October 12, 2016
Who is Lee Smith? Lizbeth Liefer-Hall, Staff Writer Lee Smith, renowned author and writer of Southern literature, has stories to tell and plenty of them. Since beginning her writing career over 45 years ago, she has authored four short story collections, 13 fiction books, an oral history of her hometown Grundy, Virginia, coauthored a Broadway musical play, and has had her articles and stories published in several anthologies and periodicals such as Southern Review and The New York Times. This list now includes her most recent publication Dimestore: A Writer’s Life, which is her autobiography and was chosen for Meredith College’s 2016 Summer Reading Program. Smith has received accolades for her writing,
some of which include the O. Henry Award (1979, 1981), Sir Walter Raleigh Award (1983, 1989), North Carolina Award for Literature (1984), Weatherford Award for Appalachian Literature (1988), Academy Award in Fiction from the American Academy of Arts & Letters (1999), Southern Book Critics Circle Award (2002), North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame (2009), and Thomas Wolfe Award (2010). She was also invited to become a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Smith’s storytelling was inspired by stories told by both of her parents as well as the people who frequented her father’s store and her grandfather’s office in the courthouse. She
put pen to paper at nine years old to write her very first story. While a senior at Hollins College in Roanoke, Smith was awarded one of twelve fellowships after submitting an early draft of her first novel to a Book-of-the Month Club. Two years later, it became her first published work and was the beginning of her professional writing career. Throughout her writing career, she managed to raise two boys, publish several more books, articles, and stories, and held a teaching position at North Carolina State University for almost 20 years. Dr. Rebecca Duncan, member of the Summer Reading Committee commented, “Dimestore became the choice when Dr. Allen brought the book
to the committee. Several of the English department have connections to the author, Lee Smith. [We chose her because of the] opportunity to have the author come to campus and spend time with students.” Lee Smith is scheduled to speak at a lecture sponsored by the Meredith College English Department on Wednesday, October 12th, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in McIver Amphitheater.. A bluegrass concert begins the evening at 6:30 p.m. In case of rain, the event will be held in Jones Auditorium. These events are free and open to the public.
“You’ll just have to experience it” Teressa Berton, Staff Writer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s right, Cornhuskin’ is here! While many students here on campus will be a part of this beloved Meredith tradition, few know its history on campus. Cornhuskin’ has been a part of campus life since its conception in 1945 as the Meredith College Corn Shucking Bee. The tradition was originally intended to be a way to welcome freshmen to campus, but quickly became the class-wide competition that
we know and love. In its earliest years, Cornhuskin’ was made up of many events, some familiar, like the parade and hog callin’, and others less familiar. Some of the less familiar events include cow milkin’, where students made their own cows compete, or the hillbilly couples’ dance. In the hillbilly couples’ dance competition, students would dress in their best hillbilly costumes and perform a dance. Over time, more events
were added, like tall tale and apple bobbin’, and competition continued to escalate. By the 1960’s, the competition heated up with water pranks and other pranks on dorms. In 1976, safety regulations were put into place, creating what we know today as Hall Raids, as well as safety guidelines for competition. As time has gone by, more events have been added including tall tale, skit, and the sing-song competition which has transformed into the
Women of MC: Neema Kimaru
SeungPang,StaffWriter
“The BLM protest was important to me because it forced students, faculty, and staff on our campus to acknowledge the issue of police brutality among innocent African Americans, as well as other minorities. For some people it’s easy to ignore that this is an issue. You can turn off the news, the radio, block things out on social media, but
it’s hard to ignore a group of over 100 people dressed in all black, laying in the grass protesting on your way to class. I appreciated that the Black Student Union offered a discussion session the following day so that people could come together, learn, and discuss change.” Over the years, Cornhuskin’ has continued
to be a beloved tradition, that has grown and evolved with the college becoming a unifying force across campus. Whether keeping students up all night, bringing Odds and Evens together, or joining alumnae across generations, Cornhuskin’ is a tradition worth experiencing.
class song event. Over the years, Cornhuskin’ has continued to be a beloved tradition, that has grown and evolved with the college becoming a unifying force across campus. Whether keeping students up all night, bringing Odds and Evens together, or joining alumnae across generations, Cornhuskin’ is a tradition worth experiencing.
