December 2016 issue

the EAGLE

SPECIAL EDITION

THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

Dining on Disappointment Campus food services try to live up to student expectations p. 10

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INDEX

NEWS

3 Diversity and inclusion in student groups 4 Students open campus food pantry 5 New "damp" campus policy in effect 6 Freedom of speech at AU

SCENE

7 Black voices in Hollywood 8 Holiday events in DC 10 Nutrition on campus

SPORTS 12 Legacy set by men's soccer team 13 AU basketball's next big man 14 Coach Goldberg's winning streak

OPINION

15 Column: Mindfulness; Op-ed: Activism 16 Column: Republican party; Staff Editorial

theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016

theEAGLE

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Men's soccer, p. 12. MELANIE MCDANIEL/ THE EAGLE FRONT COVER PHOTO: OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

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NEWS Student groups strive for greater inclusivity

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RACHEL FELT/ THE EAGLE

by Ivy Kaplan and Riddhi Sarkar News Assistants

Many campus organizations are looking to create more inclusive spaces after a semester of divisiveness on campus.

This semester has seen a number of tense moments, including racially charged incidents in Anderson Hall in September in which two black female students had bananas thrown at them, transgender discrimination with the arrival of the Westboro Baptist Church on campus on Nov. 11 and political discrimination when students protested president-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 9. Amid these situations and as a way to create a positive response to some of the tension, various student organizations at AU have taken multiple actions to become more inclusive this semester.

RHA addresses racism through discussion series The Resident Hall Association (RHA), in collaboration with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, recently implemented the “Creating Inclusive Communities” series, in addition to appointing a Director of Diversity and Inclusion. The sessions aimed to foster discussions on diversity and inclusion on campus, RHA President Sam Rogers said.

Rogers said that after the incidents in Anderson Hall, which many students have characterized as attacks, he felt it was RHA’s responsibility to respond and make sure that students felt safe within their living arrangements. This prompted the organization to hold the workshop series, which took place on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24.

“I think there’s definitely a problem with racism and other forms of bigotry on campus right now that really affect how residents feel and how they live their lives,” Rogers said. “They feel like they’re not part of the community, and as the Residence Hall Association, I think it’s our job to try and fix that if possible.”

Within the sessions themselves, which took place on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, Rogers said that CDI peer mentors facilitated conversations with students about diversity and inclusion in residence halls, in addition to having participants reflect on their own identities and how those factor into their daily lives.

Sarah Everett, the director of wellness, inclusion and diversity for RHA, said that after attending the sessions, RHA

members thought they had provided an opportunity for substantial conversations about identity to take place among participants.

“I chose that specific avenue for conversation because I had previously facilitated that CDI workshop and I knew it had some great reflective pieces about individual and community identity,” Everett said in an email. “I really appreciated the hard work of our four facilitators and those who came certainly left with some key points on things that they can do to create more cohesive—and inclusive—spaces in the residence halls.”

Despite the intent of the workshops to develop strategies to promote inclusivity on campus, Rogers said the two sessions were less successful than the RHA had originally hoped, with total attendance amounting to approximately 20 people overall.

“I really think that the people who come to these things willingly always have some sort of background knowledge and strive to be better allies,” Everett said.

“Unfortunately, people who make things unsafe and uncomfortable for others often come from a place of ignorance and we can’t correct those behaviors if people don’t show up to learn.”

Looking into the future, Rogers said RHA is reevaluating the sessions to encourage greater student turnout, in addition to creating partnerships with AU’s NAACP chapter and the Black Student Alliance.

“We don’t have anything concrete planned right now, and I think part of it is because this hasn’t really been the RHA’s role in the past,” Rogers said.

Student Government tackles change through working groups Since the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group within Student Government last year, efforts to promote greater diversity and inclusion in the organization have further increased under junior Lauren Lumpkin, the director of Diversity and Inclusion for SG. Throughout the past semester, Lumpkin said she has focused more on diversity and inclusion internally within SG and in its work that affects the larger campus community.

“Within our work, I think we’ve been having a lot more conversations about diversity on campus and I think that the attacks in Anderson Hall have kind of made people who usually don’t think about

diversity start thinking about it,” Lumpkin said. “I remember last year it was kind of hard to have these conversations with people unless they were already really into it, or already part of a marginalized group so they kind of felt like they had a stake in diversity and inclusion.”

Lumpkin said last year’s working group focused mainly on creating a report on Diversity and Inclusion to submit to President Kerwin for consideration, including recommendations such as appointing more faculty of color, increasing channels for complaint regarding discriminatory instances, and more. This year, the working group has expanded to include three different subgroups for different marginalized communities on campus.

“Last year was really just concentrated on students of color, but this year we have a students of color committee, an LGBTQ committee and a disability services committee,” Lumpkin said.

Lumpkin said that these three working groups are currently focused on four main projects. These include creating a multicultural space somewhere on campus for students of color to share and come together, potentially creating a report to the AU community to share what each of these multicultural groups are working on, working on increasing faculty members of color on campus and incorporating language on bias-related incidents into the student conduct code.

Lumpkin said Student Government’s communication with administrators and faculty has been very successful and receptive thus far, given the pressure the administration is facing from a variety of different demographics to make the University a more inclusive community for all.

“I think because of everything that’s been happening on campus between what happened in Anderson, all the protests, the election, there’s just so much happening that the administration and a lot of faculty and staff are really feeling like ‘Ok, it’s not enough for us to just talk about diversity and inclusion anymore,’” Lumpkin said. “Parents are putting pressure on us. Alumni and students are putting pressure on us. So I think that the administration’s really realizing that this is something that AU needs to be committed to. Otherwise, the future of the University is not going to be good.”

Student Media Board pushes for open conversation and new trainings

Members of the Student Media Board, which consists of nine organizations, including The Eagle, have been actively trying to find ways to promote diversity and inclusion within all of its media outlets, said Abi Weaver, a generalmanager of American University Television and a senior in the School of Communication. Many of its leaders have participated in Safe Space training sessions to provide support to LGBTQ individuals and are encouraging open staff conversations about racial tension on campus, Weaver said.

Samantha Dumas, co-editor of the American Literary Magazine and a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said that there has been more diversity within the AmLit staff this semester than during any other point in the time that she has been at AU. She added that there has also been a push for more diverse content to be published, such as the inclusion of more spoken-word pieces and submissions relating to politics in the magazine.

Dumas said that the content in their fall issue is representative of many different student views and identities on campus.

“We are on the path to more diversity and inclusion and are definitely doing everything we can, and I have already been talking to people who want to apply to lead the magazine next year about how they can continue our efforts,” Dumas said.

Weaver worked with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion to organize a Safe Space training workshop in October and mandated that all members of ATV’s e-board attend, she said. She also opened up the training to members of other Student Media groups.

Weaver also attended a recent structural racism workshop organized by the student movement The Darkening and said there is a possibility of a separate workshop specifically for Student Media staff in the coming months.

Moving forward, Weaver hopes that there is greater diversity both within her staff and the content produced so that no voices feel silenced on campus.

“My role as a student leader on campus is to make sure that I am doing everything within my power to make this campus and the world a little more inclusive and safe, protecting the people who are most threatened and most in danger and giving voice to those who don’t have one,” Weaver said. ikaplan@theeagleonline.com rsarkar@theeagleonline.com

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theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016

OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE Senior Emily Dalgo is working this semester to establish a student food pantry at AU. Dalgo hopes the pantry will raise awareness about hunger on campus and will alleviate student food insecurity.

Student food pantry coming to AU

Project aims to combat food insecurity on campus

by Maria Carrasco Student Government Beat Reporter

Students, faculty and student organizations are joining forces to work to create a potential food pantry at AU for students who suffer from food insecurity.

Food insecurity is not limited to those who may go years without access to reliable food sources— sometimes it just means not knowing where your next meal will come from for a semester, month or even just in the next week. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as "consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year."

Emily Dalgo, a senior in the School of International Service, is the founder of the initiative to bring a food pantry to campus that began this semester. After dealing with food insecurity herself in the beginning of the fall 2016 semester, Dalgo discovered how helpful a food pantry could be at AU. “[I] was going through a really rough time in the beginning of the semester, transitioning jobs and also my family was unable to help out [financially] for a month. I didn’t really know how I was going to be getting my next meal and it was just a really stressful time,” Dalgo said. “So I talked to faculty members and they also didn’t know how to help me and that was how I realized, and they realized too, that we didn’t have a service on campus that was really accessible for people [when they are food insecure].”

The problem with food pantries in the area is that many require D.C. resident status and are only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Dalgo said. Most AU students are not D.C. residents, nor do they have time during class or work to go to a food pantry.

Dalgo began the initiative to start a food pantry on campus by creating a survey to get a general understanding of whether there is a need for it based on how others were dealing with food insecurity. Dalgo has received over 400 submissions from the survey.

“Right now over 50 percent have responded and said that at some point of their time at AU, they’ve been food insecure,” Dalgo said. “And food insecurity is essentially just not having access to food at all times and not knowing your next meal.”

College of Arts and Sciences senior Alix Braun agreed with Dalgo on the necessity of creating a food pantry and is working with Challah for Hunger, a student organization that bakes and sells challah for the American Jewish World Service, at AU on their Campus Hunger Project. The goal of the Campus Hunger Project is to engage with students and gather

data on food insecurity, according to Braun. Once data is collected, the project hopes to create an assessment to tackle hunger on college campuses nationally.

