11.06.2019

Winthrop University

Wednesday

November 6, 2019

Rock Hill, SC

Serving Winthrop and Rock Hill Since 1923

It’s all about the Council of Student Leaders hosted a Budget Town Hall with VP Justin Oates and President Dan Mahony Kiki Todman todmank@mytjnow.com The Council of Student Leaders subcommittee, Campus Outreach, hosted both Winthrop University President Dan Mahony and Vice President of Business and Finance Justin Oates in Dina’s Place for the first Town Hall of the year to talk about the current state of the university’s budget.

This event, held on Oct. 28, served to further the dialogue and showcase transparency from Winthrop administration to students about where their tuition dollars are going and how the university as a whole was spending said money. This town hall was very information and graphic-heavy so students that were present had a lot of questions regarding the information that they saw.

The presentation was broken down into three parts: tuition, how the dollars are used across the university and other revenue sources.

The town hall allowed students to ask questions and have them answered immediately by Oates and Mahony.

“I had a question on the increase over the year, you said on the last line for the tuition assistance, now I know you said it increases and then in 2019 it decreased by 1.6 percent.

Is there a particular reason why that happened?” asked Joshua Alicea, a political science major.

Mahony said public service grants and funding from the state altered the amount of scholarships Winthrop could offer.

Mahony responded to this question first, “There’s a couple of things that happened. One of which is the state actually has what’s called core percent proviso, which limits the amount of dollars that we can use from general operating funds towards scholarships. And so in order to be aligned with that, we had to redo some of the scholarships. So we were limited,” Mahony said. “There’s also some things in there we don’t really control. One of the things that [fluctuate] from year to year, which is called the public service grants, and that’s money that goes to scholarships for children of veterans killed in action, things like that. We have no control over that, so we’re required by state law to provide those scholarships, but we have no idea sometimes until students get here, whether they qualify for their scholarships or not,” Mahony said.

Oates added that enrollment is also a determining factor in tuition costs. If enrollment drops, tuition rises.

“One other reason though is the

enrollment drops. So you can see the revenue went down a little bit, which again, if you did this on a per-student basis per student, it’s probably in the same range as prior year,” Oates said. “Excluding those things that the president mentioned. You have less students in general, you have to lift revenue, then you’re going to have less financial aid.”

Oates explained additional revenue sources that the university has at its disposal, including state appropriations. State appropriations are money that the university receives from the state to “run its operations” and offset tuition. “[Tuition is] only one of our revenue sources. It’s only one of our revenue sources. ... Besides tuition and fees and grants and contracts, state appropriations is about 10 percent of our operating dollars. This year they gave us additional $2 million in state appropriations, which you can see on here,” Oates said.”It only looks like about 1.2 percent, but when you count on all of the other kind of nuances going in, they really gave us about $2 million more in recurring funds.”

These additional funds allowed Winthrop to increase tuition increases to half a percent rather than past increases in the 2% range.

“Giving us additional funds allowed us to keep the tuition lower for

students, which you may know, we only gave up half a percent increase compared to prior years two and above. It ranges anywhere from two and a two and a half the last three or four years,” Oates said.

Winthrop also has auxiliary revenue, which comes from health and counseling, housing and dining.

“Those make up about 10 percent of our revenue sources generated, and then other revenue are some of the money we received from The [Winthrop University] Foundation.”

Oates stressed that there are a multitude of revenue ventures that the university has actively searched for outside foundations to help support the students and the university.

For example, Courtyard is not owned

by Winthrop but by a real estate foundation that provides the university with about half a million dollars a year.

“So where is revenue generated from athletics policy?” asked Michael Hazell, a computer science major.

Oates explained that the student activity fee, league sponsorship, and away game guarantees are the main sources of revenue for athletics.

“They provide an annual amount to us. They also have generate dollars through away games where they go.

4see Budget pg. 3

A creative space with cutting edge technology The CreatorSpace in Rutledge can be accessed by students, locals, alumni and faculty to use technology that is otherwise not easy to access

Savannah Scott scotts@mytjnow.com Imagine having access to 3-D printers, laser cutters, camera drones, a recording booth and so much more at your own disposal. Winthrop’s CreatorSpace allows Rock Hill locals, alumni, students and faculty to do so.

The space was an initiative created in 2015 between Winthrop University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts and Rock Hill’s Knowledge Park.

The space has equipment that allows people to express their creative ideas. The room includes a sound booth, a lighting lab, cameras, recorders, tripods, two 3D printers, keyboards, projectors, a large format printer, a laser cutter, camera drones and computers with software.

The space has grown immensely since being created. It started with only a laser cutter, one 3-D printer and a recording booth. “[It was made] to give the community a creative space to work and create projects to have access to equipment that they wouldn’t normally have access to, which is why it was initially started,” Stacy Carter, executive assistant to the Dean of the CVPA, said. “We welcome everybody to use it. It is to centralize this creative outlet for Winthrop and members of the community.”

Along with individuals using the space, classes also use the CreatorSpace as a new way of learning.

“The biology department is doing a project where they are 3-D printing various internal organs like hearts, brains, lungs,” Carter said. “They are 3-D printing organs to see the intriguticay of those organs in an actual 3-D format.”

The initiative for these specific classes started over the summer to teach faculty how to use the printers to then help students learn.

The music department also uses the 3-D printers to print musical instrument parts in a more efficient and cheaper way.

The space allows students and faculty to use professional level equipment to further their professional development skills.

“A lot of this equipment is leading edge and allows us to perform our research with equipment that is relative to the industry today. Having it is very beneficial and replicates the working condition for the real world,” Andrew Davis, the fine arts laboratory technician, said. “We have students from the department of fine arts that have gone on to 3-D modeling and prototyping machining jobs based off their experience doing computer design and 3-D printing. It’s a beneficial skill set to have after you graduate.”

The space has lab monitors that

can help navigate how to use the equipment and most of the technology is free. The only equipment that has charges is the 3-D printer and the large format printer to cover the cost of the paper and resin used in both machines. The prices for these, however, is minimal.

Carter hopes to eventually add more equipment for people to use and allow their creative outlet to grow.

It is currently being looked at to add more laser cutters and 3-D printers due to the popularity of the two. She encourages anyone who is interested in trying any of the equipment to come to the CreatorSpace.

“I would love for students to come in there so they can try new things. A lot of students that come down there have never 3-D printed anything and you can get a taste for it,” Carter said. “All of a sudden it sparks your creativity and you can think of all the things you can do. So not knowing how to use the equipment is the fun of it. You could learn about different software, and equipment you may not use in class.”

The CreatorSpace is open on Monday from noon to 9 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

It is located in Room G026 of Rutledge. For more information about the space, email the CreatorSpace director at cartersa@winthrop.edu.

Photos by Sam Ross/ The Johnsonian The 3-D printers are one of the many items that can be used in the creators space.

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Sports

Opinion

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Music Therapy

mytjnow.com

10/10 Marc Carreras

“Jesus Is King”

Index: News 3 | Science & Tech 5 | Sports 6 | Arts & Culture 8 | Opinion 10

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November 6, 2019

theJohnsonian

A singer, a radio personality and a presidential hopeful walk into Dina’s Place Michelle Williams, Charlamagne Tha God and Marriane Williamson talk mental health

Marriane Williams is a democratic presidential candidate.

Williams is interviewed by a student after the discussion.

Charlamagne Tha God is the co-host of radio show “The Breakfast Club.”

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The speakers discussed issues such as anxiety and depression and how societal expectations played into those problems.

Michelle Williams was a member of R&B girl group Destiny’s Child

Last week’s solution

The line to get in to the event stretched from the door al the way to Starbucks across the campus center. Dina’s Place was packed as students came to hear from the star-studded panel.

mory-Improvement-Tips.com

About The Johnsonian

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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 Anna Sharpe sharpea@mytjnow.com

Sports Editor Gabby Gardner

Managing Editor Assistant Sports Maggie Claytor La J’ai Reed claytorm@mytjnow.com A&C Editor Ad Manager Laura Munson Victoria Howard howardv@mytjnow.com Assitant A&C Madison Yarborough News Editor Matt Thrift

Assistant News KiKi Todman S&T Editor Savannah Scott

Photography Editor Tate Walden

Opinion Editor Victoria Howard

Layout Editor Katelyn Miller Graphic Designer Lizzy Talbert Copy Editors Casey Smith Haleigh Altman Jessica Shealy

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< Budget

November 6, 2019

from front

called away game guarantee,” Oates said. “Those are the main revenue generation through athletics it’s between the student activity with the revenue.”

Oates explained the expense side of things and the breakdown of how it works for the university.

