The Appalachian October 16, 2020

The Appalachian

October 16, 2020

North Carolina sees record turnout on first day of early voting, Watauga County sees surge Moss Brennan | Political Editor

Community members wait outside the Watauga County Administration Building on the first day of early voting, Oct. 15, to submit their ballot in the 2020 presidential election.

Kara Haselton

North Carolina voters showed up in force for the first day of early voting Thursday.

With two hours of voting to go, the North Carolina State Board of Elections reported nearly 230,000 people voted in the state. With two hours left, turnout easily surpassed the entirety of the first day of voting in 2016 which saw 166,000 people cast their ballot.

“The state board is glad to see North Carolina voters taking advantage of the different options to cast a ballot,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the state board of elections in a press release. “The county boards of elections and election workers worked diligently to ensure a successful first day of early voting. We thank them for their heroic efforts.”

Watauga County saw 2,863 voters head to the polls Thursday. The 2016 election saw a total of 32,241 people vote in Watauga County.

Director of Elections Matt Snyder said turnout — especially at rural sites — was the story of the day.

The App State Plemmons Student Union early voting site saw over 800 voters Thursday. In 2016, near-

ly 6,500 people voted at the campus voting site overall.

Jeff Cathey, who oversees operations in the student union, said he thought the campus site ran smoothly throughout the day and isn’t aware of any problems.

App State has a mask mandate indoors, but Cathey said the board of elections has control of the Blue Ridge Ballroom for the duration of voting.

“It’s just been made very clear that App State encourages face coverings at all times,” Cathey said.

“We’ve basically given the Blue Ridge ballroom to the board of elections, even for the sake of security and things. Even locks are changed.”

Choosing to not wear a mask cannot be a barrier to someone voting, according to guidance from the state board. Because of this, Cathey said, poll workers are not enforcing face coverings.

However, the state board encourages voters to wear masks and voting sites have free masks available for voters.

Tips for voting early from the North Carolina State Board of Elections

Local couple brings in business with unusual bouquets

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News

Oct. 16, 2020

Students in Thunder Hill residence hall experience maintenance troubles in new dorm Gianna Holiday | Associacte News Editor At least six residents of Thunder Hill residence hall have relocated after a leak from a bathroom vent, impacting two suites on two floors.

Residents Kalina Hanowski and Katie Hayes called maintenance Oct. 2. after discovering a leak in their shower ceiling and water coming from a vent.

University Housing said students needed to move out by the end of the day on Oct. 2 then later pushed their move out to Oct. 5 at 6 a.m.

University Housing and the Office of Planning, Design and Construction, which works with the contractor fixing the problem, said six plumbing leaks were discovered and repaired in Thunder Hill.

“App State is committed to maintaining clean living spaces and has engaged the appropriately trained and qualified professionals to ensure any potential for mold is completely mitigated and the highest levels of safety are maintained,” said Megan Hayes, chief communications officer for App State.

While workers have not encountered black mold, housing is treating all areas conducive to mold growth of any kind with black mold response treatment as a precaution.

A few of the leaks were small and occurred for a few days. Others were immediate and short in duration before identification and repair.

Out of caution, residents in the affected units were relocated and containment barriers were put in place.

Students in Thunder Hill residence hall were relocated after encountering a leak in two suites Oct. 2.

Bella Zerrillo

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The wet construction materials were removed and an industrial hygienist was brought in to monitor the removal of materials and conduct testing and clearances on the spaces. Once dry and cleared by the industrial hygienist, the areas are treated and the finishes replaced.

The next day, maintenance came and said they needed to cut a hole in the ceiling.

Hayes, Hanowski’s roommate, was sent home and was unable to relocate on campus due to being at high risk for COVID-19.

Ten rooms were affected on the first through fifth floors, impacting a total of 20 students. The students are now living in other residence halls in suite or hotel-style halls until the situation is fixed.

These students will be credited with any difference from less expensive halls they were assigned to and Thunder Hill.

Hanowski said she knew of six people who had to move out.

“Myself, my roommate, my two suitemates, and the two people who live above us, as they also had a leak,” Hanowski said. “However, there have been many people who have had to move out in the past month due to this issue. It wasn’t organized at all.”

University Housing relocated Hanowski and her suitemates to Summit Resident Hall. Upon arrival, Hanowski had problems with her AppCard, which would not grant her access to the residence hall.

Summit Hall and Thunder Hill Hall both have COVID-19 clusters. Hanowski said her suitemates from Thunder Hill were relocated to Summit and are now staying on

Cameron Marshall, a resident of the recently built dorm Thunder Hill residence hall, which is located on the east side of campus, said that some students have had to move out of their rooms completely due to dangerous levels of mold, himself and his roommate included.

Bella Zerrillo

a floor where there is an outbreak.

“This was an extremely stressful process where I received very few answers,” Hanowski said.

Katie Hayes also said University Housing was vague about the situation and how serious it was.

“All I know is that we had a small leak that was fixed, they cut a hole in our ceiling, and then called us two days later and asked us to move out so they could do maintenance in the bathroom,” Katie Hayes said. “I’m not even entirely sure what they’re doing.”

Housing told Hanowski and

Katie Hayes they would have to move out for two weeks. There is no official move-in date for when the project is finished.

“Of course I am upset that I am spending two or more weeks at home and not with my friends, but I will say that I’m glad our health and safety is being put first,” Katie Hayes said.

News

Oct. 16, 2020

App State Faculty Senate discusses concerns about holidays, spring semester Gianna Holiday | Associacte News Editor With the fall semester halfway over, the App State Faculty Senate led a panel raising new concerns about the upcoming holidays and the spring 2021 semester.

The faculty senate held the panel with two App State professors who have researched COVID-19: Mahram Ahmed, a research assistant professor in the department of biochemistry, and Maggie Sugg, assistant professor in the Geology and Planning Department who researches environmental illnesses.

