THE M E R E D I T H
Spring
HERALD
Has Sprung
in this issue NEWS Private Space Travel Convocation Recap A&E Captain Marvel Review Art Museum Perspectives OPINIONS The Power of "Woke" Advocacy at the General Assembly
@meredith_herald #harktheherald March 20, 2019
The Sword and Shield of Meredith’s Campus, Part 2 By Savi Swiggard, Staff Writer The previous edition of the Herald contained part one of this article, where some insight into Meredith’s security team was shared. But beyond Meredith’s campus police, there are other resources and security measures that keep students safe. Heidi LeCount is the Director of Residence Life at Meredith College and has served at Meredith since June of 2000. LeCount explained that Meredith’s CamCard system is one of the most effective systems of keeping students safe, but it requires diligence from the students as well. Keeping male guests
Explaining the Gender Wage Gap By Ashley Ricks, Staff Writer Are women treated as equals in America? Most Americans agree that women have made many advances in the last century, but the gender wage gap proves that women are still fighting for equality. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2017, women made 81.8 cents for every dollar a man makes. These study results indicate that women must work 47 more days than their male counterparts for the same annual income for the same annual income. During women’s history month, it is important to highlight the continuing inequality women are dealing with in society. Some people argue that the reason there is a gender wage gap is that women choose different occupations than men. Contrary to this popular belief, a Bloomberg study found that women and men are choosing the same majors, but men are choosing the higher occupations within the major. For example, there is equal distribution of Biology majors among both genders, but men tend to choose to continue their education to go into a higher paying role, such as dentistry, while women go into teaching or nursing. Dr. York, a professor in Economics at Meredith who teaches Gender and the Economy, explained that one of the factors contributing to this phenomenon is societal pressure. Certain occupations offer more flexibility for working mothers, so women are incentivised to enter these professions. Particular professions that are suitable for mothers include teaching, nursing, working in part-time retail and being a librarian. Society puts the weight on mothers to bear the responsibility of child-rearing and taking care of the household chores, which in turn
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influence a woman’s occupation decision. So, do men earn, on average, more than women do due to choice or the expectations of the social order? There is no definite answer to this question, but it is important to remember that women are usually their families’ caregivers and as a result must have more flexible, which are often lower-paying jobs. Dr. York wrote an opinion piece on CNN explaining the need to have equal pay and equal allocation of household chores. Dr. York wrote that men spend an additional 40 more minutes in leisure time every day compared to women, which is mainly due to the fact that women spend more time on chores. There are many misconceptions about what the gender wage gap means. In an interview with Dr. York, she gave more clarification to help define the gender wage gap. Dr. York defines the gender wage gap as a calculation of “women’s pay as a percentage of men’s pay.” Currently, the gender wage gap is 81.8%, but Dr. York mentions that this calculation does not mean that every woman is making 81.8% of what a man makes. This is an average across all occupations, industries, age categories, race/ethnic categories, educational statuses etc.” Dr. York’s goal is to have the gender wage gap be 100%, suggesting a need for a lot of improvement; the silver lining is that women have made a lot of advancements since the late 70s, when the gender pay gap was 62%. Mothers are expected to take time off of work to come to their children’s aid. When children are sick, typically the mother has to take off of work to take care of
out of the residence halls when open house hours are not in effect helps to create a bubble of safety and comfort for all students. LeCount also asked that students not allow non-Meredith students into the building if they are not escorted. Although it may be a student’s mother or friend, we never know what the relationships are, and it is that student’s responsibility to keep track of their guests in order to keep themselves and others in the building safe. If you encounter an awkward situation of a guest trying to enter with you, you could tell the guest that their student has to come meet them for safety reasons, for example, or contact your RA, RD or campus police. LeCount emphasized that much of the residence hall safety and general campus safety is up to students and that “situational awareness is important!” LeCount implored, “If you feel that something is amiss, contact campus police.” These safety measures can’t work if students are not active in their own safety. Being able to recognize our own surround-
ings and emphasize community is what makes Meredith a safe campus. A piece of advice LeCount offered for being situationally aware is to “check your surroundings. Conduct yourself the way you do at a mall during Christmas. Walk with purpose, walk with a buddy.” Another way students can be active in campus security is to report facility issues. Lighting was improved in the quad and other places around campus upon the request of students who wanted more lights when moving around at night. Students are the ones on campus the most and are most affected by any potential security concerns. As touched on in part one of this article in the previous edition, Meredith College is an incredibly safe campus, but there are always improvements to be made to keep up with a changing world. These improvements are made by students reporting lighting issues to facilities, alumni and parents funding the guardhouse additions and every individual’s awareness of their situation.
