Hurricane Florence Predicted to Make Landfall Tomorrow
in this issue NEWS Bigs & Littles Reveal Revived Voting Local Durham Pride Study Abroad Fair
A&E Review: Blackkkansman Upcoming Concerts Unhelpful Hurricane Hints OPINIONS Book to Movie Comparison: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Plant Blindness
What’s Your Calling? By Olivia Slack and Kristin Morin Your answer could be, as it is for many freshmen entering college, that you’re not sure. It’s a lot to ask of freshman to already have a career in mind, much less a career that they know they’ll love enough to qualify as a “calling.” Meredith College’s 2018 summer reading book sought to offer some advice to readers about how to find their own calling through real stories told by people who’ve found theirs. This year’s book, Callings, was compiled by StoryCorps founder David Isay. The book is comprised of transcribed interviews that detail how some people have managed to find their calling in life and turn it into a career. According to Dr. Steven Benko, one of Meredith’s Associate Professor of Religious and Ethical Studies, Callings “speaks to that idea that work is meaningful.” He noted that there’s been a lot of focus recently on how college prepares students for careers not only by educating them but by showing them what kinds of careers are available. Benko said that Callings emphasizes this message and that freshmen should take from reading the book that “[finding your calling] is work. That these careers that these people engaged in didn’t just happen to them.” Dr. Christina Romanelli, an English instructor at Meredith who lead summer reading discussion groups, commented that Callings was a different kind of summer reading book, one that was “really good at being inspiring and a positive conversation starter.” She thought that the book helps students feel “empowered to think broadly about what a calling is.” According to Romanelli, the book was accurate in showing that sometimes it
THE M E R E D I T H
HERALD
September 12, 2018
Silent Sam Has Been Dismounted Huma Hashmi, Staff Writer On the night of Aug. 20, protesters tore down the “Silent Sam” Confederate monument at the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, the statue being a focus of protests since at least 1968 in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., although, calls for its removal came earlier published in an op-ed from the Daily Tar Heel in March of 1965. According to UNC campus police estimates, the university has spent $393,000 dollars between July 2017 and July 2018 alone on its security. Though the Civil War was long over by the time the status was commissioned in 1908, the ideology behind it carried over Confederate sentiments . When industrialist and Confederate State veteran Julian Carr spoke at the 1913 unveiling of the statue then known as the “Soldiers Monument”, he made its intended symbolism clear. The statue, which earned the nickname “Silent Sam” in the 1950s, was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and served as an emblem of “the welfare of the Anglo Saxon race,” Carr orated. He stressed that although the Confederacy was defeated, “the cause for which they fought is not lost.” Carr offered a personal anecdote as well. He recalled during his speech at his
alma mater, he had, in the weeks immediately after the end of the Civil War, personally “horse-whipp[ed] a negro wretch until her skirts hung in shreds” for offending a white woman on Franklin Street.
takes a while to find your calling, as demonstrated by her own winding journey to becoming an English professor, and that message is valuable for students. She noted that “there’s a certain amount of knowing one’s self in finding a calling and knowing what’s important to you in finding a calling,” and that college can often be the ideal place to take time to do that.
was “inspiring” and that she felt that attending the panel and reading the book would help “guide [us] to find [our calling].” The reception to Callings itself was also positive: as Anna Wisniewski said, Callings was a book that “[she] actually related to, because [she’s] undecided” unlike other summer reading books she’s had to read in the past. This sentiment was shared by many students. Kaitlyn Galdamez gleaned from her reading that you should “do what you want to do in life, and not just because of the money.” Overall, reactions to Callings were positive on the parts of both professors and students, with everyone generally agreeing that it was inspiring and gave a great message about how to apply your college experience to finding your ideal career.
