November 9, 2016
45th President of the United States Is...
Emily Chilton, Editor in Chief College students this year, including those here at Meredith, experienced the first presidential election in which they were eligible to vote. As it came closer to the election, many older adults expressed regret that all of us had such terrible candidates to choose from in this new experience. One of the oft-repeated sentiments of this presidential race was how universally disliked both candidates were; somehow, the two major party nominees were not the ideal candidates when the majority of the country’s opinion was taken
into account. In addition, a wide range of possible Republican party nominees split what may have otherwise been a united party. Both candidates were forced to rehash and debunk multiple scandals that took place before they even made it near the White House. It has been one of the most polarized, weird, and emotional races in the 228 years that America has been electing presidents under this Constitution. While all United States elections are historic, the country knew going into this election that it would be one for the record books.
In an election that was wrongly predicted by almost every major news outlet, Donald J. Trump has been voted in as the 45th president of the United States. In addition, Congress has remained majority Republican. Doubtless, the road that led to an electoral college swing unexpected by anyone would take books to analyze and assess. For now, here are the facts: Donald Trump won; at the time of this writing, the totals are technically not settled, but Michigan seems likely to go red, making the electoral vote totals 306 to 232.
Clinton gained about 200,000 popular votes more than Trump. He took several swing states that were very much up in the air, including North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio, which arguably began the trend of surprising results throughout the night. Responses to the result have been varying, and a breadth of them would take many more words than this front page will allow. Stay tuned to the Meredith Herald website, meredithherald.wordpress.com, for continuing election coverage if differing results develop.
to have found new sensibilities and would have been swayed to the Clinton cause. While these election results were not reflective of the national election, we hope
that these speculative results of the Stars Hollow election keep you in high spirits as we look onward to the next four years and what they may bring to Stars Hollow and our nation.
Stars Hollow Votes
Teressa Berton, Staff Writer As this election season comes to a close, we have seen our nation split down the middle, leading to utter turmoil and extreme headache. But now that it’s all said and done, we couldn’t help but wonder how this the election would have played out in our favorite television town, Stars Hollow, from the popular series Gilmore Girls. To determine the results of the Gilmore Girls election, we assembled a panel of aficionados and selected 50 prominent members of the Gilmore Girls community as representatives of the population. When contemplating the implications of the current Stars Hollow population, we believe that most demographics were accurately represented, including those who would have recently come age, like
April Nardini. After our final tally, we foresaw Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, taking 4% of the vote; Libertarian Gary Johnson taking 12%; Republican Donald Trump taking 38%; and finally, the Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton winning Stars Hollow with 46%, assuming 8% of the population would not vote. When speculating on the political landscape of the Gilmore Girls universe we found the majority of our Trump voters hailed from the wealthy families of Connecticut. We assumed that the majority of the wealthier citizens would be supportive of Trump’s tax breaks, being in favor of ‘Trumped up trickle down economics.’ Yet, we found an outlier in Emily Gilmore; it seemed likely that after the death of her husband seems
A Letter From the Editor
My dear Meredith sisters, faculty, and staff: I write this with a heavy heart. I would like to preface this by saying that I am in no way representative of the views of this paper as a body, which has striven to be non-partisan and only publish opinions when they were clearly marked as opinions of individuals. This letter is truly my opinion, which I feel justified in giving as the editor-in-chief. We as a nation have made a grave mistake. I am perfectly aware of and even understand many of the reasons to have voted for Donald Trump, and those to
not vote for Hillary Clinton. To be very personal, although I am registered unaffiliated, many of my personal beliefs lean decidedly conservative. Regardless, I am bewildered by the justifications made by many in order to vote for Trump. The world that Donald Trump has proposed for Americans to live in is only safe and welcoming to the white, male, Christian population of this country. Specific suggested policies of his have targeted the LGBTQ+ community, the Hispanic population, African-Americans, and Muslims. His words and actions have threatened and degraded women and the
Credit to Sarah Kiser
disabled. Survivors of the Holocaust have noted his similarity to Hitler. He has only reluctantly disavowed the support of KKK leaders. He has ties to Russia and Putin that cannot be denied. I could go on. My fellow Americans, I am saddened. I am disappointed. I am scared, not even for myself, but for those who could possibly be affected by the policies that could be put in place by a Trump presidency with the support of a Republican congress. This is a call for grace and understanding on the part of our community for those who voted for either candidate.