News Honors Students Head West
Sarah Kiser, Associate Editor This week 70 students, one Honors alumna, nine faculty members and one staff person set out for Asheville N.C. for the annual Honors Fall Trip. They left Sept. 23 and returned Sept. 25, having explored Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and a variety of topics across all disciplines. The overall importance of the honors trip is “being more well-rounded,” said Meredith senior Katie O’Dell. “You get to find something you’re passionate about and explore it, but also you get to learn about things you wouldn’t typically learn about.” After their arrival on Friday last week, the group took a tour at the Biltmore Estate. Saturday morning was spent with faculty in mini-courses. Every year students do reading beforehand, then conduct research with the mini-courses and make a presentation to share on that Sunday morning, so they get to see all the research that’s been done that weekend. Saturday afternoon small groups ventured out to explore downtown Asheville and the surround-
ing mountains. Some went to Chimney Rock, and some to Maggie Valley. Students could choose from nine minicourses in topics such as tuberculosis sanatoriums in 1900s Asheville, homemade Appalachian yogurt, conservation and ecological restoration, or literary adaption of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, to name a few. “Usually I go for the education ones… but they had one this year that was so interesting I couldn’t not pick it because it’s studying the movie Dirty Dancing,” said O’Dell. The 1987 classic film was partially filmed nearby at Lake Lure. This year is O’Dell’s fourth and final time attending the fall trip, and her first year on the planning committee. She helped to plan the activities, especially what students could do in their free time on Saturday afternoon. She came up with mostly free options like a walking tour of architecture, museums, and a thrift shop with an in-house museum on ghost paraphernalia, different ways to explore the city. “I like how we have free time to go ex-
plore on our own because that’s when most of the adventures happen. I remember when we went to Charleston S.C. we stumbled upon this festival that there’s no way we could have known about otherwise.” Meredith sophomore Catherine Jones participated in the biology/chemistry mini group with Dr. Powell. It was “about yogurt making and how it applies to being in the Appalachian area where everything is self-sufficient especially in olden times,” said Jones. They learned about the bacterium and chemical processes that go into making yogurt. “Because,” explained Jones “bacterium make acid with what’s in the milk itself.” Jones also described her visit to the Biltmore Estate. “It was huge; it was gorgeous,” she said. “What stuck out with Biltmore was the fact that someone had at some point that much money. Walking into even their dining room there was this …mantel piece. It’s just a mantel but it reached all the way up this 20 foot ceiling and there was a
carving of a war scene in it.” Jones, along with others, explored downtown Asheville. “There were a lot of interesting people.” She laughed. “This guy had a parrot on his arm. I have no idea why. He was just walking by and the parrot was just bobbing its head, a beautiful brightly colored parrot. Another guy was painted all bronze like he just came from pretending to be a statue. There was someone dressed like Avatar. I don’t know what was going on, a lot of interesting characters.” As an extra activity on Friday night, the honors students had a hoe-down with folk music. They learned several square and line dances along with the waltz. In addition to learning new dances, the Honors Trip is also an opportunity to meet more honors students. “The two big opportunities to meet people in the honors program are the honors downtown meet up and then the Honors Trip,” said O’Dell.
