The Appalachian April 16, 2021 by The Appalachian

The Appalachian

April 16, 2021

Paid to work, Pay to park

Library student employees lament parking troubles Jake Markland | Associate News Editor Working on campus can come with its perks: being in a familiar environment, working alongside your peers and navigating around a class schedule. But, some student employees from Belk Library and Information Commons are being told the library parking deck is booked out. These student employees do not receive a parking pass to use during their shift and have to either risk a parking ticket on campus, park off campus, get dropped off or spend a couple hundred dollars on a pass. Jakob Minton, a senior who works at the technology desk in the lower level of the library, said he is one of the “lucky ones” who found parking elsewhere; Minton borrows a pass from a friend. However, he said cowork-

er Miles Grier has been “waging war against parking” for some time. When students returned to campus in the fall of 2020, Grier parked in a staff spot in the library parking deck for his shift and received a ticket, but for $0. “I assumed that since it’s COVID, they’re allowing people to park in here,” Grier said. “And then one day I got a ticket for 40 bucks and I was confused.” Grier said he contacted student parking and was told that he was unable to park there because it would be unfair to other students and was encouraged to purchase a parking pass.

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Squishmallow hunting heightened in High Country Page 5

Miles Grier, senior electronic media and broadcasting major, pays for parking on King Street when he goes to work at the tech desk at Belk Library and Information Commons because he is not provided with a staff parking pass. Due to COVID-19, Grier said, “I wouldn’t be on campus if it wasn’t for my job.” Kara Hasleton

News

April 16, 2021

Faculty senate sides with students on pass/no credit option Xanayra Marin-Lopez | Multimedia Editor App State students have had the ability to opt in to the pass/no credit system for grading since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic spring semester last year. The last day of classes for the spring semester is roughly two weeks away and students are still unsure if they will get this option again. At an April 12 faculty senate meeting, 24 faculty members voted in favor of, 12 against and three abstained on a pass/no credit resolution brought forth by the Student Government Association. They did not give the same support in the fall semester. “COVID is not over,” said Randall Reed, a professor and sponsor of the bill. “As the semester grinds to a close, to send a message that this is over, that we’re back to normal, not only risks encouraging unsafe behavior among our students, but would be a malice response to their real suffering.” Reed noted that other UNC System universities like UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and UNC Charlotte have enacted similar

academic policies that include pass/ fail. Bailey Gardin, SGA director of academic affairs, was present at the meeting and has been active in trying to get pass/no credit to students. It was reintroduced and approved as a bill in SGA in March. “People are starting to try and normalize this pandemic,” Gardin said. “You simply cannot do that. It’s unfair that faculty and students are both being asked to perform to normal standards as we keep our normal grading system.” SGA sent out a survey on pass/ no credit that garnered over 1,900 responses. According to numbers from sophomore senator Brayden Benkiel-Robinson, approximately 97% of students who answered said that COVID-19 has negatively impacted their academic success. 80% of respondents said they would need to opt in to a pass/no credit option. “We applaud faculty for doing such a tremendous job at attempting

to accommodate for it, but obviously it’s accommodations,” Benkiel-Robinson said. “And it’s an unorthodox time and I think the student body needs some sort of accommodations for it.” Bill Cooke, a departmental honors director for mathematics, opposed pass/no credit. He said that he saw students give up in his classes.

“I could see on my grade sheet that the minute this policy was implemented, they threw up their hands and stopped participating,” Cooke said. “It gave them permission to quit and they ended up failing.” The academic policies and procedures committee, which is made up of faculty and undergraduate students,

will vote on the pass/no credit option April 28. If they approve, it goes to Provost Heather Norris to officially enact it. If they do not, the idea dies there. “This action costs us nothing,” Reed said. “The faculty has no additional responsibility.”

Graphic by Xanayra Marin-Lopez

Alumna co-authors New York Times op-ed on gun violence Hollie Moore | Reporter An App State alumna went into graduate school expecting to focus primarily on the incarceration of queer and transgender people. Today, she is the author of a gun violence op-ed in the New York Times. Madison Armstrong, a 2017 honors graduate, now attends the University of Arizona as a thirdyear graduate student. Armstrong and her adviser, Jennifer Carlson, have studied gun trauma together for about three years. The pair recently co-authored an article in the New York Times titled “We’ve Spent Over a Decade Researching Guns in America. This Is What We Learned.” The piece focuses on an understanding of gun vi-

olence by approaching the trauma it inflicts. Armstrong’s passion for the study stemmed from gun violence worries in her personal life. Her primary area of study is mass shootings. “Mostly it was just concern about not just my siblings, but anybody who is growing up right now in the U.S. afraid to go to school and afraid to learn because of the possibility of facing violence at school,” Armstrong said. While at App State, Armstrong majored in political science and minored in sociology. Her honors thesis mentor, Ellen Lamont, directed Armstrong toward her stronger interest in sociology rather than polit-

ical science. “Madie understood that arguments are to be evaluated on the basis of data. She never seemed to simply accept or reject an argument out of hand, but rather carefully thought through the logic,” Lamont said. “This meant that sometimes she disagreed with me, but she always provided a thoughtful rationale, which made for great discussion.” Lamont, along with Michael Dale, a second reader on Armstrong’s thesis, presented the idea of graduate school to her as a first-generation college student. “It was about the mentorship that I had (with) Dr. Lamont and then Michael Dale,” Armstrong

said. “I had no concept of what grad school was, what it meant to get a Ph.D. I wouldn’t be in graduate school without the two of them.” Attending graduate school at UA took a strong application and tricky personal statement, as Lamont explained, but once admitted, Armstrong began working with Carlson. Carlson began her focus on gun rights after writing her dissertation based around the culture of concealed carry in the United States, which eventually became her first book. “I have always been very interested in studying from a sociological perspective, conservative politics, crime, punishment, those sort

of things,” Carlson said. “I realized that no sociologist had studied pro-gun politics and specifically concealed carry.” Carlson and Armstrong explained that this article and study is part of a multiyear study on trauma, gun politics and gun violence. They expect to write a book and plan to focus their next project on gun violence survivors. “I want to thank Appalachian for preparing Madie, she has really been a dream graduate student to work with,” Carlson said. “It’s really awesome to have students who are so excited, so prepared, so passionate.”