In the coming weeks, I am begging you to be openminded, to have empathy for your fellow human beings. I implore you to be ready, beginning in January of 2017, to recognize policies and initiatives that may threaten the natural rights of others, and protest them if they come. For the country’s sake, be willing to see and empathize with the experiences of those around you. I am at a loss for more words, so please consider these from a beloved Disney princess: “Have courage and be kind.” Yours truly, Emily K. Chilton
News Occupy Oak Tree: Clay People Protest Nature Neglect Have you noticed the little clay people in and around the large tree between Joyner and the library? If you haven’t, you’ve missed out on a cute and mysterious art project that has been the source of much wondering. They’ll only be there for a little while longer, so go take a look! Jackie Manning managed to track down the creator, Katherine Grayson, who had this to say about her project: The project is part of my honors thesis. A studio portion will come later, but I have a couple more of these installations to go. I went to Iceland this summer and studied history and environmental issues with Dr. Grathwohl and Dr. Grimes. Iceland is largely without trees--1-2% remains forested. I felt kind of empty without trees around everywhere and I thought about it and talked about it a lot while we were there. When we got back it was like walking into a crazy, diverse jungle. I loved it. However, there has been some drama in my hometown involving the grocery industry, of all things. Brand new stores are being
opened where forests once stood and existing storefronts are being abandoned and left
vacant. It hasn’t happened once, but several times. Frankly, it makes my heart sick. Particularly with hurricane Matthew this year, it appears that when people notice nature, it tends to be only as a destructive force or as something that gets in the way of advancement. The drive is to control it. I desperately want people to see a different side to the story. I want us to work toward keeping as many existing trees as we can, and planting
some to make up for what we’ve already destroyed--a hippie’s dream, I know. However, I’m not totally insane. I know that no amount of convincing chatter will change people’s hearts. Many people don’t have positive experiences in nature to draw from. I can’t expect that anyone would commit to preserving our forests when they don’t notice the trees (and as a result, don’t notice them disappear)--or worse, notice in a negative way and are only relieved when the trees are gone. By hopefully giving people a positive experience in nature and encouraging people to look at some really fabulous trees,
the goal of these little people is to open a doorway for conversation about our forests.
Photos courtesy of Jacquelyn Manning
Meredith Ensemble Theatre Presents Suddenly Last Summer From meredtih.edu Meredith Ensemble Theatre will present Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Williams, November 8-13, 2016. Performances are Tuesday, Nov. 8-Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov.
13 at 3 p.m. in Studio Theatre of Jones Hall. In this modern classic tragedy told by one of the South’s greatest writers, the only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vaca-
Voter Registration Problems
tion with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane. Now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth. Tickets are free for Mer-
edith students, faculty, and staff, $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and students. Reservations may be made by calling the box office at 919760-2840 or boxoffice@meredith.edu.
Yessy Anorve-Basoria, Staff Writer Whenever elections take place, whether they are state, town, or especially presidential elections, the United States encounters some kind of complaint. This year’s complaint was about the touch screen voting machines. North Carolinians have spoken out about the problems that they encountered where the machine mis-
identifies the voter’s choice. According to WRAL, counties that have were encountering the mishap included Cumberland, New Hanover, Iredell, Mecklenburg, and Catawba. North Carolina Public Radio, a media outlet that allows NC residents to report and listen to news, reported, “It can be unnerving for vot-
ers and often leads to allegations that the machines have been ‘rigged’ to favor one candidate over another.” However, NCPR reassured the state that although “some machines are flipping votes...that doesn’t mean they’re rigged.” So what was the cause of this problem? Many of these computers are old and even if
they were calibrated daily, they were still not in top condition. On the bright side, voters were highly encouraged to view their ballots and make corrections if necessary; no other problems other than technical problems were reported when casting a vote.
