ECU 3/21/24

ECU standout forward Brandon Johnson enters transfer portal

Felton and Johnson came to ECU

the same recruiting class together, and have become faces of the program over the last three years, especially after they were No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in points per game.

TheEast

Johnson has decided to enter the transfer portal after playing three seasons at ECU, he is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

“Dear Pirate Nation, First and Foremost, I give God the Glory, Honor, and Praise for this unwavering love he continues to show me” Johnson wrote in his farewell statement on X.

“Words can’t describe what you mean to me as a person. You have supported me for the last three years like I never could imagine and left no doubt in my mind that the best decision I ever made was becoming a Pirate in 2021.”

Johnson started every game he played for ECU in the last two seasons. This past season, Johnson averaged 14 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and 1.7 steals per game for the Pirates.

On Feb. 10, he scored a season-high 30 points against the University of Texas- San-Antonio while making seven three’s in that performance. The multiple time AAC honor roll selection led the Pirates in rebounds per game for the last season averaging over eight a game

“It is bittersweet to let you know I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my final season of eligibility," Johnson wrote. “Coach Schwartz and his staff pushed me hard the last two years and made me a better man and basketball player. My teammates mean everything to me, and I leave with so many memories on and off the court. Academics staff, basketball support staff, I could go on forever with names.”

On March 19, Felton was selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District Second Team, The AllDistrict teams were selected and voted upon by member coaches of the NABC. Felton is only the fourth Pirate to be named to an NABC AllDistrict team, joining Miguel Paul (2012), Maurice Kemp (2013) and Jayden Gardner (2019-21).

Felton announced on social media that he would be keeping his eligibility at ECU as he tests out the waters of potentially playing in the NBA.

“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to test NBA waters while maintaining my eligibility here at ECU,” wrote Felton on Instagram. “I love being a Pirate! I am a Pirate for life!”

This season, the Aiken, South Carolina native led ECU in scoring with 17.3 points per game (6th in AAC) and was second in rebounding with six boards per game. He helped lead the Pirates to seven AAC wins, the most since joining the conference in 2014-15, as well as backto-back AAC Men's Basketball Tournament victories for the first time since joining the league.

Felton became the 34th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points while wearing the Pirate uniform. In addition to his career-high scoring and rebounding numbers, he also set career highs in every shooting category, steals, and blocks while starting and playing in every game for the Pirates, averaging 34.4 minutes per game.

Felton's 570 points this year rank sixth all-time in program history, and his 201 field goals are the tenth most by a Pirate in a single season. Felton's 1.8 steals per game this year are tied for sixth highest in a single season by a Pirate, and his 59 steals are tied for fourth most in a season.

ISO

East Carolina University’s Indian Student Organization (ISO) hosted their annual Holi celebration, Holi Moli on March 15 on the Main Campus Student Center lawn.

SriPallavi Yendamuri, senior biology major, said Holi is a festival of colors that takes away the bad and evil spirits and brings in new spirits. She said it is always around the springtime and everybody comes together to throw powdered colors and listen to music.

Yendamuri said Holi was one of those events that got people together, like Diwali. For Holi though, she said, it’s one of those events that’s more than a cultural event but a social one for people to connect.

“It’s just a good time for everyone,” Yendamuri said. “Everyone just enjoys

the music and has a good time throwing color on people and welcoming spring and good vibes.”

Joanna Matthew, junior biology major, said this year the ISO wanted to do more than previous years. She said the ISO brought two ECU Indian dance teams, ECU Rass and ECU Khazana to perform.

Matthew said there were about 40 pounds of color and t-shirts for people to decorate and use when throwing color and to take as a keepsake. There was also a presentation at the beginning of the event, she said, to educate people who may not know about Holi.

“The event was good for exposure,” Matthew said. “We do it on the student center lawn and a lot of people walked by interested and wondered what we’re doing because Indian students are a very small population on campus so it helped

with a lot of visibility.”

Dhanushi Dedakia, junior physics major said everyone had an opportunity this year to decorate their shirts two days before the event with phrases like ECU Holi 2024 or Holi Moli, the name of the event so no one's personal clothes were ruined.

Dedakia said the ISO is working to connect with people on ECU’s Health Sciences Campus for this event and others as well to connect the community together through these large scale events.

“Bringing the community together through these events helps us network,” Dedakia said. “We’re making sure this stays a tradition and we can share our culture so that those who aren’t graduating and now know about the event can come back.”

Beginning on March 20, a construction crew will resume the construction project on Dickinson Avenue after almost one year since the original contractor abandoned the project in April of 2023.

According to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), contractor Fred Smith Co. of Raleigh will begin work on the road this Wednesday. The contractor will begin Section 6 of the project, according to the release, near Atlantic Avenue and Ficklen Street. The stretch of road being worked on will not be accessible by drivers for the time being, according to the release.

There will be traffic detours through 14th Street and Evans Street. Pedestrians and drivers around this area should be careful around the site and its machinery, according to the release, and keep in mind the detours may affect commute times.

According to the release, the original contractor in charge of the Dickinson Avenue project left the construction site after completing Section 1 and broke

their contractual agreement with the NCDOT. The new contractor, Fred Smith Co. of Raleigh, will be taking on the same project that was paused in 2023, according to the release. Section 6 is the penultimate phase of the project, according to an NCDOT timeline on their website, and Section 7 is expected to last from Spring 2025 to Fall 2025.

During January last year, the project manager of the Dickinson Avenue project, Sarah Lentine, explained the construction and its purpose to The East Carolinian. There are numerous things that are being updated on the surface of the road and below it, Lentine said.

“Currently Dickinson Avenue has some issues below the surface of the pavement that has continually caused some issues with potholing and issues with the pavement because of the underlying materials,” Lentine said.

The aging storm drains on Dickinson will be updated thanks to the project, according to the NCDOT website, and the construction crews will also improve curbs and gutters, repave the road, replace the water and sewer lines and replace the materials underneath the pavement like dirt, gravel and sand. Many

of the changes should reduce flooding in the area, according to the website. There are sidewalks on both sides of Dickinson between the Moye Boulevard and Hooker Road intersection to the intersection with Reade Circle, according to the website, but their width and quality is inconsistent, so the project will also redo these sidewalks.

Dickinson Avenue’s streetscape design will also undergo some changes during the project, according to the website, improving areas such as the Memorial Drive to 10th Street overpass and the 10th Street overpass to Reade Circle to accommodate pedestrian safety and on-street parking, and the City of Greenville has funded the construction of brick and concrete sidewalks from 10th Street overpass to Reade Circle.

Some extra changes to the streetscape, according to the website, include new crosswalks at the Dickinson Avenue and Reade Circle intersection, trees, decorative streetlights and new park areas at the intersections of Dickinson Avenue with Pitt Street and Clark Avenue.

Brandon Johnson

RJ Felton

Staff

The East Carolinian Sports experts predict this week’s events

Nick Bailey Sports Editor

ECU vs. UTSA Score Prediction? Score Prediction?

ECU 3-0

Why? The Pirates are now soaring past their non-conference opponents as they prepare for American Athletic Conference competition. An eight-game winning streak, fueled by outstanding pitching and a powerful offense, shows no signs of slowing down as they face UTSA on Friday. During the Pirates’ eight-game winning streak, they scored eight or more runs in seven of the eight games and did not allow more than five runs in six of them.

Garett Skillman

For the East Carolinian

ECU vs. UTSA Score Prediction?

ECU 3-0

Why? The Pirates are on a current eight game winning streak and show no signs of slowing down. I think ECU will win all 3 games against UTSA this weekend, extending their win streak to 11. Coach Godwin has things figured out for the No. 11 ranked Pirates and they’re looking to sweep the weekend series.

Ashleigh Cash Sports Reporter

ECU vs. UTSA Score Prediction?

ECU 2-1

Why? The Pirates look like they’re firing on all cylinders right now, heading into American Athletic Conference play on an eight game win streak. Their overall pitching staff is one of the best in the country, and it’s not easy for opposing batters to get anything going facing off against them. I think ECU takes two games for sure. They very likely may take all three, but it’s baseball, and anything can happen.

Eli Baine Managing Editor

ECU vs. UTSA Score Prediction?

ECU 3-0

Why? Pirates baseball hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down after the win at Elon. I think that ECU has a very good shot at keeping our streak through this series and, potentially, through the second game this season against UNCW.

Pirate baseball to open league play at UTSA

Ashleigh Cash

East Carolina University baseball (15-4, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) kicks off conference play Friday through Sunday heading down to the Lone Star State to take on the University of Texas at San-Antonio (10-10, 0-0 AAC). The Pirates and the Roadrunners don’t have much experience facing off against each other in baseball. Their only meetings were back in May of 2014, when both were still members of Conference USA. The squads split four games 2-2, with the Pirates taking two out of three in the weekend series, and UTSA taking a game in the conference tournament.

Through the 19 games played by ECU, they sit with a record of 15-4, which is the best record in the conference thus far heading into

conference play.

Senior first basemen Carter Cunningham has been by far the best offensive player for the Pirates so far this year, leading the team in most offensive categories. Cunningham currently leads the conference in runs scored, hits, and RBI. He’s second in the conference in on-base percentage, and his 35 hits rank among the most in the country. Cunningham is riding a 19 game hit streak, which is the longest hit streak for a Pirate since 2021, when current Orioles prospect Connor Norby put together a 20 game stretch.

Sophomore outfielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart follows him with a .373 average, tallying 31 hits.

The pitching staff has been excellent through five weeks. As a team, the Pirates rank

in the top 15 nationally in earned run average. They’re among the top ten teams in NCAA in terms of strikeouts per nine, strikeout to walk ratio, and hits allowed per nine innings. Junior righty Trey Yesavage, the longtime Friday night starter, leads the conference with a 1.20 ERA. Sophomore lefty Zach Root has slots second in the conference with a 1.21 ERA, and junior righty Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman sits third with his own 1.37 ERA.

Through their 18 games this season, the Pirates have yet to drop a weekend series. They’ve got three series sweeps, over Rider University, Liberty University and Columbia University.