“So we did a similar thing with expense where we broke the expense down. We basically showed you the trend between ‘15 and ‘19 again. And so you could see expenses just like revenue. If you look at revenue, it also is going up a little bit in line. Expenses are very much in line with revenue usually. And so the expense side, the health, you Courtsey of Winthrop University can see, we break it up into benefits Vice President of Business and operating expenses, financial aid Finance, Justin Oates was one of and salaries,” Oates said. ”So the the speakers at the Town Hall held operating expenses are like advertisin Dina’s Place ing contracts, services, supplies and materials, memberships that we ... “[For example] we’ll pay Kensubscribe to. So those operating extucky and Kentucky will pay us a penses ... you can see 33 percent salcertain amount on their plate. It’s

ary, 26 percent operate, 27 percent financial aid, and then 14 percent benefits.”

The benefits category has increased due to a state mandate that over a five year period, benefits go up by 1 percent.

“That’s definitely been a drain on the budget the last couple of years and will continue to be the next two to three years is we have that percentage increase in our pensions, which is our health and retirement for employees. So when you take another way to look at expenses as by what they call functional class classification,” Oates said.

Since the university is actually showcasing positive trends in keeping expenses lower than and since 2015 to 2019 the university has seen a growth in net position. Why is this important?

Oates explained that it is for a number of different reasons.

“One, the university needs our

reserve in the bank so that if we have these as we move forward, we have a funding source beside current year revenue and expense, and so this is a positive trend, but the other positive pieces just on Friday because we’ve hit the 20 million mark. We’ve gone to 22.2. We’ve worked with our board, and they’ve actually agreed to invest 2.2 million of this into our residence halls and academic buildings on campus, and so that’s something that we really worked hard with them to understand the needs of the students,” Oates said.

With funding from the board, Winthrop Administration can work to ensure that technology is up to date, residence halls can get the upgrades they need, the roofs on McLaurin, Bancroft, Johnson, Joynes and many other buildings can get worked on. Winthrop University is getting the funding that’s needed to maintain a strong campus foundation, culture and community.

Tell your storyA conversation on improving mental health awareness

Marianne Williamson, Michelle Williams, and Charlamagne Tha God came to Winthrop to talk about mental health, America’s future and the 2020 Ann Marie Juarez staff writer Winthrop hosted another presidential hopeful who came to campus with a different approach than most on the campaign trail: a discussion with a former member of Destiny’s Child and a famous radio personality.

Author and democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson stopped by Dina’s Place alongside Michelle Williams and Chalamagne Tha God on Oct. 28. to not only talk about the election, but the importance of mental health.

Williamson is not the first candidate that has came to Winthrop this semester. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont came in September.

“Winthrop is a public institution dedicated to serving the state of South Carolina and to promoting the free exchange of ideas and informed citizenship. Thus, the university welcomes political candidates, elected officials and guest speakers from all partisan and ideological perspectives to visit campus,” News and Media Services Manager Judy Longshaw said.

Winthrop students and supporters from surrounding areas came to hear the conversation. Joey Smith, a junior at Winthrop, explained his thoughts about Williamson and his interest in hearing about her policies.

“I would like to know more about her department of peace and youth,”

Smith said. “I like her as a candidate and want to know more about her stance on mental health and how that will translate to her potential presidency.”

Smith said there is a possibility that if Williamson were to be a choice in the primary he would vote for her.

“I suffer from the common American problem of thinking too much of what everyone else is thinking, so we’ll see. It is a possibility,” Smith said. He added that other candidates definitely cannot “talk about the same things Williamson can talk about.”

Ayana Crawford, a Winthrop alum who holds a degree in psychology, said that she learned about the event through Williamson’s social media. Crawford is not a current supporter of any of the speakers, but that “might change.”

“Mental health is very important to me,” Crawford said. “Unfortunately I feel as though candidates are not talking about it enough or providing practical solutions to the nation’s growing mental health problems”.

Michelle Williams, formerly of Destiny’s Child, talked about her past and present struggles with depression. She talked about how her mental health was affected during her time with the group and recalled feeling that Destiny’s Child had “a lot of great things going on” but that she felt worn out and emotional and couldn’t fully enjoy their success.

Williams shared how she devel-

Tate Walden/ The Johnsonian Dina’s Place was packed while democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson spoke on metal health with Michelle WIlliams and Charlamagne the God.

oped a lot of negative coping mechanisms into her 30s to deal with depression. Williams explained how it is still something she deals with but that “Jesus and therapy” have helped her more than she can explain. Williams talked about the stigma within her own church community that made her feel like being depressed was a lack of faith in God. Williams doesn’t agree with this mindset and wants others to be more accepting of those dealing with these matters.

Lenard McKelvey — better known as Charlamagne Tha God — is the co-host of the popular morning radio show The Breakfast Club.

McKelvey recently published a book titled “Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me” where he opened about his about his past and present struggles with anxiety. McKelvey recalled how after reading his book his father opened up to him about his struggles with mental health and how he tried to take his own life years ago.

McKelvey talked about his personal choice to want to be a better version of himself helped him get on a path to be more accepting of his mental health experience. “I appreciated Charlemagne stating that ‘it’s okay not being okay, but it’s not okay staying not okay.’ I think people needed to hear that and know that these resources for them to use and not choose to suffer,” Crawford said.

Williamson talked about how our

society is “toxic” with cell phones always being on. Williamson remembered a time she woke up in the middle of the night to check her phone and how that experience was a wake-up call to spend more time away from screens. She added that our society plays a big role in our mental health as a country.

“Ninety-three million Americans live near poverty, most of which don’t know what they will do if they get sick or if their children get sick,” Williamson said. She also made reference to the initiative to give American students more access to internet but how in Europe they are taking the internet out of the schools.

Williams talked about the problem of comparing ourselves to each other on social media, and McKelvey explained how social media is essentially a highlight reel to which we try to give our lives unrealistic expectations. Williamson went on to add how societal expectations also add to this problem and how an important part of getting back on the right track is setting aside five minutes per day for self-care.

“We feel we have to look a certain way to be attractive, we have to do a certain kind of thing to be successful, we have to make a certain amount of money for our lives to have value. Of course we feel depressed,” Williamson said.

A roundup of crime on campus

Here is a rundown of calls WUPO has been recieving in October Matt Thrift thriftm@mytjnow.com A member of Winthrop Athletics coaching staff spoke with WUPD regarding a projector that was her personal property (valued at $799) going missing. The coach told WUPD that the projector had been on her desk but was gone when she came in to work one morning. The victim spoke with other staff as well as WU athletes and none of them had the projector. The report states

that, according to the victim, “the only persons who had access to the facility were the cleaning people and the contractors who were redoing the floors in the facility.” The case remains active as of Oct. 22.

On Oct. 24, WUPD responded to East Thomson Hall following a “LiveSafe alert for a suspicious black male in the lobby.” The subject — who has no affiliation with the university — told a WUPD officer that he was “just looking for a place to charge his phone.” The officer

Matt Thrift | News Editor thriftm@mytjnow.com

informed the subject that he was not allowed to be in the residence halls as they are not a public area.

The officer obtained the subject’s identification and contacted Winthrop Dispatch in order to find out if the subject had any warrants. It was confirmed that the subject had a “Family Court bench warrant.”

The officer placed the subject under arrest for the warrant and subsequently took him to the 7/11 gas station on Cherry Road and Oakland Avenue where a York County Sheriff’s Deputy “took possession” of the

subject.

A man was arrested on Oct. 31 at Winthrop Lake after WUPD officers responded to “a black male subject walking around the lake area with a bra on his head.” The suspect was recognized as someone who had been “placed on trespass from Winthrop properties last month.” The suspect was charged with trespassing and taken to the Rock Hill city jail for processing. The suspect’s court date is Dec. 2.

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The State of the University

Winthrop President Dan Mahony addresses where the university stands Gweneshia Wadlington staff writer Winthrop University President Dan Mahony began his State of the University address by thanking those who had made all previous and upcoming awards and goals possible.

With the speech being streamed on Facebook Live, Mahony got a chance to reach those who couldn’t physically make it to speech, including his mother. Mahony mentioned that the university had set certain goals that they weren’t sure they were going to reach until about 2025, but in 2019, Winthrop had actually surpassed what they expected to be doing.

“This year we’ve had our overall ranking in 25 years going from 25th place to 17th place which is a dramatic increase in just one year.

Winthrop has gone from 17th to 8th place for best college professors. This February we were designated as a Purple Heart campus, which again is recognition of what we do and ou commitment of our veterans … we tied for 10th place among most innovative schools, and we went from 15th to 11th for best undergraduate teaching, which was again judged by our peers,” Mahony said.

