11.13.2019

THE WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WINTHROP UNIVERSITY

Rock Hill, SC

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

HOCO Tailgating changes aim for a “more enjoyable and safer” experience for students

2019

Mason Foster/ The Johnsonian

Ann Marie Juarez staff writer Tailgating at Winthrop has been a favorite tradition of Winthrop students and alumni for many years, though this year will see the annual homecoming tailgate undergoing some changes.

Homecoming for this year started on Monday, Nov. 11 with Paint the Town, which is an event where campus organizations paint the windows in Digs. Homecoming culminates with a tailgate and basketball game on Saturday. Students can arrive as early as 8 a.m. to the designated tailgating areas.

Students are asked if they are bringing a car to the event to have $5 in cash readily available upon arrival.

All money contributed from students will go directly to covering the costs of the event. Contributions will offset costs of additional event staff, police presence and amenities.

This year’s tailgating area includes parking spaces and grass areas and covers a three-acre area as opposed to previous years, where the area was 1.8 acres. The new location for tailgating is easier to access for those dropping off items and is also more easily accessible for emergency vehicles.

This year a reservation system has been put in place for those wanting

buses will to set up tents for contintailgating. For groups or ue their families up to 20 people, reserroutes as vations have been made for $20, normal with larger groups having to pay and will $40. This is the only online have reservation system and has periodic been sold out, although more stops spaces have been made avail- Courtesy Winthrop Athletics near the able for students. Those who coliseum. Tailgating will end beginintend to bring pop-up tents but not ning at 3:30 p.m. as event staff begin a car will still have to reserve a spot. sweeping through the tailgating area.

Tents will be allowed in the tailgating Upcoming years could potentially area but not in the parking lots. have later end times after assessing Every vehicle entering the colisethe successes of this year’s end time um and parking will be subject to the and clean up time. fee. Walk-ups who are being dropped Food will be available for purchase off or are not parking at the coliseum through The Alumni Association and will not be charged for entering.

Roman’s All-Star food truck will be In reference to the more detailed located onsite. This will be the only tailgating process, Vice President of onsite food vendor so those in attenStudent Affairs Sheila Burkhalter dance are welcome to bring their own said that “the reservation system and food. Trash cans and recycling bins making sure we know who is coming will be placed along the tailgating and going is helping us to keep better area. accountability for the spaces.”

Efforts will be made to lower For those not bringing a vehicle traffic congestion for those driving to the tailgate, the “Screaming Eagle” in and out of the area. More event bus will pick up students at marked staff will be present than previous game day locations on campus. This events where attendees must pay to will begin at an hour until the men’s park. But students and other attendbasketball game. The new My Ride

Eagles that soar Savannah Scott scotts@mytjnow.com

Tate Walden/ The Johnsonian

Amanda Cavin Class of 2015

Jordan Lewis is a Winthrop alumni who graduated in the spring of 2017. His time at Winthrop began in the fall of 2013 as he pursued a double major in biology and environmental science.

“I chose Winthrop because of the close knit campus community, the beauty of the campus, and the care staff showed during my visits to the university,” Lewis said.“I always felt welcomed and and that was a feeling I did not get at lots of other schools I visited.”

Since finishing school at Winthrop, Lewis is in his third year at Emory University pursuing a doctoral degree concentrating in the population of biology, ecology and evolution.

Lewis eventually hopes to become a professor at a college and move up to becoming a university president or provost. He gives credit to Winthrop for the position he is in currently in pursuing

As Homecoming approaches and students, faculty and alumni join to celebrate the history and impact Winthrop has made on them, two alumni reflect on their time at Winthrop

Amanda Cavin, director of the Eagle STEM program, started attending Winthrop in the fall semester of 2011 and graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in science and early childhood education.

Immediately after obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she pursued two master’s degrees in education, graduating from the program in 2017. As a graduate, she was able to work as the assistant for the McNair Scholars program.

Upon graduating with two master’s degrees, she worked in two elementary schools. However, while she was a teacher she found herself always coming back to Winthrop which led her to her current position as director of the Eagle STEM program.

“Once, I started teaching in 2017 to 2018 school year . . . I was able to come back and work for the McNair office,” Cavin said. “My degree is not specific to the career I am doing, but with all my experience that I had with the McNair program made me uniquely qualified for this position because [the Eagle STEM program and McNair Scholars] have some similarities.”

Cavin is now mentoring students in her program who are pursuing STEM-related degrees

his career interests.

“I was able to make connections with professors who encouraged me to go to graduate school and served as mentors . . . my professors always did a great job of cultivating good discussion and asking me to think deeper about things even if they were outside the scope of the class,” Lewis said. “[I also was] able to get good research experience by getting into a lab after my freshman year. That was invaluable in pursuing my Ph.D.” As he is currently obtaining his doctoral degree, Lewis is proud to be a Winthrop almnus.

“The school did a great job of helping me grow as a person and as a scholar,” Lewis said. “Winthrop is really connected to who I am as a person and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had while [I was] enrolled.”

mytjnow.com

ees should schedule time for regular traffic, arriving at the coliseum and parking.

Students that are under the age of 21 are prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol at the tailgate.

Campus and city police will be in attendance patrolling the area. Kegs, common containers and glass containers are prohibited at the tailgate.

Students can request assistance from the information tent at the event for issues related to behavior, parking and tailgating.

Burkhalter recognized attendees may be worried about the event changing significantly due to more “detail and parameters” related to safety and security. She affirmed the goal of Winthrop is the same as always to ensure that “students have a wonderful time and reconnect with friends and to do so in a safe and secure way.” Burkhalter hopes all students who come to tailgate attend the men’s basketball game after tailgating closes.

The men’s basketball team will play Mid-Atlantic Christian at 4 p.m.

Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned at halftime.

and advises others to look into the STEM degree programs at Winthrop.

“I adore working with the students in the program. My favorite part of this job is building relationships with students and being able to support them as they need it,” she said. “As to what I tell students about STEM degrees, a lot of them think of Clemson and Carolina when its comes to science and research. Winthrop is a strong option for a science candidate. We are doing research of all types and our students are able to get in those labs quicker.”

Despite being a nontraditional student when pursuing her degrees, Cavin is proud of the opportunity and environment Winthrop gave her.

“Winthrop is a phenomenal institution. I had the best experience here even at 40-years-old. I just felt brought in and cared for,” Cavin said. “I tell my students all the time that the professors cared about me. Nobody could’ve been happier when [the professors found out] I got to come back and be an alumni that works for the school now.

I was very successful because of faculty and staff here that helped guide me through my process.”

Courtesy Jordan Lewis

Jordan Lewis Class of 2017

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

2

November 13, 2019

1923

theJohnsonian

TJ through the years

1949

1939

1959

Pages courtesy of the University Archives

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 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

3

November 13, 2019

WU Students get booked, processed and imprisoned Professor Bryan Ghent takes Winthrop students to a Maximum Security Prison to see comparisons with this year’s Common Book: “Just Mercy”

Kiki Todman todmank@mytjnow.com In 2010, Winthrop University established the Common Book project, which was an initiative that gave the incoming freshman class an equal opportunity to read and discuss the same book within HMXP. Each year there have been different books that discussed topics such as inequality, injustice, racial bias and overcoming obstacles.

This year’s Common Book is “Just Mercy,” a book that is not only a call to action, but an inspirational tale that was written by Bryan Stevenson, an activist and lawyer from Alabama, a state historically known for its racism and discrimination.

Stevensons’ book, “Just Mercy,” talks about the unfair and unjust practices of the criminal justice system, something that is overly prevalent in today’s society. Take for instance, the exonerated Central Park Five. Five African American children were convicted of a crime they did not commit and were falsely imprisoned for years.

It’s stories like that that the book “Just Mercy” focuses on. The book follows the narratives of people of color who were convicted of crimes that they were falsely accused of doing.

Statistically speaking, between the 1970s and 2014, following the war on crime and drugs, the U.S. prison population jumped from 300,000 to 2,300,000. Of those incarcerated 58 percent identify as black or Hispanic. This is an increasing issue in the current climate of the United States. A lot of political campaigns are addressing the criminal justice system, and how fair the current system is on African Americans or Latinx Americans.

Bryan Ghent, an English professor at Winthrop University, decided to do a hands-on experience with his HMXP class this year.

Ghent said that, “As the Common Book this year focuses on incarceration, I wanted to tour a prison facility to give the class a better understanding of what prison life is really like.”