In addition to reading Callings, on Sept. 5 freshmen were required to attend “Meredith Callings: A Panel of Powerful Women,” a program that showcased faculty, students, and alumnae who shared their experiences with finding their callings. They related how they got to where they are now and offered advice, including focusing on “fulfillment potential vs. earning potential,” as the panel’s trustee representative Adrienne Cole said. Following the program, freshmen who had attended offered their impression of the event and the book. Adeline Rhodes and Savana Mitchell agreed that it was “nice hearing other peoples’ stories,” and Faith Beverly added that the event
30 and 40 members of the coalition marched from McCorkle Place to Memorial Hall where they briefly disrupted the University Day proceedings to decry the memorial to Confederate soldiers of the university and racism they believed persists on campus. The coalition says “the monument is falsely represented” as honoring students, was erected “at the height of North Carolina’s white supremacy movement to incite fear in the newly freed black population” and makes many students feel unwelcome on campus. The dramatic demonstration on Aug. 20 followed decades of Silent Sam on July 13, 2018 controversy and protest at the Photo Courtesy of JASMIN HERRERA university that had accelerated in the last year after the fatal eruption of Since then, the protests racist violence in Charlottesville, Va. against Silent Sam and the ideology where at Unite the Right rally, antiit represents have long been present, racist protester Heather Heyer was ebbing and waning. However, in the stuck and killed by a neo-Nazi driver. last few years, neo-confederates have After Silent Sam’s toppling, used the statue as as a rallying point, according to Thomas Goolsby, a ushering in a new wave of anti-racism member of the UNC System Board activism and protesting. of Governors, the monument will be In October 2015, when reinstalled within 90 days of its take members of The Real Silent Sam down. Coalition placed a black garment On Aug 23., Goolsby said on the barrel of the statue’s gun, in his Youtube video, “We will the cloth symbolized the skirt that Julian Carr hung in shreds after the Continued on pg. 3 “horsewhipp[ing].” Then, between
Meredith v. Guilford, Meredith v. Stockton By Mimi Mays, Associate Editor
At Meredith’s first home soccer game of the season on Sat., Sept. 8, our nimble Avenging Angels battled both the humidity and Guilford College, but emerged victorious on both counts. The Saturday sun was no match for #18, Madison Thompson, who scored the first goal of the game for Meredith in the first frame. Guilford soon struck back with a point in the second frame, and just when it looked as though the match would end in a tie, #22 Ansley Bucknam bested the Guilford goalie to make the last goal of the game. The Angels’ 2-1 win was rewarded with cheers and a picnic with their families in the shade. “We’re very proud of our team; they fought hard the whole game,” remarked Coach Paul Smith. “A lot of teams, when you’re up 1-0, and the other team comes back 1-1, they may fold,” he explained, “but we did not. I’m very proud of the whole team.” The Angels played Stockton University on the afternoon of the 9th, and after a long two frames and two overtimes, the match resulted in a 1-1 tie. Jessica Wallace, #5, scored for Meredith near the end of the first frame. Today’s match in Roanoke has been postponed due to weather, so the Angels’ next matchup will be a home game versus Emory & Henry College on Sep 18.
Little Changes to a Big Program By Olivia Slack, Staff Writer Members of the classes of 2020 and 2022 had something new to look forward to this year: the Big Sis/Little Sis program. A longstanding tradition in which incoming freshmen students can choose to be assigned a junior “big sister” who can help her transition into college, the Big/Little program brought back an updated version of the match reveal this year. Miranda Griffin and Belle Rose, the Big Sis/Little Sis co-chairs and members of the class of 2020, explain that in prior years, the email revealing who your Big or Little Sis would be had been sent during the summer rather than once the semester had started. So why did they decide not to go that route this year?
News
According to Griffin and Rose, their intention was to enable the class of 2020 to “welcome the class of 2022 as a whole, rather than just [their] specific Littles” when the first social came around, and thus pushed back the timing of the reveal email. Additionally, in previous years, when the matches were made and announced in summer, some Littles found that their Bigs had not prepared for their arrival. For example, their roommate’s Big had “decorated the door with special signs for her,” unlike their own Big. This led to some less-than-ideal Big/ Little relationships, a situation which this year’s co-chairs hoped to prevent this time around. Big/Little registration also
increased this year according to Griffin and Rose. Because of the later match reveal, freshmen who had not heard about the program until arriving on campus didn’t feel as though it was too late for them to sign up, unlike in past years. Freshmen and juniors who are participating in the Big Sis/Little Sis program this year have had a few thoughts about the changes as well. Some juniors point out that it was difficult to get gifts for their Littles or prepare to meet them beforehand because they only found out who their Littles were a few hours before the first social was scheduled to take place. Additionally, some freshmen thought that it would have been helpful to have their Big Sis available
to help them get settled in the first week of school, instead of having to wait an additional week to meet them. Some freshmen found that the wait and suspense surrounding reveal day made them more excited than they might have been if they’d gotten the email over the summer, when they might still have weeks or months until they could see their Big Sis in person. All in all, this year’s Big Sis/ Little Sis program began with a few new changes, which have received broad and varied responses from students. Of course, the Big Sis/Little Sis program isn’t all about the reveal, and in the coming year there are sure to be many more events for Bigs and Littles, so keep an eye out.
