said during a news conference Wednesday. “There are also no more ballots that can be cast for election. All eligible ballots have already left the voters’ hands.” Bell said that the state’s numbers would likely not change except
for “very few exceptions” before the Nov. 13 canvass. Absentee ballots postmarked on or before Nov. 3 by 5 p.m. will be counted as long as they get to county boards of elections by 5 p.m. Nov. 12. On Nov. 13, the Watauga County Board of Elections will hold its canvass meeting to account for every valid ballot and ensure those are counted. Provisional ballots are also counted during that time. In 2016, Bell said the state had about 61,000 provisional ballots and of those, 27,000 were counted. With Election Day turnout lower than years past — only about 1 million on Tuesday compared to over 1.5 million in 2016 — there are likely fewer provisional ballots.
President So what does that mean for North Carolina? Well, for president, it doesn’t mean a whole lot. If every single one of the ballots the state board currently has listed is counted, Biden would have to receive the overwhelming majority of votes to overtake Trump’s lead. Biden is down by 76,701 votes, as of Thursday. While Democrats tend to vote more via absentee ballots than Republicans, that’s still an immense number to make up considering, Trump would also pick up absentee votes. In Pennsylvania, Democrats out-voted Republicans by mail in a 3-1 margin, according to Politico. Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com
News
Nov 6, 2020
University Housing allows students to opt out of spring 2021 housing Gianna Holiday | Associate News Editor University Housing is offering exemptions for students who wish to leave residence halls and move back home for the remainder of the fall semester due to COVID-19 clusters that have broken out in dorms. Students who opt out of their housing contracts will receive a refund based on the price of the dorm they were assigned to live in and the date they officially check out. Because they are opting out of on-campus housing for the entire year, they will not be billed for spring housing. “We are encouraging students who wish to move out of residence halls to consult with their families and their academic advisors, and make the best individual decision for themselves,” said Megan Hayes, chief communications officer.
MaKenzie Shuler, a freshman nursing student, decided to opt out due to concern for her relatives, who are at-risk for COVID-19, and for financial reasons. “I could’ve gotten basically the exact same educational experience taking my Zoom calls at home versus the dorm room, so I thought saving that large amount of money was the best option for me,” Shuler said. Exemptions from the housing requirement and current Residence Hall License Contract may be granted to students who living with parents or guardians while continuing to take all online courses. “Online classes are a nightmare,” Shuler said. “They are much harder and it is difficult to find the motivation to get the work done. But
many classes are only available online whether you are on campus or not, and since pretty much all of my classes this semester were already online, it wasn’t really changing anything for me.” Hayes said that the university will offer students who opt out of housing priority registration so they will have as many remote learning options as possible. Those who feel more comfortable learning remotely will have more options to continue to do so. “My guess is that next semester the majority of classes will stay mostly online because of the massive wave of the virus currently hitting our country anyway, so to me it isn’t that big of a deal whether I take them at home or online,” Shul-
er said . Exemptions will not be granted to move to a local off-campus residence that is not the permanent address of parents or guardians. Students who completed the check-out process to opt out of their housing contracts by Nov. 1 will receive credits for unused funds on their fall semester meal plan on their student accounts. They will also not be charged for a spring meal plan and can receive a prorated parking refund if they turn in their parking permits. “As students begin planning for Spring, we are working to provide as many options as possible for students to continue their Appalachian education, including offering as many remote learning options as possi-
ble for students who prefer them,” Hayes said. Those in residence halls have received communications outlining the process. Any student who lives in a residence hall can submit an exemption form via their StarRez account, which housing staff then review. “Despite all of this, I have definitely had (an) overall very positive experience at App State and the vast majority of interactions have been helpful and smooth,” said Shuler said. “This is a super crazy time and I know the university is having just as much trouble figuring out what to do as the students (are).”