Ahmed said that it is concerning to send students home at a time where there is an exponential growth in COVID-19 numbers, notably in the transmission rate in the community and student population.

“We will be sending them home at a time where infection rate is high, and they will then be going home to

their communities and spreading it there,” Ahmed said.

While students are going home for the holidays Nov. 24 and final exams will be online with some exceptions such as lab-based and clinical classes, faculty and staff are concerned with transmission rates in the state.

One proposal was whether or not the university should send students home prior to that, which is already two weeks earlier than the originally scheduled date, Dec. 11.

There are a number of factors to consider including the weather, the holidays where people will gather and movement around the state.

At the university level, there are a lot of decisions to be made going forward for the community’s health such as classes for next semester and when to send students home for break.

“This is an unpredictable virus

Moss Brennan | Political Editor

Kat Fast | Reporter

At first, COVID-19 was unknown — just a disease that was spreading in China. It soon became clear that the incredibly fast spreading and infectious virus could pose a problem to a college campus of over 20,000.

Out of nearly 1,600 COVID-19 cases in Watauga County, over 1,000 of them are related to App State. The majority being in students — over 900.

AppHealthCare reports the largest percentage of cases are in the 18to 24-year-old age group. According to App State, the average age for students enrolled in the fall 2020 semester is 21.5 years old.

When COVID-19 began spreading to other countries at the beginning of the year, App State officials knew they would need to meet with Ap-

pHealthCare to mitigate any future harm to the App State community.

Taylor Rushing, medical director of App State Student Health Services, said meetings surrounding COVID-19 began with AppHealthCare in January, when the virus was identified.

“As the spread widened, those meetings increased, and we now meet daily,” Rushing said.

Those meetings take place every day at 2 p.m. and involve members from AppHealthCare and App State administration.

“Working with the AppHealthCare team has allowed us to consistently inform our campus community, while also offering important, data-driven safety and prevention information,” said Megan Hayes, App

and can have a long-term impact on our community,”Ahmend said.

She said a big concern of hers is students not following COVID-19 guidelines and the university not considering sending students home.

“When we send students home in November, it will be the holidays, it will be colder, they will be indoors more. We could potentially be transporting the coronavirus all across North Carolina and creating other hotspots,” Sugg siad.

Students are encouraged to quarantine and self-isolate before heading home for the break, Sugg said.

Sugg said the university needs to remind students how important it is to isolate before returning home. She also encouraged students to social distance, wear a mask and wash their hands.

“It’s only October and we are seeing large increases in our num-

bers,” Sugg said. “It is likely that it will continue to increase and then we are going to bring it all over North Carolina.”

While more young people are asymptomatic, there are still consequences, such as spreading the virus to those who are more high-risk.

False negatives are possible if the person tested is at the beginning of the infection and has not built up enough virus particles to be detected. For this reason, Sugg recommended students get tested regularly prior to returning home.

“It’s up to the university, but if you look at the data and the rate of transmission, the conclusion is very clear. If you want to responsibly send students home, it’s best to do it when the rates are lower. They’re only going to increase,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed said that it is likely to see

a similar trend with the influenza virus, but this is doubly concerning as it is unknown as to what those two viruses will do together.

Universities that have been successful with widespread testing have had the resources to develop their own COVID-19 testing, such as private universities with the funds to support that or universities that have medical centers associated with them.

App State has neither of those.

“I can’t advocate for students to come back or not, but I can say transmission is higher in the winter and that should be a factor that is discussed with the collaboration of admin, faculty, and the community,” Sugg said.

“The more we can do to reduce our risk, the better.”

State’s chief communications officer.

With nearly 1,600 cases in Watauga County and over 1,000 at App State alone, those daily meetings are when the groups look at the data and address any challenges that have come up.

Chancellor Sheri Everts said AppHealthCare has made itself available daily in support of App State’s educational mission.

“I appreciate the critical work of our local public health team, which has helped us create a safer campus environment,” Everts said.

Jennifer Greene is the health director at AppHealthCare, which serves Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga counties. She has been with AppHealthCare since 2004 and has served as the

health director since December 2017.

Serving in this role during the pandemic has been “intense” for Greene.

“I feel a great deal of responsibility to the community,” Greene said.

“You know, all of the community. All the parts of the community to try to keep people healthy and safe.”

A big part of the community –– over 20,000 in fact –– are the students at App State.

Like every relationship, Greene said there have been challenges –– especially during the pandemic. Both AppHealthCare and App State face outside pressures related COVID-19.

Part of the relationship comes from open communication about concerns and actions that need to take

place.

“Because of our relationship with the AppHealthCare team, we have a much fuller picture we can use as we make data-driven decisions about health and safety on our campus,” said Jason Marshburn, director of Environmental Safety and Emergency Management.

A key challenge the university and AppHealthCare works together on is contact tracing among students.

Greene said if a student, faculty or staff member can’t be reached by a public health official, the university will step in and help contact that person.

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

App State, AppHealthCare build on relationship as COVID-19 cases rise

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News

Oct. 16, 2020

NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS OFFERS THE FOLLOWING 10 TIPS:

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Voters may cast a ballot at any early voting site in their county. For sites and hours, use the One-Stop Early Voting Site Search tool. All 100 counties will offer weekend voting options throughout early voting.

Sample ballots are available through the Voter Search tool: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/.

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Individuals who missed the regular voter registration deadline may register and vote at the same time during the early voting period. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live.

Voters are strongly encouraged to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and adhere to social distancing guidelines at the polling place.

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Voters at one-stop early voting sites are entitled to the same assistance as voters at a voting place on Election Day. Curbside voting is available for eligible individuals at all early voting sites.