Clinton health a non-issue, says Meredith professors Sarah Smerko, Features Editor Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has been under significant scrutiny ever since she became ill at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony, and her doctor revealed that she had pneumonia. In a CNN report Clinton’s doctor, Dr. Lisa Bardack, said that Clinton “was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule.” Clinton’s pneumonia diagnosis has given right-wing conspiracy theorists and conservative media a field day. Conspiracy theorists think that Clinton’s health is on the brink, and have even gone as far as to suggest her team employing body doubles to keep up a ruse of a healthy presidential candidate. Conservative blogger Brian Joondepth of The American Thinker argues, “These health concerns are not a big deal if they involve the 68-year-old woman living down the block, but they do if the 68-year-old woman is the potential President of the United States, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Services, arguably the most powerful
leader in the Free World.” Joondepth goes as far as to claim Secretary Clinton’s health episode as “the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.” Is it though? Dr. Whitney Manzo, associate professor of political science, weighs in. Manzo says that “the whole issue with Hillary’s health has been blown wildly out of proportion. She was sick, she kept going because it’s an important time in the campaign, and unfortunately it fed into odd conspiracy theories that the far right had been circulating about her.” Manzo continues, “I would also say that the debate over her health is entirely sexist. Donald Trump (70) is older than her and claims he’s entirely healthy, Bernie Sanders (75) is quite a bit older than her and some people have suggested he replace her, and Ronald Reagan was older (69) than she is now (68) when he was elected and no one questioned his health. The common factor must not be age, then, but gender. The undertone is that a
woman can’t handle the rigors of the presidency without getting sick, and is therefore unfit.” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has promoted conspiracies about Clinton’s health, often commenting on her health himself. During Monday’s first presidential debate, Trump said that Clinton “doesn’t have the look [and] doesn’t have the stamina” to be president. How has Secretary Clinton responded to continual debates around her health and if she is fit for the job? Clinton’s response to Trump last night says it all. She argued back, “As soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, and a cease fire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities in nations around the world, or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me about stamina.” Dr. David McLennan, professor of political science points out that health concerns have posted legiti-
mate concern in presidential elections in the past, citing Franklin D. Roosevelt as an example, but are not an issue of concern in this election. McLennan comments, “Hillary Clinton’s health issues are not significant and, for about a week, it was a media frenzy, fueled, in part, by the Trump campaign and conservative bloggers. Her past and present medical issues are not unusual for her age and would not cause her difficulties in performing the duties of president.” Based on last night’s debate performance, it is safe to say that Clinton isn’t backing down anytime soon. http://www.vox.com/2016/8/18/12505078/hillaryclinton-health-stroke-conspiracy-fake h t t p : / / w w w. t h e a t l a n t i c . c o m / p o l i t i c s / a r chive/2016/09/hillary-clinton-health-conspiracyhysteria/501293/ http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/11/health/hillaryclinton-health/
ALittleLeapforaBigSpecies:GiantPandasNoLongerEndangered Katrina Thomas, Staff Writer Animal lovers, rejoice: on September 4, the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) announced that giant pandas had been bumped down from “endangered” to “vulnerable!” The uplifting news also happened to follow the birth of twin cubs at Zoo Atlanta the day before. Pandas’ new status is the result of hard work to breed them, reforest destroyed habitats, protect their remaining homes, and increase the number of reserves. Additionally, in 1981 and 1988, China
passed legislation banning skin trading and poaching (respectively), which used to be large problems (officials looked into 115 illegal fur trading cases in 1988). From 2004-2014, the wild giant panda population had increased by 17% to a total of 1,864. As of now, reserves are home to nearly 1.4 million hectares of habitat and about 67% of the wild panda population. However, people still need to do their part to keep conservation going. It took 26 years to take this species
from “endangered” to “threatened,” habitat fragmentation is still an issue, and climate change is predicted to wipe out over 35% of giant pandas’ remaining habitats within 80 years. Additionally, many animals are still endangered, and some, including four of the six great ape species, are at the even worse “critically endangered” level. In summary, giant pandas no longer being endangered is good news, but it’s also important to continue supporting conservation organizations and main-
(Photo from www.huffingtonpost.com)
tain the environmentally conscious perspectives that got the animals here. Information for this article was found on wwf.panda.org, cnn.com, nationalgeographic.com, and worldwildlife.org. To learn about how animals are classified as vulnerable or endangered, visit iucnredlist.org.