AppalCart seeks public input on Night Owl services after decrease in activity Gianna Holiday | Associate News Editor Low ridership this fall means AppalCart may change its one-yearold Night Owl service. AppalCart gave notice of a public hearing regarding potential changes to the Night Owl Service beginning Jan. 19. The changes will reflect the decrease in ridership on the Night Owl routes during the fall 2020 semester. AppalCart implemented Night Owl routes to serve as a safe transportation option for passengers who may work late hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and those who may want to study late or just enjoy a long evening with friends. It also serves to lighten the load on SafeRide, which serves students on campus. According to an AppalCart
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press release, some nights have seen as few as 18 total riders for all Night Owl routes combined. This is a costly service for a limited number of riders: the typical operating cost is about $60 per hour per route. Night Owl runs for a total of 13.5 hours on Thursday nights, 13.5 hours on Friday nights and 25.5 hours on Saturday nights, totaling about $3,150 per week. “The university is on a financial crunch right now because there’s not a lot going on on campus right now that generates revenue,” said Craig Hughes, AppalCart director. “We’re tight on money too, everyone right now has to tighten their belt buckle.” Hughes says the average ridership on those nights is about 1.3 passengers per hour. Average ridership
drops below one trip per round after midnight on these nights. “Honestly I think a significant factor in ridership barriers is how comfortable people feel navigating it,” said Amelia Shore, a junior. “I don’t have a car, I’m in my third year in Boone, but I’ve rarely used the AppalCart because my freshman year I had experiences in which I either read the map wrong or had an outdated map and got stranded.” Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com
With a decrease in ridership, AppalCart is looking to change its service routes. Some nights have seen as few as 18 total riders for all Night Owl routes combined. Andy McLean
News
Nov 6, 2020
Federal grant gives rural North Carolina communities faster internet through broadband provider Ethan Hunt | Reporter
Areas of Yadkin, Iredell and Davie counties will receive better internet-capability through a $2.3 million dollar grant awarded to YadTel, a rural North Carolina broadband fiber internet provider. According to Pew Research Center, 24% of rural Americans say that a major problem in their community is limited access to broadband internet: high-speed internet that supports multiple signals and traffic types. App State students benefiting from the upgrades agree. “My internet takes forever,” said senior John Gilbert, a resident of Iredell County. “When there are multiple devices being used at once, it gets very slow, and we have to ration out
the time.” YadTel will use the grant from congress, awarded Oct. 26, to provide fiber optic cable to 10 areas in its service area. The United States Department of Agriculture selected the areas because they do not meet the Federal Communication Commission minimum connectivity standard of 10 mb download and 1mb upload speeds, according to a news release from YadTel. Under President Donald Trump, the United States Department of Agriculture has been attempting to remedy internet connectivity problems that some North Carolinians encounter. “Access to high-speed internet is a cornerstone of prosperity, and unfortunately, many of America’s rural
communities lack access to this critical infrastructure,” said Bette Brand, USDA deputy under secretary for Rural Development. “Connecting America’s rural communities to this essential infrastructure is one of USDA’s top priorities, because we know that when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.” Congress passed a bill in March 2018 giving the USDA $600 million to use in the Reconnect program, which provides broadband infrastructure to rural areas. This April, congress gave the Reconnect program an additional $100 million. Yadtel received the $2.3 million as part of the second round of funding, according to the USDA. Along with installing broadband
connections for underserved areas, YadTel is asking North Carolina representatives to change the minimum requirement for internet connectivity. According to YadTel’s press release, millions of Americans are stuck on DSL, an older internet connection method that uses phone lines and is too slow to do most activities associated with working and learning online. But, those same Americans meet the federal requirement of the 10/1 Mbps threshold. YadTel wants to see the minimum requirement changed to a 50mb-per second download and 50mb-per second upload speed, according to their press release. “They are excluded, although many of these families are limited in
their ability to (use) Zoom, work from home, learn from home or engage in telehealth,” according to YadTel’s press release. “I think faster internet would help a lot of people with news and jobs. Especially with a majority of jobs being moved online, it would help local government meetings and a lot employees,” said Gilbert, Iredell County resident. YadTel expects to begin construction in January 2021 following environmental approval from the North Carolina State Historic Preservation office, according to Butch Mabry, YadTel risk and compliance manager.
App State Solar Vehicle Team’s budding “ROSE:” students prepare for 2021 race Jake Markland | Reporter Members of App State’s Solar Vehicle Team will be behind the wheel of their solar car “ROSE” this summer in an endurance race against other universities along the Santa Fe trail from Missouri to New Mexico. The Solar Vehicle Team, composed of App State students, faculty and staff, was established in 2013 to “research and develop solar-powered race cars,” according to the App State sustainable technology and the built environment webpage. Every year, the university sends roughly a dozen students to races across the U.S. to serve as drivers, strategists and supporters. The SVT is student-led and funded largely through sponsorships and donations. Sean Riordan, a junior and communications director of the SVT business team, said the solar vehicle racing program drew him towards attending App State. “I was just astounded when I saw
App State Solar Vehicle Team’s car, ROSE. It was built by scratch by the team’s members and has a top speed of 60 mph and a range of 300 miles. Andy McLean it,” Riordan said. “I’m excited for it, and I know there’s other students on campus who would be excited for it but don’t know about it.” He said that the team is for students and “it almost seems like a waste” if students don’t get interest-
ed in it. Riordan said that the team has room for all students regardless of major. He said whether it be media management, photography, data analysis, coding or design, “any student interested can find a place with us.”