Ghent got in contact with Kirkland Correctional Institution on Broad River Road in Columbia, and on Nov. 8 Ghent drove 14 students to the prison. Kirkland, which was built in 1975, is a Level Three maximum secretary male penitentiary. Kirkland currently holds over 19,500 inmates. It houses 37 of the 38 inmates that are on Death Row in South Carolina.

Before walking into the building, the Captain walked outside to receive the students and gave instructions on how to act inside the prison. “Do not look at an inmate in the eyes, do not speak to an inmate and do not touch an inmate.” As the students waited for permission

to go inside, five or six differcafeteria, where there were about ent inmates wearing jumpsuits eight different inmates cooking in walked past the group, some the back and getting the cafeteria looking and others ignoring the ready for lunch. When it comes to group entirely. being transported over to the cafeteOnce inside, the Captain and ria the yard is silent, and the inmates Head Representative, both of whom must eat in silence. They eat for are female, led the students on a about 15 minutes, and those that can tour of the facility. While walking not abide by the rules are made to to the medical wards, there were throw out their food and stand outa plethora of inmates in differentside until their unit is done eating. colored jumpsuits. These colors help The tour then travelled to the to maintain order and make it easy intake facility, which is where all to identify what level of threat the new inmates get their fingerprints, inmates might be. pictures, uniforms, head shaven and The Captain said, “Yellow uniare made to watch a welcome video. forms equal inmates in lock-up Every male inmate that serves over [maximum security and solitary].

91 days must be transported to KirkOrange and white stripes are new land to have their fingerprints and intakes These are inmates that just IDs done regardless of the county. It come into the system and are being takes these intakes about two to six processed. Orange are permanent months for reception and evaluation intakes. They are housed in Kirkland before they are placed in the correct and even have jobs within the units. prison for their county.

For example, cooking, cleaning, elecThe group from Winthrop trical, etc. Tan jumpsuits are those watched as one new intake got his that do hair not fit cleanly in the shaved system goThe image I had in my head was before and are ing back level 2 not at all how the prison was when to where offendthe new we arrived. I had imagined someers that intakes have yet receive thing of a much smaller scale. The to be their number of inmates, employees, placed jumpsuits in a job. and turn facilities and the sheer size of evThose all of erything was much larger than any in that their bework books or movies led me to believe. longings in the over to kitchen, the state.

Michael Waldsmith these TypiSophmore inmates cally, if Art education major wear an inmate Winthrop University green doesn’t jumphave suits. The last color you might see is enough money to have their valuforest green and those signify death ables (phones, expensive watches, row inmates.” etc.) sent home or collected, they In the medical unit, the group have to be automatically donated, was met with the Lead Practicing but at Kirkland they are a little nicer Nurse, the Associate Warden in and give the intakes up to three days. charge of activities and events and The Head Representative then the X-ray specialist. The LPN shared took us to a classroom located in the that South Carolina is one of the only intake area to have an inmate speak states that has an in-house facility to us just like he would a regular inin one of the prisons that is able to take. This was a lesson on the Prison do all forms of clinical needs except Rape Elimination Act, or PREA, for surgery. This saves the state a lot which serves to limit the amounts of of money. They also don’t provide sexual assaults in prison. The inmate prenatal care for pregnant women. who was in charge of the lesson was That is held at a different prison: Ca- a PREA Peer Educator who was mille Graham Correctional Center in taught how to explain the ins and Columbia. It’s also important to note outs of what prison is like to the new that the State of South Carolina has inmates.

21 state penitentiaries, and of those Ghent asked, “Does this typically 21, only two are female institutions. help lower the amounts of… ‘you The medical ward of the facilknow’ in prison?” ity strives to help all inmates to the The inmate responded, “Yes, it best of their capabilities, and this does. It changes things when you includes those that are transgender. have a peer here to explain to you Currently in the Kirkland Corthat prison doesn’t just mean that rectional Institution there are two you’re going to get raped, so having transgender inmates that receive the someone here that knows the ins and care that they need. outs, that knows that the programs Following the medical ward, the work, helps some of them.” tour group took a turn over to the The last place we were taken on

“”

Police Blotter

Here is a rundown of calls WUPO has been recieving in November Matt Thrift thriftm@mytjnow.com On Nov. 3, an officer with the Winthrop University Police Department responded to Scholars Walk in regards to a Winthrop student requesting to file a police report in regards to harassment she had been receiving. The student told the officer that ever since she had broken off the relationship with a man who is not a student at Winthrop, he had

been using fake social media profiles to contact her. The student said that she wanted to file the report so that she could press charges should her ex-boyfriend contact her again.

An officer from the Winthrop University Police Department responded to Tillman Hall on Nov. 5 regarding a Winthrop employee being scammed. According to the police report, the victim received an email that morning from an account

Matt Thrift | News Editor thriftm@mytjnow.com

that “appeared to belong to” the victim’s supervisor. In actuality, the email came from an account that had the victim’s supervisor’s name but the address was “ar078539@ gmail.com.” The email requested that the victim purchase five Ebay gift cards worth $100 each from Walgreens and then email photos of the gift cards to the sender. The victim purchased the gift cards from Walgreens using his “Winthrop University issued State of South Carolina Procurement Card.” The victim took the gift cards to his supervisor who realized that the victim had been scammed. The victim attempted to return the gift cards to Walgreens but was told that they cannot accept returns on gift cards.

The victim explained the situation

our tour was to an inmate cell block.

Before going inside, another cell block had inmates that came outside and started yelling and catcalling the students in the group. Inside the cell block, however, things were a bit quieter, but just as rowdy. To the left and right of us were two giant corridors that housed the inmates.

One of the gates were opened by the Captain who yelled at an inmate almost immediately for trying to show off in front of the visitors. She yelled a warning to let the prisoners know that there were females coming down, and the group of students went down the stairs and into the rooms. The rooms were small sixfoot by nine-foot rooms that housed between one to three inmates per room (meaning one of the men had to sleep on the floor). In the middle of the block, there were showers that locked on the outside and had just a small shower curtain.

Walking out the block was just as intense as the first time, considering the louder block on the left. This group of inmates is one of the more secured units because of their behavior was once again yelling. At this point we neared the end of the tour and went back to where we started for some wrap up questions with the woman in charge of death row.

She shared with us that there are currently 38 men on death row in South Carolina. One of the men on death row is currently in California because he got in trouble there, but he will soon be expedited back to the state. The inmates on death row are given a choice of execution the electric chair or lethal injection. Most choose lethal injection. The last execution carried out by the state was done in 2011. There have been four men since the current head of death row was appointed in 2017 that have been taken off of death row and given a life sentence.

Michael Waldsmith, a sophomore art education major, reflected on his trip to the prison. “The image I had in my head was not at all how the prison was when we arrived. I had imagined something of a much smaller scale. The number of inmates, employees, facilities and the sheer size of everything was much larger than any books or movies led me to believe. What shocked me the most was that some inmates walked around somewhat freely in their designated work areas, granted there were guards posted everywhere. One man who spoke to us about PREA explained that he works as a sort of mentor for incoming inmates, and was much more polite and wellspoken than any mass media source would have led me to think prisoners could act.”

With the prison tour coming to an end, the Captain shared one final thought, because at the end of the day the people in prison are human too: “Check your humanity.”

to Winthrop’s Procurement Services and turned in the gift cards and the receipts for them. The email address was blocked by Winthrop’s Computing and Information Technology services and the case was administratively closed by WUPD. A member of Winthrop’s staff went to the building that WUPD is housed in to report that his bicycle had been stolen. The staff member told an officer that he was in a building on campus and that when he looked outside, he noticed that his bike was missing. He did not indicate whether or not it had been secured with a lock. According to the police report, the case has been administratively closed “due to a lack of leads and camera footage.”

theJohnsonian November 13, 2019

4

Representatives from Catawba Nation visit The history of Catawba nation, river, and land

Elijah Moree staff writer “One of the things we want to point out is that we dress just like everyone else does too … When everybody sits and thinks, ‘Oh, we are going to see an Indian’ ... they expect to see us dressed in buckskin, take a picture with us and go home.

We want to show that we work and live just like everyone else.” These are the words Kristine Carpenter, a representative from the Catawba Nation, spoken this past Thursday at Dina’s Place for Native American Month. This was, in essence, the message of both Kristine and her associate Beckee Garris.