News

April 16, 2021 Continued from page 1

“It was ridiculous that I would have to pay to park at a place that I work,” Grier said. The Appalachian reached out to Belk Library and Information Commons on parking, but was redirected to App State spokesperson Megan Hayes. She said the university is not able to offer free parking to student employees. “As our students know, it is not unusual for App State students to utilize the AppalCart for free public transportation, utilize other alternative transportation, or choose to pay

to park on or near campus in order to work or attend classes,” Hayes wrote in a statement. Parking passes can range between $276, like at the Appalachian 105 Lot, and $576, like at the Rivers Street Parking Deck. Without having a parking pass, Sarai Nolasco, a senior who works at the technology desk, pays $1 an hour to park on King Street. “But it adds up. It’ll be $40 a month,” Nolasco said. “Which is unfortunate because, me personally, I am a scholarship student so any

money I make, I need.” King Street meters allow two hours of parking at a time. Nolasco said she has to constantly go out during her shift to reload the meter. Lane Moody, the downtown development coordinator for the Town of Boone, said parking has always been a “difficult” topic in the community. Moody said she understands that it may be more financially viable for some students to park on King Street as opposed to purchasing an expensive parking pass. “There are some business own-

ers that get frustrated when they see somebody pull up in front of their business, put on a bookbag and walk away because that takes away a space from their customers,” Moody said. As a solution, Moody hopes the Town of Boone will build a parking deck downtown one day. But, she said there is a lot of planning before that could happen. She praised the work of the Boone parking staff, the only all-female department in the town. Nolasco said there should be a system for students to use a tempo-

rary pass that they could use during their shifts and return afterward. She said her boss has brought the issue to parking services before but nothing has come from it. Minton is a student representative on the Library Council and plans to bring the issue to them. Miles Grier is a correspondent for the Appalachian Weekly News, The Appalachian’s broadcast show.

Sarai Nolasco, senior advertising major, has worked at Belk Library for two years. She said that she wishes staff wouldn’t have to pay to come to work, as it’s financially taxing, especially for students who are on scholarship. Kara Haselton

News

April 16, 2021

Clinics pause using Johnson & Johnson vaccine Jackie Park | Editor-in-Chief App State and AppHealthCare will pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at their vaccine clinics while the dose is investigated for rare blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within two weeks of their dose. App State was scheduled to administer doses of the J&J vaccine Thursday; however, Megan Hayes, chief communications officer for App State, said the university instead distributed the Moderna vaccine. She says the university is working with the local public health department to keep the clinic on schedule. “We are pleased to assist with North Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccina-

tion distribution plan for rural areas by administering COVID-19 vaccines, and continue to remind our students, faculty, staff and community members of the importance of vaccination as a means to returning to more normal operations, and the full return to campus for the fall 2021 semester,” Hayes wrote in an email. AppHealthCare is also offering Moderna in place of the J&J vaccine if appointments are available. “We will pause administering J&J while we await additional guidance from CDC and (the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services),” AppHealthCare tweeted. “We take this very seriously and will be watching carefully for additional guidance.” NCDHHS issued a statement Tuesday confirming that the state will pause use of the vaccine while the

FDA and CDC investigate. “Our primary concern is the health and safety of all North Carolinians,” a statement from NCDHHS reads. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are following the recommendations of the FDA and CDC and have paused the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine until we learn more. The safety system in place is working as it should.” The department says if North Carolinians have a Moderna or Pfizer appointment, they should still go. J&J appointments will be rescheduled, the statement says. So far, 218,690 North Carolinians have received the J&J vaccine, according to the NCDHHS vaccine dashboard. App State has administered almost 4,000 doses of the J&J vaccine since it began administering

Medical workers roll supplies into the Homes Convocation Center in preparation for the App State vaccine rollout. Jesse Barber

vaccines March 11, according to the most recent update from Chancellor Sheri Everts. Representatives from the FDA and CDC will meet Wednesday to further

discuss the cases, but the groups’ statement says these occurrences appear to be extremely rare – with 6 cases out of the more than 6.8 million doses distributed nationwide so far.

Graduating senior announces candidacy for Boone Town Council Ethan Hunt | Reporter A student who has tackled voting rights in Watauga County and housing in Boone’s community announced his newest project on April 10: an election run for Boone Town Council. Dalton George, an App State senior, was nominated to a vacant town council seat in February. The council appointed Virginia Roseman instead, but George said he was not deterred and hopes to win the general election in November. “The reason I am running is because I want to work on policy and I want to continue these initiatives I’ve started,” George said. George did not release any official campaign policies when he announced his candidacy at the Democrats’ county Convention. However, he has said his platform will center around housing, environmentalism and voting rights. George is the founder of the

Boone Fair Housing Task Force, a member of the Boone County Board of Adjustment and an independent contractor for the Watauga County Democratic Party. He is also the former president of App State College Democrats. George has worked with the town council to pass numerous resolutions,

I think there is an unreal amount of power that local government has in terms of really helping people ...

including the unfair housing resolution and the anti-homeless architecture resolution. George, an economics major, became politically active his freshman year at the university when he started working with the Watauga County Democratic Party as canvassing director. His sophomore year he lobbied the App State administration and the Boone Town Council for improved voting opportunity for students and community members. That same year, he worked on his first political campaign in support of the Democrats running in the Boone municipal elections. I like to say that I ended up at App by fate, that I was kind of meant to be here and meant to work on the things that I worked on,” George said. He is the youngest person in Boone’s history to be appointed to the

board of adjustment. Currently, he is working with the planning commission to codify his anti-homeless architecture resolution. “I think there is an unreal amount of power that local government has in terms of really helping people,” George said. George said he sees local government as the best way to have a tangible, positive impact on people. He said the reason he is running isn’t about him, but rather the community he wants to help. “Local government I guess to some people isn’t as exciting, things like zoning laws, you know the really nitty gritty, the details that’s where you can really help people,” George said. “If I get elected I’m going to put my head down and just work really hard on policy that I feel like brings more equity to the community and brings us forward.”