Faculty member Chris Tolbert has served as the SVT lead adviser since its founding. Before working at App State, Tolbert taught at West Wilkes High School and started an electric vehicle program there. He wanted to do something for the at-risk kids in his classes, kids that didn’t want to finish high school or those without major aspirations beyond it, something they would take an interest in. His high school students raised money and built an electric Mazda Miata and Tolbert said it was a “teary eye” moment when his students got to present it to App State students. Tolbert said he’s best able to empower students to learn throughinquiry-based learning, where students become the experts and find solutions to difficult problems rather than being told the facts by a teacher. The shell of the team’s first car, the “Apperion,” was donated by Iowa State’s solar vehicle team in 2015. The Apperion placed second at the 2017
Formula Sun Grand Prix in Austin, Texas and now is on display at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Their newest car, ROSE, was built entirely from scratch by the SVT. ROSE, which stands for Racing on Solar Energy, has a top speed of 60 mph and a range of 300 miles. ROSE placed third in the cruiser class at the 2018 Formula Sun Grand Prix, which qualified the team for the 2018 American Solar Challenge. App State tied with the University of Minnesota for second place in the 1,800 mile race from New England to Oregon. ROSE will race again next summer at the Formula Sun Grand Prix and the American Solar Challenge. The 2020 races were canceled due to COVID-19. Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com
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NORTH CAROLINA AND WATAUG
*None of the races are official due to outstanding mail-in ballots. If mailed ballots are postmar 12, they will b
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 1 CARRINGTON
PERTALION (D)
52.28%
DISTRICT 2 JOHN
WELCH (D)
100.00%
DISTRICT 5 CHARLIE
WALLIN (D)
53.35%
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
BOARD OF EDUCATION (NONPARTISAN)
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MARSHALL ASHCRAFT
JASON K CORNETT
STEVE COMBS
23.93%
25.65%
25.70%
GA COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS
rked by 5 p.m. Nov. 3 and arrive to the North Carolina State Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Nov be counted.
NC GOVERNOR ROY COOPER (D)
US SENATE
55.01%
THOM THILLIS (R)
48.73%
NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 93
NORTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE DISTRIACT 45
VIRGINIA FOXX (R)
RAY PICKETT (R)
DEANNA BALLARD (R)
67.02%
53.07%
68.48%
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 5
A&C
Nov 6, 2020
Groups of faith seek to create affirming safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Ansley Puckett | A&C Editor App State and Boone are no strangers to Bible studies and campus ministries; however, two spiritual groups seek to create spaces where members of the LGBTQ+ community feel safe and affirmed while in religious settings. The Well, which three App State students founded in November 2019, is a faith community for LGBTQ+ community members that affirms all identities and religious backgrounds. Co-founder Melanie Vause said she and her co-founders, Sarah Parker and Jordan Venditelli, started the group after seeing a need for a faith community that was welcoming to members of the LGBTQ+ community. “Our group is not specifically Christian, but most of us just happen to have that kind of background, and so we wanted to make a space for those people to practice their faith and their spirituality if they still wanted to in a safe space and they were allowed to be their authentic selves,” Vause said. Venditelli, who is a first-year graduate divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, became involved in creating The Well last year after they saw a need for a campus ministry that would “deep dive” into Bible study and theology questions. The Well welcomes members from all walks of life, including those with diverse religious backgrounds, gender identities and sexual orientations, that might otherwise feel unwelcome in other religious settings. Vause said the group also functions as a space where members can share stories and talk through traumatic experiences related to religion. “I think our goal is just to make a safe space for people who want to ask questions about faith, practice faith, talk about traumatic aspects of faith. Overall, it’s just to make a safe space for people,” she said. As a welcoming space, Vause said The Well doesn’t tolerate hate from those who wish to invalidate someone’s identity. “We’re not here with an agenda to pull people in and then at one point turn around and tell them that they need to change,” Vause said. “That is absolutely not what we’re doing. It’s completely queer-found(ed) and queer-led and we’re going to keep it that way, hopefully.” Off campus, App State graduates Lydia McGinnis and Venditelli created a “Queer Bible study” for graduates
and community members struggling to find an LGBTQ+ community invested in religion and spirituality. McGinnis said it was important to her to foster a more inclusive religious setting after struggling to find one in Boone. “I felt kind of like a fish out of water in some ways because what I had been told my whole life is that being gay is a sin, but I knew that I could be gay and also be a Christian,” McGinnis said. “It was difficult at the time to find somewhere that I felt affirmed in my faith and also affirmed in my sexuality.” For Venditelli, creating The Well and Bible study meant creating accepting spaces.
It was difficult at the time to find somewhere that I felt affirmed in my faith and also affirmed in my sexuality.
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“I really value spaces where I can bring my full self, and I don’t have to hide parts of myself,” Venditelli said. “For me, it was really important to have a space where, ‘no, you are loved, you are treasured, you are accepted, and you can come as you are wholly and unabashedly yourself.” The Bible study meets over Zoom every Sunday and Monday for an hour to be accessible to members living in different areas and with different time availability. “It was really important to me to make sure that this group that I’m a part of, the LGBTQ community, had a place to go to talk about those things together because a lot of places don’t, they allow it, but it’s not affirmed,” McGinnis said. In the future, Vause hopes that more people will become aware of religious safe spaces for members of the LGBTQ+ com-
munity and hopes that The Well can be that place for people. “There’s a lot of people out there who do have trauma from the church or have questions about faith but feel like they can’t ask them safely in other religious or spiritual spaces,” Vause said. McGinnis said the overwhelming interest in the Bible study gives her hope that the group can make a real difference in the lives of spiritual members of the LGBTQ+ community. “I think that there’s going to be huge benefits in our faith through that, and also in our identities too because, you know, it’s been hard to balance both of those because of what a lot of us are taught,” McGinnis said.
