Garnet & Black Winter 2017

STUDENT MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CREATIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR

ARTICLES EDITOR Caroline Fairey

ASSISTANT ARTICLES EDITOR Jenna Schiferl

STAFF WRITER Sarah Nichols

STAFF WRITER Haley Sprankle

COPY CHIEF Madeleine Vath

ART DIRECTOR Ashlyn Murphy

STAFF DESIGNER Gracie Newton

STAFF DESIGNER Angel Prater

STAFF ILLUSTRATOR Wanda Felsenhardt

PHOTO EDITOR Christian Hinty

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Robert Carter

STAFF VIDEOGRAPHER Courtney Duncan

STYLE EDITOR Clara Marzolf

ASSISTANT STYLE EDITOR Alex Finley

ASSISTANT STYLE EDITOR Eileen Gillis

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR Kelli Caldwell

PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT Abby Bickel

WEB EDITOR Robin Hendricks

ASSISTANT WEB EDITOR Abby Beauregard

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Savannah Trask

ONLINE EDITOR Mary-Bryant Charles

ONLINE EDITOR Christian Compton

ONLINE EDITOR Isabel Houck

ONLINE EDITOR Jordyn Seibles

BRENNAN BOOKER

RACHEL JOHNSON

EMERY SMITH

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA

Sarah Scarborough

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Edgar Santana

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Sydney Patterson

FACULTY ADVISOR

Scott Farrand

CREATIVE SERVICES

Wanda Felsenhardt

Elizabeth Jennings

Emily Lor

Ashlyn Murphy

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

Jolie Delia

Caitlin Dingler

Erin Lee

Spencer Lee

Drew Thiel

Cameron White

Advertising: (803) 777-3018

To contact G&B, email sagandbe@mailbox.sc.edu or visit www.gandbmagazine.com Garnet & Black magazine is produced four times a year by students of the University of South Carolina and is distributed free to members of the university community. All editors and staff members can be contacted at (803) 777-1149. The office is located in Russell House room 339. Email letters to the editor to sagandbe@mailbox.sc.edu or to Garnet & Black magazine, Student Media, 1400 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208. Letters should be 250-400 words and must include name, address, phone number and academic information (if applicable). Garnet & Black reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be published.

Letter from the Editor

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BRENNAN BOOKER

WHEN WE BEGAN WORKING on our winter issue, I knew that I had three specific goals.

One: I wanted to prove that the fall issue wasn’t a fluke and that I hadn’t just lucked my way into a magazine. If this magazine managed to make it to your hands, I think that means we succeeded.

Two: we wanted to stop being afraid of addressing those topics that feel taboo, the topics that we were scared of not being smart or informed enough to tackle. Too often, students are afraid to provide their own voices to stand up for the injustices we see around us. Choosing to cover subjects that feel especially poignant politically, like DACA and queer visibility, is absolutely critical in

understanding the new identity of the student — someone who is socially conscious, aware of ideas on a global scale and empathetic to those who have not been able to experience the same privileges we have. This year’s staff has been committed to the promotion of queer and minority voices, and these pages are a testament to that.

And three: that we could reflect on 2017 and understand how we grew as students, people and a community. I tasked my staff to address the world around them and dive into it with a critical eye, asking themselves, “Who am I and how do I fit here?” The articles encased in these pages are a critique and reflection of the things this year has forced us as a community to become more aware of.

Now more than ever, talking about race, class, gender and sexuality has come to the forefront of contemporary politics, as well as our education and social values. Dissecting that as students preparing to enter the so-called “real world” has never been more pertinent. These pages serve not only to provide you with our answers to these questions, but also to educate and inform in hopes that you will begin to form your own context. Looking ahead toward 2018, I am overwhelmed with excitement to continue to be able to bring these conversations to our students and beyond. As always, thank you for reading, and we’ll see you in the new year.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE CONTRIBUTORS WHO HELPED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THS ISSUE:

NICOLE KITCHENS, COLE ROJAHN, CHANDLER HALE, ERIKA GRIMES, NICHOLAS VERONESI, ZOE NICHOLSON, ASHLYN JACKSON, MORGAN GRIMES, GRACE STEPTOE, KATIE SLACK, LEXI HILL, ALMEERA LATEEF, ALYSSA WILEY, MARK MADDALONI, STEPHEN MIMMS III, EMILY STONE, ALEXIS BRAZ, CLAIRE ALBRECHT, CAITLIN NEBEL, BRIANNA CHILDS, TAYLOR CARROLL, MELANEY MOTTSEY & AKUYA STODDARD

ONE YEAR LATER

BY CAROLINE FAIREY ∞ PHOTOS BY YANXING DANG ∞ DESIGN BY ANGEL PRATER

Listen, I know my audience. I know my supporters are few and far between; maybe I’ll even get a little hate mail. But that won’t stop me — indeed, I doubt anything could dissuade me — from understanding that basketball is implicitly more fun to watch than football.

Think about it — the plays happen in the blink of an eye. It’s fast-paced. For every mundane two-point shot, there’s a breakaway or a layup, or a stolen ball. It’s rare that the stakes aren’t high, since both teams could steal the win at any second. It’s body to body, one-on-one. The plays are more like guidelines; the players do most of their work creatively, impromptu, as a team. And no one does that work better than our reigning National Champions, the Women’s Basketball team.

In the coming months, I wanted to remind the student body of what the atmosphere was like during our season, especially during the final game against Mississippi. Students were hype for months

— until the men started performing as well. Suddenly, attendance and interest dropped, and even when the men’s team lost out, the momentum never truly came back.

This was my personal experience. I don’t know what the Women’s Basketball team’s win over Mississippi was like in Columbia’s bars, or in student apartment complexes, or in residence halls where I didn’t live.

What I do know is that when the buzzer sounded and the game ended, my roommates and I screamed and hugged each other to a silent hall. When we ran down the hallway to the staircase, we saw students studying alone or in groups, just like any Sunday. When we reached the fountain in front of Thomas Cooper, there were less than a hundred students celebrating.

Sure, there are dozens of factors that may have contributed to the dull atmosphere on campus. But none seem to overshadow the fact that women’s basketball — women’s sports everywhere — don’t garner the same hype that men’s sports do.

Fellow Gamecocks, where, if not here, will women’s basketball be given the recognition it deserves? Dawn Staley has proved, over and over, that her team deserved the National Championship title. We’re a winning team. We’ve got the highest average attendance in the nation for women’s basketball. In the stands and on Twitter, USC students go all out for our women’s team. It’s common knowledge that our team is scrappy, hardcore, and determined; we just need to work towards being a fanbase worthy of supporting them.

And for the fadeaway — thank you to all the students who yelled and waved flags outside of Preston Hall, who bought plane tickets and skipped classes to be there with our girls in Dallas, who jumped into that slimy, cold, bacteria-filled fountain on Sunday night — not with thousands of other students, but alone, in rebellious celebration of our women victorious.

No, I’m not talking about the election.

how to call your senator

BY CHRISTIAN COMPTON • DESIGN BY KATIE SLACK

YOU PROBABLY KNOW that you have an elected official responsible for desicions that affect your day-to-day life, but do you know how to get in touch with that person? Do you know who that person is?

It may be obvious to some, but 77 percent of a sample of 1,000 DC residents in a Benenson Strategy Group poll could not name one of their senators.

The first thing you need to do is decide who you should call. Most people have two different types of representatives at the federal level: representatives and senators. If you wish to comment on general issues, either of these will work. Otherwise, if your comments are in reference to a bill specifically, consider which chamber the bill is in when making your decicsion.

By this point, you’re going to want to know the name of your representative. The website https://www.house.gov/representatives/ find/ is a great way to find them- simply enter your zip code and your rep’s name will appear. Technically, you can reach out to any member of Congress, but you generally won’t get a response if you contact somebody who doesn’t represent you. Each state has two senators. In South Carolina, these senators are Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tim Scott (R-SC).

IN SUMMARY:

The final step before calling is to prepare what you are going to say. Believe it or not, this will probably be the hardest part. It’s important to call in reference to as specific of an issue as possible. In other words, avoid jumping around to multiple issues or being unclear about your stance on something.

For example, I called Senator Graham’s office to advocate for the introduction of gun violence legislation in light of the Las Vegas Shooting.

In addition to your central message, there are a few other pieces of information you should mention as well. When you call, be sure to state your name, your zip code, and whether or not you would like a response from the official.

Now that you have the information you need, it’s time to do what you set out for: make the call. The easiest way to reach the proper office is to dial the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Follow the automated prompts and you’ll either be connected to an assistant to leave your thoughts or you’ll be prompted to leave a voice message. Don’t go overboard - it’s OK to be passionated about a topic, but personal attacks and insults won’t go very far.