North Carolina law prohibits photographing or videotaping voted ballots. Voters may use electronic devices in the voting booth to access a slate card or candidate information, provided they don’t use the devices to communicate with anyone or take photographs of their ballot.

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To avoid long lines, voters should keep in mind that the busiest early voting days typically are the first and last days of early voting. Voters may find shorter lines during regular business hours.

The state board asks that all voters respect the rights of others to participate in the election.

Intimidating any voter is a crime. Voters who feel harassed or intimidated should notify an election official immediately.

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Voters who receive an absentee ballot by mail may deliver their completed ballot to an election official at an early voting site in their county. Ballots will be kept securely and delivered to the county board of elections for processing.

Voters who requested an absentee ballot but have not yet returned it may vote in person during the early voting period or on Election Day, Nov. 3. Voters may discard the by-mail ballot and do not need to bring it to a voting site.

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Graphic by Efrain Arias-Medina Jr.

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News

Oct. 16, 2020

App State athletes use their voice to get out the vote Moss Brennan | Political Editor Under the bright lights of Kidd Brewer or in the dome like Holmes Convocation Center during games or matches, App State athletes have one goal: be the best at whatever they are doing and win.

But off the field, athletes are taking on a new task: getting people to vote.

App State Athletic Director Doug Gillin said getting feedback from athletes is very important for their department. Part of that is listening to what is important to them.

One of the key issues for athletes, Gillin said, was registering people to vote.

“A lot of our teams took it upon themselves, to make sure that they had 100% registration and a lot of them just took it upon themselves to spread the word,” Gillin said.

At least four App State teams are 100% registered to vote, said spokesperson Joey Jones.

Those teams include women’s basketball, men’s basketball, women’s

soccer and volleyball.

Leading up to the final day for people to register to vote in North Carolina, the App State Athletics Twitter account posted videos from athletes urging people to register to vote. Those athletes came from women’s soccer, football, women’s golf and men’s basketball.

“My teammates and I are all very young voters,” said Daryn Armstrong, a junior on the volleyball team. “For some, this might be their second election. But for many of us, this is our first.”

Armstrong said voting is a privilege that she doesn’t take lightly — especially as a young Black woman.

“Women were not always able to vote,” Armstrong said. “African Americans were not always able to vote. So this being my first presidential election, it’s exciting. It’s a way for voices to be heard.”

On the volleyball team, Armstrong said a lot of conversations be-

tween the team have been about registering to vote and how to vote, whether it be absentee or in person.

Thomas Hennigan, a senior wide receiver on the football team, said because he is one of the older guys on the team, his goal is to help the younger guys register to vote.

“A lot of it’s guidance to help the younger guys understand the process and everything and how everything goes,” Hennigan said. “We just want everyone to know that their voice matters and I think everyone’s opinion needs to be heard.”

As part of the civic engagement movement, the Sun Belt — the athletic conference most of App State’s sports participate in — and the NCAA are mandating all athletic programs have the day off for Nov. 3.

For Hennigan, that means he can go vote in his hometown of Greensboro.

“For me, it means the opportunity to drive home in my home coun-

ty,” Hennigan said. “So that’s just awesome and I’m really thankful for that opportunity.”

Along with the day off on Nov. 3, Armstrong said her coaches have been very supportive of their goal to get people to vote and have provided educational materials to the team.

“I’m very appreciative that our coaches understand and want us to have our voices heard and want us to participate,” Armstrong said. “It’s just great to know that our coaches are supporting us and are encouraging us to vote.”

Hennigan said he feels similarly in how supportive the coaches have been in response to speaking out about voting.

“When we’re done here with football, they want us to be great husbands and great fathers,” Hennigan said. “So I mean, voting is just another way of extending their care for us.”

Early voting in North Carolina starts Oct. 15. In Watauga County, six

early voting sites will open at 8 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. during the week.

On the first two Saturdays, the early voting sites will open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. On Oct. 31, the last day of early voting, the early voting sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Here are the voting sites in Watauga County: • App State - Plemmons Student Union - Blue Ridge Ballroom • Blowing Rock Town Hall • Deep Gap Fire Department • High Country Vacation Homes (Foscoe) • Western Watauga Community Center • Watauga County Administration Building, Commissioners’ Board Room “If you’re gonna vote — which I really hope everyone votes — research what you’re voting for, not just the person but policies,” Hennigan said.

Board of elections to keep campus voting line outside unless severe weather occurs Abi Pepin | Senior Political Correspondent Moss Brennan | Political Editor The Watauga County Board of Elections passed a resolution Tuesday night that sponsors the use space outside the Plemmons Student Union for the early voting line unless the director of elections deems the weather too severe.

The resolution was passed in part due to a history of long lines at the campus voting site and COVID-19 concerns.

The union’s Blue Ridge Ballroom saw 6,482 voters in the 2016 presidential election and over 4,700 people in the 2018 general election.

Early voting turnout is already breaking records across the country this year. On Tuesday, Georgia’s first day of early voting, the secretary of state reported a record number of

in-person voters with over 128,000 people voting.

The first day for early voting in North Carolina was Oct. 15 and polls opened at 8 a.m. Social distancing enforcement at the polls will force lines to stretch even further than normal.

Board of Elections Chair Michael Behrent introduced a resolution that would move lines at all early voting sites, but the board would make daily assessments of the weather to see if the lines should be moved indoors.

One member of the board disagreed with Behrent stating that “COVID-19 trumps weather” and that lines should only be moved inside due to severe weather including torrential rain or snow.

According to the National Oce-

anic and Atmospheric Administration, Boone had nearly 10 inches of rain in October 2019. The lowest temperature recorded was 27 degrees on Oct. 25, 2019 and the month saw nine days of freezing temperatures.

Behrent’s motion failed, and after discussion on what the board thought was severe weather, a new resolution was introduced.