“I want to highlight some student success from the last year — in intercollegiate athletics our women’s tennis team won the Big South championship for a record breaking 21st time,” Mahony said. “In lacrosse, baseball and softball all made in to the conference, which is very impressive accomplishments made by our athletic teams, and this fall has started out great. Led by women’s volleyball, which is still undefeated in the conference, undefeated at home and is really having one of the greatest seasons yet. So, we’re very proud of what their doing on the athletic fields.”

In addition to Winthrop’s athletic

excellence, our students are also bringing home the win in our classrooms. “[Our student-athletes] also excelling in the classroom. Seventy percent of our athletes were present for the Presidential Honor roll, so not only are our student-athletes excelling on the field and on the courts, but in the classrooms as well. On top of that this year we’ve recorded out highest graduation rate at 90 percent for student-athlete graduation success.

On top of that, the majority of our students that graduate, graduate within four years, and that trend has continued into this year. I sometimes have a hard time explaining to others because they say six years is the new norm because you do a six-year graduation rate. No, actually about 75 percent of our students who do graduate, graduate in four years or less, and, in fact, we’re seeing an increase in the number of students that graduate in three years or less. So our students are progressing towards graduation and doing so more quickly than ever, and we’re very happy with that.”

Mahony went on to mention the Winthrop Plan, which consists of five goals. Goal one was to support inclusive excellence by expanding our impact on students and our communities through enrollment growth and increases in retention and graduation rates. Goal two is to continually enhance the quality of the Winthrop experience for all students by promoting a culture of innovation with an emphasis on global and community engagement. Goal three is to attract and half and retain high quality and diverse faculty, staff, and administrators. Goal four is to provide facilities, technology, and programs that support Winthrop students and the overall Winthrop experience. Goal five is to ensure financial stability and sustainability.

theJohnsonian November 6, 2019 “Last year we had a record number of applications, over 6,000 students applied to Winthrop University. That’s a 15 percent increase from our previous record in 2006. This year things are continuing along that same track,” Mahony said. “We’re happy to report that we’re up about 425 applications compared to this time last year, and about 1,500 more than we’ve had two years ago. So the trend in applications is continuing. What this indicated to us, is that the interest in Winthrop has never been greater, and that we’re getting out there and people are pretty interested, interested enough to apply.” Since this, “We’ve had an 8 percent increase in our freshman class, and a 16 percent increase in our graduate courses, largely driven by our online courses. In addition to Courtesy of Winthrop University our website we’re doing lots of things to help make sure those numbers President Dan Mahony spoke at continue to grow. One of the things this year’s State of the we’ve done this past year is work University. with a financial aid leveraging firm, BAB, to work on how we use our press time, the only South Carolina scholarships to best meet the needs university president who has signed of the freshman class,” Mahony said. the CEO diversity and inclusion “We’ve 2019 target at 43 percent, pledge.

I sometimes get the question, ‘Why With all of these new things that do we focus on diversity so much at Winthrop is excelling in, there are Winthrop since we’re already distill a few things that need to be verse?’ Well, we are a public univerworked on, one of which is retention sity, and we should reflect society. rates. So far Winthrop has struggled We should reflect the people around to retain freshman, and having them us and so I don’t see this as just stay and finish out their four years. another goal, I see this as an obliAnother thing that the university gation, as an institution as a public needs to work on is the facility/staff university we should reflect society, CAPA medium. Winthrop is still we should reflect the diversity in below the goal by about 20 percent society, and we should be welcoming either at the medium or below it. to all students, all students,” Mahony But that doesn’t mean the university said. “And so that is our goal and pri- is just waiting to implement differority, and we know that as diversity ent programs for our facility/staff increases in society, these numbers because of this. Winthrop has started should increase as well.” an assistance program, a relief proA few more goals and accomgram. In a few weeks there is to be a plishments that Winthrop’s achieved meeting to discuss how to get these include exceeding their goal of unnumbers into the green, which will dergraduate placement, the fact that be implemented within the next few the esports team is performing better months to help get the faculty/staff than expected, being a voter-friendwhere they need to be. ly campus, exceeding the goal of With all the new accomplishdiverse staff going from a baseline ments, Winthrop appears to be in of 14 percent to 21 percent, improvtip-top shape for the year. For more ing technology with the addition of information on what was said about exercise science facility at Knowledge Winthrop’s accomplishments and Park, adding a record-breaking 600 awards, check out Winthrop’s Facemembers to the Winthrop Athletics book page at Winthrop University, Eagle Club, lowering the debt ratio or check out the university’s website from .54 to a .406 exceeding this at www.winthrop.edu to catch up on goal before 2024, collecting over every award, accomplishment and $700,000 to exceed the goal for unevery hilarious joke from Mahony. restricted giving and Mahony is, as of

Gun violence and kindness A conversation with two new organizations on campus

Matt Thrift thriftm@mytjnow.com One of the most common things college students hear is the (often unsolicited) advice to “get involved.”

Between a full schedule that consists of some combination of classes, work, a social life and sleep, it may seem like a difficult task to find the time to add something else to one’s plate. While being told over and over to “get involved” may quickly become tiresome, it is nonetheless an important part of life as a college student.

Winthrop University has a wide enough variety of organizations on campus that, theoretically, any student should be able to find something that interests them or that they are passionate about.

Lucy Lamphier is the president of March For Our Lives Winthrop.

Lamphier said that the organization was founded during the current semester and is “intent on spreading awareness for gun violence, educating about policies and promoting change towards increased gun control.”

The subject of gun violence is something that hit close to home for her. “I founded the group because the mission is close to my heart — I

lived 10 minutes from the Newtown shooting and have been an active supporter of gun control since,” Lamphier

said.

Madeline Chuvalas is the president of The Dandelion Project Club.

Chuvalas said that the origins of the club date back to last semester but that the group became active this semester.

“The mission of The Dandelion Project is to be a place rooted in the belief that kind deeds spread, inclusivity creates community, and relationships make the Winthrop experience. We strive to be a safe community for students to come and

Kiki Todman | Assistant News Editor todmank@mytjnow.com

feel welcomed and loved by their peers,” Chuvalas said. “Our number one goal is to provide students with a place where they are loved no matter what. Following that main goal, we strive to bring kindness and positivity to campus through loving

Courtesy of the Dandelion Project one another and completing kind deeds on campus. I would love to see The Dandelion Project provide a place for more students who have yet to find their core community at Winthrop. Creating and growing relationships within Dandelion and on campus is a big part of what we hope to do. “ Chuvalas said that when she first

came to Winthrop, she struggled to find an organization where she felt like she was “meeting people who differ” from her.

“All of our organizations are wonderful, but many of them require a common factor, such as a sport, hobby, or belief. I really wanted to find a place where I could meet all kinds of people and grow my community at Winthrop. That is when I came up with The Dandelion Project.

I wanted to create a positive space rooted in kindness and love where all are welcome,” Chuvalas said.

While gun violence can be a heavy subject, Lamphier said that MOFLW is a “lowkey organization intent on change while still having some fun.”

As for what the future holds, Lamphier said that the organization has two events coming up this month and that “we’d love for anyone interested to check them out.”

Chuvalas said that The Dandelion Project “isn’t perfect” but that the members “love each other and this campus.”

“Our meetings consist of getting to know each other, listening to a positive message, having discussion, and planning kind deeds on campus.

We would love to meet and get to know you,” Chuvalas said.

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theJohnsonian November 6, 2019

Music changes one life at a time

While the effects of music therapy are still being researched, it has shown promising results in certain patients Savannah Scott

scotts@mytjnow.com Music is often thought of as a form of expression and a way to connect with others. However, music can also be a form of therapy for people.

“It’s the clinical use of music with a focus on evidence based practice . . . to enhance people’s quality of life,” said Dr. Joe Prus, chair of the psychology department.

Music therapy has been around since the late 1700s and is used to help patients with certain disabilities find comfort when faced with a difficult circumstance.

“It’s especially used with individuals with special needs . . . with mental health or psychiatric kinds of issues . . . with rehabilitation needs,” Prus said. “For example, elderly people that have suffered a stroke or somebody who suffered traumatic brain injury in a rehabilitation hospital [might go through music therapy].”

There are two different forms of music therapy that psychologists and licensed music therapists use for certain types of patients.

“There’s one that's referred to as expressive music therapy. This is when people actually make music they sing or make music using an instrument,” Prus said.

“Then there's receptive therapy which is more passive and could be involved with listening to music that is designed for a particular purpose.”

Elizabeth Talbert/ The Johnsonian Receptive music therapy is used with patients suffering from neurological disorders.