1. Go to https://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ to find your rep or Google your senator.

2. Prepare what you want to say, taking care to include your name and zip code.

3. Dial the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and follow the prompts.

4. Reap the benefits of a democratic system.

You live in a democracy. Here’s how to take advantage of it.

This interview is the second installment of While I Have the Floor, a series focused on giving different student groups a platform for thoughtful discussion on issues of politics, religion, and culture. This issue, we’re sitting down with Mary Ramsey, News Editor of Student Media’s own Daily Gamecock, and Ryan Hodge, Editor-in-Chief of The Third Spur, a student-led and student-run satirical newspaper, to talk about real news, fake news and how to go about dealing with them both.

BY MARY-BRYANT CHARLES • PHOTOS BY MARK MADDALONI • DESIGN BY ASHLYN MURPHY

What led you guys to get involved in what you do?

RAMSEY: I came into USC as a journalism major — I still am a journalism major — so for me it was an opportunity to get practical experience early on. My situation was kind of weird in that I came in during a big time of transition. A ton of talented people had just graduated, so they were kind of desperate for new blood. I ended up getting promoted pretty quickly, and at that point I like to joke that basically all my friends were here, so I couldn’t leave. I did the newspaper in high school, too. It was a really good way to meet people and, at the same time, build my resume.

HODGE: Yeah, I also did newspaper in high school, but it was not a puttogether operation. I was put in charge of it, and the most fun we had when we were doing it was writing the joking, funnier stuff. I’ve always enjoyed The Onion and stuff like that. When we came to USC, we saw that there was a satirical newspaper on campus, and we reached out to them — just a couple of my buddies from my suite in the dorm — and then that had sort of fallen to the wayside. They were all graduating. So we just started our own satirical newspaper.

What sources influence you when it comes to running your organization and putting out content?

RAMSEY: I think within Student Media specifically, I’ve been lucky to have a lot of great mentors a couple years ahead of me. For example, Sydney Patterson, who is — I think her official title is Social Media Manager — just an amazing resource. She’s a recent graduate, so she’s a great sort of adult to mentor us. We call her “the cool aunt.” On a broader level, I’m still really close with my high school journalism teacher. He was a sports reporter before going into teaching, so he’s a great resource. Speaking nationally, I come from a creative nonfiction background, so people like David Sedaris and Jeannette Walls are great influences, so kind of all over the place.

HODGE: I know that our stuff looks like The Onion, it has that same sort of feel, but we really like any source of really intelligent, smart satire. We really like to find different sources and look around and see what different kinds of publications are doing. There’s actually one, what was it? [He goes on to describe what I’m 98.2 percent sure is Reductress, check it out.] I really just enjoy reading funny stuff and trying to follow people who do that kind of writing.

RAMSEY: I think reading is the best way to learn, I always tell my writers. You have to read both good newspaper content and just good writing in general to be a good writer.

How has the recent news cycle affected you as content creators?

RAMSEY: I think it’s definitely affected me in a lot of ways. I think the biggest thing might just be making me more passionate about going into this field. There’s so much misinformation and I think a lack of media literacy in our culture right now. People just don’t understand what exactly a journalist does. So as a journalism major, as someone who’s studying the craft and wants to go into the craft, helping teach people what we do is becoming more important than ever. And not to get too Aaron Sorkin, but it’s just such an integral part of democracy, especially in a time when democracy is very much in flux. It’s just really important to have good, smart, talented people, now more than ever, going into the field.

HODGE: Yeah, it’s been really interesting. Writing satirical news, and now suddenly hearing about fake news, hearing about this general distrust of media, of certain media outlets. It’s been interesting for us, trying to find the differences between writing something that’s purposefully satirical and trying to make a point through joking about something. There’s truth inside that kind of joking nature of the article. We try to make some kind of point, to have some kind of absurdity that’s just fun to read. Sometimes we have to look at the stuff that we write and think, “Are people going to think that we’re trying to mislead them or something?” People have definitely believed our stuff, especially if they don’t read the body of the article. It’s definitely something that I think The Onion and all the other satirical news websites deal with. They feel like they deal in fake news, but it’s different.

What do you think about the recent attacks on media, especially from Washington?

RAMSEY: I think it’s problematic, but at the same time, there is a part of me that isn’t too concerned about it. It’s on such a bigger platform now, especially when you look at Donald Trump and Twitter. He’s a master of communicating via social media with his audience. I don’t think the president and the White House press corps have ever been best friends, and I don’t think that they should be. I think that should be a relatively antagonistic relationship. I think that’s the point of having a White House press corps. At the same time, I think it is amplified to a new level now, like when you see people at rallies wearing shirts about hanging journalists. That’s a genuine problem, and that’s a genuine threat to democracy in my opinion. So I think that there should be a level of antagonism, but I think that antagonism is getting out of hand, and needs to be sort of curtailed. Not even in the sense of, “Oh, I think people who say ‘fake news’ should be quiet and sit down.” I think that they should go out and try to improve their media literacy and that journalists have a responsibility to help them with that. I think both sides have an obligation to open their minds a little bit and get better at communication.

HODGE: One thing that I believe is that being skeptical about new information can be a good thing. It helps you be discerning about what you’re reading and making sure what you’re reading is accurate. We’re on social media so much, with so many people sharing things. I think that problems arise when a healthy skepticism

becomes more of looking at a particular source like an enemy and like everything from that source is inherently false. It just hurts general discourse in politics and everyday topics because it becomes difficult to share information with people. It’s definitely a tough problem to solve, and I think that having people there to see what journalists do is very important. It’s wild to see people so vehemently against certain types of stories. Things that don’t necessarily align with what they were already thinking. We can’t be so opposed to change what we’re thinking just because we don’t want to.

What are some ways for people to become more media literate?

RAMSEY: Something I always tell people here at USC specifically is if you have time for an elective, take Journalism 101. It’s a fascinating course. It’s an overview of every aspect of media. Everything from journalism to advertising to public relations. It really does help you understand how media really mirrors the culture while at the same time really influencing that culture. Also, just take the time to really read. Trust, but verify. If something sounds weird, do a quick Google search and see if there are more articles about it from good sources. If you’re skeptical of something, check it out.

HODGE: Sometimes you’re reading something that might not be false but also might not cite everything they say, and you might have doubts about certain individual details, but they’re not going to explain every single thing. One thing I think that’s really helpful is that AP does fact-check articles. NPR does this, where they break it down for you. They go through those facts with you. It’s a really good resource that’s more accessible now than ever. I follow AP on Twitter so I can have that stuff right alongside the story that’s coming out. You’re able to also see commentary on the story or doubts cast by other people. You don’t feel like you’re on your own, trying to figure it out by yourself.

“I believe that being skeptical about new information can be a good thing.”

Where are your future plans for your respective platforms? What would you like to see them become?

RAMSEY: I’d like to definitely see Daily Gamecock to grow its audience as much as possible and connect with as many students as possible. I think we have an obligation to be representative of the student body as a whole, not just one kind of student. Also, just be willing to be bold. In college media, we have san opportunity to try new things. There are so many new ideas in media right now. Adopting the mindset of try it once and it doesn’t work, that’s fine, just try again with something else as long as we make sure that we’re meeting the students where they are, whether that’s transitioning more to social media, whether that’s a really strong design that catches people’s eye. It’s just really important to understand what they want and to help them meet their needs.

HODGE: For Third Spur, my goal since the beginning has been for it to be this deeply sarcastic voice of reason for campus where we write about stuff people can relate to and amplify feelings they already have in an entertaining way. You mentioned having all kinds of people coming to join — that’s been super fun for us. We get all these different types of stories and topics and we can satirize everything because everything can be satirized. It’s really interesting for us to expand because what we do right now is analyze how articles are put together. We look at how regular news is written and we try to mimic that; it’s how we’ve created kind of a news-like style guide that we try to follow. I don’t have much longer in school, so I’m excited to see what the next editor-in-chief and staff do. Maybe expand to different types of media that could be Third Spur-related, like audio and video and stuff like that, and try to take that voice of reason to other sorts of media. That would be cool. I’d love to see that.

“There’s so much misinformation and a lack of media literacy in our culture right now.”

SALAD DAYS

South Carolina’s wintertime is a great escape from the usual intolerable heat, but sadly, this new chilly air also brings far fewer choices of fruits and vegetables at the Soda City market (open each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) If you’re like me and you love farmers markets, you go despite the cold just to see what’s in season. But when you arrive, your only choices are as random as pecans and mushrooms or as foreign

as bok choy, a type of Chinese cabbage. Some may see this and give up, turning instead to Top Ramen noodles or coffee. But others can see this as a challenge, a chance to prove their food creativity. Yes, some of the produce seems just as strange as Columbia getting a snowstorm, but everyone knows that college is the best time for experimenting. So get out of your comfort zone and into the kitchen.