Arts & Entertainment StudentPerspective:WhitneyWayThoreBringsBodyPositivitytoMeredith Laurie Diggett, Staff Writer On September 13th 2016, Whitney Way Thore came to Meredith College to teach a dance class and give a talk. For many attending the 4pm dance lesson, it was merely a chance to dance with a professional and have fun. For others, however, it was an opportunity to rediscover ourselves and our capabilities. Thore showed us that we can do anything we set our minds to as long as we work for it and prove that we truly wanted to reach our goals. When I first entered the auditorium, I looked around and thought there wasn’t any way we were going to fit everyone on stage. So many people had shown up, but somehow we managed
to all fit on stage at once. Before we began, one of Thore’s team members talked to us a bit about Thore’s struggle with body shaming and self doubt in the past. Having struggled many years with bullying, an eating disorder and a terribly steep, uphill battle with weight loss, Thore had found sanctuary in the power of dance and began her No Body Shame campaign. After being given this short blurb about her, Thore came onto the stage and we didn’t waste any time getting into the lesson. In class with Thore I felt motivated and engaged in dancing. She taught in a way that made moves come easily to me and helped me flow smoothly with the music. After
rehearsing a few times at the back of the entire group, I was ready to be in the front. I felt excitement from head to toe as we were split into four groups, all of which would be filmed dancing for Thore’s show, My Big Fat Fabulous Life. The music started and I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline course through my body. I gave that final dance my all and enjoyed every second of it. I soon realized that Thore was motivated by her love of dance and her unbreakable refusal to never let anyone take her passion away. Thore taught us that we cannot control anyone’s opinion of ourselves except our own. We are our own biggest critic. Thore showed each and every one
of us that we are valid in being ourselves. Thore wants everyone to remind themselves who they are, and I plan to look in the mirror and validate myself everyday for the rest of my life. Overall, Whitney Way Thore brings motivation and reason for individuality with every word she utters and every step she takes. Being able to dance with her and hear about her struggle with bodyshaming and self-doubt will have an everlasting impact on my life and I encourage everyone to go to one of her events if at all possible. It will truly make you see yourself and the rest of society differently.
Why is Hollywood Still Obsessed with ‘Whitewashing’? Lauren Cannon, Staff Writer Whitewashing, the act of casting white actresses and actors to play minority roles, remains one of the biggest controversies in Hollywood. Though it has sparked outrage for decades, Hollywood’s filmmakers continue to cast these roles to Caucasians because they think this provides the widest appeal to audiences. Additionally, filmmakers have claimed that casting a minority as the lead role is too risky -- they don’t want to spend millions creating a film with
a minority lead. However, research shows that movies with diversity typically do better in the box office. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the female and minority leads led the film to success. Hollywood’s lack of diversity has gone on forever. For example, old-time Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor was cast as the title role in Cleopatra. In more recent years, Christian Bale was cast as Moses in Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Disney cast the heartthrob Johnny
Depp as Native American, Tonto, in The Lone Ranger. Recently, fans of Disney have expressed their concern over Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan. Fans are worried that Disney will whitewash the remake, as the company has in the past. Several petitions were even created, one with over 100,000 signatures, aimed at persuading Disney to cast an Asian Mulan. Whitewashing is sending harmful messages to the
audience; especially the younger generations who aren’t seeing diversity represented. Additionally, Hollywood often characterizes those in minority groups as “bad guys” and immoral. Ultimately, even after all the criticism, why does Hollywood continue to put on an ignorant facade when it comes to whitewashing?
Meredith’s Ensemble Theatre Presents Lysistrata Teressa Burton, Staff Writer For the season opener, the Meredith College Ensemble Theatre will be presenting the Greek comedy Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes. The play is about the women of ancient Greece at the end of the Peloponnesian War who have decided to bring the war to its completion; however, director Catherine Rodgers has updated this classic. In this fresh new twist,
the story is brought forward to the time of the American Civil War, where Lysistrata (played by Victoria Mitchell) convinces the women of the community that they have their own role to play in ending the war. The show also highlights the work of several Meredith College students and faculty, including sound design and original music by freshwoman Maigan Kennedy. Kennedy’s music
brings life to the play and pairs well with the choreography of senior Dielle McMillian. The bluegrass music and choreography brings energy to the fascinating sets of faculty designer Jenni Becker. Together, all the contributors to thsi production help to captivate its audience and bring us into their world. The production will be running from September 27 to
October 2 in the Meredith College Studio Theatre. Lysistrata is free for Meredith students and employees, $10 general, $5 students/seniors. Reservations can be made by calling 919-760-2840 or emailing boxoffice@meredith.edu. See http://www.meredith.edu/theatre for more information.