Grading all MBB commits from this season

With the East Carolina University men’s basketball (15-18, 7-11 American Athletic Conference) season coming to an end on March 15 with a loss in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament, it’s time to analyze and grade the performances of all transfers and newcomers to the Pirates basketball team for the 2023-2024 season.

After losing four players to the transfer portal entering this season, including sophomore guard Javon Small, the team’s points per game leader, and a veteran senior center Ludgy Debaut due to eligibility, the Pirates bolstered their roster with five more players via signings and the portal.

Those players include

Junior guard Cam Hayes

Junior guard Bobby Pettiford Jr.

Freshman center Cyr Malonga

Freshman guard Bencao Vungo

Freshman center Callum Richard

Cam Hayes: B

When Hayes was eventually allowed to play against the University of Florida, Head Coach Michael Schwartz gave him complete control of the offense, dishing out three assists and making several enticing passes. Hayes struggled to find his shooting rhythm in his first six games due to his inability to begin the season with his team. He shot 15-51 throughout that period and never reached double figures until he found his feet

the University of North Texas, scoring 12 points in each. Hayes finished his fourth collegiate season averaging 7.5 points, two assists, two rebounds, and one steal per game. His biggest impact game of the season came against Tulane University, when he scored a season-high 14 points and four three-pointers.

Bobby Pettiford Jr.: B+ Pettiford Jr. started his second game for the Pirates and immediately made an impact, having 15 and 18 point games and hitting a full-court game winner at home against Kennesaw State University.

Pettiford Jr.’s most notable performance came two games later, when he scored 24 points on 8-13 shooting while also collecting four boards and two steals against the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW).

He lead the team in assists per game at 3.5 and leading all guards in field goal percentage at 45 percent.

Pettiford Jr. finished his debut season in the purple and gold with an average of 7.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Cyr Malonga: A Malonga, who averaged just under 10 minutes per game, would be the rotating starting big with sophomore forward Ezra

season averages were low, with more minutes next season, Malonga has the potential to be a solidified starter at center.

Malonga shot 58 percent from the field on 26 of 45 attempts, ranking second on the team, and he had the fifth most total blocks on the team with 10.

Bencao Vungo: C+

Vungo joined the Pirates at the start of the 2024 spring semester, having previously played for Angola’s 17U and 18U national teams. He scored his first point in 20 minutes of play against the University of South Florida. When given minutes, the 6 ‘7 guard showed flashes of being able to score anywhere on the court with his height, but those were few and far between for the young freshman.

Vungo had a season high with three points against Rice and three rebounds against South Florida.

Callum Richard: BRichard, at 6’10”, was the second tallest player on the roster, and he averaged 6.5 minutes per game while starting two games. Richard led the team in field goal percentage, making 62.5 percent of his shots (5-8). Richard’s play demonstrated that he was an effective offensive rebounder who could recover from a missed shot and give ECU second chance scoring opportunities.

Richard received the most playing time when he began against UNCW, scoring 14 points and recording a season best of five rebounds. Richard would score a season-high four points against the University of Tulsa.

TEC STAFF

Carter Cunningham, Ryley Johnson and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart bang their helmets together after the Pirates scored a run against Columbia.

Nick Bailey TEC STAFF

Michael Schwartz

East Carolinian A STATEWIDE ISSUE

Nine N.C. college newsrooms partner to cover the mental health crisis.

EDITORS NOTE

Although here at East Carolina University, we haven’t lost a student to suicide in some time, other schools like North Carolina State Unviersity haven’t been so lucky. Last year, N.C. State lost seven students to suicide. A national survey conducted by the American College Health Association found that 52 percent of undergraduate students regularly experienced moderate psychological distress.

While this problem isn’t new, the mental health crisis we face has not subsided and seems more important than ever this year.

That’s why The East Carolinian partnered with nine other college newspapers to report on mental health challenges shared by those in each of their communities. What you hold in your hands is the result of months of rigorous reporting, research, conversations, writing, editing and designing.

This initiative began in 2023, when The Daily Tar Heel was awarded a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network as part of its Student Media Challenge initiative. That grant helped fund the collaborative work of this project.

Many of the stories you will read in this newspaper do more than just present a problem — they also explore solutions to this crisis.

The East Carolinian is honored to have had the privilege of working with The A&T Register, The Duke Chronicle, The Daily Tar Heel, The Niner Times, The Old Gold & Black, The Pendulum, The Seahawk and Technician on this project.

With more than 30 reported stories and seven opinion pieces, we touch many issues related to mental health — from Wake Forest University trains its faculty to be on the frontline of mental health care to how students create community at East Carolina University. This edition only features a fraction of the many stories reported, to read more please visit the project's website, https://tinyurl.com/ywhfzcfn.

While there’s more that must be done, this is a step toward that future. As we navigate the complexities of mental health, we must not lose sight of the individual people behind the statistics — the students, faculty, families and communities affected. Their stories, their struggles and their resilience should serve as a guiding light. We hope that this mental health collaborative project serves as a call to action to create a future where no one suffers in silence.

Mental health resources

Call or text 988 or chat online if you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or need emotional support

Students can call ECU Counseling Center 252-328-6661 or drop-in Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ECU Cares has more mental health resources at https://ecucares. ecu.edu

TheEast

Nonprofit advocates mental health awareness

Kiarra Crayton EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In July 2019, Morgan Rodgers took her life. She was 22 years old, a student-athlete at Duke University, who was recovering from an ACL injury.

No one, except the pages of her journal, knew Rodgers was suffering from depression. Her mother said to NBC4 Washington, the reasons for Rodgers' death were like puzzle pieces scattered everywhere and all she could do was search to put them together. The non-profit organization Morgan’s Message was created by Morgan’s family members as a way to shine light on mental health awareness in student-athletes around the country. As mental health begins to become a priority and is talked about more, the stigma that it’s “weak” or unnatural to show emotion is still very present. Morgan’s Message advocates that it’s okay to seek help.

The stigma described by Morgan’s Message is still very much present today, ECU Athletics sports psychologist Jan Veinot said.

“We have this vision of an athlete and that athlete kind of adapts that facade. So they are less likely to reach out for help because they think they're supposed to be mentally tough,” Veinot said. “And so that combined with the coaches, with every coach you’ve ever had telling you to ‘Suck it up,’ ‘Play through it,’ ‘Get over it,’…I gotta fight through because that's what I do in my sport.”

A 2021 study from the NCAA surveyed 9,808 student-athletes across the three different divisions and asked various questions regarding mental health. The study showed 47 percent of student-athletes said they’re comfortable seeking support from a mental health resource on campus.

The study showed women are slightly more likely to reach out than guys. That may be the reason the ECU Morgan’s Message Chapter doesn't have any male ambassadors. East Carolina University lacrosse player Courtney Frank is an ambassador for Morgan’s Message and believes it’s because the stigma impacts men harder because they’re not used to talking about their feelings.

“I do think a lot of them do struggle with mental health but they’re not as open to talk about it because as guys I feel it’s like considered like ‘they’re weak’ even though it's not,” Frank said. “Everyone has their valid feelings for their mental health struggles.”

With the hiring of Veinot in October, the first sports psychologist at ECU, came the introduction of anonymous forms, coaches, players and support staff can fill out on behalf of a player. Veinot said the referrals come in from everywhere and have been working really well since implementing them.

Veinot said she is trying to meet with teams in groups. The more she can help them in a group, the less student-athletes she’ll see individually, which is a good thing because that means there’s less serious cases.

Mental health is becoming more and more talked about as the years go on but Merritt Woodson, an ECU volleyball player said, “I think that we're moving in the right direction but it's still difficult for a lot of people to overcome that stigma that they've grown up with and reach out and ask for help. So that's what we're trying to help by having people on our teams and throughout

afraid.”

Woodson said she hopes in the future there will be at least one ambassador for Morgan’s Message on every sports team at ECU. She wants to continue to help eliminate the stigma around mental health and let the other studentathletes know they have a space to, “freely talk about their mental health and not worry about how it might make them look.”

To bring more awareness to Morgan’s Message, most ECU teams have a dedication night where they wear the chapter apparel, for example the volleyball teams wear ribbons in their hair, and the soccer team had warm up shirts with the chapter logo on the front in purple and gold. Woodson said the announcer will usually say a few words about the organization and its mission.

According to the Morgan’s Message website, There are 4,591 ambassadors on 1,571 high school and collegiate campuses. There are programs and chapters in all 50 states as well as in the United Kingdom and Canada.

The study by the NCAA showed 78 percent of male student-athletes and 94 percent of female student-athletes felt overwhelmed with their load within the past month. These numbers have stayed relatively the same since 2020. The main factors the study reported to be the most impactful to the student-athletes mental health were academic worries (49 percent women, 36 percent men) and planning for the future (40 percent women, 31 percent men), financial worries and playing time were also top five worries.

As an ambassador for Morgan's Message, Woodson and Frank hold monthly meetings with their teams.

In the meetings, Woodson said they’ll talk about performance anxiety, burnout and just have conversations about different mental health issues the team might be facing.

The ambassador program is there to spread awareness and to get people talking more about it. That’s what the pair do as they try to recruit student-athletes through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a group made up of student-athlete representatives from all ECU sports.

Organizations build communities for students

When going to college, most students leave their family and their community — a move that can take a toll on their mental health, especially because college is most students' first time away from home for an extended amount of time.

Anyanso Kalu, a senior public health major at East Carolina University found his community in the Talented Empowered Aspired Men (T.E.A.M.) organization. Kalu is a firstgeneration Nigerian student who knew a cousin who attended ECU around the time Kalu was a first-year. His cousin introduced him to T.E.A.M. and asked the other members of the organization to treat Kalu like a brother.

Now the president of T.E.A.M., Kalu still says the organization has a close community. For example, he said if a member were to text the organization's group chat saying they were stranded, a member would go and help them. Even in the pouring rain.

“That’s why I’m so big on T.E.A.M., because I’ve seen what it's done for me and for others,” Kalu said. “It’s like when you come into college you need somebody of the same gender who has your best interest in mind, and that community offered it. And for Black men, there's nothing else besides fraternity life.”

