Wednesday
Winthrop University
February 27, 2019
Rock Hill, SC
Serving Winthrop and Rock Hill Since 1923
Oriana Gilmore/ The Johnsonian In light of recent events, Walk2Campus management hosted a community safety meeting with residents, Winthrop police and the Rock Hill Police Department to discuss concerns and stronger safety initiatives.
Protecting Walk2Campus
A recent assault leaves students asking how campus police is working to keep Winthrop safe. Oriana Gilmore gilmoreo@mytjnow.com Winthrop University officials are working with campus police to improve the safety of all students as a result of students concerns and recent incidents. Hailee Beltzhoover, a junior theatre performance major, is a resident of Walk2Campus. Walk2Campus is a student housing leasing property with locations in South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, New York, Tennessee and New Hampshire. Walk2Campus Rock Hill serves students who attend Winthrop, York Technical College and Clinton College. Walk2Campus owns houses around the Winthrop area and Campus Walk apartments on Rose Street. Beltzhoover lives in a house across from Johnson Hall but she said she feels that her safety is not included in campus safety. “I literally live 20 feet away from an on-campus building, and it feels like because I am not located inside the black gate that marks the perimeter of ‘campus’ I am not Winthrop’s responsibility,” Beltzhoover said. Beltzhoover said a Winthrop officer busted a Walk2Campus house party, said he had “jurisdiction anywhere in Rock Hill” and threatened to take a student to jail. “The priorities of the campus police are skewed,” Beltzhoover
said. “They give out parking tickets and want to bust parties but when it comes to students’ safety with robberies, rapes and other huge issues, their hands are off and it’s the Rock Hill jurisdiction.” Beltzhoover said she wants to see more Winthrop police presence on and around the campus for matters other than parties or parking tickets. “I hope to see the university realize that Walk2Campus residents may technically live “off campus,” but those students are also using financial aid to pay rent. It is also a requirement that you are a student to lease from them. That being said, WUPD should have more responsibility to those students,” Beltzhoover said. Some students, like Beltzhoover, say campus police focus on parking violations more than the overall safety of the student body. WUPD officer lieutenant Charles Yearta said the Winthrop police department has two divisions: parking and police officers. The parking division is comprised of retired, part-time civilian employees. They are not police officers and have never been in the law enforcement field. Parking employees are paid solely to patrol parking areas for violations, write tickets and set up parking for events. They do not have the same authority as police officers and they are not who responds to calls. The police officer division in-
cludes officers like Yearta, who have the authority to investigate crimes and arrest suspects. These are real law enforcement officers, and they are who responds to students’ calls, emergencies and escort service requests. The difference between Rock Hill jurisdiction and Winthrop jurisdiction has also been a common concern for some students. Yearta said Winthrop jurisdiction is any property owned by Winthrop. Yearta said there are several state laws which determine what limits university police departments in investigations and arrests. “All public universities have the right to create, in essence, their own police departments… officers who work for that police department will be appointed state constables,” Yearta said. “State constables have authority to make arrests statewide, similar to highway patrol. However, as far as investigating crime, the Winthrop University police department only investigates crimes that occurs on its campus or property that is owned by Winthrop.” Winthrop property pertains to the main campus buildings and housing, Winthrop Coliseum and sporting areas, farming area and Winthrop parks. Yearta said campus police patrol the campus, outlying streets and Campus Walk areas. “We don’t necessarily go beyond that because we’re paid by the university. We do have arrest authority, but our arrest authority is usually
condensed to crimes that occur in front of us or on scene crimes.” Yearta said if a student calls Winthrop police for an incident or emergency outside of their jurisdiction, they will respond, help the student and forward all information from that call to the Rock Hill Police Department for a report to be filed. Campus police will also make sure the student is safe. According to Yearta, if a student flags down a campus officer outside of their jurisdiction and there is an incident occurring or just happened, the officer will assist. If the recent situation was dangerous, like an assault, the officers will make sure the student is safe, call RHPD and begin searching that area for the suspect. Yearta said Winthrop police responded to the sexual assault and robbery incident which happened on Friday Feb. 15 because of the type of crime and it happened in an area where campus police routinely patrol. “Because our students live at Campus Walk, we’re still going to respond. We’re gonna start looking for the bad guy, make sure the victim has the assistance that they need right then and there,” Yearta said. “We’re going to, at the same time, call Rock Hill to make sure that Rock Hill’s officers respond because Rock Hill Police Department are the ones who would eventually be pressing charges.”
4see Safety pg. 3
Trustees designate WU a Purple Heart University Vice presidents also updated the Board of Trustees on employee satisfaction and student affairs in their annual retreat. Anna Sharpe sharpea@mytjnow.com The Winthrop Board of Trustees unanimously voted to designate Winthrop as a Purple Heart University during their annual retreat on Feb. 22. Present at this vote were veterans Rich Roszelle and Kirk Clark, representing the Chapter 2008 SC of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and student veteran Drew Russell, president of student veterans for Winthrop. Lisa Cowart, vice president for HR, employee diversity and wellness updated the board on the results from a yearly employee satisfaction survey.
“We were happy that the overall satisfaction rate went from 51 percent with that 2016 survey up to 61 percent, so that’s progress. We’re happy to say that. We still have a lot of work to do, and we know that. Sixty-one percent isn’t something to brag about,” Cowart said. There were some areas where employees were most unsatisfied: compensation, benefits and lack of advancement opportunities. Cowart reported that employee turnover was measured at 15.45 percent in 2018, a significant increase from 8.58 in 2014. “Obviously pay and compensation, we know, is at the top of that, but it’s not the only reason,” Cowart
S&T
Afrofuturism on the rise
•pg.5
mytjnow.com
said. Retirements, lack of advancement opportunities and general dissatisfaction have contributed to this increased figure. The satisfaction survey is one of many initiatives to help improve employee satisfaction and collaborate with faculty and staff. “We’ve heard all the rumors. We’ve heard all the talk. This is data. This tells us what folks perceive and that’s where we’re wanting to look to see where we need to jump off. What can we use from that data to make a difference,” Cowart said. One of the actions taken to make a difference was the implementation of focus groups in the summer and
Sports
Keeping up with men’s and women’s basketball
•pg.7
fall. The results showed employees felt there was a lack of communication, responsiveness and slow decision making in senior administration, as well as a lack of training. However, there was a “strong commitment” to Winthrop among employees, Cowart said. Employees also reported that supervisors were accessible and support learning and development. Shelia Burkhalter, vice president of student affairs, updated the trustees on various issues involving student affairs. Burkhalter reported that four finalists have been chosen in the provost search for on-campus interviews.
4see Trustees pg. 2
Opinion
The case for mental health days
•pg.11
Index: News 3 | Science & Tech 5 | Sports 6 | Arts & Culture 8 | Opinion 10
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PAGE 2 theJohnsonian February 27, 2019
•Trustrees from front She also provided updates on the transition of food service providers from Aramark to Sodexo. Some of the partnership highlights were opening Mein Bowl in Markley’s, student engagement events like the Pancake-Cram Jam Breakfast in the fall and allowing the sale of alcohol at sporting events, beginning with baseball in the spring. “There’s a perception out there that students are paying so much more money for their meal plan. This is an inaccurate percep-
tion,” Burkhalter said. She reported that meal plans costs are up 2.5 percent, compared to what would have been 5 percent with Aramark. “They’re actually better off than they would have been had they stayed with the previous provider,” Burkhalter said. Cafeteria to-go boxes were removed from Thomson due to cost inefficiency, though to-go boxes in Eagle Express are currently being tested. “We tried to come up with
a solution for [not offering to-go boxes in Thomson] so we now offer to go boxes in Eagle Express. That has worked out well for some people. The other thing we learned about, just two days ago, is we’re introducing a reusable to-go box. There will be a way for them to come in and exchange that box. So you’ll never have more than one box and it will be a way to monitor differently,” Burkhalter said. Domino’s will not be accepting café cash anytime soon, since Domino’s is not
a vendor that works with Sodexo. Despite the introduction of brick oven pizza in Markley’s, Burkhalter said this issue is not completely resolved. “They’ve come up with a brick oven pizza option in Markley’s, but we’re continuing to work on this because it’s not like Markley’s is going to deliver pizza to your room. They still have to physically leave their space and come into Markley’s in order to get that,” Burkhalter said.