Movie Review: Kubo and the Two Strings Carolina Brust, Staff Writer If you must blink, do it now. Laika studios, creator of the 2009 animated film Coraline and the 2014 film The Boxtrolls, has just released its new animated, mythological feature Kubo and the Two Strings. Kubo (voiced by Art Parkison), the son of a fallen warrior and star, lives in the side of mountain with his mother (voiced by Charlize Theron) above a sea side village. There, the two haved
lived in hiding since his grandfather, the Moon King, stole his left eye as a baby and continues to hunt him down for his remaining eye. After his grandfather sends his aunts to find him, Kubo goes off on an adventure to find his father’s golden armour to face off against the Moon King. Aided by a monkey talisman and an amnesiac warrior named Beetle (voiced by Matthew McConaughey), Kubo learns more
about his past and his growing powers. Despite the limited amount of diversity in the cast, the film makes up for it with a stunning instrumental soundtrack and detailed Japanese backdrop. Inspired by Japanese folklore and art, Laika Studios weaves a colorful world of origami, magic, music, as a backdrop to the theme of finding home when you least expect it. From the first
minute, the audience is pulled in with eye popping visuals, a fantastic mixture of woodwork, yarn puppetry, and computer generated imagery that breathe life into our heroes. Finishing fourth in the box office, this film is a treat for all ages and will be sure to leave you at the edge of your seat. No matter if you’re five or fifty, this film brings out the warrior in all of us.
Editorials Dunanananananana Goose Dog
Sarah Kiser, Associate Editor “Nogeesehavebeenharmedinthisprocess.”AaronSchettler 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!”
Lacy, on the job in the heat of the chase. Photo courtesy of Dr. Brent Pitts
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 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
Michelle Obama Comes to Raleigh Rachel Crawford, News Editor
Bright and early Tuesday morning, October 4th, students and community members started lining up outside Reynolds Coliseum to see First Lady Michelle Obama speak in support of the Clinton campaign. Deciding that being in the same room as one of the most inspiring women in America was more important than my classes, I spent my Tuesday excitedly waiting in line to see Obama speak. I arrived early enough to get a decent spot in the line, which eventually wound its way all the way across the main campus and eventually contained over 5,000 hopeful audience members. While we waited, volunteers walked up and down the line registering people to vote, asking for signatures on petitions for women’s health and environmental preservation, and encouraging people to volunteer for the Clinton campaign. When we were finally let inside the building, we had to go through strict security before doing even more waiting, accompanied by some hype music
from the NC State marching band. At about 2:00, the event officially started with several speakers including former governor Jim Hunt, Senate candidate Deborah Ross, and a NCSU biological engineering student who said she was inspired by Michelle Obama’s leadership. After this introduction, Obama emerged on stage, about thirty feet away from me, to eardrum-shattering applause. Her speech emphasized Clinton’s qualifications to the presidency (despite the crowd’s chants of “Four more years!”, begging Obama to stay in the White House a little bit longer) and the importance of voter turnout, especially among young people. I knew that breathing the same air as the great Michelle Obama would be an enlightening experience in and of itself, but the event in general was so much more inspiring than I expected it to be. Surrounded by people who were so passionate about changing the
world and ending the spread of hate, I felt compelled to do my part in getting out the vote and fighting for what I believe is right. One of the most incredible things that Obama said was that, in 2008, Barack Obama only won North Carolina by 14,000 votes: breaking that down, she said, Barack only won by about two or three votes per district (as an average). As someone who has often wondered how much my vote actually matters, this information gave me the motivation I needed to get myself to the polls and bring my neighbors with me. I know a lot of voters feel apathetic about this election because they dislike both Clinton and Trump, and they feel dismayed at the fact that they can’t give their vote to someone who represents them perfectly. The First Lady addressed this argument by urging her audience to stop searching for the “perfect” candidate. Every candidate is human, she said,
so a perfect candidate doesn’t exist. Instead, she encouraged her audience to find the candidate who is the better of the two; of course, she suggested, Clinton is undeniably the better candidate. Obama appealed to values of unity, humanity, respect, and professionalism when discussing why voters should choose Clinton. Despite the negativity and fear surrounding this election, Obama kept her message optimistic. Looking on the packed crowd of college students and community members, she said, “When I look at crowds like this, of young people, I have never felt more hopeful about the future of our nation.” I am struggling to have the hope she seems to be holding on to, but whatever happens, as long as this incredible woman is somewhere in the world doing anything at all, I think we will all be alright.
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.