Arts & Entertainment Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Movie Review Carolina Brust, Staff Writer Adapted from the bestselling novel by Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has graced the silver screen with a swirling mix of action, adventure, romance, and horror. Remaining number one in the box office for three consecutive weeks, director Tim Burton has once again released another cinematic masterpiece. The film follows the story of Jacob, a seemingly normal teenager wasting away in Florida. After his grandfather’s mysterious death, he travels to a mysterious island to find some truth in the bedtime stories his grandfather told him: of a flying girl, a boy made of bees, and a mysterious
headmistress. There, he stumbles upon the world of the Peculiars, people with special abilities who hide in pockets of time to avoid being hunted down by monstrous beings who feed on them for their powers in order to become Immortal. Aided by Miss Peregrine, he learns more about his grandfather’s mysterious past and the world of the Peculiars. When their world is attacked, it is up to Jacob and his new friends to fight these beasts and rescue Miss Peregrine. It is often said that movie versions never measure up to the novel, save for Harry Potter, but this film is the exception. While the film does take some creative control over
the story, the universe remains intact. Fans of the threepart series will be shocked by the world Tim Burton has created straight from the imagination of Riggs with his own special twist. Newcomers to the series will be running for the nearest bookstore to read more about Miss Peregrine and her brood of Peculiars. Credit to Golden Age Cinemas
Gilmore Girls Revival Emily Chilton, Editor in Chief
Pack your bags for Stars Hollow, because on Nov. 25 the Gilmore Girls revival series premieres on Netflix. Titled “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” the four-part series is expected to bring huge numbers of nostalgic TVwatchers, all excited to see how Lorelai and Rory have fared. Practically 100% of the original cast are on the released cast list for the
revival, including all three of Rory’s main former boyfriends. So, here’s what we know about the revival based on the trailers (mild spoilers ahead, if you’re a purist): ● Richard Gilmore has died sometime in the past few years, but seemingly pretty close to when the revival is taking place, since we see images of the funeral. This isn’t really a big surprise for fans of the show, since the actor that played him, Edward Herrmann, passed away in 2014. ● Lorelai and Luke are together; we hear the line “Luke and I are happy” spoken by Lorelai, albeit in a wistful tone that may have implications for
their future. ● Though Jared Paladecki, Milo Ventimiglia, and Matt Czuchry - the actors who portray Dean, Jess, and Logan, respectively - are all slated to return, the only one shown on camera with Rory in the trailers is Jess. Arguably more important is the fact that Czuchry is signed for all four episodes, whereas Ventimiglia is signed for three. ● Town meetings are still regularly taking place, a comfort to all who got used to the small town of Stars Hollow during the original series. ● All three generations of Gilmore Girl are feeling unsettled; the second, much longer trailer seems to focus on the changes that Emily, Lorelai, and Rory want to make or feel coming soon for them. So why is everyone so excited? Specifically, why has the buzz on Meredith’s campus been practically audible? The answer, as it usually is at Meredith, seems to be community. Emily Mitchum and Megan Cassimatis, class of 2020, weighed in.