Anna Sharpe/ The Johnsonian President Dan Mahony, Drew Russell, Kirk Clark, Rich Roszelle and Chair of the Board of Trustees Glen McCall
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About The Johnsonian The Johnsonian is the weekly student newspaper of Winthrop University.
CONTACT INFORMATION Our offices are located in suite 104 in the DiGiorgio Campus Center. Phone: (803) 323-3419 Email: editors@mytjnow.com Online: mytjnow.com
LETTER POLICY Letters and feedback can be sent to editors@ mytjnow.com or by mail at The Johnsonian, 104 Campus Center, Rock Hill, S.C. 29733. Comments submitted online at www.mytjnow.com may be printed as letters and may be shortened for space and edited for clarity. Please include
your name, major and year if you are a student; your name and title if you are a professor, or your name and profession if you are a member of the community. Letters, cartoons and columns reflect the opinion of the authors and are not necessarily the opinions of The Johnsonian Staff.
Editor-in-Chief Téa Franco francot@mytjnow.com Managing Editor Cheyenne Walsh walshc@mytjnow.com
Sports Editor Greta Conboy Assistant Sports Gabby Gardner
A&C Editor Ad Manager Dillon Oneill Victoria Howard howardv@mytjnow.com News Editor Anna Sharpe Assistant News Oriana Gilmore S&T Editor Mikayla Mangle
Assitant A&C Caleb Hinkley Opinion Editor Erin Streetman
Layout Editor Carmen Little Graphic Designer Jordan Farrell Photographers Sam Ross Camille Riddle Copy Editors Casey Smith Matt Thrift Haleigh Altman
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NEWS theJohnsonian
•Safety from front Winthrop President Dan Mahony said the students safety is the university’s main priority. Mahony said the university is planning to have an open forum to address recent incidents and student safety. The university has also been in communication with RHPD to expand police presence around the campus. Mahony said Winthrop police presence is also being increased around the campus, and they have hired two new officers to fill the positions officers who recently left the department.
February 27, 2019
He said the university is also checking all of the emergency call boxes around campus, street lights and replacing bulbs and other materials to maintain the upkeep for student safety. Mahony said Brad Hastings, the chief operating officer for Walk2Campus, contacted him to discuss student concerns and ways that Winthrop and Walk2Campus could collaborate to ensure the safety of Walk2Campus and Campus Walk residents. “We are always focused and concerned about campus safety,
and even if the numbers aren’t necessarily high, one thing is horrible — what happened last Friday — is too many,” Mahony said. “We’re aware of safety issues and are doing everything we can to improve campus safety.” The issues Hastings and Mahony discussed were the topic of a community meeting held at the Campus Walk leasing office Thursday evening. Hastings was joined by residents and Campus police Assistant Chief Wesley Wiles and three RHPD officers including
the two detectives who worked on the most recent incident at Campus Walk and other property management for Campus Walk. According to the panel, the community is planning to work on ways to make the the community safer, making sure all community safety measures are working properly, eliminating the amount of suspicious activity and increasing the presence of RHPD.
‘Casual Friday’ brings up serious topics
Anna Sharpe/ The Johnsonian Winthrop is an institution of higher education and is therefore considered a peaceful forum for public speech. Anna Sharpe sharpea@mytjnow.com
North Carolina is ranked seventh in the nation for rates of human trafficking. Within North Carolina, Charlotte is ranked first for rates of human trafficking. Casual Friday, a speaker series that facilitates casual discussion about global issues, invited Mark Blackwell and Monique Johnson of Justice Ministries to educate students on sex trafficking on global and local levels. Blackwell, president of Justice Ministries, began the anti-human trafficking organization in 2010 after attending Passion, a Christian conference in Atlanta. “It was at that conference that I learned about what was going on with human trafficking worldwide, as well as in the USA. After sitting through many presentations and break out sessions about the issue, I really felt that God put it on my heart to serve this population of people. I felt a very specific call to respond,” Blackwell said. Justice Ministries was started in a time when human trafficking was not a mainstream issue. In the entire country, there were only a hundred beds for survivors of trafficking. “The agencies that did exist at the time were primarily
focused on awareness and prevention. Then there were a couple agencies that were trying to get houses started or maybe had just launched a home here and there. But it really came to my attention that there was an extreme limit of bedspace nationwide,” Blackwell said. After meeting with the federal agencies ICE, Homeland Security and the FBI, he discovered that there was not a large chance of rescue or recovery for victims of human trafficking. “As a Christian and as a man, I couldn’t just sleep on this issue that a teenage girl in my hometown is being raped for profit every night. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to knock on every door in the city until you get to the individuals at risk,” Blackwell said. Justice Ministries focuses on reaching out to victims, relocating them to safe houses, and “rising up.” “The rise up portion is for those clients who have been with us for years and we’re helping them in paying for counseling, subsidizing rent, helping them navigate the systems to walk their way towards independence,” Blackwell said. Justice Ministries launched a hotline that was local to Charlotte in 2012. The organization mainly operates within a 50-
Anna Sharpe | News Editor sharpea@mytjnow.com
mile radius of Charlotte. When Blackwell and his team get a call for a victim that needs assistance, response time is kept to three hours. Monique Johnson works with Justice Ministries as well. She said a major reason for North Carolina being so high on the list for human trafficking is I-85. This interstate runs from Virginia to Alabama. “It connects with so many other highways, so you can get across the country, you can get all over by just traveling on our highway. That is a great way to transport people,” Johnson said. Another reason for the high rates is the number of major events that Charlotte regularly hosts. Recently, the city hosted the NBA All-Star Weekend, bringing swarms of tourists. Along with these excited fans, Johnson said, traffickers find their way into the city. “All-Star weekend was a huge trafficking event, meaning that’s an opportunity for them to bring girls, bring people from all over, to come and serve whoever is in town at that time,” Johnson said. In 2018 in South Carolina, 13 people were charged with human trafficking and 64 cases were closed, according to Attorney General Alan Wilson’s 2018 Human Trafficking Task Force Annual Report.
“Columbia is more susceptible to trafficking efforts due to its position between both Charlotte and Atlanta. You have a lot of trafficking that takes place there,” Johnson said. Sargeant Julia Taggart of WUPO heavily encouraged students to download the LiveSafe app. Along with promoting the app, she revealed one of the most common mistake she sees students make when it comes to their safety. “What we see a lot of is you guys will put those ear buds in and you shut the world out. That is one of the biggest things that I see at night,” Taggart said. “You don’t look when you step off of a curb to see if a car is going to run you down. You’re just so engrossed on what’s going on [the phone]. Take one of those ear buds out. Don’t leave yourself open for an opportunity for somebody to sneak up behind you. That’s a big thing.” Blackwell emphasized the importance of remaining aware of your surroundings. “Situational awareness is key for survival.That falls into safety measures as well. Being situationally aware and pre-planning in advance,” Blackwell said.