The Well, which three App State students founded in November 2019, is a faith community for LGBTQ+ community members that affirms all identities and religious backgrounds. Courtesy of The Well
A&C
Nov 6, 2020
App State alumni fill vending machines with local art Aubrey Smith | Reporter
App State graduates Ben Loomis and Bunny Eaton are making art more accessible through alternative vending machines located in Black Cat Burrito, Espresso News, Holistic Health Solutions and The Tapp Room. Local artists are able to utilize the Curio Machine to sell and get more exposure for their artwork. Jesse Barber
Two App State alumni found a new way to sell art in Boone: through vending machines. The Curio Machine is a collaborative project between App State graduates Ben Loomis and Bunny Eaton to make art more accessible and spreading it into more people’s everyday lives. “Ben and I met several years ago through the art community in Boone,” Eaton said. “And we saw a need for more art inclusion in this mountain community.” Loomis and Eaton noticed there were few opportunities for artists to market themselves and were inspired to spread local art into more everyday life, said Eaton. The idea stems from Loomis’ trip to Portland, Oregon. “I moved out to Portland for about a year and a half,” Loomis said. “One thing that was really interesting out there was alternative vending machines.” The initial business idea, the Curio Machine in a full-size vending machine, took a detour when Eaton found coin-operated snack vending machines. “The mini machines, the snack vending machines, were sort of an accidental discovery on our part,” Eaton said. “We kind of launched the Curio Machine as sort of a prototype of what we really wanted, a full-size vending machine where we could compensate the artists and work sort of on commission basis.” While Loomis and Eaton continue working toward the full-size vending machine, they said the four coin-operated mini machines they have will work great for selling art prints. Currently, The Curio Machine has four locations: “Ruby” in Holistic Health Solutions, “Max” in Black Cat Burrito, “Rosemary” in Espresso News, and “Thyme” in Tapp Room. Loomis and Eaton named the first machines af-
ter the children’s books “Max and Ruby” and decided to keep the tradition with the rest of the machines. The machine in Espresso News, “Rosemary,” was named after Rosemary Horowitz, a professor at App State and a great patron in the arts community, Loomis said. “She gave us some of our first funding from outside of her own pockets,” Loomis said. “So, we named a machine after her in honor.” Loomis and Eaton’s goal for The Curio Machine is to make art more collectible and accessible to everyone. “Art and culture is really what binds us together,” Eaton said. It’s important to each of them, Loomis being a writer and Eaton, an art teacher, to help artists make a living off of their work and are able to sustain what they do and contribute even more to the art community. While there is a diverse selection of art in The Curio Machines, many pieces of art reflect Boone’s unique culture. The Curio Machine is consistently changing its art roster and accepting new submissions from artists. Loomis and Eaton order new prints every few months, and there is new art in the machines twice a week. All of the machines have a sign with information, including The Curio Machine’s email and social media, which artists can use to contact Loomis and Eaten if they are interested in having their art featured in the machines. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the no-contact aspect of The Curio Machine allows for artists to sell art consistently and safely. “If anything, quarantine has taught people how much we depend on art, and what a great time to try and inject art into the local culture,” Eaton said. “More than anything, I think our project is suited for a pandemic.”
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A&C
Nov 6, 2020
“The Mandalorian” Season two, episode one David Brashier | Reporter “The Mandalorian” returned to Disney+ Friday with the first episode of the series’ highly-anticipated second season, titled “The Marshal.” In a year marked by filming delays due to the pandemic, it’s a surprise that Disney was able to adhere to the new season’s original release date. But in what has arguably been a difficult year for all, it’s nice to have some fresh content. Season two picks up where Season one left off. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), a.k.a. “Mando,” with the Child (or as fans like to call “Baby Yoda”) in tow is seeking information from a beskar collector, which establishes his initial goal for this season: locating other Mandalorians. This encounter leads Mando to Tatooine, where he remains for the rest of the episode. The opening is strong and contains a solid action scene that isn’t meant as a throwaway: it genuinely moves the story along. On Tatooine, Mando meets Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), returning from season one, who points him in the direction of a rural mining village in the Dune Sea of the desert planet. It is here Mando and the Child meet Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), aka. “the Marshal,” a local law enforcement official posing as a Mandalorian.