“While hunger and food insecurity [have] serious implications and impacts on the health and wellness of children and adults everywhere, it is particularly unique to battle this issue while in college,” Braun wrote. “Especially at American, where the sense of social justice activism is competing with a sense of elitism and entitlement, the disparity between those who can afford in excess and those who cannot afford at all is palpable. Without a consistent source of nutritious food, students are suffering to survive academically and socially.”

Sameer Chintamani, a senior in SIS and a columnist for The Eagle, agreed as well and wrote about it in an October column for the paper. Chintamani mentioned how the George Washington University opened a food pantry for its students this October, along with George Mason University and the University of Maryland, College Park.

“As college students, we are told to do well in class by ensuring that we are following a healthy lifestyle and making healthy choices when eating,” Chintamani said in his column. “It’s time for a change and for AU to look into the issue of food insecurity at AU and offer a permanent solution, such as establishing a food pantry.”

Additionally, Dalgo has received support from other students, faculty and organizations. Dalgo is currently working with Dr. Fanta Aw, assistant vice president of campus life, to create a case for the administration on establishing a pantry on campus.

“It is clear that this is a social justice issue and that from my perspective, most students shouldn’t be in a situation where they’re having a challenge getting food and not being able to get that,” Aw said. “So whatever it takes on our end to try to meet the short term need while looking at a long term solution, we will look at that and each case is different.”

Aw currently works with those students who suffer from food insecurity by directing students to resources around D.C. and working with the financial aid office, like getting students more financial aid, as well as trying to help students deal with what is creating their food insecurity.

Aw believes that there is more to solving hunger on campus than just creating a food pantry, but agrees in addressing the immediate need and finding out long term solutions.

“I think a food bank will get us to a more systematic way of addressing some of that, but I also have been

saying to folks I think we need to be looking at a comprehensive approach to food insecurity,” Aw said. “The food pantry is one element of it, but it’s not necessarily the end all, be it all… And what that comprehensive approach might look like is something that we need to research.”

Dalgo has also received support and is working with Student Government senator and School of Public Affairs senior Jonah Wolff.

As senator, Jonah Wolff emailed the survey to over 3,000 students to create a more concrete case for a pantry. Wolff has past experience working with MEANS Database, a food recovery system to help food banks reduce wasted food from donations, as the organization’s director of public relations.

“The problem of food insecurity is that it impacts students, even at institutions like ours, and sometimes, in fact, especially at an institution like ours,” Wolff said.

Dalgo has also received interest from organizations that deal with food insecurity to become coalition members and facilitate goods or needs to begin this pantry, including Nourish AU, a student organization at AU that combats poverty through social entrepreneurship, as well as Challah for Hunger and MEANS Database.

Dalgo hopes to begin officially establishing the food pantry and getting donations for the pantry itself from students, staff or faculty by the end of the semester. If the food pantry plan continues, Dalgo hopes the pantry is donation based, whether it be through students, faculty or other organizations, student run or nationally.

According to Dalgo, a lot of students would prefer the pantry to be in the Mary Graydon Center, suggesting there might be room for it on the third floor. Aw hopes the food pantry space will allow students to maintain their dignity while being in a common place where any student could find.

Dalgo says she has received concerns about the pantry, but she says most of them stem down to students not being aware of the possible hunger AU students might face.

“People just don’t realize others are going through [food insecurity] because there’s a huge stigma and silence around money,” Dalgo said. “A lot of AU students are very wealthy and very lucky to come from families that can support them and I know that they do appreciate it often, but it also comes from the downside of not seeing other people don’t have that.” mcarrasco@theeagleonline.com

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theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016

AU tries "damp campus"policy

Students, aministrators evaluate alcohol program’s pilot semester

by Ivy Kaplan News Assistant

For many AU students over the age of 21, not being able to consume alcohol on campus may have been a turnoff from living in a residence hall. However, a new pilot program this semester aims to provide these students with the opportunity to exercise their freedom to drink.

Since the beginning of the fall semester, a new policy allowing alcohol within on-campus residence halls has been in effect, providing those of legal drinking age the opportunity to do so.

Director of Residence Life Lisa Freeman said that the pilot was first proposed in an attempt to encourage responsible drinking for students of age, in addition to incentivizing more upperclassmen to stay on campus.

“The idea behind the policy is twofold,” Freeman said. “Some of the feedback that we’ve gotten is that one of the deterrents for students that are of age to drink from staying on campus was that we had an alcohol policy in our residence halls. So this was an opportunity to address that deterrent and concern, and give students that wanted to stay on campus that are older the opportunity to do so. The other idea, is that we want to normalize alcohol in a way.”

As the pilot program currently stands, any residential unit on campus where all residents are 21-years-old is eligible to participate, Freeman said.

This includes all potential living situations ranging from singles to larger suites. While there are eligible rooms all over campus, the majority of them are concentrated in Nebraska and Cassell Hall, which primarily house juniors and seniors.

If and when a room qualifies for eligibility, Freeman sends those residents an email, alerting them of their ability to participate in the program and of its additional guidelines such as staying in their rooms while consuming alcohol, not consuming alcohol in the presence of anyone younger than 21, appropriate amounts of alcohol in possession and paraphernalia.

“I outline the details of the policy and then I specifically talk about the expectations, which just helps students to understand the policy, and then that it’s a pilot and what will be expected of them if they have an eligible room,” Freeman said. “I send that email out every month for any new rooms that become eligible.”

Sophomore Reagan Williams completed residential training over the summer prior to the start of the 2016-2017 school year, at which administrators

introduced the new policy. Since then, the pilot as needed. given the fact that the pilot is still new “Obviously we’re piloting, so we’ll and can be stopped at any point, Wilcome together at the end of the year liams said she has stressed this point to to see how things are going, what data her residents over the age of 21. we’re able to collect and then make some “At the beginning of the year [I held] decisions as to if we want to continue it,” back my residents who are over 21 after Freeman said. “The plan will pilot for our second floor meeting,” Williams two years, so we need to be able to comsaid. “I told them that this is a privilege pare one year against another, but we that you have, and that this is a pilot will engage RHA so that if we feel that program so at any moment they can be we learn something this year, what are like ‘No, this isn’t a thing anymore. None some things that we might do to either of you are allowed to have alcohol.’ So address things, or to help bring educaI told them don’t ruin it for yourselves tion for our residential students.” and everyone else.”

RAs follow a series of steps in The documenting Residence alcohol violaHall Astions when sociation incidents are is meant to reported to help facilitate residential the transition staff, Williams to the new said. This in“damp” camcludes gathering pus policy by all of the alcohol explaining the alcopresent in the room hol regulation changes at the time, placing it to residents affected in the middle of the room, by them, The Eagle previously asking the offenders a series of reported. However, RHA president questions, disposing of the alcoSam Rogers said his organization has hol and completing an incident report yet to be involved in this process. to document the offense.

“Part of the problem for us this year “You ask them [offenders] if they is that we have all new staff advisers and knew they were in the presence of alcothere wasn’t a lot of transition informahol, if they consumed any of the alcohol, tion written down for us because there’s and if they provided any of the alcohol,” just been so much staff turnover in Williams said. “You record everyone’s Housing and Dining this year,” Rogers answers to those three questions, which said. “As far as helping with the transiis funny because it takes a while, so it’s tion, there like you’ve hasn’t really "We’re piloting, so we’ll come been any crashed the informatogether at the end of the year to party at that tion either point.” see how things are going, what coming While from us this procedata we’re able to collect and or comdure used then make some decisions as to to apply ing into us from universally if we want to continue it."

Housing to all alcohol and Dinincidents in -Director of Residence Life ing, so I’m the resiLisa Freeman not really dence halls, sure where Williams that stands.” said the new policy makes it slightly Because the pilot has only been more complicated. She now needs to implemented since the beginning of know in advance which rooms in the the semester, Freeman said they don’t hall are allowed to possess alcohol. have a significant amount of data on Williams also said the temporary it yet. The pilot will run for two years, policy shift has taken a while for some granted that it is not terminated within RAs to get used to, especially those who that time frame, at which point it will worked in the position prior to the pilot be evaluated by administrators before program going into effect. becoming a formalized policy. As time “It’s still so instinctual for RAs, espeprogresses, they plan to reevaluate and cially RAs who have been RAs before, include the RHA in further improving they see [alcohol] and they’re like ‘Oh,

we have to write that up,’” Williams said.

Rogers said that while he supports the temporary policy change, he would expect this pilot transition to be confusing for many students. This policy is an opportunity for RHA to educate students, he said.

“There can be problems with underage drinking, but not anymore than there already are right now on campus,” Rogers said. “I think it might be confusing to some students what the policy actually is, so I think it would be good if we were more involved as an organization with education about that, so that’s definitely something that I will reach out to Housing and Dining about.”

Junior Emily Simonsen, a resident of Nebraska Hall, said while she thought her RA did a good job explaining the pilot program to others on her floor, she believes this education might vary depending on who is presenting it.

“For me, my RA explained it when we first arrived on campus, basically at our first floor meeting, but I haven’t really heard much about it since then,” Simonsen said. “But my boyfriend lives in Cassell and I know his RA definitely gave them a much more in-depth meeting about it just because there are some juniors who live there and will be 21. So it probably varies from RA to RA and the different staff that work there from hall to hall.”

In keeping with the goal of maintaining a strong campus community by encouraging older students to stay on campus, Williams said she thinks the pilot program would be effective as a formalized policy without increasing problems with underage drinking on campus.