Carpenter is a dual-citizen of both the Catawba Nation and the United States. She has run the Catawba Cultural Center for 20 years, alongside her former co-worker and mentor Beckee Garris, who is visiting from Florida. During the event, the speakers went through a rundown of the Catawba Nation’s rich history. They began with life before European settlement. One of the key ideas expressed in this part of the lecture was the importance of the Catawba River to both early and modern Catawba. It served as a

source of fish, a place to wash — and by extension — fertilizer for their gardens. It was a practice of the Catawba to take a whole fish caught from the river and place it into a hole before planting crops such as corn, beans, squash and berries. This provided the gardens with valuable nutrients. The speakers explained that these gardens were not like modern ones, with “nice little rows of corn, and then you have your rows of tomatoes, and then you have your rows of beans.” They said that the crops in Native American gardens were planted together. The reason corn, squash and beans were planted together was because they would all work to add nutrients to the soil another one needed or, in the case of beans, climb up the corn stalk giving more support to the structure. Life for the Native Americans at this time was not luxurious, but the land was abundant.

Carpenter explained that life began changing for the Native Americans slowly at first, but eventually the landscape was completely different. King Hagler (ca. 1749-1763), one of the great chiefs of the Catawba Nation, facilitated diplomacy between the new English settlers and the Catawba Nation. According to Carpenter, he would converse with

white townsfolk, and “if he deemed them worthy, or friendly enough, he would give them parts of our land to start their own plantations … that’s why you see statues of King Hagler in Fort Mill.” Eventually, the Catawba Nation sold most of their land to the state of South Carolina through a non-federally ratified treaty in 1840 — hence the area called Indian Land in Lancaster County.

One recurring issue that kept coming up during the talk was the aspect of the ownership of Native American lands. The Catawba Nation settled with the state for the illegal/unconstitutional buying of their land in the 1990s, which addressed certain breaches of the treaty by South Carolina. However, many problems still exist today with Native American property rights.

Currently, all tribal lands are held “in trust” by the federal government.

In other words, they do not actually own their land. Native Americans may own a house on top of it, but they do not own the land itself. This means that they cannot sell the land to people outside the tribe or mortgage it to a bank. In addition to over-regulation, this has severely infringed on economic success of many tribes. Native American lands are estimated to contain as much as

50 percent of the coal reserves west of the Mississippi and 20 percent of known oil and gas reserves. The vast majority of these resources remain undeveloped due to these policies.

The Catawba Nation, although they do not possess natural resources such as coal or oil, is an example of faulty governmental control of Native American lands. Although not enthusiastic about the development of fossil fuel sources in general, Carpenter said that she does agree that property rights should be given back to Native Americans. When asked what was the biggest problem facing the Catawba Nation today, the speaker replied that economic development is the single largest obstacle for the tribe. Currently it is illegal in the State of South Carolina to run private gambling facilities, but the Catawba are working on a deal with the state to run their own operations. Additionally, the tribe is working on its own judicial system.

Once completed, they would qualify as a “sovereign” nation. Although they will neither have full rights to their land nor independence from South Carolina laws, they will be able to jail criminals and run their own court system.

Understanding criminal law in South Carolina A look at the criminal justice system and efforts to bring justice to the wrongly convicted

Joseph Calamia staff writer In today’s world, there is a hard line of finding the truth in criminal cases that can land innocent people in prison through mishandled information or laziness in the United States justice system. Even if there are cases that are resolved that prove innocence, those people are still in prison. Fortunately, change can come to the justice system both in our local and federal levels through education and basic knowledge of the law.

The Winthrop Common Book Committee hosted “Obstructing Injustice: A Discussion on Criminal Justice Reform and Wrongful Conviction,” an event in Dina’s Place that was held on Nov. 5 to educate Winthrop students about the criminal justice system in South Carolina.

The event featured criminal defense lawyer Dayne Phillips. He explained the common types of wrongful conviction people face and how wrongful conviction relates to the criminal justice courts of South Carolina with the guilty plea.

“In many states, there is a bug push on the jury on the idea of jailhouse witnesses and their credibility,” Phillips said.

The Winthrop Common Book for this year is “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” written by Bryan Stevenson. It follows the founding of the Equal Justice

Initiative to help exonerate were actually innocent.” those who were imprisoned due One of the interesting moments to wrongful convictions. This of the presentation was the speaker theme of equal justice was one bringing up the youngest murder in of the reasons the event was tied to court that happened in South Carolithe common book. na in the year 1944. George Stinney “[The event was chosen] to exJr. was a 14 yearold African Ameripand student understanding of the can that was wrongfully convicted of Common Book, the broad human criminal charges and was only exonrights and equal justice issues that erated seventy years after his death. are raised in the book and to raise This was brought up on the idea of awareness about issues how race factors in South Carolina, ” said in wrongful Katrina Moyon, Direcconvictions. tor of the John C. West “It’s one Forum on Politics and of the sadPolicy and Co-Director dest moments of Human Experiences in history. studies.

Race, in my The event tackled opinion, was multiple reasons of a factor in that wrongful concase and we need victions such as to have criminal false confesjustice reform,” sions, witness Phillips said. misidentifiThe topic resocation and nated with the audigovernment ence as they learned misconduct about statistics from that can people to The National Regisbe convicted in the local criminal try of Exonerations. system surprised students.

Mason Foster/ The Johnsonian Those in “One of my takeaways attendance from this cultural event was that learned that there have been a total eye-witness misidentification was the of 2,513 exonerations since 1989 in largest contributor to wrongful conthe U.S. which have removed over 22 victions of those exonerated through thousand years in prison.

DNA testing,” said junior business “I think that everyone should read administration major Amarillo the common book because it makes Nivens. “I didn’t know that there was you look at things in a different way,” that many people sent to prison that Nivens said.

Although lawyers in programs such as The Innocence Project in America continue to fight for reforms in the criminal justice department, there is still plenty of work to do in the state of South Carolina.

“We have a recalculation of the prison sentences on non-violent prisoners,” Phillips said. “Overall, [there were] not that many [reforms in South Carolina].”

Winthrop students throughout the Common Book events were able to relate the book’s subject matter with events that help challenge their ideas of the world and find ways to connect it to South Carolina to spark change in our society. “[One of the reasons that this event is important is for students] to learn more about what is happening in our state about issues raised in the common book. It is a way to connect the book to South Carolina,” Moyon said.

The speaker encouraged students to watch media such as “Making a Murderer,” “When They See Us” and “The Staircase” to learn more about the criminal justice system and independently research about criminal justice to get involved in helping the innocent find justice.

“It’s just a good look on how it the [criminal justice] system works and it’s all real,” Phillips said. “You need to be involved in it as much as you can in organizations that fight it.”

TJ talks the Presidential Election Updates on the 2020 presidential election Matt Thrift thriftm@mytjnow.com The last several weeks have been eventful on the national political stage in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Former U.S. Rep. Robert “Beto” O’Rourke dropped out of the race on Nov. 1 — amid continually dismal polling numbers — but not before managing to spend close to $14 million on his campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records. In a post on the website Medium, O’Rourke wrote “Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully. My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee. Acknowledging this now is in the best interests of those in the campaign; it is in the best

interests of this party as we seek to unify around a nominee; and it is in the best interests of the country.”

There is also potentially a new face on the 2020 campaign trail on the Democratic side. Michael Bloomberg — billionaire, former Wall Street banker, former mayor of New York City and current media mogul — is, as of press time, considering a run for the White House. A recent poll from Morning Consult/ Politico found that Bloomberg leads President Donald Trump by six percentage points in a hypothetical 2020 match up. However, polls have shown that Bloomberg is still well behind Democrat frontrunner Joe Biden.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has seen her numbers rise in some polls recently. Gabbard’s poll numbers rose to five percent in a recent CNN/

Kiki Todman | Assistant News Editor todmank@mytjnow.com

University of New Hampshire poll — which CNN dubiously attributed to recent verbal attacks from former Secretary of State Hillary clinton. In the latest Quinnipiac University poll (released on Nov. 11), Gabbard had risen to six percent. In a display of being ‘all-in,’ Gabbard announced at the end of October that she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

While the economy has long been a key issue for voters, a recent poll by CNBC and Acorns Invest In You showed that the economy may not be as big of a deal in 2020 as it has historically been. According to the poll, thirty-four percent of Americans said that they will vote on the economy. Forty-two percent of Republicans said that the economy would be their biggest issue when going to the ballot box, with 27 percent of Democrat voters saying

the same. While the state of the job market and the economy are still major factors in who voters cast their ballot for, health care comes in next, followed by immigration and the environment, according to the aforementioned poll.

Trump has stayed on the campaign trail (much like he has throughout his presidency) with recent appearances in Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Monroe and Bossier City, Louisiana and Lexington, Kentucky.