Without being a part of T.E.A.M., Kalu said he wouldn’t have met his lifelong friends and it would’ve taken longer to get to his current level

of confidence. Kalu said he was very shy coming into college. But this past year, he ran for student government association vice president.

ECU senior public health major Genesis Ray said she feels a strong sense of community with African American students of ECU, but she

said it's different than the larger Pirate Nation community.

She said being a part of the Black community at ECU has made her feel heard and understood. Ray said that’s because there are some things no one else can relate to other than Black students.

“Even though they might say like ‘We’re all welcome,’ or try to make us feel welcome, that feeling isn’t universal,” Ray said. “I just feel like some of the, even down to the activities and

things, aren't really catered to Black culture.”

At least once a semester, the Black Student Union hosts a showcase which Ray described as a way for students to dress up for the theme and celebrate. It’s a time for students to embrace their culture with music, art and performances by various organizations around campus.

When white students wanted to join the Black Student Union, Ray said other members questioned if that was something the organization would do. Ray was open to the idea: “We have allies and people wanting to learn more about our culture.”

In the upcoming years, Ray hopes that the general ECU community and the Black community will come together more often.

Victor Ihuka, an international student from Nigeria, is the president of the International Students Association at ECU. He said international students face a lot of challenges normal students might not be aware of.

The ISA helps international students find a community at ECU. Recently the organization has hosted weekly coffee hours for international students to come and socialize with other international students.

“What we try to do is create a community for everyone,” Ihuka said. “Everyone really has to create a community and what that means is people don’t realize the challenges. I mean, how difficult it is to move from a different culture.”

Lacrosse

Kiarra

LGBTQ+ support groups provide community care

When Jemm Merritt-Feder and their ex-partner moved to North Carolina in 2020, they felt isolated in their recovery from substance dependence and afraid to ask for outside help.

Eventually, Merritt-Feder began to look for a therapist who would understand their experiences with both substance abuse and gender identity issues.

"There was nothing direct toward queer people, particularly queer people of color as well, who were looking for support," they said.

Over the next year, Merritt-Feder became a certified peer support specialist and founded One Day at a Time, a peer support group for gender-diverse individuals to discuss their experiences with gender transition, mental health and substance abuse in a non-judgmental space. The group, which currently has about 15 members, meets monthly in person and on Zoom.

Despite having a clinical background, Merritt-Feder said their biggest role at peer support meetings is to humanize peoples' experiences.

"This is a human issue," they said. "And people dealing with substance abuse and all these mental illnesses, like, it comes from something else."

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 2021 and 2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, adults in the LGBTQ+ community were over twice as likely to have a serious mental illness than straight adults.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community were also more likely than straight adults to have had a substance use disorder in the past year, according to the same survey.

Merritt-Feder said that members of the LGBTQ+ community may turn to substances because they don't have support systems or know that there are other options to work through what they are going through.

Since 2011, the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition has hosted a peer-based discussion group for transgender and gender non-conforming people in the Triangle through a harm reduction lens. The group currently meets twice a month — once virtual, and once at the LGBTQ Center of Durham.

The coalition is a statewide non-profit founded in 2004 providing grassroots harm reduction services and advocating for the dignity, autonomy and self-determination of people who use drugs.

Loftin Wilson, the Harm Reduction Programs Manager at NCHRC, founded the group after noticing a lack of community resources for trans and gender questioning people in the area. He said that his inspiration for the group was a mixture of his passion for harm reduction and his own desire for community support during his transition.

The group is open to people experiencing any of the stages of drug use, from those actively using to those in recovery, Wilson said, as well as people of all ages.

"Less and less these days, it seems like there are fewer and fewer real intergenerational community spaces where people can learn from people who have some sort of core shared experience that we all share, but we also are coming from different places in life and different perspectives and different cultures and all of that," he said. "So being able to have that space to learn from each other is really incredible."

At One Step at a Time, community building goes beyond the monthly meetings — the group takes outings to bowling alleys and the zoo and members affirm one another outside of sessions.

"I'm thinking that we're just here talking, and then there are people who are getting to know each other and really making connections beyond this," Merritt-Feder said.

They said that everybody heals differently, and there are people that need community-based support and education to meet them where they are, rather than going to hospitals or rehabilitation centers.

Peer support is not a replacement for traditional mental healthcare, they said, but it can provide the space for people to talk about things they wouldn't bring up to a therapist or doctor.

"Historically, most mental health service providers have been cisgender white women — and that's changing and improving," William Hall, an associate professor at the School of Social Work, said. "But I think it's really important that I think the professionals providing these services to these communities have lived experience with the communities they're trying to help."

Hall, who researches mental health disparities among LGBTQ+ populations, said that much of the existing mental healthcare interventions and services for the LGBTQ+ community are not currently tailored to specific populations within the community.

Both healthcare providers and community members are interested in increasing training and representation within mental healthcare — which includes representation for immigrants, people of color and people with disabilities — but many of them are not trained to address LGBTQ+ specific issues in their care.

Patients, providers face statewide gap

deficit. And even then, certain insurance companies may not cover all therapy services, meaning therapists must fight for coverage for their clients.

Over 15 years after a federal law prohibited health insurance providers from imposing barriers to accessing mental health care, patients still struggle to find adequate services and providers.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, passed in 2008 as a provision of the Affordable Care Act, was designed to ensure patients have the same access to mental health services as they do for physical health. But, for some people, finding mental health care providers that accept their insurance can be difficult.

UNC junior Kate Doherty said looking for a therapist that takes her insurance, BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina, is complicated and time-consuming. She has searched for a therapist online and often has to cross-check with the providers’ websites and make phone calls to verify they will accept her insurance.

Corye Dunn, the director of public policy for Disability Rights North Carolina, said there is a shortage of adequate mental health providers.

To accept insurance, therapists must undergo a lengthy and often intensive application process and wait months for approval, contributing to some of the

Many therapists are also wary of getting reimbursed when they accept insurance — especially Medicaid — because reimbursement rates are often inconsistent with their own rates.

“And those low reimbursement rates make it really tough for anyone to maintain a practice long-term, especially in rural areas," Dunn said.

Ciara Zachary, an assistant professor of health policy and management at UNC, said even providers that accept a patient's insurance may have long waits for appointments or may not be taking new patients. She said these barriers may motivate patients to look outside their insurance network for providers, which is often more expensive.

Zachary said that when health care providers leave an insurance network, it can be disruptive to patients, as mental health providers often have formed relationships with their patients and understand their personal medical histories.

In a study from the National Library of Medicine released in October 2021, 21 percent of participants reported that at least one practitioner had left their insurance plan’s network in the past

three years.

“That breaks up the continuity of care, which could really impact how someone goes about their everyday life,” Zachary said.

When she turned 21, UNC senior Nyami Aghedo lost access to her parents’ insurance and transitioned to UNC’s student health care plan, and she is now unable to receive the same mental health care.

Like Doherty, when Aghedo was looking for a therapist, she said she had to spend time doing research and making phone calls to find a provider that was covered by her parents’ insurance.

Aghedo said she could hypothetically go to UNC's Counseling and Psychological Services, which is covered by her school insurance plan, but said she thinks there are barriers that would make school services difficult to access. CAPS offers brief therapy, but refers patients to community providers for longer term or specialized therapy needs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 5 children have a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder — yet only about 20 percent of those children receive mental health care from a provider.

UNC’s attitude risks safety of athletes

Our experience on UNC’s swimming and diving teams was disturbing.

We felt we had gained a higher status than nonathletic regular people, or as we referred to them — NARPs.

Despite this “status,” we often felt worthless outside our dedicated purpose to compete. Eventually, our struggle with mental health didn't matter, nor did any diseases, injuries or anything else really.

No matter what, we were going to practice in the morning.

Between 2020 and 2022, chlorine singed swimmers’ eyebrows, hair and skin for months at a time. During those times, many athletes complained. Since the pool would have to be closed for a week to fix it, our performance took primary concern over our health.

So we didn't say anything when we were injured or struggling. We sucked it up and went to 6 a.m. practice. We lost our eyebrows. We avoided hot showers because our skin burned. We practiced over the NCAA’s 20 hours of training per week limit, consistently dedicating well over 22 hours to the sport.

Even if we felt nothing, struggled mentally, were suicidal — it did not matter because we thought it made us special. We were told that it made us special; that we were going above and beyond dedicating ourselves to a cause.

No, we were brainwashed.

And now, years into retirement, we lay in bed wide awake wondering why the hell we bought into a program that jeopardized our health.

As ex-swimmers of the UNC swimming and diving teams, we want to tell other athletes: You are more important than your performance. If you are suffering as a result of your relationship with your program, something needs to change.

If this win-at-all-costs attitude isn't reversed, we will witness the complete degradation of the meaning of sport at UNC. The exploitation of athletes, who put their bodies and minds on the line to be part of what they are taught makes them important, is unacceptable.

Katie Ledecky sets a world record in the women's 400-meter freestyle at the Olympic Aquatic Stadium on

Eliza Benbow LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Tori

Maddie

Mental health impact of campus gun-related incidents

how we can better help people who have been most affected during this,” Friedman said.

13 lockdown after a person threatened an Alpine Bagel Cafe employee with a gun.

“When I see something out of the ordinary, my first thought always goes to, ‘Something's going on again,’” she said. “And then I'm waiting for an alarm or an alert.”

Joe Friedman, a clinical psychology graduate student, is researching the long-term effects on campus mental health from the two incidents of gun violence early in the fall semester.

The ongoing research study will track the survey responses of students, faculty and staff throughout the academic year, following the shooting on Aug. 28 and the Sept. 13 lockdown.

Of the five scheduled surveys, the first was sent out six weeks after Aug. 28 and received 287 responses, Friedman said. Although the number of responses dropped in the following surveys, he said survey respondents were largely sourced through email listservs. The last survey will be sent out in March.

“The purpose of the study is for us to learn why certain people are having a more challenging time coping with stressful or traumatic events such as this, and also

Friedman said the first survey found that one in five respondents reported clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress. That number jumped to one in four among students.

“We're seeing that students are reporting more severe symptoms than faculty and staff,” Friedman said. “And we're also seeing that individuals who identify as a racial or ethnic minority are reporting more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms on average.”