JOHNSON

ROASTED SWEET POTATO AND PECAN SALAD

What’s in season in this dish: Sweet potatoes, pecans, cranberries and kale

Tips: Sweet potatoes will stay fresh for much longer if left unwashed until ready for use

Ingredients:

SALAD

6 cups of kale

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, diced

2 tbsp dried cranberries

2 tbsp olive oil

½ cup halved pecans

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

DRESSING

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ ginger

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay evenly on baking sheet.

2. Roast 30 minutes.

3. As sweet potatoes bake, chop up kale and make dressing by mixing all ingredients together.

4. Add roasted sweet potatoes on top of the chopped kale. Then add cranberries, pecans and drizzle the dressing.

HOT BOK CHOY SALAD WITH LEMON GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

What’s in season in this dish: Bok choy, carrots and mushrooms

Tips: Mushrooms are best stored in a paper bag in the fridge

Ingredients:

SALAD

½ head of bok choy

1 ½ tbsp canola oil

1 cup chopped shiitake (you can really use whatever type you like)

1 carrot, shaved with vegetable peeler

VINAIGRETTE

3 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup white vinegar

3 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 tbsp honey

Instructions:

1. In cold water, rinse bok choy and then drain.

2. Cut bok choy by removing bottom part of the stem, then cut the leaves in half lengthwise.

3. Heat up pan to high heat, add oil.

4. Add mushroom and carrots, let cook for a bit.

5. Add bok choy and stir fry until leaves are wilted, but stems are crisp. Turn off heat.

6. Mix together all ingredients for vinaigrette.

7. Add to stir-fried vegetables.

8. Serve immediately.

GREEN MACHINE

BY LARISSA JOHNSON • PHOTOS BY ROBERT CARTER

DESIGN BY ASHLYN MURPHY

FOUR YEARS AGO, I READ Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals.” The descriptions of factory farming were enough to get me to stop eating chicken — until my mom made chicken for dinner later that week, at least. While my foray into sustainable eating was remarkably short-lived, an increasing number of Americans are being drawn to the strictest of the meat-free diets: veganism.

In June, a study by researcher GlobalData reported that six percent of Americans identify as vegans — up from less than one percent just three years ago. That’s 18 million kale-brandishing hippies shaming the rest of us for our bacon-loving ways. And while the numbers are lower in the land of fried chicken, commonly known as the South, there’s probably between 1,000 and 2,000 vegans attending school at the University of South Carolina. So where are they hiding?

“I don’t come out like, ‘Hi, I’m Hallie, I’m vegan,’” biomedical engineering student Hallie Roerden said. She calls herself “a vegetarian with a food allergy” — she’s been unable to eat milk and eggs her entire life. But even though her diet is partly due to allergies, she still personally identifies with the environmental argument for veganism. Citing animal waste, factory farming and clearcutting, Roerden made the personal choice to eliminate meat while in high school.

The students who stay vegan on this chicken-loving campus.

“There’s kind of this skewed idea of what a vegan is,” Sarah Eustis said. A sophomore in biology, Eustis has been vegan for over two years. Some vegans are super obnoxious, she said, but most vegans chose the change for health or other personal reasons.

“Early in high school, I started to really pay attention to what I was eating and how it affected my body,” Eustis said. “I started recognizing the foods that didn’t really make me feel good.” Over the next two years, she slowly eliminated foods that made her feel bad until she became a vegan almost by accident.

According to campus dietitian Lisa Money, the gradual approach is best when transitioning to veganism. First, she said, people need to make sure they’re going vegan for the right reasons. No one should ever go vegan to lose weight or to gain control over life.

“The biggest challenge in college is that you’re on your own,” Money said. “You have to figure out what you value.”

Especially while on a meal plan, eating vegan can be a challenge. Roerden and Eustis both chose the 10-swipe meal plan when required freshman year, then left campus dining to cook on their own. While Sodexo published its weekly menus online, new provider Aramark has yet to do so. Additionally, labeling on campus tends to only show vegetarian, not vegan, options.

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Wheat Retreat has several vegan smoothies, like one made of kale, pineapple, coconut milk and banana. The all-you-care-to-eat locations always have vegan options. Loading chickpeas, mushrooms and more at the salad bar provides a well-balanced vegan meal. But the challenge is always cost.

“I would not recommend [going vegan] as a dietitian, only because it is more expensive,” Money said.

Roerden and Eustis, though, found that eating vegan on their own was cheaper than their diets before. Eustis spends about $50 once a month on basics like rice, quinoa, oatmeal and beans. Then she goes to the farmers market for produce every week and spends $20 to $30. That’s pretty comparable to the average college student, who spends about $40 a week including eating out.

“I personally think it’s more affordable,” Roerden said.

But what about taste? The vegan stereotype of eating tons of lettuce and tofu has become less and less of a reality – with 8 million vegans, you can bank on the number of options increasing as well.

“I think the first thing you have to recognize is that it’s not the same,” Eustis said. “A buffalo cauliflower wing is never going to taste like a buffalo chicken wing.”

The important thing, Money said, is to maintain flexibility and openness to trying new foods. Especially with Meatless Monday and other sustainable trends encouraging people to reduce consumption of animal products, the vegetarian and vegan food industry has expanded to over $4 billion.

“Everybody has plants in their diet and nobody is strictly carnivorous,” Eustis said. “So everyone is a little bit vegan, whether they want to admit it or not.”

“A BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER WING IS NEVER GOING TO TASTE LIKE A BUFFALO CHICKEN WING.”

GETTING BIRTH CONTROL ON CAMPUS

LET’S TALK ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL

THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS

I didn’t know as an incoming freshman. Where to buy trendy clothes on a budget? No idea. The best brunch spots for a recordtopping Instagram? (Does IHOP count?)

Or what is game day really like in the SEC? Thinking back, all of those uncertainties didn’t matter, because just like most things in college, I eventually figured it out.

However, not everything comes as easily, like finding the right birth control method. When I first brought up the idea to my mom, she sent me a dozen or so links to websites explaining the different contraceptive methods available and encouraged me to do some research before making a decision. Shockingly, I never clicked on any of the links she sent. My roommate was on the pill, all of my friends from home were on the pill and the more people I talked to about it, the more it seemed like everyone was on the pill. So, when it came time to book a consultation for birth control contraceptives with the Women’s Care team at the Student Health Center, I decided—you guessed it—to go on the pill.

As it turns out, I’m not alone in my

“A lot of women come in saying they’d like to try a particular method because it worked for their friend or their sister, and while it’s great that it worked for them, there’s no way to tell with certainty that that exact method is the right choice for you,” said Amy Wooten, a women’s care charge nurse at USC. “We try to be very up front with patients and work with each one individually to find the best option for her, but you never know until you try it.” And that’s exactly what I did; for the following year and a half, I tried different pills, over and

After deciding to go on the pill as a freshman, I felt great. My roommate and I synced up so we took our pills at the same time together daily, making sure neither of us ever forgot. But more than that, everything seemed to be normal. It didn’t feel like anything had changed. Then, after a

while, it wasn’t so great, so I made another appointment and decided to switch my pill to one with less estrogen. Once again, that wasn’t the right fit. That process went on for a little bit where we played with the dosage or the pill to see if maybe a different combination would work better. It never did. That’s when I started looking into other options.

I ended up choosing to have an implant inserted in my arm, a method known as LARC or a long acting reversible contraceptive. In addition to getting an implant, other LARC options are progestin IUDs, copper IUDs and the Depo-Provera shot. These methods differ from the pill or the patch because they last longer, most ranging from three to 10 years, and there is a small procedure involved. For those whose insurance doesn’t cover this process, it can become very costly.

“The Women’s Care Unit at the Student Health Center was awarded two separate grants this past year to help women afford LARC if their insurance doesn’t cover the cost of the device or the procedure,” Wooten said. “We received one from the South Carolina campaign to end teen pregnancy that is set aside only for teens and one available to women 20 years and older from Choose Well, a contraceptive access initiative in South Carolina.”

With the help of these grants, specifically the one for teens, about 12 undergraduate women have been able to receive LARC procedures. “Women who were hesitant to get longer-term birth control methods seem much more interested now,” Wooten says. “We’ve found that this increase in interest is driven by word-of-mouth advertising.”

It’s as simple as scheduling a consultation appointment and asking about the different birth control options available to you, because there is more than just the pill or the patch. If there’s one thing you should not be uncertain about in college, it’s the women’s health options available to you on campus.

VI SI BI LITY

Exploring bisexual presence on campus.