The Republican side of the 2020 presidential hopefuls remains relatively small compared to the Democrat side with former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, conservative pundit Joe Walsh and former governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld being considered contenders for the GOP nomination as of press time.

S&T

5

theJohnsonian

Where are the options?

November 13, 2019

As Sodexo has taken over the dining services at Winthrop, what are the vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options students can eat on campus?

Savannah Scott

scotts@mytjnow.com Since Sodexo has taken over the dining services at Winthrop in 2018, there has been a consistent demand for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options on campus.

Students are concerned about what options exist and where they are being offered on campus.

“We have the new impossible burger at the grill which is the primary option. We also have frozen meals available in the EagleNest store that is glutenfree,” said Bryan Harriss, general manager of Winthrop’s Dining Services.

In DiGorgio Campus Center there are also baked potatoes and salads at the Farmer’s Field, Mein Bowl has gluten-free options upon request and Tres Habaneros offers corn based tortillas and chips.

There are also a variety of options in Thomson Dining Hall as well.

“Monday through Friday we have what is called Simple Servings. It’s offered as a special section in the back of the grill. Available upon request at the deli there is glutenfree bread and sandwich rolls,” said Bill Hofmann, executive chef of Winthrop’s Dining Services.

“We offer Monday through Sunday the vegan and vegetarian station.

Everyday there is a vegan and or vegetarian option.”

Students can meet with managers in Thomson to be shown

where the dietary restricted food options are.

“We like to tour [students who have dietary needs]. I always insist that chef and I can meet with them to show them how they can go around getting a meal that better meets their dietary requirements,” Harriss said.

However, if students have a more serious restriction they can go through a request process to obtain food that meets their needs.

The dining services work with a regional dietitian and a student intern to help students.

“If it is something more serious then there’s a process which [students can] go through campus and then it comes to us,” Hofmann said. “We have a regional dietitian that will then weigh in on… that dietary restriction to assure whether we can or cannot meet those accommodations.”

They also have an option on their website where students with dietary restrictions can look at virtual tours of Thomson and see what is offered that meets their needs.

Thomson also recently hosted an event for vegans to see what foods should be added on the menu based on feedback.

“We introduced two types of vegan cookies which will start making rotations [and] introduced a gluten-free pizza crust that isn't cauliflower. [They were] well received,” Hofmann said. “[They are] going to start making rotation.

We are looking at adding gluten-

Elizabeth Talbert/ The Johnsonian free Thursdays where we will have [the] encourage communication. cookies and pizza.”

“The key point is

Winthrop’s Dining communication.

You just gotta ask Services hopes to offer more us and let us know . . . whether options in the future. it is personal or general ideas we “Our challenge with expanding will respond… [and it will help] us so much is we lack real estate. understand what the needs are.”

As we can take and add things Hariss said. in current areas, we can do that For more information about but we know there's a widening Winthrop’s Dining Services demand for [dietary needs],” follow their Instagram @ Harriss said. “We are trying to winthropdining1.

The virtual expand it so we can put it in our tour of Thomson is available on current platforms and offer it more their website at https://winthrop. often than before.” sodexomyway.com.

As a way to improve and provide for student accommodations they

Have extra cafe cash you can't get rid of before the end of the semester? You can buy Starbucks reusable cups while supplies last.

A Win For Winthrop

Winthrop’s Competitive Gaming Club won an esports qualifiers competition and now will move onto the regionals Savannah Scott scotts@mytjnow.com

It was a victorious win for Winthrop’s Competitive Gaming Club. Five members from the club competed as an esports team playing “Super Smash Brothers.”

The tournament is called the Collegiate Starleague, an esports competition for college students.

The event was held on Oct. 20 at the University of North Carolina Charlotte where Winthrop’s CGC received the title of the top four esports teams in North Carolina and South Carolina.

“We were there along with 16 different colleges teams and only the top four made it out and we made it out. It was a single elimination bracket,” said Matthew Hoshauer, a sophomore computer science major and team member.

The competition was set up where a team of five players fight with another team of five players.

“We did this thing called crew battle where one team of five people enter and they have 15 lives in the game as a team and they battle with another team of five people,” said Brooke Bordner, a sophomore criminology major and treasurer for CGC. “What you are trying to do is kill the other person. Each game has three lives and if you take the other persons three lives and you still

have 15 remaining another person comes in and they battle with 12 lives and you battle with 15,” Bordner said.

During the competition, CGC’s team had to put their trust into each other and face hardships that led them to their win.

“I think a lot of it was trusting each other that even though one of us may have a short coming here and there [we couldn’t] blame each other for those shortcomings,” Hoshauer said. “Winning was cool…

I was happier that we as a unit could have an experience like that. I hope this serves as an example that if you work at something… you can do whatever you want to do.”

Winthrop’s CGC team will now move onto the CSL regional

competition which then could lead them to compete nationally.

“We have stellar players it’s just a matter of confronting our nerves going into [the upcoming] battles.

As far as skills go [we got it],” said Matthew Howard, a junior music major and secretary of the club.

CGC was formed five years ago and they have weekly tournaments every Friday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the DiGorgio Campus Center Room 220. It’s free to be there there is a $5 entry fee to compete. The game changes each week depending on what is asked to play.

They also have a monthly tournament where all types of fighting games are played and are typically the last Sunday of every month from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. in

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

Courtesy of Matthew Howard Richardson Ballroom.

The club encourages anyone who is interested in joining to come to their weekly tournaments.

“We are welcoming to everyone.

We are not all about hosting a tournament… that’s not our focal point,” Hoshauer said. “No matter what game you play, who you are, what you are… just come in have a really good time. At the end of the day the main goal is to create a welcoming environment and have fun.”

For more information about Winthrop’s Competitive Gaming Club, message their Facebook at Winthrop Competitive Gaming Club or email them at smashbros@ winthrop.edu.

6

SPORTS theJohnsonian

Winthrop Soccer makes the Big South Playoffs for the first time since 2015 November 13, 2019

Celebrating the achievements of the men’s soccer team as they prepare for the Big South Tournament

Joseph Calamia

staff writer

Sports seasons are changing from soccer to basketball with Homecoming Week in full swing at Winthrop University. Don’t lose focus on soccer just yet though.

According to Winthrop Athletics, the Winthrop University men’s soccer team has qualified for the Big South Tournament this year after their final regular season match against Gardner-Webb, the first time since 2015 that the team has qualified for the Big South Playoffs.

Winthrop will be competing in the quarterfinals on Nov. 10, and the soccer team is hoping to capitalize on their recent winning streak to perform well in the tournament.

Jordan Walshaw, midfielder, has contributed in scoring goals to help place the Eagles in this position to go forward in the tournament.

“The season has ended well, we were finding our way for a while in the beginning and we were inconsistent. Over the last 3-4 weeks we’ve got on a bit of a roll and found some consistency to keep getting good results which has now put us in a good position,” Walshaw said.

With the recent games and lessons learned from this season, the Winthrop Eagles are looking to do well in the upcoming tournament to show the potential Winthrop has in the Big South Conference.

A senior midfielder, Leif Estevez, scored two goals in a very important game against USC Upstate to help the team put away the win and clinch a spot in the tournament.

“Now that we are in the tournament, everything is possible. I strongly believe that you can win one game against any team that you face,” Estevez said. “While we might not be the favorites in every matchup everything is possible if you only play 90 minutes. We showed that against Campbell last year when we beat them at their place 1-0. We weren’t the better team, but we still

walked away with the win.”

Winthrop’s athletic training staff and the equipment used in the athletic facilities have also played an important role in training our athletes to do their best on the field.

“The athletic training staff is great here at Winthrop. Not only are they helping us to recover fast from injuries, but we also are doing a lot of preventive work,” Estevez said.

“The athletic training room became a place for me to do my preventive exercises while getting in a good mood by spending time with my teammates and athletic trainer.”

Besides the players and athletic training staff, the men’s soccer team isn’t complete without the help and admiration of sports fans who take the time to watch the games.

Michael Covil, sophomore sport management major, is an avid, dedicated Winthrop Sports fan, who particularly loves soccer. Covil is the face behind Winthrop Live, @ winthrop.live on Instagram and @ winthroplive on Twitter, and he regularly attends sporting events to show his support for the Winthrop sports teams.

“It’s been a huge turnaround this year. Having missed the Big South Tournament for the last 3 seasons, it’s great to be back where we be-

Photos Provided by Winthrop Athletics long,” Covil said. “ And to do it with all these close, come from behind wins has been so much fun. I can’t wait to see what the Big South Tournament holds for the boys. They have a feel for the dramatic, so win or lose the last few games are going to be exciting.”