He also said the surveys showed a significantly higher level of post-traumatic stress symptoms among individuals who were close to Alpine and the Union during the second lockdown but did not show a significant difference based on proximity to Caudill Labs on Aug. 28.

Friedman said there is potential for bias in the sample because people who felt more mental health repercussions from the events may have been more likely to elect to complete the survey.

Jonathan Abramowitz, Friedman’s research mentor and director of clinical training in the psychology and neuroscience department, said when a group of people experiences a traumatic event, the majority tend to recover on their own, but there are always some individuals who continue to have difficulties.

Abramowitz said anxiety presents in three ways:

physically in the form of muscle tension and headaches, mentally through symptoms such as racing thoughts and difficulty concentrating and behaviorally through avoidance and taking extra precautions. He said posttraumatic stress is a subset of anxiety and can include additional symptoms such as an exaggerated startle response and loss of interest in activities.

One undergraduate student who wished to remain anonymous said she struggled with increased anxiety after being in the Union during the second lockdown. She also said she had a difficult time prioritizing her mental health while completing classwork after the incidents.

“As soon as we were back, we still had the same amount of material to cover but you had less time to cover it,” she said. “That has always been the question — were those mental health days really worth it?”

Friedman said two-thirds of the sample reported not seeking any kind of support or psychological services in response to what happened.

“From Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2023, CAPS provided walk-in services to 192 students,” UNC Media Relations said in an email statement. “During that same time frame in 2022, CAPS provided walk-in services to 87 students.”

Media Relations said they were unable to attribute a reason to the visits.

This writer can be contacted at university@dailytarheel.com

Students and faculty reflect on university well-being

UNC-Chapel Hill senior Natalie Tuinstra said she sometimes finds it difficult to take a break.

"It's the grind,” she said. “It's the culture we're in.”

In these moments, Tuinstra said she takes a step back and remembers a Dutch concept her dad taught her: “niksen,” the art of purposefully doing nothing.

Recently, a handful of universities across North Carolina seem to have employed a similar philosophy, including extra breaks in their academic calendars. During these days off, students are encouraged to take a step back from schoolwork and focus on their mental health.

These days, often called “wellness days,” arose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2021 U.S. Surgeon General Advisory found that youth depression and anxiety symptoms — which were already on the rise — doubled during the pandemic, with 25 percent experiencing depressive symptoms and 20 percent experiencing anxiety.

Now, three years later, some individuals cited in the advisory have reached young adulthood and are attending college. A study of thousands of college students, both before and during the pandemic, found that depression, alcohol use disorder, bulimia nervosa and comorbidity were higher during rather than before the pandemic.

Universities across the nation have been enacting policies to combat these trends and improve students' well-being with policies like wellness days.

Barbara Fredrickson, a psychology professor at UNC-CH, said these days off are beneficial for students.

"It kind of legitimizes taking a break in a way that wasn't present before," Fredrickson said.

However, adding wellness days to a university’s academic calendar may not be a perfect solution. Most North Carolina colleges don’t have wellness days, and some students and faculty at those that do have expressed suggestions on how to improve their impact.

University wellness days in North Carolina

At least 10 universities across the state have implemented wellness days since 2020.

UNC-CH's well-being days — initially called wellness days — began in fall 2020 as a response to students requesting more breaks, UNC Media Relations said in an email. In the original announcement, former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz

and former Provost Robert Blouin said the days off would replace the campus’s 2021 spring break in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.

A year later in fall 2021, N.C. A&T, the nation’s largest public Historically Black College and University, introduced wellness days to encourage students to practice self-care, Valerie Giddings, senior vice provost of academic affairs at N.C. A&T, said.

Then in 2022, following a string of student deaths, N.C. State University announced its first wellness day in an effort to let students “take a breath,” Chancellor Randy Woodson said in a video statement at the time.

N.C. State, N.C. A&T, Guilford College, Saint Augustine's University and Elizabeth City State University each scheduled two wellness days into their academic calendars this year. UNC-CH scheduled five well-being days — more than any other school in the state.

At least four universities — Duke University, UNC Pembroke, UNC Greensboro and UNC School of the Arts — no longer include wellness days in their academic calendars.

Hurdles to taking breaks

Although encouraged to do so, some students say they find

it difficult to take a break from school work on wellness days.

Generally, it is recommended that professors suspend coursework and deadlines on or adjacent to these days, but students at universities across the state said they have had deadlines within those times.

"That really defeats the purpose, especially if it's the day after the wellness day, because you have to then be using the wellness day to be doing those assignments," N.C. State sophomore Sophia McCall said.

Eric Hastie, a teaching assistant professor in the UNC-CH biology department, said he hears similar complaints from his students. While he makes efforts to accommodate well-being days, he said college students need to learn time management and study skills.

"I'm not negating their feelings at all," he said. "College is hard."

Hastie said he uses well-being days to work without interruptions. But others, like Fredrickson, completely disconnect from work to focus on personal wellness.

"I think it's important to model for my students that they should take the day off," she said.

This writer can be contacted at

UNC junior Mary McKenzie said she rarely sits on the first floor of the Student Union. That’s where she was during the Sept.

Lucy Kraus SENIOR WRITER

IfYou’reReadingThis: student-led mental health resource

When students with a passion for mental health advocacy launched an IfYoureReadingThis chapter at Wake Forest, the intent was to make a small campus feel smaller, said the organization’s co-president Georgia Meyer.

“I think people on campus join clubs and organizations to find a sense of belonging, to find like-minded people,” Meyer said. “But IfYoureReadingThis’s letters are meant to unify anybody and everybody, regardless of background, regardless of interests.”

Student letters are the heart of IfYoureReadingThis. The student organization’s website destigmatizes mental health by offering a collection of student-authored letters that detail personal experiences with mental health battles. The students pen their letters to anyone who may need to see a familiar mental health challenge in a peer who is unashamed to discuss their journey.

The organization — which has chapters at 21 schools — stands alongside several mental health resources at Wake Forest. On top of existing services, such as the University Counseling Center and the Office of Wellbeing, the administration launched its “We Are Wake” advocacy campaign last semester.

These top-down resources offer an integrative approach to reaching students who may need help with their mental health. But IfYoureReadingThis can provide help from a student perspective.

WFU faculty and staff understand that the student perspective of mental health matters. Warrenetta Mann, assistant vice president for health and wellbeing, oversees the University Counseling Center, Safe Office, Student Health Service and Office of Wellbeing.

“My philosophy about college is that this is your Wake Forest experience,” Mann said. “[Students] create what Wake Forest is. I can lend my experience and expertise, but I think students have the best idea of what their mental wellbeing looks like and what they need.”

Mann said that with clinical resources in place, the goal of building awareness is so students facing mental health problems are guided to the proper place to seek health. That means identifying to whom students will first express their challenges.

“We know that the data shows that [students] are going to probably reach out to a friend or a faculty member before coming to a clinical resource,” Mann said.

IfYoureReadingThis intends to increase that probability of reaching out. According to the organization’s website, the letters are meant to promote vulnerability among students in one space of collective responsibility.

Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Campus Life Matt Clifford works directly with resident advisers. He said that, as students, they provide the service of pointing residents toward mental health resources.

“I often call resident advisors the great connectors,” Clifford said. “They’re there to notice if a student is struggling and help connect them to the resources that might be useful.”

For Clifford, his “great connectors” are also sharing the responsibility of breaking down barriers between students when it comes to discussing mental health.

“These are fellow students who they can trust and be real with in a different way than they might feel they can be with parents or faculty members,” Clifford said.

Meyer and her co-president, Prarthna Batra, believe their organization’s letters go beyond their ability to resonate with students. There’s also the matter of accessibility for college students.

“Students may not have time to go to a university office the exact day they have a breakdown,” Batra said. “You can’t plan those things. But you can always read a letter, and reading about people your age who are in the same classes and same clubs offers relatability.”

Letters can be submitted to the website, with an option for anonymity, by emailing either Batra or Meyer. They said every letter adds something new, and each could be a new student perspective for someone to find and identify with.

“Even if just one person reads one of the letters, that’s still making an impact because they’re inspired for the day,” Meyer said. “They can bring the letter up to people they talk to, or just be more open to talking about mental health. Then that makes another person feel comfortable, and it keeps going and going.”

How Wake Forest trains its faculty to be on the frontline

Christa Dutton

SENIOR WRITER

At Wake Forest and universities across the nation, students are fighting an unprecedented battle with mental health struggles, and faculty are often the first line of defense.

“Often a student first shares with their faculty person,” Warrenetta Mann, assistant vice president for health and wellbeing at Wake Forest, said. “Students care a lot about their academics here, so [for] anything that negatively affects academics — or even has the potential to — a student is likely to go to [their] faculty person and say, ‘Hey, you just need to know that this thing is going on.’”

According to Matt Clifford, Wake Forest’s interim dean of students, faculty and staff are the primary referral source to Wake Forest’s CARE case management team, which reviews referrals submitted by students, faculty and staff when they are concerned for their own wellbeing or the wellbeing of a friend. The referral is then reviewed by a case manager who connects them to the appropriate campus resource, like the Counseling Center or Safe Office.

The university does not require faculty to attend trainings but offers optional sessions such as Care 101, a training series that includes a 1.5-hour in-person session, a one-hour online session and access to a resource workbook. Mann and Clifford both agree that requiring training would be difficult, as it would add to professors’ already busy workloads. Still, they want to equip faculty with the tools they need to help students.

“We want to make sure that faculty don't feel like they're left alone to figure out how to respond in the right way,” Mann said.

According to Mann, 18 faculty and staff members were trained at the beginning of this year to be ambassadors who will host their own mental health care training sessions this semester.

Clifford said that the University’s philosophy is to create a culture where faculty care enough to learn how to recognize and respond on their own to mental distress in their students.

“What we find is that a lot of our faculty voluntarily are very engaged in not only mental health things but the Alcohol and Other Drugs Coalition and other coalitions on campus to address specific issues,” Mann said.

Mann said that Wake Forest takes a concentric circles approach when it comes to mental health training.

“The people who really care will come to all the trainings, and then they'll go back to their departments, and it'll rub off on some of the other people, and then that'll rub off on some

other people,” she said.