BY JENNA SCHIFERL • PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN HINTY

DESIGN BY GRACIE NEWTON

Like many other sexually frustrated and emotionally unstable high schoolers, I was unable to truly come to terms with my sexuality until college. I went to school in an exceptionally rural and conservative part of South Carolina. The majority of students were white, heterosexual, uppermiddle class individuals. I joined the Gay-Straight Alliance my freshman year, where I found a niche group of people that I could identify with. I remained in the club throughout high school, until I eventually became a co-president of the organization my senior year, despite my closeted sexuality.

Upon arriving at university, I was forced to actually think about my identity. I felt uncomfortable with labels, but I desperately wanted to feel like I was part of a larger community. I attended IRIS meetings but felt like I was somehow lying to my colleagues, so I didn’t return after the first few weeks.

Toward the tail end of my first year in college I became more comfortable with the idea of identifying as bisexual. Despite this less than revelatory experience, I still was reluctant to formally come out.

My validation as a bisexual was solely dependent on external factors. I typically present myself as what is societally considered to be feminine, and at the time I was dating a man. Who was I to think that it was acceptable to come out under these circumstances? Even while writing this story I felt a strong urge to prove my status as a member of the queer community. I found myself often mentioning my girlfriend while conducting interviews with other queer people as a way of verifying my bisexual status.

My experience is not necessarily a unique one. Despite a recent social shift toward acceptance of the LGBTQ community, harmful stereotypes still plague many of the underrepresented groups. Bisexuality is commonly referred to as a steppingstone for other identities. If a man identifies

as bisexual, he’s actually gay. If a woman identifies as bisexual, she’s straight. If she happens to come out in college, she is obviously just experimenting. I’ve heard it all. Bisexuals are confused, greedy, promiscuous and incapable of commitment to any gender. These stereotypes, as presented in popular media and mainstream culture, are increasingly damaging — especially during pivotal years as a college student.

Higher education is typically presented as a time of identity and self-realization. For many students, it is the first available opportunity to express themselves within a queer community; and it is the first time they may feel safe enough to address their sexuality openly and organically.

Ed Madden is the poet laureate of Columbia, a social activist and the director of Women’s and Gender Studies department at USC. I met with Madden to discuss the issues that he faced as a gay man growing up in the South and the issues that queer students still face today. He grew up in a rural town in Arkansas and attended a fundamentalist Christian college. At this school, there were no resources for queer students. Madden recalled a colleague that was outed by a roommate her senior year. She was given the option of participating in mandatory ex-gay counseling or being kicked out.

Madden noted that when he first came to Columbia in 1994, the queer student group consisted mostly of juniors, seniors and graduate students. He observed that today, members of the club are typically first- and second-year undergraduates. This demographic shift suggested to Madden that students are coming out earlier and becoming more self-aware at an earlier age. Although going to school in a larger city has the benefit of more LGBTQ resources, Madden noted that there is still progress that needs to be made.

“There’s still a need for support structures,” Madden says. “I think there’s a real need now for greater awareness of the range of sexual identities, like trans, asexual, and bisexual, and greater awareness for intersectionality in ways that I don’t think there were when I first came here.”

Miles Joyner is the logistics director of the university’s LGBTQ organization, Individuals Representing Identities and Sexualities. Joyner, who prefers the pronouns they/them, is one of the most effortlessly badass people I have ever encountered. We met outside on a warm autumn day. I was unfortunate enough to have caught the seasonal sinus infection that tends to circulate campus during the first few weeks of fall, and I felt groggy and lethargic. I was excited to meet Joyner, but

I was honestly just ready to go home and crawl into bed à la a Nyquil-induced slumber at 6 p.m. Joyner shows up to the interview wearing a bold plum lipstick, sturdy biker books and pink, reflective cat eye sunglasses — a look they pulled off with ease and confidence.

What I expected to be a brief interview launched into an hour of conversation about coming out, monosexism and bisexual representation on campus. We discussed Joyner’s popular blog, “Earning Mileage,” and how it is used as platforms to spread information and awareness about bi topics. Joyner has previously spoken on panels for Transgender Day of Visibility and the Deckle Edge Literary Festival. After coming out as bi in high school at 17, Joyner didn’t feel the need to come out again in college.

“I’m so out in every aspect of my life that at this point, me telling you would just be ruining the surprise,” Joyner says.

While Joyner has found a community within USC and mentioned the progress that has been made thus far, they still emphasized the importance of bi-specific resources and spaces.

“I experience more privilege being in Lexington and Columbia than I would if I was in the heart of Mississippi … but, I mean, it took until last year for there to stop being more than 50 protesters at Pride. So there is still that aspect of it. I mean, I’m out to everybody that I work with. I don’t live in fear on a daily basis about coming out. But I do still have to absorb

the extent of homophobia in this region,” they said.

Acts of both biphobia and bi-erasure are still alarmingly frequent, even on university campuses. Bi-erasure is loosely defined as when the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality is questioned or denied.

“It’s definitely hard to put a regional dot on biphobia or bi-erasure because they are still such common things that I wouldn’t necessary plant them in one region. But because it’s the South, there’s definitely fewer resources here to kind of educate against it,” Joyner says.

Although Joyner hosts a Bi+ space and a Bi101 educational workshop monthly at the Harriet Hancock Center, there is still a sense of disconnect between bi+ identifying individuals and other members of the queer community.

IRIS development director Drew Hill came out to her friends and family in middle school and was met with mixed responses.

“I feel like when you say you’re bi, people don’t necessarily know what to do with that information because they can’t put you in a box,” Hill says. “People didn’t really know how to receive what I was saying, either by lack of understanding or by lack of acceptance.”

She noted that in previous years, some bi individuals didn’t return to IRIS meetings out of fear of alienation and lack of inclusivity.

“I feel like we’ve been trying to be more accepting of all of the

identities, because I know before I felt like it was very much L and G were the only letters that were important,” she says.

The group has since made strides to be more inclusive by addressing these issues and hosting meetings specific to other sexualities and gender identities.

A major problem that LGBTQ college students still face is a lack of diversity and visibility in leadership positions within the university. This includes higher-level positions like the Board of Directors but also applies more directly to Student Government and other clubs and organizations. Most LGBTQ students in leadership positions on campus are typically involved with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs or IRIS. Although these positions within LGBTQ groups on campus can be beneficial, the unfortunate reality is that change is often made through positions outside of the queer community.

Representation matters. It matters that bisexuality is accurately and fairly depicted in the media, pop culture and within queer communities. It matters that some bisexuals don’t feel comfortable addressing their identity even within safe spaces. It matters that these issues are addressed now — not because they should be, but because they need to be.

I THINK THERE’S A REAL NEED NOW FOR GREATER AWARENESS OF THE RANGE OF SEXUAL IDENTITIES, LIKE TRANS, ASEXUAL, AND BISEXUAL, AND GREATER AWARENESS FOR INTERSECTIONALITY IN WAYS THAT I DON’T THINK THERE WERE WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE.”

RISE & GRIND

How millennials are working harder than ever.

BY HALEY SPRANKLE • PHOTOS BY SAVANNAH TRASK • DESIGN BY ANGEL PRATER

At the genesis of your adult life, you are expected to have years of experience, a relevant degree and a triple backflip in your back pocket to get a job — the simplistic days of the latte-delivering, a**-kissing intern are long gone. Students at the University of South Carolina are no strangers to this reality as increasingly more majors require at least one internship to graduate. This leaves students no choice but to don their baby adult button-downs and begin their occupational journey. Here, however, a road diverges in a yellow wood — does a student take a paid or an unpaid internship? Students often approach this crossroads unsure of themselves, lacking the understanding of what could be beneficial to their overall careers and what could be exploitative.

“I decided I would rather do something I enjoy and not get paid for it.”

That’s senior public relations major Abigayle Morrison who tackled the internship scene head-on her sophomore year. Morrison currently interns for free at the American Heart Association, helping the nonprofit prepare for events and campaigns.

Morrison didn’t accept no pay at facevalue, though. With three previous paid internships under her belt, she knew how to weigh the worth and negotiate her needs. When the nonprofit organization told her she would be unpaid, she worked with them to find hours that would enable her to keep her job and school as a priority as well.

“For me this was worth it partially because it’s nonprofit and partially because they were so flexible with the hours,” Morrison said. “My first internship paid minimum wage and this one is free, but when I come out of that I think these two will be the internships I had the best experience with and that I can point to and say, ‘Look what I’ve done.’”

Through this internship, Morrison has found mentorship and the promise of help down the road, two invaluable benefits of her position that will guide her as she continues her professional path. She’s also been able to work for a cause, something that she placed a lot of weight on when deciding where she wanted to go.

“I want to work for nonprofits, and lot of them are really tied together, especially in this area. So any good word that you can get from one executive director and one person is extremely helpful the entire way around.”

After plethora of experience working for the J. Marion Sims Foundation, the university and even BMW, Morrison will step out into the world with the wisdom LinkedIn blogs could only dream to offer.