Throughout the current season and upcoming tournament, the athletes on the Winthrop men’s soccer team work hard to improve themselves and work together for each match.

Miles Rapp, a midfielder for the Eagles, shared with us some of his goals from the season.

“My personal goals for the season were to just be the best leader I could be for the team and to give my best for the team every day,” Rapp said.

One of the ways that members worked to prepare for the season were working on training and conditioning in the athletic facilities to improve their lifting and working on tactics before the upcoming season.

“I try to train as well as possible each time I step onto the training pitch. I like to get my gym work done and also extra practice outside of training to make sure I’m ready for anything that comes my throughout the season,” Walshaw

said.

Another way they trained is that over the summer, members of the soccer team participated in USL League Two summer league to keep up their training. International students on the team performed conditioning in their home country.

“I personally went back to my home country Germany and took part in the preseason of a team close to my home town to stay in shape,” Estevez said. “Now that the season is going into the playoffs we focus on keeping everybody healthy and get enough rest while also preparing for the next game.”

On the team, members also developed moments of camaraderie with each other through matches from soccer conferences and tournaments throughout the past few years.

“My two best memories are when we won the big south in 2015 and when we qualified for the conference tournament again this year after beating Upstate,” Rapp said.

“Being around the guys after these two games is something I will never forget.”

With Homecoming just around the corner, the Winthrop Athletics are especially looking for enthusiasm from the Winthrop student body at upcoming games.

“Homecoming is fun and it’s one of the better attended weekends of the year. For me, I’ll be working with the ESPN+ crew during games so my experience will be a little different, but I still look forward to the entire day,” Covil said.

Whether you’re a big sports fan or not, it’s important for students to go to games when we can to support the hard work our athletes put into their craft.

“It’s a huge part of who we are as a university and there’s so much work that goes into it all,” Covil said. “They deserve the support.

Plus, it’s a great way to meet people who go to school with you and most all of our teams are championship caliber and compete as the best in the Big South.”

More of me for equality

NASCAR representatives talk to students about diversity and inclusion within the program Benisha Wadlington staff writer

Winthrop’s chapter of SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, presented Diversity and Inclusion at NASCAR, a cultural event during common time on Nov. 5, in collaboration with the NAACP. Abri Tate, the recruiting coordinator for NASCAR, was present as the guest speaker of the event and shared much information about how he handles diversity and inclusion within his department, and even shared tips and advice on how students can enter their careers and be valuable candidates with just their resume.

Tate graduated from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island and began his career as an intern at PepsiCo. At the event, after sharing a brief timeline of events in his life, Tate talked about his experience in NASCAR as the recruitment coordinator.

“The first way that we make NASCAR more diverse is through our selection process,” Tate said.

“We make sure we have 50% diversity in every candidate pool and during the process we make sure that we stick to a fair process that gives everyone a fair shot at selection. We also try to avoid different biases that may come into play during the screening process.”

As explained in his presentation, Tate talked about how different stereotypes may affect how individuals perceive a candidate, however, he later explained how his team avoids those biases.

“You coach against them. You become aware of them and avoid biases that may have come up in the past,” Tate said.

Aside from talking about diversity and inclusion, Tate also encouraged the students in attendance to read and learn more about the program opportunities that the organization offers, one of those programs being the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program (NDIP).

“Established in 2000, NDIP is a 10-week paid summer internship that seeks diverse undergraduate and graduate college students with high academic standing at elite institutions,” Tate said.

He also mentioned how the program was an opportunistic bridge that could potentially lead participating students to an entry level job within the company.

“These programs are under the HR umbrella at NASCAR.They are very special because every department can participate (Ford and PepsiCo. included). A lot of my coworkers were in these programs,” Tate said.

Additionally, Tate gave the students in attendance advice on

Gabby Gardner | Sports Editor gardnerg@mytjnow.com

how to become more competitive applicants. One of those tips he shared was to polish your online presence by cleaning up social media and making sure that they were presentable to potential recruiters. Another was to become more diverse in skills, not just demographics.

“Even though you may be applying for a job in one area, it’s good to have experience in other areas as well to show that you’re well rounded,” Tate said.

He also named a few of the entry level jobs that NASCAR offers.

“Pretty much all of our corporate

Mason Foster/ The Johnsonian

roles, which include analytics, journalism, communications, and more. All of those roles are consistently becoming open and at a lot of our different track locations as well,” Tate said. “I think those are all great avenues, especially for someone that wants to move around with the job, we have tracks all over the country.”

“Our drive for diversity is very important in our business,” Tate said. “We can continue to become more diverse and talented and we just hope to revolve to become even better.”

theJohnsonian

7

November 13, 2019

Congratulations, Cross Country champs

Two cross country athletes awarded for their accomplishments so far this season Lily Fremed

staff writer

On Saturday, Nov. 2, the men and women’s cross country team ventured to Campbell University to compete in the Big South Cross Country Championships. The men ran an 8K while the women raced in the 5K. Both teams finished 7th in the championship.

Upon finishing the race, two student athletes were awarded for the accomplishments they achieved throughout the season.

Kahler was named to the Big South All-Academic Team and Harper Henson was awarded the honor of 2019 Big South Conference Women’s Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Finishing with a time of 25:04:14, Kahler led the men as he earned 5th place.

“I came into college as a pretty average, undertrained runner, but after working hard for 4 years, I’ve been lucky [enough] to see a lot of improvement. Running is a sport where it’s very easy to track progress because everything is timed, so I enjoy seeing the team’s progress year-to-year,” Theo Kahler said.

“Conference is always one the the meets we focus on the most during the season,” Kahler said. “I wanted to run with the top pack, and although I felt a little rusty from not racing for a month due to some health issues, I was still happy with my performance.”

Although Kahler did not start running until his junior year of high school, he quickly discovered how much he enjoyed the sport, and “fortunately [his] times were fast enough by senior year to run in college.”

Olivia Esselman/ The Johnsonian When Kahler began at Winthrop, he was running a 5k with a time of 16:31, but his dedication and perseverance lowered his time to 14:24.

“My goal is to make the NCAA prelims in track to get a chance to go to nationals,” Kahler said.

After completing the 5K in 17th place with a time of 19:00.20, Harper Henson was first awarded the All-Academic Team for the Winthrop women’s team. Henson explains how she went to get her jacket, but “then [her] coach was saying [she] couldn’t leave yet.”

Henson was confused until her name was announced for the Scholar Athlete of the Year.

“I was honestly surprised and

shocked to be chosen out of all the Big South Conference. It still doesn’t feel quite real and I question myself for getting it. Like am I the one who really deserves this? I need to just accept it and not downplay all my hard work,” Henson said.

Henson emphasizes how she is “a student first, then an athlete,” so this is the biggest award she has won so far during her college career. In previous years she won an All-Academic Team award and “a few conference champ medals for the mile indoor and the distance medley relay.”

After running for roughly ten years, Henson is now finishing up her final season as a college athlete who always makes sure to get plenty

of sleep and eat healthy meals in the days prior to her race.

“I also try to set my mind right and relax and remember that running is fun and a privilege I get to do as a scholar college athlete,” Henson said.

Proving herself to be the Scholar Athlete, Henson actually earned her degree in just three years, graduating last May. She has been lucky enough to continue playing for the Eagles while she works towards her Master’s in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and she looks forward to graduating in May 2020.

“I appreciate the recognition I am getting for my hard work in my education,” Henson said.

Despite being a student first, Henson cherishes her time being part of a close, family-like team.

“My favorite experience of being a college athlete probably has been the ability to travel. . . . Also getting the fun gear and the fact that I get to do what I love at a college level.

It has given me many experiences and opportunities to grow into the person I am today along with how far I have come with my education,” Henson said.

On Friday, Nov. 15, Kahler and Henson will head to Charlottesville, Virginia with the other members of the men’s and women’s cross country teams to complete in the NCAA Southeast Regional.

The Eagles will compete against other Division I teams from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.

“The top two teams qualify for NCAAs and the four fastest individuals not on a qualifying team make it as well. My goal is to run with that top pack and give myself a chance to surprise some people,” Kahler said.

They’re Playing Basketball Winthrop Women’s Basketball kicks off new season

La J’ai Reed

reedl@mytjnow.com As The Coliseum lights gleamed, Winthrop’s women’s basketball team did as well.