“You know, it’s the same thing as ‘My body is not a container,’” Williams said.

“Statistically, if you know that college age students are going to be drinking, it’s better to have them doing it here where RAs and Public Safety can respond should something turn bad, versus drinking off campus.”

Despite her support of the new policy, Simonsen said she doesn’t think the pilot program will factor too much into students’ decisions to remain on campus versus moving off campus.

“I guess it would be cool to have it as a policy,” Simonsen said. “Either way, unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to make too much of a difference just because it seems like people will probably just keep [alcohol] if they want to keep [alcohol], regardless of whether or not they’re of age.” ikaplan@theeagleonline.com PHOTO BY ELISE MOORE/ THE EAGLE

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theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016

What does freedom of speech mean at AU?

by Shannon Scovel Senior Staff Writer Red and yellow flames spewed from the American flag as students held a lighter to the cloth and gathered around the Mary Graydon Center to protest the election of Donald Trump on Nov. 9. Participants yelled and chanted during the protest, and their actions raised the question of how much free speech is allowed on AU’s campus.

The United States Constitution’s first amendment grants free speech, and the Supreme Court has ruled flag burning to be constitutional; however, AU, as a private institution, has the ability to limit those rights if school administrators choose to do so through policy.

The University’s free speech policy, put forth by the Office of Campus Life, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Finance and Treasurer and the Office of Human Resources, describes what students can and cannot say on campus. The document brands the University as an institution of free speech, but states that AU “reserves the right to specify time, manner and place for the exercise of these freedoms, guided by factors that include safety, the rights of others and the normal functioning of the university.”

The list includes restrictions on speech that may threaten or endanger the University community, obstruct traffic or damage AU property.

The interpretation of when safety is threatened by speech has been debated throughout the semester, as some students promote the ideas of complete and unrestricted free speech, while others see the need for policy regulations.

One of the ways many student groups promote their causes and ideas is through posters displayed on campus. In 2010, AU put forth a second policy, one specifically addressing posters on campus, and this document contained its own set of rules. The poster policy includes 12 regulations, available on the University’s website, and all posters at AU must meet these requirements.

Approved posters must fit within the confines of the student conduct code, as well as avoid any visual or written messages that might incite hate or violence. Other regulations cover formatting, placement and style of the posters as well as the approval process.

The Office of Student Activities serves as a middleman between the poster producers and the student body and is charged with approving the materials for distribution.

Unapproved posters cause tension Almost six years to the day after Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson signed the poster policy in October 2010, the Latino and American Student Organization (LASO) at AU discovered a poster in Clark Hall advertising a “Frito Bandito” party at an address in Georgetown as a joke in October. LASO vice president Lily Moreno believed the poster to be hate speech aimed directly towards the Latinx community.

“In the opinion of the LASO E-Board, it was a racist attack targeted at a Latino population on campus, particularly the Mexican population on campus,” Moreno said. “It really ripples through the community when you are talking about someone because of their nationality because when you attack one, you attack us all.”

The poster was found by a LASO member and was reported to the executive board of the group, Moreno said. She said that the posters also appeared in several other places on campus.

Moreno said Public Safety, which LASO members have been in contact with in regards to the incident, took down the signs, but the entire situation brought up concerns about AU’s poster policy and the fact that such messages could be displayed on campus.

Moreno said the address for the party on the poster belonged to an off campus individual near Georgetown. The poster featured a cartoon man in a sombrero, a poem and a Donald Trump image. It also included a phone number belonging to AU’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

“The thing that really bothered us and the president of LASO is that someone really went out of their way to make this,” Moreno said. “This isn’t something that you just put up. Someone went out of their way to put all these little rhymes together, to put all these quotes, and the little guy in the sombrero, and find this address and find CDI’s number.”

Cole Wrampelmeier, the coordinator for digital event publishing at AU who assists in the poster approval process for Student Activities, said his office never saw the LASO posters, and he did not hear of the incident until interviewed for this article.

Milo on campus In April 2016, the YAL executive board decided to bring Milo Yiannopoulos, a controversial conservative journalist, to campus to address free speech, said current

Credit

MAHOGANY DAVISON/ THE EAGLE Students participated in a flag burning on Nov. 9 outside of the Mary Graydon Center to protest the election of Donald Trump.

YAL president Andrew Magloughlin. In an effort to promote the event, YAL submitted marketing materials to Student Activities along with posters for approval.

Although Magloughlin said YAL’s posters were approved, he said the whole postering policy on campus is “unconstitutional” because of the review process involved and the fact that the University prescreens the content before approving posters.

The poster review process, according to Wrampelmeier, just means that students have to submit their posters to Student Activities to ensure that the posters meet University postering requirements. Wrampelmeier saids he mostly looks for technical details on the posters, such as the logo of the sponsoring organization and the date, time and location of the event being promoted.

Occasionally, however, if the content of the poster appears to be in conflict with the student conduct code, Wrampelmeier said he might run the poster by his supervisors or participate in a meeting with his team to talk about the content.

Wrampelmeier said some of the YAL posters, particularly those without a date, time and the name of the club producing the poster, were not approved. However, he approved the remaining YAL posters that did include all necessary information.

Wrampelmeier said that two students came to speak to him about their frustration with the Yiannopoulos event posters after his name was posted on Facebook as an individual who approved them.

“I don’t agree with Young Americans for Liberty, but I did not see it as hate speech,” Wrampelmeier said. “I could see it as hurtful, I could see it as people feeling strongly and very hurt by it, but I didn’t see violence actually come from it.”

Stephanie Black, a sophomore and an executive board member of She’s The First and four other clubs on campus, disagrees. She argues that AU has allowed too much hate speech on campus and needs a clearer definition of what speech is permitted. She said the legal definition of free speech is confusing in itself, but she wants to see AU having more conversations about free speech, particularly in terms of how such free speech might affect the mental health of students on campus.

In April, Black protested the Yiannopoulos event by standing up throughout the entire speech holding up a sign reading “Free Speech Does Not Equal Hate Speech.”

Black said she received backlash and hate comments on social media, but she stands by her decision to protest. She wishes AU had not allowed Yiannopoulos to come to campus because of his reputation for inciting what she considers to be speech that encourages violence. “[AU says] ‘we care about the safety and well-being of our students,’ and then racist posters come out, so I don’t think AU does enough,” Black said.

The Milo and LASO posters have not been the only public fliers that have drawn attention from students in the past six months. On Nov. 16, posters were found in McKinley with a Trump-Pence logo and the statement, “The Electoral College said we won, you lost...get over it snowflakes." Images with the statements “Blue Lives Matter,” “Unborn Lives Matter,” “All Lives Matter,” and “Jewish Lives Matter” also appeared on the posters.

Wrampelmeier said these posters, like the LASO posters, were not approved by Student Activities and were removed.

Most recently, the election of Donald Trump has spurred emotional reactions from both supporters and opponents of the president-elect at AU. The Trump-Pence “Lives Matter” posters are just another example of student expression, but because the posters were not sent to Student Activities for approval, they were taken down, Wrampelmeier said. Flag burning and postering, while two dramatically different versions of speech, are both protected under the constitution, but their acceptance on AU’s campus depends on the interpretation of the campus free speech and poster policies.

“Free speech means you can say what you believe and what you want to say, but that doesn't mean that you don’t get criticised for it,” Black said. “That doesn’t mean that you don’t get backlash from it, that doesn’t mean that you can just say what you want without impunity.” sscovel@theeagleonline.com

SCENE Shifting voices in Hollywood

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Examining the emergence of black perspectives on screen

by Griffin Rowell Scene Assistant Hollywood still has a lot to learn. The first allblack cast on a television sitcom debuted on “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” back in 1951, but the show was widely regarded as racist. In the years following there were few uniquely African-American voices in the medium until now. This fall, shows like HBO’s “Insecure” and FX’s “Atlanta” have succeeded in conveying a side of the black experience that has often struggled to find a mainstream audience.

“There’s been a lot of questioning about whether a black show could be broadly attractive and draw large crowds," Rachel Watkins, a professor in AU’s Department of Anthropology who studies racism in America, said. “Strides have been made in using the experience of black folk and black voices to speak to a more general audience.”

Enter actor and writer Donald Glover. A disrupter.

A game changer. And now the creator and star of “Atlanta.” The show premiered this fall and reached an impressive one million viewers per episode. With “Atlanta,” Glover isn’t playing with or conveying any sense of racial tokenism. He plays Earnest, a guy from Atlanta who is about as typical as any 30-year-old.

“They [black movies and television in 2016] all show different aspects of ‘black life’ that suggest that strides have been made,” Watkins said.

Elisha Brown, a senior in the School of Communication and co-president of the AU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, has always been an avid consumer of media. She is also an editor of The Blackprint, a student-run online publication that created a “safe space for people of color at AU to discover what’s going on in their communities, and their culture,” according to the publication’s website. “[There is a] fear of ‘Atlanta’ being tokenized as ‘the black show for black males.’ Shows like ‘New Girl’ are called mainstream television,” Brown said. “Life for white people is codified as mainstream.”

Despite anxieties like Brown’s, this year has seen more film and television shows that depict black life but aren’t necessarily categorized as “black shows.” Cable series like “Atlanta” and “Insecure” and the critically acclaimed independent film “Moonlight,” which premiered in October, are projects with predominantly African-American writers, actors and creators that tell stories about everyday life without focusing exclusively on race.