The new resolution moved the line at the campus voting site outside, but allows Snyder to use his discretion to move it inside if he thought there was going to be life-threatening or severe weather.

The resolution passed unanimously.

At the meeting, Behrent read a letter from the Voting Rights Task

Force that supported a line outside, but also wanted to move the line inside in case of inclement weather — not just severe weather.

Dalton George, a member of the task force and an App State junior, wrote the letter. He said the resolution that passed was a good middle ground.

“I would’ve wished for provisions that would’ve allowed for a move inside for any sort of non-ideal weather,” George said. “Still, as long as the board commits to exercise the ability to move the line inside to protect voters during harsh weather, I think it’s a good start.”

This year, there are six one-stop early voting sites in Watauga County.

• Blowing Rock Town Hall • Deep Gap Fire Department • High Country Vacation Homes (Foscoe) • Western Watauga Community Center • Watauga County Administration Building, Commissioners’ Board Room One-stop early voting will run Oct. 15 to Oct. 31. Each voting site will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every weekday.

Each Saturday, sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• App State – Plemmons Student Union – Blue Ridge Ballroom

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News

Oct. 16, 2020

Continued from page 1 Annabellle Jones, a senior sustainable development major, said poll workers told her she was the first App State student to vote at the campus voting site. Jones got to the site at 7 a.m. — an hour before polls opened.

“Honestly, being the first student to vote on campus was incredible and something I will never forget, but I’m most blown away with the App State professors who had been waiting in line way before I even got there,” Jones said.

Jones said she was the fourth voter at the union site. Three App State professors voted before her, she said.

“I’ve been interning with the North Carolina Democratic Party for

the last two months, and voting felt like a huge weight was lifted off me,” Jones said. “I truly believe that North Carolina is fired up and that we’re going to see history be made.”

Cathey said he recommends voters utilize the student union during one of its slower periods. He said that there tends to be little to no line early and late in the day.

Early voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. throughout the week until Oct. 31. On the first two Saturdays of early voting, polls are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Oct. 31 — the final day of early voting — polls are open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

State board: Ballots marked by poll workers are valid Abi Pepin | Senior Political Correspondent Rumors spreading on social media about ballots being invalid if written on by election workers are untrue in North Carolina. The State Board addressed the rumors Thursday stating that if a ballot is marked by a poll worker it is still valid.

Election workers write an identifying number on all absentee ballots and one-stop ballots that are assigned to each ballot and voter, according to the state board.

The assigned numbers allow the ballots to be retrieved if there is a challenge. For example, if the voter dies before Election Day, if someone double votes, or in the event of a successful election protest.

In certain counties, the voter’s precinct must be written on the ballot so absentee ballots and one-stop ballots can be sorted into the correct precincts after the election for data purposes.

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However, Election Day ballots can not be retrieved unless they are provisional ballots which are marked with a “P.” Early voting in North Carolina started Oct. 15. In Watauga County, the six early voting sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. during the week.

The first two Saturdays, early voting sites will open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. On Oct. 31, the last day of early voting, the early voting sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Here are the voting sites in Watauga County: • App State – Plemmons Student Union – Blue Ridge Ballroom • Blowing Rock Town Hall • Deep Gap Fire Department • High Country Vacation Homes (Foscoe) • Western Watauga Community Center

App State Faculty Senate chair appointed to board of elections

Michael Behrent (right) is sworn into the Watauga County Board of Elections Oct. 8 as the chair. He replaced former chair Jane Ann Hodges who resigned due to health concerns.

Courtesy of Watauga County Board of Elections

Moss Brennan | Political Editor Gov. Roy Cooper appointed the App State Faculty Senate chair to the Watauga County Board of Elections.

Michael Behrent, associate history professor, was appointed after Watauga County BOE chair Jane Hodges resigned due to health concerns. He was sworn onto the board Oct. 8.

“We welcome our new chair and appreciate his service to Watauga County voters during this unusual time,” said Matthew Snyder, director of the Watauga County Board of Elections in a press release.

Snyder also thanked Hodges for her “years of dedicated service” as the former director of elections and chair of the board, and said she will be missed.

Behrent said he is honored to serve in this role.

“I’m delighted to be able to do my part in making sure that we have a fair and safe election,” Behrent said.

“We want to make sure that all citizens have a meaningful opportunity to participate and vote.”

He said it will be difficult to follow in the footsteps of Hodges, who he said is a local and state elections expert.

Hodge had served as the BOE chair since March 2018 and worked with the board for approximately 30 years, Snyder said.

The Watauga County Democrats nominated Behrent to replace Hodges as chair.

“Michael (Behrent) has been involved with the local party for the last few years and I have always found him thoughtful and well spoken and thought he would be ideal,” said Diane Tilson, chair of the Watauga County Democrats.

Tilson said it seems Behrent does research on issues to understand and that he seemed like he would be a good fit for the board.

“We hope that he will be willing to serve on the board of elections for awhile and we look forward to working with him and I hope the local board will work together to make the very best decisions possible for voters in Watauga County,” Tilson said.

Behrent started at App State 12 years ago.

He earned his doctorate at New York University where he defended his dissertation “Society Incarnate: Association, Society, and Religion in French Political Thought, 18251912.”

He writes about American politics and political thought for several French publications and writes two blogs — one in French on American politics and another in English on French politics.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with my four fellow board members and with the staff of the board of elections,” Behrent said.

A&C

Oct. 16, 2020

LEGENDS

transformed into student study space and lounge

John C Belfi | Reporter Students type away next to newly installed charger ports. Soft hiphop and jazz music plays quietly over the PA system. The lights are tuned to a hazy purple, and the clink of pool balls can be heard amongst cheerful student conversations.

The venue Legends, which has hosted practiced musicians like Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Saba, Magic Giant, Luke Combs, Doja Cat, Electric Jelly Funk and Foxy Moron, is now a study space for students.