George is from Midway, a town with a population of 4,983 people, where he attended North Davidson High School. His father is a furniture manufacturer who raised George by himself. “I grew up lower class to a dad who ended up getting laid off because of the recession,” George said. “I didn’t own a suit until I was 21 years old. I think a lot of people in the political scene aren’t really like that.” Adam Zebzda, junior political science major, has worked with George on several initiatives including the Plemmons Student Union voting site for the 2020 election and the Watauga County Voting Rights Task Force. Zebzda said more student representation in town affairs is important to ensuring student voices and opinions are present in town decision making. Read more at www.theappalachianonline.com

A&C

April 16, 2021

h s u r h s u l P Students search for Squishmallows in Boone Ansley Puckett | A&C Editor The Boone Walgreens’ phone goes off several times a day, but those calls don’t always involve questions about medicine. Propelled to popularity by the video-sharing app TikTok, Squishmallows, plush toys that come with their own creative names and personalities, have risen to popularity in Boone and all around the world. However, fans of the stuffed animals are finding it hard to obtain them in town. Started in 2017 by Kellytoy, Squishmallows offer customers over 500 characters to collect, like Holly the Owl or Piper the Penguin. Last year, the company announced that they had sold over 50 million Squishmallows. Now, Boone residents and App State students have created a market in town for the plush toys, watching the local Walgreens, which supplies them, and filling App State Classifieds with posts searching for specific characters or the sale of others. “When we get them in, they’re like gone almost instantly, and we get calls about them all the time to see if we have any more,” Walgreens employee Nik Gentry said. However, the Boone Walgreens isn’t the only place to buy the toys. Fans of Squishmallows can sometimes find them locally or for sale on App State Classifieds. Juliet Lambert, a self-proclaimed Squishmallow fan, has around 10 Squishmallows. Recently, she took to App State Classifieds to find her boyfriend’s sister the Connor the Cow Squishmallow after struggling to find one anywhere within 50 miles of Boone. “I think it would be nicer if more stores in Boone had them,” Lambert

Paola Bula Blanco with their Squishmallow from Marlén Cárdenas. Students in Boone have been on the hunt for these plush toys since TikTok propelled them to popularity. Aldo Sarabia

said. “But I think just because there’s so many college students here and that kind of blew up, that it makes that they’re harder to find here.” Paola Bula Blanco, who uses they/them pronouns, received their Squishmallow as a gift, but echoed a similar hope of having easier access to the stuffed animals. “It would be nice if most things that get really popular like that could be found in Boone,” Bula Blanco said. “Just cause, I don’t know, I feel like we don’t usually get a lot of really cool stuff here, which is fine cause we’re a little bit hidden in the mountains, but I would definitely like to have easier access to them.” Squishmallows has over 30 retailers in the U.S., but Boone only has six of these locations and stock of the plush toy sells out quickly. Online retailers often sell out quickly as well. Others like Owl & Goose Gifts, a curated collection of fan favorite toy brands like Squishmallows, limit purchase

quantity due to high demand. Gentry said Walgreens often doesn’t know when the next restock will occur. The pharmacy receives shipments of inventory every Wednesday, but the staff doesn’t know what will be on each truck. Some customers also stock up on the Squishmallows when they find them, oftentimes reselling the toy for a profit on ebay or Etsy. Lambert has been collecting Squishmallows since 2018, buying most of them from outside of Boone in her hometown where they’re easier to find. “I’ve gotten the best luck out of Boone just because, since this is a college town and a lot of people love them,” Lambert said. Some Boone Squishmallow fans experiencing the same struggle to find the plush toy in town go on what Lambert calls “Squish hunting,” which she describes as riding to dif-

ferent locations known for selling the stuffed animal in order to find one. “We kind of make it like a little fun adventure, just like a little quest that we can do to hang out,” Lambert said. “We’ll hit up all the stores that we know will have them like HomeGoods or Claire’s, and we’ll just see if they have any that day.” Although they skipped the struggle to locate a Squishmallow in Boone, Bula Blanco said they think selling Squishmallows on App State Classifieds is the easiest way to hunt down the Squishmallow you’ve been searching for. “I think it’s a really smart thing to do, especially because you can’t find them around here,” Bula Blanco said. “I feel like if I was the type of person that really, really wanted a Squishmallow specifically, I’d probably go on there and buy one.” Bula Blanco attributes the popularity of Squishmallows to their cute exterior and the amount of time people are spending at home, understanding why college students are attracted to the plush toy. “I just think that they’re really cute, and I think with everyone being home now, everyones’ got a lot of time to just relax, and they make really good pillows,” Bula Blanco said. Acting as both decoration and a comfort, Lambert believes Squishmallows create the perfect distraction from a global pandemic. “I think honestly during COVID, it’s a very harmless thing,” Lambert said. “College kids have been kinda stuck in their rooms so why not get something that is like comfort to them.”