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theJohnsonian February 27, 2019
A diamond in the sand
Biology professor Julian Smith received the Distinguished Research Leadership Award for mentoring students Anna Sharpe sharpea@mytjnow.com Julian Smith, professor of biology, received the Distinguished Research Leadership Award from the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics Smith humbly accepted the award. He said he was “surprised and pleased” to have received it. “I don’t think about it as something special that I do. It’s just a continuation of what I normally do,” Smith said. Smith is a mentor for rising seniors at the Governor’s School. Students complete an independent research project during the summer. Smith’s role is to help design and carry out the projects. Two of his students went on to publish their findings. “It’s sort of lucky when that happens because the student has just a summer to come completely up to speed on the literature. In many cases, they’ve never read primary literature before. Then, the student has to want to publish it badly enough to continue doing a lot of writing on through the end,” Smith said. A love for helping students understand complex concepts is what led Smith to become a mentor for the Governor’s School. “It’s just a lot of fun to watch the light of realization come on, to
watch the people’s ‘aha’ moments, to have them be able to look back on all the stuff that they’ve been able to do. It’s just a blast,” Smith said. Though he would like to continue in the mentoring program, his wife made him promise to stop working weekends once he turns 70 years old. “I probably want to retire sometime around the time I’m 70. I’m 65 now, and my wife’s made me promise to quit working Saturdays and Sundays when I’m 70, so we’ll see. I’ll continue mentoring students in the future, absolutely,” Smith said. Smith’s research focuses on meiofauna, or the microorganisms found between grains of sand. “Go to the beach, pick up a handful of sand. You’re holding about 2,000 animals. Where the waves are breaking, they’re pretty dense right there. More than 50 percent of them don’t have formal scientific names at this point,” Smith said. Specifically, he studies the evolution of certain structures in these organisms, such as an “anterior pincer-like proboscis” and venom glands. Smith and a few colleagues are researching the effects of beach nourishment, the replacement of sand on eroded shores, has on these meiofauna. “We just got our first samples back comparing a nourished beach to an unnourished beach. It turns out that the community diversity is higher in the nourished beach. That’s not what we expected, but in hindsight having a wide variety of different grains of sand shape
and sizes, which is what nourishment does, it makes the beach more coarse, you get a lot of shell hash left in there, probably provides more microhabitats for the animals. So whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, we don’t know yet, but we do know it does change it,” Smith said. Smith credits his godmother as one of his biggest inspirations that got him into the scientific field. A cardiothoracic surgeon born in 1921, she was the only woman in her class at medical school. “Back then, fewer than two percent of women medical residents went into surgery. From the time I was about five or six, for about 10 years she drove up
“”
It’s just a lot of fun to watch the light of realization come on, to watch the people’s ‘aha’ moments... Julian Smith
Biology professor
from Augusta, Georgia grabbed me every summer and drove me into the Smithsonian. She had a huge influence on me. She helped me buy my first microscope when I was in middle school. That meant a lot to me,” Smith said. This microscope is still proudly displayed in his office, among various equipment and pictures of family. Aside from mentoring budding
scientists, Smith can be found designing buildings in his free time. He was the chair of the building committee for Dalton Hall in 1999, a fond memory. “I’m glad I’ll never have to do that again,” Smith said. Because the architect, who was in charge of laying out cabinets and shelves, quit in the middle of the project, Smith took it upon himself to finish the job. “I taught myself the architectural CAD program. Installed it on my own computer and spent about five weeks putting all the casework in the labs where it was supposed to go. Then having the architect print out the blueprints. It was fun to do. I’m kind of techy, mechanical, but I’m glad that’s over because it was kind of horrible. I couldn’t do anything else for, like, five weeks,” Smith said. In his 33 years at Winthrop, Smith is pleased with the way that the research atmosphere has shifted in his time at the school. “The research atmosphere here has changed enormously in that time. I spent the first five years or so buying used equipment at state surplus or building the equipment that I needed. We just spent half a million dollars on brand new equipment,” Smith said. Perhaps the most important characteristics Smith possesses are his passion for research and science and his dedication to the job. “I just get a real kick out of understanding stuff and then explaining that to people. The other thing about being a scientist is, especially in my field, is 100 percent of the time you get to see stuff that no one has seen before, to discover something new. That just keeps me going. I would do this if no one paid me,” Smith said.
The Fourth Estate and future of journalism
An insight on how journalists evolve and their place in ever-changing world of contemporary America Joseph Calamia Staff Writer News media is evolving to the digital front, and the power of journalism is still an important factor when holding politicians accountable for their actions and informing people on issues that matter. On Feb. 19, Winthrop hosted the most recent installment of The News Literacy and the Future of Journalism series,“The State of the Fourth Estate,” invited the citizens of Rock Hill and students of Winthrop University. The event featured Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Fahrenthold from The Washington Post. He spoke about the nature of news framing and the future of journalism in this day and age. “I’m optimistic about the future of journalism,” Fahrenthold said. “We have lots of problems but we still produce something that people want.” One of the first points Fahrenthold discussed was the changes the Internet brought toward newspapers, with sites like Craigslist and Google taking away classified ads and providing quick news. He remembered how this brought an end to the news monopoly newspapers had for years. “We thought our business was immune to change, that we didn’t have to change. We thought we were joining some that was important but we weren’t ready for it,” Fahrenthold said. Another key point that the speak-
er made was how the 2016 election cycle. President Donald Trump’s campaign tactics had caught news outlets off-guard with his scandalous comments and actions provided a variety of news stories. “Both us and The New York Times have benefitted from the Trump Presidency,” said Fahrenthold. “[Trump] could exploit our inability to move quickly on an issue, so it was hard for readers to follow the thread.” The key for Fahrenthold to keep his audience in the loop and engaged with the various stories of Donald Trump taking advantage of social media to talk about them is to provide an easy way for readers to be informed. “I try to give my readers threads to follow in this helter-skelter time and give them time to follow forwards and backwards [in a story],” Fahrenthold said. Writing stories in threads one after the other allows reporters like Fahrenthold to bring their audience along and help contribute to the news cycle through investigative journalism. “The most important thing for me is to change how I do investigative journalism. I try to write a little at a time cause writing a little at a time brings in something you were interested in,” Fahrenthold said. Fahrenthold brought up moments in his career such as a moment where he investigated Trump buying a portrait of himself with his campaign money, which he asked his
Oriana Gilmore| Assistant News Editor gilmoreo@mytjnow.com
Tate Walden/ The Johnsonian
David Fahrenthold won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2017. followers to assist him in finding that portrait through Twitter. His followers in days found where the portrait was. He brought up how the Internet could be useful in engaging with your followers. “Social media is both a good thing and a temptation,” Fahrenthold said, “I try to be super earnest in my reporting and trying not to start a fight [with people who comment on my work].” The importance of journalism as the Fourth Estate in government is to have power in bringing issues like politics and climate change to light for readers and keep them engaged
with the story. “We have to hold the values of truth and objectivity,” Fahrenthold said. “[You have to] be stubborn, in order to defend our name [of news] and if you see something newsworthy, let us know.” Fahrenthold helped inspire and entertain the people of Winthrop University and Rock Hill by sharing his message about journalists adapting to the medium of the Internet to aid investigative reporting. “I hope that the future of journalism is one of people reporting on things that matter,” Fahrenthold said.
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theJohnsonian
Biology department changes curriculum
Incoming biology majors will see changes within the degree catalog beginning in fall 2019 Beneshia Wadlington Staff Writer The biology department is soon to see changes within the catalog for that degree. It’s been said that certain 200-level courses, such as botany and zoology, will now be counted as 300-level courses instead, and will no longer be in the general biology degree requirements. Dr. Dimaculangan, chair of the biology department explained the new changes. “One of the main things is the introductory courses and the requirements for students. We’re going to change it to a two-semester introductory course sequence
February 27, 2019
instead of three,” Dimaculangan said. Currently, biology majors who are studying for a general biology degree are required to take a departmental seminar (BIOL 202), an introductory biology lab (BIOL 203), biology lecture (BIOL 204), botany (BIOL 205), zoology (BIOL 206), an independent study/ research (BIOL 300), and a capstone course (BIOL 480). “The botany and zoology are going to be raised to higher level within the next year or two, but we’re already piloting the new courses this semester. That’s going to end up being a Principles of Cellular and Molecular biology course (BIOL 220/222) and a Principles of Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity course (BIOL 221/223). That actually lines up better with many other schools in the country. The other classes will still remain as higher level classes, but this will help the students advance through the program efficiently. Another change that’s
going to happen is dealing with Biology 300,” Dimaculangan said. Currently, students must have all of their introductory courses completed as prerequisites before they can take the BIOL 300 course. Similarly, biology students can’t advance to higher level courses unless they obtain a C grade or higher in BIOL 300. “It’ll be easier for people to come in and transfer courses in, but the other thing is we’ve been looking at our curriculum for a long time trying to figure out how to improve it. We’re always making small minor changes in the catalogs, but this is one of the first major changes to the catalog in a little over 20 years. [Over that time,] one of the things that we think students are a little bit weaker in is in genetics. Students will now be taking one less intro course, but we’re going to require them to take a genetics course, with either a lab or no lab,” Dimaculangan said. “Now, to try to help students
progression wise, we still are going to require 300, but we’re going to allow students to take other 300-level classes at the same time as 300. So, 300 will still be an absolute requirement for all of the 400 and 500-level courses, but we were worried because there are some students who get stuck trying to get to 300 so that they’re able to take an upper level class. So, now they’ll be able to take, for instance, 300 and microbiology or 300 and genetics at the same time. It wouldn’t affect students who are already in the program, especially if they’ve already took all of their intro level courses. The only way it would affect upperclassmen if is they are students who may still be in BIOL 300,” Dimaculangan said. These changes will be in full affect by the fall semester of 2019. Therefore, any new freshman or transfer coming in at that point will be starting off in that new catalog.