Legends is open to the staff and students at App State for study hall from 11a.m. - 11p.m. weekdays and 11a.m. - 8 p.m. on weekends. The venue has once again become a popular place for on-campus students to visit, only this time without live music or events.

Alexis Simpson, Legend’s evening and weekend coordinator, said the venue would normally host club events, put acts up on stage and be an asset to the Appalachian Popular Programming Society office.

However, the Office of Academic Affairs planned to use Legends as a classroom. OAA decided to bring in more tables, but during the move in, the Office of Student Engagement was convinced that Legends was not fit to be a classroom.

“Since that’s all we did with the space, we couldn’t use Legends for its purpose as a club and entertainment venue. It’s not a classroom type of vibe because of how it looks with the DJ booth, stage and bar there,” Simpson said.

Over the summer, Simpson said the team decided to make it into a

student lounge because of the recreational materials the venue already had.

“Since all the freshmen will be on campus in the union, library or mess halls, Legends could provide another space for those students to maintain their distance from each other, and not cluster within the few indoor study spaces that very quickly become populated,” Simpson said.

Over the summer, Simpson brainstormed ideas that would help Legends become a popular lounge and study area on East Campus. Students have access to new electronic charging hubs, and more are likely playing pool or eating snacks with their friends close by.

“I’m glad now to see that more people are using the pool tables, darts and cornhole. Not many people knew it was open at the beginning of the semester,” Simpson said. “I think the signs and social media posts really drew more traffic in. I’m glad to hear and see that more people are enjoying it.”

Simpson said student supervisors clean the space regularly and provide students access to game equipment upon request.

Since the Office of Student Engagement renovated the venue, students have discovered the perks of studying at Legends.

“It’s not as crowded as (the union) and the library. It’s super fun

to hang out here,” Quinn Roberts said, a freshman molecular biology major.

Freshman Tomas Delgedo heard about the Legends study space through Instagram and took advantage of the social distanced study space.

“I’m here like every other day. I use the space because there’s always plenty of places where I can sit to write my scripts here for my television scriptwriting class,” Delgado said. “It’s nice having people around to chat with if I’m taking a break too.”

Studying online and submitting assignments is conveniently done over the WiFi at Legends. During down-

I’m glad that we

can keep this place running smoothly

during this period...

time, students socialize at their leisure later on the weekdays.

“Legends is the only place that’s open to 11 p.m. on the weekends on campus. We love playing darts here too,” said Baneen Al Nafiee, a healthcare management major.

Montana Mills, the head student supervisor at Legends said she believes the new study space has been a success.

“I’m glad that we can keep this place running smoothly during this period,” Mills said. “It’s a great place to work, and it’s nice to see students taking advantage of what my bosses have put in place.”

The inside of Legends. Due to COVID-19, the Office of Student Affairs has transformed the space into a space for students to study.

John Belfi

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A&C

Oct. 16, 2020

Local couple redefines REVIEW wedding bouquets The Haunting of Bly Manor

A bouquet made of wood. Bailey Sparks and Alec Byran opened a business selling wood bouquets after seeing a need for reliable flower providers during COVID. Courtesy of Bailey Sparks

Ansley Puckett A&C Editor A betrothed walks down an aisle in white on their wedding day. In their hands is a bouquet: not of flowers, but of wood.

This is exactly how Bailey Sparks will look on her wedding day, walking down the aisle toward her fiancé, Alec Byran, and this is how they hope other people will look on their wedding day, too.

After searching for affordable floral arrangement options for their upcoming wedding, Sparks and Byran decided they wanted something more long-lasting and reliable during COVID times. As a woodworker and recent App State industrial design graduate, Byran put his skills to work and made Spark’s bouquet out of wood scraps.

“It didn’t make sense to buy really expensive flowers that die within a few days after the wedding,” Sparks said. “We wanted something that we could treasure and keep forever.”

The couple posted their creation on social media and began receiving positive feedback and requests from others who wanted wood bouquets of their own. Byran and Sparks decided to start their business, Redefine Wood Flowers, selling their wood flowers and offering couples a reliable and environmentally-friendly option for their weddings.

“Part of the reason why we decided to start

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this business is because there was a direct need due to COVID,” Sparks said. “At the beginning of COVID, a lot of the floral shops, especially for brides looking for flowers, were shutting down. Or, they would place an order, but they wouldn’t know in a few months if that the shop would be opened to continue to send their flowers on the big day, and so brides were looking for something a little more stable.”

Customers can choose from several different options of bouquets on the couple’s Etsy, or customize their own, choosing from different wood types, accents and flower colors.

“This was our (second) gift purchase of this UNIQUE arrangement. Both recipients RAVED about the quality and appreciate that they’re both one-of-a-kind. These are my first purchases ever on Etsy, and the RedefineWoodFlowers company has been phenomenal to work with,” wrote a customer for a review on Etsy.

Byran makes the wood bouquets from wood scraps that would otherwise be burned or thrown away.

“I have a bunch of scrap wood from over the years of woodworking, and for me, it’s hard to throw away a nice piece of wood like that,” Byran said.

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

Tucker Wulff | Associate A&C Editor This work is a matter of opinion and is spoiler free. he much-anticipated Netflix horror series “The Haunting of Bly Manor” is finally here, just in time for the holiday season of scares and screams. Following in the footsteps of 2018’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” Bly Manor had some serious shoes to fill, and unfortunately, it doesn’t quite hit the hype.

Created by Mike Flanagan, Bly Manor released on Netflix Oct. 9 as a nine-episode sequel series to “The Haunting of Hill House.” The show follows a mostly-loveable cast of characters as a new au pair arrives on Bly’s grounds to nanny two recently-orphaned children in surely one of the freakiest manors England has ever seen.