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Mando, disgusted by a non-Mandalorian wearing his cultural armor, threatens the Marshal with taking his armor forcefully. The Marshal is willing, but only if Mando will help him and his village. A mysterious creature has been eating livestock, minerals and villagers, and the Marshal recruits Mando to help kill it. “The Marshal” is a solid return to this series for a plethora of reasons. For one thing, the Mandalorian himself is front and center. Some fans complained last season The Child was shoehorned into too many plot points, and there were plenty of fanatics raving about the character to distract from the titular character himself. Not the case here. The Child is certainly present, and offers just as much adorableness as viewers would want, but its presence never distracts from Mando himself. Secondly, there aren’t any major callbacks to the first season, or any direct references to other “Star Wars” characters or storylines outside of this series. The creators aren’t trying to live off of the hype from the first season, and they don’t rely on fan service to give this new season the wow factor right out of the gate. This episode stands on its own while continuing the story viewers were left off with at the end of season one. “The Marshal” also continues evoking the spaghetti-western tone that writers established in the first season. The first season was heavily inspired by old Western films, both with the structure of the episodes themselves and the titular character as a lone gunslinger. This episode leans even heavier into those western tropes with a “Star Wars” coat of paint. There are a lot of direct references to classic spaghetti-western-style movies from the last century, and it works here. The action in this episode is just as good as it was in season one, blending Mando’s martial arts, blade-wielding and gunslinging, as well as a grand, orchestrated, well-choreographed battle scene to top it all off. Even so, most of this episode is character development, not just for Mando, but also for The Marshal as his counterpart for this episode, who could very well return in future chapters. Central to the resolution of this episode is a team-up between characters that long-time “Star Wars” fans will find fresh and new, but to reveal any more would mean spoiling it. The episode’s only major drawback is a flashback for the sake of char-
acter development for The Marshal, which overstays its welcome. It’s unnecessary and honestly would have made The Marshal a more suave and interesting figure for viewers had writers left it out. The cinematography in this episode is just as gorgeous as fans would expect. As with any “Star Wars” media these days, there is a perfect blend of practical effects, sets and props, with CGI only used when necessary. The CGI in this episode looks spectacular, especially on creature effects. Ludwig Göransson returns to compose the score this season, which is just as punchy as ever. Overall, this episode set the bar high for season two of “The Mandalorian” and gives a lot of promise for what is to come. The story is tight, the characters even tighter, the visuals are gorgeous, and it’s a fun ride all the way. Time will tell whether fans’ concerns for this series will prove true, such as whether The Child will be used too liberally, or if the story will get bogged down with other “Star Wars” franchise characters from outside of this series. But for now, “The Mandalorian” is back and just as good as last season, and that is something to be excited for.
Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.
A&C
Nov 6, 2020
The shift to thrift
Boone shops second hand
looking to be more sustainable. “A lot of people love the idea of thrifting because they are recycling clothes and being sustainable,” Phillips said. Thrifting is a more sustainable and economical alternative to “fast fashion,” which is typically described as cheap and low-quality clothing made quickly to capture trends. ThredUp’s report also found that 78% of young adults prefer to buy from more sustainable brands. Many social media platforms document the recent thrifting trend. From YouTube hauls to TikTok videos, there are many thrifting-related The inside of Anna Banana’s on King Street. Owner Anna Roseman said she’s noticed a rise in videos. the popularity of secondhand shopping. Anna Banana’s manager, Ali Monique Rivera Aita, has used the power of social media to her advantage. “Spamming” the Zoe Zink | Reporter business’s Instagram page with current Inside Anna Banana’s, customers can find loud music, funky inventory, hosting photoshoots and keeping an updated, positive socolors and an array of eccentric clothing, shoes and jewelry. Danccial media presence for Anna Banana’s keeps customers engaged and ing at checkout will reward you with 10% off your entire purchase, a has been a recent success since the start of COVID-19. twist on a typical trip to the thrift store. “A lot has changed in retail since March … we went straight onAnna Banana’s is just one of Boone’s thrift/consignment shops, line and created a huge presence for us there. We got to test out lots alongside Ram’s Rack, The Salvation Army and numerous others. of cool promotions and content,” Roseman said. Secondhand shopping has become a larger aspect of the fashion and Aita has noticed an increase in both interest and inventory retail industry in recent years. Data gathered from a 2019 Resale Rethrough her role at Anna Banana’s. port from ThredUp, an online thrift store, shows an upward trend “Thrifting is for sure a trend right now … I remember when I in thrifting. Some 70% of women surveyed reported being open to was 18, it was not necessarily cool to be shopping at a thrift store,” shopping second hand, as opposed to just 45% three years ago. she said. Anna Banana’s owner, Anna Roseman, says she has noticed this shift herself. “It has been interesting to see the customer evolve,” she said. “We used to display outfits that we had created because people weren’t as well ‘trained’ by society on how to do it.” Not only is in-person thrifting becoming mainstream, many have turned to online resellers such as Depop, ThredUp, and Rent the Runway since the rise of COVID-19 in March. People also sell thrifted or consigned clothing on Instagram. Jessica Phillips, an App State senior and owner of Instagram thrift business Rivers & Clothes, said her love for thrifting and fashion inspired her to start reselling thrifted clothes online. “It was nice to start in a college community,” Phillips said. “There have been a lot of times when I would meet people on campus and times when I would see them wearing the clothes.” A display in Anna Banana’s featuring second-hand shoes available Phillips attributes some of thrifting’s recent popularity to people for sale. Anna Banana’s is just one of Boone’s thrift/consignment stores. Monique Rivera
Ansley Puckett | A&C Editor
PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK Sophia Lyons Chief Copy Editor
WARM AND FUZZY
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Graphic by Camryn Collier
The last oak leaves and pumpkins are hanging on, but the yellow and orange sugar maples have long since been raked up. As days grow short, warm up chilly nights with the Warm and Fuzzy playlist — pair it with a sweater to beat the early-winter chill! Warm, fuzzy chords and wavysounding instruments prevail in shimmery mixes. Turn it on when you’re hanging out or cooking dinner.