“Donald Glover’s character reaches into stereotypes of him because he was marginalized as the black nerd and now he is able to debunk misconceptions and show people a different side of him,” Brown said.

Black life on screen

Mainstream films and TV shows are organized by two things: genre and race. The hope with shows like “Atlanta” and “Insecure,” which focuses on a black woman coping with her own flaws and dealing with the world around her, is that eventually they will not be seen as “the show about the black experience.”

“There’s a way in which their [children’s] consciousness is shaped by that [black life on screen],” Watkins said. “There is beginning to be a saturation of black people in film and TV.” The breakout of these shows this fall brings a relatable experience to life, something which reminded Brown of the show “Good Times,” which ran on CBS from 1974-1979, and which she and her family watched episodes of when she was young.

“Good Times” told the story of a black family in a housing project in Chicago. “Atlanta” similarly articulates the nuances of lower-middle-class life in the city, rather than relying more heavily on themes of race.

“Happiness [on ‘Good Times’], even through bad times, was more relatable than whatever was going on in ‘The Cosby Show,’” Brown said, looking back at how she and many viewers perceived the two shows.

Unlike “The Cosby Show,” which aired from 19841992 and displayed an affluent, heteronormative, nuclear family that was not the norm in much of black America, Brown said she felt “Good Times” had an unshakeable authenticity.

“I’m not saying there were not core values displayed on ‘The Cosby Show’ that my family couldn't identify with. But the ability to talk about money, or the lack of it, on ‘Good Times’ was refreshing,” Brown said.

A change in Hollywood While the first all-black writing staff of “Atlanta” may seem to be a big leap forward, the coverage the series has received is eerily similar to the coverage “The Cosby Show” received decades ago.

In a 1992 review of “The Cosby Show,” New York Times critic John O’Connor said the show tackled “still another persistent network taboo” with a “cast consisting almost entirely of black performers who were not called upon to be silly clowns, pathetic addicts or menacing thugs.” Skipping ahead 24 years, the paper wrote in a similar vein when they called “Atlanta” groundbreaking, saying that it “is above all a layer cake of African-American life, bourgeois and street, hipster and old school.”

The similarities between how high-culture treated “groundbreaking” shows that featured black casts 30 years ago and now suggests just how little progress has been made. However, the sheer amount of media produced by black people today is able to get across the message that there are so many shades to black life

that a single show can only speak to its specific group of characters. “‘Atlanta’ signals a moment and we are in the process of analyzing it and asking what does it mean. As an anthropologist I think about the specific moment and what it signifies, but I also think longitudinally about how we talk and and signify these moments,” Watkins said. “If you go back and read some of the early reviews or some of the academic work or commentaries on ‘The Cosby Show,’ you would think you are talking about ‘Atlanta.’”

Cultural Shift Since the Civil Rights Movement, there have been major instances of social activism that have reverberated in popular culture.

“Without [social movements], [black stories on screen] wouldn’t happen at all, but it speaks to the struggle that we are still regarding the value of black lives and black voices,” Watkins said. “There should be an exponentially larger response on the part of Hollywood to this stuff.”

One example of a major historical moment that left an impact in the entertainment industry was the election of President Barack Obama, according to Gil Robertson IV, a journalist, author, and president of the African American Film Critics Association.

“Obama has had an immeasurable impact on opportunities in a lot of different areas of life,” Robertson said.

Having the first African-American president is a hugely significant moment that reminded people everywhere that any dream is attainable with hard work, Robertson said.

“We have our first black president [and] even on a subliminal level, unconsciously that’s changed how people view the world, how they see themselves and how they see others,” Robertson said.

Hollywood figures like Glover and Cheo Hodari Coke, who directed the first black superhero show “Luke Cage,” are producing content in a variety of ways on a variety of platforms, Watkins said.

“I love the idea that for us to be present and for us to be heard it doesn’t require film in the traditional sense anymore,” Watkins said.

The sheer amount of time that it has taken for nonstereotypical roles to be available in cinema speaks to not only the societal changes that have taken place, but to the struggles that it takes to get out an authentic voice, Richardson said.

“There are a lot of examples out there of people who have rocked to their own beat…but it can be a lonely ride,” Richardson said. growell@theeagleonline.com

CARL MOORE/ THE EAGLE

Celebrate the holidays in DC

The Scene’s guide to all of the most interesting parties, performances and events in the District this holiday season

by Emma Williams Lifestyle Editor

After the stress of finals and an election year, we all need some holiday cheer. Here are some of The Eagle’s suggestions for markets, Christmas lights and other festivities to check out this December. Bundle up, brave the Metro and get jolly at some of these great events!

Downtown DC Holiday Market

Old Town Alexandria/Mount Vernon

• •

• •

• • • •

Now through Dec. 23 Arts and crafts vendors, food trucks and musical acts will all be represented, including empanadas, homemade donuts and local coffee shops. The annual market attracts more than 180 different vendors and dozens of local artists.

Noon to 8 p.m.

Free admission Located on the sidewalk of F Street, in front of the National Portrait Gallery Gallery Place/ Chinatown Station, Red Line

The Nutcracker • • •

• •

Now through Dec. 24 Several D.C. theaters will be staging productions of this classic Christmas ballet.

The Washington Ballet at the Warner Theatre’s production will be held Dec. 1 through 24. If you’d like a more contemporary take on Tchaikovsky’s classic, check out the Hip Hop Nutcracker at Bethesda’s Strathmore theatre on December 16.

Tickets range from $20 to $58.

Location, time and metro vary

• • •

Now through Dec. 22 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays If you want to get out of the city, try visiting Old Town Alexandria or Mount Vernon during the holiday season.

Alexandria will be decorated for the season, with a holiday market until Dec. 22, candlelight tours throughout the month and even a water skiing Santa show on Dec. 24. Mount Vernon will also feature candlelight tours, bright decorations and chocolate-making demonstrations.

11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tickets for Mount Vernon are $20 King Street Metro, Blue Line

ZooLights at The National Zoo

Snow Day Bar Crawl

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Now through Jan. 1, except Dec. 24 and 25 The Smithsonian’s National Zoo continues its annual tradition of decking out the zoo with more than 500,000 LED lights and dozens of animated light shows. The free event will also include live music, food and shopping. Although some animals are not out this season because of cold temperatures, visitors can stop inside the Small Mammal House, Reptile Discovery Center, Think Tank and Great Cats exhibits.

5 p.m. through 9 p.m.

Free admission Woodley Park/ Adams Morgan Metro, Red Line

Dec. 17 All of the 21 plus Christmas revelers can make their way through various bars around Dupont Circle, including Madhatter, Public Bar and Rumors, which will all be playing holiday-themed music. The crawl begins at Blackfinn, where you can check in, and includes a signature bar crawl cup and drink specials.

2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Tickets are $20 N4, N6 Metrobus Dupont Circle Metro, Red Line

• • • •

French Embassy Holiday Ball

Hanukkah Menorah Lighting Ceremony

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• • • •

Dec. 17 The French embassy will open its doors for a ball featuring dancing lessons, an open bar, casino games and European chocolates and pastries. You can also bring an unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots and help spread the Christmas spirit. Of course, there will also be plenty of French wine!

8:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Tickets are $88 30N, 30S, 31, 33 Metrobus Dupont Circle Metro, Red Line

• • • •

Dec. 25 A National Hanukkah Menorah will be lit on the grounds of the White House. Hot latkes and donuts will be served, along with a performance by the US Air Force Band.

4 p.m., rain or shine Free admission Located at the White House Federal Triangle Station, Blue, Orange, or Silver Line

PHOTO BY OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

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theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016

AU strives to provide healthy meals Despite efforts, many students are unhappy with dining options

by Arielle Weg and Lara Jakiel Managing Editor for Scene and Assistant Lifestyle Editor

On paper, AU’s on-campus nutrition is golden. AU dining services offer nourishing salads at Freshii, an assortment of vegetables in the Terrace Dining Room and rotating vegetable-centric dishes at Global Fresh. And yet, students don’t seem pleased.

The Partnership for a Healthier America

“The students have to be willing to eat the healthy food that’s being offered,” Holton said. “Really the only way around that is for it to only be really healthy foods, and in colleges you’d have a lot of unhappy students.”

Greatist, an online news publication that works to promote a healthy lifestyle, examined how health has impacted universities across the country in the realms of nutrition, fitness, mental health and sexual health. The results ranked The University of Maryland as the healthiest campus in the D.C. metro area in September. The list of healthiest campuses was compiled through campus surveys, Trojan’s Sexual Health Report and The Princeton Review rankings of best campus food. But AU really doesn’t fall far behind in providing fair choices to students.

AU’s food services are run by Aramark, which controls the food offered in TDR, Global Fresh, P.O.D A look at TDR’s menu Market, Starbucks, Subway, Argo Tea, Pi & Fry, EinTDR is required by its agreement with the stein Bros. Bagels, ElevaPartnership for a Healthier America to serve tion Burger, Freshii, P.O.D. lean proteins, whole grains, vegetables and Mini Mart and University fruit at every meal, but still provides unClub. All retail locations healthy options such as ice cream and french are contracted separately, fries for students daily. On one afternoon in including The Davenport November, the dining hall served kale, turkey Coffee Lounge, American cutlets, sweet potatoes, zucchini and yellow Cafe, The Mudbox, Asian squash, all alongside hot dogs, bacon mac Flavors and Megabytes and cheese, crispy breaded pork and pizza.

Cafe.