While each of the characters feels fleshed out and believable, several of whom viewers will struggle not to grow attached to, the pacing of the series and lack of scares in comparison to its predecessor leaves a bit to be desired.

The pacing of Bly Manor is tough to put your finger on. Some sections, even entire episodes, keep your pulse pounding start to finish, while others are entirely composed of backstory that editors could have cut to a quarter of their final screen time; episode eight, we’re looking at you.

T

The backstory of the manor and characters is interesting and makes the viewer care about the players and plot, no doubt. But the way the show presented backstory, and its balance with action and suspense, often made it feel like a slog to get through.

Another aspect of the show that wasn’t able to quench the hype was the lack of terror-inducing scenes.

“The Haunting of Hill House” immediately became known for its ability to make viewers feel horrified, whether the scare was at the forefront of the shot or silently looming in the background. While ghosts appear frequently in the background, checking one box the previous series popularized, the show’s scares lay predominantly in the first two or three episodes, after which point the genre seems to shift much closer to a psychological thriller than anything horror related.

The show manages to throw in a few nice “gotcha” moments, but after the first few episodes, there isn’t much reason to shield your eyes behind your blanket or webbed fingers.

With the negatives out of the way, the show is largely thrilling, even if that’s not what you signed up for in the first place. The audience grows to care about the characters and may laugh or cry for them, an example of what the show absolutely nails.

The setting of Bly Manor throughout the 1980s was also fantastic and compels the audience to do their own research on the inspiration from Henry James’ Novella ‘The Turn of the Screw.”

Finally, the series’ mood is exactly what viewers are searching for: a mysterious, often bleak, composition that begs for rolling fog over empty landscapes.

Overall, “The Haunting of Bly Manor” is a great October binge.

The hype created by the instant classic “The Haunting of Hill House,” however, was a shadow too large for the sequel to overcome, and Bly Manor seems to fall flat pitted against it.

A&C

Oct. 16, 2020

FIRST IN FASHION

Students debut App State’s first fashion magazine

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK Camryn Collier Reporter

Zoe Zink | Reporter Inside the basement of Ram’s Rack Thrift Store on King Street, a small team of students utilize the space for something uncommon. Members of App State’s first fashion magazine, The Collective, use thrift furniture and consigned clothing to exhibit the latest fashion trends.

Niels Sampson, co-founder and editor-in-chief, was motivated to start the magazine by the competitive nature of the apparel and fashion industry. Having a role in this magazine may give members an edge when it comes to entering the workforce or graduate school.

“Most of us want to move to bigger cities and we are competing against other universities,” Sampson said. “We come from App where people don’t really know who we are.”

The Collective gained traction and team members through the Apparel Club at App State, where Sampson and fellow co-founder and Creative Director, Jessica Olschner, initially pitched the idea and began assembling a crew.

Roles vary from head and assistant stylists, head and assistant creatives, outreach teams and design. While they all work collectively, Olschner describes it as a broken-up effort as well.

“We break out into teams and we are working on two different projects at the same time,” Olschner said. “We have a small, intimate but hard-working team, which was ideal.”

This allows for greater efficiency so the team is able to hold one to two photoshoots a week.

Their inspiration comes from far and wide, from wellknown magazines and Instagram pages to mood boards that members create and can pitch for shoots. Nicole El-koussa, one of two head stylists, gets her inspiration for styling “based on the theme of the shoot.”

“It comes down to what kind of clothes would look good on the models, and what the model has to say,” El-koussa said. “I want them to feel confident. I pull inspiration from influencers and bounce off of that.”

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

Graphic by Camryn Collier

Two models pose during a shoot for The Collective. Students were motivated to start the magazine by the competitive nature of the apparel and fashion industry.

Courtesy of The Collective

We want to find some ways to volunteer, help the community with coat drives and other things we have talked about...

Far from the most popular genre of the modern age, jazz is often considered a lost cause. However, back in the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, jazz was one of the most celebrated genres of music. Considered glamorous, sparkling, classy and fun, jazz was pioneered by the Black community in New Orleans as a funky mixture of soulful blues, inventive ragtime and quick improvisations.

Yet, despite the early popularity of jazz with big-time names like Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, women have long gone unrecognized in the largely male-dominated genre.

To give recognition to the women who have long been left in the shadows, here is a compilation of historic hits and modern moods that shine a little light on the women of jazz.

Sports

Oct. 16, 2020

“Control what you can” App State volleyball makes the most of each opportunity Dan Davidson | Associate Sports Editor

App State volleyball has dealt with a lot so far in 2020, and the team is grateful for what they do have. “I just want to remember this season and be thankful for the opportunities I have,” senior Grace Morrison (above) said.

Andy McLean

Coming off an offseason that has been anything but typical, App State volleyball heads into the 2020 season with high hopes.

“We want to win as many matches as we can,” head coach Matt Ginipro said. “We already know that we’re going to be playing in the conference tournament regardless of our record, so let’s just be really good as many times as possible.”

Before the Mountaineers started their season, numerous matches were postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19, and the team wondered if they would even have a season at all. With questions regarding social inequality, if classes will be moved online or remain in-person, the upcoming election, and many others, Ginipro and his staff have altered how they lead their team in an attempt to avoid adding stress on their players.

“A big change for what we’re doing is what we’re doing in the gym. We’re playing a lot more,” Ginipro said. “I’ve normally been a coach that we do a lot of technical training and then we play a little bit, but we’ve basically flipped that. They’ve enjoyed it, it’s been great.”

The irregular offseason also impacted the team’s opportunities for building chemistry. In contrast to last year, the team was not able to spend time together in a house at Lake Hickory, strengthening chemistry and friendships.

“Our team did a really good job of … constantly communicating with each other over the offseason,” Ginipro said. “Not planned, but a pandemic made us also create a bubble. So, pretty much when (the players) did come into town, it was almost like we were in our own little lake house anyway.”