“It might be used with older people with dementia . . . listening to familiar songs from their adolescence helps connect them with past memories and typically it's the same thing with stroke victims,” Prus said. “People who have suffered with any type of neurological impairment [might also be treated with music therapy] to help soothe or calm them.”

Expressive music therapy is used for patients typically with expressive aphasia or stroke that have lost their ability to produce language or otherwise express themselves. “[Music therapy] would be used to enhance the person’s

coordination if they are playing an instrument . . . It may help bring a sense of rhythm or coordination or the ability to express one’s self,” Prus said. “If [patients] had a stroke or have expressive aphasia, it may affect their ability to express themselves . . . They can express themselves musically because there's a different part of the brain that controls expression in music versus expression in speech.”

While Prus was working with a community center, he noticed the great results of using passive music therapy for psychiatric patients. “[When I worked in a community center] that had special needs patients . . . whose behavior would be rambunctious, I convinced staff to play calming music in the background . . .

and true enough the number of inappropriate behaviors went down,” Prus said.

Although the effects of music therapy have been promising, the results and effectiveness are still being studied today.

“There’s still places where research going on in terms of the effectiveness of music therapy.

There's still some debate for some aspects of it clinical effectiveness,” Prus said. “For example . . . the effectiveness of music in individuals with schizophrenia and it appeared to be in terms of outcomes with mixed results.”

For more information about research in music therapy visit the American Music Therapy Association online at https://www. musictherapy.org/research/.

3-D printing is now being used in movies to create props without starting from scratch, effectively saving time in the movie making process.

The Impossible comes to Winthrop’s menu The Grill now offers a new vegetarian option called the Impossible Burger Joseph Calamia staff writer Winthrop University is exploring the new vegetarian option that is sweeping America.

Sodexo recently started distributing a new menu option called the “impossible burger.” It was released in September at The Grill in Markley’s in the DiGiorgio Student Center. Students are given two sliders when this new menu item is ordered.

The addition of the impossible burger provides a new vegetarian option for students on campus and is an alternative to meat with a similar taste of a hamburger.

Sodexo is not only distributing the impossible burgers on Winthrop’s campus but they have also worked to get it on some other southern colleges that use their company.

“We partnered with the impossible burger distributor as one of two selected accounts in our region to offer this product,” said Bryan Harriss, Winthrop’s Sodexo general manager.

The impossible burger was

introduced in 2016 and is made of plant-based ingredients such as water, soy protein, coconut oil and sunflower oil. “[The] impossible burger allows us to expand our vegetarian options in our retail locations.

We have a growing vegetarian community on campus and we are always working to expand our daily and weekly offers for those that follow this type of diet,” Harriss said.

Winthrop does of course offer more options for students with a vegetarian based diet than just the new impossible burger, and students should still be mindful about their diet if they choose a vegetarian based one.

“There are various "levels" of vegetarianism, so students need to be conscientious of still meeting their energy and nutrient needs while attending to their vegetarian preference. In general, vegetarian diets tend to be higher in vegetables and whole grains which provide additional fiber and vitamins and can decrease health concerns,” said Karin Evans, a human nutrition professor at

Winthrop.

When Sodexo showcased the impossible burger on campus, they did so by hosting a tasting event for students to try the impossible burgers before they were officially incorporated into The Grill’s menu.

“We have had good responses from the campus community about this product. We will look to highlight this even more in the coming months with a more focused marketing campaign,” Harriss said.

The new item is the second vegetarian option at The Grill.

Before this, the only vegetarian option there was the black bean burger. While the black bean burger has fewer calories and fat, the impossible burgers offer a nutrient profile identical to an actual hamburger.

“Both products are good options for those that follow this type of diet. The impossible burger more closely resembles by its look and taste a meat based burger, so it really comes down to consumer choice,” Harriss said.

Savannah Scott | Science & Technology Editor scotts@mytjnow.com

Savannah Scott/ The Johnsonian The impossible burger offers more nutrients that students can receive without feeling cautious when consuming a regular meat based sandwich.

“The impossible burger is nearly identical nutritionally to a lean beef burger except that the impossible burger has more saturated fat and sodium than the lean beef burger,” Evans said.

“These are two nutrients that we encourage the average person to be mindful of, not consuming too much, because of their link to chronic diseases,” Evans said.”

The new impossible burgers are a healthy alternative for students.

It is also eco-friendly when created as it is made from quick, renewable resources compared to a beef based burger.

“This product is much more sustainable than the traditional burger. There is a 96% land reduction, 87% water reduction and 89% fewer gas emissions with this plant based product,” Harriss said.

6

SPORTS theJohnsonian November 6, 2019

Eagle of the Week: Ryan Tattan

Celebrating the achievements of Winthrop Eagle of the Week from the Winthrop Men’s Golf team Joseph Calamia

staff writer

Whether sports members are from the United States or are international students, there’s no denying the camaraderie and hard work of Winthrop athletes in sports that require patience and skill.

According to Winthrop Athletics, a junior business management major and Winthrop Men’s Golf athlete Ryan Tattan helped play a key role in placing top 10 in Tee 9 during the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate Golf Tournament on Oct. 22 in Powells Point, North Carolina, with Winthrop placing in eighth.

Originally from Essex, England, Tattan grew up with an interest in golf with the help of his father and prior experience before attending Winthrop University.

“Although golf wasn’t my main sport all my life, I’ve been interested in golf since I could walk thanks to my dad. Dad always had videos of Tiger Woods playing in the living room when I was younger and I was always in awe of him,” Tattan said. “I only started playing golf seriously at the age of 13 and attended a school in Kansas City for my freshman year before attending Winthrop.”

Playing numerous different sports while growing up helped him establish a passion for working with his team during matches and finding golf a new experience when it came to playing in tournaments as a freshman and sophomore.

“Growing up I always played team sports. Soccer, Gaelic football and hurling always took precedence over golf growing up, and I also represented my school in rugby,” Tattan said. “These experiences have made me really appreciate the team environment at Winthrop, as golf

being an individual game I really miss this aspect of team sports.”

Being an international student, Tattan has been able to relate the experiences he had of growing up with different cultures interacting together and how it applies to Winthrop’s plan of incorporating diversity and inclusivity to its athletic department.

“England is extremely different to the US. Everything is smaller and so much more compact.

London is extremely diverse, so I was constantly mixing with people from other cultures and countries.

This helped me immensely when coming to America and meeting new people,” Tattan said.

One of the things that surprised Tattan about Winthrop University was how welcoming the members of the men’s golf team were when he started out, especially when meeting with local and international students on the team for golf tournaments during the season.

“Meeting my teammates from all across the world and across America has been an experience I’ll never forget and one I’m forever grateful for,” Tattan said. “Representing the university at each tournament with my teammates and best friends here at Winthrop is memorable each in their own respect and for their own reasons.”

Throughout his time so far at Winthrop University, Tattan has participated in multiple golf tournaments including the 2018 Kansas Wesleyan Invitational, where he had the lowest round of his college career with a 68, and, this season, the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate, where he made an eagle and twelve birdies.

Being part of the team has allowed Tattan to improve on his mentality when playing golf.

Courtesy of Winthrop Athletics

improvements in the sport.

“It gives me the opportunity to play high level golf as well as combining it with a high level education,” Tattan said. “Playing high level sports surrounded by my teammates and coaches have helped me develop many skills both on and off the golf course that I will be forever grateful for.”

“My mentality has improved immensely. Golf is such a mental sport at college level, and my coaches at Winthrop have really helped me develop my mentality and improve as a player,” Tattan said.

With the next and final tournament of 2019 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina on Nov. 3-5, Tattan is thankful for the opportunities that Winthrop and his teammates have given him, with a new perspective of golf and

10/10 Marc Carreras

Senior Marc Carreras helps lead the team into the Big South Playoffs La J’ai Reed

reedl@mytjnow.com The beginning of the season proved to be a little tough for Winthrop men’s soccer. After dropping early season matches, these players have notably stepped up their game with three wins and two draws in their last five games.

Along with team success, excellence has also emerged from individuals. Marc Carreras, a senior forward, has proved to be an important piece of the men’s soccer puzzle.

Carreras, who was born in Barcelona, Spain, has been playing soccer since he was five years old and he holds “football” close to his heart.

“I have always been involved with this sport at all levels,” Carreras said. “I grew up with a ball between my feet, this sport is a huge part of my life.”

As a result of his early start, it was obvious that Carreras would go on to play collegiate soccer. His college career began in 2016 at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. According to Winthrop Athletics, Carreras played as a marauder in seven games, finishing with two goals. He transferred to Winthrop following his freshman year at the University of Mary..