Students can find the daily menu online on Despite the seemingly AU Dining’s website. long list of dining options, “The University is responsible for offering Kogod sophomore Nancy healthy food choices, just as long as students Italia finds the campus who want to eat healthy can,” Holton said. offerings to be lacking in “If the only things they were offering [were] flavor and variety, espeburgers, pizza, hot dogs and mac and cheese cially in TDR. Aside from then that would be wrong. I think we need a Freshii, she said the other balanced exposure. The fact that they’re doing retail locations don’t have multiple vegetables is good.” many options to choose OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE On the other hand, Emilia Nurmukhafrom.

OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE metova, sophomore in Kogod and president “I’m a vegetarian Indian Many AU students complain about the lack of variety in the nutritious food offered on campus, as well as about the high price of buying these meals. of AU’s Bhakti Yoga and Vegetarian Club, brought up in Bangkok, so said she believes TDR could add even more flavor is key, but the only vegetables to the mix. problem is there is very Overall, providing foods for a plant-based diet would be even more cost-effective little variety and options, and the options that are available aren’t flavorful,” Italia said. than those using animal products, according to a 2015 study published in the Journal In February 2015, AU, along with 25 other universities including George Washof Hunger & Environmental Nutrition. A plant-based diet is one which utilizes plant ington University and Howard University, teamed up with the nationally recognized oils instead of animal protein, and includes fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The Partnership for a Healthier America. The partnership includes a three year plan to average person saves $750 a year by following a plant-based diet, making this request improve the overall health of students, faculty and staff through better eating habits for more vegetables and other plant-based options reasonable. and increased physical activity.

“One of our most successful nutrition education campaigns came as part of a “As one of the guidelines to meet the Partnership for a Healthier America’s collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States, where we teamed up to Healthier Campus Initiative standards, we must feature at least five different types of promote Meatless Mondays in the TDR,” La Porte said in an email. “On Mondays, we fresh fruits, five different types of fresh vegetables, and at least two 100 percent whole have definitely seen an increase not only in the awareness of the benefits of Meatless grain options at every meal service,” RJ La Porte, Aramark’s senior district marketing manager, said in an email. “We also must offer lean proteins, as well as low and non-fat Monday, but also an increase in consumption of plant-based products, so we are happy dairy options at every meal service. We generally exceed each of these standards daily.” with the results.”

In addition, AU is working toward implementing a variety of healthier food and Grab and go meals beverage services for students by serving locally sourced food options in dining locations, providing nutritious catering options, promoting drinking water over other AU students are known for having packed schedules, which makes grab-and-go beverages and granting nutritional counseling to all students, according to Partnership retail locations like Einstein's Bros. Bagels and Freshii appealing choices during mealfor a Healthier America’s website. times. And although calorie counts are posted throughout all dining locations, one But what many AU students truly lack is a willingness to try healthier foods, when placed alongside classic comfort foods like pizza and mac and cheese, Kathleen Holton, major concern for students nutritionally should be their sodium intake, Holton said.

Holton used sandwich retail locations such as Subway and Megabytes as prime a nutritional neuroscientist and assistant professor of health studies at AU, said.

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theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016 examples for campus eateries with excessively high sodium meals.

Most of their meals include bread, processed meats and cheeses that all have an exceptional amount of added salt.

“Subway is one of the highest sodium meals you can get, and college students tend to have very high sodium levels. Disturbingly high,” Holton said. “Right now the recommendation is to get 1,500, is the goal for sodium. I have students in my class who are at 5,000, so I mean I see really high sodium levels for students who eat on campus.”

Excess sodium levels can lead to high blood pressure, bloating from increased water retention, headaches and stomach cancer, to name a few risks. Looking at Subway’s nutrition information, several of their sandwiches have over 1,000 mg of sodium, which is approaching the daily recommended amount of 1,500 mg, according to Holton and the American Heart Association.

potato fries are not gluten free, according to Shafer.

“As with any vegan or vegetarian preparation, we are careful to avoid crosscontamination with any meat and dairy products, and we do so by using separate designated cutting boards and knives, as well as practicing proper food safety standards and changing gloves,” La Porte said in an email. “Our Registered Dietitian also in-services our employees about the importance of preventing cross-contamination in the context of vegan and vegetarian diets.”

With different diets naturally comes different nutritional needs, Holton stressed the necessity of making sure that these students are getting the proper amount and type of nutrients.

“I think that’s actually a big concern is vegetarians’ need to have adequate protein. Many of them don’t know they have to combine certain foods to make a complete protein, and that they’re not going to get all of the amino acids,” Holton said.

Vegetarians need protein sources with adequate amino acids, which are the building blocks for proteins within the body. Holton recommends that vegetarians focus on getting their necessary protein from sources Dietary restrictions available at AU such as soybeans, tofu, eggs or rice and beans, all of which AU states on its menu are served daily Despite AU’s efforts to improve in TDR. students’ health, many students don’t Holton said that TDR seemed to be the healthiest opseem particularly pleased with the offerings, tion available on campus for students, and that an easy fix specifically those with dietary restrictions. to encourage students to make healthier choices would be by “Special dietary needs are taken very seriously offering sample menus for students in the dining hall. This would by our foodservice staff. Our registered dietitian help with meal planning for all types of diets and ensure students reviews every single ingredient and menu item that is are getting the appropriate nutritional value out of their meals.

CARL MOORE / THE EAGLE served in our dining hall, and labels for the eight major She also suggested AU dining provide comprehensible signs throughSource: choosemyplate.gov allergens, gluten and vegan/vegetarian,” La Porte said in an out TDR to encourage students to make healthy decisions and help guide them email. “She also works with our staff to in-service our employees about the through these choices along the way. As of right now, Freshii appears to be the retail importance of special dietary needs and the proper food handling techniques.” location with the healthiest choices, though TDR is a healthier option, according to Nurmukhametova said she does not plan on enrolling in a meal plan next year, Holton. even though she still plans on living on campus. As a vegan, she finds the campus offerings which are suitable for her dietary needs to be lacking in variety and nutritional The cost of eating on campus value. Nurmukhametova’s standard options are Freshii and Global Fresh, but she said the available choices become repetitive quickly.

Meal plans are required for all freshman and sophomores living on campus, and “One thing is having options, having fresh and nutritious options is another,” Nurthe high prices are an additional concern for students when trying to make healthy demukhametova said. “From the first look, there’s nothing to complain about, but after cisions. Even students who want to eat well based on their own judgements are forced a month you get really used to it. It’s like I’ve been here for months and I’m having the to use meal swipes throughout the semester, Nurmukhametova said. same meal everyday.”

“It’s just easier for me to go to Cava everyday, rather than go to TDR and have Nurmukhametova said she frequently finds herself having to ask workers if the something that’s not going to be good for me,” said Nurmukhametova, who said she food being served contains milk, eggs or fish. In her opinion, it is important to remem- often finds herself going off campus for cheaper, healthier alternatives. ber that not every vegan or vegetarian has the same dietary concerns. For example, Meal plan prices are based on how many meal swipes students purchase. The largsome students may identify as vegetarian and still est block plan includes 250 swipes for the semeseat eggs, while some may not. And while some ter, each for $10.20, while the smallest block plan students may choose to follow a certain lifestyle, includes 50 swipes per semester at $11.44 per meal. others do so for religious reasons or out of necesFor many students, $10 to $12 seems excessive sity for their health, such as keeping kosher or for even a healthy meal, not to mention for a bagel being gluten free. and coffee or two slices of pizza. Students need to “We also feature the Worry Free Zone in the understand the value of their dollar compared to dining hall, in which gluten-free options are how nutrient dense their meal is, Holton said. available,” La Porte said in an email. “We have a “Bagel and coffee, obviously that’s going to be -Emilia Nurmukhametova, Kogod, '19 separate gluten free cook, who prepares food in appealing to people at breakfast time. There’s notha separate kitchen area with segregated glutening you’re getting that’s great for you in a bagel, it’s free cooking equipment for students with strict not like it’s a good meal,” Holton said. dietary needs.”

Italia said she would like to see more vegetarian Though the Worry Free section is open everyday, the hot entrees are only available options available for breakfast in TDR. Shafer also said gluten free options for breakfast during lunch and dinner on weekdays, according to La Porte. On weekends, the only in TDR would be helpful, as well as more choices in general, a better system for labelgluten free options available in the section are bagels, breads, cereal, condiments and ing foods as gluten free and warnings for potential cross-contamination. waffles.

“Definitely marking everything in TDR would be really helpful, and I think it’s abSophomore Anna Shafer, who has a gluten allergy, has struggled to find options solutely absurd that they don’t fill the gluten free section on the weekends,” said Shafer. that work for her.

“I’d like more quick and easy options, more meal swipe options that are gluten free and “It’s very frustrating to be gluten free on this campus,” said Shafer. “Most of the more clearly marked options at Freshii.” quick to-go things are eliminated for me. I can’t do Einstein’s in the morning, nothing Looking to the future, Nurmukhametova hopes to see the University taking greater from Bene [Pi & Fry], no Elevation Burger. There’s usually at least one thing I can get responsibility in providing nutritional options for all of their students, especially those in Global Fresh, but that changes every semester.” with various dietary concerns.