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Afrofuturism on the rise
From Wakanda to Dirty Computer, Afrofuturism immerses itself in popular culture through the genres of science fiction and fantasy Mikayla Mangle manglem@mytjnow.com Afrofuturism can be described quickly as, “science fiction for black people.” Afrofuturism is a movement in the arts that allows black people to imagine a future with a main focus on black history and culture. Themes in Afrofuturism oftentimes look like a predominantly black or African American world with advanced technology and futuristic themes, showcasing a world that could have been if racism, oppression and colonization never occurred. “I believe that Afrofuturism is an extraordinary movement in the arts that imagines a future embedded with black history and culture. It's science fiction for black people. A space where we are able to feel included in worlds that are fantastic and full of crazy technology. A space where we can imagine a different future. I feel like it's impossible to describe in a few words,” Peyton Young, a Winthrop English literature graduate student, said. Afrofuturism seems to be becoming more popular in American culture, even if some do not recognize it. One example of a piece of art with many Afrofuturism themes is Janelle Monae’s “Dirty Computer” album. In Monae’s album she uses various science fiction themes such as a futuristic world filled with androids and robots. She uses these themes to develop a critique on racism and discrimination in modern day society. She concludes her album by discussing how androids and humans are similar in nature, which she paralleled to all the ethnicities and sexual orientations that make up America, arguing that there is no room for discrimination anywhere. Monae’s Afrofuturism album was nominated for Album of the Year at
Jordan Farrell/ The Johnsonian
Afrofuturism focuses on futuristic themes in an African American world, looking at what could have been if rascism and oppression never occured. the most recent Grammy awards. Another example of Afrofuturism is seen in the popular movie “Black Panther.” The movie and comic “Black Panther” creates a fictional African world called Wakanda that has been free of colonization and has created itself to be one of the most technology advanced countries in the world. “Black Panther” gives black viewers and readers a space to celebrate and experience the realm of science fiction from their own culture. The film version of “Black Panther” has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Ultimately, Afrofuturism shows the importance of having black people in movie or literary roles regarding topics such as the future, science, and technology. This gives African Americans (regardless of age) a role model in spaces where black people are often excluded. “I do think that Afrofuturism is an important topic of discussion. True Afrofuturism shouldn't replace white bodies with black bodies or place a black person within a futuristic world, it should put forth an idea of strength in the black body and allow us to find our worth in a world where people want us to feel worthless. It is about seeing
Mikayla Mangle | Science & Technology Editor manglem@mytjnow.com
ourselves in the media that we consume, but it's also about finding ways to celebrate our uniqueness and the beauty of black culture,” Young said. Afrofuturism is not an entirely new concept. In fact it has been around since the 1950’s. According to Young, the Afrofuturism movement began with Sun Ra’s space-inspired jazz music and Octavia Butler’s strong female lead protagonists in her novels who dealt with supernatural and futuristic threats. Octavia Butler is known for paving the way for black science fiction writers. Butler wrote many science fiction books in her lifetime, such as the “Xenogenesis TrilogyDawn” and won many awards for her achievements. Afrofuturism shows to be an important part of many people lives, especially African Americans who have often not had relatable characters in science fiction and fantasy literature and film who look like them or come from similar backgrounds as them. “Being an English major, I read a lot of works by dead white men and while I love literature, I could not find any passion when reading these authors...I didn't know much about Afrofuturism until I read Adeyemi's “Children of Blood and Bone” and finally I found something that I was passionate about. I grew up loving futuristic movies and sci-fi so this was right up my alley. I wish that I found out about afrofuturist literature a long time ago. Right now, I'm reading Okorafor's “Who Fears Death” and I cannot put it down. The only way to learn more about it [Afrofuturism] is to consume it: read it, listen to it and immerse yourself in it,” Young said. In all, Afrofuturism is getting more popular and opening doors for African Americans in the genres of science fiction and fantasy.
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SPORTS theJohnsonian February 27, 2019
Eagles of the week
Celebrating three consecutive awards for Big South Player of the Week to Winthrop athletes in the week of Feb. 12
Photo courtesy of Winthrop Athletics
Winthrop Eagles athletes continue to shine. Connor Williamson, a men’s tennis player, Keleigh Romine, a softball player and Lauren Proctor, a women’s tennis player all recieved Big South Athlete of the week. Joseph Calamia Staff Writer According to Winthrop Athletics, three Winthrop athletes have received the honor of being named Big South Athlete of the week in their respective fields from Feb. 11 and 12. The athletes include Winthrop men’s tennis Connor Williamson, Winthrop softball player Keleigh Romine, and Women’s Tennis Lauren Proctor. Connor Williamson: Junior exercise science major Connor Williamson is an exchange student from Auckland, New Zealand. He was inspired to play tennis by his high school tennis club and mother, which he feels that the honor of the title for his hard work. “Where I live in New Zealand, there is a tennis club across the fence from my backyard. My mum played social tennis there, so I would go over with her and I immediately fell in love with it. I’ve been playing ever since I can remember,” Williamson said. Williamson commented on how playing tennis at Winthrop University allowed him to do what he loves while attaining a college degree, noting the diverse culture of the Winthrop athletics. “Winthrop has given me so many opportunities that I would have never experienced if I stayed in New Zealand. It’s given me the opportunity to compete at a high level in tennis while getting a degree. We have such a diverse culture in our team, and I have learned so much from my teammates and my coach,” Williamson said. Williamson got the title of Big South Athlete for three consecutive victories in a match against Hampton and Wofford College, in both single and double victories. “It was a very nice feeling when I found out that
I got Big South Player of the Week. My team has been putting in a lot of hard work into tennis and fitness, so getting this honor has proven to me that my hard work has paid off,” Williamson said. Keleigh Romine: Junior computer science major Keleigh Romine, a pitcher for Winthrop’s softball team, was named Big South Player of the Week during the match in weekend at the Bash in the Boro against Georgia Southern with a batting average of .571. “It is a great feeling to be named Big South Player of the Week because it felt like a lot of hard work had paid off. My team and I put in a lot of hard work during the fall, and it was nice to see how much better not only I have gotten, but we have improved as a team. It makes me very excited to see what the season brings,” Romine said. Romine, from Concord North Carolina, initially did cheerleading with her twin sister for her high school’s football team, until they were inspired to participate in one of their recreational sports in their home and found their passion. “One night after cheerleading, we went home and said that we didn’t want to cheer for a sport, we wanted to play one. We wanted to play on the field and be involved in all of the action. When we finished out our cheerleading season and our dad signed us up for recreational softball,” Romine said. This marks Romine’s first time earning the title of Big South Player of the Week. She stated that her passion for softball lead her to meet new people and make lasting friendships. “Playing softball at Winthrop has made my experience better than amazing. I have made some of the best friends I will ever have. I came in my freshman year with seven other freshmen on the team and there are still five of us on the
team. We have been through a lot together and have grown such a strong bond,” Romine said. Lauren Proctor: During a harrowing match against Davidson and Charleston, women’s tennis player and senior exercise science major Lauren Proctor made history by being the third women’s tennis student athlete in conference history to earn Player of the Year honors three times. She stated how much of an honor it is to be recognized. “Being Big South Player of the Week is always a great honor. With that being said, to receive that for myself, my team, and my university it is a really great feeling that always means a lot,” Proctor said. Procter noted that during the match she relied on her teammates, such as Megan Kauffman, to accomplish ranking No. 20 in the nation during the whole week. She noted how bonding with her teammates has defined her experience at Winthrop. “Playing tennis here at Winthrop has pretty much defined my Winthrop experience because everything I do here is centered on tennis. Besides going to class, I think everything else around me has stemmed from being on the tennis team,” Proctor said. Proctor encouraged athletes at Winthrop University to strive and work hard in order achieve the title of Big South Player of the Week, which can help players stand out and have something to look back on during their athletic career. “By reaching that level, you bring recognition to your university/organization, your teammates, your coaches, etc. That is what makes the status the most important and special, in my opinion,” Proctor said.