“I think a lot of people are drawn to Gilmore Girls because of the community it shows, both in Stars Hollow and within the Gilmore family. It’s easy to picture yourself as a part of the community, kind of like it’s easy to become a part of the community here at Meredith. You can really see yourself and other people in the characters of Gilmore Girls and that, along with the show being funny and all around wonderful, is what draws a lot of people to it.” - Megan Cassimatis “Gilmore Girls is especially empowering for young women, and proves that even if life throws something unexpected at you [...] you have the power to overcome it yourself and use your family and community for support. It reminds me that strong friendships are important, and that having a lot of ambition as a woman is totally okay. It teaches women of all ages what inter-generational communication looks like and what that can do to strengthen a community of women. Also, it’s hilarious and Amy Sherman Palladino is a genius. All of those things that make it great are what make the Meredith community great. We see ourselves and our community and our ups and downs in that show.” - Emily Mitchum Credit to Netflix
Editorials Rape is wrong, and so is jumping to conclusions Morgan Whithaus, Staff Writer
Earlier this semester my article titled “UNC Rape Case Holding Universities Accountable” was published in The Meredith Herald. My op-ed piece commended 19-yearold UNC Chapel Hill student Delaney Robinson for speaking out about being raped by football player Allen Artis. I thoughtlessly framed Artis to be a rapist although no facts had came out proving or disproving this point. This is where I failed my readers. I gave suggestions about how UNC Chapel Hill and other college campuses across the country could be more supportive of students who are victims of sexual misconduct. I presented my ideas about how community members could change the stigma around the term “rape culture” by raising their children to know that sexual misconduct is wrong. But in doing so, I fell prey to something
dangerous, if not as dangerous as sexual misconduct itself. I too quickly pointed my finger to blame Artis for actions that had not yet, and have not yet, been proven. I neglected to state how, although Robinson’s testimony was powerful, a significant amount of factual evidence had not yet confirmed her statements. In being negligent to fully consider the facts before so boldly asserting that Artis did rape Robinson, I only pushed the controversy of rape culture from one extreme to another. My suggestions are valid in and of themselves, but they lose their credibility when I jump to conclusions and fail to stop and consider the facts, or lack of facts. When I fail to consider all that is at stake by my thoughtless assumption—Artis’ image, Robinson’s credibility, The Herald’s reputation—I realize that I sound as if I am on a
pedestal preaching about something I know and care little about. In a world where news comes from a variety of sources such as websites, blogs, and tweets, writing must be factually based so that the truth can be sorted out from lies. I wrote in my original article, “Teaching about consent needs to start at a younger age, and families, sports teams, and schools must condemn children, teenagers, and adults when they make excuses for rape. Blaming the victims, asking ‘what were you wearing?’ and ‘were you leading him on?’ must stop.” But jumping to the whole other side of the spectrum and blaming all who are accused has to stop, too. By shifting the blame so quickly with no facts behind my words, my writing potentially damaged the work that has already been done to dismantle rape culture.
I hope that my mistake will serve as a reminder to all as we approach many different situations in life—whether it be related to sexual misconduct, political news, or the gossip we hear about the girl down the hall—that statements without supporting facts rarely amount to anything other than misrepresentation and the deluding of the situation at hand. And finally, let this serve as a reminder that as empowering as it is that survivors of rape, sexual assault, and other forms of sexual misconduct are receiving more media attention with each passing day, we must be careful not to too quickly pass judgement on an alleged rapist before the facts are presented. Rape culture will never be dismantled if we, including myself, are too quick to jump to conclusions.
Meredith Hacks: Cornhuskin’ Hangover Cure Teressa Berton, Corn Correspondent As the Cornhuskin’ season comes to an end, the common Meredith College woman problem crops up: the post-Cornhuskin’ hangover. After spending evening after evening out in a parking lot working towards one goal, life after the harvest can tough. But worry not, there is a Cornhuskin’ hangover cure. Get some sleep. Cornhuskin’ season always leaves a lady in need
of some Z’s, so take your newly discovered free time and invest in your REM cycle. Put some of your evenings free towards classwork. While this may not be the most fun, your extra time can help save your grades from their Cornhuskin’ hangover as well. Keep in touch with your corny friends. After bonding with your class, stay in contact with your practice
buddy and find a way to hang out together outside of practice. Say thanks to your class cochairs. Your class co-chairs have been working super hard to make corn a memorable experience for you and all of your classmates! Let them know you appreciate their hard work. Share the corny times with friends and family. When you head home, tell your loved ones what you
have been doing at your midnight ‘prop’ circles. Show them the photos you took with your squad- cause we all know that you were looking like cream of the crop. However you choose to work through the post-corn season, remember that you will always have your sisters to help you carry on, and remember, there’s always next year!