Meredith Farmer is an associate professor of core literature at Wake Forest who has taught at Wake Forest for 11 years. She said she often receives anxious emails from students, and it is not uncommon for students to show up to her office crying, often about an issue in another class.

“Students are absolutely struggling,” she said.

Across campus, in the Department of Health and Exercise Science, Abbie Wrights teaches a required course for firstyear students called HES 100: Lifestyles and Health. She said that she has frequent conversations with students outside of class about their mental health, but her students are not all experiencing crises.

Wrights said that signs of mental distress in students can be summarized into three categories: actions, appearance and academics. With a front-row seat to how poor mental health is affecting students in her classroom, Wrights knows the telltale signs — not coming to class, diminished quality of work or

communicating hopelessness in their assignments.

“I feel like we're on the front line,” Professor Crystal Dixon, who also teaches a HES 100 course, said.

Without required training, faculty can decide how they will practically address the current mental health epidemic in their classroom. Many professors look for ways they can minimize stress during class time. Wrights decides not to cold call. Farmer does not require students to explain their absences and offers extensions when students need them.

Wrights, Farmer, Dixon and other professors at Wake Forest are all aware they are not licensed mental health professionals but view themselves as liaisons to campus resources.

“We have a responsibility to at least refer students,” Dixon said. “I don't think we have to be the solution — I think we should always have someone that we can hand off (to).”

Aaron Nataline SENIOR WRITER

EVAN HARRIS OLD GOLD & BLACK

IfYou'reReadingThis co-presidents Georgia Meyer (left) and Prarthna Batra (right) connect students to mental health resources and provide student-authored letters that give personal experiences.

EVAN HARRIS, MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR I OLD GOLD AND BLACK

Dr. Meredith Farmer, an associate professor of literature at Wake Forest, mitigates stress in her classroom by not requiring students to explain absences and offering extensions on assignments when needed.

HBCUs grapple with tuition increases, mental health

Dasia Williams CULTURE REPORTER

Many factors can affect the state of college student's mental health. Things like adjusting to a new schedule, lacking career plans after graduation or not finding the desired community upon entering campus.

One issue that can affect the mental state of students who attend Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) stems from the crippling idea of having to pay back a large amount of student loans. The increasing tuition on these campuses has only further created the pre-existing disparity.

According to a 2013 study done by the Fredrick D. Patterson Research Institute, 80% of HBCU students borrowed federal loans compared to non-HBCU peers.

Even though HBCUs continue to offer more affordable higher education than non-HBCU schools, financing college often involves students and families taking on loans, coupled with sporadic increases in out-of-state tuition rates.

Funding changes, instructor wages, building upgrades, and rising operating expenditures could all impact these rates. Every university could have a different set of motivations.

In 2013, N.C. A&T’s tuition amounted to over $16,000 and in 2023, its tuition rose to about $20,000. Over 10 years, the overall tuition increase rate at A&T, the nation's largest public HBCU, is about 22%.

Underclassmen like Daiyana Brookes, a sophomore computer science student, say that it’s hard enough to adapt to a new environment

and the tuition increase adds stress.

“The financial side of college can get you down, and make you feel bad about yourself and your overall experience,” Brookes explained. “You have to come up with ways to financially support yourself to make sure you have enough money to even be in college.”

The issue of tuition increases is not solely an A&T problem. Over at Howard University, tuition has also been steadily rising over the past decade.

In 2013, Howard University had a tuition of almost $23,000. In 2023 that went up to over $30,000. Over the past decade, the overall tuition increase rate at Howard University, a notable private school, is about 36%. Underclassmen like Courtney Copeland, a biology student, wonder where the money goes when the architectural structure of the dormitories has problematic issues.

“Over winter break, many units in my building flooded, and many students had to be moved to different rooms and buildings,” Copeland said. “I think Howard raising our tuition affects most people considering it was already high, and it's frustrating to see how many issues we’ve had this year, and I wonder what that money is going towards.”

At Spelman University, the most expensive private HBCU, the overall increase rate is around 17% higher over ten years. Kylar Dee, senior journalism student, said that having to take out more student loans to pay for her last semester hinders her post-grad plans.

“As I get close to the finish line, not only am I having to look for a great opportunity after

school but I’m also looking for ways to pay off high debt in student loans,” Dee said. “It adds extra stress on me.”

Economic Intuition

Jeffrey Edwards, Ph.D., an economics professor at A&T emphasizes the importance of survey analysis and cohort studies to gain insights into tuition changes' and their mental health impact. Effectively communicating research findings, especially those related to the financial implications of inflation, is crucial for informed decision-making among university administrators.

"Conducting a survey analysis, a cohort of students, and having students understand the market price, they would learn that they are getting off pretty cheap compared to other schools,” Edwards said. "The lack of communication from the university administration is simply why students are not aware of what will happen in the real world: you make more money due to inflation,” Edwards concluded.

Financial Aid

Sharon Ozel, a medical and mental health caseworker at A&T sheds light on the profound challenges students face when navigating financial aid and tuition-related stressors.

“Students are more stressed and overwhelmed dealing with financial aid, and that also stems from the stress of their parents when they have to accumulate funds unprepared,” Ozel said. Her observations underscore the real-world

impact of financial aid decisions on students' academic journeys, emphasizing the need for comprehensive support services.

“The services the counseling center offers are limited, there are no resources to deal with tuition or tuition increase,” Ozel concluded.

Addressing Mental Health in the Black Community

The rising cost of college fees may heighten financial strain, potentially impeding access to education.

Recognizing the impact on mental health is crucial, as stress related to financial constraints can be detrimental and increase the risk of anxiety and other mental health issues.

It is essential to consider individual differences and broader socioeconomic aspects in assessing the influence on mental health within the Black community. Universities must prioritize transparent communication with students about the reasons behind tuition increases. Engaging in open dialogue can help alleviate the mental burden on students by providing a clearer understanding of the financial landscape and future implications.

This includes acknowledging the various factors contributing to rising costs, such as funding changes, instructor wages, building upgrades, and operating expenditures.

Furthermore, institutions need to invest in support services that address the mental health challenges arising from financial strain.

Improving the state of mental health at N.C. A&T

Sophomore N.C. A&T psychology student Mulekesa Dorckasa grew up in a household where mental health was not talked about much — she credited it to being Congolese and growing up in a community that didn’t necessarily highlight the impact of mental health.

“As I got older, I started to see the importance of my mental health,” Dorckasa said. “I do a lot of self-care, and I do video diaries which are pretty much like a journal, I’m just recording it. I go to therapy as well, and that has been something that has improved my mental health in a big way.”

Mental health awareness has come to the forefront of many discussions nationwide. At N.C. A&T, many students are actively looking to improve their mental health and implement various activities that help them maintain a wellbalanced lifestyle. Campuswide wellness days are a way of implementing measures to push students to take a break from their studies and other commitments.

Asha Taitt, a senior multimedia journalism student at N.C. A&T, said she sees wellness days as a time for students to realize that it is okay to stop working and take a break.

“What I think people realize is, there's a lot of conversations about mental health and mental wellness that have always occurred on this campus — before us even being here,” she said. “But it wasn't until recently that they realized, ‘Hey, maybe we can take some of the load off people by actually giving them a break.’”

Cameron Williams, a junior supply chain management student at N.C. A&T, actively chooses to take breaks, recognizing the importance of giving himself time to take a breath in the constant environment of hustle and grind.

“I’m all for pushing myself to be better, but there always comes a time when you slow yourself down by trying to do too much,” he explained. “I plan my rest days and leisure activities whether it’s golf, watching a basketball game, writing, painting or just taking a rest.”

At N.C. A&T, counseling services are available for students through the university.

Assistant Director of Counseling Services Victoria Dalton described it as a place that provides individual and group counseling.

Mixed reviews have plagued N.C. A&T’s counseling service over the years.

A junior journalism student, Mattie Moore, tried N.C. A&T’s counseling services but her experience fell flat.

“After realizing the therapist I was paired with wasn’t a good fit, I decided not to return,” she shared.

However, Dorckasa had a great experience, saying it allowed her to improve.

“I can honestly say that I am so happy that I started counseling services because I found the perfect fit when it comes to a therapist or counselor.”

Counseling services may not be the solution for everyone. When looking for other ways to prioritize mental health, there are also students

on campus who are advocates and actively have events focused on the importance of self-care.

Taitt serves as the vice president of N.C. A&T’s Student University Activities Board, an organization dedicated to enhancing student life through diverse programs. As vice president, Taitt has overseen various mental health-focused events and has pushed for more advocacy on the topic.

“I've been mental health trained for about like two years now. I've even pushed for the executive student leaders on campus to be mental health trained. So we all got that done, this past August so that people feel as though we are somebody they can confide in. Because at the end of the day, we’re students too.”

Dalton says that there has been a change in the way mental health is dealt with now versus then.

“Less stigma is attached to asking for help now,” Dalton shared. “Society appears to be more receptive to reporting mental health concerns as evidenced by seeing increased advertisements to seek help.”

Although there are resources available for students throughout the University, things can always improve.

Moore suggests more transparency with counselors and the areas they specialize in to

give students more information on who may be the best match for them.

Taitt sees a solution in advocating for mental health training for leadership and students across the board. She also mentions how counseling services could work better for students.

“I also think that we just have to push for more counselors in counseling services; a lot of people are frustrated because they feel like their presence isn't known,” she said. “Or that they don't get to consistently meet with the person they signed up to meet with. That's mainly because they're understaffed.”

A measure that has worked well for the students at A&T is the various events that SUAB puts on, focused on mental health.

These events are some of the most popular with a high turnout and consistent requests from students asking for more things like R&B yoga and sound bath events.

“I think that the mental health events are the most personable for people and so we tend to get a higher attendance for those events,” Taitt said. “Just because it is about the students.”

How we talk about suicide online matters

A week into our tenure as editors-inchief, we woke up to a Google Chat message discussing an apparent student suicide on campus the night before.

After reaching out to the University for confirmation and a statement on the rumor, we opened Reddit and YikYak, knowing that, for better or worse, any rumblings around campus would end up there.