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PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK Lily Kincaid

April 16, 2021

Student-led rally on Sanford Mall honors marginalized victims of violence

Associate A&C Editor Lily Kincaid Associate A&C Editor

Graphic by Camryn Collier The 1970s were a time for much more than just disco: this era housed some of the most iconic and experimental artists of the 20th century. A diverse pool of musicians, sounds and genres was born from the decade of cultural change and progression that was the ’70s. Women were well-represented in this era, from Stevie Nicks’ ethereal twang to Janis Joplin’s bluesy rasp to the queen of soul herself, Aretha Franklin. Artists such as Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles brought upon the golden age of psychedelic rock during this decade – an age that, thanks to bands like Pink Floyd, would last well into the 1980s. New wave bands like Blondie and the Cure effectively served as a foundation for later alternative music movements, and listeners can still hear their influence in today’s alt sounds. Whether you prefer soft pop, moody rock, heartfelt blues or anything in between, the ’70s has something for everyone.

ozens of white signs and pride flags lined Sanford Mall as students gathered for a Day of Silence rally on April 9. The Day of Silence was started in 1996 by two students at the University of Virginia as a way to protest discrimination against LGBTQ students. Every year, typically on the second Friday in April, participating students go an entire day without speaking. To emphasize their silence, students often wear tape over their mouths throughout the school day. Students don’t speak until the end of the day when they gather together at a “Breaking the Silence” rally. App State sophomore Ty Critchfield, who uses he and they pronouns, organized the rally on Sanford Mall. This year, COVID has complicated the tradition of tape-wearing, and many students found it harder to carry on this tradition at the university level, Critchfield said. This led Critchfield to emphasize the rally itself rather than the day-long vow of silence. “That’s what this event is all about: knowing that you are not to be silenced,” Critchfield said. The rally included live music, drag performances and slam poetry. The performers included Kentucky-native rapper Akhil Warrier. App State student and musician Dee, and drag queen Molly Pocket. Students also passed out free stickers and pride flags. Critchfield said they designed the Boone rally to be something like a “mini Pride event” that would be peaceful and fun for everyone. “All of this is so important – LGBTQ visibility, BLM visibility,” said Taylor Young, a student who attended the rally. “It’s important that we know we’re here and that other people know we’re here, too.” Critchfield said they wanted to expand this event to include the Black Lives Matter movement in light of the protests that followed George Floyd’s death last year. “Personally, being a person of color, I didn’t like how it was kind of being treated like a trend, where it stopped trending, so we stopped talking about it,”

Lily Kincaid

Critchfield said. “These injustices aren’t stopping just because we stopped talking about it.” Each sign had the name of a person of color or member of the LGBTQ community who was killed last year. Critchfield said there were just over 200 signs, but the list of names was not exhaustive because information about many of the victims was limited. Critchfield said that each sign represented a person who died at the hands of unnecessary violence and whose life “was cut short for basically nothing.” “You look at the names that’s

posted up. It puts things in a very surreal perspective,” said Jade Deweese, a student who was at the rally. “I realize that I could have been one of those statistics last year. Knowing that some of the names are part of my community, it’s kind of terrifying.” Critchfield said they hoped the rally would help people see that just because someone looks different or lives a different way, they’re not any less human. “It’s just so important to understand just the magnitude of this issue,” student Jordan Henes said. “It’s so much realer than we think.”

Lily Kincaid | Associate A&C Editor

Rapper Akhil Warrier performing during The Day of Silence event on Sanford Mall. Lily Kincaid

A&C

April 16, 2021

Momentum Dance Club dances through film in annual showcase Jaclyn Bartlett | Reporter From performing in masks to dancing on parking decks, one App State club embraced the change that came with moving its annual showcase online, continuing to tell stories and form connections through movement and music. App State’s Momentum Dance Club had its first-ever virtual showcase April 10 live on YouTube. Momentum Dance, a club that welcomes all students regardless of dance background, annually showcases students performing pieces that their fellow club members choreographed. “In momentum, it doesn’t matter who you are,” said choreographer Caroline Jenkins. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve taken 15 years of dance or if you have never danced in your whole entire life. You can join and we’re excited to have you.” This year, each dance was filmed separately in a variety of locations, from studios to parking decks and edited together for the broadcast. Also new to this showcase is a theme. In previous years, students choreographed dances however they wanted, but this year they followed the theme of “dance through film.” Each song was from a movie or TV show, which also inspired the stories behind the dances. Although recorded performing was some-

thing most of these dancers had never experienced, they had a positive outlook on the situation. “I think in majority it’s very beneficial,” said showcase coordinator Hailey Kalsky. “I think it gives everyone a chance to see what dance and film is like because that’s where the dance industry’s heading.” Kalsky danced in a piece titled “Cringe” that was based on the show “Euphoria” and about the topic of addiction as well as a piece to the song “Bird Set Free” by Sia from the movie “The Shallows.” Kalsky also helped with video editing, and said filming adds an aspect to dancing that’s not achievable through live performances. “With a live performance, the audience is watching it from one angle,” Kalsky said. “But with film, you’re really able to get up close and personal with the dancers. You can see the small movements they’re doing with their hands and their feet and moving the camera in a way that it follows that and captures that almost perfectly for the audience to really feel like they’re part of this dance.” Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

on record “Smiling With No Teeth” Aubrey Smith | Reporter Genesis Owusu has released one of the most cohesive and thought-provoking albums of the year so far, and it’s his first album ever. “Smiling with No Teeth” is a hard-hitting and memorable record. Running roughly 53 minutes, the Ghanaian-Australian artist discusses depression and racism represented as “black dogs,” a recurring theme of the album. Starting the album with a bang, “On the Move!” features a loud electronic instrumental with Owusu’s mesmerizing vocals layered over. As the crunchy synth bass takes over the track, Owusu introduces the “black dogs.” “Centrefold” is one of the most interesting instrumentals on the record. With a reversed chorus, Owusus sings aggressive and threatening lyrics from the perspective of the black dog. The drums laid over a deep bass mixed with the hazy strums of guitars make up the hypnotic instrumental, pairing well with the incomprehensible reversed chorus. Picking up the speed from “Don’t Need You,” an upbeat track where Owusu realizes his independence, he brings out loud drums and clashing guitars to sing about “realizing the black dog’s mannerisms,” he said in an interview with Apple Music. The chorus echoes in your mind after the track is over, as Owusu belts out paired with the instrumental build-up singing, “I can’t leave ‘til you get it (Baby wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up).” “Gold Chains” is one of Owusu’s best displays of lyricism on the record. Owusu sings about dealing with the music industry, how it can consume artists, and how he is trying to survive and succeed in it, singing, “I sacrifice a gentle life for goals that leave me terrified/But pray this doesn’t lead to my demise.” Clashing electric guitars mix their way into the instrumental as the drums, and light synth chords keep the track steady.