Take me out to the ballpark... for drinks Baseball and softball hit off the season by selling beer and wine during games Gabby Gardner gardnerg@winthrop.edu
Winthrop University baseball and softball stadiums have begun selling beer and wine to patrons who are over 21 years old and who present a valid and legal identification. Individuals will be able to purchase beer and wine inside the baseball stadium until the beginning of bottom of the seventh inning and until the beginning of the bottom of the fifth inning for softball games. “I think with the addition of selling alcohol it is going encourage fans to
come and it is going to be a positive thing,” Webb said, Lady Eagle softball player. “We are running this as a trail program and if successful, we intend to expand the program to events at the Coliseum,” Halpin said, Winthrop’s vice president of intercollegiate athletics. All alcohol will be poured and served in plastic cups. The Lady Eagle softball players think selling alcohol at the games will be a great idea. “I think it’s great that we are now
serving alcohol at our games. Softball games can be kind of slow, so there’s nothing like a nice beer to keep you feeling entertained,” Walker said, sophomore Lady Eagle. She also mentioned, “I think it will attract more people. I know a lot of people enjoy drinking while watching sports, so I feel like more people will come out to the games and enjoy some alcohol too.”
Jordan Farrell/ The Johnsonian
Greta Conboy | Sports Editor conboyg@mytjnow.com
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February 27, 2019
Stars shine in Charlotte
Hornets host NBA All-Stars and fans from Winthrop and around the world Matthew Shealy Staff Writer
Every year, the National Basketball Association has a mid-season break known as All-Star Weekend. The break serves as a time to recognize the best players in the league. This season the NBA’s All-Star festivities were held Friday, Feb. 15 – Sunday, Feb. 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the Charlotte Hornets. My friends and I went to Charlotte first thing Friday morning. We had not planned out what we were going to do, but we knew we wanted to get there early to beat the crowd. Our first stop was the Mint Museum Uptown, which partnered with Nike and Jordan brand to offer an artistic look into the NBA. There were tons of game-worn shoes on display and free posters of AllStar players. While we were there, Karl-Anthony Towns, center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, made a surprise appearance. Next, we headed for the Epicentre. The Epicentre is in the middle of Charlotte and serves as one of the city’s largest entertainment destinations. While we were waiting in line to enter, we saw Mo Bamba, center for the Orlando Magic, as well as Thomas Davis, a longtime linebacker for the Carolina Panthers and current NFL free agent. When we finally made it inside,
the first thing to meet our eyes was the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which is annually awarded to the team that wins the NBA Finals. After taking pictures with the trophy, we moved to a miniature basketball shooting game sponsored by Rakuten, a Japanese electronic commerce company. As we were waiting, Elena Delle Donne, small forward for the Washington Mystics and former WNBA MVP, arrived. She announced that the top two scorers during the hour she was there would each win $500 and two tickets to Saturday night’s festivities, which included the NBA’s skills challenge, 3-point competition and the dunk contest. When we reached the front of the line, the top score was 16. My friends Mark Laming and Zac Clary both tied the high score, but I set the record at 17. We could not believe my luck. As we waited to see if I would finish in the top two, someone scored a 22. We did not panic much because the hour was almost up. Just as an employee was informing me of the steps I would need to take to claim my prize, it was announced that the last Picture Provided by Mathew Shealy contestant was about to play. We stood watching in disbelief as a man Matthew and his friends at the event Left to right: Mark Laming, Zac Clary, Bradley Beal, Matthew Shealy, Michael Covil scored in the 30s, and my hopes of winning big were crushed. It was Our last destination was the Tisend was certainly an unforgettable not a complete loss though, as I was sot Style Lounge, which presented experience for countless sports fans. still interviewed by Rakuten’s Japaautograph signings for NBA stars The city of Charlotte also benefited nese television station. like Klay Thompson, Trae Young greatly from hosting the event, due After meeting Delle Donne, we and Kemba Walker. We met Bradto increased hotel rates and internavisited Mountain Dew Ice Courtside ley Beal, a shooting guard for the tional media exposure. Studios, a party atmosphere with Washington Wizards. Along with The NBA All-Star game on Sunloud music and free Mountain Dew. the pictures Tissot provided for us, day night served as the final event, Throughout the weekend, the Court- my friend Michael Covil got Beal to as “Team LeBron” defeated “Team side Studios hosted many famous sign his sports trading card, which Giannis” 178-164. NBA players, as well as the hip-hop will now stand out in his collection. group Migos. The 2019 NBA All-Star Week-
Keeping up with men and women’s basketball
Winthrop’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are nearing the end of this season’s conference play and are preparing to compete in the Big South Tournament.
Courtsey of the Winthrop Athletics
Men’s basketball team socializing during a timeout. Allison Thomas Staff Writer Men’s Basketball The men only have one more game left in conference play before the Big South Tournament begins. The team is currently 9-4 and in second place behind Radford. “The season has had its ups and downs so far, but the team is really playing well now during the conference season,” said senior guard Bjorn Broman. “We’re working hard every day in practice and it’s carrying over into games.” The next game is on Feb. 28 at Hampton. “My expectation for us is to finish these last few games strong and be ready for the conference tournament,” said Broman. The 2019 Big South Men’s Basketball Championship is the tourna-
ment to win the conference and earn a place in the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. It begins on March 5. “We’re really hoping to win the conference tournament and get to the NCAA tournament. That’s the main accomplishment,” said sophomore guard Kyle Zunic. Winthrop has made 10 tournament appearances, and their most recent one was in 2017. The Eagles earned a 13-seed, which was tied for the second best seed in program history. The men battled 4th-seeded Butler but fell 64-76. Highlights from this season include an early season non-conference game. The team traveled to Carbondale, Illinois to play Southern Illinois. “My favorite moment from the season would be when we beat Southern Illinois,” said sophomore
Courtsey of the Winthrop Athletics
Women’s basketball team celebrating a victory. Kyle Zunic. “It was great for our confidence.” Women’s Basketball The women have three games left in their conference season. The team is 6-7 and is ranked seventh place in the Big South Conference. “The season is going pretty good, better than I expected actually,” said freshman guard Jah’Che Whitfield. The Eagles’ last win was on Feb. 9 against Presbyterian. Whitfield scored a team-high of 16 points. “I think what I am doing well is bringing energy to the team and contributing however I can to help us win,” said Whitfield. “What I think I can do better is uplift the team when we are down and we need to come back because the game’s not over until there’s triple zeros on the board.” The Eagles have lost their last
two games to Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville. Their final conference games are on March 2 against Campbell, March 6 at Charleston Southern, and March 9 at Hampton. The first round of the 2019 Big South Women’s Basketball Championship begins on March 12. All 11 teams compete, and the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds host the quarterfinals and semifinals. The No. 6-8 seeds host the first round. “I hope the season ends off with us winning at least 15 games and winning a tournament,” said Whitfield. To keep up more with the men’s and women’s basketball teams, follow Winthrop Athletics on Twitter and Instagram @WUEagles.