“After having a good freshman year in North Dakota, I came and did a tryout in North Carolina,” Carreras said. “I started talking with the [Winthrop] coaching staff and we reached an agreement.”

Though there are differences in the style of play between Spain and the United States, Carreras is thankful for the way it has helped him develop as a player.

“In the United States we find more physical football, players are bigger and stronger,” Carreras said.

“Spanish football is a more tactical

and technical based style of playing.”

His stats are proof of his tenacious skill set, and they stand to legitimize a rewarding transfer. Carreras has five goals on the season. In the last four games, Carreras has enlivened the stats sheet.

He scored two goals for the Eagles in the 2-1 win against Radford.

Carreras first goal came off a penalty kick during the 89th minute of the match, and tied the game — a proud moment for him.

“It felt great, I had so much pressure on me but I was confident that I would score,” Carreras said.

“It was the most important game of the season at the time, so you can imagine how happy I was to force the overtime.”

Carreras would then score the game-winning goal against the Highlanders in the 96th minute.

“Scoring the golden goal in overtime is actually an indescribable feeling,” Carreras said. “It is a moment where you do not think about anything, you just focus on screaming and celebrating with all your teammates come to celebrate with you.”

While the goal is credited to Carreras, he steadily recognizes that the victory is awarded to the team.

“A win against [Radford] was really important for our aspirations in the league, so I felt really proud of the team,” Carreras said.

In the following game against Georgia Southern, Carreras scored the lone goal in a game that would end in a draw. Following that game, he noted how the recent success of the team is a morale booster.

“The tie was really positive for the team,” Carreras said. “It was a great performance against a great team.

With this feat, Carreras became the first Eagle since 2017 to score

Gabby Gardner | Sports Editor gardnerg@mytjnow.com

Photos provided by Winthrop Athletics Courtesy of Winthrop Athletics

in three straight games, according to Winthrop Athletics. He notes his consistent practice regimen as the sole reason for his efficiency.

Although this is a personal accomplishment, he again emphasizes team effort.

“Of course I am proud of this, but it is thanks to all the teamwork that we have done,” Carreras said. “This is a team sport and nothing can be achieved individually.”

The team is currently tied for fourth with Presbyterian in Big South standings, and the team is looking forward to continuing their successful march into the postseason.

“We have to keep playing the same way we have been doing for the past games,” Carreras said.

“Knowing our strengths and weaknesses, keep putting our chances away, and trying to concede less goals possible.”

His mindset on teamwork, individual skill development, and passion are amongst things that have never changed, however, one thing has — his jersey number.

“I have always played with number seven,” Carreras said. “Seven is my special, lucky number. Since it was taken, I chose 10 as it is the second number I like best.”

Whether he is number seven or number 10, Marc Carreras plays for more than himself.

“Desire is key in this sport, I am an ambitious player and I always want more,” Carreras said.

theJohnsonian

7

November 6, 2019

Game face on

Joshua Myers inspires the hearts of others through his story of his journey to the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 Lily Fremed

staff writer

“Oh my gosh! I’m gonna be Team USA!” Joshua Myers’ reaction to reading his acceptance letter into the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 was priceless. A York County native, Myers was one of two South Carolinians to be selected to participate in the games for Team USA, along with 213 other athletes.

Winthrop was fortunate enough to welcome Myers onto campus on Wednesday, Oct. 30, to share his amazing story to the practically full theater of students and faculty in attendance at Dina’s Place for the cultural event, “World Gold Medalist in Special Olympics.”

Being diagnosed with autism at a young age, Myers used to not like talking to people at all because he was shy and nervous. Myers laughs as he recalls himself at a young age thinking, “What are these people doing to me?”

His mom being a special education teacher, she made connections to involve him in official sporting events, and “the rest is history.”

Myers began powerlifting around seventeen years old, soon after high school.

“I think squatting is my favorite.

My record right now for squatting is 512 pounds. But my least favorite is benching because I have long arms,” Myers said.

While lifting, Myers puts his “game face on” to focus and makes sure to keep his head down so he can avoid stumbling around with the heavy weights.

Besides powerlifting, Myers has also competed in soccer, basketball, bocce, bowling, track and field and swimming. Although the Special Olympics has a winter sports division, he has never competed in those.

“I’m just too big for a snowboard,” Myers said.

He is now the second most overall powerlifter in the world for his weight division. In the 2019 Special Olympics, Myers competed in his weight class in powerlifting, bringing home the gold in Squat, the bronze in Bench Press, the bronze in Deadlift and the silver in Combined Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift.

“My all time favorite is, you can guess, powerlifting . . . When I found out I won I just felt like I won an Oscar or a Grammy,” Myers said.

Olivia Esselman/ The Johnsonian Following the thrilling news of his entrance to Special Olympics, Myers attended a training camp in Delaware for eight weeks before his journey to the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. Being a six-foot-eight man, Myers did struggle during the 14 hour plane ride, but was luckily able to “walk around in the plane [to] stretch [his] legs.”

Accompanied by his mom, his two head coaches and the seven other US powerlifters — who are now his best friends — Myers witnessed a new culture outside of South Carolina. The 2019 Special Olympics were the largest world games in the history of the Special Olympics, as well as the first world games to be held in the Middle East. At the cultural event on Oct. 30, Myers noted the differences in lifestyle, such as how people in Abu Dhabi do not eat meat and they do not show any affection or kissing in public. Nevertheless, Myers discusses how the people were incredibly welcoming and kind and how there was even a Papa John’s Pizza at a marketplace in Abu Dhabi.

“No I’m serious,” Myers said, as if the Winthrop students and others in attendance at the event did not believe him. Myers told that he tried the pizza from another country, and noticed how he “couldn’t taste the difference between a regular pepperoni and a chicken pepperoni.”

When game time finally arrived, Myers says he was in awe.

“The opening ceremony was unbelievable . . . they had these airplanes with different colors . . . we walk onto the big stage when team USA was announced . . . it was

unforgettable,” Myers said.

There were over 7,000 athletes in attendance at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games, representing more than 190 countries, including Canada, Japan and India.

“It was an awesome experience,” Myers said.

On a more serious note, Myers explained at the cultural event the facts of autism and provided his own knowledge on the subject.

According to studies, 1 in 59 children will be diagnosed with some form of autism, which is a bio-neurological developmental disability that generally appears before the age of three. Austistic people typically have difficulties with verbal and non-verbal interactions and social situations.

Myers explained how he used to be severely autistic and would have numerous tantrums, but he eventually “out matured it.”

Although nearly two-thirds of children with autism are bullied, Myers claims he does not “have any problem with that cause [he is] so tall.” However, Myers encourages everyone to know how to properly interact with someone who has autism in order to make them feel safe.

“You need to ask them if it is okay to touch [them] because if you try to touch them they go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. If they say yes, you get a gree,n light, if not it’s red light,” Myers said.

One choked up audience member spoke up during the question portion of the event.

“This isn’t really a question, but I’m high functioning autistic and I just wanted to say it’s really inspirational to talk about this.” the

audience member said.

The audience’s claps echoed through the theater at this statement.

“Aw thank you buddy. Thank you so much. No problem bud, thank you for having me,” Myers said in response to the audience member’s comment.

Continuing to share his knowledge, Myers told the audience of the proper nutrition care he takes while training.

“You shouldn’t drink any carbonated drinks or anything like that sugary stuff, like tea, sodas, because that’s not good for you when you’re training. Water [and] gatorade, that’s good,” Myers said.

He also reminded people to eat their fruits and vegetables, as well as lots of protein like meat and peanut butter.

As a child, Myers did not like swimming because he was afraid of putting his head under water, as young children occasionally are.

“I was scared of the water because I didn’t want to drown or something like that,” Myers said.

With much practice and help from Special Olympics, Myers was able to overcome his fear and not only compete in swimming, but become a certified lifeguard at the Rock Hill Aquatics Center.

Working as a lifeguard is only one of three jobs that Myers holds.

He is a part-time employee for MaxAbilities of York County where he scans file documents, such as payroll, for the York County people with disabilities and special needs.

Thirdly, Myers works twice a week at the Walgreens just across the street from Winthrop. As a customer service associate and stocker he is just “trying to help customers as much as possible.”

In his free time, which is limited from three jobs and his exercising, Myers likes to play video games and all types of retrogaming. He also likes to “hang out with [his] beautiful girlfriend Marissa.” Just last weekend Myers and Marissa competed in a Unified soccer match, a mix of autistic and non-autistic players, on Team Storm where they won the silver.

As for competing in the Special Olympics again, whether it be the 2022 USA Games in Orlando, Florida, or the 2023 World Games in Berlin, Germany, “Well let’s just say God has a plan for me,” Myers said.