In the second half of the album, Owusu deals with the other black dog, rapping and singing about his experiences with racism, its grip on society and how it can manifest into people, resulting in microaggressions and stereotypes. On “I Don’t See Colour,” Owusu eases up on the loud and layered instrumentals and raps over a simpler beat with haunting traces of airy female vocals to bring attention to the significance and seriousness of his lyrics. Owusu is more blunt in this half of the album, with lines such as “When you see the Arab man, it’s the bombs and flares/When you see the Asian man, it’s the yellow scare/When you see the Black man, its riots and terror/But when I talk about slavery, you weren’t there, how convenient.” On the ballad “No Looking Back,” things are seemingly looking up for Owusu, as he is determined to move on from the past and start a new beginning, even with “all the scars” on his skin. The instrumental is very easygoing, with female vocals intertwined in the background, even ending with a flashy collection of trumpets and saxophones. But as the track fades away, it seems the record isn’t ending on that high note. “Bye Bye” is a cry of return to the issues Owusu dived into earlier in the album. In the same interview with Apple Music, Owusu said he felt ending the album on “No Looking Back” was too much of a “Hollywood ending,” and that “there’s no point where you can dust your hands off and be like ‘okay, racism over, depression over.’” The haunting and hazy instrumental emphasizes Owusu’s relationship with his struggles and how even when things are getting better, he finds himself “crawling back.” “Smiling With No Teeth” is a memorable work of art. The mix of R&B, funk, pop, rap and neo-soul paired with Owusu’s unique vocals and lyrics all contribute to this distinguishable concept album.

Students dancing in the Momentum Dance Club Showcase. The club prerecorded its dances this year and live-streamed them on YouTube. Courtesy of Hailey Kalsky

Sports

April 16, 2021

Tearing Up Both Sides of the Ball Andrew Terrell’s Journey as a Two-Way Player Jack Jackson | Reporter

App State junior Andrew Terrell is a key piece of the Mountaineers’ baseball team, but he contributes in a rare way: both as a position player and a pitcher. Terrell currently has a team-best 2.84 ERA through 6.1 innings on the mound and has a .225 batting average. Andy McLean

For two seasons, App State baseball’s Andrew Terrell has been playing one side of the ball fielding at third, in the outfield and batting. Terrell never stopped playing despite battling shoulder problems throughout the years. Now a junior, he’s finally taking steps back towards where he began his baseball journey, playing both sides of the game. “He’s able to hit for average and then get on the mound for some quality innings. It’s very impressive,” senior outfielder Kendall McGowan said. “His ability to get on base and move around the bases. He’s able to get us going and cause an offensive spark when trying to get runs.” In high school, Terrell was named All-Western North Carolina as a senior, a two-time all-conference performer, and named team MVP for baseball and basketball as a senior. He batted .378 and struck out only once in 95 plate appearances as a senior. However, it wasn’t just Terrell’s batting abilities which caught the eyes of the App State coaching staff, but also his pitching abilities. “I’ve been doing it since I was even able to play baseball,” Terrell said. “My family has been a big part of this journey.” As a freshman at App State, Terrell played in the infield in 19 games with four starts while dealing with some injuries, sidelining him for multiple games. In his first season, he batted .125 with three hits, five RBIs, and four runs scored. Terrell rebounded his sophomore year, playing in eight games, making six starts before the season was cut due to the pandemic. He finished batting .143, with six runs scored, four RBIs, six walks, three stolen bases, and a .321 on base percentage. “It’s not something Andrew could ease into, we just threw him into the fire in year three.” pitching coach Justin Aspegren said. “His effect on the game is when he pitches, the guys are excited to play behind him, when Andrew’s on the

mound. They know something cool is going to happen.” Now a junior, Terrell is getting his shot as a two-way player. So far this season, he’s seen not just more playing in the field, making 27 appearances so far, but also got on the mound five times this season. Getting his first call to the mound in the North Carolina A&T series, Terrell had a multi-inning win, giving up just one hit and five strikeouts. So far in five appearances, Andrew has pitched 6.1 innings and leads the team with a 2.84 ERA. “He doesn’t spend much time with me, which makes his pitching side really impressive,” Aspegren said. “He participates in our outfield throwing program and spends 99% of his time with the position players.” Alongside his pitching success, Terrell has found success in the batters box, hitting .225 with 15 runs, eight RBIs, 13 walks, and a team-high seven stolen bases. On the fielding side, Terrell has been reliable with 32 catches, 26 putouts, six assists and zero errors. Nearing the end of the regular season, Terrell has been nominated for the Olerud award by the NCAA. The award, formally known as the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, is awarded annually to the nation’s best two-way player. “Andrew’s versatility is huge for our team,” head coach Kermit Smith. “The thing that is overlooked is how hard it is to be a two-way player, then throw on top of that he plays in the infield and outfield. It’s a huge commitment to balance being good at all of those areas.” Terrell acknowledged that while difficult, being a two-way player is just part of being a good teammate. “It’s not an easy job being a two-way player, but I’m always making sure I’m ready to go when my name is called,” Terrell said.