Gabby Gardner | Assistant Sports Editor gardnerg@mytjnow.com
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A&CtheJohnsonian
Southern Foodways Alliance Film Festival February 27, 2019
Coverage of a keynote event that analyzed the diversity of Southern cuisine in a series of documentaries. Joseph Calamia Staff Writer
One of the markers of the South is good old fashioned Southern cooking, like shrimp and grits, cornbread or collard greens. But it’s important to see how food can form an identity of a region and how cultures can be influenced by this. You’d never guess that food would have such a deep connection to history and its relation to our diet. A prelude event for Winthrop University’s 2nd Interdisciplinary Conference, The World of Food, called “Diversity and Creativity in Southern Food Culture” was held on Feb. 20 in the Rutledge auditorium. The event featured a presentation of documentaries from the Southern Foodways Alliance website about diversity of Southern cuisine from the eyes of chefs in the South. Winthrop French assistant professor Anna Igou was one of the hosts of the event. She mentioned the founder of the SFA, John T. Edge would be the keynote speaker at the coming conference. The SFA is an organization that has made it their mission to study and preserve Southern cultural through food history. “I’ve known about the SFA for a while now and they hold events all over the South,” Igou said. “John T. Edge has made it his goal to look at the South’s history and evolution through its history of food.” John T. Edge authored “The Pot-
likker Papers” which gives a historBill Neal,” which analyzed the life of ical perspective on how Southern Bill Neal, who was the author of the food became so popular in Ameri“Southern Cooking” cookbook. Neal can culinary culture and how issues was influenced by Creole cooking of race have been intertwined with from New Orleans and study of this. He was invited for connections cultural connections of food. Igou toward both the history Southern was impressed with the variety of cooking and connection to Wincooking used and how it brought throp University. southern cooking on the map. “When the theme was established, “The way that they cook is influhe [John T. Edge] was a good choice to bring to Winthrop University, since his mother attended Winthrop but didn’t graduate,” Alice Burmeister, art history associate professor said. Burmeister, another host of the film festival focused on providing films from a spotlight of Mexican and Thai restaurants in the American South to show how they use the South to influence their cooking and help mold the identity of Southern cooking. “The diversity and variety of different nationalities and types of food was interesting with the passion the individuals [in the documentaries] do with their work,” Burmeister said. Courtsey of the Southern Foodways Alliance One of the highlights John T. Edge’s book on the history of of the SFA festival was Southern Food served as an important “They Came for Shrimp inspiration for the World of Food and Grits: The Life of conference.
encing the way that we eat from what we cook and what we taste,” Igou said. With the short run time, the film festival went through seven documentaries, all of which were available on the SFA’s official website to view. There was difficulty during the festival for which documentaries were selected for the students to watch at the festival. “We just wanted to show a diverse variety of different movies, it was really hard to choose which ones to watch,” Burmeister said. A recurring theme within the documentaries is how different restaurants, such as a tortilla bakery in Lexington, Kentucky and a fresh farm grocery in Charleston, South Carolina are accepted and thrived in a environment that has had its hardship in history, but shows evolution “It’s clear that it was hard work for all of them and I found it amazing how the Southern communities embraced them and their work,” Igou said. By the end of conference and film festival, students will not only gain a new appreciation to their mother’s cooking but learn how the simple aspect of food can influence a new community of diversity and comfortable memories through what we eat on our plates. “Hopefully the students who attended will take away that the taste of Southern cooking is richer and interesting than we’d think,” Igou said.
Winthrop Choirs semi-finalists for American Prize
Winthrop Chorale and Chamber singers were recently selected as semi-finalists for the prestigious American Prize Caleb Hinkley hinkleyc@mytjnow.com
The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit national competitions in the performing arts. The American Prize provides cash awards, professional adjudication as well as wide recognition for all who are selected. They select the best recorded performances annually by ensembles and individuals at the professional, university/college, church, community and secondary school levels. Winthrop University’s Chorale and Chamber singers are made up by students from all different majors and backgrounds who have a common interest in singing and the performing arts. The two groups are offered as classes each semester but students have to audition prior to the start of the semester to be accepted into the choirs. Most students in Winthrop Choirs perform with them for the entire academic year. This can mean not only in class rehearsals but extras during the week as needed. Winthrop Choirs often perform concerts in collaboration with each other so the music one choir is working on
may also be worked on by other choirs at the same time before they all come together. Neifert Enrique is a junior theatre major who is involved in both Chorale and Chamber singers. Making a commitment to both choirs can be very demanding, but Enrique has found a way to manage his schedule. Madeline Seconi is a theatre performance major who is also involved in Chorale. “Choir impacts my life everyday Courtsey of Winthrop University Choirs because I’m making Winthrop Choirs perform several concerts throughout the year on campus music with other and at other regional locations. people who love music,” Seconi said. Jake Runestad,” Seconi said. “Dr. Singers. As the competition for The She also remarked on a personal Mims later read us an email inAmerican Prize progresses, Winexperience with chorale that was forming us that our performance of throp Choirs are sure to keep on very touching and rewarding. “We that song saved a student’s life. Our singing. For those who want to see went on a choir tour to different music gave new meaning to life for the semi-finalists in action, Chorale high schools in South Carolina and this child.” and Chamber Singers will have their one of the songs performed is titled Winthrop University is well reprenext concert on March 8 at 8:15 ‘Please Stay’ an anthem for hope by sented by its Chorale and Chamber p.m. in McBryde Hall.
Dillon O’Neill | A&C Editor oneilld@mytjnow.com
theJohnsonian
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February 27, 2019
Trezzvant Anderson’s legacy Trezzvant Anderson was a civil rights activist and African American author and journalist who covered issues faced by African Americans during the civil rights movement.
of African American students and faculty as featured editor of his university’s newspaper at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. When people think of civil rights it is likely Upon graduating in the 1920s, they picture prominent figures such as Dr. he would go on to work for Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks or Malcolm national newspapers, writing X. However, few people may be aware of the truth about black America the importance of other local heroes of the in a time where less progressive movement. Trezzvant Anderson is one of those views were the most accepted. local heroes who led protests and began paving Anderson is also credited the way for African American journalists out of as laying the foundation for Charlotte. Willie Griffin from Levine Museum African American journalists of the New South hosted an event at Winthrop to be admitted into the White to share his research on Anderson and inform House Press Correspondents students of his impact on black history. Association. Dr. Griffin spoke During World War to a room full of II, Anderson went students and faculty overseas as a war in a classroom in the correspondent. He As an African American Owens building on wrote articles on journalist, this was really campus. Dr. Griffin African American told the audience he enlightening, I didn’t know soldiers fighting for first became interested freedom. He also such a figure would have in Anderson while wrote a book based working on his so much influence over the on his interviews master’s degree with an all-Black tank reporting and archival of at UNC Chapel battalion. Hill. He wanted to Anderson later African American affairs expand his study reported on Cold War and disparities during on Charlotte’s Civil politics and roved Caleb Hinkley/ The Johnsonian Rights Movements through the South those times Headlines of some of Anderson’s truthful coverage and found Anderson reporting on real of social inequalities during the Civil Rights had begun leading African American Zuri Anderson Mass Communication major Movement peaceful protests and issues and the civil inciting other African rights movement. She attended the event and remarked on what Americans to fight Anderson had power because he was she had learned about Trezzvant Anderson’s for equal rights long before the other figures trusted and respected by the people reading legacy. “As an African American journalist, this that are widely regarded as civil rights leaders. his articles. It was known by his readers and was really enlightening,” Anderson said. “ I “Anderson/s life represents a huge gap in Civil his critics that he was not afraid to speak the didn’t know such a figure would have so much Rights history,” Griffin said. uncensored truth. Claude Barnett, a frequent influence over the reporting and archival of Anderson was important not only for target of Anderson’s, was quoted by Griffin as African American affairs and disparities during encouraging students to peacefully protest saying, “a newspaper can be a dangerous weapon those times. This kind of research demonstrated against injustice but also for speaking the truth in Trezzvants hands.” the power of journalism and its contributions, using the power of the press. Anderson first Zuri Anderson is a senior mass communications but also the importance of understanding the began writing news stories in high school and major and editor in chief of The Roddey history of your community in relation to national then went on to write powerful pieces on the state McMillan Record at Winthrop University. history.”