“The name of the company you work for is a big deal — BMW is definitely going to stand out on my resume for the next few years,” Morrison said. “But the quality of work you’re doing is so much more important than the name or the money or anything like that.”Not all internships are the yellow brick road to success, though. Just ask senior media arts and film studies major Caleb Franklin.

“It was basically a bait-and-switch for lack of a better term.”

Franklin took a internship with a company that advertised within the university: Aim High Education Technologies.

“The premise of the job that I was hired for was that they were looking for a part-time game designer to help with the virtual reality game that they were building that was supposed to be used in adult education centers to train HVAC repairmen,” Franklin said. “For someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, you’re actually reaching your hand into a ten thousand volt machine, so this was supposed to simulate fixing random problems with a machine using tools in the game.”

For an aspiring game designer like himself, this was the kind of project that had Franklin’s name written all over it. Not to mention, the promised pay on the advertisement was approximately $18,000 a year.

Unfortunately, this all took a turn for the worse once he signed on for the internship.

“I wasn’t provided any equipment to work with. I was working with my own really old laptop. I wasn’t taught how to do anything,” Franklin said. “They were basically predicating all of this on my prior knowledge that they got from the interview, and they didn’t teach me anything.”

Not to mention, Franklin’s promised pay had been severely cut from its original promise to about $200 biweekly with a 30 day “evaluation period” before he could reap the rewards of his work. Despite the setbacks, he pushed through.

Franklin worked tirelessly on project after project, hoping for the promise of tomorrow, or at least some sort of payoff. But after months of work, he hardly got any feedback ... Until he was assigned a graphic design project out of his wheelhouse.

“From that point on the tone significantly changed in the internship.”

They chastised his work, gave him a menial project to tide him over, hardly communicated and extended his evaluation period. All the while, Franklin had no income to pay his rent or sustain himself throughout these trying months. His family took a financial hit, his credit was shot and he had no idea where to turn.

Finally, Aim High Technology called Franklin, kicking him to the curb.

“I received an email from him immediately afterwards — which shows me they were pretty prepared for it — saying that they were officially terminating my position and in order to honor my contract they were sending me one severance paycheck seeing as I hadn’t been paid at all,” Franklin said. “I waited patiently for that and it never came. I never even got the severance pay.”

That wasn’t the end of the road for Franklin, though. He contacted South Carolina Legal Services and is in the midst of a small claims lawsuit.

So how can you choose the right path when taking the first steps into your career to avoid exploitation and hardship?

The U.S. Department of has a list of six qualifications that an internship must meet in order to be unpaid:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;

2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;

3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;

4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;

5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship;

6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

The University of South Carolina Career Center is also open to directing you towards opportunity.

“Our office provides a number of resources to support students in their pursuits to find an internship. We teach students to be the driver in this process because only they know their goals and we can provide the strategy to meet those goals. Most times, students are unsure of how to even know where to look for internship opportunities,” Director Tom Halasz said. “In our office, we have staff (Experiential Education Managers) dedicated to going through the educational process with students to teach them the skills they need in order to explore and find quality internships.”

For more information and scheduling purposes, students can go to the Career Center directly on the fifth floor of the Thomas Cooper Library. They can also check out handshake.com, a bridge between students and the outside world. Through Handshake, students are able to request appointments with Experiential Education Managers, highlight their achievements and career goals and put their name out there to potential employers — basically LinkedIn with training wheels.

So while millennials are working harder than ever, proving that they’re more than their twitterholic reputation, it’s important to know when enough is enough. With a little knowledge and a lot of empowerment, you can grab life by the briefcase and embrace the real world. (And no, I’m not talking about the MTV phenomenon.)

LIVING IN THE SHADOWS

LIVING IN THE SHADOWS

How DACA directly impacts USC students.

BY SARAH NICHOLS ∞ ILLUSTRATION

BY

WANDA FELSENHARDT

∞ PHOTO BY

BRENNAN BOOKER ∞ DESIGN BY RACHEL JOHNSON

GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS

*NAMES CHANGED FOR ANONYMITY

As an undocumented immigrant in America, for the longest time, Maria Garcia felt like she “lived in the shadows.” She came to America with her parents at just two years old, and despite her best efforts to work hard in school and her family’s efforts to provide a better life for their children, Maria’s future has never been certain or safe.

“I felt like my life was a wasted opportunity for the longest time,” Maria explained. “My options were to either go back to Mexico by myself, without my parents or any family, to live on my own in this country I don’t know to try to go to school, or to just work under the table and clean houses or something.”

national security.” Aaron went home that day realizing, for the first time, what it meant to be undocumented in America.

Aaron later learned and recollected that he immigrated to America when he was three years old. Back in Guadalajara, Mexico, Aaron had lived in a shed made of tin, in a place called “La Pila” — the pile. He collected toys from the trash. His father had already migrated to America, and when he was three, his mother helped him escape a place where they had no future in hopes of a better one.

BASIC HUMAN DECENCY

For Aaron Verano*, he first learned that he was an undocumented immigrant when he wasn’t allowed to go on his middle school class field trip. Aaron was 13 and he dreamed of being an engineer. When his teachers announced their field trip to Boeing, he couldn’t wait, but he was told he couldn’t go on the field trip because he “posed a threat to

When President Barack Obama instituted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, often referred to as DACA, in 2012, many children in Maria and Aaron’s shoes finally felt like there might be a life for them in the only country they have ever known. They could finally get their driver’s licenses, apply for higher education and get jobs that were not under the table.

With a white, beaming smile, DACA recipient Aaron said, “I was able to go to the dentist — I’ve always wanted to go to the dentist.”

THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY

Even with DACA, however, things are not fixed for recipients permanently. Like the name of the act implies, this measure is only a deferred action, meaning that recipients are not given any paths to gaining permanent residency, and they are still slated for deportation — they are just not listed as a priority. While the recipients are not granted legal status, they are declared lawfully present in the U.S. With DACA, their lives are still in limbo, but at least they can suspend the process for a bit longer.

It has been 19 years since Maria came to America, and she is now a senior at USC, majoring in visual communications with plans to graduate in May. Since Aaron’s arrival at 3 years old, he has graduated high school and become an apprentice electrician. Without DACA, none of this could have happened.

That is not to say that it has been easy for them or that they have coasted off of the taxpayers’ dollars; in fact, with DACA, recipients are required to pay taxes but do not receive the benefits of them like traditional citizens do. And even though Maria has lived in South Carolina since she was two years old, she has to pay out-of-state tuition to go to school at USC with almost no help from financial aid or scholarships. Because DACA doesn’t extend to her parents, they are left paying for her tuition with whatever money they can make under the table.

“It breaks my heart and it makes me laugh a little, cynically, when people think we get all these handouts,” Maria said.

In fact, according to a 2016 survey by Fast Company, 95 percent of DACA recipients are working or in school.

For one Columbia student, DACA made it possible for her to visit her dying grandfather in Mexico — something she had never been able to do before, and something she can never do again, once DACA is rescinded.

Since President Trump announced his plans to rescind DACA in a statement made on Sept. 5 — a date no recipient will ever forget — these immigrants’ lives have been uncertain at best, yet again.

Recipients were given the option to renew their status for one more period of two years, if they met the deadline. Maria was one of the students who chose to renew.

“As of now, I have two years to figure out the rest of my life, and I’m only 21,” Maria said.

However, many others are choosing to not renew DACA because they feel it poses too much of a threat to themselves. The process of applying for and renewing DACA means providing the Department of Homeland Security with detailed personal information, which the government could easily access and use to potentially track down, arrest and deport immigrants when DACA ends.

“They have all of our information and could just pick us up one by one,” Aaron said.

A good number of DACA supporters have taken to voicing their support for the program, but, unfortunately, some of their messaging can be a bit misguided at times. Maria and Aaron voiced their concern for some of the well-meaning but improperly communicated messages circulating.

Some opinion writers and activists have used heroic actions of DACA recipients to justify their being here.

For example, a BBC news story produced during Hurricane Harvey’s reign over Texas, wrote, “Daca Dreamers: Harvey hero now faces deportation.” The story, about a DACAmented paramedic who saved lives during the hurricane, is emotional and powerful. It portrays a great image of these immigrants in America. Yet, naturally, not all DACA recipients are going to be heroes. Their worthiness of living in America should be grounded in the fact that they are simply hard-working, fellow human beings.

“You don’t have to be a hero to gain respect as an American citizen,” one local recipient said.

“You shouldn’t need to regain respect. You should already have it,” said another.

These recipients were also concerned about the ways that their parents are villainized in these narratives of immigration. In order to remove blame from the DACA recipients, some supporters end up placing the blame on the parents, who made the choice to immigrate with their children to America, instead. On paper, this argument might seem logical, but such issues in real life are cloaked in shades of gray.