Winthrop Athletics drive to “25” Winthrop Athletics form a plan with specific goals for the next six years

Beneshia Wadlingtion

staff writer

Winthrop Athletics announced a new plan which consists of six goals for the improvement of the athletic department. These goals correspond with a number of Winthrop University’s strategic plan goals. Director of Athletics Dr. Ken Halpin, talked more about the purpose of this plan.

“We have six aspirational goals that fall under the categories of student success, competitive excellence, campus engagement, community engagement, fiscal responsibility, and inclusive excellence,” Halpin said. “Under each goal are a collection of measurable outcomes we believe will best associate with success in those goals. We have four benchmark dates every year where we evaluate our progress toward each goal.”

Each of the six goals have a few measurable initiatives that will ensure the success of the strategic plan.

Goal one, for example, is to “support inclusive excellence by expanding our impact on students and our

“We have six aspirational goals that fall under the categories of student success, competitive excellence, campus engagement, community engagement, fiscal responsibility, and inclusive excellence”

-Dr. Ken Halpin, Director of Athletics

communities through enrollment growth and increases in retention and graduation rates.” One of the three initiatives that will be implemented in order to achieve this goal will be to “develop and implement a clear marketing strategy that refines and highlights the university’s competitive advantages.”

“Our primary interest is the positive impact on our student athletes, which is best captured by the measures in goal number one,” Halpin said. “From there, we hope to positively impact our campus community as well as any person associated with Winthrop University.”

Other goals include the depart-

ment’s hopes to “enhance the quality of the Winthrop experience for all students by promoting a culture of innovation, with an emphasis on global and community engagement,” as stated by Goal two, and their hopes to “attract and retain high quality and diverse faculty, staff, and administrators,” as stated

by Goal three.

The six goals are also accompanied by an acronym that puts the D.R.I.V.E. in the strategic plan’s title “Drive to ‘25.” This acronym describes the values of the athletic department where the goal is to DRIVE the organization to the future.

‘D’ is for Diversity. Winthrop Ath-

letics “will be leaders in diversity.”

‘R’ is for Results. Winthrop Athletics will “focus on obtaining measurable results.”

‘I’ is for Integrity. Winthrop Athletics “will do the right thing always.”

‘V’ is for Vision. Winthrop Athletics “will create the future.”

‘E’ is for Excellence. Winthrop Athletics “will maintain the impossible pursuit of perfection.”

Also supplementing the plan are a few personal goals that the athletics department has in mind.

“Some of this year’s short term goals are associated with improving the experience for student athletes on a day to day basis, as well as for our fans who attend our athletic events,” Halpin said. “Making much needed improvements to our service areas (i.e. weight room, training room, recruiting areas) as well as our heavily trafficked fan areas like the Coliseum is a heavy focus of ours this year.”

Find the full “Strategic Plan: Drive to ‘25” online at www.winthropeagles.com.

La J’ai Reed | Assistant Sports Editor reedl@mytjnow.com

8

November 6, 2019

“Hands are NOT for Hurting”: domestic violence awareness on campus

An interview with Samantha Cacace gives insight on the Hands are Not for Hurting Event.

As October, domestic violence awareness month, comes to an end, the Office of Victims Assistance strives to raise awareness on campus. During the “Hands are Not for Hurting” event on Nov. 7 during common time, students will be given the opportunity to sign their name and place their hand print on a banner as a pledge to end domestic violence.

“I am really hurt to see students who are struggling in silence, and I want them to know we want everyone to come into our office and take advantage of our resources,” said Samantha Cacace, an intern for the OVA.

The event, organized by Samantha Cacace, Itali Jackson, and the rest of the Office of Victims Assistance will give students information on the resources provided by their office. The OVA is located in 104 Crawford, and provides direct services to survivors of domestic violence. Their services include: counseling ser-

vices, forensic exams, STI testing and treatment, housing options, legal prosecution and more.

“We hope for the event to raise awareness of the issue, especially on campus. A lot of students do not realize there are different types of domestic violence,” Cacace said. “Domestic violence includes sexual violence, physical violence, financial violence, and more.”

There are many instances where students do not realize they are involved in a domestic violence relationship, or have experienced domestic violence relationships in the past.

“These types of relationships happen with students on campus, and many students need their peers, family, and friends to help them,” Cacace said.

“A lot of domestic violence stems from experiences students have had in the past, especially in the home before they have come to campus. If they are not experiencing domestic violence now, students are still being affected by the past violence that is now affecting their college relation-

ships,” Cacace said.

According to Cacace, the event will be held during common time to give many students the opportunity to attend. Attending the event will not only provide support for the students who are experiencing violence, but will also provide guidance for students who have friends lacking information on how to handle these situations.

Many students need the people around them to provide them with an outlet, someone who can listen to what is going on in their lives and identify the violence in their relationships.

“I want students to be aware of the resources the Office of Victims Assistance provides.” Cacace said. “Many students do not know counseling sessions are free and included in their tuition. I am hoping the students who need it come forward to allow us to aid them in what they are going through.”

Cacace and her supervisor, Itali, work to acknowledge the issue by attempting to make domestic violence awareness events more annual on campus.

The ‘Hands are Not for Hurting’ event will occur during common time, 11:00 a.m-12:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 7th, on campus green in front of DIGS. For more information on domestic violence, students are encouraged to contact The Office of Victims Assistance in the Crawford Building office 104, or by telephone at 803-323-2206.

The unique beauty of Winthrop Dance Theatre The popular Winthrop Dance Theatre concert takes the stage munsonl@mytjnow.com Art at Winthrop comes in a variety of forms, but it is rare that students have the opportunity to see shows dedicated solely to choreography. The Department of Theatre and Dance presents Winthrop Dance Theatre, the first mainstage dance concert of this season in Johnson Theatre. The show runs from Nov. 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 10 at 2 p.m., with a special outreach performance on Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. The show includes eight dance pieces that have all been choreographed or staged by dance faculty.

Director of Winthrop Dance Theatre Meg Schriffen says this year’s show combines various dance styles and also features faculty members performing alongside students. “We will have a classical ballet piece to open the concert, a trapeze piece, a contemporary piece that features three of the dance faculty and one professional

guest artist performing with the students, a jazz piece, and other notable works,” Schriffen said.

Sophomore dance major Danielle Owen is one of several understudies for the different pieces.

“I’m the understudy for a modern piece originally choreographed

by Maria Caruso, the director and creator of the Bodiography dance company. It is being restaged by Lauren Skrabalak for Winthrop Dance Theatre,” Owen said. “My favorite thing about Winthrop Dance Theatre this year is being able to work alongside Bodiography Charlotte members as well as my peers for this production.”

Junior dance performance major Donovan Granville is in three dance pieces choreographed by three different faculty members.

“One of them is choreographed

by Meg Schriffen. Her piece is about how we find our foundation, whether it’s spiritually or from friends or socially.” Granville said.

“The second one is choreographed

by Wanda Ebright and it’s about how different people can coexist.

It’s very fun, jazzy and entertain-

Laura Munson | A&C Editor munsonl@mytjnow.com

ing and it draws the audience in.

The last one is choreographed by Emily Cargill and it’s about how as people, we set these certain boundaries on ourselves and how we go about when those boundaries are pushed or crossed, or how we can interact with others without crossing those boundaries.”

Granville, Owen and Schriffen all say that this year’s show is a culmination of the dedication and collaboration within the dance department.

“Seeing everything come together and just seeing how everyone has put their blood, sweat and tears in the rehearsals - just seeing everyone’s pieces come together with the costumes, the lights, the music is the final culmination of what Winthrop Dance theatre is

and what we work so hard for.”

Granville said.

“The contemporary piece that infuses students and professionals and the experience that this has been, the duet with text and collaboration with our theatre faculty. There are just so many examples of this sort of thing this year and it is exciting to see,” Schriffen said.

Tickets for Winthrop Dance Theatre are $5 with a Winthrop ID and $8 for the general public.

Tickets are reserved seating. For more information, visit https:// www.winthrop.edu/cvpa/theatredance/current-season.aspx

9

Staff poems â&#x20AC;&#x153;Salt Morningâ&#x20AC;? - Laura Munson

  �

Funding student dreams with Hollywood glam

College of Visual and Performing Arts holds its inaugural scholarship gala

munsonl@mytjnow.com

Most students depend on scholarships and other aid in order to attend school, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts has a glamorous way of funding these scholarships. The CVPA held its inaugural ArtsWinthrop Scholarship Gala on Friday, Nov. 1, featuring performances and presentations by students and faculty within

the CVPA. The theme of the event was â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Night in Old Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;? and guests were encouraged to dress in formal â&#x20AC;&#x153;hollywood glamâ&#x20AC;? attire.