Caleb Hinkley hinkleyc@mytjnow.com
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DSU Student Spotlight
DSU showcased some of Winthrop students’ musical talent at a student spotlight show Katelyn Miller Staff Writer
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There are very going to. talented students on Sophomore Winthrop’s campus, accounting The event was good and it major, Tanaza and it is important that we recognize was nice to see all the raw Ford attended them to make sure the event to talent we have on campus see what our their hard work does not go unnoticed. students have Tanaza Ford DSU presented a in store. sophomore accounting major Student Spotlight “The event on Feb. 20 to showcase some of the was good and it was nice to see talent Winthrop students had to all the raw talent that we have on offer. campus” Ford said. Freshman Brad Tinsley and Those in attendance enjoyed freshman computer science major watching every single student Gerald Wheaton started off the perform their songs and were show with singing and playing extremely supportive of everyone their original songs, and they did that put themselves out there. very well. After Brad and Wheaton “What I really loved about the performed, senior English major student spotlight was that a lot of Alecz Yeager sang her the students were able to stay true original songs and did to their originality without having to a wonderful job. And feel like they were being judged the third act, was junior because I am theatre major always interested Dionte Darko in what and he rapped Winthrop an original students have to offer song and did musically.” Marisa a few remixes Fields-Williams, and he rapped a sophomore a song with photography major, Jopastel. Then said. Jopastel performed There is a lot of his on original song pressure that comes with “Decisions” at the performing, so it took a lot very end. The show for the students to step and was great perform but everyone that and was attended was very supportive worth and non-judgemental.
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“I used to do a lot own story of gigs in Rock Hill, as to why primarily over the they started lot of the students were making summer and when the school year music and able to stay true to their picked back up, I each one is originality without having unique. didn’t have as much to feel like they were being “When time, so this is kind of a good way to get I started judged me back into the writing, swing of performing.” I never Marisa Fields-Williams sophomore photography major Yeager said. thought I Yeager is graduating would start in May and has not recording it, had a lot of time to I just knew dedicate to music, but she took this I liked writing it, but that’s what opportunity to perform to let people really pushed me, just being around see what she has to offer. so much music and still now being “I started writing poetry and then I around so much music.” Darko said. got good enough at guitar to where I All the students did a could make it into music,” Wheaton wonderful job and said. we all recognize the The students that hard work they performed had a gift for put into their songwriting, and it was music even great to see their if they have creativity in a million person. They other expressed their things creativity in different going on. ways as well; whether Keep an it be guitar playing or eye out for the rapping, all of them were next student great. spotlight. “I grew up listening to music, listening to rap, listening to R&B, listening to all different types of music,” Darko said. Each performer has their
Katelyn Miller / The Johnsonian
Preformers Gerald Wheaton, Brad Tinsley, and Dionte Darko isolated from their act.
Caleb Hinkley | Assistant A&C Editor hinkleyc@mytjnow.com
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OPINION
theJohnsonian
February 27, 2019
Are Eagles safe on campus? Even though there was a sexual assault on Feb. 15, students are comfortable walking around on campus. Some improvements would make them feel more secure. Sarah Delventhal Staff Writer
Students feel safe on campus even after the sexual assault on Friday, Feb. 15. Out of the four students interviewed, all of them said they felt safe on campus. Maggie McMillan, a sophomore computer science major, said, “Yes, I am willing to walk back from Rutledge to Thompson.” One of the respondents did not hear about the attack until the interview. “It surprised me because I did not hear about it,” Dajuan Bennett, a sophomore fine art and photography, said. Terrell Stauffer, a senior economics major, said that the event reminded him “incidents can still happen.” The other two said the incident did not change their opinion on how they feel safe on campus. “Not really, it is one of those things I have not heard about happening much,” McMillan said. Leie Almy, a freshman interior design major, said that it does not impact her image of campus because “it was done by a student off-campus.” There are various reasons students feel safe on campus. Students are pleased with the fact that we have blue lights, the police pa-
trol, the WU alerts and the escort system. “They have those blue lines set up, easily available and I got the number on speed dial on my phone,” McMillan said helps her feel safe. Almay said that “I like that they escort people.” Though she has never used it personally she has had friends who do. Students also like the visibility of the campus police. “I see the officers and walking on campus,” and driving around,” Bennett said. “They patrol pretty often that plays a part in it for sure,” Stauffer said. However, some small improvements to the blue lights and the patrol would be much appreciated. Students main concern was lighting on specific areas of campus and the surrounding area. McMillan said, “Set up a system to patrol more near campus walk such as the blue lights.” Almay pointed out that Scholars is well lit but other areas past it need more lighting. “More blue lights and more lights in general because once you get past Scholars, it is dark in general,” Almay said. Bennett said add on “more options on the blue light than the safety button” and “drive around campus more often.” To feel safer on campus these students have some tips. One technique is to walk quickly late at night
if you are walking back by yourself and listen to music. “Usually when I have to walk back at 9 p.m. I put on headphones and walk quickly,” McMillan said. Stauffer does the opposite and chooses to tune into his surroundings. “I stay aware of my surroundings, I think of my many scenarios of what could happen and how to react to it,” Stauffer said. Other students carry things or stay in contact with someone while walking back alone. “I have mace on my keys,”, Almay said. “I am normally not by myself,” but if she or one of her friends is, they know where the person is if they are walking somewhere alone at night. Another tip is to get to know your campus police. Ken Scoggins is the Chief of Campus police he has served as a police officer for 31 years, worked for the Rock Hill police department from 1988 to 2001 and then joined campus police in 2001. Since working on campus, he has seen crime rise and decline at Winthrop. “Our statistics indicate that there have been both slight increases and decreases depending on which year we consider,” Scoggins said. This is due to the fact that “campus police continue to take a very proactive approach to the safety and security of our Winthrop community,” Scoggins said. They
provide proactive policing with safety escorts, WU alerts, LiveSafe, ALERTUS and program initiatives. Since the attack on Friday, Feb. 15 Campus Police have continued to protect Winthrop’s open campus as much as possible. “Campus Police continues to patrol our campus by vehicle, foot, and bicycle to maintain visibility and deter crime 24 hours each day. Officers are encouraged to conduct walkthroughs as often as possible, in buildings and residence halls, in order to maintain visibility and make contact with students. Building checks are completed each night as officers secure doors,” Scoggins said. As for the statistics there have been four cases of rape, two cases of robbery, two cases of aggravated assault, seven cases of burglary, zero cases of murder/manslaughter due to negligence or non-negligent, fondling incest, statutory rape, motor vehicle theft and arson during the years 20152017 according to Winthrop’s crime statistics for founded reports. For more information on crime at Winthrop visit https://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/Police/ CrimeStatistics.pdf. Also, if one has any suggestions on ways to make campus safer stop by the Good Building or contact Winthrop Police at (803) 323-3333.
The free speech crisis
When the majority opinion becomes the minority opinion, the dynamic changes. Is this really a free speech crisis?