Sports

April 16, 2021

Zacarias reflects on successful tennis career at App State Ben Brady | Reporter

ver her last four seasons in Boone, senior María José Zacarias has cemented her legacy on App State women’s tennis. This year, as a tenured senior leader, she posted a league-high 10 wins in doubles action, and heading into the postseason, won her last four singles matches. Coming to Boone from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, she rose to the top of the team’s rotation early on. During her freshman campaign, she went 8-1 over a nine-match stretch, finishing 8-5 and earning her All-Second Team Sun Belt singles honors. She succeeded in the 2018-19 season as the Mountaineers compiled a 15-6 record and won their first regular season Sun Belt Championship with a 9-1 league mark. In the 2019-20 season, Zacarias led the team in both doubles and singles victories. The Mountaineers sat at 6-4, and hoped to clinch their second straight winning season before the season was canceled because of COVID-19. “We were about to start conference play, we had been working really hard for that, and we were just very disappointed,” Zacarias said. “There were also a lot of emotions because two of our teammates were going to transfer, so it was sad to know that we wouldn’t play next to them anymore.” While the Mountaineers lost two players to transfer, they brought in freshmen Kseniia Aleshina and Peri Tippins. As a doubles tandem, Zacarias and Aleshina match the team of teammates Sandra Anglesjö and Helena Jansen with 10 wins and only three losses. Most recently, on April 11 against Davidson, the senior and freshman duo won their seventh of the last eight matches. Zacarias says she understands how to fill her role as a leader for the team, especially for incoming players,

App State senior women’s tennis player Maria Zacarias(Right) embraces assistant coach Miller Hales(left) on Senior Day against South Alabama April 4 in Boone. Zacarias and freshman doubles partner Ksenia Aleshina won their match 6-2. Courtesy of App State Athletics/Jay Crain

such as Aleshina. “I did feel that I had the responsibility of showing them how we work as a team and how we like to represent the school,” Zacarias said. “I think I’m more of a silent leader. I like to have a good work ethic and lead as an example, but I have good teammates.” The team also adjusted to a coaching change, as App State hired head coach Ashleigh Antal in November. An All-American and national champion as a student athlete at Vanderbilt, Antal provides the Mountaineers an advantage in experience. Zacarias remarked how their shared passion for and experience with the game of tennis. “It’s been great, she’s a really good person, and she’s really passionate about tennis,” Zacarias said. “I think that me sharing that with her has been able to help me work hard for her and play for her.” Under Antal, Zacarias has found success in both singles and doubles action, finishing 7-7 in singles play, while posting a 4-2 record against Sun Belt compe-

tition. She was named Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player of the Week on April 7 after finishing 3-0 in doubles and 2-0 in singles as the No. 1 against UNC Greensboro, Troy and South Alabama. After winning three straight matches, she capped the regular season off with a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 victory against Davidson’s Josie Schaffer. Zacarias hoped to keep her momentum going into the Sun Belt Conference Championship, while motivating her teammates to play their best possible tennis. “I think we have a good opportunity to show everything we’ve worked for,” Zacarias said. “For me, I’m just trying to give everything I have left because it’s my last tournament as a Mountaineer.” As the fourth seed in the East, the Mountaineers fell to No. 5W seed Texas State, 4-1, in the Opening Round of the Sun Belt Championships held in Peachtree City, Ga.

Sports

April 16, 2021

App State extends Kerns through 2025-26 Silas Albright | Sports Editor

Fresh off App State basketball’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in over 20 years and the first Sun Belt title in program history, the school announced a two-year contract extension through the 2025-26 season and $25,000 per year raise for head coach Dustin Kerns. “I would like to thank our players, coaches and support staff for all of their hard work and dedication that continues to elevate our program,” Kerns said in a press release. The extension includes a $325,000 per year base salary. Kerns’ base salary over the first two years of his original contract was $300,000. According to the extension, Kerns will also receive an annual retention bonus of $25,000

a look at the numbers

for each year he remains employed on top of the annual base salary. Along with a $500 monthly allotment for a courtesy car or car allowance, the extension also includes an annual payment for personality rights that increases each year. The personality rights agreement allows the university to use Kerns’ name, image and likeness for promotional purposes. Plus, he’s required to attend at least 25 Yosef Club or university events each year. Kerns is set to make $15,000 from this part of the contract in 2021-22, $30,000 in ‘2223, $45,000 in ‘23-24, $60,000 in ‘2425 and $75,000 in ‘25-26. Under the extension, Kerns has a $275,000 annual salary pool for three assistant coaches, as well as $45,000 for

a director of basketball operations position. The new contract also includes several opportunities for incentive-based bonuses. For each year the team achieves a single-year Academic Progress Rate of 950 or higher, Kerns will make $10,000. If the team achieves an APR of 985 or higher, Kerns will make $15,000. He can only receive one of these bonuses per year. For every spring or fall semester the Mountaineers average a 3.0 GPA or higher, Kerns will make $5,000. If their collective GPA is between 2.7-3.0, Kerns makes $2,500 a semester. This part of the contract also works on an either-or basis — he can’t receive both bonuses for the same semester.

The extension includes multiple opportunities for Kerns to earn a bonus for the team’s competitive success: $20,000 for a Sun Belt Tournament championship, $15,000 for a Sun Belt regular season title and incremental bonuses for advancing in the NCAA Tournament. He makes $10,000 for an at-large tournament bid and another $10,000 for every game won until the Elite Eight. For a Final Four appearance, Kerns makes $20,000, and $25,000 for a championship game appearance. If the Mountaineers win the NCAA Tournament, Kerns makes an extra $50,000. The extension also includes a $5,000 bonus for winning the conference’s Coach of the Year award and an-

other $5,000 for every year home attendance increases by at least 15%. In his debut 2019-20 season, Kerns helped App State break a streak of eight straight losing basketball seasons. He followed that up in year two by leading the Mountaineers to four wins in four days at the Sun Belt Tournament, earning the program’s first conference tournament crown since 2000, and punching the team’s collective ticket to the Big Dance. “We continue to be excited about our men’s basketball program under the direction of Dustin and his staff,” athletic director Doug Gillin said in a release. “The program’s time in the national spotlight over the last few weeks has been tremendous for App State.