Another concern for Shafer is cross-contamination, and she said she often discov“Respect people with dietary restrictions,” said Nurmukhametova. “There are ers which foods she can’t eat the hard way -- by experiencing an allergic reaction. She things [foods] that make us feel good and it is important.” said she has found many of the foods in TDR to be improperly marked or not marked at all for their ingredients, so she is often required to make her own guesses. For aweg@theeagleonline.com example, none of the salad dressings are marked for dietary restrictions and the sweet ljakiel@theeagleonline.com

Build a balanced plate

“One thing is having options, having fresh and nutritious options is another,”

SPORTS A legacy four years in the making

12

Despite falling in the Patriot League championships, the class of 2017 left its mark on the men’s soccer program

Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2013, adding additional competition for AU and posing new threats. Anchored behind the class of 2017, however, AU has slowly worked its way back to the top of the conference.

Development

MELANIE MCDANIEL/ THE EAGLE AU's men's soccer team this year included nine seniors, who led the team to the final game in the championship tournament on Nov. 13.

Ultimately, the team lost the game, but the seniors left behind four years of success.

by Shannon Scovel Senior Staff Writer

They had been working toward this goal for four years. Nine men, each with distinctive personalities, unique backgrounds and differing approaches to the game, had one last year to achieve their dreams. They had been close, achieving more success every year, but the title still alluded them. They wanted to be Patriot League Champions.

Lucas Belanger, Chris Fanet, Michael Cherry, Joe Iraola, Panos Nakhid, Dale Ludwig, Dimitri Beauchamp, Kibu Mbaluku and Jake Garcia stood on the Lehigh University soccer field on Nov. 5 and smiled.

Holding up a “1” with their fingers, they acknowledged and celebrated the fact that they won the conference regular season title. The ultimate quest was far from over with the conference championship game still looming, but on Nov. 5, the Eagles were winners.

Just six days later, on Nov. 11, the Eagles took the field again. Outscoring Bucknell in overtime, AU found themselves back in the championship game, a familiar position. Finally on Nov. 13, one team, two overtimes and 12 penalty shots stood between AU and the end of the Patriot League Champsionship tournament, but this year, just like in 2015, the Eagles fell short.

The nine seniors and their teammates looked around the field dejected. After a season of hard-fought wins and a regular season championship, the Eagles failed to win the one title they wanted the most. And yet, in the wake of their loss, as nine college careers ended and the 2016 season came to a close, the class of 2017 now has the chance to look backwards, instead of forward. They have a chance to reflect on the successes and heartbreaks of the last four years and pass their lessons on to the remaining members of the team. They have a chance to be instructors.

“This [result] doesn’t take away from us winning the regular season and hosting the [Patriot League] championship and what this senior class has meant to us,” AU head soccer coach Todd West told The Eagle after the game on Nov. 13. “I can’t put it into words, but

I love all those guys, [the seniors] and they meant a lot to this program and this university.”

Just before the weekend tournament on Nov. 19 and 20, Dale Ludwig, who earned distinction as the Patriot League midfielder of the year in 2016, commented on the development of the team, stating that the past four years have been a journey, but a journey that has set a positive culture for the team and will benefit the rest of the players in the future.

“I think definitely we’ve turned the program around after the first year, we kind of had a rough start my first year,” Ludwig said. “I think with some of the players that were in the program at the time and now that we’ve definitely improved, and I think we overall have a better attitude towards how we play and how we are playing together.”

Humble Beginnings When each of the seniors arrived on campus in August 2013 for their first experience with college pre-season, they faced the challenge of carrying the momentum from the 2012 season forward and advancing to the Patriot League tournament championship game again as the team had the previous fall. From 2009 to 2012, the Eagles finished as Patriot League finalists, but were never able to clinch that top spot.

The 2013 season looked promising as the new class was ushered in and head coach Todd West reflected positively on the first home game with his new team.

He noted the unique chemistry between the athletes, singling out Iraola and Ludwig for their ability to move the ball across the field and improve their style of play quickly to catch up with the collegiate pace of play.

“Those guys are dynamic forwards and we expect them to continue to get better,” West said of Ludwig and Iraola to The Eagle in 2013.

The positive thoughts and energy quickly faded though as the fall 2013 season ended with a losing record of 7-8-5.

Yet, the blame for the 2013 result doesn’t fall to this year’s seniors nor does it fall to any particular member of the 2013-2014 soccer team. Boston University and

In 2014, AU went 11-4-4, as the then-sophomore class earned its fair share of accolades on and off the field. Cherry, Fanet, Iraola, Ludwig, Belanger and Mbaluku all earned Patriot League Academic Honor Roll honors for their academic performance in the 2014 season, and Ludwig and Iraola also earned a place on the All-Patriot League Team as a result of their athletic achievements. Ludwig led the team with 50 shots in his second season, and notched three game-winning goals to round out his sophomore campaign.

The record of 11-4-4, while an improvement from the year before, still fell short of helping the team win a conference title, and as fall turned to winter, winter to spring and spring to summer, the team continued to train.

“Our motto is the most important play is the next play, and back to the present, whether we win or we lose or we have a good play or we have a bad play,” West said. ‘What’s next? Let’s take care of that.”

The Finale The senior Eagles started their final season, like the previous three, with an exhibition game, the Kuykenstrong D.C. College Cup and the Capitol Cup. The team recorded an even number of victories and defeats in their first 13 game before two games in midOctober, which set the pace for their longest winning run of the year with three wins and a tie, just in time for the Patriot League tournament.

In its final four regular season games, AU recorded three wins and a tie, with senior athletes proving to be the biggest contributors. Against Holy Cross on Oct. 30, senior athletes contributed to two of the team’s three points, and in a similar performance six days later, the class of 2017 shined again. Garcia, a member of the Patriot League All-Conference Second Team kept AU alive in the Patriot League tournament with a game-winner against Bucknell, and the team remained confident and positive. Before the Bucknell game, Ludwig explained the team’s excitement and expectations for the tournament, emphasizing the focus on the title.

“We were there last year,” Ludwig said. “We made it to the championship, unfortunately, we didn't win, we kind of got dragged out of our playing style but going forward I think we have a pretty good chance, I think our team is a little bit more prepared and I just think that our coaches expect higher expectations for us to come through this year.”

AU missed its goal of winning the championship by just one penalty kick, but West said he hopes the AU community recognizes the work that his team put in, and he looks to the future because he believes the most important play is still to come.

“I’d like them to know that we have a dedicated group of hardworking guys, it’s a good group of guys, and they bleed for this University and this athletic department and they bleed for each other,” West said. “We’re as proud of this group as any we’ve ever had. I’d like to the University community to come out and see what they might be missing.” sscovel@theeagleonline.com

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theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016

Andrija Matic: AU’s next great big man

The sophomore has emerged as one of AU’s key basketball players

by Austin Sternlicht Contributing Writer

When basketball player and current sophomore Andrija Matic established himself as a key rotation player last season, it gave the Eagles something they hadn’t had in years: a good, solid “big man."

Since Tony Wroblicky graduated in 2014, the AU men’s basketball team has struggled to find consistent frontcourt play. Without a true big man, it can be difficult to defend and rebound.

The Eagles thought they had the problem solved early last season when GW transfer Paris Maragkos opened his Eagles tenure with an impressive 16 points on 6-10 shooting against Rhode Island University in November 2015. But Maragkos struggled defensively, was frequently in foul trouble and his low-post scoring was wildly inconsistent.

With Maragkos’ inability to stay on the court, it opened up an opportunity for Matic to play.

As a newcomer from Belgrade, Serbia, Matic said he struggled at the beginning of the year, lacking confidence and still figuring out the “Princeton” offense,

PHOTO COURTESY OF AU ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT Sophomore Andrija Matic is one of the key player's on this year's men's basketball team. Matic said he has worked to get in top shape in order to move from playing center to the power forward position.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AU ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT Matic has worked over the past year to learn coach Mike Brennan's "Princeton" offense strategy.

a complicated offensive system which involves constant motion and cutting off the ball, utilized by AU under head coach Mike Brennan.

“It’s so complex, there are so many options to chose from,” Matic said. “You can’t speak the language if you don’t know the words. Because I didn’t know the offense, coach [Brennan] didn’t want me to shoot, didn’t want me to drive but learn it first.”

Another area Matic struggled with was staying in shape, and being able to keep up with the demands of playing college basketball.

“Last year I had huge problems with conditioning,” Matic said. “My teammates were telling me all the time, ‘you look like you were passing out, get in shape, get in shape.’ I worked a lot this summer on that.”

As last season progressed, Brennan began to trust Matic more. His first signs of promise came in a 61-50 loss against Boston University, when he posted 10 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes.

His first breakout game came against Holy Cross University. Matic provided a much needed boost with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists to help the Eagles secure a 58-45 win over Holy Cross. Matic’s biggest contribution, however, was scoring eight points in just 13 minutes to help push the Eagles past Boston in the first round of the Patriot League tournament last season.

Matic came onto the team as an unknown, but by the end, was named head coach Mike Brennan’s “favorite guy”.

“He was thrown into the fire last year,” Brennan said. “He was able to do everything we asked, score in the low post. He’s going to be a big part of what we do going forward.”

In terms of personal goals, Matic emphasized the importance of ball security.

Matic turned the ball over more than three of every ten possessions, a number that will need to go down if he wants to take the next step.

Brennan’s big plan for Matic is a move from the center (five) to the power forward (four) position, a project that will challenge Matic even more. The goal of the move is to have AU play two true big men at the same time, something the Eagles haven’t been able to do the past two seasons.

“It’s a big adjustment, especially for the Princeton [offense],” Matic said. “You have to be able to guard faster guys. I feel like I improved a lot this summer at moving, which was the key part of me playing at the four.”