Erin Streetman/The Johnsonian
Erin Streetman streetmane@mytjnow.com In high school, I would hear plenty of people yell about building Trump’s wall during pep rallies. The boy sitting next to me would tell me that women belong in the kitchen. The white boy in my class would say the n-word and get only sideways glances. When I would try to speak out against them, I was quickly shut down by the same demographic. Majority opinion was that of the traditional conservative white male. I was told that it was “free speech” or “just their opinion.” But free speech doesn’t mean that you can say whatever you want without consequences, it just means that the government cannot punish you for speaking out against them. In college, there is a separate majority. Most people here at Winthrop favor a more liberal view of things. I can openly discuss my political
opinions about gun control, abortion or LGBTQ+ rights without fear of being shut down. Many people who are used to hearing their own voices so loudly above all others call this the “free speech crisis.” Conservatives versus liberals, only one can be left standing, in their eyes. In my classrooms, I have a mix of professors who lean left or right. Very few of them clearly state what their political opinions are. In HMXP for instance, there was a clear mix of left and right leaning students, and some discussions were more heated than others. Never, however, was either opinion shut down. Coming to college, I have met many people with similar opinions to my own, and I have met others with very different opinions to my own. I am friends with both, and I actively participate in political discussions with both. I am not saying that Winthrop is perfect, I am sure there are plenty with the mindset that if someone else does not agree with them then the best they can do
Erin Streetman | Opinion Editor streetmane@mytjnow.com
is to be quiet. I am also aware that this is anecdotal evidence, and may not represent the majority. However, why is it that we only ever hear about the free speech crisis when conservatives are the ones shouting about it? Those who have only ever heard their own cries above the whispers of others are used to having the upper hand. They are used to being agreed with, even if that agreement is simply silence in place of dissent. When their voice is challenged, when the majority is suddenly against them, they feel out of place. They feel that they cannot speak up for fear of being ostracized. They feel like I did in high school. I understand their point of view because it has happened to me. But it is not that simple. Openly discussing political viewpoints with your friends, hearing their side, and discussing your side is a good way to start. Starting with heavy topics like abortion may not be the way to go. You will find that many people agree with you, for their own
reasons. Some will agree with less government interference in daily lives. Some will agree for religious reasons. Some will completely disagree with you. You will find similarities and disagreements in each and every person but that does not mean that you cannot respect each other’s opinions and talk out your reasons. My opinion was suppressed for most of my life. I make it a point to try not to suppress the opinions of others, but to instead try to discuss reasons behind our opinions. I have changed the minds of many, and some have changed my mind. I have grown and grown and grown, and I still have plenty of room to grow. Each of us still have room to grow. My point is that those who are claiming that there is a “free speech crisis” simply aren’t used to being the minority opinion. This does not mean they are being oppressed. It simply means the dynamic has changed.
theJohnsonian
February 27, 2019
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Kaep won, NFL took a knee Colin Kaepernick’s Collision case finally settled.
Victoria Howard howardv@mytjnow.com Most of us know of how Colin Kaepernick’s, former NFL quarterback for the 49ers, collusion case came to be. Back in 2017, Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem for the football games. He began kneeling because he wasn’t happy with the way the country had been treating his people, because of police shootings and innocent people dying without cause. He felt until we do something about these acts he wouldn’t be standing for the national anthem as a protest. Before taking this action, Kaepernick talked to some veterans of our nations army to ask if kneeling during the anthem was disrespectful to them in any way, and if so what else could he do that wouldn’t disrespect them. When asked, the veteran, Nate Boyer former Green Beret, said no it wasn’t offensive at all, but the rest of the United States didn’t seem to agree with the veteran. Many, including citizens, The League [NFL], and our President, believed that Kaepernick’s actions were highly offensive, and very disrespectful. Because the president tweeted that Kaep and those who kneeled with him should be fired, the league cowered into the shadow of the president’s Twitter and fired both Kaepernick, and Eric Reid, Carolina Panther Safety. After being fired, Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance report against the NFL, because he believed that he and Reid were fired for no reason. After a year of being fired, Kaepernick, while continuing his training, was signed to Nike’s 30th anniversary ‘Just do it’ campaign. His motto in the campaign was ‘Believe in something, Even if it means sacrificing everything.’ As great of a campaign as this was for Nike, and how great it was for Kaepernick, the country was in total outrage. Many began cutting and burning their personal Nike products in protest to the company for signing Kaepernick. But of course this didn’t bother Nike’s sales, in fact, it actually increased them by $6 billion according to a Vox websource. Although Reid starting kneeling after Kaepernick, before the collusion case was settle Reid was
already invited back into the league not as a 49er, but as a Panther. After reviewing exactly what went on throughout the year and why, the biggest question left over is why did the NFL really fire Kaepernick? When weighing out the different ‘crimes’ that go on in the league Kaepernick’s seemed tiny compared to the other things other players have done. So why did the NFL fire Kaepernick? Was it because they are ‘ride or die’ American citizens who take pride in our nation’s anthem? Was it because of their plummeting ratings? Were they only dropping him to please long term fans? Or did they do it because the President decided to take a trip to Jordan Farrell/The Johnsonian his Twitter account? No adding the settlement payment with his Nike payone is absolutely sure about why, but now that his ment, it is said to be ‘millions per year’ according grievance has been settled, maybe we’ll get more to Charles Robinson Senior reporter for Yahoo answers from the league itself once they release Sports. Since Kaepernick is still signed with more about the grievance. Nike, after the settlement was released, KaeperSince Kaepernick’s settlement was leaked over nick and Nike released his new jersey. It’s called the weekend, NFL and their affiliates have been Kaepernick’s ‘icon jersey.’ It’s an all black jersey trying to downplay the fact that Kaepernick took with white lettering with Kaepernick’s name and down the NFL. Even though his settlement was number that has already sold out. said “not enough to cover yachts for his third Although the IRS taxed Kaepernick’s settlegeneration,” according to Sports Illustrated webment, lots of NFL affiliates and the league itself source, his settlement was still in the millions. No downplayed the amount that he received, and one’s completely sure of the exact amount Kaep Kaepernick stopped working as of the end of the was paid, but according to a few different sports 2016 football season, it can be agreed upon that news web-sources, Kaepernick was paid someKaepernick is still living comfortably. Even if where between $40-80 million dollars. Including Kaepernick never plays for the NFL again in his his actual net worth of $20 million, as of 2018 lifetime, it’s safe to that Colin Kaepernick will be according to Banking Grates websource, and more than fine when it comes to salary.
The case for mental health days Mental health is just as important as physical health. Here are a few ways to tell when and how to take care of yourself. Erin Streetman Streetmane@mytjnow.com When a person is physically sick, they will go to the doctor, call out of work, or take medicine. Different people have different methods of taking care of their physical health when they are ill, but what about mental health? We typically don’t take as good of care of our mental health as our physical health because we do not know when or how to preserve our mental well-being. But as it turns out, it is just as important to take care of our mental health as is our physical health. The relationship between our physical and mental health is bidirectional - if we do not take care of our mental health, our physical health will suffer. This is true the other way around, as well. Taking care of yourself physically will benefit you mentally and vice versa. Unfortunately, we do not always take our mental health into as much consideration, and part of this is not knowing when we need to call a sick day for our mental health. If your mental health is suffering, you may experience a variety of symptoms. Exhaustion, anxiety, and a lack of focus are just a few of these. Some people become easily set off or triggered by small things. They feel on edge, and end up taking it out on the people who are close to them. Others feel disconnected from the people or world around them, and can often feel like they are moving in slow motion. Physical illness can also arise if your mental health is suffering: maybe that three week cold has less to do with the cold weather and more to do with your mental health. The tension in your shoulders or neck may not be because you slept wrong, it could be built-up stress that you haven’t been able to let go of. So what should you do about it? Ultimately, the answer to this question is up to each individual and their own personal needs and limits. Obviously a person can’t take a day off every time they feel a little bit stressed. However, when you have been neglecting yourself or feeling overwhelmed to the point where your physical
health, mental well-being or quality of work is suffering, you need a mental health day. A mental health day should ultimately consist of whatever it is that helps each person relax and recover. Focus on working through challenging mental tasks that have been stressing you out recently - you now have a whole day to get through them. What are your best coping strategies for working through anxiety? How will you organize the rest of the week so that you can be less stressed later on? Working through difficult tasks that have been weighing you down earlier in the day will allow you to get a good night’s sleep later on that night. Make sure you take care of yourself physically, too. Eat all three meals, making sure they are healthy and balanced. Hit the gym to help you sleep better and release some stress that you have been holding on to. Clean up the areas that you are in the most - especially your bedroom. Sleeping in a messy space can make you feel more stressed out and Erin Streetman/The Johnsonian make falling asleep harder. And if you feel up to it, you can invite some supportive friends for a hangout. Mental health days are just as important and just as valid as sick days. But, if you find that you need mental health days too often, it may be time to consider outside help. Winthrop’s Health and Counseling Services are open to all students. Each student can get 8-12 individual sessions but can attend as many group sessions as they want or need. Remember that counseling is not just for people with mental illnesses, but is instead meant for anyone and everyone. Counselors can help with major or minor problems and are trained to help with a number of ailments. Take care of yourselves, Eagles, and remember that you are not alone.
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theJohnsonian
February 27, 2019