“Don’t criminalize parents,” Maria said. “In all honesty, if all of their choices were life and death, they’d get up and leave too. They didn’t do it with this terrible thing in mind. They just knew that anything was better than what they had.”

For those who wish to stop what has already been set in motion, first inform yourself and those around you about what DACA really is, and try to dispel any misconceptions that can be so easily circulated. Next, contact your local representatives and voice your concern for the issue. It is your representative’s job to listen to you. South Carolina Appleseed Justice Center (scjustice.org) also provides resources for both recipients who need help and for supporters who want to give help.

AMERICAN AT HEART

When asked if they felt that they had to be extra careful now, as DACA recipients, there were big nods, sighs and somber faces across the board. Since the election, the country has been a political minefield, and for those already teetering on the edge of deportation, any wrong move could be explosive.

The ideal of the American dream has circulated passionately in our country since its very start. This concept appealed to so many because it suggested that everyone has an equal shot, no matter their backgrounds, of working hard and achieving their dreams. However, with DACA gone, this core value that America holds so close to its metaphorical heart is no longer attainable for recipients that have been living here almost their whole lives. I can continue to dream that, one day, all hard-working immigrants will be treated equally and be given equal opportunities in this country that has given me so many. However, while I continue to dream, other’s lives in America are being cut short.

THE MASTER PLAN

BY CAROLINE FAIREY • PHOTOS BY ROBERT CARTER • DESIGN BY ASHLYN MURPHY

When you’re waist-deep in the unending swampland known as the end of the semester — harbinger of exams, papers, presentations, and God forbid, group projects — one of the most efficient and cathartic ways to reduce stress is complaining. We all do it (especially when we have too much homework to fit in yoga.) And often, a myriad of topics come immediately to the minds of overworked, under-rested students. For example, Columbia parking. Professor’s unrealistic expectations. How the Russell House bathroom is always closed for cleaning right when you stop by for sushi. That’s not just me, right?

The point is, on a regular basis, it’s easy to rail on at the university when USCPD slips you a parking ticket or when Blackboard times out right as you were going to turn in your online exam. But once in a while, it’s healthy to step back, take a deep breath, and seek out the positive things that USC has done for you. Today happens to be that day. Today is not a day for complaint; today, the University of South Carolina has done something good. Unbeknownst to many students, for decades, committees and sub-committees at USC have been updating and revising a campus Master Plan, which details the geographical changes that officials hope to implement. These include dorm updates, Columbia road construction, and envisioning a better future for all of us, where we get to enjoy placid bike trails and pedestrian-friendly streets. All of this is part of the Vision for a Sustainable Future, curated by university officials who have our best interests at heart.

Jeff Lamberson, the director of Facilities Design and Construction, answered a few of my questions about the Master Plan. He served on the Capital Operations & Planning Subcommittee during the drafting of the plan, and he’s still responsible for campus oversight on a daily basis.

It’s not hard to notice that USC values sustainability in more ways than one. More food than ever in our dining halls was grown in-state by local farmers, public transportation and bike paths through campus are popping up and every new building on campus is required to have a Silver LEED certification or higher before the project is cleared. Both the new Student Health Center and the recently completed USC Law School were built with the Master Plan in mind.

“The best example of a facility that models environmental, fiscal and social sustainability is The Darla Moore School of Business,” Lamberson said in an email interview. “As the largest LEED Platinum certified building in South Carolina and the largest LEED Platinum higher education building in the nation, it offers real examples of environmentally friendly design features that save operational costs and improve quality of life within the structure. As a Business School, the facility itself models sustainable business behavior.”

Considering that many classroom buildings on campus were constructed during a time in American architecture when the most important quality of a building was how easy it would be to tear down, the move towards lasting, LEED certified structures certainly implies a larger statement the university is making about its values.

The limit does not exist — USC’s plan for a sustainable future.

Most students, even commuters, have noticed the changing atmosphere on campus. But did you know that there’s a way to preview the changes scheduled for the future? The Facilities Department’s webpage invites users to “See our vision.” Click the link, and a truly magical PDF blossoms into being — a document that’s existed for seven years under the radar (except for a select few student groups, like University Ambassadors.)

Known as the 2010 Master Plan: Vision for a Sustainable Future, this document is 32 pages long, and includes some surreal Photoshop creations of what campus might look like when certain projects are completed. Students stroll past giant, iridescent, square, glass buildings, and bike past a placid lake behind Swearingen that doesn’t exist yet.

“The University of South Carolina campus has a distinct personality that is rooted in its history, physical setting, traditions, and programs,” the introduction notes. It details the successes of past expansion projects, such as the pedestrian bridge spanning Pickens Street and the Honors dorm where the Honeycomb apartments used to be.

There have always been casualties to construction; the Master Plan is no different. The planned Campus Village for freshmen comes at the expense of Bates and Bates West, dorms that are definitely outdated, but still occupy a place in the hearts of many alumni. However, Lamberson hopes that the vision of a sustainable future will tide over the nostalgia felt by many ex-students.

“I was fortunate to begin service at USC the same time Dr. Pastides became President,” he said. “His leadership in green building has provided many exciting opportunities for incorporating sustainability into $1.5 B in construction projects over the past 10 years. The morale in design and construction is high as a result of being involved in such a wide variety of interesting projects.”

USC also states its vested interest in aiding the development of the greater Columbia area, which is good news for students who love our college town but don’t love the one-way streets or the cracked sidewalks.

“There are other initiatives that support the Master Plan and our Plan is developed in concert with the City of Columbia Master Plan so that they complement each other. An example is the Streetscaping USC did on Assembly, between Pendleton and Blossom, that establishes the City template for future street design between Elmwood and Rosewood.”

One part of the university’s vision that may give students pause includes the idea of staff making decisions about parking. Multiple new sidewalks and bike paths that connect the far-reaching parts of campus for pedestrians. For a campus with over twenty-five thousand students, many of whom commute, eliminating incentives to drive to campus sounds risky.

“THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA CAMPUS HAS A DISTINCT PERSONALITY THAT IS ROOTED IN ITS HISTORY, PHYSICAL SETTING, TRADITIONS AND PROGRAMS.”

For most commuting students who park half a mile from their closest class, the Master Plan’s official statement on parking might sound like bad news — Lamberson elaborates. “The goal is to have easy access to structured parking along North/South and East/ West public transportation corridors for our commuting students. As an example, large amounts of structured parking behind Colonial Life Arena with quick and continuous access to Greene Street public transit to the heart of campus.” The core of campus is ever-expanding toward the Innovista district, near Darla Moore. Although Lamberson says, “We strive to maintain less than a 15-minute transit from point A to point B anywhere on campus,” that largely depends on the reliability of the bus schedule, since walking alone will not conquer the distance between far-reaching classes.

The parts of the Master Plan that catch the eye are also the parts that we won’t be around to see. Lamberson’s favorite part of the planned construction is a public access point to the Congaree River between Blossom and Gervais. “Once we achieve a nice park on the river, I’ll be able to retire with a great sense of accomplishment,” he said.

Planted trees, smooth roads, sprawling intramural fields and the vision of a better, brighter campus is still several years in the future, possibly after all of our time here. Still, it’s good to know that USC will stay beautiful long after we’re gone.

DISPLACED

The feeling of being lost is not uncommon for college students. The confusion, disorientation and vulnerability of a new environment seem to be common factors among those entering a new phase in life. Being in a new environment can be daunting, but through a newfound isolation, we find our own sense of self-expression. Style has become a means by which we overcome those confusing landscapes and take control of a setting that might not feel right just yet. This shoot aimed to mimic this sense of displacement and emotion, manifesting itself in rich fabrics and heavy layers — something like a seasonal armor. The rich textures give us something substantial to work with, arming us with confidence to adapt to the turn of the season and change in life. The vintage pieces being styled with modern pieces created a physical analysis of a timeless sense of vulnerability and resistance. This vulnerability comes from a sense of being lost coupled with a need to fight back and resist the overwhelming notion of not fitting in. There has been a cultural shift from when some of the clothes were made, obviously, but their messages and stories remain the same, arming us with whatever we may need, to adapt, push forward and find a sense of peace and belonging.

STYLED BY CLARA MARZOLF • PHOTOS BY BRENNAN BOOKER • DESIGN BY RACHEL JOHNSON AND ASHLYN MURPHY • STYLE ASSISTANT: EILEEN GILLIS • MODEL: GRACE BARLOW

FIRST LOOK

Vintage Dress model’s own Fur stylist’s own

SECOND LOOK

ER Velvet skirt $80 Copper Penny

Step it up Sweater $48 Vestique

Team Player earrings $16 Vestique

VSA ring $137 Copper Penny

THIRD LOOK

1520 black dress $198 Copper Penny

MinkPink top $79 Bohemian Obey

Jacket $189

Bohemian JennyBird ring $85

Bohemian Pot of Gold Earring $12 Vestique

Shoes model’s own

FOURTH LOOK

Milly Andrea top $335 Copper Penny

Got it from my momma (grey) $24 Vestique

Obey beanie $22 Bohemian Gold Fringe earrings $30 Copper Penny

LEAVING THE NEST

Students go beyond USC in search of artistic community.