February renovations to the Meredith guardhouse Photo courtesy of meredith.edu her child. When a woman gives birth, she needs to take off from work to take care of their newborn. Fathers hardly never take off as often as mothers do, which then puts woman at a disadvantage in the workforce. Since women have to take off more time from work and hold a more flexible and often lowerpaying job, it is harder for them to advance in the workforce compared to their male counterparts who are considered to be more reliable. Although women have come a long way since early 1900s, they still need to fight for equal allocation of domestic chores. Since women are disproportionately spending more time in unpaid work than men, this distorts the gender wage gap, indicating there
needs to be more emphasis on equal allocation of household chores. Dr. York recommends organizations offer more work-life balance to all employees to encourage more integration among occupations, which would “help narrow the pay gap.” To learn even more about the gender wage gap, you can search on YouTube for Dr. York’s Meredith Minute on this topic by searching for “Explaining the gender pay gap Meredith Minute Anne York.” During Women’s History Month, we should start combatting the idea that women are expected to bear the responsibility of taking care of children and household chores, and instead put equal responsibility on both males and females.
News
Educating Refugees: A Recap of Mary Maker’s Convocation By Olivia Slack, Features Editor On Mar. 5, Mary Maker, an expert on the refugee experience, visited Meredith for a convocation about refugee education that was both informative and inspiring. Maker, a refugee herself from South Sudan, spent many years in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. There, unlike many other refugee girls, she was able to get an education because both her parents supported education for girls. Though she faced many struggles, as recounted in her talk, Maker was able to graduate high school and begin teaching her
own classes in the Kakuma camp in order to educate a new generation of refugees. During the convocation, Maker showed many images of the Kakuma refugee camp, including the classrooms that are stuffed with children. Since most Americans never have the chance to see a refugee camp in person, these images helped Maker’s point: it’s difficult for someone to argue that educating refugees isn’t an important issue when they can see the reality of the camps which education can help them escape.
One of the most empowering portions of Maker’s convocation was her recount of her many obstacles to getting an education. The barriers she faced were frankly unimaginable, but despite deaths in the family and subsequent pauses in her schooling, Maker persevered and was able to graduate. Though she does not have a college degree or a publishing deal, she has spread her message about the importance of educating refugees through a TED talk and through her role as a teacher in the refugee camp. Her
passion and belief in her message was clearly portrayed through every word she spoke and the convocation left me feeling that something absolutely needs to be done in this country to further the education of refugees. If you did not attend the convocation and would like to see Mary Maker speak for yourself, watch her TED talk, “Why I Fight for the Education of Refugee Girls (Like Me),” at ted.com.
until the splash down on Mar. 8. According to The New York Times SpaceX is scheduled to launch another unmanned rocket in June using the same capsule from the Mar. 2 launch to test if the capsules are safely reusable. Kenneth Chang, writing for the New York Times, also identifies this launch as putting “NASA and the United States on the cusp of a renewed era of human spaceflight.” Since the discontinuation of NASA’s space shuttle program in 2011, American astronauts have had to rent seats on rockets
from Russia in order to reach the International Space Station. The seats on Russia’s Suyez rocket sold to NASA sold for as much as $21.8 million when the Space Shuttle was around in 2008 to $81 million per seat in 2018. Given that prior reality, the launch of SpaceX’s rocket is an exciting advancement for America’s space exploration. It enables independence because America was at the forefront of space exploration for many years and now America can rejoin the research into space exploration without the exuberant cost.
Private Rockets Boost Potential for Space Travel By Ell Shelp-Peck, Staff Writer Eight years after NASA hung up its thrusters on the Space Shuttle mission, on March 2, SpaceX launched an unmanned rocket to the International Space Station. This launch means that Americans will soon be able to go to the International Space Station via an American rocket launched from American soil, possibly as early as July. SpaceX, a private company focused on space exploration through reusable rockets, launched an unmanned rocket into space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mis-
Upcoming: Little Friends Weekend By Ashley Ricks, Staff Writer
Do you want to come and enjoy a weekend full of activities and magic with your little friend at Meredith? Luckily, you can, during Little Friends Weekend! Little Friends Weekend is a Meredith tradition where little friends ages 4-13 come to campus and hang out with their college friends for Friday night and Saturday. Events include a surprise professional magician, a carnival, arts and crafts and so much more! The weekend is Apr. 12-13. Registration for Little Friends Weekend will start Mar. 18 in the Cate Center lobby and will end on Mar. 22. Registration times are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each day, except Friday, which will be 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The cost of the weekend is $50 per child and covers the cost of the child's breakfast and lunch on Saturday, activity supplies and child's t-shirt. Any student who wants to buy a t-shirt can do so for an additional $15. If you have any questions, you can contact Ashley Ricks and Laura Jenkins.