Pride is Revialitized in Durham By Carolina Brust, Staff Writer Despite June being labelled as “Pride Month,” Pride is an allyear-round event for everyone to enjoy and celebrate. Durham will be hosting its own celebration later this month on the 29th, rebranded and under new management by the LGBTQ Center of Durham. Speculation was underway when the event, previously hosted by NC Pride and originally scheduled for June, was suspended and later
cancelled. The organization came under fire last year by critics for mismanaging the event and scheduling it on the same day as the religious holiday Yom Kippur. While plans for the new event are still underway, the LGBTQ Center has stated in a press release that this year’s event will “[utilize] the community’s opinion and an innovative spirit to create a spectacular celebration of self and
others.” To support this statement, they released a survey in July for the public to offer their input in the planning process. The festivities will take place on Duke University East Campus, beginning with the opening ceremony and prayer at 11 a.m. The event will last until 4 p.m, with live performances arriving on the main stage at 2 p.m. While no official line-up has been released,
the organization showcased events unaffiliated with Pride on its website to hype-up the public and get them prepared for the upcoming festival. While the event will officially be held in Durham, you don’t have to be a Durham-ite to join in the fun. Come celebrate your Pride, your way. To offer your opinion on what YOU want to see at Pride, email pride@lgbtqcenterofdurham.org or visit www.pridedurhamnc.org.
Election Day is Less Than Two Months Away By Hannah Flood, Staff Writer
information, such as the House and Senate districts or polling locations, is available at wakegov. com. If not currently registered to vote, registration forms and more information about the process are also available at this website. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 12 at 5:00 p.m. Voting in local and national elections is an important way to implement change in the world around you. Your vote has power— cast it this election.
students can live and take classes from on-site Meredith professors each semester and in the summer. In the spring of 2019, the Sansepolcro location will offer a program entitled “Art in Italy”, and in the fall of 2019, students of all academic backgrounds can benefit from a semester of “Italian Life and Culture”. Other Meredith Abroad programs include Costa Rica: Field Research in Tropical Ecosystems, Costa Rica: Language and Culture, Paris Fashion and Belize: Community Service and Cultural Understanding (all held in the summer of 2019). Kirby Jones, ‘19, attended the Belize program in the summer of 2017, and recommends study abroad because it instills a “greater level of independence as well as a heightened level of self awareness...from trying new things and interacting with a group of people”. The same summer, Jane Kelley, ‘19, attended Costa Rica: Language and Culture and found it to be an “invaluable experience that allows you to really expand your horizons and learn about a new culture while being immersed in it.” Students can also opt to participate in an affiliate program in which they take classes from an outside organization and transfer the credits. CIDEF in Angers gives students at any level the chance to better their French language skills in France, Spanish Studies Abroad allows students to learn the Spanish language in their choice of several South American countries and Advanced Studies in England
offers many humanities courses taught in the historic city of Bath. CIEE Study Abroad and IES Study Abroad offer programs in dozens of countries, including Australia, China, Germany, Morocco, Turkey and more. Nikki Gillenwater, ‘20, hopes to take advantage of this wide array of countries by studying psychology in Copenhagen, Denmark. For those concerned about funding an international trip, the Financial Aid Office offers support and the Office of International Programs holds funding workshops. Students can also apply for several scholarships through the Office of International Programs and outside organizations such as honor societies and Meredith departments. Those who did not attend the fair can find more information at https:// www.meredith.edu/study-abroad, sign up for a “Study Abroad 101 Workshop” or stop by the Office of International Programs right by the main entrance of Joyner to make an individual appointment.