BY RACHEL PITTMAN • PHOTO BY ROBERT CARTER • DESIGN BY GRACIE NEWTON

For student artists, college can seem to be paradise of opportunity. Easy access to studios, master classes, collegeprovided performance opportunities and other benefits create in the environment of USC and other colleges the ultimate hideaway for nurturing the newborn careers of young artists.

“USC’s dance program is great because they always bring in guest choreographers and high caliber professional companies that perform during the year,” says John Green, a third-year dance performance and choreography major and local dancer. “A lot of the opportunities that are afforded are through the school, like recently [when I performed] with Anya Martin during halftime at a USC home football game.”

The artistic opportunities that are offered by USC are a gift to students wanting time to hone their craft. But is the university alone enough for young artists? For some students such as Green, the college better functions as a springboard for artistic success rather than as an all-inclusive experience.

“I look for teaching and freelancing through non-USC-affiliated parties,” Green says. “My very first year at USC, I had the opportunity to dance at the Chamber of Commerce with this non-USC-affiliated hip-hop group. Then ,every year when it’s Christmas time, there’s always an opportunity to guest perform in a production of ‘The Nutcracker.’”

While USC can provide needed training and instruction for young artists, the school can also give students a false sense of security. Easy access to the tools of the trade such as dance studios and visual art showing opportunities keeps students from needing to create their own connections in the “real world” of local creativity.

For students looking to expand beyond these sometimes-limiting classroom horizons, Columbia is particularly fertile ground. Although smaller in geographical size, the city’s arts scene is bustling. With the availability of multiple performing venues, an art museum, a handful of locally run galleries and an arthouse cinema, there always seems to be an artistic event of some sort going on in town.

“We’re not L.A. or New York but there is definitely a much more active art scene than I would have ever thought,” says Dani Thorner, a third-year art education student and visual artist. “The coolest part about it is there are a ton of young people getting involved around the community, so as a young adult you don’t feel alienated.”

With the variety of arts opportunities available in Columbia, students are finding creative ways to circulate their name and their work. Thorner, who works mainly in collage art, currently has her art on display in Cool Beans Coffee Co. and is also working at the Columbia Museum of Art. In the past, her search for artistic opportunities has led her to work with Scenario Collective, a group of local creatives of all stripes.

The small size of Columbia, however, makes it both more easy and more difficult for students to find their niche outside of USC. The close proximity to campus of places such as the Nickelodeon Theatre and Music Farm works to the student artist’s advantage, but this small-scale scene can also be wary of outsiders.

“If you see an artist or a local musician or kids smoking cigarettes outside Drip, ask about their work and what they do in the community,” Thorner says. “The art scene here is pretty tight-knit, so everyone kind

of knows each other, which can be kind of intimidating at first.”

With the sometimes-cliquishness of the local scene, creating a community of one’s own can be crucial for boosting both confidence and inspiration. Thomas Bedenbaugh, a third-year English major and bass player in the local alt rock band The Dames, says that curating a personal circle of positive influence is almost as important as breaking into something already established.

“Find people that you enjoy being around and that inspire you, but that share the same goals as you,” Bedenbaugh says. “It’s all about doing what you love, and you have to surround yourself with people who inspire you to continue to do whatever it is you love.”

The most common advice from those who have broken into the local arts scene for students looking to do the same is simple — be annoying.

“For students looking to break into the music scene in Columbia, or the arts scene in general, my advice would be to be persistent,” Bedenbaugh says. “You have to be dedicated to your craft and be a general nuisance in order to get noticed by people.”

“FIND PEOPLE THAT YOU ENJOY BEING AROUND AND THAT INSPIRE YOU BUT THAT SHARE THE SAME GOALS AS YOU,” BEDENBAUGH SAYS. “IT’S ALL ABOUT DOING WHAT YOU LOVE, AND YOU HAVE TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE YOU TO CONTINUE TO DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU LOVE.”

Exe-

“Ten.” A dozen or so voices. Digits appear on either side of the room, on screens like scoreboards. Glances flicker between the number and me. Why should they be nervous, with a wall of glass three inches thick between us? I’ve been in a drug-induced paralysis since last night — standard procedure just in case one of us panics. That’s understandable too, although it never occurred to me.

“Nine.” The number dissolves and reforms. Public opinion was divided on my case, a number of inconsequential but up-andcoming figures speaking out on my spiritual, if not legal behalf. Female serial killers aren’t so common; no one knows what to make of us. Some of the faces behind the glass were in the courtroom. How many of them hate me? How many will enjoy this?

Someone behind me coughs — one of the guards, armed and bored. For all the preparation, this will only take half an hour, cleanup and all. It was early when they woke me. These men, with their precautionary military-grade equipment, probably have a dozen sessions left today.

“Eight.” My eye itches, at the outer corner, at the base of my eyelashes. A minor annoyance, but unfixable with my arms both bound and paralyzed. I blink, and wary eyes snap to me. The itch disappears, leaving a tingling, the kind you’re supposed to report to doctors. It radiates across the side of my face, engulfing my ear and my lips. Like ant bites, but less sharp — ant nibbles, millions of them. I want to squirm.

“Seven.” Prickling spreads, creeping down my spine, nestling inside my navel and simmering there, clinging to my fingertips, emerging from underneath my nails. It burrows, invading my organs, bones, marrow — places I didn’t know I could feel.

“Six.” The burning crawl pauses. Air rushing in and out through my nose steadies. Will everything just fade?

“Five.” Fire erupts in my every nerve, catching onto blood and bone and soft tissue like dry tinder. My chest, elbows, feet scream, needing to jerk away, but drugs and steel clamps hold them still. My head throbs, clogged with smoke.

“Four.” My eyes sting, trying flush themselves clean, but can’t — another part of the torture. Total paralysis, even for involuntary bodily functions. No tears. Deny sympathy at every chance. Images of witch burnings flash across my eyes, and an icy thrill sears through me. Is this what my prey felt in their last moments?

“Three.” Stony gazes through the glass, unaware of the lava bubbling in the body they’re watching. It can’t escape so it fills my thighs, my gut, my breasts.

“Two.” In my mind, I strain to keep just beyond the bloody, boiling soup; in the chair, nothing moves. Throat, nostrils, eye sockets blister and melt. A grin looms behind the glass.

“One.”

-cution

CHARLESTON SHUFFLE

I lost my keys in the river and lost the river too. This is the problem I have with new cities: I know them less than they want to be known, a geography of shadows I still need Google Maps to translate. Truth is I’ve been here before: another summer, another pair of yellow-eyed boys who tucked secrets in their pockets like lights they didn’t want to hold you awake with. After diving in downtown fountains,

we wore our wet clothes for hours like soaking in chlorine was what would finally make us clean. Surely there were other visits, too, brief

and mis-lived, but there was something I meant to tell you about the river: at night, watching its currents turn like a tangle of snakes who can’t find a way to let go of each other, you could sometimes see the mouth of another galaxy opening and closing, there, between the buoys, where everything is sacred

and nothing is lost. A local boy told me there’s a name for the way people walk in this city when they don’t belong here, or when they’re learning to. Any given dislodged brick

could turn any given bridesmaid placeless, her body a marionette suspended in time only Charleston was her strings and the person pulling them, the stage and the humidity she hung in. I thought of this as I watched the river, its dark a tongue uncurling

from one of those gaping mouths, how easy it would have been to step into it, to hang my weight delicate above the wavering surface, and easier still to misstep, to fall and to be lost to the tossing of another city’s intestine, another galaxy’s abyss where gravity weighs less on the drenched clothing of divers and the boys don’t mind how you fall.

BY ANNA SHEPPARD

SEASON’S GREETINGS

One contributor unveils the double standard within Christmas Break.

BY ALMEERA LATEEF ∞ DESIGN BY RACHEL JOHNSON

As the United States is growing larger and larger, many people would believe that this influx of diversity would bring to a lot of change within the educational systems to meet the needs of all its students. Every year, many students are excited when Christmas rolls around and they have the opportunity to have a few days set aside to really enjoy their religious holiday. But have you ever thought about what students of other faiths have to do when their religious day of observance comes around?