sion was a test flight to prove that the rocket could be guided successfully from Earth to the International Space Station, dock and then splash down into the ocean. The mission was successful and provided valuable information about how astronauts experience space travel, despite the fact that it was an unmanned mission. The rocket was guided from Earth, but during the flight a robot was recording the experience that an astronaut would physically endure during the launch. The entirety of the mission lasted 5 days
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Arts & Entertainment
A Marvel-lous Film: A Review of Captain Marvel By Ashleigh Murr, Staff Writer Here at Meredith College, we are no strangers to strong women, but the cinematic world does not display strong female characters as often as we might hope. As a fitting way to celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday, Mar. 8, I went to see the new Captain Marvel film, for which Marvel Studios chose to merge the Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel stories to create a female Captain Marvel, keeping the commanding and militaristic title which captures the strength of this heroine. This movie has a refreshing, distinct and intentional feminist feel as the lead character, Carol Danvers, is impressively played by Brie Larson. Larson conveys a tough and powerful character who fights for good in the world with compassion. Larson’s indestructible yet sincere essence effectively captures all that
Carol Danvers is: the most powerful character in Marvel works, according to the official Marvel website. Her expressions and motions accurately portray the grit of her character, especially in a scene near the end in which she overcomes a powerful alien villain’s mind manipulation against her. Another notable theme is friendship: specifically, women building each other up. In the film, Carol returns to the home of her best friend, Maria (portrayed by Lashana Lynch), and is received with a deep love and respect by the friend of her past life. Maria also has a daughter who already shows signs of toughness and decision-making at a young age, hinting at the strong generation of women rising up now. The character Mar-Vell holds another important role in the movie as the leader of research to save the
universe against a powerful alien evil force, which Captain Marvel continues for Mar-Vell when she is no longer able. She deciphers evil from good from the beginning and fights to defeat the evil in order to help the innocent. Mar-Vell is played by Annette Carol Bening, giving the audience a variety of strong women as main characters, from children to senior citizens and both African-American and white. This film captures a heroine who not only gets the job done but shows humility and compassion throughout the process in a distinctly human way. Larson, in an interview with IMDB, noted that she was excited to play Carol Danvers because she is a flawed character. Larson commented that all humans are flawed, and as the film highlights, life is about our determination to stand up and
keep fighting when we are down. The film plot mainly parallels the original 1968 Ms. Marvel comic that features the character Carol Danvers with the air force background that the film character Danvers, “Vers,” has, as well as, shares comic character Danvers merge to Captain Marvel that occurs in a later comic. Captain Marvel gives more background information on its heroine than other Marvel movies. The film is intriguing from start to finish with plot twists and incredible acting talent throughout. Whether you have read every Marvel comic and seen every film or do not have a clue what Marvel Studios is, I highly recommend you go support this movie that promotes strong women, friendship and so many important human values.
The North Carolina Museum of Art from Two Perspectives By Ell Shelp-Peck, Staff Writer, and Olivia Slack, Features Editor Ell There are five current special exhibits at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), which I visited with my grandmother on Mar. 12. When we walked in, I expected there to be a fee; however, all of these exhibits are free to the public, including the permanent exhibit in the main building. We walked down the stairs, and right in front of us was Saylor and Morris: Their World is not Our World, a video created by videographers Susannah Saylor and Edward Morris. The piece covers how animals interact with humans in Oostvaardersplassen, The Netherlands. Edward Morris narrates the piece and describes Susannah Saylor as almost a goddess, which makes it so entrancing. The second piece we viewed, The Audubon Experience, was in the far back of the gallery. This is also a video experience, but it uses more illustrations than raw images. It includes the bird calls from each of the included species in their natural habitats and in their life-like forms. The exhibit also includes pieces by John James Audubon, who is known for his realistic documentation of birds. This exhibit had an interactive portion where the viewer could watch videos and learn about how and why Audubon chose to document these creatures. On the way out, my grandmother and I stopped to view the photos included in
the Within the Frame exhibit, a collection of photographs from a variety of artists. All the images create a visual effect with borders captured in the picture in addition to the frame itself, and that is what makes each piece unique. I think this is my favorite because each piece is individually dynamic and much different from the rest. Ultimately I did not get to view the fifth exhibition, Park Pictures, because of time. However, there is still time to see all of these pieces; both Within the Frame and Their World is Not Our World are on display until July 7 and the other pieces are available for viewing until Sept. 15 in the East Building of the NCMA.