While constantly refreshing the pages, we found separate rumors of another student death at a residence hall quickly making their way across N.C. State University chat rooms and message boards.

Countless emails, two breaking news staffers and one canceled final exam later, we had spent all day working our way through how to report on two student deaths in less than 24 hours — the sixth and seventh student suicides of the academic year.

Throughout that process, we had the benefit of having attended trainings and participated in numerous conversations about the most responsible ways to report on mental health and suicide. Most students on campus who were reading, writing or reposting information about the deaths did not.

But when everyone has access to an online platform, the responsibility to minimize harm online extends beyond established reporting outlets; it applies to everyone who posts content. What information we share and the way we share it has an effect on those who view it — and that effect can be immense.

Media coverage is a primary driving factor in suicide contagion, the process by which

exposure to a suicide death leads to increased risk of suicidal behavior in those exposed. Over the past several decades, researchers have developed guidelines for responsible reporting on suicide, and, when followed, these guidelines can successfully reduce the risk of contagion.

It is a greater challenge, however, to establish and encourage these guidelines on open online forums and social media platforms.

But that shouldn’t stop us from using our own platforms responsibly. With college students spending hours on social media

weekly, what we see from the non-news accounts we follow has the capacity to be just as much, if not more, impactful than formal news coverage.

One of the first things to be mindful of is that suicide is not inevitable. Presenting it as a common or acceptable response to struggle rather than a public health issue creates an aura of hopelessness that may prevent people from seeking help.

In the vast majority of cases, mental health treatment is effective. Sharing treatment resources along with stories of successful

treatment can provide hope and offer a way forward for those who are struggling.

As students on N.C. State’s campus last year, it was often frustrating to not quickly receive any official communication about student deaths on campus as the University navigated privacy concerns, verification of facts and how to responsibly keep students informed and supported. In lieu of official communication, many took reporting what they knew — or thought they knew — into their own hands.

From our experience, though, one of the most pervasive ways that social media users’ posts don’t align with responsible reporting protocols is through speculation of causes and the sharing of oversimplified explanations.

In any instance of suicide, the causes are complex and numerous. Speculations and oversimplifications, in addition to spreading potentially false information, contribute to a sense of hopelessness and sensationalization surrounding suicide.

Sharing details such as the method and exact location of a suicide can also contribute to the risk of contagion and should be avoided.

Our tendency in grief is often to celebrate the life of the deceased; however, it is important to avoid pushing narratives of heroism and honor that have the potential to glamorize or romanticize suicide.

This is not to say that we should stop talking about suicide. It is currently the third leading cause of death in college-age Americans, and the stigma that comes from not discussing mental health is directly linked to decreased likelihood of help seeking. But we must have these conversations responsibly in order to increase education, help seeking and hope.

Campus community uses AI to address mental health

Dr. Ana-Maria Staicu, a professor in the department of statistics, is conducting a research project, funded through a state grant, using artificial intelligence to flag keywords on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, posts containing content that may indicate mental health concerns.

Staicu said she decided to look into if violent events could be predicted by an individual’s social media activity after the September shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill. The research also considers trends in shootings since COVID-19 by comparing social media activity before and after the onset of the pandemic.

“We're looking at how the mental health trends have been impacted by COVID lockdown,” Staicu said. “This has been triggered by the fact that a lot of these violent events have happened, have intensified, after COVID. So we wanted to see people who had some mental health issues before, how is their activity after COVID-19.”

Staicu said the research utilizes AI to analyze what she called the arousal of a post — whether the post is positive, negative or shows any strong emotion at all. Through this function and the use of keywords, AI is able to flag posts containing potentially concerning messages.

After the post is flagged, Staicu said a potential intervention process is contingent on having a control group.

“The reason for which that question is a little bit tricky to answer is that we need a controlled population,” Staicu said. “We need to have a sense of what is a normal tweeting behavior, and to define that normal, it's important to have an age group, right? An adult on social media wouldn't necessarily tweet as a young adult. Then we need to define what is abnormal.”

Sripad Ganti, a first-year studying statistics, has assisted Staicu in the research. After seeing how data could be used for a good cause, Ganti started the Dreamers and Data Club with the purpose of using statistics to promote social change.

While jump-starting the club, Ganti had the idea to create YUNO, an AI chatbot specifically designed to address a user’s mental health concerns and distribute resources. An acronym for “your understanding, nurturing observer,” could be a resource during those periods.

Ganti said he has witnessed students experience long wait times at the counseling center, and felt as though a chatbot like YUNO.

“I have friends who sometimes try to book appointments to the counseling sessions and that takes forever, it's like a week, two weeks sometimes,” Ganti said. “So it was then I decided let's maybe create some sort of chatbot or something where, I guess it can kinda bridge the gap between the time it takes to get an appointment and just be a helpful resource.”

YUNO is similar to AI models like ChatGPT, but Ganti has been able to train the data in a way that tunes the responses to be mental health-oriented.

“What really, I think, sets it apart a little bit is that you can fine tune whatever the ChatGPT API is to specifically focus on mental health resources,” Ganti said. “I can put in mental health resources that I find on the web, or I can put in how you respond to certain things.”

While he hopes YUNO can offer resources to users, Ganti said YUNO should never be used as a replacement for therapy. Instead, he sees it functioning as an on-the-go way to access resources quickly, or simply being a place for users to vent.

“You want to talk to an actual person,” Ganti said. “But sometimes an actual person is not available right away. And in that time, if you really need some sort of resources, or if you're looking for resources, or even if you know someone who is struggling, and you want to find resources for them, that's the goal of the chatbot.”

Ganti and Staicu said mental health issues are particularly of concern amongst teenagers and young adults. While Staicu said the pandemic is a contributor to mental health issues amongst the younger generation, Ganti said the shock of being thrust into a new, highpressure environment and the expectations that go along with that is a key factor.

“You're expected to, all of a sudden, be an adult right away,” Ganti said. “You’re also working with so many students that you feel the need to perform and do well. … Because of that, sometimes people put a lot of expectations on themselves, and that can often sometimes

result in problems and unneeded stress.”

Staicu said doing research like this at NC State is beneficial because of students like Ganti who realize the need that exists, and take advantage of the resources NC State has in order to find a solution.

“Not only are they strong students, but they're able to take advantage of the classes that we offer, and sometimes really teach themselves to learn how to scrape data, how to write codes to automatically download data,” Staicu said. “We're talking about thousands of and hundreds of users, right? You can't do that manually, because it takes hours, so being able to have access to coding and improving the skills, I think that's very helpful.”

Staicu said the issue of mental health is everyone’s responsibility to understand and involve themselves in.

“I feel that there's a lot of focus nowadays on mental health, but I think we're just scratching the surface,” Staicu said. “I think there's more to learn, and I think we have a responsibility to the young people to help them get the life that they deserve, and they were meant to have.”

Kate

Ethan

PENDULUM THE

HealthEU moves toward new wellness center

Lilly Molina ELON NEWS NETWORK

HealthEU was launched last year, and one of its most popular pillars is financial well-being. HealthEU continues to grow with a new facility announced for construction within the next coming years. Tap the link in our bio to learn more.

HealthEU, Elon University’s health and wellness initiative, has always existed but without the lotus logo showcased around campus.

Dean of Students Jana Lynn Patterson, who is the co-chair of the HealthEU council, said Elon had noticed there were different programs dedicated to students' well-being for years, but they were all scattered across campus.

“Good health and well-being is not about a segregated approach,” Patterson said. “It’s about an integrated approach.”

HealthEU launched in the Aug. of 2022 and consists of six pillars: community, emotional, physical, financial, purpose and social well-being. Patterson said all of these pillars are interconnected and that it is important for it all to be centralized. Hence, why HealthEU was created, to organize these already existing organizations, but also promote them to students. She said HealthEU is not only for students to take advantage of, but also for faculty and staff.

Patterson said COVID-19 had slowed down the formation of HealthEU, but it also helped highlight areas that the initiative needed to work on. For example, Patterson said the idea of TimelyCare was created as a response to students needing immediate care no matter the time of day.

Patterson added HealthEU has plans to open up a new wellness center after this past year of generally positive feedback from the community. She said something HealthEU is improving on is their mental health perspective. Currently, the counselors are stationed on the south side of campus, which can be a long trek for students to get access to.

“The new wellness center allows us to bring mental health services back to the heart of campus,” Patterson said.

Patterson said it will free up some room in Ellington where the current health and wellness center is, because they would move counselors to this new building. It will also offer more space for physical wellness and well-being around campus. Another addition will be quiet meditative spaces.

In an email released on Jan. 30, university president Connie Book, wrote Elon’s tuition for the 2024-25 academic year will increase by 4.96% due to academic opportunities and the new wellness center. Patterson said they still don’t have the final designs yet, but she is really excited to expand the brand of HealthEU with the help of her councilmen.

The HealthEU council is represented by different faculty and staff from various departments around campus. One of these departments represented on the HealthEU council is the finance department.

“I think we’re beginning to get more traction on this sense of financial well-being,” Patterson said.

Finance Professor Chris Harris is not only on the council, but also chair of the finance department and the director of the center of financial literacy. Before HealthEU was formed, Harris had been focusing on helping students create positive financial well-being since nine years ago with Elon’s Odyssey program, a merit and need-based scholarship program.

“I’ve worked in the investment world. I have the experience,” Harris said. “I feel like I can show up and try to help people who were me 20 years ago.”

Harris said the center of financial literacy existed before HealthEU, but the initiative has helped make people more aware of this center. In 2023, he hosted about 40 events relating to financial literacy/well-being which hundreds of people were able to attend in total.

“Research shows that poor financial wellness then leads to poor emotional, physical health like it has these impacts that go beyond just thinking about money,” Harris said.

Patterson said financial well-being is something the school hadn’t talked about until recent years, but she finds it important because this could be advice that students can carry after graduation.

“I think it’s really important for students to get their finances in order,” Harris said. “It’s even more stressful for someone when they’re going to feel broke and now they have a family and mortgage.”

Harris said he has read research that shows that financial well-being impacts the quality of people’s relationships with others, mental health and stress levels. He said Elon provides a unique opportunity to start learning about financial literacy in a safe space.