App State professors volunteer to help young people

through mountain biking

Dan Davidson | Associate Sports Editor Several members of the App State community volunteer their time outside of work to help young people grow as individuals and athletes through the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). “App has always been very closely connected to and invested in the local Boone community,” member of Student Affairs at App State and team director Jeff Cathey said. “Several students, faculty and staff who are volunteering as coaches for local youth are another manifestation of that tradition.” In 2008, NICA was founded upon the vision of empowering youth to be part of a thriving and engaged cycling community. The North Carolina NICA League started in 2015 and Watauga county started it’s team one year later. At its core, NICA develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student athletes across the United States. “Cycling provides a community of people that learn to ride with, on your good and bad

days,” recreation management department chair at App State and first-year NICA coach Melissa Weddell said. “Learning to support one another teaches resiliency, a critical skill to navigating everyday life. Through NICA, athletes can learn how to work hard for a goal and build skills to reach that goal.” NICA is offered specifically to middle and high school students. Over the past year, the Watauga NICA program has grown from 29 student athletes to 35, in spite of the ongoing pandemic. In a sport that continues to be male-dominated, the team is proud that 15 of their 35 student athletes are females. “When I started mountain biking in the 90s, it was predominantly a male activity,” Weddell said. “While there is still much work to do, there have been women-specific programs aimed at changing this, NICA being one.” This season, the team’s activities have been

The Watauga County National Interscholastic Cycling Association team, founded in 2016, allows local kids to benefit from being part of a cycling team. Thirty five kids are currently on the team. “Through NICA, athletes can learn how to work hard for a goal and build skills to reach that goal,” first-year NICA coach Melissa Weddell said. Courtesy of Kenzie Schmidt

altered entirely by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team has been divided into pods of up to nine student athletes, and those pods practice two days per week, separate from the rest of the team. Also, the entire NICA race series was canceled for the year. “This year, there are no races, which is a bummer because the race atmosphere is a really

cool part of NICA,” second-year coach and App State junior Kenzie Schmidt said. “Being at every race, everyone’s so supportive and everyone’s there to have a good time. Everyone there is just stoked that people are riding bikes.” Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

Opinion

April 16, 2021

Treat servers with Young People

respect Aren’t Lazy Ella Adams | Associate Opinion Editor

Jenna Hatcher | Reporter

Working in a restaurant means service with a smile and the customers are always right. But, there is a tipping point for servers when people refuse to wear their masks. Being a server or a hostess during the pandemic comes with a learning curve — following new rules and guidelines. For customers it is simple: wear your mask when you walk into a restaurant and take it off once you reach your table. However, for some, that is too much to ask and they put others in danger of getting COVID-19. Working in the restaurant industry, there are countless examples of seeing customers walking in without a mask, despite a big sign at the front of most establishments saying you can’t enter without one. The blatant disrespect shown toward those whose job description is to cater to a customer’s every need is baffling. During these turbulent times it should be a common courtesy to put on a mask when in public, especially in restaurants. Regulations might be different in Texas, but for all restaurants in Boone, a mask is still required to walk through the door. Besides requiring masks, restaurants in Boone are sanitizing in between each customer and making sure each table is six feet apart to keep everyone safe. It is important to acknowledge that people are dying from COVID-19 at this very moment, and wearing a mask could potentially save a life. Restaurants are open right now to keep their business and employees afloat, but that does not mean they will allow harassment in their establishment. Putting on a mask for a short amount of time might seem pointless to some. COVID-19 can be spread when someone is talking, singing, coughing, sneezing and even breathing. Even in a five-minute time span someone could contract the virus if they are not six feet apart. If there is not proper ventilation there is a risk of getting COVID-19 when people are over six feet apart.

Restaurants do their best to keep the six feet minimum distance, but in certain areas such as busy walkways and restrooms, it can be difficult to do so. Masks are the best option when it comes to keeping others safe. Most servers don’t have to directly deal with maskless customers. But, some will step out to help hosts deal with those situations. People who refuse to put on a mask may harass hosts and servers. Those in the service industry should not have put up with customers who refuse to wear a mask. Most restaurants allow their employees to ask customers to put on a mask, while other restaurants don’t. Certain restaurants either need the business to keep staying open or simply disregard regulations despite the harm that could come to their employees and others. There comes a point when dealing with defiant customers becomes too much. People working in the service industry already work for low pay. They shouldn’t have to serve people who show them disrespect. There are too many horror stories from others who work in restaurants who have dealt with this type of behavior from those who demand service. Wearing a mask keeps everyone safe, so if those paying customers can’t wear one then restaurant workers don’t need to jeopardize their health. To show respect toward servers during the pandemic, follow the COVID-19 protocols for places of business. Wear a mask when entering a restaurant, keep a mask on unless you are eating or drinking and stay six feet apart when asked to do so. If it can be spared, tip some extra money or donate directly towards restaurants. The hospitality industry has suffered major losses during the pandemic. Overall, just be friendly toward the service staff: some are risking their health to ensure customers can receive the best possible experience they can have.