Guests received heavy hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres and beverage tickets with admission, and were treated to visual art displays, live music from student musicians and performances, such as a 1920s themed dance by theatre and dance students and an aerial dance piece. Student artwork was also available

for purchase at the gala.

Senior theatre major Caleb Moody was among the student performers at the gala, and says the event was an overall success. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The band performed amazingly and set the perfect mood for our Hollywood in the 20â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s themed night,â&#x20AC;? Moody says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different art was showcased dazzlingly whether by performance or gallery, and the speakers really brought tears to my eyes with their stories on how the donorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fund-

ing has enabled them to chase their dreams. In all, it was a great night.â&#x20AC;?

For more information on

the College of Visual and Performing Arts, visit https://www.winthrop. edu/cvpa/

Seizing the Awkward At Winthrop A preview of the latest student art gallery in Winthrop University on mental health and sucide prevention.

Winthrop Counseling Services is partnering with the Department of Student Life by hosting a public art gallery called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seize the Awkwardâ&#x20AC;? at Rutledge Gallery with submissions by Winthrop students. The gallery was originally intended to open on Oct. 30, but the organizers plan to gain more submissions for an opening in the spring semester with a goal to explore mental health awareness.

Winthrop Counselor and Outreach Coordinator Jessica Hudgens explained that the goal of the gallery is to engage students in conversations about suicide awareness. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Suicide is the second leading cause of death in college students, so being able to have an open and honest conversation about it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and especially how to prevent it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is of paramount importance. I love art for its ability to start conversations around difficult subjects in a

way that feels accessible and safe, which is part of the reason for the event,â&#x20AC;? Hudgens said.

Assistant Dean of Students Miranda Knight explained how the gallery is part of a national campaign for mental health awareness in the United States.

While the posters all say the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seize the Awkward,â&#x20AC;? students are encouraged to present it in a creative way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seize the Awkward is a national campaign to encourage people to check on others when they are concerned about their mental health. Sometimes it can seem awkward to ask someone how they are, but â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;seizing the awkwardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and asking someone if they are okay could save their life,â&#x20AC;? Knight said.

Another goal of the gallery is to bring the issue of suicide prevention on campus for students to learn about how they can apply this issue to Winthrop life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While suicide is no doubt a community-wide issue, our goal is to bring the Winthrop campus together to begin having conversations about

suicide, suicide prevention, and seizing the awkward,â&#x20AC;? Hudgens said.

Stigma can be a barrier for students who need help, which would prevent them from getting the necessary help they need. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to end the stigma. We want people to talk about it. We want people to get help,â&#x20AC;? Knight said.

The Department of Student Life and Winthrop Counseling Services hope the extension will allow students to contribute for the upcoming semester. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Asking students to take extra time for an additional project related to mental health is a tough prospect, so submissions have been low and we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get nearly as many as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hoped. As such, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning to move the gallery to the spring semester to allow students more time and a holiday break to plan and work on submissions before they are due,â&#x20AC;?

Hudgens said.

Both departments plan for the gallery to open up a â&#x20AC;&#x153;pop-up galleryâ&#x20AC;? before the semester ends and allow students who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t finish

on time the chance to submit their posters and be part of the gallery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will do a mental health â&#x20AC;&#x153;pop-upâ&#x20AC;? program on study day and will really push for submissions. Winners do get prizes,â&#x20AC;?

Knight said.

With the interactivity of the multiple presentations on campus, Winthrop Counseling Services hopes to teach students to help those around them and help save a life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it will be very impactful.

We did an interactive art installation in September where people tied different colors of ribbon on a rope. So many people participated and read the reason for the installation. I think students were moved, shaken, and shocked by the number of people that have been impacted by suicide and suicidal ideation. I hope this art project and gallery will have the same impact,â&#x20AC;? Knight said.

10

OPINION

theJohnsonian

November 6, 2019

A retrospective and a look ahead at the spiritual side of one of music’s most controversial artists

Matt Thrift

thriftm@mytjnow.com

no indication of being any different.

In a recent interview with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Kanye spoke passionately about his relationship with God, his family and his faith. At one point the host asked Kanye if he considered himself to be a Christian music

While “Jesus Walks” was the fourth single off of Kanye West’s 2004 debut album “The College Dropout,” it was the one that really put him on the map.

With its overtly Christian lyrics and booming production accented by pronounced snare drums and a gospel choir, it quickly became a hit with fans and music critics alike.

In the nearly 15 years since “Jesus Walks” was released, spiritual themes have continued to show up in Kanye’s lyrics, most notably on his 2013 album “Yeezus,” his 2016 album “The Life of Pablo” and his most recent offering, 2019’s “Jesus is King.”

Kanye has dealt with more than his fair share of controversy over the years, from his “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” remark to his selling of merchandise emblazoned with the Confederate Battle flag on the Yeezus Tour to his endorsement of President Donald Trump. Since the release of “Jesus is King,” there has been much debate about whether or not Kanye’s ardent embrace of Christianity is genuine or if is merely Kanye ginning up publicity.

The fact of the matter is that Kanye has always been one to say what’s on his mind. He has provided well-thought-out and in-depth explanations for many of his controversial moments and songs. History would tell us that he doesn’t do things simply for the sake of getting people to talk about him and this latest chapter in his life/career has

Correction:

with Kimmel that he is a different person than he was during their last televised conversation, which took place in August 2018.

Kanye clearly anticipated the doubts about the authenticity of his switch to Christian rap/gospel.

He has been accused of cheap-

Courtesy of GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings artist now.

“I’m just a Christian everything,” Kanye responded.

While Kanye has made numerous references to God and Jesus Christ throughout his career and has touched on Christian and biblical themes many times, he acknowledged during this recent interview

ening the message of the Bible and making everything about himself.

In a recent TIME magazine article, minister and activist Alicia Crosby was quoted as saying that “Jesus is King” is “weak theology” and “not substantive.” However, Kanye himself said in a recent interview with Zane Lowe, “I’m not a theologian.

I’m a recent convert.” That admission that Kanye made is important to keep in mind when listening to the new album. While the theology displayed in the lyrics on “Jesus is King” may not be on the level with G.K. Chesterton or Wade Grudem, it is by no means “not substantive.”

Furthermore, the lyrics on the album are passionate and heartfelt.

Kanye explores this judgment and skepticism—particularly from other Christians— on “Hands On” which saw him team up with legendary gospel singer Fred Hammond.

Towards the end of the track, Hammond sings “I deserve all the criticism you got, if that’s all the love you have, that’s all you got. To sing of change, you think I’m joking.

To praise His name, you ask what I’m smoking. Yes, I understand your reluctancy, yeah. But I have a request, you see, don’t throw me up, lay your hands on me. Please, pray for me.”

The lyrics on “Jesus is King” are a far cry from many of the lyrics found on any number of Kanye’s songs. Throughout his career, he has incorporated elements of gospel music and Christian lyrics into his songs but this is something we haven’t seen before from Kanye West.

He is not the first high-profile musical artist to undergo a very public conversion to Christianity — artists including Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper and Dave Mustaine have all done the same. Whether or not Kanye continues to eschew profanity, vulgarity and secular music for the rest of his career remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that as of now, he’s truly a changed man.

In the Oct. 30 issue of The Johnsonian, in the article titled “The spookiest things to happen in politics this year” it was printed that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the only woman to have served on the Supreme Court. While she is the only woman currently serving, the first woman to serve on the Court was Sandra Day O’Connor, who was appointed in 1981.

Does diversity training unify?

A student’s experience with diversity training and thoughts after the fact

Elijah Moree

staff writer

“Have you experienced doubts about your sexuality?”

“Have you been raped or experienced sexual violence?”

“Have you or a family member contemplated suicide?”

“Do you consider yourself Atheistic or Agnostic?”

Imagine being asked these questions by a complete stranger, in front of 30 or more of your peers, on one of the first days of a new semester at university. This is not an imaginary situation.

On Aug. 15, 2019, I attended a staff writers’ workshop for Winthrop’s student publications with the other editors and writers from Winthrop’s two newspapers and art’s magazine. During the day, we took a diversity training workshop.

While optional for staff writers, it was mandatory training for editors. After entering and filling out a pre-workshop survey, the Diversity Peer Educators from Winthrop University’s Office of Diversity & Student Engagement began the training exercise. They rightly explained that understanding and promoting diversity is important because we are a diverse group at Winthrop and we should learn to coexist with one another.

One of the first questions was funny and simple, “Who believes pineapple belongs on pizza?” You could either stand in affirmation, or sit in disagreement. Those were

the only options. In addition to the questions above, more personal questions were asked. Political questions were asked, such as “do you believe everyone should have healthcare?” and “do you believe everyone has the right to own a firearm?” Dirty looks were exchanged across the room when people stood or sat. These questions manipulated us between between a rock and a hard place.