The time to vote in 2018 general elections is rapidly approaching, and there are a few things you should know. In the upcoming election, citizens will vote on all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 of the Senate seats. Thirty-six states, not including North Carolina, will also vote for governor. Election Day is Nov. 6, 2018, and polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. For those that are interested, early voting opportunities will be available in nine locations across Wake County, from Oct. through Nov. 3. The closest of these locations to Meredith College is the NCSU Talley Student Union, accessible by Wolfline. Early polling location hours include 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Students who might not make to their hometown polling location by Election Day have the option to vote via absentee ballot. All registered voters have the option to vote using this method; all that is required is to send in an absentee ballot request form before the deadline on Oct. 30 at 5:00 p.m. Voting registration
Study Abroad Fair By Caroline Garrett, A&E Editor On the evening of Tuesday, September 11, Meredith College’s Office of International Programs hosted its annual Study Abroad Fair in Lower Belk Dining Hall to inform students of opportunities to take classes in other countries. Through study abroad programs, students can fulfill general education requirements, including foreign language classes, or even earn credits towards their major or minor. Students can choose from a variety of study abroad programs offered by Meredith College or through an affiliate program. With Meredith Abroad programs, students travel with Meredith professors and students. In Sansepolcro, Italy, Meredith College operates a palazzo where
Photo courtesy of Mimi Mays, Associate Editor
Arts & Entertainment
Review: Blackkklansman By Micah Clark, Cartoonist and Staff Writer Spike Lee’s Blackkklansman is a well-timed tribute to the daring nerve of Officer Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) to infiltrate the Colorado Springs chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. The film follows the suspense of a plotted race war and a plan to install a white supremacist political stronghold throughout the United States, all the while protecting the true identity of Officer Stallworth, a young black man. Set in the 1970s, Blackkklansman tells the story of the rapidly rising racial tensions in a post-Martin Luther King Jr. America. The plot centers around Ron’s double life as he seeks to prove himself to his peers as a worthy and capable police officer and undercover agent. Ron teams up with Flip Zimmerman
(Adam Driver), a white Jewish officer who will attend meetings in his stead. While working together to build a case against the Colorado Springs chapter of the KKK, both officers learn more about their personal identities and what they’re willing to risk for justice. The tone of the film is immediately set with the opening scene of Dr. Kennebrew Beauregard (Alec Baldwin), a pro-segregation speaker, giving a speech filled with racially charged conspiracy theories. As he fumbles his lines, footage of the controversial film Birth of a Nation plays over him, alluding to a lack of organization within white supremacist groups. This theme continues throughout the film as Officer Zimmerman discovers a lack
Upcoming Triangle Concerts By Molly Perry, Staff Writer Saturday, September 15th, 2018 Dreamville Festival 2018 Dorothea Dix Park – Raleigh, NC 12:00pm
The Connells Stephenson Amphitheater – Raleigh, NC 4:00pm North Carolina Symphony: Richard Carsey and Brody Dolyniuk – The Music of Queen Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts – Meymandi Concert Hall – Raleigh, NC 8:00pm Stone Sour The Ritz – Raleigh, NC 8:00pm Twiddle The Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC 9:00pm Sugar Candy Mountain Kings – Raleigh, NC 9:00pm Sunday, September 16th, 2018
Fallow Ground The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC 2:00pm Shakey Graves The Ritz – Raleigh, NC 8:00pm Eyehategod The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC 8:30pm Monday, September 17th, 2018 Niall Horan and Maren Morris Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC 7:00pm Coco Montoya The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC 8:00pm Tuesday, September 18th, 2018 Kaleo The Ritz – Raleigh, NC 8:00pm Continued on page 4
Important Hurricane Preparation Tips
Hurricane Florence is predicted to make landfall Thursday morning at Category 4. Check your email for announcements and safety information from the College. Classes have been cancelled Thursday and Friday. Not to make light rain of the situation, but here are some notso-helpful hints from your Herald staff: Stop using electricity now so that you’re adjusted when the power actually goes out. Go ahead and practice going off the grid. Prepare for the zombie apocalypse (i.e., learn smoke signalling). The zombie’s name is Florence. Invest in a bucket. Go to the store and look at the empty shelves with no water. Cry. Fill the bucket with your tears. Hydrate. Repeat by visiting the empty artisan bread aisle. Buy loaves of bread and use them to soak up the mess when your roof leaks. Cook all of the food in your fridge. Eat it. Hibernate. Wake up when the hurricane is over. Try to etch all your Brightspace assignments onto clay tablets before you lose power #clayspace.