Millennials and Gen Z are very familiar with economic instability. Many millennials and “zoomers” grew up amid the Great Recession and both generations are familiar with the economic hardship COVID-19 caused. Today’s economy is drastically different from the economy our parents and grandparents knew. Education is more expensive, it’s harder to buy a house and the job market has become highly competitive. A common criticism of younger generations is that we have ourselves to blame for our sky-high student debt, low property ownership, financial instability and difficulty finding jobs after graduating college. The “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations may have worked at one point, but hard work simply isn’t enough in America’s current economic landscape. Unlike older generations, the odds are stacked against us. One of the most serious challenges facing millennials and Gen Z is debt. The cost of higher education is quickly increasing. From 2008-19, public college tuition increased a stunning 25.3% and private college tuition rose 29.8% nationwide. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, tuition in North Carolina rose nearly 46% or $2,321. Because higher education is so expensive, student loans have become just another part of attending college. Sixty-nine percent of the class of 2019, both undergraduate and graduate students, took out student loans. Overall, 44.7 million Americans have student loan debt, a combined $1.71 trillion in total national student loan debt. A college degree has become essential for entering the workforce. Although college is a necessity, it is priced as a luxury. Paying off student loans can take years and prevents homeownership, saving for retirement and building wealth. Unlike previous generations, young people are beginning their lives out of college already in debt. Homeownership is very important in longterm financial stability, but young people aren’t buying homes. By age 30, 48.3% of baby boomers owned homes, but only 35.8% of millennials born from 1980-84 owned homes at the same age.

Those lazy millennials just need to work harder to afford a home, right? Not exactly. A combination of student debt, difficulty finding a job and lower marriage rates are all culprits of low homeownership among millennials. Lending policies have become stricter after the 2008 housing market crash, making it harder to get a mortgage than before 2008. Gen Z isn’t quite old enough to purchase homes yet but they face many of the same challenges millennials do: student debt, a recession and a cutthroat job market. Any recent graduate will tell you how tough the job market is. The 2020 recession makes finding a job as a new graduate harder than ever. Entering the workforce during any economic recession is difficult, but it’s even harder after the 2008 economic crash. Companies were forced to make major cuts, and that included some experienced employees. Seasoned professionals, left without work, took entry-level positions. A new graduate doesn’t stand a chance against a professional with experience in the field. The 2008 recession raised the bar for entry-level jobs. Yes, 2008 was over a decade ago but the precedent was set. College graduates with little experience were, and still are, forced to take lower-paying, poorer jobs compared to previous generations. Today, the job market is extremely competitive, so outrageous demands of 3-5 years experience and higher education for an entry-level job is a way of shrinking the pool of applicants. The bottom line is that it is much harder for young people to get a job than boomers or Gen X. It’s not laziness that prevents young people from getting work: it’s difficult economic conditions that previous generations didn’t have to face on this scale. Criticism of young people from older generations is nothing new. Every generation was at one point criticized for being “lazy kids.” Millennials and Gen Z are in the unique case where the challenges we face, such as debt, impossible economic conditions and cutthroat job markets, are being mistaken for laziness. Young people are resilient, not lazy.

Et Cetera

April 16, 2021

How the Cookie Crumbles

JACKIE PARK

Recipe by Sophia Lyons

This is the best chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever had. And that’s no small claim. This recipe has been meticulously tweaked from its nondescript origins on Allrecipes over four years of formative cookie development, coming out golden and a little gooey, cooling chewy and crisp around the edges. Adjust the baking time to make your favorite kind of cookie: shorter bake times turn out gooey cookies that cool very chewy, while longer bake times turn out cookies that hold together and cool very crunchy — everyone’s favorite exists somewhere on the continuum. Mix in a little cinnamon and allspice for a spiced cookie, try white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts instead of chocolate chips, or if you’re really into molasses, use dark brown sugar.

EDITOR IN CHIEF

editor@theappalachianonline.com

EDITORIAL MICKEY HUTCHINGS

SILAS ALBRIGHT

SOPHIA LYONS

CALEB GARBUIO

EMILY BROYLES

ANSLEY PUCKETT

MANAGING EDITOR

CHIEF COPY EDITOR

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1 teaspoon hot water

• 1 egg

• 1½ cups all-purpose ﬂour

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups chocolate chips

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Step one: Setting up Set all ingredients out to come to room temperature together. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Step two: Making the dough Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and ﬂuffy for 2 to 4 minutes. Beat in the egg until well combined, and stir in the vanilla extract. Dissolve the salt and baking soda in the hot water in a shot glass and pour into the creamed mixture, stirring well to combine. Pour the ﬂour in the bowl, followed by the chocolate chips, and fold until combined. Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, up to overnight. Step three: Baking the cookies Preheat the oven to 375 F. Drop spoonfuls of about a tablespoon and a half of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, four rows of three spaced about two inches apart, for a dozen cookies per sheet. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes depending on how gooey you like them, or until the cookies are set in the middle and golden brown on the edges. Eight minutes will produce a very gooey cookie, 11 minutes will produce a very crisp cookie; cookies baked for 9 minutes come out slightly gooey to set chewy when they cool. Cool on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

OPINION EDITOR A&C EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

Your New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes 24 to 30 cookies. 25 minutes hands-on, 1 and a half hours total

SPORTS EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA ANNA MUCKENFUSS

XANAYRA MARIN-LOPEZ

JESSE BARBER

EFRAIN ARIAS-MEDINA JR.

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The Appalachian is the award-winning, independent studentrun news organization at Appalachian State University, published since 1934. The student staff maintains all editorial discretion, and there is no prior review by university faculty, staff or administrators. The Appalachian strives for accuracy in newsgathering and reporting. If you think we have made an error, email editor@theappalachianonline.com. Participation in The Appalachian is open to all current full-time students at the university. For more information about joining, email outreach@theappalachianonline.com. The opinions pages of The Appalachian are an open public forum. Contributions are welcomed via email to editor@theappaalchianonline.com. Opinions expressed are those of individual columnists, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the news organization overall. Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The Appalachian editorial board.

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