One of the most challenging aspects of the season, though it hasn’t even started, is canceled matches. After the season-opening series against Georgia Southern was postponed due to coronavirus cases on App State’s team, the matches had to be postponed again because of Georgia Southern’s new cases.

“Like Matt (Ginipro) always talks about, ‘control what you can,’” senior libero Emma Reilly said. “As much as it’s not ideal, you just have to roll with the punches and keep taking care of what we can take care of.”

Heading into the 2020 season, Reilly was voted the preseason Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s 12 head coaches. The Illinois native racked up 1,456 digs through her first three years, putting her at fifth in program history. She was also named to the all-Sun Belt First Team last year after finishing second in the conference in total digs with 550.

“That was really exciting because that’s obviously a goal of mine this season,” Reilly said. “I was really excited about that, but I’m really just focused on doing what I need to do to get that at the end of the season.”

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

Sports App State men’s golf bounces back

Oct. 16, 2020

after spring season cut short Connor Davidson | Associate Multimedia Editor

App State senior offensive lineman Cole Garrison is a 2020 semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given annually to the nation’s best football scholar athlete. “Cole is the definition of what it means to be a student-athlete,” App State head coach Shawn Clark said.

Courtesy of App State Athletics

App State lineman Garrison admitted

into medical school

Dan Davidson | Associate Sports Editor When App State senior lineman Cole Garrison arrived in Boone, he told himself he would perform on the football field, while also performing well enough academically to get into medical school. Four years later, after playing in 40 career games, helping App State compile a 45-11 record with four straight conference titles and four bowl wins, Garrison was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, an award recognizing the best football scholar-athlete in the nation.

“Cole is the definition of what it means to be a student-athlete,” App State head coach Shawn Clark said. “On the field, he’s been a very important member of our offensive line and has done a great job wherever we’ve asked him to play. He’s poised to do amazing things in life after he’s finished playing football.”

Garrison has earned a 3.93 GPA and has been accepted into The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine after his score of 513 on the Medical College Admission Test.

This score puts him in the nation’s top 13% of scoring.

Going into medical school, Garrison said he plans to specialize in surgery, but will not close himself out to any other options. He has the most experience in orthopedics, and shadowed the football team’s surgeon last spring.

Along with academic success, the William V. Campbell trophy recognizes excellence in charitable contributions and volunteer work. Garrison

has participated in canned food and school supply drives, and volunteered with Operation Christmas Child, the Western Youth Network, Habitat for Humanity and F.A.R.M Cafe.

“My free time is limited, but I always try to find the time to give back to the community,” Garrison said.

Garrison explained that while balancing football and an academic workload hasn’t been easy, he’s learned a lot.

“Football is very challenging, and trying to manage that with a heavy academic load, you really have to be able to work relentlessly for what you want,” he said. “Doing each of those alone is difficult, but doing both at the same time really taught me how to work.”

Garrison said that along with the team’s onfield success during his career, including the program’s first-ever AP Top 25 ranking in 2018, he is especially proud of how much the program has grown in the last four years.

“I remember when I first got here, there were still players who had been with us through the FCS to FBS transition, and I remember just talking with them about how much it grew in their time, and it’s great to see how much it has grown in my time here,” Garrison said. “I never thought I would play for a top 25 team, and for us to go from a school that wants to compete to a school that other teams want to compete with, it means a lot.”

During the spring, App State men’s golf had its season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m just really excited we’re playing again.

Some conferences aren’t even playing, so I’m very grateful we’re getting to compete,” fifth-year senior Dylan Lukes said.

Lukes is back on the roster this year after being granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. He had the 10th lowest single-season stroke average in program history in 2019 and placed top 15 in their first tournament of this fall season. As a rare fifth-year senior, Lukes has taken up a role as a leader on the team.

“I like to lead by example and let the numbers (speak) for themselves,” Lukes said.

Timothius Tirto Tamardi has impressed early this season, finishing sixth individually in the J.T. Poston Invitational Sept. 27-29 in Hartwell, Georgia with a score of 1-under-par. This was the best finish of his career and comes in just his second year as a Mountaineer, after transferring from Bethune-Cookman in 2019.

Head Coach Jason Allison is in his first year with the program after being an assistant for the men’s basketball team for five years.

“It was a whirlwind the first three weeks,” Allison said. The first move he made when he took over the team was to get all the players’ phone numbers and “basically re-recruit the team.”

Allison took the job in June and immediately got to work keeping the team together while looking ahead to this fall season.

“I’m not being technical with coaching,” Allison said. “That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to organize practice, we’re gonna work hard. (It’s different from coaching basketball), but it’s still coaching.”

In this short offseason, Allison was able to help the team start this season with a top-3 finish in the J.T. Poston Invitational.

“We have eight to nine guys that can compete for a spot. This thing is competitive and that’s what you want,” Allison said. “We’ve got a team that’s deep and we’ve got guys that can push each other and that’s what we’re striving for.”

Lukes said sophomore Addison Beam is one of the most competitive players on the team and before the season started, he won the Gaston County Amateur, finishing 11 under par.

“The kid’s awesome. He can go low as well as anybody can, so I’m very confident with our guys right now and I’m excited to get out there again,” Lukes said.

With such a short fall season, only three tournaments, the Mountaineers are coming in with the expectation to win and prove themselves.

Read more online at www.theappalachianonline.com

App State golf fifth-year senior Dylan Lukes was granted an extra year of eligibility after last spring’s season was cut short because of the pandemic. “Some conferences aren’t even playing, so I’m very grateful we’re getting to compete,” Lukes said.