Sports
Nov 6, 2020
Fans discuss experience at App State’s first in-person game day of 2020 Elizabeth Hutto | Reporter Oct. 22 marked the first time in 2020 that Kidd Brewer Stadium’s stands were filled with dedicated fans, and players heard cheering not from a speaker, but from fellow students, in App State’s homecoming victory against Arkansas State. On Oct. 2, Gov. Roy Cooper moved forward with Phase 3, which permits bars, theaters, amusement parks and outdoor venues to open at limited capacities. Cooper is now allowing outdoor stadiums that can hold more than 10,000 people to open at 7% capacity. Kidd Brewer can seat 30,000 people, and the university allowed 2,100 fans to attend the game. While students were excited to cheer on the Mountaineers in person, it was hard not to notice the differences between past games and this one. “There was no band, no packed student section,” said Corey
Brooks, a senior attending the game. “It was definitely exciting to be there, but it felt empty.” Richard Campbell, a junior transfer student, wished it could have been packed for his first game as an App State student. He has been to games in the past and it meant more now because he was a student, but he could tell that overall the experience was not as it should be. “There was a girl behind us and the whole time she was by herself. That’s not the game day experience I want,” Campbell said. While some students were disappointed with how different game day felt emotionally, they did say that App State did a good job sticking to COVID-19 protocol. “There were a lot more event staff visible,” Sara Wocher said. “Definitely one in every section, walking up and down the stairs throughout the game.”
There was also a table filled with mini hand sanitizer bottles for students to take with them upon entering the stadium, as well as hand sanitizer stations throughout the stadium. Those in the stadium that were not taking the privilege of getting to be there seriously frustrated Wocher, and she wished App State would be stricter enforcing the rules. She said event staff would remind various groups of students to keep their masks on, but as soon as they walked away, the mask would come back off. “If you aren’t putting it on then you should simply be asked to leave,” Wocher said. She said those who broke the rules took away from those who followed what was asked of them. There were some new, unusual upsides to this different formatting of the App State game day experience, though. “I could see better from my seat than I could from previous years,” Brooks said. App State is currently planning to allow fans into games for the remainder of the 2020 season under official guidelines. To get tickets, students are required to register for the ticket lottery through an email pp State athletics sends in the week before game day. App State’s next game is Nov. 7 at Texas State at 3 p.m. Fans can watch on ESPN+.
(Left) A limited capacity of fans were allowed at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Oct. 22 for the first time in 2020. The Mountaineers picked up a 45-17 homecoming victory against Arkansas State. (Right) Students decked out in black and gold begin to fill in the student section before the game Oct. 22. A crowd of 2,100 people were welcomed back to The Rock to watch the Mountaineers face off against Arkansas State. Masks and social distancing were enforced. Becca Bridges
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App State inside linebacker duo grows together Cameron Burnett | Reporter Junior inside linebackers D’Marco Jackson and Trey Cobb entered the 2020 season as starters after Jordan Fehr and Akeem Davis-Gaither left for the NFL. “Playing with those older guys and seeing how they played and how they came into the game, we really just wanted to install that in our games and become better players and leaders so we can lead this defense after they leave,” Cobb said. Cobb and Jackson have stepped into their roles as the starting linebackers on this defense and lead the team in tackles, combining for a total of 69 tackles through five games. The duo has produced on the field, but they also have focus on being leaders in the locker room. “Stepping up and being more vocal when things aren’t going well. Step in and say ‘hey, let’s get this stop right here’ and just keeping the guys up,” Jackson said. When they were underclassmen, the two shared snaps at the linebacker position and grew together on and off the field. “I look at Trey as a brother. I remember last year we were sharing snaps but we never let that get in the way of our relationship,” Jackson said. “Doing that last year helped us communicate better with each other and working out the problems. I feel like it’s different when you’re closer to a person and they can hear your voice more.” As the leaders of the lineback-
er group, being so vocal between each other has allowed them to grow as players and make adjustments on the field quickly. Being close friends has led them to be able to rely on each other to help lead defense. “Anytime we need one, we lean on the other one so we can help each other and continue to get better every week,” Cobb said. Defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Dale Jones was on the App State staff when Jackson and Cobb were freshmen. After taking a year coaching with Louisville, Jones returned to Boone this year and had strong words for his junior linebackers. “D’Marco and Trey, both, they had gotten reps. They’ve played in the games — played in the big games and played in all the games. Over time, you gain
confidence. Once you get the confidence and once you’ve done it, it seems like nobody can tear you down, or you can win every battle. That’s part of all the guys that have played a lot of ball for us,” Jones said. As freshmen in the 2018 season, Jackson led underclassmen in tackles with 25, while Cobb finished with 14. In their sophomore year, both players took a huge step up in playing time and production for the Mountaineers. Sharing snaps behind Fehr and Davis-Gaither, Jackson and Cobb each more than doubled their tackle totals from their freshman year, helping App State finish the season with a 13-1 record, including a Sun Belt Conference Championship and a win in the New Orleans Bowl. Continuing that success into their junior
I look at Trey as a brother...