Dunanananananana Goose Dog Sarah Kiser, Associate Editor “No geese have been harmed in this process.” Aaron Schettler Did you ever notice that we don’t have flocks of monstrous geese on campus? In the past, goose droppings on our sidewalks became an increasing problem. “We were spending a tremendous amount of time and effort removing goose poop from the sidewalks,” said Grounds Manager Aaron Schettler. But no longer. As alumnae may remember, that was thanks to none other than Goose Dog and Mr. Schettler. As grounds manager, Schettler has multiple duties, one of which used to be goose chasing. In fact, Meredith chosen dogs used to be picked from professors’ pets. “I started inviting professors to bring their dogs to campus. I would train their dog and we would chase geese.” “I had golden retrievers or Australian shepherds,” said Schettler. “Dogs are natural predators for geese. If you’ve got a flock of geese on campus...if you study them, there’s a couple geese who are looking out for threats... The geese see the dog and the ‘look-out goose’ would start to signal... They would watch the dog, and if the dog showed them any attention at all, then the geese would take off.”
Dr. Brent Pitt’s Lacy, an older Australian shepard mix, is an experienced goose chaser. “She is a great, affectionate dog,” said Schettler. “She was my most reliable goose chaser.” Lacy has the instinct to herd and chase. Schettler ‘interviewed’ a young, “rambunctious” golden retriever, but decided “the trick was to have a dog that would respond and be able to work off leash.” Lacy was the Goose Dog for two years. Of her age Pitts said, “She had two other homes before ours. She may be 14, but we’ve been saying 14 for four years now! She is getting tottery now in her old age.” According to Pitts, Lacy “enjoyed coming to campus and meeting everyone here. Many people still remember her and ask about her, even today. She was the goose dog for many months, but I have to say I never saw her chase a goose on campus. I think she just liked hanging out on campus and riding in Aaron Schettler’s Gator!” Three years ago the facilities department began contracting with a local company, Goose Masters, who will routinely bring their own Border Collie to serve as a guest Goose
Lacy, on the job in the heat of the chase. Photo courtesy of Dr. Brent Pitts
Dog. The new Goose Dog can still be seen on campus. “This time of year they come daily,” said Schettler, who explained that flocks are flying south this time of year and are looking for places to nest. For example, “If we see a flock of geese in front of the oaks apartment, I text the local guy who has several accounts in our area...then he says, ‘I’ll be there in 20 minutes.’” With the geese chasing occurring on a regular basis Shettler says, “The geese pretty much know the...dance. They see the car, then the dog hops out. The dog might run 10 steps in their direction then they take off.” But don’t worry, the grounds manager insists that no harm comes
to the geese during the chasing. “It is a simple strategy that’s not considered cruel,” added Schettler. “It’s using the natural system.” Goose Masters will sometimes have to follow a flock all the way down to the amphitheatre, recounted Schettler. Then the dog will get them out of the lake. In the end, according to Shettler, “The geese are fairly smart. They see the dance. They go through the motions.” The geese know that the amount of energy gained from eating this grass is not worth the energy it takes to avoid the fearsome Goose Dog.
Lacy on the front stoop, her favorite spot. Taken recently. Photo courtesy of Dr. Brent Pitts
STAFF
Emily Chilton, Editor in Chief. Sarah Kiser, Associate Editor. Sarah Smerko, Features Editor. Caroline Garrett, A&E Editor. Niki Bell, Op-Ed Editor. Rachel Crawford, News Editor. Mallory Dean, Layout Designer. Olivia McElvaney, Online Editor. Staff Writers: Katrina Thomas, Yessy Anorve-Basoria, Kayla Kushner, Laurie Diggett, Carolina Brust, Morgan Whithaus, Lauren Cannon, Lizbeth Hall, Anesia Fletcher, Teressa Berton, Seung Pang.