While the move may take some getting used to, Brennan does see long term potential in his plan.

“It won’t be so much pressure on him to touch the ball constantly and have to make decisions, and it’ll help us be bigger,” Brennan said on Matic’s position change. “It’s different for him so he’s gonna go through some growing pains." astenrlicht@theeagleonline.com

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theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016

700 and counting After reaching a coaching milestone, volleyball coach Barry Goldberg strives for continued wins on and off the court

by Vincent Salandro Managing Editor for Sports

While much has changed on AU’s campus in the past 28 years, one thing has remained constant: Barry Goldberg’s steady presence on the volleyball court.

Goldberg’s calm demeanor, arms folded with one leg resting over the other, has become a staple on the sidelines of AU’s volleyball games.

Under Goldberg’s direction, the AU volleyball team has developed into a dynasty, winning 14 Patriot League tournament championships and losing only 14 Patriot League regular season matches in the team’s 16 years in the conference.

Goldberg has also led the program to its first three NCAA tournament wins.

On Oct. 29, AU’s three-set victory over Army West Point gave the Eagles a two-game lead atop the Patriot League standings. It was also a personal milestone for Goldberg: his 700th win as head coach.

Goldberg, however, does not allow himself to think much about his personal accomplishments.

“Just another day,” Goldberg said as he reflected on the achievement. “I think a lot more about our players and what we’re doing in practices and games and taking care of the people that are around me, [it’s] much bigger than [whether] we won or we lost.”

Goldberg’s focus on those he works with can be seen on a day-to-day basis, Athletic Director Billy Walker said, and his impact on the athletic department extends far beyond the volleyball team’s performance on the court.

“He’s so successful, [but] with so many wins he’s still a humble coach that does the right thing,” Walker said. “[He] looks out for the interest of his student-athletes [to] make sure that they do the right thing to get a great education.”

Senior outside hitter Julita Kurdziuk, originally from Sejny, Poland, said Goldberg’s player-first emphasis was evident from her very first meeting with Goldberg.

“Coach came off as a family man who will take care of his players. It was very important [to me], especially for a person from abroad who was leaving her homeland to play in the U.S.,” Kurdziuk said. “It was one of the best decisions I made and playing for Coach [Goldberg] not only helped me develop as a player but, most importantly, grow as a person.”

Goldberg is one of seven Division I coaches to win 600 or more matches at a single institution. Prior to the 2016 season, he was ranked No. 22 in wins among active NCAA volleyball coaches. When Goldberg took the head coaching position at AU 28 years ago as a part-time University employee, he could scarcely imagine the success he would have with the program.

“All you’re thinking about is dealing with what is happening right now in front of [you],” Goldberg said. “Before you know it, little by little, it gets bigger.”

Path to coaching Goldberg walked onto the volleyball team after initially being cut his freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh. Goldberg progressed from a seldom-used bench player to a starter and captain on the team that ascended to No. 12 in the nation. After Goldberg’s junior season in 1983, the university discontinued the men’s volleyball program due to budget cuts in the athletic department. Goldberg served as a player-coach for the club team during his senior year at Pittsburgh.

Goldberg then served as an assistant on the Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team after completing his undergraduate work.

However, Goldberg’s dreams of coaching began earlier while still at Peabody

MELANIE MCDANIEL/ THE EAGLE Coach Barry Goldberg achieved his 700th win as the women's volleyball coach on Oct. 29. Goldberg is one of just seven Division I coaches to win at least 600 matches at a single institution.

High School in Pittsburgh, where he played volleyball for coach Joseph Silipo. Silipo, whose role and expertise extended far beyond wins and losses on the court, became a mentor to Goldberg. Despite cutting Goldberg his freshman season, Silipo got to know the young athlete from his time on the golf team and encouraged Goldberg to try out again for the volleyball team. Goldberg made the team and developed a relationship with Silipo that carried beyond Goldberg’s graduation from Peabody.

“He was the first person I went back to when I was [home from] college, [the] first one I went back to talk about what was going on and how to handle things and what my life was like,” Goldberg said. “He [was] really instrumental in encouraging me to start to look at things in a bigger picture than just my own little world.”

Heeding Silipo’s advice, Goldberg pursued coaching, and opportunities continued to open up. After completing his master’s degree in counselling education, Goldberg took a job as a drug rehabilitation counselor in D.C. while working part-time as the AU volleyball coach.

Goldberg’s success with the volleyball program was not immediate, with the Eagles failing to win the Colonial Athletic Association Championship in Goldberg’s first nine years at AU. Over time, Goldberg was able to develop a winning tradition and build a respected program that attracts players from across the globe. Walker, who first came to AU in 2013, said Goldberg’s integrity and calm manner creates an environment for his student-athletes to succeed.

“This year is a perfect example. [He’s] playing four freshman the vast majority of the time and they meshed together right away,” Walker said. “That’s because of the process he has in place and how he coaches.”

Kurdziuk said Goldberg’s process involves an emphasis on hard work among the members of the team and structured practices.

“Coach treats us like adults,” Kurziuk said. “He teaches us how to handle our business both on and off the court in a professional manner.”

While a coach’s success is often measured by wins and losses, Goldberg does not limit his definition of success to performances on the court, and instead places a higher emphasis on the impact on the individual player.

“The success is really just starting to show up as I really relate and understand more about what the players’ needs are personally,” Goldberg said. “Those measures [on an individual level] are much more important as a barometer to what your success really is.”

The ability to reach players and cultivate a better environment, Goldberg said, has come largely by self-discovery and growth.

“I can’t control how [the players] are going to take all the messages,” Goldberg said. “[Growth] has to do with me trying to become an adult myself and know what’s important in the long run scheme of things much more than the short run.” vsalandro@theeagleonline.com

OPINION

15

How mindfulness can improve your health

OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

by Olivia Richter Staff Columnist

How are you feeling right now? Take a moment and really think about it. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, yet the practice of actively asking yourself and deciphering the answer can work wonders for your health, both mentally and physically. The process of actively and nonjudgmentally paying attention to your thoughts and feelings is called mindfulness, and it can have a significant impact on one’s mental health.

Mental health is one of the most pressing health concerns on college campuses. It is not a problem that is specific to our school or our city; it is an issue at schools all over the country and

the globe. While there are useful campus options available to help students manage this stress and anxiety, like the Counseling Center on AU’s campus, there are often obstacles in the way of receiving immediate care. The later we get into the semester, the longer the wait list becomes to meet with an appropriate counselor.

This shows why it is so important to realize that there are methods we can use on our own to make a difference in our mental health and ability to cope.

In our western society, many people may have preconceived notions of mindfulness being a very spiritual, even religious, practice. Mindfulness does have its roots in Buddhism and practices that center around mindfulness like yoga, tai chi, centering prayers and chanting all derive from the religion. However, the practice of mindfulness has no religious requirement. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who has a Ph.D in microbiology, was the first to research the positive effects of mindfulness in a medical setting in the late 1970s.

Kabat-Zinn developed the mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR, program which was successful in helping to alleviate medical conditions including chronic pain. Kabat-Zinn emphasizes in his teachings that while the practice of mindfulness began with Buddhism, it is accessible and beneficial to anyone, regardless of beliefs.

Being mindful does not require you to

sit in lotus position and repeat the mantra “Om” until you feel relaxed. It also does not need to be a constant mental state.

The more you practice mindfulness, the easier it will be to return to that state of mind throughout the day, but even just sitting quietly for ten minutes a day is worthwhile.

To be mindful, simply pay close attention to how you are feeling. Start by recognizing your breathing by making each inhale and exhale more intentional.

You may find yourself only able to scratch the surface when you try to decipher how you are really feeling. I know that in my experience I struggle to recognize what exactly my emotions are because they tend to get jumbled in the thousands of thoughts and to-do lists in my mind at any given time. If you’re like me, it’s okay; the more you practice the better you’ll become at understanding your feelings.

One of the most important facets of mindfulness is refraining from judgement. If you are feeling unhappy, acknowledge the feeling. It is easy to begin down the slope of negativity- “Maybe it it’s my own fault that things aren’t going my way,” but try to allow yourself to simply feel what you are feeling, and not judge yourself for it. The same way we know that it is impossible to be happy constantly, we must remember that the feelings we associate with negativity, like sadness, anger or dissatisfaction, are fleeting as well, and they do not define us.

There is an abundance of evidence to back up the claim that practicing mindfulness in your daily life for even ten minutes a day can work wonders on health. A study done by the National Institute of Health showed that people who practiced mindfulness meditation for an eight week period demonstrated significant increases in their immune system’s ability to fight off sickness.

There have been several studies that demonstrate how mindfulness reduces feelings of stress, while increasing feelings of positivity.

There is an old Zen saying that goes, “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you're too busy.

Then you should sit for an hour”. From what I can tell it seems that everyone I meet falls into the ‘too busy’ category.

Most of us aren’t willing to dedicate an hour a day to mindful meditation, but even ten minutes can profoundly decrease feelings of anxiety and increase positivity.

Life is hectic, and stress is inevitable, but I encourage you to be present and mindful.

See what dedicating a small amount of time every day to mindfulness can do for your health.

Olivia Richter is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a columnist for The Eagle. orichter@theeagleonline.com

Assessing the authenticity of your activism

OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

by Sydney Young

Contributing Columnist

Activism at AU has reached far beyond the bounds of our campus and has resonated with students across the country. The movements cultivated within our student body have gained widespread media attention and sparked progress towards changes in campus culture. The activism at AU alone is enough to attract prospective students.