App State junior linebacker Trey Cobb (#7, pictured at left) helps make a tackle during the loss at Marshall Sept. 19. Cobb and fellow junior linebacker D’Marco Jackson have stepped up in 2020 to help fill the holes left by the graduation of Jordan Fehr and Akeem Davis-Gaither. Moss Brennan
season, head coach Shawn Clark has put a lot of trust in them taking on such large roles on defense. “So far, they’ve had an outstanding year. Great football players, great young men and great examples for what we have in our program,” Clark said. “Those guys really elevated their game this year, not only on defense, they’ve really given us a shot in the arm on special teams… They play the game (relentlessly) and they’re the leaders of our defense.” As juniors for the Mountaineers, Cobb and Jackson have the option to come back for their senior year and have plans for what they can do with that opportunity. “It means a lot. Creating a legacy for both of us. Carrying on the tradition of John Law, Eric Boggs, Akeem, Jordan, Noel Cook. Just keeping the standard up and making sure we don’t let anybody down,” Jackson said. “Trying to improve and keep the tradition going here at App State, especially on the defensive side of the ball being dominant.” Cobb mirrored the same feelings on their potential senior season, knowing they still have work to do here at App State. “I feel like we’ve grown a really great bond together, so that carries over to the field, that helps us in our play,” Cobb said. “I feel like we have that connection, so I feel like that’s my brother.”
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After strong finish to uncertain season, App State
women’s soccer falls in Sun Belt quarterfinals Joey Magnani | Reporter In a season unlike any other, App State women’s soccer found a way to turn uncertainty into motivation, winning two out of their last three regular season games and taking down UL Monroe in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament before falling to Arkansas State in the quarterfinals. “I can’t even tell you how many people said, ‘There is just no way you will even play this season,’ so it was just a lot of pushing through and telling ourselves ‘OK, but if there is a way, how are we prepared and how are we going to be ready to roll with the punches?’” said senior midfielder Mary Perkins. Perkins missed five games this season due to COVID-19 contact tracing, but still scored two goals and assisted another in their win against Georgia Southern. Perkins’ two goals on the season led the team, while freshman Izzi Wood, junior Drew Hallum, sophomore Olivia Cohen, sophomore Lindey Poff and senior Tess Cairney notched one goal each. Head coach Sarah Strickland is in her 11th year with the Mountaineers. Perkins and Cairney described her coaching style as “supportive,” crediting much of their success to the family environment she creates for the team. Although their focus was on a family environment and supporting each other, Strickland was proud of how they were able to “flip the switch” and treat each game like a business trip. Strickland said she challenged the players at the beginning
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of the season to emphasize improvement and growing each day, and was pleased with how they responded. “Each game they have gotten better, and competed, and put together another piece of the puzzle. To have so many young kids on the field and to see how quickly they adapt and implement what we are telling them, I think it is awesome,” said Strickland. The lineup varies from game to game, but they typically start eight underclassmen; most of the team are freshmen and sophomores, so some younger players had to take on leadership roles. Because of this, they developed a leadership team with players from each grade level. “We are the ones who step up and say things when they need to be said. It is a huge part of our team and I think it has really helped us to grow this season,” said goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston, who is part of the leadership team. Eagleston received Preseason All-Conference honors and has totaled 53 saves and posted five clean sheets on the year, which is tied for second in the Sun Belt. After capping off their untraditional regular season with a win over Coastal Carolina on Senior Day, App State carried their momentum into the Sun Belt Conference tournament, beating fifth-seeded UL Monroe 2-1 in overtime of the first round. The Mountaineers fell to number one seed Arkansas State in the second round 1-0.
App State senior midfielder and leading scorer Mary Perkins (right) makes a play during the Mountaineers’ 1-0 loss to Georgia Southern Oct. 11 in Boone. Hiatt Ellis
Opinion
Nov 6, 2020
The South Isn’t
a Lost Cause Ella Adams | Opinion Writer
The American South has a reputation for being backward, conservative and ignorant. Many Americans, particularly on the left, point to the South as the cause for the nation’s problems, such as racial inequality and higher rates of poverty. Yes, the region is haunted by its tumultuous history, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. Even though the region is historically conservative, the South is capable of progressive change. In a 2017 special election, Doug Jones won the Senate seat for Alabama. Jones was the first Democrat to represent the state in the U.S. Senate in 25 years. Jones’ opponent, Roy Moore, faced sexual misconduct allegations. Moore’s scandals likely encouraged progressive voters to get to the polls, with 40.4% voter turnout in comparison to 18% turnout in the Senate primaries earlier that year. Progessive voters showed up and Alabama flipped the seat. Alabama is a consistently-Republican state, and electing a Democrat was unthinkable. Jones’ election is a perfect example, demonstrating that the South can change. States the Republican Party considers safe, such as Georgia and Texas, are now swing states. An increase of young liberals moving to Atlanta, and the “Texas Five” gave both states a progressive edge. The South is actively voting for progressive change. The South has a history of progressive political movements. For example, Appalachia’s mountain Republicans. The mountain Repub-
licans were a group of people that lived primarily in central Appalachia — including western North Carolina. They emerged before the Civil War and opposed slavery and secession. Appalachia’s ties to progressive politics still exists today and its history of voting to the right is shortlived. Problems that the South struggles with, including racial inequality, elevated levels of poverty and poor education, aren’t uniquely Southern problems: they’re American problems. These issues may be worse in the South than the rest of the country but they are not isolated to the region. When taking into account the destruction the South faced post-Civil War, it makes sense that it would be developmentally behind the rest of the nation. Granted, the South does share responsibility. The region’s traditionally-conservative politics have done nothing to aid in the fight against racial inequality or poverty. But, the North and the rest of the nation are not absolved of the United States’s difficult history by pinning the country’s problems on the South. The South can change and shouldn’t be seen as a lost cause. The region certainly has a lot of work to do and Southerners are voting for change. Pointing the finger while the exact issues exist in the rest of the country is hypocritical. It’s time the United States took a look in the mirror and stopped using the South as a scapegoat.