Olivia In addition to these wonderful special exhibits that NCMA has to offer, visitors should not forget about the abundance of art the museum has outside. With spring—and, happily, a bit of sun and warmer temperatures— coming slowly but surely to North Carolina, the art museum is a great place to get outside and not only enjoy nature but also some really fantastic art pieces. One of my favorite installations is the Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky, which is a small hut that functions as a camera obscura: close the chamber’s door and let your eyes adjust, and you’ll see a perfect
replication of the trees and the sky on the walls and floor of the chamber, illuminated by a tiny hole in the ceiling through which the sun shines. The Cloud Chamber is just one of the breathtaking art installations that dot NCMA’s outdoor trails, which are accessible coming from Meredith’s campus via the green way. Other outdoor highlights of the museum are the sculpture garden outside the Rodin exhibit and the amphitheater and pond area, which are great places to relax and reflect after walking through the exhibit spaces.
The Audubon Experience Photo courtesy of Ell Shelp-Peck
The Power of "Woke"
Opinion
to maintain an awareness of the disparities within major institutions and will happily educate others on issues and areas of society that are not well known and/or are disregarded. However, the Extremist is prone to arguing or engaging in violence even for the smallest social injustice. What’s the point of me dishing out all this information about a slang word? “Woke” isn’t just a slang word. It’s a reminder to be mindful of our actions and that the world isn’t as squeaky clean as we’d like it to be. To the Activists and Extremists: don’t take everything too seriously, and don’t try to push your beliefs on others. In our society, anyone who lives an alternative lifestyle is often characterized as angry, crazy or dangerous. We must remember that there are people who aren’t informed or aware of alternative lifestyles and that their lack of knowledge in this area does not necessarily mean they’re ignorant. There are also people who
just don’t care, and we just have to accept that. To the Trenders: cultures different from your own and the people of these cultures are not tokens to be flaunted before friends and family. Furthermore, as much as I believe in taking as much help as possible, you’re not helping a movement by pretending to care. There are people that genuinely care about social issues and seek to improve society, and someone pretending to care undermines the message, the efforts and the achievements of these movements. There’s something beautiful about the word “woke.” It’s enticing and represents something bigger than some Millennial trend or angst. I personally feel it represents a hope for the future as well as for maintaining mindfulness in the present. It reminds me that anybody is capable of making a positive change in the world through activism and volunteering. There are no nobodies because we’re all somebody.
Saponi Native-American woman, was persistent in correcting him. I By Ashley Graham (student submission) was probably was seen as the “angry On Mar. 5, a horde of Equal when I looked misogyny and black woman,” but I see myself as a Rights Amendment supporters white supremacy in the face: I was beacon of hope for all women. permeated the General Assembly. describing the historical treatment of Our group had a certain Myself, other Meredith College women in America by citing Supreme list of representatives to speak Students and faculty from the Court cases, but the representative to, so we continued going down History, International Studies disregarded the history of America’s that list. Coincidentally, a lot of and Political Science department treatment of women by insisting on representatives were in meetings attended the rally. I missed class to the conclusiveness of Constitutional or were too busy to speak to us.The go to the General Assembly because Amendments. The Fourteenth representative I was assigned to House Bill 271 is of paramount Amendment, he said, made women speak to, Representative James D. importance to me. I have previously citizens and guaranteed us our rights. Gailliard, was busy, and his assistant researched the Equal Rights His description of the amendment told us we were welcome to return Amendment for my final essay in is incorrect: the purpose of the after his phone call. Before we left Contemporary American History. As Fourteenth Amendment was to grant the fifth floor, something told me an intersectional feminist, advocate citizenship to all people born in that our group should talk to him. for equality and history and pre-law the United States, including former I led my group to his office and he double-major, this rally appealed to slaves. The Fourteenth Amendment embraced us with a welcoming me. When I was trying to recruit my did not stop Jim Crow laws from spirit. He was understanding and peers to go to the General Assembly, existing and it most certainly did agreed to support House Bill 271. some of my