Courtesy App State Athletics/Tim Cowie

11

Opinion

Oct. 16, 2020

Nationalism is

Dangerous

12

CONCEPTS Sports data shows people value safety Caleb Garbuio | Opinion Editor

Ella Adams | Opinion Writer Standing up to say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in grade school is normal to Americans. We’ve repeated it so many times, the pledge has become a force of habit and we don’t give much thought. But, if we take a moment to think about it, the pledge represents an alarming tradition of nationalism in the United States.

Nationalism is dangerous. There is nothing wrong with being patriotic, but Americans often forget, or may not even be aware of, how quickly enthusiastic patriotism can devolve into nationalism. Patriotism and nationalism are often used interchangeably, but they are very different. Patriotism is love and pride for one’s nation, while nationalism is the idea of superiority of one’s culture, government, people and nation over others.

Nationalism has a disturbing history in our country. It is ingrained in American culture that our nation is the best in the world. In President Trump’s Fourth of July speech this year, he praised the American Republic “as the greatest, most exceptional, and most virtuous nation in the history of the world.”

Nationalist ideology begins in schools.

Aside from repeating the pledge every morning, nationalism is fixed in public school curriculums. In history class, America is portrayed as the “good guy” that’s always on the right side of history. History curriculums often conveniently leave out the not so appealing parts of American history where our country wasn’t on the “right side.” For example, the full truth about slavery, the destruction of Native American nations and culture, the American military’s actions in Vietnam and the annexation of Hawaii. Dismissing our country’s difficult history to preserve a false nationalis-

caleb’s

tic perspective of greatness is not a mark of a great nation.

Another characteristic of nationalism is its use as a tool during wartime to gain popular support. This is most prominently seen in the U.S. during World War II. American nationalism came into its own during the years of and following World War II. George Orwell in his 1945 essay “Notes on Nationalism” defines nationalism “as the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of people can be confidently labeled ‘good’ or ‘bad.’” Nationalist propaganda, especially during the Cold War, characterized the “ideal” American family as white, Protestant, conservative and upper-middle class.

Singling out the American nationality as superior and more righteous than our opponents makes our actions abroad justified and easier to accept.

But, the U.S. isn’t all white, Protestant, conservative and upper-middle class. Nationalism alienates Americans who don’t fit this mold. As a country, we have lost our American values: liberty and equality. Our country is diverse, and we should be proud of that.

America has to face and fight against nationalism. Ignoring our difficult history and claiming greatness is not how our country will grow.

Criticism is good. Acknowledging our faults and confronting our past is the most patriotic action Americans can take.

On Oct. 7, Yahoo Sports reported the Miami Dolphins obtained clearance to operate its stadium at full capacity. This is fantastic for the Dolphins organization and the Miami faithful, who now find themselves headed into a stadium that seats 65,236. But, the odds of contracting COVID-19 will increase substantially because many people remain skeptical that 65,000 fans will practice social distancing.

To make matters worse, COVID-19 fatigue seems to be setting in, and cases have increased in many states. Clearly, having 65,000 fans packed into a stadium will increase COVID-19 transmission.

While this seems gloomy, recent data suggests that NFL fans will not be attending games at higher capacities. Based on data obtained from John Whitehead, participants ranked their willingness to attend NFL games given certain conditions. When analyzing this data through a level-level multivariate regression model controlling for price, income, mask requirements and stadium capacity, increasing the stadium capacity actually decreases people’s willingness to attend NFL games. Listed below is the equation: Games = b0 + b1 price + b2 capacity + b3 income +b4 mask + e When the data is organized via ordinary least squares, we are given an equation with the following parameters.

Games = 2.025435 – 0.003331price – 0.00831capacity + .002355 income + .829174masks + e

The data tells us that a one percentage point increase results in an increased attendance of .008 games. While it may seem insignificant this margin increases when we increase percentage points by a factor of ten.

When combined with other variables like mask requirements, this results in boosted fan engagement. So what will this look like for the Dolphins?

Yahoo Sports states that the Dolphins will only allow 13,000 fans into the stadium, or 20% capacity. Fans are still required to wear masks, so let’s do a simple calculation to find out how many Dolphins games fans will actually attend. To find the response for a typical consumer we will use the median and the mean which are tools to find the middle of the data’s distribution. The average income is $103.1, while the median income is $87.5 in thousands of dollars versus $98.39 and $100 for ticket price.

The impact of these precautions will result in the average fan attending to 2.56 and 2.6 matches, which we will round to three.

Why is this important?

Because it highlights that people value the importance of safety precautions during COVID. People value safety precautions as evidenced by the attendance decline. Had the Miami Dolphins not implemented sensible safety precautions, they would have seen a reduction in attendance of approximately 1.6 matches. That is a huge chunk of cash that is lost without sensible distancing regulations.

Et Cetera

Oct. 16, 2020

@Biosteampunk Oh my god

JACKIE PARK EDITOR IN CHIEF

GREG PERREAULT ADVISER

Ha ha ha!

Perish!

Can we realLy be this violent?

We’re just a comic in a student newspaper!

EDITORIAL MICKEY HUTCHINGS

SILAS ALBRIGHT

SOPHIA LYONS

CALEB GARBUIO

EMILY BROYLES

MOSS BRENNAN

MANAGING EDITOR

Yeah...

SPORTS EDITOR

CHIEF COPY EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

POLITICAL EDITOR

ANSLEY PUCKETT A&C EDITOR

BUSINESS SHELLY BANZ BUSINESS MANAGER

JESSICA KIMES ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER

MEG POWELL MARKETING DIRECTOR

So... PG-13 Fucking PG-13!

MULTIMEDIA ANNA MUCKENFUSS

XANAYRA MARIN-LOPEZ

JESSE BARBER

EFRAIN ARIAS-MEDINA JR.

NEWS PRODUCER PHOTO EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR GRAPHICS EDITOR

Election Day is November 3.

You can vote early.

You can vote by mail.

You can vote on Election Day. Go to voteamerica.com/students

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