caleb’s
CONCEPTS Why you shouldn’t take life seriously Caleb Garbuio | Opinion Editor What is the meaning of life? Short answer: no one knows. Many factors that shape existence. Yet, these forces push and pull, toss and turn, forging numerous paths. Chosen paths influence us, shape our identity and determine who we are. We cannot control where the path leads, yet, we have agency over which path to pick. This means we are not completely subservient to life’s twists and turns. We have the option to choose from different paths that all come to an end. Life and existence can take many paths, yet all earthly existence ends and becomes unknowable. We cannot change this fate. Therefore, our personal ambitions are limited because we cannot create our own paths, yet, we have agency to choose which paths to take. Life is a river, and we are a channel. We can dig in and prepare, but when the river floods, we cannot stop it. However, one could build a raft to prepare for the impact and float in the foaming water. Therefore, we are captive towards existence and must accept the limitations of free will. This acceptance comes with the freedom of knowing that the limitations of life are by and large out of our control. We can only prepare the gentle tug of the inevitable, that gets stronger with age, called “the nothing” by Martin Heidegger. It isn’t a secret that life will eventually end. Resist or don’t,it doesn’t matter not, because time always runs out and we are captives heading towards the unknown. Don’t be sad. There is no need to be melancholy. It is liberating to realize that existence doesn’t matter because nothing in this world matters. Any human imprint will end in billions of years when the sun swells in size and swallows home. Everything we hold dear will soon disappear over the horizon when our eyes dim and the world goes black. You mustn’t fret. Don’t try to understand what you are not meant to understand. For it is not up to us to decide what we can and cannot do, for we are only servants of existences design. Thus, we are just beings in time struggling to make sense of who we are, and why we are here.
This doesn’t mean we cannot live meaningful lives despite all the uncertainties that life throws our way. How is this done? Through humor, for the presence of existence in and of itself is a cause of joy. Life is a balancing act, and tragedy often appears at the end of comedy. Embracing the tragedy that is the whole of life means that there is only one place left: up. As Isaac Newton put it, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,” implying the force of tragedy is equally matched in humor. We have forgotten that we are alive and allow ourselves to wade too deep into nothing. There is too much suffering in this world, and beings that embrace the suffering of a fellow traveler will suffer more than the sufferer, sympathetically creating a world of excessive suffering. Sympathy leaves us nowhere. If we cannot change our own lives, how can we hope to change the lives of others? Crush hope, it is a dream for children. Find solace in laughing at the face of nothingness that is spaghettifying us deeper and deeper into its abyss. Laugh at the pain of being pulled apart, in what is unknown; find humor in the little you know, and find humor in existence itself. Life will end, and ignoring this reality causes pain. As Buddha discovered when he witnessed the outside world, “life is suffering.” Yet, no two people suffer to the same degree. When faced with the forces of life two people may face identical situations, yet take different paths. Prophet Siddartha Gautama’s life is testimony to this concept; to his followers, Siddhartha is called Buddha, meaning enlightened one. Destined to be either a great king or a monk, Siddhartha’s parents hid him from the world and hoped he would aspire to be a great king. Yet, his parents could not prevent Siddhartha seeking to understand the world, and unable to comprehend its pain, he abandoned his wife and child to understand life’s purpose. Siddhartha’s suffering for others would not have been possible had he been another nobleman: few noblemen of that day and age gave up their worldly possessions to understand the meaning of life. Thus, we conclude that people often find their path on the road others take for them. Since Siddhartha’s parents hid him from the world, they closed the other path that he might have taken, leaving only one path to follow. Our lives are the same, and hiding from the inevitableness of the nothing doesn’t stop it from disappearing. The dizziness that life gives us as we fall ever deeper into the dark mustn’t trifle us. There is no need to cry for a brief moment in life because it will be over sooner rather than later. As the Roman philosopher Seneca puts it, “What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.”
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Et Cetera
Nov 6, 2020
@Biosteampunk
DON’T PANIC (Regular comics resume next week)
Right now the future seEms very uncertain and many may fear for the worst... Please understand, that whatever might hapPen, whatever politics or batTles or 2020’s next big thing, just remember that you are not alone! there are others around you, many feEling the same, that can help you through any unpredictable event. Please reach out and be there to help out others. Thank you
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