The Eagles got their first taste of the 2019-2020 season in an exhibition matchup against the Crusaders of North Greenville University on Nov. 5.

The team played well in their lone preseason matchup, winning 79-46.

The game provided fans a preview of what this season will bring and included strong showings from many of the team’s members.

Sophomore guard Jah’Che Whitfield went 6 for 12 on the night, continuing with the trend of her performance during her freshman campaign.

Sydney Buckley, a sophomore guard, played 17 minutes in the matchup and connected on four of five goals from the field.

Marissa Cantrell, one of the team’s four seniors, also had a great showing during the preseason battle.

After missing a year due to injury, Cantrell is glad to be back and ready to contribute to her team.

“It feels great to be back on the court and back healthy. I feel like my old self again,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell shot at 55-percent from the field over 22 minutes and hopes to keep the same momentum throughout the remainder of the season.

“This year I just want to help my team any way I can, whether it’s getting a steal, rebound, assist, or scoring,” Cantrell said.

The Eagles scored in multiple ways during the exhibition game, but the fast breaks especially made

for thrilling plays. Cantrell said that this factor will be a crucial part of the game plan.

“This year we are going to be a running team, more aggressive on defense, and just overall more exciting to watch,” Cantrell said.

Not only does Cantrell say that fans should expect more excitement, but also an energized season.

“I am hoping that we keep up the energy and continue to work together because teams are going to get better as we move through the season,” Cantrell said.

The team is entering the third season lead by Head Coach Lynette Woodard.

In their first season with Woodard at the helm, the team went 3-27. The next season the Eagles went 10-20. Now with a good mixture of new faces, second year returners and veterans, this team is eyeing some big goals.

Miquela Santoro came into this season with 35 starts to her name.

Now, as one of the senior leaders, Santoro is eager about taking on a leadership role this season.

“I am excited but also nervous, but I get nervous before every game,” Santoro said. “We have done a lot of preparation on and off the court for the games coming up, and it is exciting that we finally get to show everyone what we have been working on.”

Like Cantrell, Santoro notes that there will be renewed energy oozing from the program this season.

“I think the program will bring more energy to the Coliseum this year,” Santoro said. “We have new faces on the staff and player sides, and it will be exciting to see how everyone works together.”

The Eagles played their official home opener against the Iona

College Gaels on Nov. 9.

The game was back and forth up until a 14 point run by the Eagles in the second quarter.

Just as in the exhibition, transition offense was key for Winthrop in the first half — scoring 12 fast break points throughout the entire matchup.

Before the game, Whitfield noted the importance of the Eagles fast break offense.

“Transition will be very important because that’s what we work on a lot in practice — fast breaks,” Whitfield said.

Points scored off pushes down the court helped Winthrop take an 11 point lead into the locker room at half time.

Whitfield also said that the game plan stressed defense and making stops.

Gabby Gardner/ The Johnsonian

“Individually and as a team, we need to play good enough defense because this team is full of threepoint shooters,” Whitfield said.

Despite holding the Gaels to 25-percent shooting from beyond the arc during the first half, Iona would come out of the locker room after halftime in a different form.

The Gaels went 9 for 15 from the three-point line through the third and fourth quarters. The trail of threes would carry Iona to a sevenpoint win over the Eagles, 68-61.

Highlights for Winthrop, as they dropped the home opener, came from Whitfield and Buckley — scoring 21 and 11 points, respectively.

The Eagles will look to capitalize on their strengths and learn from their blunders as the season continues.

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

8

November 13, 2019

Mindful Art Comes to Campus

Nick Moen brings The Bright Angle and the Democratic Cup to Winthrop

Sustainability, an idea that is becoming more relevant to students and is being used in all areas of the art world. Locally sourced materials give an advantage to artists, giving them the opportunity to be mindful in their work. The Bright Angle and the Democratic Cup are displayed in the Rutledge Gallery in McLaurin hall, open to all students on campus.

Nick Moen, the designer for The Bright Angle, does a lot of collaboration within his work. Moen established The Bright Angle as an organization in 2016, in Asheville, North Carolina. “Eight years ago I was driving around the country picking up hitchhikers for three months,” Moen said, “my car ended up breaking down after 8,000 miles and I said, ‘Well, this must mean something,’ so I settled in and called Asheville home.”

Moen was interested in the craft

and makers community in Asheville and decided to become a part of it by starting projects out of his basement.

“I wanted to create jobs for people to be able to become involved in the Asheville creative community,” Moen said, which caused him to start the organization.

The upper level of the gallery houses pieces from the organization, brought in from Asheville, North Carolina.

Moen designs the pieces the organization creates, but he has a production team who works through them.

“We are a premier mold making and design studio so we are able to work with companies and retailers who want to bri[dge] the gap between industrial design and productions,” Moen said. The company wanted to be able to step away from strictly craft or design, so they combined the two.

The Bright Angle can take a sketch from a company and turn it into a product for them through their 3D molds.

Nicole Davenport, Assistant Director of Winthrop Galleries gave insight into the creative processes used by Nick Moen. Moen created a list named, “The Steps for Creation.” The list is specific to what they do with ceramics, “but can also be applied to

any design process an artist is going through,” Davenport said. Davenport gave insight on the process each piece goes through while being curated by artists. “The artists came up with a modular system,” Davenport said, “the clay is turned into ‘slip’ and then poured into the plaster molds they have pieced together.” Davenport went on to say, “the molds are then strapped together to suck the moisture from the clay, creating a type of ‘skin’ or layer of clay.”

Moen uses the ‘slip’ method to create pieces for lighting. Davenport explained the benefit to using clay instead of glass for the pieces. “The way the light is diffused, is the reason an artist may choose to use clay,” Davenport said. Moen was tired of the now popular trend of exposed lightbulbs, and decided he wanted to know how he could change that into something that is a little more “soft and inviting,” Davenport said. The light presented from the clay pieces give a more intimate feeling compared to the harshness of exposed lightbulbs. Moen explained, “a year ago we decided to pursue translucent porcelain lighting because of the way lighting can affect your mood, create a source of ambiance in a space, and

Sam Ross/The Johnsonian

be used as an essential part for any human space setting the tone for what is happening there.”

The Democratic Cup, presented in the lower level of the gallery is a huge collaboration Moen did with ceramicists from around the world to show civil dialogue. “I was interested in what Ayumi Horie was doing as a social activist for the ceramics community and wanted to collaborate with dozens of designers and illustrators to make ceramic objects as catalysts for change.” Therefore, he collaborated with Horie to start the Democratic Cup to encourage people to talk about their social and political issues.

The Rutledge Gallery at Winthrop is not a collecting gallery, which means they bring artists in from outside the university to feature. “We spend a lot of time looking, searching, and visiting museums and galleries to find these artists.” Davenport said, “this is how we found Nick Moen.” The Rutledge Gallery is in McLaurin Hall on campus. According to Davenport, “many students come through the building, but do not know the gallery is there and tucked away.” Students are welcomed to come by the gallery during the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Students can learn more

What to do during Homecoming for non-sports fans

Homecoming is one of the biggest events of the year at Winthrop. There is a massive turnout, with alumni and families visiting students to celebrate our school. However, Homecoming is seen mostly as a sports event, with the “big game” as the most popular event for sports fans and families. But what about the people who don’t exactly care about basketball?

Winthrop has plenty to offer.

Wednesday: The campus will be offering

the “Glow on the Green” event, which is sponsored by various religious organizations at Winthrop from 5:30 to 7 p.m. It will be on the Campus Green, and there will be food, music, and games.

Thursday: Thursday night, Dina’s Place will be hosting a movie night for all of Winthrop’s students.

They will be showing the original Disney film, “Alice in Wonderland” which relates to the theme of Homecoming this year. It will start at 8 p.m.

Friday: Friday night will be Homecoming on the Green, at the Campus Green from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be gelato, drinks, food trucks, music, giant Jenga and Connect4, as well as other events.

Alumni and faculty will get a chance to

bond with the students and other staff at this homecoming event.

At 7:30 p.m. in Johnson Hall, the theatre department will be putting on their annual Fall One-Act Festival. Tickets cost $5 for students and $10 for everyone else.

At 8 p.m., there will be a Homecoming Comedy show at Tillman Auditorium.

To celebrate Homecoming, Winthrop has invited comedians Rip Michaels, Burpie, and Kelly Kellz from the hit MTV show “Wild N’ Out.” There will be interactive games for the audience to partake in.