Harris said going forward he wants to continue reaching more students. He is currently working with some students to create more of an online presence for the center of financial literacy.

“We want to be able to reach as many people as possible, help people feel happier about their finances,” Harris said.

College culture’s influence on eating disorders

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, Eating disorders generally begin to develop between the ages of 18 and 21 which is mainly college students. While in college, students participating in classes can be involved in clubs, internships or work creating a high workload and causing students to demand a lot of themselves.

Elon psychology professor and clinician, Bilal Ghandour, whose research revolves around perfectionism and impulsive behaviors, has found that eating disorder behavior evolves from a strong sense of needing to be perfect and an inability to let go of high demands.

“College is a really tricky period because you’re thrust into a new world as a young adult, you’re asked to do so many things all at once and the pressure is high,” Ghandour said. “One way to contain that pressure and gain some level of satisfaction is through control. It can be by restricting ourselves to feel more powerful and in control, or you can feel out of control and have a desire to binge eat or eat excessively.”

According to The Child Mind Institute, 10% to 20% of women and 4% to 10% of men within the college demographic suffer from an eating disorder. The institute is a charitable organization focused on providing psychological and psychiatric services to children and their families.

While there is concern for the average college demographic about the development of eating disorders there is also concern for college athletes with eating disorders.

Ghandour said college athletics could make an eating disorder worse due to the environment and expectations of athletes. He also noted that being in sports can create an environment of competition, sacrifice and perfectionism, which could lead to athletes creating certain negative eating habits or changing their perception of food.

Apart from athletics, Ghandour said eating disorders can manifest in both men and women. The National Eating Disorders Collaboration reported that a third of the people with eating disorders are males.

“For men the manifestation of eating disorders has gone up a bit, but it usually manifests itself through a kind of body

physique,” Ghandour said. “So if you want to gain muscles there can be a dysmorphic or an inappropriate way of looking at food and your body.”

Ghandor said that within the last 10 to 20 years there has been a shift in the way that women want to look from tiny and thin to strong and skinny due to the body fitness movement making its way onto social media. This can manifest in different eating disorder behaviors such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or avoidant, also known as restrictive, food intake disorder.

Elon Campus Recreation & Wellness is raising more awareness of eating disorders affecting college students by holding events such as the Love Your Body Month in February.

SPARKS peer educator Ruby Glynn, who helps to promote holistic well-being throughout the Elon student body, is excited to celebrate the month and raise awareness to an issue that can affect anyone on a campus.

“I am especially passionate about this kind of targeted space, because it is so prevalent on college campuses,” Glynn said. “It’s definitely a huge thing that everyone faces, it doesn’t matter who you are.”

While there are treatment options for people with eating disorders, such as psychotherapy, medical monitoring, nutritional counseling, medication or a combination of these approaches, people suffering from eating disorders cannot be treated unless they ask for help.

HealthEU's office at Elon Univerity campus. The initiative's goal is to promote the well-being of students in several different ways.

How UNC Charlotte’s student support organizations help international students with off-campus housing challenges

As the population of international students at Charlotte grows, so do the challenges these students face, particularly with off-campus housing. International students rely on student organizations and initiatives for aid and avoiding exploitation.

As of spring 2024, 2,036 international students are enrolled at Charlotte and represent over 90countries, according to the International Student and Scholar Office.

Indian students make up the majority of international students at Charlotte at approximately 60%. In fall 2023, 1,257 of 2,163 international students were from India, and the majority werepursuing their Master's degree.

Before coming to campus and beginning their studies, these students are responsible for theresearch and costs associated with travel and living in the United States.

Despite not being in the United States to check their options, international students must securehousing before all off-campus apartments fill up. The Triveni Indian Student Association bridgesthe gap and represents the interests of students when securing housing.

“I help students get off-campus housing, so I see what was wrong with the housing because they are not physically present over here,” said Pritesh Ambavane, secretary of the Triveni Indian Student Association. “[They] put that trust in me that this is the person who is telling me that this housing is good...[and knows] what Indian the mindset is like.”

The Triveni Indian Student Association is one of a few student organizations that actively aidsinternational students at Charlotte. For the fall semester, the Triveni Indian Student Associationhelped approximately 600 new international students. For spring, they helped 100 new students.

Most international students tend to live off campus, which is largely due to rent costs and location. They tend to live in the same complexes, including University Terrace and Asheford Green, because they are within walking distance of Charlotte’s campus.

“Most international students don’t have cars,” said Yash Tadimalla, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG). “So

they are forced to live close to campus within walking distance. The walk to campus [is] sometimes easy, but sometimes it’s not; it’s not always safe after dark.”

International students often do not receive their security deposits back. According to Ambavane, the building managers do not track which tenets cause damage, so if there is damage to an apartment, the most recent tenant is charged, even if the damage was present before they moved in.

“When students come to the apartment, they leave the apartment in the same condition, but the owner thinks that things [have been] changed... and they charge accordingly,” said Ambavane.

“But they don’t know that the students have not damaged the apartment; it was like that already.”

Security deposits not being returned is not a new issue.

“Our office has been meeting with international graduate students about off-campus landlord-tenant matters since the firm opened in May 2022,” said Ashley McAlarney, director of UNC Charlotte Student Legal Services, Inc. “The majority of our clients in landlord-tenant matters are international graduate students. And the overwhelming majority of our graduate student clients across all areas of law are international students.”

International students facing concerns with housing maintenance and damages

Mental health is becoming a central talking point in college athletics. Athlete suicide forced the issue into the spotlight as in 2022, five athletes committed suicide as universities looked to find resources for student-athletes.

A report from Global Sport Matters stated that despite the benefits of sports participation for women student-athletes, the risk of suicide persists. For male student-athletes, the stigma of mental health issues makes it hard for some to ask for help. In a world where conversations about mental health are becoming normalized, athletes are still not talking, as only 10% seek mental health assistance.

When asked about the mental aspect of competing in college athletics, Charlotte cross-country junior distance runner Maddon Muhammad said caring for his mental health is critical.

"When it comes to cross-country, 95% of the sport is mental, and the other 5% is your ability and training," said Muhammad. "This year, the biggest thing holding me back was my mentality. If you get into your head, no matter your training, your brain will always beat your body."

The need for mental health resources at Charlotte is crucial, and AthleteTalk, LLC is stepping in to help universities deal with these tragedies and the mental grind. AthleteTalk is a mental health and wellness app that provides daily plans on a social media wellness feed. These plans include wellness videos, mental health "workouts" and a sharing feature.

AthleteTalk has created partnerships with multiple universities, such as the University of Detroit Mercy, Texas Southern University and the University of Texas at Austin. In December 2022, the company partnered with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The company is in the second of a threeyear partnership with Charlotte Athletics. Founder and former Charlotte student Emmett Gill, Jr. said the partnership means a lot to him.

"We are really thankful to be partners with Charlotte and Charlotte Athletics. It really is a full circle for me to be able to serve the athletes at my alma mater," said Gill. "The elements are there, and the fact that this was a top-down is really special. As a former student-athlete at UNC Charlotte, it was one of the first schools we wanted to build that partnership with."

The Basics AthleteTalk has 87 mental health and wellness plans that student-athletes can engage in. Each plan lasts about four

often turn to the Triveni Indian Student Association, which advocates on their behalf and pushes landowners to resolve problems promptly.

“[International students] have not physically met the owners, but we have physically met the owners as an organization [since we secured their housing],” said Ambavane. “We try to maintain pressure over the owners so that the students are living the right kind of life since they're paying rent on time... As an organization, we will try to do these things for our students so that they don't face any bigger problems and anything like that.”

Oftentimes, international students recognize the issues they are facing but do not feel like they can advocate for themselves.

“The challenge is if there are exploitative owners who have very terrible living conditions, you still do not know that that is terrible living conditions because you don't know what is better,” said Tadimalla. “So you ended up staying there for a while, and you're too scared to pursue legal action because there’s this [mis] conception that if you go to Legal, you can get deported.”

Charlotte’s GPSG has also begun helping international students with housing concerns by creating the Graduate Student Housing Committee in September 2023. It is made up of University officials from Student Affairs, Business Affairs, the Graduate School and Housing and Residence Life, in

minutes to fit into their busy schedule. Gill said AthleteTalk wants to help student-athletes cultivate mental health practices.

"Our goal is to have athletes engage in the app daily," said Gill. "These programs help with mental health literacy because we know that if a person is literate in their mental health, they are more likely to visit a provider. Athletetalk helps to build and extend that bridge."

The app has a leaderboard, daily plans, and assessment links that help student-athletes learn healthy coping mechanisms. AthleteTalk's plans relate to the transfer portal, NIL (name, image and likeness) deals, academic progress and social media usage. Gill said that these topics directly relate to student-athlete mental health.

"We discuss topics like gratitude, kindness, your why and your circle. We examine topics like that because those are a part of mental health. The more kindness we display, the more positive impact it has on mental health," said Gill. "We talk about topics that aren't normally connected to mental health as a way to normalize it, especially when we talk about normalizing it from a strength-based perspective."

Gill said the challenge is to find a way to squeeze into the busy schedule of student-athletes.

"One of the challenges we know about health, in general, is that student-athletes do not have much time," said Gill. "We are only asking for 5-10 minutes on the app daily, which is still challenging. We are trying to find a space for mental health. We are trying to find ways to fit in and not add to their plates but make it richer."

Partnership with Charlotte

The partnership at Charlotte came to be through a

addition to GPSG.

According to Tadimalla, this committee is among the first University initiatives to address international housing.

“Before 2020, it was not a priority, [but] I think after COVID, the University is prioritizing it now,” said Tadimalla. “In the last seven years, this is the first time that the University is really serious about this issue.”

Regardless of University aid, members of the Triveni Indian Student Association help Indian international students at all stages of their time at Charlotte, from hosting informational seminars to ensuring all necessities are available upon arrival, relying largely on alumni funding.

“We collect funds from our alumni,” said Ambavane. “For example, if anyone has graduated and wants to donate to our committee, that's where our funds come from. That's not the case with the rest of the student organizations because they are dependent on the college funds. We do apply for the college [funds], but we are not dependent.”