We could only answer in the affirmative or the negative-- privacy was disregarded.

The problem with this kind of exercise is that is draws lines between people and their ideologies, we were actually being divided, not united. These questions did not relate to increasing tolerance and open-mindedness through journalistic work. It was a public interrogation demanding highly personal information. Many of these questions shouldn’t have been asked. This is not information you would normally share with people you had just met. Looking around, you could see who had experienced trauma in their lives or disagreed with you on politics, it felt inquisatory.

In no other setting, other than with a licensed therapist, would anyone dare to ask about such traumatic experiences as rape and suicide. Following the exercise, Several people left the room in an emotional state.

At the end of the training, it was obvious to me that something was

Victoria Howard | Opinion Editor howardv@mytjnow.com

wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. You could feel the tension and shame in the air.

A classroom of Winthrop students had just been bullied into disclosing traumatic details to people they didn’t even know.

To be clear, the Educators told us the classroom was a safe space and what was said there was not to leave the room. But it did. Our private information left in the minds of each student who walked out that door. How can I not remember this information every time I encounter one of my colleagues?

Will they judge me for what they know about my political or religious views or my sexual orientation before even knowing me?

What was the point of this survey?

The Educators did not tell us why knowing this information about each other was unifying, all they could say was that diversity was important. When I talked to Kinyata Brown, assistant dean for diversity, engagement, and inclusive excellence, she said that although she couldn’t speak exactly for that event (as she was not present), the point of that specific training, is “really, for you to think about your personal values and your own experiences… It was definitely a values-based activity”.

Sharing personal values and experiences are, of course, good for enlightening conversation on the Winthrop campus. I have seen an exercise along these lines conducted on campus with less intrusive

questions, and it did seem useful.

In this case, however, these questions were a violation of privacy and I continue to wonder how they promoted the overall goal of encouraging inclusion, acceptance or unity. “this type of peer education group, is present at other campuses too,” Brown said. She further noted that there is a wide selection of trainings, conferences, and literature backing up the decisions made by the Diversity Peer Educators. Diversity is a value worth pursuing and I believe groups like DPE can be beneficial for the student body. According to Brown, the feedback to DPE training, in general, has been overwhelmingly positive. However, this particular exercise did not seem to fit in with that overall goal.

That day, the Educators ended their talk saying that we should not judge each other for these characteristics. Everyone judges, this is not something we can easily control, or should for that matter. The key is not to abstain from judging, but to judge correctly. To properly use our own mental capacity to value people and actions. Unfortunately, we now possess private information about our classmates without a relationship or context.

Looking back, I wish I had stood and publically objected to this invasion of privacy; especially for the benefit of those who have experienced trauma and whose privacy was invaded.

theJohnsonian

11

November 6, 2019

Republicans for student loan forgiveness?

A member of Donald Trump’s administration resigned in favor of running on a pro-student loan forgiveness platform for position as Georgia Senator Abi Perito

staff writer We typically associate student loan forgiveness with liberal politicians. All candidates running for the Democratic nomination have proposed some form of plan to forgive or reduce these debts. But there is now a former member of the Office of Federal Student Aid that has said student loan debt should be forgiven.

A. Wayne Johnson has overseen the Office of Federal Student Aid since he was appointed by Betsy DeVos in 2017. He is quitting his job in hopes of being appointed to a Senate seat in Georgia by Governor Brian Kemp. His platform? Helping to eradicate the nation’s student debt problem.

Many are calling it a long shot for him to be appointed by Kemp, but Johnson is confident that even without being appointed, he would be able to win an election.

Although Johnson is looking at a Republican seat in the Senate, his views of student debt align most closely with Democrat, left-wing politicians that are currently running for the Democratic primary.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to forgive up to $50,000 with income restrictions, and Sen. Bernie Sanders is wanting to forgive all student debt.

Many people that argue against student loan forgiveness say that they don’t want to pay for other’s personal decisions of going to a college or university. This is why they are fine paying for public K-12 schools, but believe that if you go to college, it should be on your own

Elizabeth Talbert/ The Johnsonian dime.

However, going to college is no longer a “personal decision” in American society. To work and be respected in a professional setting in this country, it is necessary to have obtained either an associate degree, bachelor’s degree or even a master’s or doctorate.

Regardless, a college degree comes at a cost. The current total U.S. student debt is $1.4 trillion, with each person carrying an average of $37,000, according to America’s Debt Help Organization.

Johnson resigned with final words to the Atlanta News Journal of trying to fix a “fundamentally broken” system. It is troubling to know that someone who worked directly in the

U.S. student financial aid agency is speaking directly against the organization that he previously worked for.

It isn’t only about the mass accumulation of student debt that young adults are being faced with today, but it is the vast increase of the cost of college in comparison to older generations that are keeping these laws in action. When rates are adjusted for inflation, Forbes conducted research that stated in 1989, the average price of a 4-year education was $52,892, and in recent years, the cost is almost double at $104,480 for the same degree.

Despite rises in tuition, wages have not reflected that. It is no longer possible for college students

to pay their way through college as our grandparents once did, and that is something that baby boomers are having a hard time grasping.

People against student debt relief are also worried about how much they will have to pay in taxes in order for others to benefit from this loan forgiveness. Johnson doesn’t see this as much of a problem though, calling his revenue generated from a 1% tax on all employers, including non-profits, a “fair, fiscally responsible and future-oriented so that the citizens of Georgia and across America can afford a college education,” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This tax is a small cost for a large gain for the majority of the American people.

You should be riding the bus The pros of using the new Rock Hill public transport system far outweigh the cons

Victoria Howard

howardv@mytjnow.com The introduction of the My Ride bus system over the summer was met with positive reactions from students and residents of Rock Hill.

During the first few months of the bus system’s operation, the buses were noticeably empty, but the city expected the usage to increase significantly once Winthrop’s fall semester started.

Despite this, when you see the buses going through the on-campus stops, it is rare to see students getting on or off them. Just the presence of the buses and the signs for the stops on campus should be enough for students to be aware that the buses can be used for travel throughout town. But it still seems like students are not aware of all the benefits that the bus system offers.

Freshman theatre major Isabella Ferretti uses the My Ride system in place of a car when she has to run errands throughout town, but doesn’t feel like many other students are using the system to its full advantage.

“I think students should use it because it’s already running, so they don’t have to use their cars and it would save them money on gas,” Ferretti said, “I don’t think they are because maybe it doesn’t go to everywhere they need to go.”

This might be a common misconception about the system, but the bus goes to most major areas of Rock Hill that are popular for Winthrop students.

One of the four bus routes, the Downtown/Knowledge Park Loop, makes several stops on the Winthrop campus, including at the end of Scholars Walk between the Music Conservatory and Kinard Hall. On this bus loop, you can reach Downtown Rock Hill from several points, including at Fountain Park.

With about a 10-25 minute walk from Winthrop depending on where you start, you can reach the nearest to campus My Ride Transit Hub for

Marisa Fields-Williams/ The Johnsonian the Dave Lyle/Galleria Line, which will take you to the Target and Walmart Supercenter on Dave Lyle.

The Cherry/Riverwalk Line has bus stops on campus near Joynes Hall as well as at the same spot near Scholars Walk as the Downtown/ Knowledge Park Loop. This route is currently detoured due to the construction on Cherry Road, but it normally takes riders down past I-77, to the discount supermarket, Lidl.

On top of convenience, using the My Ride bus system is a good way to reduce your personal carbon footprint. The buses run entirely on electricity, making their emissions minuscule compared to using your

own car.

Téa Franco, senior mass communication major, has not had a car throughout her time at Winthrop and is now excited to see Rock Hill’s implementation of the new bus system, but thinks that students who do have their own transport should be utilizing the system as well.

“It’s better for the environment than driving your car everywhere, it has multiple convenient stops around campus and at Campus Walk, and it’s free so it will save you money on gas,” Franco said.

Franco says that the only downside to using the system is having to plan out your trips, but that after a few tries she was able to get it right

using the My Ride Rock Hill app.

Having to plan out the timing of a trip to the grocery store is worth it, however, when you take into account the money you are saving on gas as well as how beneficial using the system is for the planet.

Students using the bus system should be something that becomes more normalized on campus. It is a new benefit of going to Winthrop and living in the Rock Hill area and should be treated as such.

To learn more information about bus routes, stops and times, you can download the My Ride Rock Hill app, available in both the Google Play Store and the Apple Store.

12

theJohnsonian

November 6, 2019

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