There will also be art exhibitions over the weekend. There will be an Art Education Exhibition at Lewandowski Student Gallery, the Bright Angle exhibition at Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery and the Democratic Cup Exhibition at Rutledge Gallery. All of these events will happen on Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Elizabeth Talbert/The Johnsonian

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

Saturday: The Fall One-Act festival continues on Saturday, with shows starting at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. It will still be at the Studio Theatre located in Johnson Hall To end Homecoming Week, there will be a

massive party in the Richardson Ballroom called the Mad Hatter’s Ball. There will be a costume party with music, a photo booth, and light snacks. The party starts at 9 p.m.

Even though some people aren’t fans of sports, there are still many other ways to celebrate homecoming.There are parties throughout the week--art events to check out, shows to see on the weekend and many other ways to celebrate Winthrop.

9

The selection of a King and Queen is a classic Homecoming tradition, but many students remain uninformed on who is running each year as well as the meaning behind Winthrop’s Homecoming Court. This year’s court was officially announced during the Homecoming Kickoff on Monday, Nov. 11.

The candidates for Queen are: Elizabeth Johnson - senior psychology major Megan Ploch - junior biology major Molly Garrison

- junior physical education major Baily Crolley - junior biology major The candidates for King are: Kyle Conrad senior psychology major Jesse Dean - 2nd year Think College student Jeremiah Boggs - senior biology major Jaleel Hammonds senior middle level education major Candidates for Homecoming King and Queen are required to have at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA and are meant to represent the values of Win-

throp’s Dedication for Excellence.

Each candidate is required to identify and write about two principles from the Dedication for Excellence that they feel they have demonstrated at Winthrop, which include academic integrity, freedom of speech, personal responsibility, global and cultural diversity, consideration of others, social responsibility, civic engagement and environmental responsibility.

Voting for the 2019 Homecoming King and Queen opened on Monday follow-

ing the presentation of the court and closes at 12 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.

The winners will be announced during halftime of the men’s basketball game on Nov. 16.

For more information, visit https:// www.winthrop.edu/ homecoming/kingand-queen.aspx

Mars Hogue/The Johnsonian

Olivia Esselman/The Johnsonian

Behind the scenes of the Fall One Act Festival How an all-student ensemble brings eight stories to life in just over a month

As the semester comes to a close, theatregoers can enjoy a collection of multiple stories that have been directed, acted and staged entirely by students. The student-directed Fall One Act Festival opens on Friday, Nov. 15 and runs through Nov. 17 in Johnson Studio Theatre. Unlike most theatre productions, the One Acts are a combination of a month’s work by eight individual groups, who often rehearse simultaneously in different rooms in Johnson Hall.

A final project for students in the Directing II class, each play is chosen by a student director and assigned two stage managers from the Stage Management class.

Students audition for the plays in mid October and rehearsal schedules are built based on the students in each production. For many of the students, the One Acts are their first time directing a show. The eight shows are divided into “Group A” and “Group B,” with each group performing twice during the weekend.

Junior theatre design major Kersey Hanna directs a Group B show, “I Dream Before I Take the Stand,” a two-person drama about victim blaming in a sexual assault case. The play follows a woman who was assaulted and a defense lawyer who is cross-examining her. “He distorts her innocent walk through the park and he’s basically kind of slut-shaming her,” Hanna says. “The audience has to be the jury and weigh the consequences of what’s going on.”

According to Hanna, despite the difficulty of balancing the schedules of the actors and stage managers, the rehearsal process has gone smoothly. “Working with these two actors – they’ve been great. They’ve worked really hard and they’ve put a lot of time and effort into it. I’ve had goals set at rehearsals and we usually meet all those goals,” says Hanna.

Junior theatre education major Fark Farris directs “Equinox” in Group A, a story about an investigator questioning a 14 year old girl who she suspects was assaulted in the middle of the night. “[Equinox] is about the power of perception and your take on your reality.

It is about a girl who, it has been insinuated has been sexually assaulted and it’s all about her game that she plays with those that are involved.”

“Equinox” is Farris’ first fulllength directed piece, having previously directed children in monologues and scenes. “This is a completely different ball game because it’s your peers, it’s full shows and you are in charge of absolutely everything,” Farris says.

“It is stressful and it makes you realize that there is so much that goes into a show that you don’t realize until you’re in the middle of tech week. It’s been a very amazing experience though.”

Taylor Evans, a junior theatre and mass communication double major directs “Choose Your Own Apocalypse,” a Group A show about two women whose complex relationship began inside a religious cult. “One of [the women] is in a cult currently and the other one is a journalist who went into the cult undercover for three years, and they became best friends while in that cult. A lot of drama has gone down between them and they are now meeting

Madison Yarborough | Assistant A&C Editor yarboroughm@mytjnow.com

for the first time in years to kind of even the playing field and talk it out.” Evans says.

Evans says that the process has been “exhausting” for those working on the show, but in a good way. “It’s the good exhausting where you feel like you’ve really done good. You genuinely don’t realize how much work goes into it until you do it,” Evans says. “It’s just so many small, intricate parts that you don’t think about.”

While most of the shows are dramatic, Group B includes comedies “WILF,” “I Didn’t Want a Mastodon” and “A Circular Play--a Play in Circles,” and Group A includes a dark absurdist comedy, “Sinkhole.” Both groups are intended only for mature audiences, as the plays contain strong language, sexual and violent themes and some drug use.

Group A performs on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 16 at 2:00 p.m., and Group B performs on Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 17 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the general public. Seating in the studio theatre is general admission.

10

OPINION

theJohnsonian

November 13, 2019

Social media is changing how we see politicians A student’s experience with diversity training and thoughts after the fact

Victoria Howard

howardv@mytjnow.com

Chances are, if you go to Winthrop, you are active on at least one form of social media. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat, every day we open up our phones and are faced with large amounts of information.

According to a 2017 survey by global tech company Asurion, on average, people struggle to go longer than 10 minutes without looking at their phones. The survey also found that separation anxiety from one’s phone is common, with 31 percent of respondents saying they feel extreme stress when separated from their phone.

While this reliance on our phones can be detrimental to our connections with those in our personal lives, it has opened up a new space for discussion between people from many different backgrounds. It has also created platforms for the average person to connect with celebrities, brands and politicians.

Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign pioneered the use of social media in connecting with voters as Facebook rose to popularity in 2007, political science professor John Holder said.

“I remember the 1990’s when it was a big deal that a campaign had a website and an email address,” Holder said.

In a 2008 article, the New York Times said that the use of social media in Obama’s first presidential campaign not only rallied young voters, but that the then-president-elect now had a database of millions of voters he could reach almost instantly.

Over the last 12 years, social media has become an even more prevalent part of our daily lives and in response, the use of the new medium by politicians has grown. This growth has been most noticeable on Twitter, where multiple posts a day are encouraged and expected.

It has also become a primary news source for many people.

Holder said that prior to answering questions, he asked two classes where they get their information and the most common responses were through social

media platforms.

The attitude most Twitter users have is to use the medium as a tool to respond to events happening and news that they hear. Often, news is spread through the reaction to articles, creating less of a knowledge of events among the general public, but instead a general idea of people’s feelings toward them.

This sharing of feelings has become common to how politicians use the platform.

A prime example of this is President Trump’s account, where he responds to national events as well as criticisms. This connection to Trump and access to his instant reactions to issues has created a new environment for citizens. In the past, messages from presidents have been heavily monitored and put through a PR team, but the @ realDonaldTrump account doesn’t seem to have this kind of filter.

This has been a good and bad thing for Trump. Many of his supporters like the frankness represented through the tweets, but for his opposers, it seems to give them more fuel to the fire against him.

Either way, Trump’s use of

Twitter has certainly encouraged more use of the platform among other politicians to express not only their policies but also their emotional reactions to issues.

On Nov. 7, Senator Elizabeth Warren, @ewarren, tweeted in response to Mike Bloomberg joining the Democratic presidential race.

“Welcome to the race, @MikeBloomberg!” Warren said, and then linked to her billionaire tax calculator, which shows how much the ultra-rich will be taxed under her proposed policies.

On Nov. 8, Senator Cory Booker, @CoryBooker, tweeted about the anniversary of Trump winning the election against Hillary Clinton. “[i]f we turn out to vote, we will make Trump a one term president,” Booker said. This tweet garnered a much higher amount of responses than he has on average due to its motivational sentiment. He used the database he has gathered throughout his time as a senator and now as a democratic candidate to appeal to people’s emotions and give them something to share.