The organization uses these funds to help international students once they arrive in Charlotte by providing rides from the airport and first meals to ease stress and give them a taste of home.

“If you are coming to an unknown country for the first time, you don't have access to that kitchen, [and] you don't have anything or...any idea about the kitchen,” said Ambavane. “So what we do is we provide them a first-day meal. Basically, the meal will be like some kind of Indian food which we buy for them. We provide them with the first-day meal so that they don't have to cook as soon as they come over here.”

The support international students receive from the organization is what makes them want to help future students.

“The motivation for me to help students was that there was somebody who helped me last year.

That's the reason I didn't face any problems,” said Ambavane. “My seniors, who were in the planning committee, helped me secure this apartment... There was always a senior who was going to reply to my texts, and he was always there to help me with everything.”

connection with former Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. Mari Ross. Gill said that after working together at North Carolina Central University, they both saw the need for the program.

The partnership with Charlotte was the first that was started in student affairs. Gill said that the University administration cares deeply for its students.

Charlotte is the first partnership where it emanates from students' affairs, which is important because it demonstrates that the care goes beyond the athletic department," said Gill. "Student-athletes are students first and athletes second in the grand scheme of things."

Charlotte has a student-athlete development and sports psychology unit, showing commitment to student-athlete mental health endeavors. AthleteTalk is looking to help create a third department focused on social work.

The goal of the divisions is to help increase the likelihood that Charlotte athletes will seek counseling services when needed.

Benefits to student-athletes

AthleteTalk looks to help student-athletes by growing their mental health literacy and enhancing wellness.

"It is one of my beliefs that student-athletes who invest in their mental health now will see the dividends later," said Gill. "Many athletes face challenges such as sports termination, graduation, transfers and injury. They don't know how to deal with it all. Now is the time for them to learn how to invest time in their mental health and take some of the things they are learning from the time they invest and implement."

Gill said helping athletes now is crucial for their development as athletes and people.

"If they don't learn how to invest in it now, they will be put in situations where they have to do it on the fly. The point is to help student-athletes learn how to invest in and practice good, healthy coping skills and learn about mental health techniques," said Gill.

Looking ahead

As AthleteTalk continues to expand with partnerships at multiple universities, Gill said he wants to leave behind a legacy.

"Our legacy at every school is that we want to pour into athletes, whether through student-athletes positive mental health or going into the industry to pour into other athletes. That is the way we are going to normalize mental health and break down the stigma," said Gill.

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OUR VIEW

As the weather continues to get warmer and summer quickly approaches, a new semester is underway. The upcoming fall semester of 2024 will be here before you know it, and there are some things students should be doing now in order to prepare.

East Carolina University undergraduate and graduate students will begin course registration for the upcoming semesters this week and next week.

Students use PiratePort, a resource for ECU students, staff and faculty to access campus related services and other resources, to sign up for classes each semester.

We, the editorial staff of The East Carolinian, believe students should be well prepared for the upcoming registration process.

Many students, especially freshmen or transfers, may be unfamiliar with the process. It’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the process and have a good understanding of the courses you would like to register for.

Some classes may fill quickly, so it’s important to be as prepared as possible once the designated registration period begins. It is recommended that students set an appointment with their advisor or remain in contact with them prior to signing up for classes.

We believe preparation is key to achieving success and encourage students to do a bit of research on the classes they plan to sign up for. It’s very important that students ensure they are signing up for the correct classes and are on track towards completing their required credit hours.

PIRATE RANTS

The East Carolinian does not endorse the statements made in Pirate Rants.

The food at the Scullery literally makes my mouth water. It’s so delicious and the staff is so delightful!

I am so sick of the LONG lines at Raising Cane’s chicken! Can’t the employees work a little faster??

I am so tired of seeing the food robots on campus… I almost tripped on one!

Some of the people at this school don’t take the classes seriously. ECU is a serious academic institution!

Literally nobody uses the Potti Pockets in the bathrooms.

The parking on campus SUCKS! How am I expected to be a student when I can’t even park my car??

I was given an insane parking fee on campus despite being in an acceptable spot. Why is ECU constantly trying to bankrupt its students?

I don’t understand fraternity culture. Your houses are gross and you don’t even give us good beer…

I’m so ready for summer and all the amazing summer time events that ECU has to offer!

According to the “Are you Irish?” poll listed this week there’s a lot more Irish people in Greenville than I could have imagined.

Questions regarding Pirate Rants can be

Last Sunday marked the 96th Oscars ceremony, a night of celebration and recognition for outstanding achievements in the film industry. While the winners rightfully basked in their welldeserved glory, the tone set by the host, esteemed talk show personality Jimmy Kimmel, was spoiled by his series of jabs that veered into uncomfortable territory.

Kimmel, renowned for his sharp wit and fearless humor, is no stranger to poking fun at politicians, celebrities and various societal phenomena. Yet, it seems as though he attempted to ruin multiple prestigious moments for the talented individuals in the audience for the sake of telling a joke, notably his awkward moment with Robert Downey Jr. where he made a series of illreceived jokes on the actor’s past substance abuse issues. With this controversy coming shortly after, now infamous comedian, Jo Koy, received criticism for his hosting of the 81th annual Golden Globe awards, this begs the question: Are award show hosts a relic of the past?

Since the inception of the Oscars in 1929, hosts have played an integral role, usually selected for their comedic prowess and mainstream notability. However, in an era marked by heightened cultural awareness and evolving social norms, the traditional role of a single host for these events needs reassessment. With the entertainment industry’s focus shifting from mere entertainment to meaningful representation and acknowledgment of diverse voices, the ways we present our awards need to evolve to reflect changing values.

It’s time to broaden the definition of what constitutes an effective award show presentation in Hollywood. Instead of solely

relying on comedic chops and mainstream popularity of a single individual, organizers should prioritize ensemble casts of industry representatives who bring depth, insight and authenticity to the table. Voices that offer fresh perspectives and enrich the ceremony with their unique insights and experiences rather than hackneyed jokes at the expense of artists.

Obnoxious comedy bits such as John Cena being televised naked, garner more attention towards the “joke” rather than the actual winners of the category being presented. Not only is it detrimental to the show’s credibility but it also showcases the double standard between what the academy deems “appalling”.

Just last year, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in a newsworthy moment that led to him being banned for ten years by the academy for his “unacceptable and harmful behavior”, yet this year, that same academy

believes John Cena stripping naked in front of a crowd that includes children is acceptable. The standards always seem to fluctuate when it comes to people of color in entertainment.

It is disheartening that the highest honor in filmmaking is now plagued by mediocre jokes and controversies that overshadow the true essence of the event. As Hollywood moves forward, it is imperative to reevaluate the essence of a “host” in award shows, embracing diversity, inclusion and authenticity to ensure that these ceremonies remain relevant and respectful celebrations of cinematic excellence.

It is not easy to live a good life. In fact, the difficulty of the task is what makes goodness worth pursuing. If you think it is easy to live well, you’ve misunderstood the nature of morality and the world. The anxiety of virtue is a fundamental feature of the project of living well.

A recent essay by Professor Travis Rieder in Time describes the present age as “morally exhausting.” Rieder says, “Modern life is morally exhausting. And confusing. Everything we do seems to matter. But simultaneously: nothing we do seems to matter.”

Rieder frets about whether drinking almond milk or driving an electric car does enough for the environment. He worries

about whether it does any good to “boycott” artists by not watching them on Netflix. I don’t doubt that some people worry about such things. But we Americans are lucky that this is all we have to worry about. In Russia these days, moral courage can get you sent to Siberia or poisoned by the state.

At any rate, moral exhaustion and confusion are not bugs of modernity. Rather, this is a perennial feature of the pursuit of goodness. New technologies and new knowledge must be integrated into our moral lives. But it has always been difficult to be good.

Imagine, for example, the moral confusion of the followers of Socrates or Jesus, beloved leaders who were executed by the state. Or imagine the moral exhaustion of life in Nazi Germany or Cold War Eastern Europe. For that matter, imagine life today in Gaza, Haiti, or Russia. There are places on

this earth where violence, deprivation and oppression threaten moral integrity as well as life itself.

From a historical vantage point, Professor Rieder’s worries about almond milk are quaintly bourgeois. The moral struggles of the American present pale in comparison to the struggles of our past. This continent has seen violent conflicts between colonizers and indigenous people. The American revolutionaries made a difficult moral choice to break away from their British cousins. And during the Civil War, neighboring states went to war over the morality of slavery and the identity of the Union.

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HOROSCOPES

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 7 — Relax and consider

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Do the research before plunking down good money on something for your home. Check reviews and comparisons. Consider materials and the long-term impact.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Develop creative ideas and projects. Restraint serves you well, especially around short tempers. Keep your objective in mind. Don’t push. Let things flower naturally.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — Focus on bringing home the bacon. Avoid risky business. Stick to reliable routines to maintain positive cash flow. Develop a project with lucrative potential.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 9 — Go ahead and flex. Advance a personal matter thoughtfully. Take another’s sensitivities into account. Consider consequences before making your move. You’ve got this.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 7 — Fantasize and speculate. Imagine your perfect utopia. What would it take? Small steps add up with time and repetition. Convert chosen ideas into plans.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Discuss hypotheticals, visions and possibilities with your team. Listen and learn. Together, you can see farther. Share news, ideas and resources. Support each other.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 7 — Professional fantasies and illusions dissipate. Revise with practical details. Do the homework and profit. A change may be better than imagined. Adapt and shift.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Get drawn into a fascinating inquiry. Unexpected deviations could reveal hidden treasure. Solve a puzzle. Tackle a challenge. Investigate potential for practical solutions.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 9 — Collaborate to manage shared financial obligations. Don’t force an issue. Allow things to develop naturally. Contribute for growth. Coordinate and share. Dreams lie within reach.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

— Today is a 7 — Abandon a preconception. Things may not be as imagined. Discover something new about someone familiar. Romance sparks in conversation. Share dreams and confidences.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

— Today is a 7 — The rules could seem to change mid-game. Slow to avoid accidents or breakage. Nurture your health and work despite a challenge. Prioritize healthy practices.

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