Act out an entire season of your favorite show when you have no Netflix. Don’t practice vehicle cruelty. Don’t leave unattended vehicles outside to fend for themselves, bring them inside to a cozy room and snuggle. Find innovative ways to cook ramen. Like in your dryer. Entertain yourself: reenact your favorite vines. Also, pictionary: meme edition. Find alternate arrangements for your fish with gills. Or, evolve gills for both you and your pets without gills so that both of you can survive in a flood. Leave your boat tied behind your dorm/Oaks apartment. Go underground. Dig a hole in your backyard. Sit tight.
of consistency and varying degrees of radicalism within the KKK. One thing is certain: members do not call the KKK the Klan. As a means of normalizing their political agenda, the Klan moves to rebrand as The Organization, referred to by members as The Invisible Empire. Their goal is to gain as much political power as possible, so far as setting their sights on the presidency. As Stallworth mocks the idea on screen, many audience members laughed. Despite being a story set in the 70s, it still strikes a modern political nerve. After the film has ended, footage rolls of the 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia “Unite The Right” rally. Chants of “Jews will not replace us,” fill the theater as clips
pan over white supremacist groups march through the streets. Though unsettling, the sights were not as disturbing as the photage of the car that mowed down a crowd of counter protestors including deceased racial justice activist Heather Heyer. Overall, Blackkklansman follows a rising trend of political thriller dramas that pull in audiences to the tune of tens of millions in profit at the box office. It is a film fresh on the heels of multiple incidences of white supremacist rallies and counter protests. Dappled with dark humor and nail-biting suspense, this film is an open-ended political thriller that is sure to jumpstart endless conversations.
Continued from page 1 make sure the laws of our state are enforced, we will not allow anarchy of reign on our campuses” in regards to the toppling on the monument. He did not comment about white supremacists coming to support the presence of the statue on the campus. Goolsby’s comments come a day after the state historical commission voted to keep Confederate monuments on the North Carolina capitol grounds. Jamie L Paulsen, an attorney, activist and a member of the Triangle Showing Up For Racial Justice (TSURJ) group remarked in a phone interview that she saw the recent events much differently. She felt that students were themselves were being organizers and leaders in their community, with little outside help. Protesting Silent Sam was not anarchy but rather an organized effort by hundred of students both visible and not to bring down the monument to the legacy of slavery at Carolina. Student activism is the true legacy of UNC students, and it covered up incompetence presented by the administration. On Sat. Aug. 25, seven people were arrested at UNC after Confederate flag-wielding supporters of Silent Sam clashed with counterprotesters near the stump of the fallen monument, prompting police in riot gear to swarm the area. Counter-protesters were slammed into buildings and onto the ground as police attempted to gain control of the situation. Since the statue came down, groups involved in the issue held events promoting their causes at the foot of the empty pedestal. On Thurs. Aug. 30, a dance party and speak out was arranged as a counterprotest to a “funeral service” for Silent Sam organized by white supremacist group, Alamance County Taking Back Alamance county (ACTBAC). The Confederate states of America (CSOA) arranged a “vigil” for the statue and to that the anti-racist protestors students responded with a potluck. The ACTBAC members unfurled an oversize Confederate flag within the
perimeter and carried signs that said, “Save our monuments, preserve our history.” On Sept. 8, police officers from across North Carolina were brought in to separate the rallying groups. Officers then escalated the situation when they unprovokedly confiscated the canned food that anti-Silent Sam protesters were collecting for a food drive. Students collectively stated from Defend UNC that they were pushed to the ground, tackled, and choked.“When the eight arrests took place, there were no neoConfederates on campus; they had left at least ten minutes earlier,” said a statement from Defend UNC, an opposition group of the Silent Sam Confederate statue. “Whatever safety risk the police believed themselves to be mitigating had passed. The police themselves were the only threat on McCorkle Place. They were undeniably the ones who broke the peace.” In an unsigned statement released the following Sunday night, UNC Police reported that “Concurrent events were scheduled on McCorkle Place by two separate groups,” ,“UNC Police and other law enforcement agencies worked together to maintain the safety of all gathered as verbal interaction between the two groups grew heated.” It continues, “as participants departed, some individuals confronted and assaulted officers. Law enforcement officials made eight arrests before clearing the area around 7:30 p.m.” The replacement of the statue is a monetary issue, according to UNC Vice Chancellor emails leaked on Twitter about donors wanting the monument’s replacement . However, not all donating alumni agree. The Board has until mid-November to decide the fate of the statue. What this means for our state and our country remains to be seen.