Candidates of today have

learned that using social media, especially Twitter, gives them a new kind of upper hand. Politicians are now using these platforms as a way to appeal to voters’ emotions. They know that we are constantly on our phones and engaging with social media, often more than with traditional media.

By appealing to our emotions and connecting with us on a different and unique level, these candidates are making politics more about emotions and our personal relationship with the candidate than ever before. This isn’t a bad thing — political opinions are dictated by our ethical views — but it can also create a situation where we focus on a candidate’s personality more than their policies.

Be watchful when it comes to candidates appealing solely to emotions. Take a deeper look into their policies and if they have solid plans to back up the buzz words they use.

Don’t be taken away solely by a candidate’s candor on social media.

Elizabeth Talbert/The Johnsonian

#StopTheBanSC South Carolina legislators are attempting to pass a law that will prohibit abortions after a heartbeat is detected in the fetus

Abi Perito

staff writer The decades-long controversy of pro-life versus pro-choice has been a large part of America’s social setting since the passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973. Conservative states have attempted to pass legislation to defy the Supreme Court ruling, many landing on the ever so popular, heartbeat bill. After versions of the bill were passed by Ohio, Georgia and Missouri in 2018 and 2019, it was no surprise when South Carolina legislators followed suit.

In October, the South Carolina State House attempted to change the heartbeat bill to exclude the instance of victims of rape and incest.

This would have meant that regardless of the condition that the fetus was conceived under, an abortion would be illegal after a heartbeat is detected, which for most women is about 6-8 weeks. Many women are not even aware that they are pregnant at that point.

Fortunately, this is not the version of the bill that was given to the Senate, but the “improved” one isn’t much better. The heartbeat bill that is currently being discussed on the South Carolina Senate floor was revised to say that victims of rape and incest can get an abortion after a heartbeat is detected, only if they file a police report beforehand.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, only 230 out of every 1000 accounts of rape are ever actually reported to police.

One could argue that making this amendment to the heartbeat bill, women will be more encouraged to step up and report their attacker, but this isn’t the platform the lawmakers are coming from.

South Carolina government officials know, because of networks like RAINN, that the majority of women that are victims of rape or incest are not going to report it, which means that they can not have an abortion performed on them.

At this point, how can these legislators deem themselves pro-life?

How can they say that they care so

Victoria Howard | Opinion Editor howardv@mytjnow.com

much about the lives of these unborn fetuses while they are blatantly ignoring the physical and mental health of the mothers who carry them? It is nothing short of fullblown hypocrisy.

This is just another way that women are degraded by the patriarchy. There is a 1 in 5 chance of a woman being sexually assaulted in her life, and this becomes an even higher chance in the case of a domestic dispute. Then, after being in a body that no longer feels like it belongs to them, they are legally forced to carry the child of their attacker for a further 9 months. After giving birth, they do have the option of giving the child up for adoption, but that’s only if they want to be chastised for contributing to the already overfilled and corrupt foster system and forcing a child into that.

South Carolina legislators are making it impossible for a woman to have control over her own body and they are challenging a Supreme Court ruling every step of the way.

Only time will tell if the Senate will pass this bill, but if it is passed, it

is already expected that Governor McMaster will hold no opposition.

This bill is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation to pass through the South Carolina Congress in the last few years. Just because abortions are illegal, does not stop women from getting them, it only prevents them from having them safely. Women will revert back to being given abortions in unsanitized homes with nonregulated equipment and put themselves in danger in lieu of carrying a child to term that they don’t want.

This doesn’t even touch on the increased risk of suicide that women who are victims of rape-related pregnancy are prone to. Many young women who are in states that have abortion bans will sometimes commit suicide because they believe that there is no other option. Why is it that these pro-lifers, these legislators, these men, only care about the unborn fetus and not about the human being that is carrying it?

theJohnsonian

11

November 13, 2019

What does it mean to be an Eagle?

Carl Johnson

Sonny Manyvong

Julius DeMunn

“I believe that it means having pride in winthrop and its history, and being proud to be here and enjoying our time here by getting involved”

“To be an eagle is to live as a poor college student due to the high tuition of this public university. However, its liberating to be with new people I’ve never met in my entire life”

“To ne a winthrop eagle, it means to be empowering.

Which means to just be able to go out there and get what you need in life”

Malcolm Palmer

Rachel Foggie

Jack Hardie

“It means coming together really, everybody here is really close knit so it’s good to be in that environment”

“When I think of eagle I think of bold and proud, and just a lot of excitement”

To be an eagle means to accept diversity and to try and be involved on campus, always volunteering

Tate Walden

waldent@mytjnow.com

How to make Homecoming sustainable A look at efforts by Winthrop’s Office of Sustainability to keep our homecoming a clean one

Joseph Calamia

staff writer

With Winthrop Homecoming around the corner, students are getting ready to share in the homecoming experience and show their support for our athletes. However, tailgating tends to leave behind trash on our campus as people focus more on the game and having fun than on cleaning up. Fortunately, Winthrop is ahead of the curve in finding ways to encourage people to pick up after themselves.

The Winthrop University Office of Sustainability is planning to host volunteer opportunities for students during the basketball game on Nov. 16 to celebrate Homecoming and America Recycles Day, which is technically Nov. 15. Volunteers will be recycling and picking up trash during the tailgating festivities. The responsibilities of picking up litter ties in with the message of the Department of Student Life’s Dedication for Excellence.

“Of those values, personal responsibility, the consideration of others, social responsibility, and environmental responsibility are all important values guiding how one lives and makes choices about litter,” Chris Johnson, Director of the Office of Sustainability, said.

Student organizations are also working to lessen the amount of littering at the tailgate. The Student Environmental Action Coalition is partnering with volunteers and the Office of Sustainability during the tailgate to help students pick up after themselves.

“In an environmental aspect, we think that homecoming will be a great and somewhat sustainable experience this year. We think that it will be a more environmentally friendly experience and easier cleanup. We have also heard that Winthrop will be ending (the tailgate) on time this year, as op-

posed to last year,” Tori Dube, SEAC secretary, said.

Plastic bottles, paper cups, cigarette butts and wrappers are among the numerous examples of litter that are commonly picked up. With big events such as tailgating, trash can be unintentionally or carelessly left behind.

“Winthrop University’s facilities management understands the importance of keeping a clean and beautiful campus and are diligent about picking up any litter found on Winthrop University’s campus,” Johnson said. “However, personally if I see litter, I pick it up – this random act can help make our campus and community a better place to live and learn.”

Littering can seem harmless at first glance, but even the smallest

Sam Ross/ The Johnsonian

trash can affect the environment in a bad way. Whether you’re young or old, we all have a responsibility to keep the earth clean for future generations.

“Littering on campus can affect the plants and trees to the individuals that breathe the air produced by them. Any kind of litter can diminish the living quality of the trees, plants, animals, and individuals who are on campus,” Dube said. “In addition, by littering, we are showing other individuals around us that it is okay to litter, leading to an even more decreased quality of life. The situation that bothers us the most is when we find a Subway cup three feet from a trash can or recycling bin.”

Even though they will have cleanup volunteers present at Home-

coming, the Office of Sustainability encourages students to pick up after themselves, be sustainable and participate in recycling more than throwing away.

“The university has made efforts to make disposing of waste easier during this event,” Johnson said.

“There are dumpsters available near the tailgating area. There will be more than 30 trash and recycling collection bins throughout the event area. We will have extra trash and recycling bags available for people and groups to use during the event and for clean up at the end of the event.”

In addition, the Rock Hill MyRide bus services will be available for transportation to the Winthrop Coliseum and and during tailgating, students are encouraged to use reusable and recyclable bottles and cups, as well as not waste food.

“Homecoming is a tradition that welcomes back former members of the community and celebrates Winthrop University. However, events like homecoming cause a lot of waste and leave a large carbon footprint. The Office of Sustainability is focused on providing opportunities and educating people how to reduce their impact on human and natural systems,” Johnson said.

Overall, as Homecoming weekend approaches, it’s important for students to learn to find ways to help themselves and the environment.

And don’t just limit your environmental concern to this one week of Homecoming — it doesn’t take a lot to make a change every day.

“As an environmental organization, we always think that it is important to be sustainable. Sustainability essentially should not be limited to one week,” Dube said.

“However, given the number of activities and homecoming itself, the number of people out and about will increase, which may lead to more littering around campus. Therefore, it is important to pick up after yourself and to remind others as well.”

12

theJohnsonian

November 13, 2019

We may change our look every now and then, but one thing always stays the same: The Johnsonian is committed to serving Winthrop Univeristy, Rock Hill and readers like you.