Take it from someone who has dealt with it every single year: It hardly feels like celebrating is worth it at all. As an AmericanMuslim, celebrating my religious holiday, Eid, always comes with mixed feelings. Eid occurs twice a year, and the date of the day of observance is determined by the lunar calendar. Having it fall in the summer months is the best because I do not have worry about making any kind of accommodation to take a day off.

If the religious day falls during the school year, a lot of different problems arise. First, having to determine if being absent from one day of class is worth it. Sometimes, classes offer extra credit for perfect attendance or deduct points for being absent, and missing one day of class would automatically ruin my chances. Secondly, having to find a way to get reliable notes from someone regarding

the information that was gone over is next to impossible. Being a very avid note-taker, I must write everything that comes out of the professor’s mouth, so finding someone with the same penchant is nearly impossible. Lastly, having to notify your teacher two weeks ahead of time to take the day off and explain why can always be an awkward first impression on the professor. But what is harder is gaining the courage to go speak to my professor face to face and hope the professor provides leniency to my situation.

Eid is not something I look forward to during the school year. It is just another obstacle added to my list of things to overcome in a given semester and decide if the pros outweigh the cons to attend. A typical Eid during the school year is waking up early and going to the Mosque for our Eid prayer and coming home immediately to do homework and study for everything I might have missed in class. The night would be reserved for any other festivities that were held for Eid on the given day. Is this how Christians spend Christmas, or how the Jewish spend Hanukkah? Probably not. Most have two weeks off from school to spend time before and after their religious day with friends and families. Muslims? We don’t even get a day. This is a problem that should be addressed as the Muslim population in America grows.

DOUBLE-BLIND

The glamorous life of working academics.

WRITTEN BY HALLIE HAYES • ILLUSTRATIONS BY GRACIE NEWTON DESIGN BY GRACE STEPTOE

WHEN I HEAR THE TERM

RESEARCH,

I generally think of the endless realms of discovery found within different areas of study — general studies, psychological and social. But if I am being completely honest, I often overlook the fact that research has to be conducted by somebody. We are surrounded daily by people who have a passion for research and discovery, and who apply themselves daily to the hard process involved within research. Yes, even people right here on our own campus.

Dr. Jennifer March Augustine and graduate student Daniela Negraia, whom she has mentored, are two researchers on USC’s campus who work within the field of sociology. The two have collaborated on several papers dealing with the issue of family inequality.

Dr. Augustine began her research on the topic of family inequality as an undergraduate, when mentor Kathy Edin was looking for an undergraduate student to code and transcribe interviews that she had collected for a project that she was working on. Dr. Augustine became interested in studying questions that she felt could unite the U.S. population. She explains that the topic of family inequality is large and you can only work on portions at a time. No single study solves all of the issues within family inequality, so it often leads to more research.

Daniela Negraia is a graduate student within the field of sociology who is also currently working on her own independent research. She is at the stage in her graduate career where she is forming her own research agenda; however, Negraia also has a hand in the topic of family inequality.

Research generally helps inform others on topics that may be difficult to generalize, such as the topic of family inequality. According to Negraia, beliefs that have been transmitted over time can ultimately have an effect on people’s lives.

“You should do this or you should believe that or you have this characteristic, so for you life should be this way or that way. So, I think the research that social scientists do is, in a way, trying to help people make informed decisions about their life, and also trying to help people that design policies make informed decisions,” Negraia says.

For them, research is not only about the passion that they have for it, but also about helping inform other individuals on everyday life issues and decisions.

Some of Dr. Augustine’s most recent research related to mothers who have gone back to school. She and Daniela have collaborated to write two papers on the research. One of these two papers has been invited to be revised and resubmitted for the consideration of publication.

Something that is often overlooked within the idea of research is the work put into the process of developing research. The process of research is one that is rather strenuous. There are many ways to conduct it, but Dr. Augustine and Negraia both are currently using secondary large-scale data, which means that they are using pre-existing data. “The beauty of it is that you can look at different populations that you otherwise would not get access to as easily,” says Negraia on secondary data.

There is an undeniable passion that lies within both Dr. Augustine and Negraia when it comes to research. Dr. Augustine finds an importance in the idea of conducting research and using different practices to the best of one’s ability.

“Issues related to the quality and rigor of the research are really important to me, but I’m also really interested in the theoretical aspects of the work. This is something I try to convey to my students a lot when I teach undergraduate research methods and I find it’s a hard sell because theory seems so abstract. But it’s really the way that we connect this gigantic world of scientific research,” she says.

In the future, Dr. Augustine plans to do a few more papers related to the topic of mothers going back to school, but then plans to move on to something else related to the topic of Family Inequality. Negraia is hoping to continue graduate school and continue research, landing a research position or possibly teaching within the subject of sociology.

Research is a process that takes the passion of a person who loves discovery. Dr. Augustine and Negraia have an undeniable drive to research ideas within sociology that will proceed to inform and educate others. Their research within the social world explores many different topics and ideas. The beauty of research comes from the informative results you can offer to yourself and to others. The beauty of research is found in the people who have the passion to conduct it.

“I THINK THE RESEARCH THAT SOCIAL SCIENTISTS DO IS, IN A WAY, TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR LIFE.”

Public Service Announcement: STOP SAYING THE N-WORD

In case you didn’t get the memo, read on.

BY JORDYN SEIBLES • PHOTO BY JOHNNIE LYNCH • DESIGN BY ANGEL PRATER

WHEN I BEGAN MY COLLEGE experience at USC, I thought white people (or any nonblack person) would know not to say the N-word, or at least realize that there is a social stigma with saying it. But, no. Many students believe it is OK to say it because we have 21 Savage or Rae Sremmurd performing at homecoming and the N-word is in their lyrics. NEWSFLASH! Those artists are black, and it’s not disrespectful when they repeat it.

Tragically, I had to hear one of my journalism teachers utter this word. She was, in fact, Caucasian. In her class, she would play music just to give us a little variety among our own personal music library. Once, after she played a tune and it was about time to start class, the professor began talking about what she didn’t like to hear on the radio. It was something along the lines of, “I get tired of hearing bitch, n*gga, hoe.” The class fell silent. We all knew that what she had said was wrong, but it seemed as though that didn’t register with her.

After our awkward silence, she nonchalantly went on to teach. However, my mind was not on the lesson plan. My mind was racing. I was wondering, should I curse her out in front of everyone? Should I disrupt the class? Should I go straight to the dean? Overall, my patience superseded me and I waited until the end of class to confront her. While there were only three black people in the room, including myself, I really think that I was the only one to say

anything. I politely went up to her and said, “Out of respect for me, could you not say the N-word?” And she was fair about my comment, saying she was stating how bad it was that she said it and how she doesn’t like hearing it. So that was that. At that moment, I was satisfied with the answer, but, at the end of the day, she should have known better.

This incident happened last semester, and society has not changed since then. And because society is like this, I would sometimes prepare myself for a situation as such. A black male student said that last spring in Bates West, he overheard some white males saying the N-word. Consequently, he had to let them know not to repeat it. What that black student did should not have to have happened because that creates a hostile environment for black people on campus. It’s like what Rapper Ice Cube said about the issue: “It’s been used as a weapon against us by white people, and we are not going to let it happen again by nobody because it’s not cool.” If about 4,000 people on campus feel the need to defend themselves constantly against a word that you could simply filter, then why not just do that?

Regardless of if your significant other is black, you don’t get to say it. Not matter how many African American musicians you may listen to, you cannot say it. No one cares about how many black children you grew up with, you should not say the N-word. Period.

Dear Guy with the ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD

BY COURTNEY CARRICK • PHOTO BY ROBERT CARTER • DESIGN BY ASHLYN MURPHY

TODAY, I TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE in the middle of the crowded bridge over Pickens Street to mourn the coffee now spilled because you bumped into my backpack while speeding past. You wouldn’t know about this tragedy, since the symphony of a flying vanilla latte took place in the air already far behind you.

I don’t mean to take this all out on you, so don’t feel alone. I see your tribe of motorized skateboarders all the time. I try to turn a blind eye, try to ignore the mockery this is to modern transportation, try to imagine I go to a college that is filled with nice things like biking, scootering — oh, and of course, actual skateboarding.

Perhaps you took Sonic the Hedgehog too literal as a child when he said, “Gotta go fast!” and while we all aspire to fulfill our childhood dreams, super speed is where most draw a hard line. Not you, though, and I guess it shouldn’t surprise me given the circumstances of school policy. Somehow, the craft of pressing a button to move oneself is acceptable on campus solely for electric skateboarders, but not those with a moped or hover board. In fact, I have shared many mutual meetings of eyes with my fellow simple pedestrians as you ride by us. These shared moments are those of complete confusion and occasionally disdain. After all, most of us do not desire to live either fast or furiously.

Please take this personally, as it is meant to be. Your electric skateboard is the Segway of board sports, and everyone knows it.