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Editorials
Book to Movie Comparison: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Huma Hashmi, Staff Writer To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han has been in the headlines for its fresh take on old clichés with the release of the Netflix adaptation this August. The story focuses on Lara Jean, a hopeless romantic who writes love letters to all the boys she has ever had a crush on. After all seven of her secret love letters get mysteriously published, her world turns upside down. Lana Condor, who stars as the lead young woman, channels her character’s awkward fumbling, sweet and quiet nature perfectly. She is interesting, put together and, while not the loudest, has expressive facial expressions that perfectly encompass Lara Jean’s inner monologue. The book itself is light, simple and fun, written to appeal to a young teen audience. It is a typical teen coming-of-age novel fraught with love interests and teen drama. Lara Jean is extremely inexperienced with life: she doesn’t like swearing; she is absolutely scandalized when she finds out Peter cheated on a test in seventh grade. In the movie, Condor keeps her character’s civilized core while maturing her with her quiet confidence. The trope at the center of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is “fake dating”—one of the most wellworn romantic conceits out there, in which circumstances conspire to lead two people to pretend to be in a relationship together, who inevitably fall in love over the course of their guile. In this case, the pair in question is a couple of 16-year-olds,
Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, and they start “fake-dating” each other so that Lara Jean can get over a crush and Peter can get back at his ex. Both the book and the movie excel at actually delving into Peter and Lara Jean’s interactions, wherein they get to know each other and listen intently to the stories the other shares. It’s quietly intimate moments, like the scene where Peter spends time with LJ and her little sister by staying in and watching movies. They spend time together and try new things without trying to inherently change who Lara Jean is as a person. While Lara Jean goes to parties with Peter, she doesn’t do anything she isn’t comfortable with, and never has the dramatic make-over to turn her into the stereotypical “popular” girl that is so common in young adult media. This movie lets Lara Jean and Peter be partners in crime, entering their fake relationship with full knowledge of what they’re getting into. They sign a contract in which they make their expectations toward one another clear, and they make honesty and transparency requirements of that contract. It lends a certain amount of comfort to the reader that any character development being built up isn’t going to be torn down. In a particularly pivotal scene, Peter and Lara Jean walk into the school cafeteria in slow motion with Peter’s hand stuck absurdly in Lara Jean’s back pocket after they sign their “fake-dating” contract,
both knowing they are on the same team. And because their relationship is based on friendship rather than betrayal, their emotional bond and their trust are never on the line to be lost during this “relationship.” That quiet assurance is what gives To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before its deeply earnest sincerity. It’s what gives you permission to wholeheartedly enjoy the romance of it all, knowing its tropes and loving them nonetheless. In many ways, this movie was in its essence what rom-coms have been in the last few decades. Of course, there were moments that I wish were included, but the movie correctly gets the tone of the books. In other ways, however, in both the book and the movie, it managed to be trailblazing—notably in its casting of an Asian-American for the romantic lead. In the movie, just as in the books, the character of Lara Jean is half-Korean, played by Condor, who is of Vietnamese descent. While this alone is a rarity itself, others have asked why she wasn’t played by Korean-American actress. But with only one production accepting an Asian lead at all, even after the novel reached acclaim, it is a step in the right direction that will hopefully open the door for more accurate and nuanced representation. Refreshingly, there was no stereotyping of the Asian characters in the novel or the book. However, the dodgy implications of Asian characters, half or otherwise, making relationships and bonding solely
with white people or in a few cases, a black person, raise some interesting questions. Her father, her nemesis, her closest female friend and both of her active love interests are all white, with only a smattering of people of different races sprinkled in. It’s interesting to note that Lara Jean does not interact at all with another Asian character not related to her in the books or the movie. In the movie, it felt that Lara Jean was living the experiences of a white girl, and she just happened to be Asian while doing it. By isolating the Song sisters and not giving them any link to a non-white cultural frame, it is an easier book and movie for the masses to digest. I don’t think Asian women’s stories are obligated to always include other Asian people, but To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before goes almost into a wishfulfilment mode by making Lara Jean Asian-American while only having easily-digestible facts about her that indicate her ethnicity and culture. As a story, it is not obligated to include other Asians characters, especially as love interests, but when we keep seeing this trope, even from Asian creators, we should be able to question it. While there is valid criticism of both the movie and the book, both overall were fun and light portrayals of a sweet modern romance, in which Asian-American girls got to see themselves as protagonists, too.