peers were circumspect not grant women equal rights. He Representative Gailliard now about it. It is illogical to not be graduated from Harvard Law, so supports this bill because he has proactive on matters pertaining to he should have known better and a daughter and a mother and will our demographic (women). While chosen a better Constitutional advocate for anything that helps it may not feel like it, lawmakers Amendment. I notified him of women transcend glass ceilings. are supposed to represent their this and the Representative was Women are subjected to constituents. In the words of Dr. left speechless. When I felt myself facing obstacles in the workplace, Manzo, Assistant Professor of becoming irate, I reminded myself education, and other institutions. Political Science, “Don’t forget; they of a couple of things: this is a The United States Constitution work for you.” movement, not a moment. One does not guarantee equal rights Meredith was at the General “no” does not dictate anything and for women. Equality for women Assembly for three hours and those won’t suppress my resistance. In is crucial for several reasons. three hours were life-changing for the presence of this representative, Women give birth to very men in me. I was able to professionally I was the only one who rebutted the legislature that believe they are communicate my beliefs while his backward opinions with facts. knowledgeable on all litigation. incorporating elements from my Everyone else remained quiet while I am not sure how they draw this two majors. There was one instance I, the African-American and Haliwa- conclusion because over half of
North Carolina’s population is women. This is not reflected in the General Assembly because policies tend to favor white men and further allow men to delegate their perception of women’s rights. Thirty-seven states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment and North Carolina’s ratification would set the stage for final review in the United States Congress. The Wake County Equal Rights Amendment Team notified me that Representative Gailliard honored his word and sponsored the bill. I never expected that protesting would put in such a favorable light and result in an internship opportunity at the General Assembly. I would like to thank Dr. Fountain, Dr. Robbins and Dr. Manzo for supporting my dreams. They have equipped me with resources to turn my dreams into reality! Lobbying for House Bill 271 was a blessing for various reasons; this trip to the General Assembly assured me that becoming an attorney is my true calling and I plan to use my connections in both chambers of the General Assembly to continue my advocacy for House Bill 271. Last April, Dr. Jean Jackson and I were mentioned in Senator Toby Finch’s newsletter for advocacy. The General Assembly has not seen the last of me and House Bill 271.
By Nikki Wertz, Layout Designer
What does “woke” or being woke mean? According to Urban Dictionary, woke is the intellectual state of an individual after becoming aware of the disparities within their society. There’s no doubting the powerful meaning and history of this slang word, especially in our currently uneasy political climate. Despite this, I found myself questioning whether we were using it correctly. Some of us choose to actively live by the word by protesting social injustice and rallying for change, while others only use the word for self promotion. Many people would be surprised to learn that “woke” has a history. Between 2008 and 2009, singer Erykah Badu declared “stay woke” in her song “Master Teacher” to express her desire for a world free of racial prejudice while acknowledging that our current world may always be far from it. Erykah Badu urged her audience
to recognize the issues with the inequalities within our country and hope for better days. Fast-forward to 2013, when awareness and influence of the Black Lives Matter movement increased following the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, and #StayWoke surfaces on Twitter, ultimately popularizing the term. Suddenly, “woke” is being used for almost anytime someone learns something new about our chaotic world. I’ve found that humans can hover between different levels of “woke,” but for the purpose of not being too wordy or scholarly, I will merely cover three common levels. First, the Trender: an individual who is likely to view forms of activism as a trend and not movements devoted to making true change within society. The two other common types of “woke” individuals are the Activist and the Extremist. The Activist and the Extremist make a point
Advocacy at the General Assembly
STAFF
Sarah Kiser, Editor-in-Chief. Mimi Mays, Associate Editor. Caroline Garrett, A&E Editor. Abby Ojeda, News Editor. Rebecca Dowdy, Opinion Editor. Olivia Slack, Features Editor. Micah Clark, Cartoonist. Cro Owens, Social Media Coordinator. Nikki Wertz, Layout Designer. Photographers: Laney Flaugher, Inaya Rivera Staff Writers: Ashleigh Murr, Ashley Ricks, Ell Shelp-Peck, Savi Swiggard, Kristen Viera. Contributing Writers: Kathleen Daly, Haley Ivey, Yajaira Ramos-Ramirez.