No matter the interest, whether it be pushing for divestment, fighting against student debt, creating visibility for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, championing for workers, raising awareness for mental health, advocating for victims of violence or demanding

a safe and culturally comprehensive space for students of color (takes a deep breath), you can find a movement to which you can give your all.

Activism is powerful. It can unite the largest, most diverse communities and produce foundational change.

However, it can also be divisive, ugly and counterproductive.

On any given college campus, you can find an activist culture of ingenuine and meaningless relationships, ulterior motives, voluntourism and mere tolerance pretentiously masked as actual acceptance. American University is no different.

Navigating the complexities of these camouflaged intentions is never easy but when doing so we must be honest with ourselves. Is our activism authentic?

As an individual who has been involved in many forms of activism at AU since day one, I've observed several recurring problematic behaviors in faulty activism. My perspective is not unique; the topic of problematic activism has not been discussed adequately.

Most frequently, I have observed activists who value taking credit for their work over its actual result. I've witnessed self-proclaimed activists abandon projects and efforts simply because their name wouldn't be tied to the action. In addition, I've seen activists plaster their name onto an effort that they barely lifted a finger to develop. If you value

recognition over progression, you don't deserve to be an activist because you haven't grasped the concept of service.

Another divisive occurrence is bringing personal relationships into the functionality of activism effort. When advocating for a cause, you're advocating for everyone affected by it, not just the people you like. Imagine all the people that would be left behind if activism was selective. This kind of thinking only creates similarities between us and the oppressive entities that we're supposed to be holding accountable.

Presentation is an integral part of authentic organization. Community members on the outside looking in can spot a successful movement a mile away simply by how the movement looks. Presentation means accuracy, cohesiveness and organization. Being the first to share information is only valuable when the information is accurate. Nothing is worse than being loud and wrong, and there is nothing wrong with taking your time to plan and collect information. When protests and other organized efforts appear to be sloppy and incohesive, they lose credibility and the backlash that comes from losing that respect often hurts future efforts and the efforts of others.

All of these issues and many others can easily be solved by taking individual agendas out of the agenda of the organization. Transparency is a key

element to organizing effective activism.

When everyone is on the same page we eliminate competitive motives, we improve communication and strengthen collaborative efforts. As I continue to stress the theme of eradicating hidden agendas, I think it is also important to remove ego from activist efforts.

Activism is not a tool for building clout and popularity.

The face of effective activism is diverse in functionality and that may be one of the best aspects of the work, but regardless of how your activism looks, it must be cohesive and it must be reflective of the needs of the community for whom you are championing. The objectives of your efforts should be clearly defined and in some cases those objectives should be narrowly-tailored, because activism is not a one size fits all ordeal.

Looking at the big picture of what must be achieved, the plan to achieve it and the effects it will have on others in the shared community is an integral step to improving the authenticity of activism. The manifestation of your activism is a reflection of how you treat the members of your community.

Sydney Young is a senior in the School of Public Affairs. She is the secretary of the American University chapter of the NAACP and former president of the Black Student Alliance.

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theEAGLE Dec. 9, 2016

Reconciling with the Republican party How the party can progress with a conservative agenda in the wake of a Trump presidency House and Senate. This is the GOP’s moment, and the party must deliver if it wants to maintain and grow party support in 2018 and 2020.

To do this, I recommend the following conservative policy proposals to limit government power, control spending, cut government waste and prove that success can be achieved under a Republican government.

Step 1: Reform the criminal justice system PHOTO COURTESY KRISTA CHAVEZ

by Krista Chavez Staff Columnist

Looking back on this election, it has been a rough year and a half to be a Republican woman. Facing ridicule from every side, listening to your party’s nominee criticize women and trying to choose between compromising your values and voting for necessary change at the ballot box was maddening.

However, it is over now. The next President of the United States will be Donald Trump, and it is time for the nation to face that reality and move forward with a positive agenda for change.

Although I did not vote for or support Donald Trump during his presidential run, I wish him the best in office and I truly hope he governs well. That is why we must be cautiously optimistic: we must support him and guide him on a path toward righteousness while at the same time be willing to criticize his administration when necessary.

Further, President-elect Trump will be complemented by both a Republican

One of the most corrupt institutions in American government is the criminal justice system. It is designed to overincarcerate low-level, nonviolent offenders. Upon leaving prison, these offenders cannot successfully find a job due to their criminal records and become dependent on less-than-legal means to make ends meet. Often, they are reincarcerated and enter a viscous cycle known as “recidivism.”

This issue disproportionately impacts minority groups, and it must be stopped. Moreover, the entire system costs a tremendous amount of unnecessary tax dollars (an additional $42 million in 2017 from FY2016) and needs to be consolidated and reformed immediately. To address these issues, a bi-partisan coalition of representatives has already proposed several bills to reform them.

Another way to improve the criminal justice system would be to expand programs that assist ex-felons in finding jobs after leaving prison. Companies like Apple, Hilton Hotels and Chickfil-A hire returning citizens to begin reintegrating former felons into society.

By using public-private partnerships

with these and other companies and vocational organizations, the government can prevent the cycle of incarceration from continuing to plague our system, destroy the family and consume our tax dollars.

Step 2: Simplify the tax code and loosen ridiculous regulations There are areas in Trump’s tax proposal where taxes among certain higher-level income groups will be higher than under Clinton’s plan, according to the Urban-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center, a centerleft tax policy group. This is significant because Clinton claimed she would use taxes to crack down on the upper class.

The Trump tax plan could generate more levels of revenue. It would remove personal exemptions and tax breaks which would consolidate the current 74,608-page-long federal code, making it more fair. If he implements this plan, it will cut the burden of taxpayers while not letting off the wealthier economic groups from contributing a sizable amount of income in taxes.

It would also consolidate and simplify the tax code, which would allow Americans to better understand how the federal government collects tax dollars. If Trump goes through with implementing this plan, it would save Americans a lot of time, money and headaches trying to understand all the loopholes and tax breaks in the system of which big businesses take advantage.

Step 3: Create an environment inclusive to all Americans Often, the political left claims that the GOP is waging a “war on women.”

However, 42 percent of Donald Trump’s voters were women, especially collegeeducated white women, 49 percent of which voted for the billionaire. This happened despite Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s emphasis on Trump’s history of bragging about sexually assaulting women. The monumental question is why these women voted for him, and unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll have an answer until we actually ask these voters. Usually, these types of allegations kill political careers, and yet, it has not derailed Trump.

The GOP needs to emphasize the benefits of limited government for minorities. The GOP has this platform, but it does not use it. To better project this ideal, Republicans should be more open to comprehensive immigration reform that opens the door to increasing legal immigration. Further, women could greatly benefit from voluntary Personal Care Accounts that encourage financial saving for leave time. Pre-tax dollars would be saved in this PCA, and it would be used to replace or supplement income during periods of leave. Women and minorities in the GOP also need to be louder and prouder, stand up in the name of limited government and run for office.

Although I remain cautiously optimistic, I truly hope that the Trump administration is successful in its endeavors-not just for Republicans, but for all Americans. If he fails, we will all have to live with the consequences.

Krista Chavez is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and a columnist for The Eagle. kchavez@theeagleonline.com.

Staff Editorial: AU must examine its role in the food students are consuming

by The Eagle Editorial Board The typical AU student lives a busy schedule. Whether they are juggling a full course load of classes, an internship, a job and extracurricular activities, they are always on the go. The nonstop action of an AU student’s day often inhibits them from putting thought into the nutritional benefits of what they will eat for their meals. Although the University offers students several dining options, only Freshii and the Terrace Dining Room (TDR) offer more than empty calories.

The new schedule of classes, beginning at 8:10 a.m. at the earliest and 8:20 p.m. at the latest, frequently keeps students from sitting down and

enjoying a meal at a typical hour. TDR, the location with the highest variety of options and nutritional benefit, has limited hours and its food options are often ambiguous. While there is an online menu designating what entrees will be served, it is not always accurate.

Additionally, ‘light fare’ food options (a lack of entrees outside of main dining hours) keep many students from getting their money’s worth for their $10-12 meal swipes. Furthermore, hours of operation is not only an issue with TDR. Freshii has also been an offender this semester, sporadically closing at 4 p.m. or ceasing to be open at all for no discernable reason.

We at The Eagle believe that students should be able to have accessible food options that are also nutritious. The University’s contracted food vendors

essentially have a captive audience, especially with the requirement for freshmen and sophomores to purchase substantial meal plans. This requirement makes it imperative that the University holds its food vendors to the highest standard possible, ensuring that their products are of high quality and easily available to students.

We also recognize that many students are not knowledgeable about nutrition on an individual level. Although TDR offers many fruits and vegetables, it is far too easy to simply grab a plate of fries and pizza and call it a day. Nevertheless, whether students are eating on campus or are living off campus and cooking for themselves, many need guidance in choosing the healthiest options possible.

We hope the University will take greater steps to ensure that students have the

tools and information to make informed decisions about what they eat.

Living a healthy lifestyle is difficult when there are numerous stressors and commitments during the day that force meals to be chosen by convenience of access. Few students have the privilege of being able to sit down and focus on what they are eating and make the conscious decision to commit to a balanced plate.

Financial constraints also often keep students from being able to choose food that is filling and nutritious. It is imperative for the University to not only offer more nutritious options that are accessible to all students, but also educate students on how to incorporate more healthy eating practices into their lives. edpage@theeagleonline.com