get involved. They had collaborated on projects with Angels for the Environment, harvested crops for Meredith Supported Agriculture, or simply volunteered some of their spare time to tend to the garden. It appears that once you start seeing the plants around you, it is hard not to be affected. So once the tempo of classes starts increasing, remember: take a breath and look around you. Plant blindness is a choice, and you never know what botanical wonder might brighten your day or fill your stomach!
Plant Blindness
By Rebecca Dowdy, Opinion Editor, and Emma Fry, Staff Writer There is a disease on Meredith’s campus that has long gripped students. It is not a late summer flu nor the midterm blues. It is instead what Dr. Swab, a Meredith professor of botany, calls plant blindness. The term describes how people are too often oblivious to the splendor of nature that surrounds them. A student could walk by a magnolia tree in full bloom and not notice a single flower. It is an affliction “that must be defeated,” proclaimed Swab, shaking her fist at the sky. So amidst the chaotic energy that thrums through campus at the start of the semester, take the time to discover the wealth of plant diversity here at Meredith, and perhaps you’ll
be inspired to take part in its care and growth. In our walking tour of the hidden plants of Meredith college, Dr. Swab named off plant after plant, giving us snippets of their stories. Over here was the native plant garden, tucked between SMB and Ledford, with it’s Kentucky Coffeetree. People used to grind up and boil its seeds to make a coffeelike substance, hence the name. Over there, diagonal from the chapel, was the legacy garden that survived multiple renovations and existed long before SMB was ever built. Dr. Swab pointed out the Sequoia in front of Harris and its speckled, white bark. She gushed over the
tall grasses planted in parking lots and the Live Oak between Harris and Joyner and the Crepe Myrtles that line the sidewalks behind SMB. The campus through her eyes was practically bursting with life. And any plant enthusiast you talk to at Meredith seems equally taken by the rich plant life there is to find. Jackie Law, one such plant enthusiast, will make easy chatter about the food grown in the Three Sisters Community Garden, tucked behind Witherspoon. She pointed out to us the Malabar spinach, Tulsi basil, and Bitter melon, all ripe and ready for tbe taking. She described how, over the years, students had seen the garden and were inspired to
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Cary, NC 5:45pm Supersuckers The Pour House Music Hall –8:00pm
North Carolina Symphony: Joshua Bell Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts – Meymandi Concert Hal Raleigh, NC 7:30p.m.
The Movement, Little Stranger & Elephant Convoy The Pour House Music Hall- 8:00pm
Thursday, September 20th, 2018 Old Crow Medicine Show Wednesday, September 19th, 2018 Booth Amphitheater at Regency Park – Friday, September 21st, 2018 Diamond Creek Cary, NC 7:00pm Something More, Centerfolds Booth Amphitheater at Regency Park – & Nominee
Imurj -Raleigh, NC 7:30pm Tickets at The Pour House can be found at https://www.thepourhousemusichall.com/ ticketing Get all other tickets at https://www.ticketmaster.com/?dma_id=366
STAFF
Sarah Kiser, Editor-in-Chief. Mimi Mays, Associate Editor. Caroline Garrett, A&E Editor. Abby Ojeda, Features Editor. Rebecca Dowdy, Opinon Editor. Micah Clark, Cartoonist. Cro Owens, Social Media Coordinator. Staff Writers: Hannah Flood, Huma Hashmi, Oliva Slack, Molly Perry, Kathleen Daly, Emma Fry.